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| Beautiful Day Here by Andrew Saftel |
I’ll never forget meeting my fabulous friend Kristen at the Blissdom blogger conference last year. We were chatting and getting to know each other when she ask me if I’d heard of Pinterest. It was early 2011 and I had no idea what she was talking about. Little did I know….
A year, 21 boards and almost 500 pins later, I have embraced Pinterest with a vengeance. The virtual bulletin board of sorts is a wonderful way to keep track of projects, inspiration, recipes and just beautiful images.
If you are using it, find me please! If not, let me know and I’ll be happy to send you an invite.
Happy Monday friend!
{“She used to say she could taste sleep and that it was as delicious as a BLT on fresh French bread.” }
― Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
I must have had a hankering for some tasty sleep of my own because a short nap around 6:30 last night turned into not waking up again until morning. Sometimes we just need to sleep and our bodies have funny ways of telling us.
Do you sleep when you’re tired or do you lay the guilt on yourself, 20 mattresses thick, that sleep can wait when your to-do list is long? I’m working on more of the former, less of the latter (but this is obvious by my 13 hour siesta!).
Happy Tuesday friend!
This week has definitely been a busy one, but Wednesday the southern beau and I managed to make it to the theatre, which for me is a rare treat. The show we saw, Moonlight and Magnolias, was delightful and I encourage anyone, especially fans of “Gone with the Wind” to see it if you have a chance.
The play tells the true story of the 5 chaotic days in which David O. Selznick, Victor Fleming, and Ben Hecht (producer, director and writer, respectively) turn Margaret Mitchell’s classic book into a screenplay fit for film.
The catch is that Ben Hecht, the so-called writer, hasn’t read the book. The only logical solution is for Selznick and Fleming to act it out for him, chapter by chapter as Hecht types furiously to capture the action. At one point, the actor playing Fleming simultaneously portrays Melanie giving birth AND Prissy coming back without Dr. Meade, high-pitched southern accents and all. Needless to say, hilarity ensues.
We even got discounted tickets by volunteering to usher. If going to the theatre isn’t in your budget right now, I definitely advise checking on opportunities such as this (as well as free final dress rehearsals and discounted previews) that your local theatre might offer.
Have you seen Moonlight & Magnolias? I’d love to know what you thought! If not, what was the last stage production you saw and how’d you like it?
{program & production still via Clarence Brown Theatre}
I’ve always been drawn to old things, especially when they have a story. One thing I’ve collected over the years is postcards…some from my travels and others depicting artwork and images I hold dear. My small collection of post cards pales in comparison to the cards my great-aunt received and collected in her life.
The cards, mostly dated from around 1910, ended up in the care of my great-grandmother, sister-in-law of the collector. My mom says she can remember looking through them as a child and I’m so thankful to have a few of them now.
This particular card tickles me because Bakers Cross Roads, Tennessee is little more than its name suggests…a spot where two roads happen to cross. I’m impressed they had their own official card printed.
This image, the back of the Bakers X Roads card, is sweet because it begins with the phrase, from your best friend. Kind words from a loved one are always appreciated, no matter how thoroughly modern we consider ourselves to be.
I wonder if this seemingly innocent card was considered risqué by the morality standards of the past.
This is another of my favorites because the concept of a harlequin doesn’t really seem like something the folks in rural Middle Tennessee would have been familiar with, but it paints a magical scene.
I hope we never stop sending and receiving mail…the old-fashioned way. There is something so fun about opening up the mailbox to find a card or letter inside. Let’s all think about sending someone we love a sweet note…it would do wonders to brighten his or her day!
Happy Monday friends!
Today is the 75th anniversary of the first time Margaret Mitchell’s book, Gone with the Wind was available for purchase. I know it’s been GWTW frenzy around the blogosphere lately, but for good reason. From social media meetups to movie premiere galas, Atlanta has been hopping this summer with all the excitement. NPR did a wonderful piece on the anniversary, which you can listen to here.
