Great Movies to Bead by...Holiday Edition

Emmet Otter's JugBand Christmas (1977)

The Story: Emmet and Ma Otter live along the river in a tiny shanty. Ma washes and mends neighbors' clothes for money, and Emmet does odd jobs around town with his late Pa's old tool chest. When the opportunity comes to enter a talent contest that offers a large cash prize, both Ma and Emmet enter hoping to win the money and buy the other what they most desire. Will one of them win the contest and save the holiday? Watch and see ;)

What I like: Based on the holiday favorite Gift of the Magi, this Jim Henson movie is a lost gem. This is another one leftover from my childhood. When it came out on VHS, I had to snap it up! Kermit the frog makes and appearance as the narrator and, of course, he's my favorite Muppet. The fantastic band of 'bad guys', The Riverbottom Nightmare Band, are appropriately hilarious, and may have been spoofs of popular musicians of the 60's and 70's. The gift of the Magi has always been one of my favorite holiday stories, and this version doesn't fail to deliver, and even allows children to understand that what matters at Christmas isn't 'stuff' but family.

Little Women (1994)

The Story: The Marches, once a fine and noble family, have fallen on lean times. The mother (Susan Sarandon) does her best to clothe, feed, and educate her daughters while her husband is away at war, and her efforts get her four young women who know their minds and aren't bent on 'frivolous' things. The eldest daughter Meg (Trini Alvarado) is bent on marriage, next in line, Jo, is destined to be a writer, the third daughter Beth (Claire Danes) is happiest at home, and the (Winona Ryder) youngest and fairest, Amy (Kirsten Dunst), is sure that she'll make a rich match. When handsome Laurie (Christian Bale) shows up next door, the Marches know their lives will never be the same. They have their ups, they have their downs, but what they really have is eachother.

What I like: By now, you are all aware of my love for period films. I love the costuming, the manners, and the thought of a 'different time', but most of all I love the sense of family that this film imparts. Like Jo, I do wonder what it would be like to be Belle Gardner with 10 pairs of gloves and 5 marriage proposals. Not that I'm not happy with the one I ended up with, but it never hurts to dream ;) I can't keep away from any movie that involves a strong woman, and this movie has at least 5 of them! Throw in a dose of hottie Christian Bale, and dark and mysterious Gabriel Byrne, and I'm sold.

Sneaky old Christmas ;)

I will be the first to admit that Christmas kind of snuck up on me....okay, it totally ambushed me in broad daylight while I was looking straight at it, but you get my point.

On top of this being my first holiday season in my shop, I had 3 shows in the first couple weeks of December.  Two of the shows were in one day, with the first being at my shop, and the an evening show with Raqs Nova for their Troupe Show.  Needless to say I was exhausted at the end of it all.

I taught a couple Free Demos with inexpensive kits available to go with them:  one a Leather and Lampwork Bookmark, and the other my Queen of Hearts Snowflake Ornament. (you'll see them pop up in my Etsy shop soon ;)

I even managed to find some time to craft some Disco Ball Rings for the TribalTique Funky Town Show.

And I created something else that I can't show you until I get a chance to show it to the person it's intended for ;)

Other than that it's been a very quiet holiday season for me with my husband out of town, and my Assistant Tara visiting her family.  I had 3 whole days off in a row which is unheard of, so I was thankful for that, and I'll have another 3 coming for New Years too.  I hope that you all of your Holidays were both Merry and Bright, that you got everything you wanted, and made everything you intended to (unlike me ;).  Merry Christmas everyone!

Great Movies to Bead by....

Great Movies to Bead by....

I'm not sure how I missed getting this out in November, so you'll get a double dose of GMTBB this month!



Sweet Home Alabama (2003)

The Story: Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) has it all. She is a fabulous up and coming fashion designer who has just nailed her first major fashion show and she has just become engaged to the most eligible bachelor in New York City (Patrick Dempsey). What's the problem then? Well, for starters, her name is really Melanie Smooter, she has a less-than-elegant family in a small Alabama town, and, oh yeah, she's already married to her high school sweetheart (Josh Lucas)! Can she get a divorce in time to avoid having to tell anyone, or will her nosey future mother-in-law ruin everything?

What I love about this movie? Having lived in the South for a while, I appreciated the scenes where Mr. Smooter and company are re-enacting the Civil War. They really do have them down there, and sometimes the South even wins!

I enjoy the 'fish out of water' element of the New Yorkers visiting Alabama, and also the romance element centered around what lightning does to sand when it strikes. This one is a must-have for any beader's collection in my opinion ;)



Made of Honor (2008)

The story: Platonic best friends Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) accept eachother the way they are. He's a serial dater whose bed hosts a new girl every night, and she's simply looking for Mr. Right. When Hannah takes an extended vacation to Scotland, Tom begins to realize what he's been missing in his relationships all this time....Hannah. When she comes home engaged to a Scottish Duke and asks Tom to be her 'maid' of honor, Tom accepts so that he can be close to Hannah to win her over. From New York for the bridal shower to Scotland for the wedding, Toms' comical attempts to appear 'mature' to Hannah are entertaining and endearing. Will Tom be able to win her back in time, or is he destined to lose her forever?

What I like about it? First of all, I just like wedding movies, and this one is set (partly) in Scotland with a sort of 'traditional' theme . What girl hasn't dreamed of marrying some version of royalty and living in a castle? And if attractive Scottish nobles isn't your thing,who doesn't want to marry Patrick Dempsey? Just sign me up!

The scenes in Scotland are beautiful, and the Highland Games are full of men in kilts, most of which I would take as a mate. (Yes, I bought my actual husband a kilt which he DOES wear, complete with boots that nearly reach the long kilt ;).

The comedy hits the mark each time, whether you're dealing with the evil would-be female Maid of Honor, or watching Patrick Dempsey attempt the Highland Games in a mini-kilt. All around a fun movie with a satisfying ending.