daydream believer

favorite songs of 2011

2012-02-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Grammys Schmammys! Here are some of my favorite tunes from 2011. What were yours? Did they win Grammys? Does it matter?!

April Smith and the Great Picture Show, "Colors"

I just can not get enough of this song! So peppy and quirky and romantic!

Black Keys, "Everlasting Light"

just plain bad ass.

Damnwells, "The Great Unknown"

And my love affair with this band continues.

Local Natives, "World News"

Confession: I don't know any other songs by them. I need to get on that. Great tune!

Morgan Nusbaum, "Lie to Me"

A local artist whom I've had the pleasure of hanging out with, Morgan has a crazy pretty voice. This song is gut-wrenching. Love it. I have more local bands on my actual best-of mix, but I couldn't find good videos for them.

Features, "Whatever Gets You By"

Saw this band at a small venue without knowing nothing about them except that my friend Eric loved them. I was hooked immediately. One of the most played CDs in my car's dash.

Givers, "Up Up Up"

Another band I got to see in an intimate venue, who could probably fill a bigger room. They are easy to get into... high-energy, cute, fun. This song will make you happy.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings," I learned the Hard Way"

Makes me want to put on sequined dress and go hang out at a dive bar and drink rum straight. I don't know if that describes the song adequately.... you should just listen.

A.A. Bondy, "Surfer King"

Guitar that sounds like it's underwater, mellow pace, pretty melody.

Justin Townes Earle, "Harlem River Blues"

Saw this guy live, too! Talented fella. I love this song because it's one of those upbeat-sounding songs with seriously depressing subject matter. You'll be tapping your toes to a song about suicide! You won't be able to help yourself!!

So that's some of my picks. Seriously, tell me yours! I know I missed putting some great stuff on this list.

bizarre stock images - more!

2012-02-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Remember the crazy stock photos & illustrations I posted a few months back? Well apparently there is no shortage of odd images on stock sites. For instance, check out this collection of Women Looking Remorseful After Sex. Ha!

Here are some more I've come across since my last post.

Those who live in grass houses shouldn't... throw weed-wackers?

feeding your baby...Yer doin' it wrong.

Warning sign that your kid might grow up to be John Wayne Gacy.

I just threw up.

Hamburger Grenade FUCK YEAH!

Quick! Check the box for doll heads!

Filthy.

*silence*

Brush your teeth, kids.

Consumer.

It's almost cute. but no.

New at Great Clips! the "Finger Weave"

Crunchy.

GO. AWAY.

"I'm Mr. BoxHead! I have a box on my head! Gimme some candy!"

Hand model casting... yer doin' it WRONG.

I will have nightmares.

What's with all the John Wayne Gacy references in this post, anyway?

tee hee. Tomato peen.

Obviously.

I hate you.

I can't stop trying to figure this one out. I think my brain is melting.

stuff on trees

2012-01-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

On a walk the other day, I noticed several trees with assorted stuff, natural and unnatural, attached to them. So I took pictures. You know I love me some themed photo posts (See the bottom of this post for all the past photo themes)!

Stuff On Trees.

Moss.

Pieces of other trees.

Numbers.

Vines.

Caution tape.

More numbers.

Birdy houses.

Decorations.

Identification tags.

More vines.

Bows.

Thrift Storror 2

2012-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

More scary stuff I've come across at antique and thrift stores (see the first post here). I don't want to discourage shopping at these places... I love them and there are lots of treasures to be found out there. But the yin and yang of thrifting is that among the treasures there is... terrors. Dun Dun Dun.....

Cowboy and Indian.

Modeling the latest from Micheal Kors "Loony Bin" collection.

Nuthead.

Real Fur. Fake eyes.

Hell's Kitchen.

Beezlebub's Angels.

Scare-ah Faucet

Fake butter. why?

Go away!

A post card to show how much you hate.

Okay, this guy is actually really cute.

Garden of Evil and Evil.

karaoke dreams

2011-12-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

I love a good night of karaoke with friends. Neighborhood bars filled with characters and booze almost always make for lots of fun. I can't sing... but I sure love to anyway. I have some safe songs I stick to... mostly some simple rap songs and 90's hits that don't require a great voice. But I have a list of songs that I hope to do someday... songs that require some planning, study, confidence and skill. Here are some of my dream karaoke songs... in my mind these could be EPIC if I ever manage to pull them off the way I imagine.

1. 99 Luft Balloons, Nena

Yes, the GERMAN version. How fun would it be to just get up and do this 80's hit in flawless German?! It would be amazing. I would also dance like Zach Braff:

2. Informer, Snow

Speaking of other languages... okay, this was is in English (allegedly), but does anyone know what he's saying? It's fast and in a strange accent with lots of nonsense slang. And you can't not dance to it, so the audience would eat it up. Plus you get to say "A licky boom boom now."

3. Making Love Out of Nothing At All, Air Supply

I have practiced this one in the car DOZENS of times, but I have to have it down perfectly before I dare attempt it in public. The song is an epic rock ballad... it requires choreography, good timing, air guitar and passion. And perhaps pyrotechnics. I'm working on it. I wouldn't dare shame Air Supply, you guys. It's gotta be done right.

4. Wig In A Box, from Hedwig And The Angry Inch

From one of the best rock operas ever, Wig In A Box is a song packed with so much attitude and power... one really needs to be in character to do it justice. It's a theatrical song with a story. You gotta get into a fabulous frame of mind, and really WORK IT, gurl. I would really need to tap into my inner Diva. Someday...

Do you have karaoke dream songs? What are they?

4 Reel - Memory Loss movies

2011-11-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't forget about my 4 Reel feature, in which I pick 4 movies that fit a certain theme and describe them in 4 words. Here is another installment! These are all movies that revolve around memory loss.

Momento - what's real? mind fuck.

The Hangover - Hilarious, redonk, couch pizza

diminished capacity - family, sweet, fish poetry

Overboard - the 80's were terrible

Past 4 Reels
Drag Queens
Winter Weather
Afterlife
Horror
Zomedies
Samurai

forest park in early autumn

2011-10-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I took a beginner's photography class, thanks to my friend Kali (check out her blog!) who invited me along. Photography is one of those things you can never stop learning about, so I take every opportunity I can to improve my skills (See this post about the food photography class I recently took).

While this class did teach me a few valuable things about taking photos, the lesson that I was most struck by was what a treasure Forest Park is to St. Louis! It was a walking photography class, you see, through this historic park. I have been to the park hundreds of times... it is, of course, where our awesome zoo, art museum, history museum and other various attractions and events are.

So imagine my delight when I found myself walking through glorious gardens and paths and parts of the park I had never explored before! My awe was heightened by the gorgeous fall colors of the trees and foliage. Vivid reds and warm, bright yellows against still green grasses and bushes. Wow. I need to make walking through this large, historic, interesting park a habit. What a lift to my spirits!

Related posts from the archives:

New Orleans in photos

Flower photos

Signs of Mid-Fall

Photo theme: leaves

Photo theme: fire hydrants

Photo theme: orange

Photo theme: reflections

Photo theme: butterflies

Photo theme: winter

Photo theme: yellow

From Iron Stef: my best food photos

bizarre stock images

2011-09-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

As a designer, I am often scouring the web for stock images. There are hundred of sites with billions of images... very useful ... but sometimes... oh sometimes.

I'm not the only one who comes across these bizarre images. There is a whole website dedicated to Awkward Stock Photos, as well as amazing posts such as Women Alone Laughing with Salads. Hilarious.

Here are some images I've come across in various innocent searches that made me look twice... and laugh... or shiver.

