Spoiled Spongecake

Palette Inspiration

For the past few days I have been madly trying to find tangible images to match to a color palette in my head. I go through this a lot because I will see things in passing and not remember them till it is too late - they were ads or commercials or content on a website I didn't bookmark. My biggest "in passing" moment that I regret is not tape recording the old Splenda commercials on TV. Does anyone else remember them? They were amazing! The commercials I'm talking about aired in the late 1990's and/or early 2000's. It was a long campaign; the look of the ads lasted for well over a year or two. I'm pretty sure they were still around during the time Amelie was released {which was 2001} because they always reminded me of the movie when I saw them. I am famous for having a bad long-term memory.

The Splenda commercials were whimsical, charming and just plain lovely to look at. There were little girls having tea parties and people making sugar cookies and cakes and the commericals were stunning in not only their originality but their great art direction. They had the most beautiful color palette that I haven't seen replicated in film since. And this is where I come up with problems...trying to find words to describe the look. The colors were soft sea-greens, pinks, yellows, and white. The look was very pastel, like cotton candy or gauzey looking, a tad blurry and very ethereal and dreamy. I always think of the word "frothy" too. Who knows why! Anyway, I tried in vain to find copies of these TV ads, especially when I started Layer Cake, because I wanted to look at the colors and the dreaminess and try to use the same concepts for my company.

I've been designing some things for Layer Cake this last week and once again I was drawn back to the memory of those commercials. It has consumed me the last few days! I found some images that kind of reflect the same palette and feel as those commercials. They're not exact but they are the closest I can come to it. I thought I'd share them:

The stunning photography of Irene Suchocki.  Her work is amazing.

The art of Jean-Honore Fragonard.  Top picture: The Swing {1767}
Bottom picture: The Progress of Love: The Pursuit {1773}

Image from a 1950's era Betty Crocker cookbook

The beautiful work of photographer Alicia Bock.
All her images are so ethereal.  They're all so lovely.

These beautiful drinks!  The color of these are sooooo delicious!  I know this picture is from
a wedding.  A friend e-mailed me the image so I do not know who to credit!  If anyone
knows who the photographer is please let me know so I can give their name.

The exquisite color and look of Laduree.  Food that looks like art...delicious!

One of my most favorite artists, Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Le Brun.  Though the color of this
portrait in particular doesn't look much like the palette I'm searching for, the gauzey
dreaminess of it is spot on.  All Vigee-LeBrun's work is beyond words to me.  Perfection.

Though I was not a huge fan of the movie Marie Antoinette {nor anything with
the name Dunst in it...ugh!} it most definitely has some of the most inspiring costumes, art direction, set decoration, and cinematography for me.  Most of the films color palette is what I am searching for!

The Orphanage & The Strangers

I finally got to see the film The Orphanage!  The fact that I even missed it at the theater considering Guillermo del Toro produced it is grounds to get me kicked out of every nerd film club I'm part of.  It's probably good that I'm not actually part of any nerd film club then.  I always try to support movies like this at the theater and of course they just look ten times better up on the big screen with surround sound.  But, last year when it was released I was sooooo busy.  That's my excuse.  It's weak but it works, right?

The Orphanage (El Orfanato), is a Spanish film that is just beautifully shot and truly creepy.  For those of you who like creepy ghost stories but not the overabundance of blood and gore - this movie's for you (I am not one of those people, I always appreciate my gore).  This movie reminded me, at parts, of one of my all time favorite movies, The Changeling, which to this day is still the creepiest movie ever made to me.  I know a lot of that has to do with I was about 8 or 9 when I first saw it but it does still hold up as a great ghost/haunting movie, even if some of the deep, scarring, psychological fear gets taken out due to age. 

The Orphanage is a great film and I highly recommend it (with the lights on...eeeeeeeee!)  I'm sorry but there is just something eternally freaky to me about children.  Especially when they're ghosts as they are in this film.  It's just disturbing.  The little running sounds and the echoing laughter.  It's just plain evil.  And they're short and underfoot...another reason they disturb me.  My personal belief that most children are just mean and rude and undisciplined probably plays a role in all this too. I can't stand children (have I not made that obvious yet?) so that is one reason they creep me out when used in horror and ghost movies.  There is also a little girl in this movie with an old school leg brace and I don't think I need to remind anyone of my deep love for old timey crippled children.  Again, maybe that's a product of my loathing of kids.  Who knows.  Anyway, rent it!  You won't be disappointed.  If I had my way I'd probably change the last 5 minutes but that's just me.  Most people will like it.  The rest of the movie is great enough that I will forgive their ending.

