Julie & Julia - the search for a creative outlet

The recent film "Julie & Julia" didn't get very favorable reviews, so for me there was no rush to see it. After coaxing from my mother, we went and saw it and was pleasantly surprised by a fresh and thoughtful film. So, why was the movie not well received? Hmm... can't really bother to wonder about that, but it could be two things - lack of viewer imagination and cultural perspective.

Falling under the category of day dreamer, this film was right up my alley. Having lived in France for a short 6 month stint as a nanny in the heart of Paris, I know first hand of the romantic charm this la vie en rose holds. If there could be two things that would fall under "wildest dreams," I would say it would be to live abroad and do something I love and make money at it. As this film illustrates, day dreamers can be believers if there is enough discipline, fortitude and patience to sustain the wait. Look at Julia! She waited over a decade to be published, but she never lost sight of her goal and dream to translate the art of French gastronomy to the everyday American housewives who had no idea of such cuisine.

The trials and tribulations of dreamers was endearing and whimsical. I was routing them both on the whole way and jealously wishing I could blog like Julie's character and get a cookbook published... you never know.

Don't Ration Your Passion

I think blogging is a lifesaver for those who like the creative process, but aren't  necessarily brilliant writers like myself. It is a way to purge the mind of negative energy and get it out there, whether or not anyone is reading it. I guess that is why I named my blog 'ecrivain attempts' as that is what it really is... attempts to be a writer. You can really enjoy doing something and appreciate those who do it well, but how do you get to be that person who could actually make a living doing that thing you love? I ask myself that almost every day when the job that pays the bills does only that, pays the bills and doesn't provide anything else. When Chef Gordan Ramsey on "Hell's Kitchen" says you have to have passion in the kitchen and not merely technique and be quick on your feet, he is saying that he can see the ones who love it and the ones who are going through the motions. Going through the motions is a numbing process. Passion is something that needs to be ignited when what you love gets buried under all the things you don't love at all, but you have to pretend to care about in order to keep your head above water.

So, my question that I leave you with is, can you try to get passionate about something in your life? It may not put bread on the table or be recognized, but try to do it well or make a point of throwing yourself into something that actually brings meaning to life and starts to bring back the tingles that reminds you that living isn't that bad after all.

Summer Wanderlust

After a long winter cooped up with no where to go, when the good weather comes it is exhilarating like you have been reborn. I like to call it the ' creative hiatus' because I am too distracted to focus on things like writing. I miss it, but with long days where the sun is out until 9PM, long walks and sitting on the patio and breathing in fresh air is so appealing. 

One of my favorite things about summer is the farmer's market. Every Thursday I take a trip to my local outdoor market to enjoy all the sights and sensory experiences offered. A farmer's market isn't just vegetables - this is a place for the community and intrepenurial of heart to try their hand at selling unique goods. Some of the variety includes homemade cheeses, salsas, candy and even organic soaps and fragrances. Although the same vendors are there every week, it is comforting to visit the favorite stalls for home baked bread and freshly popped kettle corn. 

A definite change of culture has come about with a return to smaller venues be it restaurants or grocery stores like Trader Joes  and community co-ops. Most of all an appreciation of fresh, small batched food stuffs. To me, this is such a change for the better. Food becomes culture and community and not just mass produced items in warehouse sized grocery stores. To me, every Thursday is a highlight to my week. I know I will share the experience with a close friend and get some fresh air while shopping at my leisure for wholesome, carefully produced products.

To Farmer's Markets and A simpler way of life which is a sort of Joie de vivre.

Austen As We Know It

Bless my soul, I watched Pride and Prejudice for the 100th time today. It filled me with the "je ne sais quoi" that it always does. Something about the organic nature of life and relationships that seems to be so lacking in our modern age. There is chaotic harmony to the Bennett's willy -nilly ways of dancing and prancing, feasting and farming that brings about a feel for what life must be truly like if you are living it to the fullest. Not to mention the breath taking scenes from the campagne, filled with lush green and hilly interest and wild reckless, natural abandon, just like the Bennett's themselves. My all time favorite scene that brings me to tears every time is when Elizabeth tells Mr. Bennett that she loves Fitzwilliam Darcy. All the secret glances of amusement that pass between father and daughter are endearing throughout the film, but this final scene, the crescendo to the symphonic story is the love between these two. So, in honor of the most beloved of characters both in book and acted in film, are a  few Bennettesque items chosen to celebrate them all. Bravo!