Are you serious enough about breakfast? ARE YOU?

Fat stoner chirstmas beaver.

Well, Santa is human... I guess?

Bran muffins? More like BRAIN muffins!!!

I don't know. but I don't want.

Carrot in a baby show. duh.

It's called the Fright Diet. Food so scary, you'll never eat again.

She's on the Fright Diet, too.

She looks nice in that apron. But she totally roofied her puppy!

Kitty with pepperoni. Cats love cured meats.

Not to be paranoid, but I wouldn't eat any of that pie if I were you.

I... got nuthin.

Ew.

This is... kinda cute, actually. Twisted, but cute.

I'm scarred for life.

GO AWAY!!!!

Cuss-tard.

I hope nobody got paid for this.

They must be European.

BABY HEAD!!!

Good day to you, fine people!

New Orleans in photos

2011-08-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Went to this legendary city this weekend for the first time. It is full of charm and good food and friendly people. I will be back. It was a short trip. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the visit.

Couldn't get enough photos of this building. The teal shutters draw me in.

Applied the Orton effect to this 'un.

View from a hotel window. taken with a disposable camera. I like the gamble of using disposable. Sometimes you get just the right effect.

Another disposable shot. The little baby was the subject of a photo shoot.

We got these cheesy but awesome (and useful in the heat!) souvenir silk fans. My best friend Julie looks gorgeous, no?

Rabbit Livers at Cochon. We had such a great meal there. Yummm.

Boucherie platter at Cochon.

Met some interesting characters. This groom-to-be was still drunk and up at 7am when we went to the pool. I liked him until he crushed my head.

Swamps!

The menu outside the Coffee Pot.

The Wedgewood Friends

2011-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Stacey gave me these fabulous vintage wood dolls. I fell in love with them instantly and named them. I decided they are all from a town called Wedgewood. Want to meet my new friends?

Eugene and Betty Hammerstone.

Paul Anderson

Dr. Pete Pointer, MD, and Nurse Lily Gray

Olivia Frub and Shanks the lamb

I think these new friends of mine will have some adventures.... stay tuned!

stewed logo

2011-07-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Stewed STL is a new podcast in St. Louis about food. It's the creation of 4 of my favorite foochebags, Andrew Mark Veety (Andrew Mark Veety .com), Kelli Best Oliver (South City Confidential, Food Blog Mafia), Bill Burge (STL Bites) and Mike Sweeney (STL Hops). It's basically these 4 opinionated and interesting people drinking and talking about what's going on in the local and national food scenes. They also have guests... local chef's, food writers, etc.

When they first asked me to design a logo for them, I really wasn't sure what Stewed STL was all about... up until then there had only been some teaser tweets. So in e-mail exchanges I got some more info from them... here are some of my favorite descriptions from them that I used when designing:

"Talkin' truth to food. Hardcore knowledge. Bitch slappin' idiots. Drinking beer. Hanging out with cooks and other food people. Lots of bullshittery. Epic shitstorm."

"For better or worse I kind of think of Stewed as a retarded cross between Charlie Rose and "Sports Shouting" from 30 Rock"

"fun, yet serious. Not "kiddie" but still maybe not taking itself totally serious."

These people are hilarious. But serious about food. When coming up with logo design options, I tried to convey a revolutionary, guerrilla kind of feel, but still keep it fun and new. The clenched fist is iconic... a great way to instantly make people think "revolution." It ended up in 2 of my final designs. Kitchen utensils were an obvious choice, too, though I used a beer mug in one because one of the big components of the show is booze. Here are the 3 options I ended up with for them to choose from:

They picked #2 unanimously. Is that what you would have gone with? I think it suits Stewed the best. Yes, the "grunge" is overplayed in design, but it is appropriate in this case... think graffiti artists... people with talent who have a message to get out there... that's Stewed STL in a nutshell! However they wanted to change out the beer mug to something more food related. I gave them 4 utensils to choose from.

Do you think they made the right choice with the fork? I think so. You use forks for both cooking AND eating... Stewed is not just a cooking show and not just a show about restaurants... they talk about it all. Boom. Fork.

This was a fun project with some very smart and talented friends. I'm glad they chose me to do the design. Enough about me... go listen to Stewed STL!

Previous design posts:
Gubenthal CD
Yellowtree Farm logo
So Much Closer CD

My design portfolio

covering: black betty

2011-07-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

Ohhh Black Betty Blam-ba-lam! It's a catchy song. I can't blame all these different people for covering it. My favorite is Tom Jones, believe it or not. It's totally fantastic! But the rest are fun, too. Can't go wrong, it seems, with this classic song. (The wikipedia entry for Black Betty is very interesting... no one quite knows the exact origin or what the song is about.)

Tom Jones

Ministry

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Leadbelly

Ram Jam

spiderbait

free printable mandalas; installment 3

2011-07-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've made mandalas for you guys to color (see this post and this post). Well, it's going to be a hot 3-day weekend. Maybe you can use some coloring therapy in the air conditioning? Here are 2 new mandalas for you to print and color (double click the picture to get the large size image). Enjoy! And if you do color them, take a photo and send it to me! I'll hang them on my fridge :)

Knuckles Handerson

2011-06-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is my brother and I... and my little friend Knuckles Handerson. Knuckles is these 2 eyes attached by a ring. When you put it on your hand... instant adorable puppet! I got him when someone at work was cleaning out her desk and didn't want him anymore. So I rescued him, and now he goes on adventures with me. He even has a twitter account, @Knuckles_H. Knuckles Handerson adds an extra little bit of silliness to my life's adventures. A friend sent me this link... I look forward to making some friends for Knuckles!

Dinner in the front...

Knuckles fancies himself a bit of a lush. Here he samples some Missouri wine.

Zipline tour!

Cranking up water from an old-school well.

Knocking down pins.

Schafly brewery tour.

lost in Illinois.

Stay classy, Missouri!

Knuckles kind of box!

Cotton candy concrete.

Mmmmm... delicious St. Louis Arch. Nom.

Hiding in my purse. Sneaky.

put a cork innit!

Road trip!!

Moar road trip!

Knuckles' favorite band.

heh. bunghole.

Knuckes Hamburger?

Weed eater.

LOL!

Karaoke.

Moose Knuckles.

I swear I didn't do it!

Escape route for Knuckleheads.

mixed tape: see the world

2011-06-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

My good friend Julie recently started a travel blog, My Roving I. Julie and her husband Scott are my heroes when it comes to traveling. They have been all over the world and I love seeing their photos and hearing their stories. Combine that love and knowledge for travel and excellent writing skills, and you have one fantastic blog.

Julie recently posted her travel playlist and invited us readers to make suggestions. Ya'll know I love me some themed mixes. Here are some songs I thought would make a good soundtrack for going around the world.

see the world, gomez

off the ground, citizen cope

all my days, alexi murdoch

feel the tide, mumford & sons

the world at large, modest mouse

brothers on a hotel bed, deathcab

snow is gone, josh ritter

whole wide world, wreckless eric

home by saturday, hayden

swim until you can't see land, frightened rabbit

still lost, the features

beautiful world, colin hay

the great unknown, damnwells

What would be on your "Jet-set" playlist?

default albums

2011-06-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

I have my earbuds in my head a lot when I am on the computer, both at home and at work. Some days I cannot decide what I am in the mood for... that's when I listen to my "default albums." This is music I never get sick of... songs I have listened to over and over and over again. These are like the worn, faded jeans of my music collection. They always feel good and comfortable.

Beck, Sea Change

High Fidelity Soundtrack

Blind Melon, Blind Melon

Postal Service, Give Up

Niel Diamond, 12 Songs

Garden State Soundtrack

The Shins, Oh, Inverted World

Do you have default albums? What are they?

