The Big-A** Book of Crafts, by Mark Montano

Description: The Big-A** Book of Crafts is packed with ideas for sprucing up your living space; concocting fabulous, all-natural body products; designing your own unique stationery; and creating countless other crafts that will convince your friends and loved ones that you're the secret love child of Martha Stewart (only much, much cooler).

Forget crocheted doilies and itchy knit sweaters -- TLC's While You Were Out top designer Mark Montano has created stylish and imaginative projects that range from a Warhol-esque Ultrasuede iPod case to photo-adorned boxer shorts to African mask patio chairs to wooden night-light boxes. Divided into sections that include Outdoorsy (ideas to enhance your backyard), Dishing It Out (decorating plates using different techniques), You've Been Framed (innovative picture framing ideas), and Can I Have a Light? (creating and decorating lamps, lanterns, and chandeliers), it's as entertaining to read as it is endlessly inspiring. With more than one hundred and fifty inventive and fun projects, The Big-A** Book of Crafts is the perfect activity book for readers of every mood, budget, and skill level.

My Thoughts: I love to upcycle...that means take unloved things and make them useful to be loved again. This book is full of ideas to upcycle things into usable home decor and gifts! My husband and I poured over this book and decided we need a very large house to accommodate every idea we liked in, The Big-A** Book of Crafts.


There are great templates that you can use, humor and some projects...are just strange. I cannot say that I am a fan of every project, but overall, there are far more projects in this book, that I like, than I will be able to tackle in one full year! Simply put, if you craft...get this book.

Presentations: A Passion For Gift Wrapping, by Carolyne Roehm

Description: With her brilliant sense of style, designer and bestselling author Carolyne Roehm makes the case in Presentations that there’s just as much pleasure in wrapping gifts as in receiving them—and that beautiful packages guarantee memorable celebrations.

For everyone who loved At Home with Carolyne Roehm, one of America’s premier style-setters now offers her ideas for creating breathtaking gift wrappings using readily available paper, tags, rubber stamps, ribbons, artificial flowers, and other inexpensive materials. Arranged seasonally, and taking inspiration from Roehm’s love of nature, travel and collecting, and fine art, the book focuses on holidays as well as on ways to make children’s gifts look unique and adorable. As Roehm shows, with creativity and care any present can be made an exquisite offering.

More than two hundred dazzling photographs provide inspiration, and a clear and detailed how-to section gives readers the step-by-step tools they need to create beautiful gifts. And for those who would like to create stunning packages but have little time, the book also offers wonderfully distinctive—yet simple—gift-bagging ideas. To coordinate with these eye-popping wrappings, there are the author’s original theme-party ideas and distinctive table settings. 

With Carolyne Roehm’s advice, anyone can elevate a special occasion to the realm of the unforgettable.

My Thoughts: Presentations is a spectacular book! With every page there is a new rush of creativity and ideas that flow through my brain! The photography is amazing and many of these ideas are very easily created on a budget!

For the Shabbat hostess, she has several ways to incorporate gifts for the guests as part of the table setting...that alone is stunning and ingenious! As you read this book a person is inspired to reach new heights of personal excellence.

For anyone that finds satisfaction in the details of life, Presentations is the book for you! I rate this with an unequivocal five stars.

Film Classic Friday Link-Up 11.25.11

Yay, your here to link up and celebrate true theatrical talent! You know what I mean...back in the day where there were hardly any special effects, the backdrops were hand painted instead of digital and the talent was really talent...they did their own singing and dancing! We did not have cable...except for the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) marathons which my mother watched and planned for. Then, those were serious movie recording weekends!


As my mother and grandmother loved music, it was only natural that we gravitated toward the musicals and of course comedies. My family loved to laugh! There are so many great lines that I can remember us all laughing uncontrollably over. These were great and wonderful memories and I would love to relive them with you!


One of the earliest actresses I remember is June Allyson from the movie Two Girls and a Sailor.  Of course I watched her in several more films later on.  Her voice is spectacular in Good News, Thousands Cheer, and Till The Clouds Roll By.  The more dramatic roles that I enjoy watching her in are The Opposite Sex, The Glenn Miller Story and Jo, from Little Women.  She was such a sweetheart in her movies, the perfect example of the girl next door!  That type of innocence is not around much anymore, thankfully these movies capture it very well!  Enjoy these clips!









Would you like to join in the fun? By all means! Just link up your post, it will be open all week! If you would like, you can take the button with you so that others can join in the fun as well.

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See you here next week as we celebrate actors, actresses, directors, producers and classic film titles that start with the letter, "K!"