Integrity

This shall surely be a ramble of thoughts that have crossed my mind lately, so bear with my license as a blogger to sometimes write less than coherently.

Integrity. This is what is on my mind of late. What does it look like? Do I have it? Does it really exist much anymore? It seems like a big word that can be evident in so many small ways. Although I won't get into the details of why this word is weighing on my mind, let's just say that there seems to be a lack thereof these days.

What does it look like? It is a combination of honesty, selflessness, respect for others and a willingness to  separate yourself from something even if it isn't the most popular thing to do. Well, that is my definition and may be a bit off from Mr. Webster himself. 

Do I possess it? That is the question. Not as much as I would hope. I would love to be an Austen character like Elizabeth who always finds herself doing the right thing even when hard. Wrestling with her own desires in the pursuit of doing what is noble above all else. In a society that is so "me" centered and obsessed with loving oneself, that truly and sometimes thought old fashioned virtue called integrity gets kind of lost in all the narc ism. 

Jane, your wisdom was for the ages and thank goodness for that. No one tells it like an Elizabeth Bennett - full of poignancy and fire that cuts you to the quick.

So, for all those who feel like their tank of integrity is running a little low, pick up some moral morsels from our friend Jane and remember that although sometimes forgotten, integrity never goes out of style...

Sweet Mother of Mine

Oh, for all the fanfare and shameless Hallmark exploitation of Mother's Day, there is nothing wrong with celebrating the one person who makes the world go round who is no other than your mother. 

Someone I know recently commented that he had not called his mother in years on this day as he thought it was so silly and predictable. What I say to that is, "shame on you." If we all appreciated each other everyday as we should, then there truly would be no need for Hallmark to remind us to remember these special ladies. However, the expectation to remember on a special day is a good reason to make much of those we love. Mothers do so much which goes unnoticed. The nights worrying about that conversation with you where you were upset and unhappy, the prayers that went out on your behalf when you had that important interview, the thoughtful check ups just to see how you are. Then there are the home cooked meals, the stories about how cute you were as a baby and the words of encouragement and unconditional love. Who thinks you are beautiful like none other? Of course mom does. Even if you know she may be a little biased, you can't help but smile a little broader and hold your chin a little higher because there is that one person always in your corner.

So, here is to you moms - our number one fans who have kept us in one piece all these years and nursed our hearts and stomaches with all the love in the world.

We love you~

Welcome to A Little Piece of Heaven Called Bryn Mawr

Yesterday was the annual Bryn Mawr Minneapolis Neighborhood Garage Sale. This kind of event is something I anticipate all year long and is always a highlight of the year.

Bryn Mawr is neatly tucked away off Penn Ave and highway 394 - minutes from downtown. A neighborhood that is one of many of Minneapolis's hidden jewels & you kinda have to be a local to know about it. The beauty of this area is that is has preserved its original architectural charm and relatively the geographical landscape as it was when this was a new and booming community. If you are an independent retailer, you will survive here. The locals love to support another of their  assets, unique shops and eateries along the main strip that are not part of a national chain. We started our marathon of garage -saling by starting the day with delicious local java brew at Cuppa Java which is a featured photo in this blog.

If you are not a tag sale - O'phite, then come for a beautiful walk through a hilly, nature filled piece of utopia in the middle of the city. One observation is that this is an eco-centric neighborhood. It is the exception rather than the rule to find a home without a rain garden and their landscape full of plants that contribute to a greener earth. Many of the homes are of the Arts and Crafts Bungalow persuasion, but there are gorgeous rest orated Victorians mixed in as well. Bryn Mawr dwellers have preserved architecture and community to make you feel like you belong to something that matters. Spend a day at the annual garage sale and you will walk away knowing a little bit more about the people that live here and how proud they are to be there. After purchasing several vintage items at a home that I had garage saled the previous year, I told the woman running it I came back as I had been so happy with my purchases the previous year. She was so happy to hear it and she gave me some fun history of the items I was purchasing besides.

