Pardon My French

I had such an affinity for the 2011 calender that hang above the desk in my bedroom. So much so that I was actually a bit sad when the pages stopped turning and the year came to a close.

The calender was a collection of German pop artist Heiner Meyer’s “glamour” portraits of 1950s movie starlets. Meyer works with iconic photographs and pictures of Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor (to name a few) paints over and modifies these images to integrate them into the totality of the work. The end result is totally unique and beautiful.

I kept the calender hanging on my wall until yesterday, when I decided it was finally time to order a new one.
(NOTE: I still do the whole archaic, paper wall calender thing because I love the satisfaction of crossing off days as they pass and seeing the whole month ahead of me at an immediate glance.)

I couldn’t bring myself to throw the calender away, so I set it aside in case I decided to get crafty with it later. It turns out that urge came to me today.

There were some small holiday cookie tins collecting dust in one my kitchen cupboards, and they inspired me to make some decorative gift boxes. This was the end result:

I almost don’t want to give them away.

This isn’t me starting with “I know it’s been a long time since my last post…” because that would very cliche’ of me.

It is important to note that I have not been as committed to my personal projects and even just simply expressing myself as I should be. I’m happy to report, though, that it’s because I’ve been quite busy with actual, real-life work. (In case you haven’t been keeping track of my employment over the past year or so, this is a very good thing.)

Today, Phil left for San Diego ComiCon, the most enormous popular arts (and all things nerd) convention in the world. The lucky guy is actually there on business, being paid to cover the event for a website he works for. In meantime, I’m at home, taking care of business here.

While part of me is jealously sulking, wishing that I, too, could be around the creators and actors involved in some of my favorite TV shows, including “Buffy” (and everything Joss Whedon, for that matter), “Dexter”, “True Blood” and “Supernatural” to name just a few.

At the same time, though, I’m using this tranquil period to clean (it truly, desperately needs to happen), work, and be creative.

Today, right after Phil left, I started going through a bunch of our old newspaper and magazines. The idea initially was for me to toss them all in the recycling bin right away, but then something about that pile of unwanted words inspired me. I started cutting them up and several hours later ended up with three coffee splattered collages. (Don’t worry, the coffee splatters were intentional.) They’re symbolic of my appreciation for two of my favorite things in the entire world: coffee and the written word.

An expression of something personal, but not quite art, I decided to frame and hang these collages. I do enjoy them (and they beat the heck out of what was hanging by my front door before), but I think that they will, more importantly, remind me to take time our for creative time everyday, regardless of how long the day is or how sleepy I may feel.

Where they’re hanging doesn’t have the best lighting and, obviously, I’m not a great photographer, but here’s a quick glimpse of them–just to give you an idea. (Come see them in person, eh?)

I’m excited to see just how many things I can accomplish while Phil is out of town.

Living in a city like Los Angeles offers some unique, exciting opportunities.

Just a few weeks ago, Phil and I attended an event where Steve Martin interviewed Tina Fey about her new book “Bossypants.” Because they are two of my favorite celebrities, I was ecstatic.

Since moving to L.A., we’ve gone to a T.V. show’s season premiere event, screenings for movies that aren’t yet available anywhere else, are showings, exclusive museum exhibits– all events that would be difficult to come by anywhere else.

Recently, I had the chance to have my photo taken for the NOH8 Campaign, a silent protest photo project against California Proposition 8, an amendment that banned marriage between same-sex couples. The campaign features photographs portraying people in front of a white backdrop wearing white t-shirts, their mouths taped shut with Duct tape and “NOH8″ painted on their cheek.

Thousands of photos have been taken, of gay, straight, famous and ordinary, everyday people of all ages. Adam Bouska, fashion photographer and co-founder of the campaign himself took my photo.

It was thrilling to be a part of a cause I deeply believe in and express the fact that all Americans are entitled to equal rights.

My sister Courtney Rose turns 20 later this week.
(So close to adulthood, yet so far away.)

I found her the perfect gift (sorry, you’re not going to get any spoilers out of me in this entry) in one of the nearby shops and I’m going to have it sent to her at college in the next couple of days.

The gift isn’t a monster one, just a small reminder that I’m thinking of her and miss her, so I wanted the packaging to be impressive.

I decided that, instead of wrapping it up like a traditional present, I’d decoupage a small cardboard box for her and seal it in plastic so that she could use it for other things. Here’s how it turned out:

This is the lid of the box:

And here are all four sides:

My dad’s birthday was earlier this month, the 11th. He’s a man who has everything so I tend to struggle when it comes to finding him a decent present. While I didn’t do a very good job hunting him down any “real gift”, I did find this vintage postcard on Vermont Street and knew he’d appreciate it.

I’m not a musician, poet or a painter. I just make words.

Usually this happens in the middle of the night. When it’s not being held by my teeth, my pen’s tapping on the desk in tune with my fidgety feet. A coffee pot’s gargling, my hair is a tangled mess, there’s a near empty carton of orange juice within reach and I’m sounding it out loud in my underwear. Words come from my mouth before they go on the page and I always announce when I don’t think it works.

“No. NO! Uhhhhh…”
*Foot taps aggressively under the desk while pensively chomping on my trusty muted blue BIC*
“Her actions are deliberate! She feels no remorse!”
*steady clickclickclack sounds of the keys continue*
“She’s doesn’t say she ‘doesn’t care about’ what they have to say. She says she’s bored. No! She’s a gracious lady. She’s just simply excuses herself. Yeah. YEAH!”
*Steady clickclickclack sounds of the keys continue*

Writing is a tedious labor and one to which I give my whole self. Sometimes I just need to create something unconsciously to express what words cannot. That’s why I like taking images that already exist, (made of pictures, not words) cut them out, and rearrange them to create an entirely new visual. This way, every photo is in a completely different context then had originally been intended. When I make a collage, it feels almost like I’m telling a story.

Once, when I was in elementary school, a teacher had our class cut pictures and phrases from magazines. These images were supposed to in some way reflect how we were feeling. When we had cut enough to make a small pile, we arranged these pictures and words on paper and made a collage from them. It was supposed to help us become more articulate. Whether or not this exercise helped I don’t really remember. I just know that I found it to be therapeutic.

It took a week or so but, I finally finished covering my make up case. It was relaxing and I enjoyed making this. The case isn’t the best I’ve ever done (Still think it’s the table I made in Grand Rapids that was later destroyed by Kiwi in Ann Arbor) but, I’m pretty happy with it.

I bought the case at Target, decoupaged it and sealed it in with Mod Podge.

Here’s the results:

This side’s my favorite!