Gubenthal - german for "I got to design another CD!"

2011-05-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

It is with a swelling heart full of pride that present to you the album Gubenthal - German For Your Mom. Gubenthal is my brother's band. They practice in my basement and I love their music. I have been wanting them to come out with a CD from the start, because their songs get stuck in my head and I need to have them available to blast in my car and sing along to. I posted about them here, with photos I took of them in a field and in the recording studio.

While they liked my photos, we also were able to have my über talented buddy Corey Woodruff do a photo shoot with the boys of Gubenthal. He blogged the photo shoot here. Yes, they wanted the setting to be a public restroom. I was not fully convinced, but the photo shoot itself was a lots of laughs, and the resulting photos make me smile.

Professional photos by one of St. Louis' premier music photogs was a great opportunity, so when I was designing the CD packaging, of course I based it around Corey's photos. Using a shot that had a good portion of stall door, all I could picture was bathroom graffiti. I used Photoshop to "carve" the band name and CD title into the stall door. For the rest of the CD I used a typeface that looked like it was written with a marker, to carry on the bathroom graffiti theme.

The boys wanted some of the field photos I took of them on the inside cover and on the actual CD, so I did a little collage to integrate them as smoothly as possible.

This is the second CD cover I've designed. See this post about my CD design for So Much Closer, and some of my favorite album design. This is the kind of design work I love the most... helping passionate, talented musicians make a finished product.

So yeah... wherever you live, support local music. Support Gubenthal by "like"ing them on FB and ordering a CD. Better yet, go see them this Sunday night at Off Broadway at Rockabration 2011 with The Orbz and others. This is gonna be such a fun show! See you there? If I can't convince you, maybe Robbie the dinosaur can:

hipster toys

2011-05-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Remember my Emo Toys post? Well, here are some of my toys being all hipster and shizz. It's not called "Hipstamatic" for nuthin.

Hipster Domo

Hipster Ernie

Hipster Baseball Player who Looks Like OJ Simpson

Hipster Patrick

Hipster Red

Hipster Numbskull

Hipster Octopus

Hipster Bert

Hipster Cat in the Hat

Hipster Octopus 2

Hipster Kermie

Hipster Sticker Face Thingy

Hipster Curious George

Hipster Snowball

Hipster Domo 2

Hipster Worry Doll

Hipster Super Girl Rubber Duck

Hipster Jesus

Mixed tape: campfire songs!

2011-05-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm going on my first camping trip of the summer this weekend! I'm not going with family this time, but if I were, these are the songs we'd be singing around the campfire. Maybe I'll try to teach some of them to my friends.

Soco Amaretto Lime, Brand New

Bubble Toes, Jack Johnson

Plastic Jesus, From Cool Hand Luke

Rocky Top, Crystal Gayle

Titanic

King of the Road, Roger Miller

Rocky Raccoon, Beatles

El Scorcho, Weezer

Don't Stop Believin', Journey

What are some of your favorite campfire songs?

pup pix

2011-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the silence here. Hopefully these pictures of some of my favorite doggies will help you to forgive me.

thrift storror

2011-04-17T17:40:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to do on a rainy day is to go to antique malls and wander the aisles. I don't necessarily go for the valuable, pretty antiques. The fun thing about antique malls and thrift stores is that you never know what you're going to see. Whimsical, retro, silly, junky.... and lots of CREEPY. Here are some of the more nightmare-inducing sights I have seen from my last few trips to antique malls...

Dolls are often scary. homemade dolls even more so.

Alligator purse. I thought the marble eyes were creepy.... then I opened it up and saw that it was made from an actual alligator... like, the whole thing, legs, arms, tail, CLAWS. Yeek.

Little girls and guns. The first is a painting. The second picture required no staging by me. That's exactly how I found them.

Why?!?

Acrobatic monkey. He's got Skis for hands. Holy shit.

Old surgical equipment. God I love technology. And drugs.

Jolly elf? Doesn't make me feel too jolly.

Blue eyes. BLUE EYES.

I'm sure the model was much prettier...

Painted with love?

Ghost dog.

Someone roofied her and replaced her hands with mops. Merry Christmas!

Babies, un-cutesified.

Sailor on the Sea of Bad Dreams.

Suffocating doughboy.

Suffocating clown.

Suffocating angel.

Suffocating frog.

GO AWAY, PUPPET!!!

Not funny.

Nuthead. jesus.

There is no shortage of scary dollies. it's the eyes.

Quick, everybody check your chimneys for creepers!

A baby and a bunny should should not terrify me.

I saved the scariest for last.

MAKE THEM STOP!!!

found

2011-04-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Years and years ago, my co-worker Jim brought in this photo he had found on the ground behind his library. There were actually 2 of them of the same girls, different scenes. He gave one to me and one to my friend /co-worker April, because he knew we had a love for found items.

Well, we sent scans of the photos to FOUND magazine with the title "Put your poo hats on it's going to rain!" and they featured it as a "Find of the Day!" We were so thrilled, being huge fans of the FOUND magazine and website.

Here are some of my all-time favorite finds, which I keep all together in a drawer:

A simple, short grocery list. There is nothing spectacular about it, but it makes me smile, what with the 4 basic items and the serene seagull scene. Grocery lists are one of the most common items I find. Fellow St. Louisan Bill Keaggy made a whole website of found grocery lists, and it is wildly popular. It even got made into a book! The Book is called Milk Eggs Vodka. Here is a neato trailer for it. I love how he made a story using only found grocery lists....

This magic book was stuck inside another book I got at a garage sale. What a fun bonus! Love the graphics!

Here's a sample of the inside of the magic book.

A random library book... receipt? The little wax bag makes me feel warm and fuzzy. No, I don't know why.

A very detailed shopping list. Brand names, sizes, etc. I'm guessing this person was shopping with coupons? Or was she really that loyal to her products? My favorite part of this list is the back...

It looks like it says "Oil of Olay Fatal Effects." Some people are way too serious about preserving their youth.

This might be my favorite find ever. Found by the mailboxes at my first apartment. If I ever have a band, it will be called "Juanita. She's a Stick!"

The back of the Juanita artwork is a list. I think my band's first album will be titled "Garbage Stuff and Toilet Things."

A nice lady with pink pants and a new Saturn. Found on a walk, laying on the sidewalk.

So you can find protein bars at Sam's or Wal-mart. Where does one buy "Good Lovin'?"

Karen faxed this to my work, where there are no doctors. Whoops! Hope the good doctor forgave her.

Potty Chair!

The world is filled with treasures. Be aware of your surroundings, and you may find delight!

A Day in the life of a Daydreamer

2011-03-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

I saw the idea to take a photo an hour for a day on The Veda House blog (gorgeous blog!). Fun idea... I tried it out yesterday... Here is my March 24, 2011 in pictures.

7:17 AM Bedhead!

8:23 AM - Breakfast.

9:33 AM - Music to work by.

10:24 AM - I got Elvis, Wonder Woman, Jesus AND a gnome making sure I do my work. No pressure.

11:37 AM - Pretty colors. I heart my job.

12:45 PM - Party! Pizza Party!

1:35 PM - Vitamins.

2:50 PM - Don't take my stapler.

3:54 PM - Spinning beachball of doom.

4:45 PM - Mount Fuji Pencil holder

5:16 PM - Dinner

5:58 PM - Skating practice

7:00 PM - Moar skating!

8:58 PM - My Molly at Off Broadway

9:30 PM - Abi Robins at Off Broadway

10:43 PM - So Much Closer at Off Broadway

11:55 PM - Almost home!