At the end of a morning filled with fun, you must stop at the Bryn Mawr community church where freshly grilled brats and dogs await. Stand in line for  cute little cub scouts to serve you as your money goes towards a great cause.

Respite for the Weary

Perhaps you as I are a little weary of all the bad news these days. If the economic crisis wasn't enough to have you wallowing in worry, it is now the media bombardment of swine flu outbreaks. Although you can't live in a cave and avoid reality, you can try to escape now and then and find respite in something frivolous and light. So, how about it? Shall we peruse something to take our minds of the world and lighten the load with a little Etsy eye candy? 

Look at the Baby!

<


Forever new, forever exciting, babies bring joy into our lives with their cooing rosebud lips, small and perfect little hands and feet and that shock of downy soft black hair!

To celebrate spring and life as all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, this is a little vintage baby tribute of items found on etsy.com by vintage sellers. No matter how far we have come with new fangled do dads and fancier and more technical gadgets, there is something sweet and wholesome about looking at how babies were brought into the world without all that stuff and did just fine.

Be All That You Can Be

The army slogan "be all that you can be" isn't only for the military. It is really an American mantra that is drilled into our progressive, workaholic minded culture.  There doesn't seem to be a balance between work and life and instead the lines become muddled in gray. Being a married woman with no children, the impact of this truth hasn't really hit me as hard as it could. I know that work is healthy, keeps you grounded and gives you purpose. However, when visiting our neighbhors recently to see their new bundle of joy, this truth hit home. Here was a family with their first child and the mom was going to stay at home and raise the child. I was immediately defensive and jealous. Much to my own dismay, I launched into a speech of how impossible it is for two parents to have this option, when the "option" was right in front of me. They were choosing to have this balance that I so yearned for, but everything around me told me it couldn't be, it wasn't right and so on. When did our culture stop valuing mothers for mother's sake? When did daycare take the place of what only a mother can do? I can't say, but I am sorry to see it is a different world than the older generation experienced. 

My mother raised six children on one blue collar salary. She tells me that it is possible and I smile and say in my head 'not true.' In an effort to be progressive and career minded, values have gone out the door. There are strangers raising the next generation and still with all the money, power and equality, people are more unhappy than ever. What will it take to "be all that we can be" for real? Take back your life even if in small increments and don't sell out the one life you have for the approval of those who don't have to live your life at all. This sounds so preachy, but is so true. The lack, the lack and the lack. Simplicity is so much more than just having less. It is taking less on to have more.

Consumer Rights Make You Want to Drink

Sundays always find me introspective, a bit pessimistic, and blogging. Curious to find if artists greatest work was accomplished on such a day when the weekend is over, the money has been spent, the late night partying optimism has been laid to rest and a keen awareness that Monday is right around the corner. 

Not that there has to be a storm cloud behind every sunbeam, but somehow when the winter is long and below zero is the temp for the 1st of March, it is hard to feel alive and light hearted. Today for the first time in a couple of weeks, I added some new items to my Etsy store. It is always like putting yourself out there into the cyber world to be viewed unabashedly by the consumer's critical eye. Feels kind of naked and vulnerable. My favorite are the convos with detailed questions that I quickly and thoroughly answer, but then never hear a bloody thing after that... not even a thank you. It is part of the consumer right - to inquire without obligation. With one my new posts today, I blatantly laid it out there that the item was flawed, but take it or leave it. I kind of felt like I had to defend myself with this disclaimer after all the critical remarks you get.

So, with that, there are Sundays contemplations and maybe time for a beer to end this with a bang.

Hard Times - A Modern Day Reflection of Dickens' World View

Charles Dickens or for the purpose of this blog, "Chuck" was all about enlightening us of what Hard Times meant to 19th Century English commoners. Faced with moral choices that separated man from beast, Chuck looked at what happens to people when they were hard up, out of luck, down and out... you get my drift.

As Americans compare themselves to others in the past who suffered a depression, it is interesting to compare and contrast what modern man views as hard compare to what was hard 100 or so years ago. Let's say you are Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or Pip. On hard times, you have to look to someone who may not be so kind or empathetic to your plight for your livelihood and existence. The dark, shadowy images of Dickens paint exactly what their world was - ashy, dirty, dingy and dismal. Did the sun ever shine in 19th century London or was the pollution and smog just blocking it? What a beautiful writer who gives us images of a world gone by and the people although fictional, true representations of a difficult time.