The Music from Good News

Good News!  The title of that movie makes you know it is not a sad story and the music is uplifting and delightful.  The toe tapping numbers and the soft ballads from the movie made magic in the theaters across the nation.  I remember my mother playing the music both on the piano and on her record player.  When the VHS came to our home, so did the movie Good News!  Enjoy these clips with me, won't you please?







If you loved these songs, you can purchase the CD on Amazon.com, click here!

Film Classic Friday Link-Up 11.18.11

Yay, your here to link up and celebrate true theatrical talent! You know what I mean...back in the day where there were hardly any special effects, the backdrops were hand painted instead of digital and the talent was really talent...they did their own singing and dancing! We did not have cable...except for the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) marathons which my mother watched and planned for. Then, those were serious movie recording weekends!


As my mother and grandmother loved music, it was only natural that we gravitated toward the musicals and of course comedies. My family loved to laugh! There are so many great lines that I can remember us all laughing uncontrollably over. These were great and wonderful memories and I would love to relive them with you!


Irving Berlin is not an actor, a director or a producer...but the movies, White Christmas, Easter Parade, Top Hat, Holiday Inn, and Annie Get Your Gun would not be what they are today if not for his songs.  Irving Berlin is one of the most memorable film composers of his time.  Some of the biggest names of their day made his music famous with the American people such as Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald to name just a few.  Have you seen these classics and do you remember the music from them as if it were yesterday?









Would you like to join in the fun? By all means! Just link up your post, it will be open all week! If you would like, you can take the button with you so that others can join in the fun as well.

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See you here next week as we celebrate actors, actresses, directors, producers and classic film titles that start with the letter, "J!"

The Weekend Crafter: Gourd Crafts, by Ginger Summit

Description: A guide to using the Cucurbita and Lagenaria siceraria (a sort of hard shelled pumpkin), for a range of decorative uses in the home and in the garden. No special tools or equipment are needed, standard craft materials such as a scalpel, paints, leather dyes, shoe polish, varnish and stains. The projects include cups and bowls, bracelets, carved vase, duck-shaped birdhouse, stamped and woodburned earrings, masks, candle holders, ornamental flowerpots and an African musical rattle.

My Thoughts: I don't know that I would recommend this book for the beginner, but there are people with talent that can easily pull it off! Outside of being more than my own skill level, this book is fantastic! The photographs bring a rather ugly looking dried squash into the realm of beautiful and artistic.

The various crafts that are shown are beautiful and can easily be changed to reveal your own personal style and taste level. I love all of the different uses for the sustainable gourd and what a great opportunity to grow your own craft from scratch!

The Music of Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin had some of the best songs ever written!  I have no idea where the inspiration came from or how he could make a seemingly silly song like, "Mandy," become a hit, but he did it!  Please listen to these fabulous show tunes with me today...and don't worry, humming them all day long is perfectly acceptable.







Did you enjoy these toe tapping numbers?  If you did, they are available on Amazon.com, click here!

Film Classic Friday Link-Up 11.11.11

Yay, your here to link up and celebrate true theatrical talent! You know what I mean...back in the day where there were hardly any special effects, the backdrops were hand painted instead of digital and the talent was really talent...they did their own singing and dancing! We did not have cable...except for the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) marathons which my mother watched and planned for. Then, those were serious movie recording weekends!


As my mother and grandmother loved music, it was only natural that we gravitated toward the musicals and of course comedies. My family loved to laugh! There are so many great lines that I can remember us all laughing uncontrollably over. These were great and wonderful memories and I would love to relive them with you!

Was "H" hard for you?  It only took me a few moments to remember my love for Howard Keel's voice!  Oh my goodness, but I do love to hear him sing!  He had somewhat of a sad life, I don't think that he was prepared in life for stardom and yet that never really seemed to show in his better musicals.  Perhaps that is the mark of a great actor...when you cannot tell that life is actually not like it is on the screen.  For me, his best vocal talents were showcased in Show Boat, Calamity Jane, and Kiss Me Kate, what is your opinion?  Please enjoy these clips with me as we enjoy Howard Keel for "H" the letter of the week!









Would you like to join in the fun? By all means! Just link up your post, it will be open all week! If you would like, you can take the button with you so that others can join in the fun as well.

<br /><a href="http://www.marahz.blogspot.com"><img src=" http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5236/5888709044_73c60404ff_m.jpg " border="0" /></a>

See you here next week as we celebrate actors, actresses, directors, producers and classic film titles that start with the letter, "I!"