at the movies

This is a photo of my grandmother with one of my dad's young friends, taken in the 1940s.  I love many things about this photo: the kid's bow tie, my grandmother's whole outfit, the pair of gloves or scarf that can be seen hanging from her handbag, that the photo was taken on the street in the evening, in front of the lights of a movie theater.  I assume that my grandmother is escorting the kids to the movies (where's my dad?  Taking the photo?).  She has something in her hand--perhaps movie tickets.

Andy and I have watched a lot of movies this holiday season, both at home and in the theater.  Here are some brief reviews for you.

*Hugo.  Awesome!  A great film to watch during the holidays, and you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it.  Beautifully filmed.  I posted a little about it here.  We watched in in 3-D.  I thought Scorsese utilized the 3-D to great effect.

*Sherlock Homes 2.  Meh.  Made me sleepy.  I didn't particularly care for the first one, either.

*Melancholia.  Gorgeous.  Disturbing.  Loved it.  Afterwards, Andy and I had strangers talk to each of us in the restrooms.  A woman asked me what I thought of the movie.  In the men's room, a guy told Andy, "Guess I won't be getting any tonight."  !?  They turned out to be a couple, and they followed us to the cocktail bar around the corner and then left almost as soon as they entered without ordering anything.

*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Good.  But as expected, didn't add much to the Swedish-made original film, other than sexing up Mikael Blomkvist by casting Daniel Craig.

*Beginners.  This was a Netflix rental.  Pretty bad.  Considering the great cast (Christopher Plummer, Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, an extremely cute terrier), I was disappointed.  Also--and this was my bad, since I picked it--a depressing choice for Christmas day.  I thought this was going to be quirky and heartwarming.  It was quirky.  (And I am not one of those people who likes "feel good" movies.  See: my positive review of Melancholia.)

*The Illusionist (L'Illusionniste).  Wonderful!  An animated film based on an unproduced script by Jacques Tati.  This was made by Sylvain Chomet, the same director who made The Triplets of Belleville, which is also delightful.  Absolutely gorgeous, and bonus: set in Edinburgh.

Happy new year to all!

xo

K

This year I...

found a new favorite hobby - pressing flowers...

did lots of exploring and appreciating of nature...

made lots of new animal pals...

met a great new friend who I can hopefully continue to grow closer to in 2012...

found a new favorite camera...

got braces and watched my teeth rapidly change...

was honored to be one of modcloth's bloggers of the moment...

made lots of pretty things for The Dainty Squid shop and even started up a new business, Circus Bear Vintage,  selling vintage...

just like last year, dyed my hair lots of pretty colors...

found and identified lots of mushrooms...

2011 was a great year! I can't wait to see what 2012 brings! Here's 2010's "This year I..." post if you'd like to check it out. 
I have two more year end round up posts for this weekend so stay tuned! I hope you guys have a wonderful (and safe!!) New Years Eve!
xoxo

new year, new clothes

Here's a wee shop preview--of items that will probably mostly arrive in the shop in the new year!

1950s horse and horseshoe suede pullover jacket.

1950s ocean blue shantung dress with wide collar and belt.

1950s floral print cardigan.

1980s dots and stripes dress with belt, by Kings Row.

1970s Harris Tweed fitted jacket, by John Stephen of London.

1950s plaid fringed kilt, by Aljean.

1950s mustard yellow crochet flower and rayon dress.

1950s black cape with scarlet lining, Travelcoats by Naman.

1970s Vera Neumann butterfly print tunic blouse.

xo

K

FF #137

Oh my goodness, could there be a more beautiful dress?! The collar plus kitties is a winning combo for sure!

 

(via: Katie Louise Ford)

This satchel is so gorgeous! It'd make one super awesome looking camera bag!

 (via: modcloth)
This set up is so pretty!

(via: decor8)
Eeep! What a cutie!

(via: Julie G. Photography)

Completely jealous of this brooch collection!

 (via: design_ski)
These mushrooms made from cotton are pretty stinken awesome. 

 (via: t's art)
Such a pretty poster!

(via: steph says hello)
This collection of this is so beautiful. I'm such a fan of little treasures like these. I would love to dig through them!

 (via: camilla engman)

Jenny Lee Fowler's work is so awesome! I can't believe that a real leaf!

(via: jenny lee fowler)

♥ This GIF is too cute! I could watch it forever.

♥ Love this log pillow!

♥ This shirt is oh so adorable.

♥ This video of one year in 40 seconds is really amazing!

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

xoxo

PS. The Blowfish Shoes giveaway winner has been announced, please check here to find out if you've won! If you didn't win but would still like some shoes, you can use coupon code "BFSQUID15" for 15% off.

Lost photos; sugar glider!

It's near the end of the year so I'm working on some end of the year round up posts for the blog. This involves looking through my external hard drive for photos but while digging around for certain photos I found tons and tons that I never shared here. A few of which just need to be seen, like of this little guy...

That's a sugar glider that my dad fostered briefly in the fall. He was SO CUTE. I'd never seen a sugar glider in person before this. They're super soft and my goodness, they make the strangest noises!
Don't you just want to squeeeeeze him!?

xoxo

what I wore; little red boots!

the details:

sweater - forever 21

dress - Nutmeg to Taste Dress c/o Modcloth

tights - Knee-d to Know Tights c/o Modcloth

boots - Lady in Rad Boot c/o Modcloth

These were taken the other day when I found those earthstars. It was so cold out, the wind coming off the lake always is! (the beach and Lake Erie are just to the right of the path I was on) But fall and winter are my favorite time to be there because no one is ever there...except the other day. Some guy walked up behind me when I was taking a picture of my tights and shoes which probably just looked really awkward. We, of course, avoided eye contact.

These boots might just be my favorite shoes right now! They're really cozy and don't really feel like you're wearing shoes at all - I love it! Plus the color is phenomenal. I love me some bold shoes!

And because I haven't posted any jumping pictures recently, which almost seems out of character for me, here's one of me trying to stay warm without my coat on!

Hope you're having a fabulous Tuesday! I'm spending my day cleaning house and taking down christmas decor.
xoxo

holiday

The pairing of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn most likely brings to mind The Philadelphia Story (1940) or Bringing Up Baby (1938).  But Holiday (1938, directed by George Cukor) is possibly my favorite.  It's the story of Johnny (Grant), a self-made man who has proposed marriage to heiress Julia.  Johnny wants to quit working so he can travel and experience life.  Julia can't understand why he doesn't want to just make more money, but her sister, Linda (Hepburn), a fellow free spirit, understands Johnny completely.  You can imagine what happens next.

There are some lovely late 1930s fashions in the film.  A New Year's Eve/engagement party showcases some evening wear, but I really enjoy seeing the daily outfits and shoes (and wild hats) the sisters wear.

Linda is usually dressed a bit more simply and less flashy than Julia, though still always very elegantly.  I prefer Linda's black satin dress here.

Hepburn is dressed in a simple black gown for the party, but wears a necklace that sparkles more than anything I have ever seen captured on film.  I really think Cukor used some kind of special effect for the glittering jewels on this necklace.

I love this scene.  Ned (Lew Ayres), the sisters' hard-drinking, frustrated musician brother, marches in with champagne.  Ayres plays this role with the perfect mixture of humor and pathos.

Grant and Hepburn perform some fantastic tumbling moves in the film.

xo

K