We may have it bad compared to our peers. There may be no money to go to the movies and instead our option is to be holed up in an artsy coffee shop with laptop and ipod going as our bleating hearts communicate via the World Wide Web of our misery and suffering. Droning musicians speak from the depths of shallow experience - life is so hard when you are a suffering artist, ,misunderstood and dealing with feeble minds. There may be no money for fancy dinners or designer clothes, but there is so much at our disposal that we have become completely out of touch. While connected to a virtual world and communication being an understatement with text messages, instant messenger and blackberries all making us so unified, we have become completely stunted in maturity and artistic growth.

Hard Times is about speaking from the dust and breathing life and hope into a bleak world. Although not at all acquainted with how this life looks except on paper, a shallow, pale comparison of philosophy is born from utube videos and blogs. Don't get me wrong, I am just as much to blame, but don't kid your self... it is hardly all that bad.

Post Valentine Reflections

Saturday afternoon involved running errands and lunch with my husband. Seeing as it was Valentine's Day on a weekend, my senses were tuned in to the sights and sounds of an international day of love. While saving a booth at Panera which was completely mad at the lunch hour, my eyes scanned the crowds of buzzing tables of people. Moms and dads with babies and toddlers in tow, multitasking by taking turns helping feed the toddlers, burping the baby and feeding themselves, Valentine's Day was probably anything but romantic at that table. Then there were girlfriends coming together over a healthy half salad and cup of soup to bemoan their similar loveless fates. Last but not least were the old, comfortable silver haired couples who sat in complete comfortable silence and didn't try to prove anything. 

As Panera gave me a good sampling of society, I tried to look into the souls of women of all ages and walks of life  to see if they would feel special on this day like no other. My ears were tuned in, my eyes were focusing on non-verbals and I left with only one obvious observation - a multitude of women dressed in red. Maybe that is what it took to remind the opposite sex of what sort of day it was. 

Being married myself for over four years, you would think I would have some great tricks up my sleeve, originality and just the thing to say "I love you." Well, I didn't. Racking my brain for something that was specific, intimate, said 'us' and our resplendent relationship, I fell back on all the old tried and true tricks the spelled out s-t-e-r-e-o-t-y-p-i-c-a-l. In a last ditch effort, a deep fryer called out from me from an alluring end aisle display. "OK," not sentimental, but definitely original. If a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, deep fat fried foods would land me in a sweet, clotted artery sort of place. So, with a sigh that all my creativity had failed me, I hauled my deep fat fryer to the check out.

Save a Children's Book & Save Our Past

In trying to keep up with this new CPSIA law that went into effect today, I have been pulling out my hair. There have been many tell-tale signs that the world is going crazy, but nothing quite says it like a law that is requiring books published before 1985 to be banned from stores, libraries, online selling,  and everything and anything in between. At first, it was like a bad dream... could it be that those who makes laws in our government have went off the deep end? 

My beautiful books with pages filled with some of the best stories ever written. Stories that cannot be duplicated, stories from writers long dead in the grave that had imaginations teeming with ideas and creativity. Not only are things not made like they used to be, but books are not written nearly as well either. I hardly bother with modern literature. It is either fluffy or over the top in abstraction and idealism. I want wholesome, true, and well crafted stories to fill my head. Writers from the past weren't distracted by all the things that consume us in our modern age. Louisa May Alcott - a homely, single country gal spent all her free time writing stories for children and adolescents about maturity, achieving adulthood and becoming a person of character. There are no Louisa May Alcotts any longer. Those days are gone when women writing under pen names and mousy exteriors produced magnificent masterpieces. We are not tried and true. We do not lead lives filled with hardship that gives birth to genius. We are too soft and so when I am told by my silly, empty headed, virtue-less government to basically throw those "contaminated" books in the fire, I shake my head with sorrow.

It seems so dramatic and ridiculous that people can't even take personal responsibility for what they  buy anymore. Someone needs to be the scapegoat. How can lawyers sleep at night who support such cases? It is a wonder that they line their pockets with the gold earned by degeneracy.  How sad that a generation from now will not be able to see and read of the virtues of the past, the wisdom passed down, the stuff that makes a people great.

