Marilyn Monroe

It's been 50 years since Marilyn Monroe walked upon this earth.  Marilyn was never the greatest actress or the most beautiful woman, but there was something about her.  Maybe her vulnerability....her undying need to be loved that stemmed from a childhood of abandonment. Or maybe it was her ability to make us desire to watch her by the way she could get the camera to love her.  I have never been able to figure it out....never able to understand why a 9-year-old kid would watch Some Like it Hot one time and then she just could not get enough.

As a 9-year-old kid got her first poster of Marilyn from her friend Kelly.  Then this 9-year-old kid grew older all the while collecting Marilyn items. I would babysit just so she could make money to buy more Marilyn things. In 1987, the 25th anniversary of her death, many items were released commemorating Marilyn including her movies; this little girl bought all of them and even got the coveted Marilyn coffee mug.  Movies, paper dolls, books, pictures, magazines, newspapers... I had a little bit of everything.  In high school, my photo would be featured in a yearbook page showcasing the amount of Marilyn items she had.

Through the years, kids take over the tv and there is not time to watch the Marilyn movies.  Then the VCR is gone and no way to watch the VHS tapes.  It was time to sell them and go to the DVD.    All the VHS tapes were sold and I began to buy the DVDs...now only Bus Stop and There's no business like show business are all that is missing.  I am still reading Marilyn books over the years and is excited to see if maybe more books are published for the 50th.

 I never met her or saw a movie first run (or even on the big screen for that matter), but she has always been important to me.  Every year I remember her death on August 5 and think of what might have been.  What maybe Marilyn could have accomplished. Her career was really only active for about 10 years, so yes should have done so much more.  Her drug usage ruined all of that.  So if there is one thing we can learn from Marilyn it is for sure, DON'T DO DRUGS. 

 



 

It was 25 years ago today....

It is hard to believe that 25 years ago, my mom took me to Paducah to buy an album. Yes, I said ALBUM!  I was getting the long-awaited vinyl from the band Def Leppard. I had started listening to DL in 1980, but in 1982, I was hit HARD!  I saw "Foolin' " on Friday Night Videos and that was all she wrote. I was a MASSIVE fan.  I bought Pyromania on vinyl, on cassette and 8 TRACK!  It was pretty much an everyday occurrence to listen to the tunes from PYRO.  I knew all the guitar parts, drums, bass line, vocals and loved every single song.  The only other album that I listened to during this period was Thriller.  Which I must say was equally as good.

I kept hearing they were going to release another album, but it never came.  Then in early 1985, I heard that Rick Allen (the drummer) had died.  That turned to be false, but he had lost his arm on New Year's Eve in a car wreck. Seemed like I was never going to get new music.  It was going to be like the Beatles, I was going to listen to this music forever with no hopes of anything new :(.

Nope, Rick turned into a miracle drummer and learned to drum with one arm and in 1986 I heard they were working on an album.  I thought the day would never come but on August 3, 1987, it was here!

I purchased my album with babysitting money and had enough left for earphones. I plugged my earphones into my dads GINORMOUS stereo that he let me keep in my room.  It looked pretty much like this one pictured here.





I put on my album and headphones and listened.  The first track was "Women".  I had heard this song because it was the first single.  I had made an antenna that went from my stereo across the ceiling and down the wall.  This antenna allowed me to get WKDF in Nashville TN.  This station used to play my kind of music in the day.  They had played the song "women" just a few days before.  I loved it!!!

"Rocket", "Animal", "Love Bites", "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (henceforth shortened to PSSOM), "Armageddon It" and then side 2.  WOW! Another power punch "Gods of War", "Don't shoot shotgun" (which was my favorite upon the first listening) "Run Riot" "Hysteria", "Excitable" and "Love and Affection".  I pretty much killed the LP because it was all I listened too.  I finally got a cassette and carried that and my jam box EVERYWHERE!!!!


As the band was releasing singles I noticed that not only were the B sides not on the album, but the sleeves made a puzzle.  So, of course, I had to buy the singles too.  I never could get all of them.  Living in Mayfield, KY and have little to NO money while being in high school...there was just no way.  Here are some of the 45s

the finished puzzle

Over the course of time, I would have 2 LPs, and 6 cassettes.  I have never bought it on CD.  We put my vinyl copy on CD and I still listen to that.  WHY?  Because the pops and cracks take me back when I was a child and this album was the HOTTEST thing.

I got to see them for the first time live in 1988 during the heyday of Hysteria.  WOW, what a show that was!!!!!

Happy Birthday to one of the greatest albums EVER!!!!!

A lazy weekend

I have accomplished much this weekend.

read a book, white girl problems (NOT GOOD)
made 14 cards
made 2 scrapbook pages
date with the hubby
4 loads of laundry, washed, dried and put away
watched 3 Marilyn Monroe movies and 1 Gene Kelly movie
read most of the Client
joined an online book club

Here are some of the cards that I made:

Fall just fell in my lap

I must tell you that I have enjoyed each and every day of this summer. I was just telling my hubby yesterday that this was the greatest summer of my adult life.  Mainly I was referring to work.  I have gotten to do things with my kids, relax, and frankly enjoy every day.

