Danny's Not Here Mrs. Torrance

Happy Halloween! Earrings courtesy of Aunt Debbie.

Sugar Lull

The perfect update of that WWII classic: I'd much rather have a cupcake than carry on. I've mentioned my love of Jenny and Aaron's artwork before. It's like they live in a perfectly imagined retro bakery...well, they kinda do. Check out more at their blog and etsy store.

I hope the Nancy Drew costume was better

How lame were these costumes? They didn't even let you dress up as the character; all you got was a likeness printed on your sad jumpsuit. I imagine two brothers in the 70s being forced to wear the matching Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy costumes. But it would be pretty sweet to show up at a party sporting this now! Place your bid here.

My Religion

In case y'all hadn't heard, you can watch the season premiere of 30 Rock early here. Watching it kinda took the sting out of Mad Men being done for awhile. Or, you can just carry this tote from parts and labor until Thursday.

Family History

I remember how excited I was the first time I found my mom's old family photo albums. So Mississippi artist Marita Gootee's digital collages of her family photographs put a smile on my face today. I especially like this one; it reminds me of Chicago. Check out all of Marita's great photographic work here.

Shiny Happy Movie

I just saw Mike Leigh's new film Happy-Go-Lucky and it lifted me through the rest of my afternoon like a sweet breeze. The film follows Poppy (a fantastic Sally Hawkins), an elementary school teacher with a singularly pleasant view of the often angry world around her. Leigh calls the film "anti-miserableist," and indeed I found it the perfect tonic for all the stressed, depressed news out there. It works where Shiny Happy People failed. Thanks to Milo for the happy wallpaper.

Fall Crafts, Circa 1976

It's totally the time of year to get lost in a corn maze and make weird nature crafts. Luckily I picked this up at the Salvation Army. Check out this cave couple you can make out of rocks and yarn!

Bella Isabella

Recently my husband and I were watching the episode of Iconoclasts with Isabella Rossellini and Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway, among other things). I was silently absorbing Isabella's fabulousness and intellectual curiosity when my husband said he "didn't get" her. I was more than a little annoyed, since I have always worshiped her. She is a great beauty who doesn't take beauty seriously. She is unafraid to dress in a bee costume. She loves her Big Beef and Cheddar. My husband has a lot to learn. Above is artist Courtney Shelton's fabric drawing of the goddess in Blue Velvet.

Breakfast Drama

I'm finding myself completely intrigued by Mark Mattson's paintings of food. They are filled with little dramas. Take this one: that donut looks pretty peeved at the coffee. Does donut blame coffee for being eaten? Also loving this coffee and sesame seed bagel; both look so eager to hitch a ride and run away. I'll be a bit more philosophical over breakfast tomorrow.

Fun Facts (The Alexa Edition)

It's a good thing I just got tagged by Nannette, otherwise I'd be watching the latest episode of True Blood for the third time. And that would be, well, wrong. So here are six fun facts about me, courtesy of the F.B.M.I.:

1. I spent 6 years of my life in art school, two of them with my hair dyed jet black.
   
2. I spent the last 8 years of my life being a lawyer, and I hate wearing suits.
3. I spent part of the 80s dressed like this.
   
4. My mom painted this painting when she was pregnant with me, and I think it looks a little like me. WEIRD.
5. In moments of weakness I talk about getting liposuction until my husband tells me to stop getting all Jennifer Aniston on him.
6. Like Jennifer Aniston, I hope to have a baby very soon.
   

Okay, now I'm tagging Missa and Alex. Gimmie some random facts about yourselves, ladies! Six will do.

Lasso of Truth

I have a special love for Wonder Woman. When I was little, my mom used to whip up a crown and bracelets from aluminum foil, give me some gold elastic cord that was wrapped around a box from Marshall Field's, and soon I would be spinning around, deflecting bullets and lassoing some truth. I've been nervous ever since word came out about a movie, especially when they dumped Joss Whedon. And I doubt any movie could be as cool as Tony Caporusso's watercolor tribute, above. I'm not likely to get a tattoo in my lifetime, but if I did, this would be it.

Lyrical Lewis

I pretty much worship Jenny Lewis. She seems supernatural to me, like a sprite that flew in from the 70s, created from a potion put together by Laura Nyro and Stevie Nicks. Then I'll catch her in an old episode of The Golden Girls and realize that she is, in fact, human. Rabbit Fur Coat was easily my favorite album of 2006, and so far I'm loving her new one, Acid Tongue. Maybe she is living in the past, but I'm happy to pack up and move there with her.

Eastern Escape

Something about being laid low with a terrible cold and feeling pissed at the universe (each made worse by the inane background noise of Sarah Palin) made me desperate to watch The Painted Veil. It's the perfect film to watch when you simply hate life. On one level, it acts as an old-fashioned travelogue escape to misty, mountainous China. But there is also something cathartic about watching Kitty and Walter, both miserable in their life choices and on a suicidal voyage to a cholera-ravaged village, eventually find each other. But damn HBO had to take it off their on-demand menu so I can't watch it. Bastards.