Quote of the week

Today's quote is from an utterly romantic and magic movie ... sounds cheesy? Maybe, but it isn't. This movie has it all, a fairy tale script (without a happy ending which actually wouldn't have worked), a beautiful city, a bit of action, gelato and some wonderful actors.

The stars are Gregory Peck (they don't make men like that anymore) and Audrey Hepburn (in her first big Hollywood movie) and we are in Bella Rom.

Hepburn is Princess Ann who is travelling through Europe's capitals. She's tired of her duties and just once she wants to be able to do whatever she feels like. She escapes into town, but being under influence of a sedative she falls asleep on a bench where she is found by Peck as Joe Bradley - a newspaper reporter. He takes her home with him, not knowing she's a princess, but he's soon to find out ...

Princess Ann (when entering Joe's apartment in her drowsy state): Is this the elevator?

Joe Bradley: It's my ROOM!

Roman Holiday, USA, 1953

Hope, cats and cuffs

I'm sitting here and there's a cool breeze coming through the windows. It feels so good! I have a little hope now that I'll survive after all. I'm not so sure about my brain, though. Those brain cells just melted away over the last days. Even the cats were knocked out by the hot weather. I have two pictures to prove it and believe me, the others weren't better off.

There is NO picture of me being sprawled all over the bed like a dead octopus. I don't want to scare you away.

My poor girl Esme - mowed down by a heat wave in the prime of her life

Smart move, Ponder, to rest your head on a warm laptop during that heat

It's a good thing Mabel's brain cells are as good as ever (what a show-off). I'll just show you two cuffs that she made me create recently. She was no help however in cataloging my books, blogging (!) or editing pictures of my vacation (and blogging about that as well). Yup, Mabel has a very one-sided mind. And she refuses to cook - which is actually a good thing now, but not so good at lower temperatures.

With a beautiful lampwork bead by Pink Beach Studios - it's for my Mom

Against the light, so you can see the pattern better - the edging is made from tiny red carnelian beads

Cuff of Modern Art - for myself. Somehow it makes me think of lots of framed pictures

P.S. Don't think all I do is bead looming now. I just can't take too many pictures at once. Our command center (aka computer room) and my photo setup are under the roof ... hot, hot ... and I can't stand that for long, remember

Quote of the week

Let's try something new today (might not be last time). We all know that the score is just as important for a movie as are the actors and their lines, sometimes even more important.

We have our favorite songs and maybe don't even know they are from a movie.

I love this movie, I love the book, but I loved the song by Art Garfunkel first. And I have to admit I still get tears in my ears watching, ready, listening ... for different reasons.

I hope you'll enjoy as much as me.

Watership Down, UK, 1978

P.S. Blackie, you were a great Mom.

For myself

Today I should have ... and then I really should have ... however only after I should have ... and also I could have ... but you know what? I didn't. None of it.

It's so hot today and it's my last weekend. On Earth if it stays that hot. My spaceship is booked already. Yeah, I wish. No, it's the last weekend before it's back work. The least I could do for myself is to have some fun.

This is the result. Francie has a new bead loomed bag. If you know me on other sites, forums etc., you'll start getting annoyed by seeing it, but I can't help it, it was fun and I need to share, so bear with me, please.

Quote of the week

After almost a whole week of vacation in Cambridge I feel England-inspired which is why I chose following quote today that I really like.

I won't add much else to it because my laundry is still piling up, we only came back last night. You won't mind a quick post, will you? Let me just say younger siblings will probably understand what Michael is going through ;-)

George Llewelyn Davies (as Prince George, to J.M. Barrie): This is Jack. Second in line to the throne. And that one's Michael. He's only five.

Michael Llewelyn Davies: And I'm in prison for it.

Finding Neverland, USA/UK, 2004

Quote of the week

If you like beautiful scenery, fine English humor (and Burt Lancaster ;-)), you should not miss this movie. A big oil magnate sends one of his people from the US over to Scotland to buy an entire village, so he can build a refinery there. Things do not quite go the way they are planned.

I chose following scene (maybe because old malt whisky sounds appealing right now) - Urquhart, the village's hotel owner and accountant offers MacIntyre (sent to Scotland by oil magnate Happer because of his Scottish name although he is actually of Hungarian descent) a drink.

Urquhart: I want you to try something. This is the MacGaskell. A pure malt whisky. 42 years old.

MacIntyre: Old enough to be out of its own.

Then he tells MacIntyre that they have to talk - about money ...

Local Hero, UK, 1983

Vacation time

Yeah, well, that's no one I know, but the picture could give you a hint of where I'll disappear to for a week.

You need more? This guy is "punting along the Cam in academic dress after a graduation ceremony" as it says in Wikimedia. Right. I'm going to Cambridge. I guess not even on my vacation I can live without a university *eyeroll*

Now I could say I didn't blog much to get you used to no posts for a week, but it wouldn't be true. True is that there won't be any posts, but I hope I can take a lot of pictures and learn exciting new things to share with you once I'm back.

See you then!

P.S. Don't worry, the kitties won't be alone, they are cared for in the best possible way! ;-)

Cats and beads

No, this is not a post about cats helping me to make bead soup. They are good bead soup cooks, that's true, but this post is about Denis and Kirsten. They are no cats, but they are both artists.

Denis made my shop logo for me - thanks again! - and Kirsten ... wait, let me show the logo first. Here you go.

The other day I stumbled upon Kirsten's - aka Quernus Crafts - work (have a look at her Flickr gallery) and when I saw her "Wee Cats" album, the idea jumped me from behind and didn't let go until I had written to her about a custom order.

She transferred the cat, now named Denis, into a polymer clay sculpture and she did such a great job at it!

Her work is full of whimsy, let me just mention the mouse beautician or the mouse family with baby sleeping on Dad's chest or the kitties or the police mole or the adorable snails - there's so much more, you have to look for yourself.

Kirsten's work can be found at her different shops, click here to find out where.

That was the cats part, now let's get to the beads part.

I have something to confess - after years of resistance, yes, even laughing openly in the face of those who wanted to convert me, they finally got me. I'm not sure anymore how it happened, but suddenly I stood at the customs office staring at a beading loom together with a customs officer, both of us trying to figure out how, what, where and why.

I guess I figured out at least part of it as following pictures show.

Thank you to E³ or EEE. If you read this, you'll know who you are. For those who don't know, that's her.

And here's the result. I'm afraid there will be more to come. Those people are evil *whispering* Once you are in their net ...........

My cat Ponder when he was still a young'un, pattern by the Evil Enabler Erin Simonetti

My first own pattern