Another horror/creepy movie being released soon, in May, that I've read about is The Strangers.  They finally released the trailer this last week and it is unbelieveably effective.  It disturbed the bejeebus out of me!  And trust me, I am aware that the movie will probably bite and I will be horribly disappointed but the trailer is beyond good.  My dream was to always be a trailer editor so I watch it with a little sadness and jealousy thinking about what a great job they did creating such a mood.  But, we all know the movie will suck beyond belief (I mean Liv Tyler and Gemma Ward are in it for crying out loud!)  I put the trailer below for your viewing pleasure.  It is very well done (in my humble opinion).  Enjoy and have a creepy weekend!

I Got on the Etsy Front Page!

I was totally psyched that my Etsy store's treasury got the front page today! I've been trying to get that front page spot forever and, unfortunately, I was sleeping while it was up there! I was totally bummed I didn't get to see it but really happy because half the people I put in there sold their stuff. There's no better advertising on Etsy than to get into a treasury! Here's my store link {aldetha}.  Here's my red themed treasury that was on the front page (BTW none of my store items have ever been on the front page!  Why oh why???):

I also snagged a treasury for my Layer Cake Films store and it is up in the treasury list now:

Rock On Sister!

WOO HOO!

Next Blog Night - The First Annual

Here's a suggestion for anyone who might be bored.  I was reading a blog tonight that was hosted on Blogger.  Up at the top of their blogs they have menu bars and one of the options says "Next Blog".  So, I clicked it, just because, and of course it randomly brings up another blog that is on Blogger (I thought something like this would be common sense but after viewing so many sad, very sad blogs tonight I have decided the phrase "Next Blog" may not be as simple to understand as I once thought).  Okay, so then I became obsessed and just clicked "Next Blog" for like two hours (BTW Blogger, it isn't that random because some blogs came back up about 20 times).  Anyway, this was a fascinating time killer.  I have learned so much about the world in such a little bit of time. Quite frankly, by being extremely lazy and not wanting to exert the energy to actually do anything productive, I managed to learn more about which countries I will never go to than if I had searched them on Wikipedia (the worlds most trusted source of information...ha!).  Who needs to exert themselves with all that typing?  I simply clicked.  So, LAZINESS - 1, PRODUCTIVITY - 0.  Here for you now are the top 5 things I learned from reading the random blog picks from Blogger (yes, for two hours):

• Malaysia is a frightening and scary country, one in which perhaps people should either a) never travel to ever or b) there is no B, just don't go.
• There is an overabundance of ugly toddlers roaming the USA.  Please stop breeding people of America.  And on top of that, please stop dedicating blogs to your obnoxious children.  If I have to read the words or phrases: "growing like a weed!", "so precocious!", "a joy", "a blessing from God", "our miracle", "nothing ever mattered before the birth of (fill in horrid name, something like "Nevaeh" here), "our life is complete", "he's so smart for his age!", "loves being silly!",  and "we're expecting another addition to the (surname) clan!  So and so (insert ugly child's name) is going to be a big sister/brother!"  For some reason everyone who posts about their family loves to use the word "CLAN".  Aggravating and beyond annoying.
• Scandinavian blogs are fascinating even though I cannot read one word of them.  All of the ones I came across had the most interesting photo's and what seemed like brilliant writing.
• Utah is stalking me.  Yes, I would say about 1/3 of the blogs that came up were from Utah people.  Why are you following me?  Go away!  I escaped from you!  I wonder why so many Utahians have blogs?  Oh wait, I DO know.  Boredom.  Pure boredom.  And per capita they have more ugly toddlers than the whole of the USA so there are lots of blogs that need dedicating to their "precocious little one".  Gag.
• Everyone is traveling and having more fun than me.  I don't lie on my blog folks.  My life truly is this boring.  I'm not spicing it up for you...this is my life.  Sad, I know, but true.  But apparently everyone else is having an amazing time being amazing.  Every other blog was about someone's travels to Japan, New Guinea, Australia, Kenya...blah blah blah.  Why is everyone traveling but me?  And everyone is writing about how much fun they're having.  "Oh, I had hoped the weekend would never end as Bob and I both accepted awards for the most thrilling lives ever led and then we hopped on a plane and went to Italy and then I made the most delicious, most appetizing looking meal ever cooked (here's a picture that looks like it's from a magazine!) that only took me 5 minutes to make and then I started my own business that was immediately the best and most successful ever started and I don't know how my life could get any better!"  Are these people lying?  Is everyone that happy and it's just me?  I mean I'm not ready to jump off a bridge or anything but most days during the week are pretty mundane and routine.  Maybe I should start lying on this blog about all the fab stuff I'm not really doing.  Should I?  Would that be more interesting than this?

