The Case of the Absent Author

I'm sorry I haven’t posted for a while. It's mainly because I haven’t worked on anything creative for the past month.

Instead I have been a silent observer of the methods carried forth by the residents of 221B Baker Street. London, England. To say I am merely mesmerized with these stories would not suffice. I feel that I have an affinity to Holmes. I share his reclusiveness to the severest degree. And like Holmes, I find myself remembering seemingly irrelevant details to the astonishment of others. But thanks to my latest obsession with the works of Conan Doyle, I now catch myself studying the mud on strangers’ shoes when I’m waiting in line or grow frustrated trying to decipher someone’s past and predict their future based solely on their body language and hygiene routine. Of course my bizarre fascination with minutia has not lead to the closure of any reprehensible crime. It only has increased my appreciation for the brilliant character development of the one and only Sherlock Holmes.

I would like to share with you my Top Ten Favourite stories thus far:

1. A Scandal in Bohemia

2. The Adventure of the Silver Blaze

3. The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual

4. A Study in Scarlet

5. The Final Problem

6. The Hound of the Baskervilles

7. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

8. The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb

9. The Adventure of the Crooked Man

10. The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

Illustration by Sidney Paget

Oh, and it would be safe to say that I am equally obsessed with the latest theatrical installment. Especially the closing credits. I’m sure you’ve seen them by now, but just in case you haven’t, here are a few ;)

Why I Love The Oscars

I haven't missed the pièce de résistance of the award season since 7th grade. Those would have been the 70th Academy Awards. Titanic swept all the top honors that year... Celine infamously beat her chest which was adorned with the multi-million dollar "La Coeur De La Mer" during her performance of the now overplayed, sad FM anthem. That night Matt and Ben became house hold names and Billy Crystal set the bar as host. I fell in love with the fashions and movie montages, the red carpet and the tearful/quirky speeches. The thrill of it all.

Twelve years later, I still love every bit of it. These were the highlights of last night's show for me:

 - Neil Patrick Harris. He was wonderful hosting the Emmy's. Equally enjoyable during the Opening Number. Who wrote the song? I've gotta know. So clever.Gave me chills.

-  Loved the set!  It looked like it was inspired by "Top Hat" or "Follow the Fleet".

- Martin & Baldwin were simply hilarious. I still don't get the "Precious... living up to its video game" joke...did anyone? It's okay though cause the "Oh, Look! There's that Damn Helen Mirren!" and the double Snuggie made up for it.

- Robert Downey, Jr.  I loved how his bow-tie & glasses matched his wife's dress and how he still made an appearance even though he was snubbed this year. What's not to love ;)

- Sandra Bullock. Glamourous. Poised. Real. And she could even make Jesse James cry.

- The John Hughes Tribute. Mattie Brodrick's appreciation for him brought tears to my eyes. Oh and Macaulay Culkin who seems to be forever nine.

- I missed that the original songs weren't performed in their entirety, but at least they weren't all performed by Beyonce once again ;)

-And I can't leave out the company. I was able to watch it this year for the first time with dear friends I've know since middle school. It was so great when we would gasp and comment on the same things...not to mention, the food and beverages were superb! We provided our own version of the Governors Ball. Thank you Makayla & Sara!

My votes for BEST DRESSED: Rachel McAdams, Cameron Diaz, Kristen Stewart, Susan Downey, & Sandra Bullock

WORST DRESSED: Barbra Streisand, Carey Mulligan, Tina Fey, Miley Cyrus, &  Melanie Griffith.

Recyclables

I believe I shrieked when I found a roll of  kelly green and cobalt blue vintage wrapping paper for only a dollar at an antique store several months ago. There are so many ways that I can use it. My first choice was to decoupage this picture frame. Oh and you can't tell from the picture, but the blue design is actually done in felt.

Our library has a designated section for donated books. There is an over abundance of those old Reader's Digest Books with the retro covers and five stories in each volume. I never feel inclined to read them because they are abridged, but I reveled at the idea of hacking the covers off and turning them into journals. I tend to go through paper rapidly when songwriting so this seemed to be a nice way to recycle a box of old computer paper found in my grandparent's basement and to make a donation to our public library on top of it.

The silver pillow on the right is fashioned from an old Tweed Jacket of my father's.

These two pillows are from oatmeal coloured cable sweaters that were no longer in use.

Serendipity.

On Being J

"Don't you wish you could roll about in it like dogs?"

We've had a bit of snow lately. I couldn't resist taking pictures of my favourite german shepherd. I have to laugh though because she seems so stoic in all these pictures. Maybe she wasn't feeling well...or she's been watching "America's Next Top Model" when we're not home.

Happy New Year!

These are all projects that I've done in the past month.

They aren't my finest, nor did they turn out like I expected, but they are reminders of the joy I find in creating and using the gifts and resources God has given me.

May you find ways to bless others with your creativity in this new year.