Gorgeous and Fun

Harry Potter

I know I have been remiss! But so many things have been happening that I am just getting a chance to catch my breath. You know how one month can seem quiet and then the next month gets frantic? But mostly good stuff.

I watched the last Harry Potter movie this past weekend. I loved the books and all the movies did such a good job capturing the stories from the books. The books that are so choc-a-block (is that spelling even correct? If not, forgive me I am thinking of chocolate!) with details of many, many going-ons and creatures.

But I am talking about inspiration. Hogwarts and the sets and the costumes and the creatures and the special effects and the stories and the people (okay, okay wizards!). I am especially enchanted by special effects - science and art combining to awe us and intrigue us.

I enjoyed the movie and loved the books, it feels like the end of an era!

 

I wonder what will capture out hearts and imaginations next?

Speaking of next things, I plan to share some more inspiring movies, Photoshop tools, occasional show-and-tells and gorgeous and fun things!

Image credit : blogs.forbes.com

Been Sick

See that picture, those shiny things that look like beads. Not beads, my meds!

I have had a bad cold for over a week, it feels like forever. So I have been sick, tired and haven't done much except work and rest. I haven't gone for a walk or done anything creative. 

So this is a post about random stuff, TV shows and books. Here are a list of shows I like, in no particular order and yes, there are some old ones:

Pysch

Wings

Bones

Mentalist

Big Bang Theory

Castle

How I met your mother

West Wing

The Bob Newhart Show

MASH

Two and a half men

 30 Rock

And one of my favorite authors mentioned this site www.whatshouldireadnext.com, you can plugin the name of a book or an author you like and it recommends what else you might like! Pretty cool!

North And South

If you have ever talked to me or trolled through this blog you will have encountered book/tv show/film references. I can't resist reading fiction.

But turns out I have been living under a rock. Somehow I had never heard of this book/show called "North And South". This Sunday I watched the BBC miniseries and I absolutely loved it! If you like "Pride and Prejudice" (the book or the Colin Firth version miniseries - take your pick) or shows like "To the Manor Born" I would recommend this. I looked it up on the Wiki later and turns out it was based on a book (actually serialized fiction) written by Elizabeth Gaskell. I wish I had read the book first cause I generally like reading before watching the filmed version. Too late for that!

The TV series is beautifully shot, the story is compelling and the lead actors Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe are fabulous. The rest of the cast is great! 

Image from http://www.fanpop.com/

An Almost Stormy Birthday

So today was a certain someone's b'day (moi). And there was a snow storm on the way. So what's a girl to do? Cuddle up with a book and make a great dinner at home!

There was a surprise box of presents from Anthropologie.......

And there was time to make a trip to the library and load up on great books. The book being read today was......

This book rips on a certain fairy tale, more on that once the book is finished. And then there was the making of a risotto......

The risotto was made with white wine and a vegetable broth, served with a two-mushroom and rosemary sauce, freshly grated Asiago cheese and drizzled with truffle oil.....

And since I was more keen on celebration than photography, the lighting is the normal yellow lamp light instead of white lighting that should be used for photography.

There was candle light, some bubbly and really not that much snow, for the celebration! So maybe we could have gone out but hey instead we got to relax indoors. I promise to share the recipe this weekend but right now I am going back to celebrating!

Bye, Bye 2010

2010 is nearly over! As the clock ticks down I was thinking of what I did this year. Let's see.....

I got to meet up with family in India.

I think I have finally succeeded in getting my mom addicted to blog reading.

I made lots of jewelry.

I have nearly finished the Moleskine for the Sketchbook Project.

I made collages and petite dolls and I took more Suzi Blu classes. I also got be a guest on Suzi's radio show: http://gorgeousandfun.typepad.com/gorgeous_and_fun/2010/12/radio-show-with-suzi-blu.html.

Started doing diptychs at http://unravellingtogether.blogspot.com/ with the fantastic women I met through Unravelling, my dip partner is Carole.

Got to exhibit my silk scarves at a local Starbucks.

Finished up some fun projects at work.

Read lots of fun fiction.

Bought a Kindle (oh, yes!) and an iPad (Double yes!!).

Got hooked to watching movies instantly via PS3 and Netflix Instant.

I capped the year off by watching "Alice in Wonderland". If you haven't seen it, go see it and if you have Netflix you can see it on Instant now. Stunning, stunning sets, costumes and cinematography!! And personally I preferred the story of the movie over the one in the book. As we bid adieu to 2010, I was thinking wouldn't it be fun to fall down that rabbit hole where we chase the dreams that matter to us?

Bye, Bye 2010!!!

Image credit: filmofilia.com

 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! These Christmas images are from the Crate and Barrel catalogs:

 

A Pink Halloween!

When I saw this Halloween setup in a Boston storefront I knew these photos belonged to the Pink Saturday of Halloween weekend.

Go on over to Beverly's to see more pink!

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite book series. I never actually got to read it when I was a kid, friends told me about it but somehow I never got to lay my hands on the books. I read the books in college. And Anne became a part of me. Doesn't she use the words "kindred spirits"? That's how I feel about the book and the character and anyone who responds to these words with "I too love Anne of Green Gables".

And I just caught a black and white version of the book on TCM. There are bits that still bring tears to me eyes - when Anne is going away to school, when Matthew is not well.

Is there such a book that holds it sway over you? It doesn't matter when you read it. Any time you see an adaptation or re-read it, it feels cosy, like coming home to family and friends.

Image from here.

Jane Austen's Birthday

It was Jane Austen's birthday on December 16th. My celebration is a couple of days late, but better late than never, right? So what better way to celebrate the birthday than mentioning one of the most favored fictional men ever created by Jane - Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice, is one of my all time favorite books. If you have a glass in hand, how about a toast to Jane? Which of the Austen books do you like?

Image credit: friendsoffirth.com 

Ray Harryhausen

 

Ray Harryhausen is a giant in the world of special effects. If you have ever seen "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" or "Jason & the Argonauts", you have witnessed his genius. He made the impossible possible for the movies. If you watch any of our current special effects movies, see the pre-digital special effects movies and see the difference, just note that it is the work of people like Ray Harryhausen that made today's effects possible.

Have you ever wondered who dreams up the scenes in the movies? How they go from imagination to an actual production? Take a look at the book "The Artof Ray Harryhausen" by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton. The above image is a sample from the book. In here, you will see the fantastic sketches, casts, clay and metal models of the creatures that scared us. I think that this artwork is amazing in its own right.

I am in awe of the body of work by Harryhausen but I am also impressed with the work of the artists who sketch out the storyboards for movies. Figures leaping, creatures romping around, entire new worlds created, all used to help visualise the scene. These artists sketch out figures without a live person, build worlds that are only in their heads. Their hands can produce what their minds dream up, no easy feat! Wouldn't it be interesting if these storyboards were sold as works of art instead of being discarded at the end of production?

A small aside - if you are fascinated by the technology behind the special effects, the Science Channel in the US has a new show called the "Science of the Movies".