Fun with a book shop

This beautiful piece of stop-motion must have taken HOURS. 

But it is incredibly lovely.

If you love bookshelves and their contents as much as I do, this is a fantastic blog to visit;

Bookshelf Porn

Extinct Since When

Brian R. Williams paints some seriously beautiful images. 

My favourite? 

His series of birds, dressed in the clothing of the year they became extinct. 

Intelligently beautiful 

Great Auk, 1844

Laughing Owl, 1914

Carolina Parakeet, 1918

Molokai Creeper, c.1963

Atitlán Grebe, 1989

This has been around for a while now,

and i imagine the majority of you have seen it.

These girls are incredibly talented.

I also love how many people have commented on youtube for someone to "call Ellen".

 

John Baldessari

In 6th form we had to do an art project based on an artist for our NCEA assessment.

The artists were given to us by our teacher.

He gave me Baldessari.

I'm ever thankful that I have this knowledge of this incredible artist.

In the study I fell in love with many of the things he has said, the quotes I found from interviews etc, and the artwork he has made.

It opened my eyes to a new form of art in my early years, and have been subconsciously inspired by him, and the other artists we studied, ever since.

I wish this video was about then.

It makes me laugh,

and I continue to admire him.
Plus, Tom Waits has an incredible narrative tone. He can definitely narrate my life.

Ageing happily

Happy At One Hundred: Portraits of Centenarians

This is such a beautiful exhibition.

Absolutely stunning.

 

"Imagine for a moment that you have been alive for 100 years. In your lifetime would have been two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, the end of horses on city streets, the invention of the computer and the first man to walk on the moon. It’s a fantastically long time to experience."

 Click me to see all images

Siting Waiting Wishing Missing

 On Sunday my boyfriend left for the Navy.

Basic training lasts 13 weeks. 

3 months.

3 months of no contact,

letters only.

3 months of snail mail.

3 months of missing him.

In a way it's exciting.

I love the feeling of receiving a letter in the post,

it often puts a smile on my face.

But the waiting sucks.

I've been wanting to write a letter from the moment he got on the plane,

but I have to wait to receive his letter first.

In the mean time I've started writing my thoughts, (there are many), down in a journal.

I've even gone so far to title them...

"Letters To Will"

It's a bit cringe.

But it helps.

So for now, 

I'm just sitting, waiting, wishing, and missing.

Red Red Velvet

Cupcakes cupcakes cupcakes.

Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

Homemade.

I'm so happy.

Proud?

You should be.

 

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature

2 1/3 cups of cake flour

2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of buttermilk*

1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

Frosting; 
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
 Cupcakes:
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.
4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.
6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
 Decorate and Eat. 
Yummy
 

Some Study

Sometimes I really do wonder what happened to the brains I had as a child and teenager.
I knew how to write my English assignments, I could do math without the calculator or my fingers, physics was hard, but do-able, and art was a piece of cake.
I turned up to class and did all my homework...
on time.
But now, I really do wonder what happened, I can barely add 2 simple numbers together without checking my fingers or a calculator for the right answer.
I think I might need to work on these things.
This song pretty much sums it up...

Extra Vocabulary

Sometimes I swear.

Sometimes it is unnecessary.

Steven Fry thinks otherwise.

"Things not being necessary is what makes life interesting.”

Taste the Rainbow

I spent a little time this afternoon watching m&m commercials

laughing away,

craving chocolate.

and I found this...

Clever..

I think I could watch commercials all day.

How sad.

Talent at 50

I've only just seen this,

I laughed the whole way through it. 

Oh my gosh,

he is fantastic. 

Britain really does have talent...

 

He made the semi final, which dance is equally fantastic...

...and the final, which is even more fantastic.

I have no idea if he won or not, 

I don't actually care.

I think it is hilarious and incredible either way!

Kung Fu and a Laugh or Two

I've just recently watched 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

and I have to admit,

It's probably my favourite cartoon since 'Up'.

Jack Black is hilarious of course,

and the creators are so fantastic.

And did I mention how wise it is?