However, time moves on, this week starts the back to school bash.  Can you believe it?  I have to taken Hannah shopping, Trevor is all ready practicing football, and well, let's face it summer is over!!!

Today's card reflect my desire to enjoy some fall colors.  This weeks CR84FN featured coral, brown and tan.  Perfect for a fall scheme.  I am making cards to give to my LOHS co-horts.  This is going to be a year of celebration, the last year of LOHS.  I am going to enjoy every day, give cards to those I appreciate and this weeks cards are where it all starts.

How to get the look:

Tim Holtz Sizzix flower die (I have fallen madly in love with this die)
Patterned paper by Recollections
Coral paper open stock from Hobby Lobby
Brown paper by Bazzil
Green patterned paper by MME
Script stamp by Technique Tuessday
Smile and believe stamp by Fiskars
You leave an impression on me stamp by CTMH
Gold Distress Stickles by Tim Holtz
All thread by DMC
Tan paper from my scrapbin
Walnut Stain, peeled paint and seedless preserves inks by Tim Holtz
Brown archival ink by Ranger
Spray mists by Michelle's Musings
Embossing folder by Tim Holtz Damask
Pennant punch by Stampin UP!
Happy Birthday stamps by Inkadinkadoo
brown ribbon from my scrap jar
Scallop die by Sizzix

Sunday afternoon

I haven't time to say much today.  We have spent most of the day on the Ohio River and visiting Superman.

Here are the cards that I made this weekend.  I will also share our photos.  We don't have much to offer here in Paducah, KY....here is one thing SUPERMAN!!!

Have a great week!!!

Def Leppard 2012

Just got back from another Def Leppard concert and while Joe's voice is a little rougher than it was 20+ years ago, their overall sound was BETTER.  I am certain there are enhancements, to Joe's voice, to the drums, but man it is a wonderful experience!

I do miss seeing them in the round, but that will never happen again. I am just grateful that they are no longer playing those tiny little places they played in the '90s.  They didn't seem to want to keep playing them.  Now they played a solid 2 hours.  Not as long as Bon Jovi, but the show was just as good.  And in my opinion, the music was MUCH better.

I loved the jumbotrons.  This is my first time seeing them use this many and it was a thrill to see their faces up close during solos and while singing.  And this time unlike others I took a camera with a pretty good zoom, so I got good shots. I haven't had good shots since 1988.  Now, these are NOT nearly as good because I wasn't that close.

To go along with a great show, I got to spend the afternoon and evening with 3 special ladies.  My 3 little concert buddies.  Tammy, Kristi, and Ginger.  Three girls that I met during my time at Olivet.  Three of the best things. These girls are there for you whenever you need them. They are there for laughs, fun and to tell you that you need to come down off that high horse.  Tonight was pretty much a perfect night, what would have made it perfect?  To chat with the band! 

A month of weddings

This summer was the summer of weddings and I made some canvases for the brides/grooms.  I usually charge $25-$35 per piece because of the extensiveness of the project. I spent many hours on each one of these, more than usual just because they were all special people to me.  Each canvas features many layers and a little bit of drying time.  Each canvas starts with stamping the canvas.  Some stamps will be done with archival ink, some embossing ink and some paint.  After those dry or after I have finished embossing them....then I start with the ink layers.  I will ink  the whole canvas with Distress inks and then throw water on the canvas. Once that dries I will do it again only instead of throwing water on I will spritz it.  Water will pool up and I will stand the canvas up and let the inks run together. I will use some of my misting sprays and let that ink run too.  I will then add stickles or crackle paint or both.  Once that dries I embellish.

Here is where each one gets it's own personality.  I will start with the black/blue one.

I really liked this one because the bride had a FANTASTIC invitation!  I HAD to cut it up and use it in the canvas. It was a black and white invite with blue accents and totally gorgeous.  I used her envelope as just a background paper.  On top of that I used a chipboard circle and covered with crepe paper and a white string.  I stamped a lovely couple with stazon and then I painted them with watercolor and sprinkled some salt on them for texture.  I used a portion of the wedding invitation behind a Tim Holtz fragment, for the tag, for a background behind the couple and for the card I made to give the couple.  I added many layers of STUFF, which is kind of my thing. 

The Blue one:  I used the whole invitation on this one.  A large flower folded in half, some giant letters and I strung beads onto a wire.  Since the bucket of beads are all colors I had to pick out the blue and white ones.  FOREVER!!! 

The last one was for my cousin. I spent even more time on this one rolling flowers myself and stringing green beads.  Brittany is sort of an old soul, so I made hers to reflect old Hollywood.  I tried to use items that you would have found then.  Tulle, movie posters, the couple, the gears, the beads, the design of the hearts and arrows, and the tag.  While they all make me happy, this one too reflects my style so it's my favorite. Sort of like Gene Kelly would have it hanging in his house.