Pinterest: Caution, Addictive

I've stumbled upon a new sight that is fun to browse through called Pinterest.  I don't completly understand it, but you can "pin" items from various places online to your virtual "bulletin board".  For instance, suppose I was trying to pick out a new quilt pattern.  As I found them at various sites I could pin the pictures to my board and then view them all together.  They link to the original site.  Others can also view your boards and can comment or "like" your pin or even "repin" it.  Right now I can browse, but you have to sign up to use all the functions and to sign up you need to be invited AND apparently there is a waiting list to sign up.  I don't know why there is a limit on members.  That seems sort of counterproductive to business, but I don't pretend to understand the business of Internet sights anyway.  Try it out and see what you think.  As always, if anyone has any comments, good or bad about it or can shed some light on the workings of the whole thing, please share!

Book #1: I Will See You In Heaven

Well, I finally finished my first book of 2012.  It's really a short book that I should have read in an afternoon, but nonetheless, I've broken the ice on my book reading.  This book is by Friar Jack Wintz and theorizes on whether our pets will join us in heaven.  I know, not the best topic, but my husband thought it might give me comfort since I've commented often that I wish Seamus could be with us forever.  The picture on the cover alone is delightful.  And the theology was comforting as well as sound, at least in my opinion.

It's worth the read if you are a pet lover who has questioned this topic for yourself.  And apparently there are enough people interested in this that they are able to mass market the title. 

One down, five to go.  I really hope I can reestablish reading as a regular habit.









Pillow #3

I made one more pillow.  This time I had to buy some filling but other than that, it's all scraps, even the covered button came from my mother's button box.  The back is made of the same fabric as the covered button.

Where IS the Sun?

I don't follow weather statistics all that closely but I bet we have had less days of sun this winter than in any recent past winter.  I can tolerate the cold (to an extent) and the occasional snow is actually rather pretty but I miss the sun.  Today is a bit brighter, but we still have significant cloud cover.  At first it looked like the sun would shine brightly, but in just a short time those blasted clouds moved in again.  Sorry, just needed to vent.  Maybe there's an Indian sun dance?  Anyone?

Movie Review: The Rabbit Hole

When my husband travels I try to catch up on movies or TV shows that he doesn't care for.  He does the same.  We will both watch a wide range of movies with each other, although we reserve the right to sleep through some shows that are so NOT in our interest range.  And we reserve the right to an occasional "no thank you".  He uses his on "Dancing With the Stars".  I use mine for the worst or foulest of the shoot 'em up or sci fi movies.  Although I have sat through "The Walking Dead" this past season.

Anyway, last night I watched "The Rabbit Hole" with Nicole Kidman.  I had been ignoring this choice in my Netflix cue becuase the subject matter seemed so depressing.  It's about a couple who tragicly lost their 4 year old boy in an accident and how they both dealt with their grief.  I found it so well done that it should be included in classes on grief counseling.  It showed that there are good ways and not so good ways to deal with grief, that each person does it differently, that it never completely goes away, but does get better over time and that in the end you get through it just by doing the next thing, walking through life and sharing with those around you.  It's perhaps the most underratted movie I've watched in a long time.

My First Pillows

I had been wanting to try a few new techniques and I thought son #1 could use some pillows for his way too old and saggy sofa.  So I put those two things together and came up with this:

The green pillow is made from a burlap sack that pistachios came in.  I had two other similar sacks from basmati rice, but the ink on those ran so badly that the design was indistinguishable.  I was a little disappointed in that because I'm sure son #1 remembers the many meals made with that type of rice.  The blue pillow is made with small scraps and leftovers from my recent quilting projects.  They're stuffed with the filling from an old bed pillow (washed, of course).  The only things I bought for this were the cording to make the piping (that turned out to be so much easier than I anticipated) and some green thread for the topstiching on the green pillow. 

I love to "repurpose" stuff and I see a lot of potential here.  2011 was the year of the pillowcase and 2012 might be the year of the throw pillow.  I need to get better at hiding the stitching when I put the piping on and that crazy quilt technique is not as easy as it seems like it should be.  I found myself "stitched into a corner" more than once.  This offers a nice small project in between the quilts or when my block of time is too small for the next quilting step.

Now I need to find a box big enough to fit these for the trip to son #1.

British TV

My husband and I have been watching several British TV shows lately.  I'm struck by the difference in the art form of acting from what we see in this country.  I wonder if actors have the type of celebrity status that we afford them here.  I so appreciate how normal the actors on these shows look.  They don't have perfect, bright white teeth.  They don't all look perpetually young and they aren't all a size 2.  It adds an authenticity to their acting that can't be achieved by make up and costumes.  Faces -real faces - tell such stories in themselves.  I think this is why I'm attracted to sketches of faces, particularly old faces.  I have an Indian chief and an old German potter hanging in my home.  Both faces are deeply lined and wrinkled and I feel like the depiction of those faces speak volumes.

I will say that I have noticed a few actors in this country who I feel have interesting faces.  I don't think any of them would be called "pretty or handsome" yet their looks lend believability to their characters.  One is Morgan Freeman.  His face seems to get more and more interesting as the years go by.  Another is Frances Sternhagen.  I was reminded of both of these actors while watching The Dolphin Tale recently.

Wouldn't it be nice if acting could be see for the art that it is apart from physical appearance?  I'm sure there are a lot of people who can act but who weren't blessed with perfect hair or skin or body.  We don't seem to hold other artists to this standard as strictly as actors.  There are singers whose looks are less then perfect, although most of them DO get their teeth fixed for those close ups.  I don't think this will change anytime soon so I'll have to go on getting my fill of regular looking, but well performed acting from the BBC.