“I want to be famous in some way – a speaker, artist, writer, soldier, fighter, stateswoman, or anything nearly.”
– Margaret Mitchell, January 1915
I took the above images during my visit to the Margaret Mitchell House in Midtown Atlanta and the preceding quote is also from the exhibit. I wonder if Ms. Mitchell would have been surprised by the reach of her fame even all these years later. Considering her other contributions to society, in addition to her written words, I think she has achieved fame in every category to which she aspired.
If you still haven’t gotten your fill of GWTW, Georgia Public Broadcasting produced a fabulous documentary about the life of Margaret Mitchell called “Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel” which is airing tonight. Even if you don’t live in the GPB viewing area, you can still view the film in a web presentation tonight, as well as chat online with the director! Hope you’ll tune in!
So I know I promised to do a post on the fabulous Emily Giffin, author extraordinaire who spoke at the skirt! Magazine Creative Conference. She imparted some excellent wisdom to our group, mostly pertaining to writing, but it could also really apply to whatever your dreams might be.
If you aren’t familiar with Ms. Giffin, she wrote Something Borrowed, the book recently turned into a motion picture starring Kate Hudson & John Krasinski. Something Borrowed is followed up by Something Blue, both of which I really enjoyed poolside a few summers back. Anyway…
I’m not going to try and list everything EG said, although I was furiously scribbling notes from my spot on the front row…hence the blurry pic! But here are some of the tidbits that spoke to me most and my thoughts on each.
EG: Don’t assume that other writer’s have an easier time than you…writing is just plain hard [but worth it!]
EG: Think of yourself as a ‘real’ writer no matter what your circumstances are. [In other words, call yourself a writer and you’ll be a writer. Don’t think that just because you haven’t ‘published’ a book or had your book turned into a movie you aren’t a real writer…this one meant a lot to me!]
EG: Every book in a bookstore is just the product of one person who sat down and wrote one page at a time. Also, editors are just people…all it takes is one person who wants to publish your book. It is possible. [When you think about it this way, it really does seem like an attainable goal]
EG: Don’t worry about being perfect and DON’T compare yourself to anybody else. [LOVE that]
I really appreciate Ms. Giffin taking time to come speak to us…it was one of the highlights of the whole conference for me. I’m embarrassed to say I still haven’t seen the film version of Something Borrowed but it’s on my to-watch list! If you’ve read her books or seen the film, what did you think?
{top image via Atlanta Magazine}
“The best-dressed women I know pay very little attention to the picayune aspects of fashion, but they have a sound understanding of style.”
-- Amy Vanderbilt
{image by noemi manalang via flickr}
I’ve always been what you might call an etiquette junkie. When I was growing up, I found a volume on our shelves called Charlotte Ford’s Book of Modern Manners. It gave me many hours of amusement as I read and re-read it, vowing to be well-versed in the world of mannerly behavior. Had I been invited to meet foreign dignitaries at age 13, I would have known just what color gloves were appropriate to wear.
I’ve since added other tomes to my collection, including several by Emily Post, Miss Manners and the queen of gentility herself, Ms. Amy Vanderbilt. I love her thoughts on things and find her attitude so refreshing, even though this particular book was published in 1957. I guess good manners don’t go out of style.
As much as I love this area of knowledge, its seems too often we value adherence to the rules of manners over simply treating people well. I think about the scene in To Kill a Mockingbird when Scout’s friend Walter Cunningham joins the Finch family for lunch and wants to cover his entire plate with molasses. Scout knows this just isn’t done, but it’s a chance for her father to teach her about breaking rules to do what is right, in this case, make a guest feel comfortable in your home. I think this is what Miss Amy means when she says “our particular circumstances may permit us to omit them somewhat.” Don’t you know as a Vanderbilt, she saw her share of “chi-chi?” Love that expression!
Happy Monday friends!