So, that was my thrilling experience on "Next Blog Night" as I have named it.  Seriously, there is some twisted shit going on out there in cyberland everyone.  Twisted.  I worked at the most alternative record/book store in San Francisco for years, went out every night while I lived there, have traveled through Europe, lived in Los Angeles, work in the film industry, have odd friends and I tell you I saw some crap tonight that was seriously disturbing.  Somebody posted photo's of a polar bear attack in some bodink Eskimo village and that shit was SICK.  Where do they even find these photo's?  There was also some pictures of a woman who apparently fell a bunch of stories inside a building (in Malaysia!!!) and they were truly and completely horrifying.  I don't know if I can ever get the images out of my head.  And I collect old crime scene photo's!  I guess for me the next "Next Blog Night" I will have to take some sedatives first.  Eegad!

Antique Malls, Crazy Old Ladies, and Not For the Riffraff Religious Relics

Today out of sheer boredom I decided to mosey about 85 miles outta my way to go to this huge antique mall my Mom told me about.  Oh, the life of an antiquer.  Fellow antique-obsesso's, I know you will understand this. 

There are three types of antique malls (in my opinion):

The first kind is the ultimate one I am always searching for.  It is quirky, cool, has sellers that are all unique, different and eclectic with their antique wares.  The sellers have their own tastes and personalities and that shines through in the pieces they've put out for sale in their space.  There's lots of good, solid, interesting furniture with glass doors or inlays (and no furniture made post 1950/1960), nice architectural salvage pieces, and just things you don't see all the time.  Off the wall and weird but also some nice mainstream stuff.  Everything is in great to decent condition and when it's not it's crackly and chipped in all the right places.

The second kind is more what I refer to as the Knick-Knack Mall.  It's a lot of small crammed up seller spaces and a lot of the time it is just a lot of those wall/standing display cases you walk by and have to crane your neck every which way possible to see the little things inside.  It's not a bad kind of antique mall you just better be on the hunt for knick-knacks or tchotchkes and nothing else.  Usually these kind of malls will have some cool little things.  At least some of the sellers will have some unusual pieces that you don't really need but look interesting inside a display cabinet or on your dresser.  Most of the time when you leave this kind of mall you know that you didn't see 90% of the stuff inside because there's little things everywhere, stacked on each other and hidden in cases.  These malls get boring if you go to too many of them so go in stride.

The third kind of antique mall I like to refer to as Crazy Old Lady Attic Sale.  And those malls are exactly what the title infers.  Some crazy old lady who hoarded dishware for umpteen million years has now gone a little crazier and decided to lug in old dirty boxes of a million pieces of hobnail (as well as some ugly-ass figurines thrown in for good measure).  She usually takes these boxes right from the attic to her seller space without really looking inside to see that all two trillion pieces of glassware inside look exactly the same. And then she just tosses a handful of price tags with random numbers into her stall and calls it a day.  There is also the random Crazy Old Guy Garage Sale spaces thrown in these antique malls.  They are just like the Crazy Old Lady space just substitute a gazillion crystal goblets and fingertip size salt cellars with fishing rods, ancient automotive tins, rusty knives, half-chewed looking fishing lures, and tetanus covered metal objects.  These malls may or may not also include hoards of pure junk like the following:  paint by number canvases badly done, empty record sleeves (thousands of them), dirty 1970/1980's toys, useless back issues of magazines no one bought in the first place, ugly-ass hand crocheted stuff, million upon trillion pieces of tangled jewelry locked away in half-buried cases, enough 1950's figurines to bury the state of Delaware, and falling apart cheap pieces of wood furniture.

