Saturday, August 21, 2010

Flannel Forever!



For some reason I got stuck in the '90's. I love everything about this decade. Wayne's World, Nirvana & Pearl Jam, and Bill Clinton. But what I really loved were those cozy flannel shirts that everyone used to wrap around themselves with their favorite band t-shirt underneath (My old Alice in Chains t-shirt still sits in the closet, unworn for years.) Everyone used to wear them with ripped up jeans, Birkenstocks or Doc Martins, and totally undone hair. Well, these wonderful plaid pieces have made a come back, although this time they're a little more chic. Check out Kirsten Dunst in her sweet flannel with some ultra short shorts and cute flats. You can wear them belted over leggings, or with a pretty cardigan, skinny jeans, and great leather boots.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hello Dolly!


Dolly Parton is a legend. She is an amazing woman in so many ways. I have never been a fan of country music, but I love her. Not only as a singer but, as a person...and who can you really say that about in the entertainment industry these days? Dolly is a self-made woman. She grew up in backwoods Appalachia with 11 brothers and sisters in a teeny-tiny house.  At the ripe old age of 11 she was singing on Tennessee radio stations and her career took off from there. She has won countless awards, has her own theme park (where I am dying to go), starred in many memorable movies (Steal Magnolias, 9 to 5 anyone?,) and influenced a multitude of other entertainers. The thing I love most about Dolly is that she has done all of these things just being herself. She has never been deceptive about her life or her choices. While I am not an advocate of plastic surgery myself, I do commend her for being open about her choices (there's nothing worse than a star who claims she's never had work done when it is totally obvious.) In movies, she's hardly playing a part, because she doesn't have to. She's also been married to the same man since 1966, Carl Thomas Dean, who has avoided publicity and never accompanies her to events. Her life has been a creative outpouring of truth and virtue, growing up dirt poor to become one the most famous people in the entire world, all while being true to herself and her marriage. I would highly reccomend her autobiography, My Life and Other Unfinished Business . I read this in about two days and was truly inspired. Dolly is an adventurer, fearless in being herself and blazing the way for women everywhere. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

There is a great debate on which is more planet friendly, buying organic or buying local. Are the pesticides being used worse for the soil than all the carbon burned to bring food to where you are? Its a close call, but usually the consensus is: Buy Local. That's why Farmers' Markets are so great! Family farms bring their stuff to you, its great food by local farmers and families. So instead of supporting great big giant mass produced fruits and veggies where the big concern is size, shape, and color, you are supporting a wonderful small farm, concerned with taste, quality, and love for the food. Around Kansas City you can go to farmers markets at Rivermarket, Brookside, Parkville, Briarcliff, and many other locations. Go to Local Harvest to find a Farmers' Market near you.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Mucha.


Alphonse Mucha was born in what is now the Chez Republic. He's like, the grandfather of Art Nouveau , the gorgeous style of art popular in the late 1800's. It is ornate, sensual, and inspiring. His posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt inspired this movement that led to applications in architecture, furniture making, and jewelry, as well as painting and printmaking. The women in his paintings always have this flowing hair that sculpts itself into these great designs, they are decorated with halo-like head pieces, and always look dreamy. I want to look like a girl in a Mucha painting. Surrounded by flowers, a long flowy dress, a gorgeous head piece. Art Nouveau may be my favorite artistic style and Mucha is most definitely among my favorite artists. His style has been copied by artists world-wide, and even inspired the psychedelic posters of the 1960s. If you are unfamiliar with his work, check out The Mucha Foundation .

Saturday, August 7, 2010

I Love Lucy


Yesterday would have been Lucille Ball 's 99th birthday. I am lucky enough to have a mother who is obsessed, and I mean obsessed with I Love Lucy. She used to tape the re-runs off TV on our VCR and we ended up with nine or ten VHS tapes full of episodes. If we were bored and there was nothing good on TV, or during lunch time we'd pop in a tape and watch some Lucy. Thank god when the DVD sets started coming out cause those poor VHS tapes were getting worn out! Not only was Lucille Ball incredibley funny, she was also a television pioneer. She and Desi Arnaz were the first to use the 3 camera technique, filming scenes from different angles, which is now used in every TV show ever. She also came up with the concept of syndication (again, thank god) and she was the first woman to own her own film studio, Desilu which made such shows as The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, The Untouchables, Make Room for Daddy, That Girl, and many many more. Lucille Ball was dubbed The Queen of Comedy, and rightfully so, 50 years after I Love Lucy, it is still played on TV and she still known by everyone everywhere. Some of my favorite episodes are Lucy Tells the Truth, Breaking the Lease, and Housewarming. The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour was also great with guest stars like Talulha Bankhead, Betty Grable and Harry James, and Danny Thomas. Happy Birthday Lucy, we're still watching!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Big Girl Bonnets

I found these super cute bonnets for the "grown ups" on this great site on etsy . Made by birdylicious from Indiana, she has other bonnets in great colors as well as beanies. Ranging in price form $12 to $20, I may be purchasing one for myself.

Kiva



A few years ago my best friend got me this awesome gift certificate for Christmas and I've been able to use and reuse it over and over again. Kiva is this amazing organization that allows people like you and me to lend money to people all over the world to help them open businesses that allow them to support themselves and their families. Today I just loaned $25 to Olivia, a farmer in Ecuador who is 33 and has 4 children. In the past I've used that same $25 to help Safiatou Diarra a woman in Food Production in Mali with 6 children, the Kyambadde Aidah Group run by Ms. Aidah in Uganda who has 8 children of her own and sells Charcoal, as well as Mwantumu's Ngeta B Group run by Mwantumu who has 2 children and is in Agriculture. Every loan I have made has been paid back in full and has helped these women start or expand their business. The great thing is you can lend as little as $25 or as much as you want and you can keep loaning that same money. As soon as your loan is paid back by one group, it can be loaned to another. This truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Check it out at Kiva.org 

Monday, August 2, 2010

My cat needs one of these


I have a really cute cat. He plays fetch, drinks out of the toilet, sleeps on the coffee table, likes to lay on me after I've just worked out and am sweating and the last thing I want him to do is lay on me. But he is the cutest when he's sleeping in a circle with a kitty smile on his face and his paws twitch cause he's dreaming of playing fetch with me. So I found these really cute little kitty caves made by German artist, Dornroeschen Filzunikate called Katzenhoehle. I think my cat, Ollie is his name, would love curling up in these felted wool nests and taking a nice long nap. And he'd look even cuter (if that's possible.) Check them out at Modern Cat .