With this said, please, please, please seize the moment and buy vintage children's books. If this law is going to be reinforced like it looks to be, then it will be a travesty of our age. 

The books pictured here are from Etsy.Com Vintage Sellers including myself :):

www.elizabethwrenvintage.etsy.com

www.inktiques.etsy.com

www.molehilltreasures.etsy.com

www.labrocanterie.etsy.com

FInding Distraction Amidst Despair

In my lifetime, none of the doom and gloom that has become daily news has ever been so prevalent or discouraging. Namely, the economic crisis that is as gray and beaten as February's dirty snow. Another announcement from the CEO of my organization where I work made hearts fall and fears peak as looming deficits eat away at resources and hinted layoffs lurk behind closed door meetings of important suits who decide individuals fates and futures.

This seems to have become a bread and butter staple of daily diet. Bad news, fearful buzzing gossip as everyone weighs his or her value in the hierarchy of importance and asks nagging, repetitive, nervous questions like "are you keeping busy?" It is a dog eat dog world when it comes down to it. The veiled civilities become thinner and thinner when rumors become reality and then survival just kicks in full force.

One thing that is hard to do is forget all your worries and cares when you go home and get away from the gossip, the worries and the empty useless hypotheses. So, how do you do it? Have a survivors mentality. Think about worst case scenarios for a second and then put those thoughts out of your mind because after all you can't control the uncontrollable. Rally. Remember what is important in life: people, relationships, sharing experiences, spirituality, education, being vital in your community. None of these things have a price tag. So much of American culture is built around consumerism; however, you don't have to fall for it. Maybe stimulating the economy means buying in order to get the machine running again. It is hard to believe that a whole country fails based on yours and mine's spending habits. While we wait to find out if our jobs will still be there, so that we can pay for the necessities of life, a stimulus package is being formulated to give Americans a few bucks to supposedly go out and spend on luxuries.

I am holding on to my few dollars with tight fists, but if you are going to spend that hard earned money, give it to something you know will make a direct difference to a life, a family and a livelihood. Don't throw your precious money at corporate conglomerates, but keep small businesses from going under. 

Check out these small business ventures! 

www.modernbean.etsy.com

www.lapetitechouchou.etsy.com

www.newamsterdam.etsy.com

It takes a village to raise a child & a support system to make a business successful

In going about the yearly, dreaded task of filing taxes, my husband was doing some research on how we would claim our meager Etsy earnings. Come to find out, the investments we had made in our little online businesses couldn't be claimed until they amounted to 2% of our gross income. We looked at each other and had to laugh at the thought of our profits sustaining us. Not only was this morsel of knowledge discovered, but also that the IRS differentiates between a business and a hobby by the entity being "profitable" three out of five years. Again, another strike against us. So, why bother was the conclusion that faced our weary, tax filing selves as we reflected on the year past of financial decisions. Good question. Is it worth even trying to be entrepreneurial when all the odds seem to be against you? 

Facing this truth that our success wasn't to be measured by dollars and IRS guidelines, but rather by an effort to rise above the reality of circumstance. So many people start little business ventures in an effort to make a dream come true...no matter how buried and impractical it may be. It is a realisation of the impossible by taking a leap of faith to at least try to not settle for a life destined to be contained in a cubicle by carrying out someone else's wants and dreams and ignoring your own.

Okay, so as the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child" (i may be ad-libbing a bit here), so it also takes a support system of others who have those same values to make you a success. You can't go out and make it without having others recognize that what you have has some value. With that said, below I have made my own little treasury of those I recognize have value and this is only the tip of the iceberg.  

Stimulating the Economy

It is a hard for us all and luxuries are set aside in an effort to put away some emergency funds for the worst possible scenario. This being said, remember what we were challenged as Americans to do? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." With this said, how can we apply this lofty admonition to our little lives?

The first thing that comes to mind is to stimulate the economy by helping small businesses make it. We all know that the little guy often gets trampled by the big bully business who snuffs him out. Let's take it upon ourselves to be upstanding citizens and choose one, two, or even three businesses to patronize. How about that mom and pop cafe around the corner? Go there for Saturday breakfast instead of Perkins or McDonalds drive thru. How about the independent coffee shop in your neighborhood? Take the extra five minutes to go in and order a coffee instead of going through the Starbucks drive thru. Finally, patronize small business ventures such as those who sell on Etsy.com when you are thinking of buying gifts for family and friends. 