I bet you can't guess which kind of antique mall my 85 mile drive led me to.  That's right, the crazy old ladies set-up shop in a ginormous warehouse and labeled it antiques when it was in fact 98% ca-rap.  Sigh.  I won't say it was a waste of a day because I had nothing else to do and the drive down there was in fact quite beautiful.  It was literally a drive through the mountains.  All steep grades, tree's, and quaint looking gas stations.  But, it is always disappointing (as an antique lover) to take your first step into these malls and immediately know which kind you are in.  I looked through the whole place anyway and found nothing of interest (to me) except one thing that I (naturally) couldn't afford.  However, even though it was a great piece I would love to own I was a bit annoyed by a sign posted next to it.

The piece was a 5'2" wooden statue of St. Therese of Liseux most definitely from the late 1800's or early 1900's.  It was beautiful and chippy and soulful (I put pictures below).  The statue was missing its hand (and I usually love the hand details on this type of statuary) but it was still a beautiful piece.

 

This statue was far out of any price range I could afford, at least at this point in my life.  Then I saw a sign posted next to the statue that in effect said that the seller had to "approve" the buyer of this statue.  And it wasn't meant as financial approval.  I found this to be really annoying and insulting.  I understand if you are religious and want to sell your religious artifacts and pieces to people who possibly share your same beliefs but isn't that discrimination?  I mean I can absolutely guarantee you this seller would never approve me just based on looks, age, career, and church attendance.  I don't identify with any one religion in my life right now but I would love and adore this statue even though I'm not Catholic or have ever been Catholic.  I also feel that if you want to have the choice of picking and choosing where your items go then you shouldn't sell them in a huge public antique mall but perhaps instead at a religion based store or in a church newsletter.  Personally, I don't know of many black masses going on where they deface $5000 statuary just for the symbolic hell of it.  Annoying. That's what I think seller of the cool St. Therese statue...your sign is annoying, insulting, and discriminatory.  If you don't want the riffraff buying your religious objects then don't put them in your seller space and sell them privately.  (I wonder what my friend HOBAC thinks about this story...?)  ;)

I Love SNL!

I've been really busy {and sick} the last few days but one thing that is making me so happy: Saturday Night Live. Now, those of you who know me know that my undying, unquestioning, almost psychotic love of Andy Samberg {and the writing team The Lonely Island he is part of} has only a small part in my love for SNL.  Yes, I am one of those people who has watched SNL faithfully, every Saturday since I was in middle school. Yes, even when it sucked {which it really did when I was in high school and my mid-twenties}. But I always trudged on, waiting for the next amazing cast.

OMG the cast is SO good right now.  The last few weeks have had so many funny skits it is impossible for me not to watch them over and over on NBC.com. That plus the fact that they totally take time out to focus on the sexism and favoritism in this presidential election {Tina Fey's Weekend Update editorial entitled "Bitch is the New Black" was pure genius} makes this season amazing. Andy Samberg, Bill Heder, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, Will Forte, Fred Armisen...these people are too frickin' hilarious! They deserve a ton of credit for breathing life back into SNL.

Anyway, while I'm recovering from my cold and working I thought I'd share with you three of the funniest skits from the last few weeks...enjoy!

Googly Eyes Gardener ... "I always knew.  It was gonna be the ferrrrns."

Surprise Party ... "Oh my God!  I forgot about her face!" (I love you Kristen Wiig!)

Digital Short - Andy's Dad ... "Its gotten extraordinarily physical."

Hillary Clinton '08!

After being in Washington DC, the seat of politics in the USA, I was reminded about something I wanted to post. I really think it is important for everyone, especially women, to recognize what is going on in our country today.

I wanted to say how disappointed, shocked, angry and disgusted I am by the media in this country and their extreme misogynistic coverage of Hillary Clinton. Even if you don't like Hillary and don't plan on voting for her you should be extremely, extremely upset by how she is portrayed in our media. My sister is a longtime blogger and focuses a lot on politics as that is one of her major interests. She posted about this on her blog and I feel this part bears repeating: "The sexism we’ve seen in response to Hillary Clinton’s run for the presidency represents a disgraceful chapter in American history. Sadly, it’s not just from right-wingers but also from so-called “liberals” and from Obama supporters." This statement is so sadly true. She also posted a link to this video which is basically a montage of how our media has degraded and insulted Hillary Clinton...and gotten away with it.  Watch the video and just try to find as many clips ripping on Obama or McCain or treating them with such disrespect.