12:16 AM - Kitty Cuddles before bed.

Springful dreams: flower photos

2011-03-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Spring keeps giving us little teases... sunny, warm days scattered here and there throughout February and March. We've had lots of snow this winter, so these little bits of spring make us that much more ready for the sunshine, flowers and flip-flop weather. Yesterday, it SNOWED!! Ugh. Supposedly tomorrow will be warm and sunny, but for now, I'm chasing away the gray, wet air with pictures of flowers that I've taken in Springs past. Cheery, colorful, happy. Come on, Spring... aren't you ready to give us these once more?

Past Daydream Believer photo themes:

Mid-Fall
Leaves
Kitty
Yellow
Orange
Winter
Reflections
Emo Toys
Fire Hydrants
Butterflies

4 Reel : Drag Queens

2011-03-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

Time for another installment of 4 Reel! 1 theme, 4 movies, 4 word descriptions. The theme this time is Drag Queens. Because they are fabulous.

Flawless

tense, touching, odd couple

Iron Ladies

flamboyant, fun, heroes, victory

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

hot tranny mess, rockin'

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

best drag movie ever.

Past 4 Reel posts:
Winter Weather movies
The afterlife
Horror movies
Zomedies
Samurai movies

Derby Dreaming, Installment 2: Derby Etsy wishlist

2011-02-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned last year in this post, I recently became a member of St. Louis' Roller Derby league, the Arch Rival Roller Girls. When you become a roller girl, it kind of eats your life. This is not a bad thing, if you love roller derby. Which I do. And all it's stuff. Here are some of my favorite Etsy finds of Roller Derby themed pretties....

Neat tote bag by flattrackrevolution

DERBY PERFUME! by StarbornAlchemy. I have a thing for tiny bottles of homemade perfume. I collect them. Just as long as they don't actually smell like derby girls... we get pretty darn stinky with all the sweat and the padding... like football player stinky. But these sound like they smell good... and the labels are awesome!

These felt coasters by girlscantell are totally chic.

Paper dolls by ElizabethOcean. Fun!!

Super-sweet stamped necklace with teeny skate charm by LifeIsRosey.

Hell. Yes. A flask by whimsyandink. (I do not condone drinking and skating, of course)

SKATING DAMN BEAR YOU GUYS. Made from melted ammo by pokapop. So fantastic.

Lookit this baby deer on skates by sweetheartsinner. That's how I feel, sometimes, with my still-knock-kneed skating. Cute cute (not me, the deer).

Pelvis print knickers by knickerrockeroller. To give the opponents an anatomical guide to breaking you?

Skate print on an old book page by collageOrama. Lovely!

Saucy wall decal by beepart. Hawt.

Skate Nuts. Yes. Brilliant, FireboltCreations. Simply brilliant.

Stylin' Roller Derby Mobile by SaltyandSweet.

Get a towel. My uterus just exploded. Roller skate baby booties by inkybinkyproductions.

Funky skate tee by CausticThreads. Leopard print is always in style!

Way awesomer than your mama's fanny pack. Hip bag by flattrackrevolution.

Also from flattrackrevolution, this cute little casual dress. Perfect for pantsless summer!

See also:
Bruise Salad on Iron Stef
Derby Dreaming Installment 1: Team Logos

mixed tape: valentine part 2 of 2: melting

2011-02-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

And here's part 2 of my Valentine's day mixed tape! These songs make me melt into a puddle.

mixed tape: valentine part 1 of 2: love on the rocks

2011-02-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's Day! Tonight I'm going to an anti-Valentine themed dinner party. Here are some of my favorite ever break-up/love gone bad songs. Wallow away.

Road Trip! Galesburg, IL

2011-02-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

(image from here)

My dad was from Galesburg, Illinois. Growing up we would go there about twice a year to visit Nonna, my aunts, uncles and cousins. Galesburg has always and will always have a special place in my heart. It is about a 4 hour drive from St. Louis... a nice little road trip that I try to make more and more often in my adulthood. A couple of summers ago, I went to Galesburg for the first time as a tourist. You know how when you go out of town to visit family, you don't really go to that town... you just go to your family. That's all well and good, but Galesburg has always been a fascinating place to me. I wanted to learn about this little old railroad town where my father grew up. The following are some of the sights I explored...

Carl Sandburg's Childhood Home

In the back Yard there is a circle of pavers which are engraved with quotes from Sandburg's poems/ writings. So lovely!

Purington Bricks were manufactured in Galesburg... they make up some very historical streets (yes there are still lots of brick streets in G-burg) and buildings throughout the country.

Trains

Galesburg is historically a HUGE railroad hub, and still is. I did not make it to the Railroad museum, but, the sounds of trains is constant. When I hear a train anywhere, I am transported back to my Nonna's old house, trying to sleep but not not being able to because I was not used to the train whistles.

Old Main (Site of Lincoln/Douglas Debates)

Old Main, a building at Knox College, was host to one of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. It's a simple, but very neat old building, still in use by the college.

Look closely at this painting before reading the info on the next photo... notice anything amiss? (I love this story!!)

Knox College Library

While we were on the campus to visit Old Main, my cousin suggested we check out the library. I'm so glad we did! It's filled with history.... old old books, exhibits, tiny little nook reading rooms with bright windows.

Hope Cemetery

What old, historic city is complete without a cool old cemetery? Hope Cemetery has civil war graves, and graves that have been rendered unreadable with age. Some graves have been updated, and new stones stand next to their old ones. Certainly an interesting, sobering, gorgeous little walk... if you're into that sort of thing.

Seminary Street Antique Mall

Of course Galesburg has awesome antiques. I mean... how could it not?

Other

Visitor Center Big Blue Chair!

I could drive around for days just looking at the big, old houses around town. The Carr house is on the same street that my aunt and uncle and cousin Sarah (pictured with me in the bif blue chair... my tour guide). Apparently Lincoln stayed there during the debate. Or Douglas? I'm not sure. But it's famous. And you can stay there!

Rib Shack and Coney Island Dog are both restaurants that have been around forever. In fact Coney Island is the oldest food joint in Galesburg! It's filled with kitsch and nostalgia, and the famous hot dogs are yummy! Rib Shack is also delicious... huge portions of ribs, served with mounds of onion rings and lots of paper towels and personal water troughs for cleaning your sticky fingers. See more about my Galesburg eats in this Iron Stef post.

So, yeah... Galesburg is more than just another town. It's a town filled with super-interesting history, places, and great people!

Other travel posts:

Epic Mid-South Roadtrip (Iron Stef)

Maryland Eats (FBM)

Travel Photos... It's all in the Details (Daydream Believer)

Hot Doug's, Chicago (Iron Stef)

Chicago (Iron Stef)

4 Reel - Winter Weather Movies

2011-02-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

We are snowed/iced/sleeted in here in St. Louis right now. Crippled by slick roads and low low temperatures. What a good opportunity to snuggle up and watch some movies! Here are some of my all-time favorite movies, that just so happen to have frozen settings. For those that are new to my 4 Reel dealie, I list 4 films within a theme, and describe each using 4 words. See the end for past 4 Reel posts.

The Shining

unsettling, insane, brilliant, redrum

Beautiful Girls

growth, sweet, real, friendships

Fargo

hilarious, tense, charming, twisted

The Ice Storm

uncomfortable, interesting, darkly quirky

Past 4 Reel posts:
The afterlife
Horror movies
Zomedies
Samurai movies

Gubenthal - German for Amateur Band Photographer?