It is amazing how when citizens start taking pride how a wave of change can happen. We don't need to be victims of circumstances and we CAN make a difference. Try it and let me know how it changed your life.

Ode to Saint Valentine

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Etsy loves Valentines Day

So should you

Check out these sellers

Something unique for your lover or friend

A memento, a thought

something lovely from Etsy bought

                    ~V~

What Catches Your Eye?

Looking at photo after photo on Etsy, I begin to ask myself what draws me to one store vs. another? The featured items on the front page always seem so apropos, but is it the quality as an individual item or the collaborated effect? 

It is a good question to ask yourself and with your own critical eye, apply those same stringent guidelines to your own store. So much is making an object appear as art no matter how ordinary. Give it dimension, give it flare by the background being accentuating and not just boring white advertisement style photography. Dramatic is the name of the game. Think outside the box and use those Theatre 101 techniques that you never thought you would need. Props, people, objects, foregrounds, backgrounds, nature or not, these are all tools at your disposal. Those loving and supportive family members may need to be called in to do some free modeling!

In my humble opinion, these are a few examples of excellent technique in marketing to an audience who only can see a picture and not pick up and examine the object. Of course all these rules apply to me, but I can criticize with the best of them.

Etsy.Com brings Vintage to You

At the end of 2008, I stepped out and did something that I hadn't ever done before - take something I love to do and try to make money at it. Selling Vintage. After moving from a one bedroom tiny apartment to a four bedroom house last April, it was time to find things to fill up all the rooms. The house I live in is in the Arts and Crafts style (early 1920's) and has lots of charm, so in order to enhance its already beautiful qualities, I wanted to fill the house with vintage and antique items.

It started with garage sales and thrift stores and then moved on to Estate sales. Before you know it, a full addiction had been born. Within less than a year, I had started collecting a lot and it was getting to be an expensive habit. Believe it or not, my empty rooms were filling up pretty fast too.

My mom actually was the one to introduce me to Etsy and how many hours she was spending online looking at Etsians' stores. She was also buying a lot. Hmm... there must be a lot of people like my mom out there who kill time with online shopping, so Viola, the idea was born.

Etsy isn't really about supporting myself or thinking I ever can, but rather about being in a community of artists and lovers of beautiful objects that mean something. What is so incredible is that the idea of supporting small businesses is really on the rise everywhere. It is about appreciating art for art's sake and not just mass marketed "things" that have no meaning. It is about dictating what we think is beautiful vs. the Fashion and Trend Tycoons. It is about supporting eco-friendly efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. It is about a lot of things and it is truly wonderful to be a part of an actual succesful venture that is making a difference on the global community.

Pop in and enjoy all the creativity and fun that Etsy offers. You can be unique too!

Below, I have linked a few fellow vintage sellers that are awesome and worthy of a peek~

Thanks for reading,

Lisa
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15036653
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19534866
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19516300
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18914356

Life According to Beaker

As the New Year has arrived and the infamous holiday fallout begins, I turn to Beaker, the wise dachshund for example. Although the displays of cookies and candies have been replaced by diet food and exercise equipment and resolutions are being thrown around like last year's good intentions, stepping back, I  refuse to join the throngs. 

Beaker, faithful little low-t0-the-ground black dog summons enough energy to tear one mad lap around the living room when I arrive at home, then an exuberant sprint to the favorite "spot" in the backyard. After that, it is reclining on whatever piece of furniture he has followed me to and with a tantalizing rawhide in reach, nap after nap is indulged in. Why it isn't one continuous nap is due the fact that as any faithful beast, he must summon up enough strength to follow me into the next room if I go to get a drink or to the bathroom. This is accompanied by long, deep, jaw fully extended yawns and full body stretches. 

In short, this is how I want to pattern my life. Energy is overrated. What do we have to prove? Doesn't life require enough of us that when one reaches the end of the grueling work-a-day week that it is just best to kick back with a figurative rawhide in reach and put your feet up...?grrrrrt!