christina d'arc

I got a perfect score! The great thing about growing up in Detroit is that part of you kind of wishes you were Canadian.

Don Cherry Outfit or Clown Costume? Score: 100% (9 out of 9)

Yesterday The Music Man was on TV. I had forgotten all about this movie that I'd watched about a million times as a kid. It's a musical about a con man who pretends to be a music professor. He gets everyone in town to order instruments and band uniforms for their kids with the intention of skipping town as soon as he collects. However, before he can make his escape, he falls for Marian the Librarian.


My favorite scene is where everyone does this synchronized dance in the library, in and out of the rows of bookcases and up and down those spiral stairs. Hurray for YouTube!

I love how bright all the colors are in those old movies. They would even declare at the beginning: "In Technicolor!" I guess that was before they started taking it for granted that people could watch film in color, and they oversaturated everything to emphasize the point.

Speaking of saturated color, I finally got my Lomo fixed! It cost me $80, but it was well worth it. It's a real one from Communist Russia, not this imitation garbage that Urban Outfitters is selling now. I also found out what one of the mysterious dials on it meant (film speed). I shot a whole roll of slide film today at Eastern Market that I plan to get cross-processed.

Dennis and I have wanted to start an Etsy store for a long time. The plan is to sell vintage stuff and handmade printed items, but we've been slacking on getting it running.

Tonight I faced down the box of estate sale treasures that's been sitting in my dining room. I unpacked everything and decided I would finally start the store by listing a cute patent leather purse I bought a few weeks ago. Two hours later, the listing is finally up!


What took so long? I had to:
- Photograph it
- Realize it was covered in fingerprints; clean up and photograph again
- Remember infamous eBay teapot listing; recover from fear of buyers seeing my reflection in shiny object; photograph some more
- Set up seller account on Etsy; read policy that vintage items must be at least 20 years old
- Spend half an hour researching origins of brand, Theodor of California (it's from the 1950s)
- Brighten poorly lighted pictures from ancient camera in Photoshop
- Upload pictures, find out the file sizes are too large
- Re-Photoshop; Re-upload (are you tired yet?)
- Write cleverly worded, correctly spelled description; start Excel spreadsheet while I'm at it
- Research other buyers' shipping charges

I was all proud of myself until I clicked on the listing and saw how bare our store looks. No fun graphics, no profile, no avatar, and probably worst, no store policy page.

I have a LOT of work to do this weekend. I have so many things to list! Good thing there aren't any sales around here on the holiday weekend, because I need to catch up.

Click here to check out our fledgling store.

Friends, I leave you with...ducklings in a bathtub!

I'm in lurve with these Pantone espresso cups! Sadly, I guess they're are only available in the UK.

A few months ago, I saw an espresso machine on sale at Starbucks, but didn't buy it. It was bright orange, which I loved, but it didn't match my kitchen. Unfortunately, my little kitchen is too tiny to make a clashing espresso machine look inconspicuous. Now I'm regretting it. I could've hidden it behind the bread box or something.

In my never ending quest for a workout program I can stick to, I came across One Hundred Push Ups. I decided that there was no way I could ever achieve this, but just for the hell of it, I would try the "initial test" - simply doing as many good form push ups as I could.

The result? I found out that I could do exactly ZERO push ups. Zero! This made me angry. I knew I had very little upper body strength. I didn't know my muscles had atrophied this badly.

With some coaxing from the bf, I managed ten "girl" push ups. I'm going to start the program this way until I've gotten enough strength to do them the right way.

I am tough! And mean! Rrawwrr!

A surefire sign of old age: the latest Hollywood it girl is TEN! years older than you, to the day.

Oh, dear.

"I am not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde

A smattering of awesome geeky stuff, clockwise from top left:

• I'm bananas over these periodic table rings from ITSNONAME.
  
• Adorable clothing line from Rhombus inspired by math and science.
• I adore my new glasses from See. I'm really tempted to add some white tape.
• Nob Hill shrug pattern from the brand new spring issue of Knitty.

Let me take a moment to welcome a new addition to my tiny little studio:


I finally took the plunge and bought a new iMac! I've been in the Apple store three times since I've gotten my tax return, and kept chickening out. But I'm glad I did it - my old computer was about done. We had some good times together. We shared lots of late night, last minute papers and pointless YouTube videos. I will miss my old John Hodgman PC. Swiss Typography wallpaper via Veer.

Tonight's project is sitting on the newly-cleaned drawing table.



That is two years worth of Computer Arts magazines that Dennis and I have ammassed together. Since I finally have a hard drive bigger than a can of soup, I plan to put all the free stock photos, fonts and brushes from the "free" CDs onto my computer. According to our calculations, that stack represents $320 of our hard-earned money. "Free" my foot.

Work has been sucking the life right out of me these last few months. I haven't wanted to do anything besides knit and play Call of Duty. So here's hoping a list of concrete goals will help me to concentrate on what's important.

=(Goals for 2008)=

Finish Print Design Certificate Program @ CCS
Procure a suitable computer-machine (check!!)
Produce my graphic design portfolio
Get 3 pieces into the public forum
Launch art/design website with the b.f.
Write 100 blog posts
Buy a font, most likely this one
Purchase cartoonishly enormous glasses; look the part (check!)
Record one piece of original music
Earn advanced dog handler badge at the shelter
Visit Portland and stay at the Ace Hotel

I live in a 2-bedroom condo that's about 900 square feet. At one time, I had high hopes for the spare bedroom. I was going to paint it salmon pink and cover the walls in framed pictures, like Richie's room in The Royal Tenenbaums. I soon realized that this room would be martyred, keeping lots of junk tucked away so that the rest of the house could look pretty.

In recent weeks I've spent tons of time organizing it. I want it to do it's sacrificial job, but at the same time, I want it to be functional. I'd guess the room's dimensions to be about 10' x 8' at best. When everything is done, this little room will house a home office, an art studio, a music studio, and a guest bedroom all by itself.

In progress: the "art studio".


Tonight's project was the stack of magazines you see on the table. All gone! Next will be all the stuff on the floor. See the packing tube and flat shipping box against the wall? Those are concert posters I've been meaning to frame for over a year. That'll have to be a weekend job. Two weekends ago, I hung the shelf and displayed all of my design books on it. And just this past weekend, while watching the Super Bowl, I revamped the chair.

I wish I had taken a before picture. This was a beat up little number that my grandma picked from someone's garbage. I had mostly used it as a painting stool or for an extra chair for parties, so it was pretty shabby looking. The boyfriend sanded it for me, motivated by the chance to use a new power tool. Then it got a fresh coat of red paint and a reupholstered cushion. I heart it!


Other fun things lying around:

• That lamp was $2.50 at a garage sale. It's going to get a new lampshade as soon as I find some fabric I like.
• The notebook holds scraps of any printed material I feel might inspire me someday. I have a unhealthy obsession with magazines and catalogs, so I've been trying to tear out pages rather than letting them stack up.
• The "M" was stolen for me on a drunken walk home by partner in crime on my other blog, Let's Trade Mix Tapes. Matt's taking a break from blogging to start a company with his brother, Love and War Designs. The website launches Friday.
• I own a Freud bobblehead. He's going to keep me company while I draw pictures.