2011-01-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

My little brother (well, 18 mos. younger than me, anyway) has had 3 bands in the past 12 or so years. The latest one, Three Sheets to the Wind, might be my favorite (no offense to the other 2... I really loved them also!). Well, they recently started recording an EP. They also changed their name, as Three Sheets was already taken by several other bands. After much back and forth/polls/bickering, they have landed on Gubenthal. Gubenthal is a made up word, and the title of my favorite song of theirs. So I approve of this new name.

In the fall, I took the opportunity of having the 4 of them together in a neat outdoor setting to take some band photos. They are hilarious dudes, so the photos mostly have a fun vibe to them. Being a designer, I had to play with the photos to make them more visually striking. If I was a better photographer this would not be necessary, but alas, I rely on post-production. Here are some of my favorites:

Can't decide what I like better... overexposed with bright colors...

Or overexposed B&W. Hmmmm...

Frolicking is always rock 'n roll.

Where'd they go? And where'd the color saturation go? I like it.

Another one I couldn't pick a favorite of... natural, but extra-saturated color....

Or blood grass?

Yeah... they sure are in a boat. On the last one I applied the Orton effect... detailed in one of my first posts here.

They let me come to one of their recording sessions. It was neat to see what all happens. Here are some behind-the-scenes action photos.

So yes, Gubenthal. They play some good music, for realz. I am not just saying that because my brother plays bass... I truly enjoy their music. You should check them out. They are opening for the Lead singer of The Ataris on Feb. 19th at the Firebird. The Ataris are one of my brother's all-time favorite bands, so he is extra excited to get to play with him. You should also "like" Gubenthal on Facebook. To hear some of the band's tunes, check out their Three Sheets to the Wind Facebook page. They are rough basement recordings, recorded when they were still a pretty new band, but they will give you an idea of what to expect when you see them live :)

Mix Master Me

2011-01-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

As you may have been able to tell from my "Mixed Tape" posts, I love love love making themed music mixes. Years ago at work, several of my office buddies and I had "CD Club," in which we would each make a mixed CD per that month's chosen theme, and trade. It was such a great way to both learn about music you wouldn't normally be exposed to, and get the creatice juices pumping. Here are some of my mixes through the years... the music was most important, but I love making the covers too. double click each image to see it larger, if'n you want.

During a particular couple of years there was a streak of good friends' weddings. A mix of extra gooey cheese-ball love songs was a shower gift must.

For a "sports" theme one month, I decided to get specific.

Theme for this was "Girl's Names." The art, featuring a girl's name, Juanita, is a piece of paper I found by my apartment's entryway. I was intrigued by the phrase "Juanita! She's a Stick!" I still have it.

2010, yo! A good year for music... I think so anyway.

The first of several "Food" themed mixes. And, yes, this cover was totally a nod to The Who Sells Out.

'07's favorites.

Do you have any idea how many songs about cali there are? I had to do a lot of whittling to the best of the best.

I picture is worth a thousand lyrics.

The theme was "School." duh.

Waaaaay back.

A "Saints and Sinners" theme. It called for a double. Also, bad puns are my religion.

What are some of your favorite Mix Tape themes?

Mixed Tape: Sad & Gorgeous

2011-01-02T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not sad. As you can see from my previous post, I love my life. But I also love sad songs. Really stunning sad songs. Here are some that will break your heart with their sheer beauty.

2010-My Year in Photos

2010-12-29T22:27:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking of doing a post here about some of the highlights of my 2010. The more I thought back, looked at photos, etc., the more I got overwhelmed by the amount of fun and awesome that filled my year. I am so in love with my life... 2010 was more than anyone could hope for! I had to narrow it down, so I decided that instead of of trying to cover everything, I would just pick my favorite photos from the year. Still pretty overwhelming, and I'm leaving out lots of awesomeness, but It will have to do, because I need to stop spending so much time on it and continue to live this beautiful life!! :) Happy New Year, everyone. Love to everyone who helped make 2010 so amazing. Let's keep it going for 2011!!

TRAVEL

I went with some of my favorite people to the Kansas City Renn Faire in October. I love Road trips! I love my friends! This is a pic of my friend Eric at the Hookah area of the Faire.

Met this little guy at the Renn Faire, also! Adorbs.

I went on a work trip to Wisonsin in October. This was the view from my hotel room. Wisonsin is pretty!

Also from that Wisconsin trip... view from the plane! I get a little motion sick on planes, but the view is always so pretty!

In August I took a long road trip to Baltimore with my mom for my cousin's wedding. One of the last pit-stops it was really early in the morning... prefect lighting for some dewey flower shots!

Our hotel room on that trip overlooked the Inner Harbor.

In March I was in Washington DC and Baltimore, also! I saw Cherry blossoms. AND JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN!!! OMG!!!

Funky cafe/diner in Baltimore, the Paper Moon.

Checking out DC with my BFF. Yay, reflection photos!

Tumbling down a hill at Johns Hopkins. Life's too fast to simply walk down hills, no? Be a kid, once in a while!

NOODLES

Noodles Meriwether turned 1 this year. He's so stinkin' cute. Here's some more pictures. and http://owhatcanitmean.blogspot.com/2010/07/noodles-spam.html.

FAMILY

We through my brother, Phil, a big 30th birthday bash... Philapalooza. His band(s) played and we even had a fire breather... my bro-in-law Josh Routh! What a rockin' good time!!

Say Hi to my family!! Every year my aunt an uncle who live in the country have Harvestfest. We all wear overalls, carve pumpkins, go on hunted hayrides. It's glorious and makes me look forward to fall every year! And there are usually puppies, too!

How sweet are my brother and sister-in-law? Highschool sweethearts, and they are still so in love at 30. It's so inspiring!

What's a year without a float trip or 2? Cool lady in cold water. Aw yeah.

AROUND TOWN

Another favorite activity is taking photos of places I'm at with my iPhone. These are photos from various St. Louis places. Ice Skating, summer walking, a friend's roof downtown...

MUSIC
You all know I love me some live music. Here are some of my favorite concert shots...

Via Dove

OK Go!

So Much Closer

Three Sheets

Carolina Chocolate Drops @ LouFest

Gentleman Auction House @ LouFest

So Many Dynamos @ Loufest

Jeff Tweedy and his audience @ LouFest

other music posts:
2 local artists
Album art... by me!
favorite live music 1
favorite live music 2

WEDDINGS

My Cousin asked me to be the photographer for her wedding in Galesburg, IL. It was fun, but oh man, the pressure!!

My cousin dan's wedding in Baltimore. Loved his tophat!!

Kelly and Jerad had the best wedding food ever. A pig roast!! YUM. See Corey Woodruff's photos from it here.

Whew! Like I said. GOOD DAMN YEAR.

Mixed Tape: Christmas Songs

2010-12-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

Years ago, I started to make Christmas music mixed CDs for my family and friends, because I was sick of traditional christmas muzak that I was hearing everywhere. I found that there are lots of artists, traditional and non-traditional, making some darn good holiday tunes. Here is a small sampling of some of my favorites. What are some of yours?

4 Reel : The afterlife

2010-12-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

What happens when we die? An age-old question that people have always been asking, and will always ask. There are many films that seek the answer. Here are 4 that do so in very very interesting ways. As a reminder, in these 4 Reel posts, I pick 4 movies within a theme, and describe each one in 4 words. Now onto the Hereafter.