Nowhere have I seen either of the male presidential hopeful's drawn as witches or Photoshopped with brooms and cauldrons and degrading imagery surrounding them. Neither have I heard them referred to as "nags," "bitches," "crybabies," "scolding mothers (fathers)" or even worse. Because these terms and imagery are usually associated with women our society has let this kind of abhorring behavior slide. I find this not only unforgivable but sexist in the worst kind of repugnant way. Women are letting the media get away with this. Why aren't more of us doing something about this? Why aren't all women, regardless of how they plan on voting, outraged by the portrayal of this female in our country? The media is relegating any woman with power into a witch, a nag, an emotional, unqualified, heartless cow who can't "control" her husband.

So much has been made of how how hard African-Americans have worked to get rights and to get to the point where a black man can run for president. What about women? They have fought just as hard a fight to be considered equal, to be considered as merely human in the most basic of situations instead of as breeding machines with no intellect or logic. Thousands of women dedicated their lives to your right to vote, for your right to be paid equally to a man, for your daily rights, plain and simple. Why isn't Hillary given this same respect? Why isn't it just as remarkable that a woman has risen to the top of politics and stands just as equal a chance as a man to run this country?

This is one of the most historically important events in our countries history yet it has been turned into a "let's keep the bitch down" mudslinging contest in our press and media. They are not just insulting Hillary Clinton, they are insulting you.  It's not just her they want to keep down it is women.  And that is on both sides, Republican and Democrat.

If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination I will proudly vote for her.  It will be a day where I, as a woman, actually have the choice to vote for a woman or a man to be my president. That is history. That is centuries of hard work by women fighting for equality. And that is something to be proud of and not taken lightly or to be made fun of regardless who you are going to vote for in the end. Hillary Clinton deserves the same respect society has given to Barack Obama and John McCain. Not only has she done more than at least one of those men but the only reason she isn't given the same respect is because she is a woman and that is unforgivable.

HILLARY CLINTON '08!

I Survived the 13th Floor

I'm back from Washington DC!  And yes, the cherry blossoms were still alive and unbelievable! They had already started dying and were no longer at their peak, but there was still a lot of them thriving and they were beyond beautiful. I've put pictures below and I realized while taking the photo's that it is beyond time for a new digital camera. My Sony Cybershot bites. The batteries die within three or four days and it is horrible in low light.  Anyway.  Avoid the Cybershot.  That's my opinion.

Washington DC was lovely and even though I didn't have much time to do anything but shoot the wedding I was there to shoot, I still had a great time. It was overcast most of my stay (except for the day I shot the cherry blossoms!) which I prefer in any city and always makes me happy.

One bummer of my trip though was that I didn't have time to go to Georgetown Cupcake or Patisserie Poupon, both of which I've heard are delicious. It always saddens me when I do not get to partake in the gorging of a cupcake or some other similar tasty sweet treat. But, I do plan on being in Washington DC much more this year as it is in the running to be my new hometown! Yes, that's right, the DC area makes the shortlist. Everyone give it a round of applause. It is on my list of places I'm thinking of moving, mainly because it is impossible for me to choose a city that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to live in. It's a gift of mine...picking the impossible.

Oh, and one last thing. At my hotel I stayed on the 13th floor! I couldn't believe it! I don't think I have been in a building that has included the 13th floor (especially a hotel) in such a long time. I don't know when that superstition started, but I have always found it fascinating that most hotels skip the 13th floor. Well, not the Hilton in Washington DC. They not only have a 13th floor but yours truly got to stay on it (how fitting). Nothing remotely exciting happened, much to my dismay. My years of wondering what it would be like if I stayed on the 13th floor are now over and nothing creepy happened...I always imagined something like in the movies The Tenant or 1408 or Rosemary's Baby or The Sentinel would take  place.  But nothing. Sigh...

Stampy Can Paint! (Ingenious Simpsons Reference)

Has everyone seen this already and I'm last to know? That happens a lot so I'm never sure. It is the coolest thing...elephants that paint! I found this video online and I get so excited every time I see it. I love elephants. They are so gentle and precious and sweet. And smart.  These elephants, they paint better than me.  Seriously. Now they don't come up with the idea's themselves, they are replicating paintings that have been taught to them but that doesn't take away anything in the sheer amazingness of it in my opinion. I got my film degree at an art school and they forced us film students to take some actual art classes. I barely passed any fine art courses they made me take. I couldn't even replicate art like the elephants!

Here is the link to read about the non-profit Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project.  You can actually buy the elephants' paintings on this website as well!  I love it and wish I had the money to buy a piece.