"You got to let go of the stuff from past - because it just doesn't matter! 

The only thing that matters is what you choose to be now."

God I love it,

I think it should be watched by all.

Oh hello

I've been meaning to write a post for quite some time, but never did.

It's not that I don't have anything to say,

that would be quite unusual for me.

I just haven't known what part of my life to tell you,

or how to put it into words. 

So I guess this post is just an update on the projects I have been undertaking.  

First there is my holga.

I still love it and use it as often as possible. 

And lately I have been spending all my money on getting the films developed.. 

Then there is my video project.

Meg, one of my favourite people, decided to move away, and we have no idea when we will see her next. So I decided that we, her workmates, should create a farewell video for her as a final laugh.

It was the funniest thing trying to get people to dance in front of a camera, 

and the hardest thing trying to keep it a secret from her.

So a lot of my time has been doing these two projects, while trying to work through my uni assignments, 

which really isn't that exciting.

Kind of a useless update.

But I thought it was time to write something here.

Video for Meg

and a selection of my favourite recent holga photos

Sleep On It

I have a 3000 word assignment due in 4 days.

And I tell myself I have a heap of time.

So I procrastinate.

And BOY do I procrastinate well.

So, on my favourite website, Open Culture, I see a talk from John Cleese,of whom I am a HUGE fan. 

(Well, obviously not huge enough to notice he was in Harry Potter, I was shocked I had missed this.)

The talk, on creativity, explains how we need to avoid distractions, set boundaries of space and time, sleep on a problem, and DO THE WORK. 

Hah, ironic that I watch this in the middle of doing the exact opposite of what he says.

Thanks irony, 

I will take the hint. 

(just after I blog about it)

And if you want to watch an older, longer talk on the same topic, this one would do the trick:

Inspire Me

My friend introduced me to this documentary last night.
"Bill Cunningham, New York"

The film follows Bill Cunningham, THE New York fashion photographer of the century.

It's a wonderful film.
And I fully recommend watching it if you have a spare evening. 

He is the most adorable old man, who bikes around the most wonderful city, and photographs the most creative fashions.

His many photographs have turned into one of the only documentations of the fashion trends throughout history, both on the street, and on the runway.

 He spends all his time talking these photographs. Not for the money, but for the enjoyment of doing so.

And he really does enjoy doing it.

One can learn a lot from this man.

Take a look at the trailer below, and hire the DVD when you can.

It's such a beautiful story.

Keep Calm and Carry On

I am constantly seeing the "Keep Calm and Carry On" image

 on the internet, in book shops, on notebook covers, inspirational quote books,  

everywhere.

Then, I found this short doco on the origins of this poster.

Created for the Second World War, the poster of five simple words was intended for use in in times of crisis or invasion, but was never distributed. 30 years later, it was found and became one of the most popular posters of our time.

Its worth a watch.

As stated, countless iterations of this poster have been made.
Here is a few of my favourites;

Stop Motion

The Old Man and the Sea

Incredible.

the old man and the sea from Marcel Schindler on Vimeo.

Drink Coffee and Make Mistakes

For some reason I find myself wanting to be better at that artsy, creative stuff.
I wish I could be as creative as the people I know.

But there's still a part of me that enjoys the struggle.

However, I enjoy the tips this video gives to one who wishes to "stay creative"

• Sing in the shower
• Drink coffee
• Go somewhere new
• Have fun

 See the full animated list in this video!

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Dear Elliot

The cutest tribute.

Brings a little tear to my eye. 

99 days, 99 Balloons

Bound Captivation

Sometimes I find myself walking into second-hand book stores, being captivated by the older books, and admiring their beauty. 

(Oscar Wilde, 1911)

The fragility, The smell, and the detail is beautiful.

I'm sure the literature is also great, but what I admire most is its aesthetic. 

My Oscar Wilde book of selected poems (above) was bought for this reason, and as much as I love his poetry, the book itself is my favourite one in the bookshelf.

Watch the amazing process of the creation of these old books:

(Birth of a Book from Glen Milner on Vimeo.)