1. After Life

reflection, human, goodness, stark

(side note: I haven't seen this film in many years... if anyone can find it on DVD, let me know! I miss it! :))

2. Defending Your Life

Funny, inspiring, moving, hopeful

3. What Dreams May Come

Breathtaking, heartbreaking, gorgeous, powerful

4. Wristcutters: A Love Story

Quirky, whimsical, dark, delightful

(side note, I noticed that Mary Pat Gleason had parts in both Wristcutters and Defending your life. I will be surprised if she doesn't make an appearance when I die :))

mixed tape: yummy songs

2010-12-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is make mixed tapes (CDs, playlists, whatevs you kids are calling 'em these days) that have a theme. One theme I've made several CDs based on is food songs. I mean, durr... I'm a food blogger. It's only natural! Here are some of my favorite all-time food-related tunes... it's a short portion of a long list, trust me. I could probably have a daily food music blog (but I think 4 blogs is enough, don't you? I don't want to end up on Intervention...).

Hope you have a napkin... this is a messy mix of deliciousness. Dig in!!

Do you have any favorite food-themed songs? Tell me! I'm always hungry for more! :)

past music posts:
cover songs
album art
2 STL faves
favorite live music 1
favorite live music 2

local music & a giveaway!!

2010-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

2 local artists who I have had the pleasure of seeing live several times have recently released albums. Beth Bombara and Via Dove. I went to both CD release shows, both of which included a download of the CD with the price of admission. Since I had already downloaded both albums, I am left with an extra download code for each. So I'm giving them away here! Simply leave a comment telling me your favorite local artist (doesn't have to be st. Louis... though I'm not sure how many readers I have in other cities...) and I'll pick a winner at random. I will e-mail the winner the two passcodes for the album downloads. I will pick the winner TODAY (November 26, 2010) at 4PM Central Standard time. So get to commenting!

A bit about each artist....

I first saw Via Dove at An Undercover Weekend, a yearly event that features local artists each transforming into a famous national act for one night only. Last year Via Dove blew everyone away as the Rolling Stones. It was such a fun and energetic show! After that, I tried to make as many shows as I could to see Via Dove as themselves, and was still impressed. The album, El Mundo Latino, is pure rock 'n roll. Good times! Here is a review.

Via Dove at this year's Undercover Weekend, as Pearl Jam. I had a fangirl spazztastic good time with that performance!

Via Dove's CD release show. They were minus their bass player due to a family emergency, but they still rocked the crowd!

I started following Beth Bombara on twitter, and started seeing her around at other local shows. After seeing her perform, I was in awe. This talented lady can play any instrument, it seems. And her voice is amazing. She is also married to a musician, Kit. Check them out in the recent Lo-Fi St. Louis video. Love it! With her musical skills, songwriting and Kit's musical skills, the new CD , Wish I Were You, is one I have listened to over and over. And it gets better every time! Beth did a kickstarter drive in order to get a vinyl pressing of the album, so if you are into records, I would recommend you check that out. It is the kind of album that lends itself to vinyl, for sure. See Corey Woodruff's cool photos of Beth and Kit here. Review of I Wish I Were You.

Beth Bombara performing at her CD Release show.

Beth and Kit.

Beth with Cassie Morgan as The Breeders at this year's Undercover Weekend.

So again, leave a comment on this post, and you could win these two downloads!

Support local music! St. Louis is wealthy in this department, with lots of talented artists, and an ever-growing community of local music advocates. Check out all these local music blogs/magazines:

I Went to a Show
5 Score Pachyderm
Speakers In Code
Eleven Magazine
RFT Music

Also, stay tuned to R&R Music Labs' project, STL Loud... compilation CDs of local artists performing original songs. (STL Loud Kickstarter... I recommend you contribute :))

Okay...you have until 4PM CST... GO!

tattoo dreaming

2010-11-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2009, I went to Chicago with some friends, and 3 of us (the soon to be Food Blog Mafia!) got tattoos together. It was my first tattoo... I wanted something food related that I would never get sick of. Garlic. Kelly got a sweet Bon Appetit one, and Kelli got the Latin phrase "Saspere Aude."

I still love my tattoo, and can't wait to get another one. I have one planned for the top of my foot, which I hope to get early next year. And I probably won't stop there. Apparently the things are addicting. Here are some tattoo ideas that I am pretty in love with.

I will most definitely get more food ink. I love perusing the Food Tattoo group on Flickr. Here are some of my faves:

Also, check out this slide show of St. Louis Chefs and cooks and their tatts, and this food tattoo post on Chef's Blade, with an appearance by yours truly!

A literary tattoo would be great:

But what would I do? Maybe a Carl Sandburg quote, as he was born in the same town my dad was born in, Galesburg, IL. I loved some of the quotes they had engraved on stepping stones at his boyhood home:

I have collections of things I find beautiful. Like Kokeshi dolls. I would so totally get a kokeshi tattoo.

I also collect owl stuff. There's a whole Owl tattoo website!! Man, I heart the internet:

A pretty, designery typographical tattoo is also a strong consideration, to reflect my career and love for all things pretty.

In the movie Tokyo!, one of the trilogy features a girl who has emotion buttons tattooed on her. I find this to be a crazy beautiful concept. "I pushed it." the man says, with his thumb on her "Love" button. *sob*

signs of the season... mid fall

2010-11-13T13:22:00.001-08:00

I was feeling lazy today, but I didn't want to just zone out to the tv or my beloved internet. So I went for a walk, and did what my friend Julie calls a"Hipster Photoshoot." Using my camera and it's various photo apps (mostly Hipstamatic, to keep with my hipster theme), I kept my eyes open for signs of this particular part of the season. After Halloween, before Thanksgiving and Christmas... the air is just starting to get cold, the leaves are in various states of death and color. Holiday decorations are starting to go up, signaling that winter is near, yet traces of early autumn are still present. It's a gorgeous time of year. Not too cold, not too hot... the most vibrant colors of nature intermingle with the most stark and gray. Gorgeous.

Black-eyed Susans and Roses still cling on to life amidst decay.

The pool, closed for more than a month, is surrounded by trees shedding their leaves.

One lone ghostie haunting the neighborhood... the rest went home after Halloween. And, can you see the "leaf ghost"?

Literal signs of the season... hunting, parties, Christmas bus trips.

Fallen leaves, fallen signs.

Leaves turn so many pretty colors. I even found some crazy white ones!

The hardware store is stocked with firewood. Meanwhile, people find...erm... other ways to warm up.

Some holiday decorations are up. The creepy santa and the tree with Elmo & teletubby "ornaments" are the same house.

Past photo theme posts:

Leaves
Fire Hydrants
Orange
Emo Toys
Reflections
Butterflies!
Winter
Yellow

Happy Birthday, Noodles!

2010-11-08T06:31:00.000-08:00

You guyses! The cutest most fluffiest kitty cat ever is 1 year old as of sometime in October (don't know an exact date... he was a rescue kitteh). Happy Birthday, Noodles Meriwether Tolle!! Such a good, silly boy! Here are some of my favorite photos of the lil' guy.

EmoCat

He sleeps funny.

Cue "Green Eyes" by Coldplay. *Melt*

Cat in a bag? Portable cat!

I love this photo so much... wanna nuzzle that muzzle!

Noodles in his basket. He spent so much time in it when he was a little kitty, and continued to try and squeeze in after he had outgrown it!

Mama spends too much time on the computer. This worried baby Noodles.

Arm cuddles!!!

Who knew ear hairs could be so adorable?!

Bowl of Noodles! How could I resist such a shot? Pho real.

When these celebrity look-a-like memes were everywhere, I made fake one for Mr. Noodles. I think the resemblances are striking!! :p

loco for logos

2010-10-28T20:31:00.001-07:00

If I could do one profession for the rest of my life, it would be designing logos. I could do it all day. Logos are a way for companies/people/businesses to express their identity in a quick glance (see this post about the evolution of the logo... dating back to cave drawings!). I could go on and on. When I thought I would do a post on logos here, I quickly realized there is just too much material to cover in one post. So you will see more posts about logo design in the future... mark my words.

The reason I have logo design on the brain is because I recently designed a logo for my friends Justin and Danielle. They are urban farmers. Yup. The live in St. Louis, in a normal city house, and they have a farm in their backyard. YellowTree Farm. So neat! They provide ingredients to some of St. Louis best chefs. It's sustainable, local food at it's best! Check out this article about them from this week's Post Dispatch (the article is what prompted their desire to have a logo).

I didn't get tons of info from them about what they wanted. While I love love love having this creative free-reign, it is a bit of a challenge. Luckily, some of the imagery/symbolism is inherent in their company name, and also in what they do. YellowTree and Urban farming are the two thoughts I concentrated on when coming up with ideas. Obviously, some sort of illustration of a yellow tree was in all of my designs. Now, originally, I had thought I would go for a more rustic, almost country look... traditional farmers market type stuff. But it seems my brain was focused on the Urban aspect of the farm... so most of my designs ended up being more modern looking. Here are the options I came up with for them to choose from:

And here is the final design they chose (it had to be altered from the original because they to keep YellowTree as one word, and they needed one with a ".com"...):

I'm posting these because I think it is always fun to see the background of logo creation. So enough about me... what about some of the world's most recognized logos? What's their story? Here's a few...

Unilever has one of my favorite logos. I am a fan of simplicity and minimalism. Somehow this logo feels minimal, while packing a ton of symbolism into it. I just find it to be so pretty, like a great fabric print. Check out the explanations of all the different little symbols in the Unilever logo! Amazing.

FedEx. Seems kinda ordinary. But once someone points out the arrow that is formed in the negative space between the E and the x, you will forever admire the simple brilliance of this logo. Here is an interview with the designer. Speaking of logos with hidden meanings.... here are some more.

I don't need to post the Apple logo. You all know what it looks like. It's a cultural damn icon. Now, have you ever seen this? The original logo? Such a huge difference!! It is so not modern or clean (though how cool would it be to have this as a tattoo? hmmmm...). The rainbow apple was the next step, followed by the simpler, monochrome apple we know now.

You knew I had to mention it. The Gap Logo redesign fiasco. Did you follow this mess? It was CRAZY. First of all, why would they change? Their old logo is simple and iconic. The new logo got brutalized by critics. For good reason. It's just weird and makes no sense. A gradation blue box? WHY? Thankfully Gap listened to the world and went back to their old logo. And int he meantime they got lots of press...

So, yeah, logos. One of my favorite things to design. If you fancy, here are some of the other logos I've designed... My main hope is that none of them end up on the Your Logo Makes Me Barf blog... hilariousness.

4 Reel - Horror movies

2010-10-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

It's almost Halloween... prime season for scaring the crap out of yourself with horror movies, am I right? Growing up I refused to watch scary movies. When my friends would watch Freddy Kruger at sleep-overs, I would go hang out with their parents. While I still haven't watched any of the likes of Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th, I have come to really appreciate extreme horror movies in the past few years.

I hate to throw around the word "extreme" willy nilly, but I am talking about movies that made me have a physical reaction... cold sweat, nausea.... really terrifying stuff. In this installment of 4 Reel (I pick 4 movies with a theme, and describe each with 4 words), I give you 4 movies that are fantastically done... so well-crafted and horrific that they may scar you for life. No. Really. These are intense experiences. Proceed with caution.

Three ... Extremes

disturbed, resonant, disconcerting, brilliant

Taxidermia

desparate, sad, physical, gross

Ichi The Killer

traumatic, visceral, intense, blood-soaked

Let The Right One In

emotional, chilling, beautiful, revenge

Previous 4 Reel posts:
Zomedies
Samurai films

letterpress lust

2010-10-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of summers ago I was on a trip to Nashville (and a couple other southern destinations... see this recap), and was smart enough to visit Hatch Show Prints. Hatch show is one of the most famous letter press printers in the country... famous for it's music posters.

From wikipedia: "Letterpress printing is a term for the relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image." In short. Letterpress is neato. And pretty. I've collected some letterpress beauties from around the internets....

Speaking of Hatch Show... gotta love this old Johnny Cash print.

These 2 are from a local St. Louis shop that I LOVE, Firecracker Press.

There are several talented letterpress printers/artisits in St. Louis, actually. Like my fellow Roller Girl, South City Shiner's Sensura Studio. See her portfolio here.

Also, one of St. Louis best music acts, Sleepy Kitty, also does some awesome prints.

Evil Prints is another local shop. Check out his disturbing, yet pretty, "Bugz" like this one, "Mrs. Buttermoth."

I came across these. Dude put dice in the letterpress machine to make these fantastic posters! Brilliant! He has an Etsy store... it's closed right now, but looks like it will reopen soon.

I want to learn more about letterpress and woodtype. I would love to visit the Hamilton Museum someday, or at least see this documentary.

Until then, I will just discover and enjoy the myriad of letterpress pretties across the internet. Like this Flickr group, or online shops like Sweet Olive press. I am very much behind the use of letterpress for business cards. The texture and interest a letterpress gives cards can make them so unique and/ or elegant... even without the use of ink!! This tutorial about designing for letterpress might come in handy!

And, of course, there's ETSY. Search "letterpress" and you'll get a plethora of results. Letterpress is great if you want to get some really great original design/artwork, but don't have a huge bank account to go out and buy paintings. Here are some that caught my eye...

Gorgeousness from Letterpress Delicacies.

Oh my heavens. Necklaces made from brass letterpress letters from Gwen Delicious Jewelry!!

Awwwww!! Hedgehogs!! Lucky Bee Press.

Dear Colleen, I kind of need these.

YeeHaw!! that about sums it up. Cool stuff.

photo theme: leaves

2010-10-03T17:14:00.001-07:00

Fall has arrived! Most trees are still green, but they are starting to turn. One of my favorite things to do is to pick a theme and go for a walk with my camera trying to find photo opportunities fitting that theme. Leaf hunting on a crisp, sunny day is the perfect way to get into the autumn state-of-mind.

Past Daydream Believer Photo theme posts:
My Kitty
Yellow
Orange
Winter
Reflections
Emo Toys
Fire Hydrants
Butterflies

covered: installment 1

2010-09-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

My name is Stephanie and I am a cover-holic. I am aware that many music lovers frown upon the cover song. I'm here to preach that cover songs can be a good thing... a benefit to not only the band performing the cover, but the original artist as well. I am not talking about cover bands... bands who only do covers. I am talking about original artists who pay tribute to a song and it's original artist by playing it and making it their own.

Here in the STL, there is an annual series of shows called An Undercover Weekend, in which some of the best local bands become a famous artist for one night only. I went last year and this year, and these shows are a ton of fun. They are also a great way to find out about local bands you might normally not see. I think I've seen at least half of the bands that performed last year again as themselves after their AUCW performances. LINKS: Review of night 3 of AUCW; My photos from nights 2 & 3, Photos of night 2 from I Went To A Show (IWTAS) Blog, IWTAS's night 3 photos, Free download of the first act on nt. 3 from IWTAS

I love love love when an artist takes a song that everyone knows, and makes it different in some way. It shows the versatility of music... a well-written song can be good even when it is played in an entirely different style. Doesn't that make sense? Maybe I should stop trying to make arguments and get to some of my favorite cover songs. Let the music do the preaching.

One of my favorite soundtracks is from the movie I am Sam. I am a huge Beatles fan, ever since my dad bought me Sgt. Pepper's when I was in 7th grade. All the songs on this soundtrack are Beatles's songs, covered by current artists. My favorite 2 from the CD are Ben Fold's version of Golden Slumbers and Eddie Vedder's (swooon) version of You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. Some like-minded youtuber put them both together... and there's a duck? Anyway.... (Original Golden Slumbers & Original You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.)

Wow. Talk about remaking a song with a different spin... This Gourds version of Snoop Dogg's Gin & Juice is one of my favorite tunes to blast and sing along to. A bluegrass take on some west coast rap. Amazing. (Original Gin & Juice)

Similarly, Dynamite Hack took Eazy-E's classic gangsta rap Boys in The Hood and made into an acoustic pop hit. Frat Boys and OG's can agree... this cover is fun. (Original Boys in The Hood)

Chris Cornell covering Micheal Jackson's über-hit Billie Jean. I never thought of this song as a tear-jerker, but Cornell puts so much emotion into it that I well up a bit. Powerful. (original Billie Jean)

Okay, I lied about not talking about cover bands. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a cover band. However, they are interesting and unique because they take songs that are fit for adult-contemporary or oldie radio stations and transform them into punk songs. One of my favorites? The Muppets' Rainbow Connection. Me First's version is great for working out too. Try not to bop around to this. I dare you. (Original Rainbow Connection)

Reggae music is all about the covers. Regatta Mondata is an entire CD of various Raggae artists covering Police songs. And it is AWESOME. Sheila Hylton's take on The Bed's Too Big Without You is a fave. (Original Bed's Too Big Without You)

Yes, that's Tom Jones. Yes, he's kind of scary looking. But, if you don't wanna shake your booty to this version of Ram Jam's Black Betty, you might not have a soul. (Original Black Betty)

well that about COVERS it.... for now. I'm a cover junky. Expect more posts on the subject :)

album art... by me!

2010-09-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

My good friend Eric has a band called So Much Closer. They recently recorded a CD and I was honored to design the cover art for it! This was my first ever CD cover design, and it was so fun to do. I gotta say I feel pretty cool to have been involved in a rockin' album (buy it here!). I also gotta say that the design was focused on letting the photography shine. The front and back cover photos are GORGEOUS pieces by photographer Scott Church. I've actually admired Scott's work for years... it was awesome to find out that Eric was an old Navy friend of his! Scott makes some of the prettiest pictures around (lots of nudes, though, so if you are at work, well, you know better.)

I am so proud of Eric and the band. The CD release show was fantastic... even more so because my brother's band, Three Sheets to the Wind, closed the night out. My photos from the night can be viewed here.

When SMC asked me to design the CD, I immediately scoured the web for inspiration... what makes a good album cover? Who has great album covers? My favorite find was a blog dedicated to album art, called Sleevage. I love that they did a Metallica retrospective! :)

Here are a random selection of album covers that I dig (okay not really random... I also happen to love the music on these)...

(more on this one in this Sleevage article...)

And here are some super-fantastic links about CD/album design/art:

99 best designed album covers

35 beautiful album covers

25 WORST album covers

best album art of 2008

100 obscure & remarkable album covers

SLEEVEFACE!!

classic record covers re-imagined as 60's book covers

minimalist redesigns of famous album covers

inspirational showcase of 50 famous album covers

past music posts:

favorite live music part 1

favorite live music part 2

local band pasta salad (iron stef post)

damnwells roadtrip (iron stef post)

Derby Dreaming - Installment 1: Team Logos

2010-09-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Back in June I decided to try out for Roller Derby. I have wanted to for years, but have always managed to talk myself out of it. When my friend Jen said she wanted to try out, it was just enough extra motivation to go for it! I made the League! Here in St. Louis there is a roller derby league which has 4 teams within it. So, I am officially an Arch Rival Roller Girl (ARRG), and it is so so exciting. Everyone is extra nice, and the practices are brutal but fun and GREAT exercise. I have yet to earn a derby name or get drafted to a team, but as long as I'm on skates, I'm happy. However, I can't wait to get cleared for contact... KABOOM! I'm gonna have some wicked bruises. I'm told when you wear fishnets (and I WILL wear fishnets) you are likely to get a "waffle bruise." Cannot wait :)

I wanted to post about the awesomeness of Derby on this space... the fashions, the culture, the posters, the design, the related crafts, etc. SO MUCH COOLNESS. But I've reeled myself in and decided to make it an on-going feature... "Derby Dreaming." Focus is good. Today's' focus is Derby team logos. There are some fantastic ones... most feature sexy pin-up ladies and some sort of badassness, be it a skull, brass knuckles, black eyes and whatnot. I've gathered some of the ones that caught my eye. I am going to be on the graphics committee for ARRG, so this is like studying.

Speaking of ARRG, here are 2 of the team logos from here in the STL! The Smashonistas logo is pretty and adorable, with just enough kick-ass. The M-80's one is just plain SEXY. Bombshell like whoa.

The Okanagan Derby Dolls logo is one of the more different, simple & modern one's I came across.

The Dixie Derby Girls from Huntsville, AL have this beauty. While there is a little too much going on, I love the skull and her lashes.

The Fargo Moorhead logo gets it right with a cute girl, a skate in your face, and subtle representations of the area's cold weather.

This logo from a Belgium derby team is so fantastic. Minimalist and artsy. I love it.

And here is one of the GoGo's posters. so mid-century. brilliant.

The Blue Collar Betties are part of the Central New York Derby league. It's so cute, yet slightly tough. Fun stuff.

How much do I love Humboldt Roller Derby's logo?! SOOO much. Who doesn't like some flying petticoat action? And side-boob!! This has great style.

4 Reel - Zomedies

2010-08-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here we go! My second installment of 4 Reel, in which I pick 4 movies that fit a certain theme and describe them in 4 words. My last 4 Reel post was Samurai movies. Tonight I'm going with a newer genre of film... the Zomedy. Zombie movies are not new, but in the past 5 years or so Zombies have been hot. And so easy to make fun of... BRAINZZZZZ.

Zombieland - Surprising. Hilarious. Bill Murray.

Fido - Campy. Cute. Satire. Calm.

Dead Snow - Predictable. Gory. Striking Imagery.

Shaun of The Dead - Best. Zombie. Movie. Ever.

emo toys

2010-08-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

I got a couple new films for my hipstamatic app on my iPhone, and while playing around with combos, I noticed how emo this particular combination of film and lens (BlacKeys Supergrain film from the Camden hipstapak + John S. Lens, which comes standard) made everything look. So I had a little fun with my toys. It reminds me of film school, where you learned how much simple composition and lighting and angle and look can change the audience's perception of the subject and/or situation.

Emo Pippen

Emo Chewy

Emo C3PO (on Emo Chewy's back)

Emo The Count

Emo Firefighter

Emo Percussion Froggie

Emo Mexican nut piranha

Emo Baby Kermie

Emo Chef Duck

Emo Rex

Emo Gnome (he's shy!)

Emo Jesus

Emo Grover

Emo Glo-Worm

Emo Samurai Jack

Emo Baby Miss Piggie

Emo Gorilla Candle

Emo Octopus

Emo Big Bird

Emo Gobo

Dog Urinals

2010-08-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously, this is becoming an iPhone photo blog. What can I say? I love my iPhone and it's camera apps. Also, life is hectic, and is not allowing me the time to make new things or write in-depth posts. I feel I must keep this space filled with fresh pretties, though, so photos is what you get :)

These are all from a lunch-time walk I took last fall. I decided to take pictures of fire hydrants. I don't know, their colors just struck me that day or something.