As soon as I got home from work tonight I finished up painting my new walk-in pantry (photos of that to come soon when I’m finished).  Part of the painting process included the floor…so my house now smells like paint and nothing else – very strong.  I am so excited to finally be finished painting that room though, it seemed to take forever with each little element involved (walls, ceiling, baseboards, built-in cabinets, floor).

Currently, I am hanging out on my couch watching Harry Potter (the first one) for the – gasp – very first time.  A few days ago I finished reading the first book and am now halfway through the second book.  I always said I would eventually read the books and see the movies, they just weren’t at the top of my list.  Since I recently made my co-workers read The Hunger Games series, I told them all I would start on Harry Potter next.

I am enjoying it so far and the plan is to read a book, watch the movies, etc.  So far it’s going well.

Do you like Harry Potter?  If so, don’t ruin anything for me – I know absolutely nothing about it beyond what I’ve read so far:-)

Lately I have found myself watching silly ABC Family Christmas movies while I wrap presents at night.  For the most part, they are not very good -- but they provide okay entertainment while I’m not really focused on them fully but on wrapping.

Last night I was scrolling through movies on Netflix instant play and when I saw the thumbnail for this movie.  I figured it was something akin to Get Over It or Hamlet 2 which I was not really in the mood for but I clicked on it anyway.  When I saw Martin Freeman was the main character, I decided to watch it.  Martin Freeman -- enough said.

Martin’s character, Paul, is an elementary school teacher who has to direct the Nativity play against his will.  To get back at an old friend who is now more “successful” than he is, he promises that someone from Hollywood is coming to film their production (which is a lie).

{Love this face…really}

With the help of his insanely hilarious school aid, Mr. Poppy, they realize that the students are more talented than they first appeared and the planning of the production is so sweet (with some extra funny “auditions” from the cutest kids EVER).

There is even a little romance thrown in with Ashley Jensen from Extras (also something I would HIGHLY recommend).

Honestly, I cannot recommend this movie more -- it was fantastic!  British movies are a weakness for me, but this was so funny, sweet and utterly lovely -- I will probably be watching it again before the season is over.

Oh and this little one….this guy has my heart (when you watch the movie, you’ll see why).

Definitely a must-watch this Christmas season…and it’s on instant play, so you have no excuse not to!

Have a lovely, family-time filled weekend!

Most people associate the start of the Christmas season on the day after Thanksgiving or December 1st.  Not me.  Mine starts on November 1st – the day after Halloween.  Christmas is (in my opinion) the BEST time of the year.  I love everything about it, even the snow and cold weather.  One of my favorite things about Christmas is the slew of good movies devoted entirely to this holiday, and I’ve already watched several.  Here is my list of must-watch movies:

The Family Stone  I can’t believe how much I love this movie.  I watch it at least 3 times every Christmas.  I love it more and more every time I watch it (the entire ensemble cast is brilliant in it!).

The Muppet Christmas Carol  A classic.  Can’t believe I was only 10 years old when this came out!

Christmas in Connecticut  This movie is utterly gorgeous, and the story of the romance is slightly scandalous.  Oh, and I love the names of the main characters, Jefferson Jones and Elizabeth Lane.

While you were Sleeping  Love this quirky romance with another great ensemble cast.

Santa Claus: The Movie  Almost a decade before Tim Allen played Santa, there was a much better, slightly odd, and classic 80′s movie called Santa Claus.  All I can say is, watch it.

Little Women  Not technically just a Christmas movie, but I have to watch this every year (and yes, I have always wanted to be just like Jo March, except in my story, I would have said YES to marrying Laurie).

Christmas Vacation  This movie has been a family favorite for many years, and gets quoted frequently.  I’m happy to have a dad that is like Clark Griswold:)

Love Actually  I love the romantic story telling in this movie, and it makes me miss London very much.

The Christmas Toy  This is another Jim Henson classic, but came much earlier (1986) and was a made-for-tv movie.  The story line bears a striking resemblance to Toy Story, but I suppose Jim Henson’s genius was copied many times.  If you and your kids haven’t seen this movie, please watch it.  I know you’ll love it.

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Yes it’s true.  Stormie Dae, myself, and our sister Tredessa went to see Beastly on Saturday night.  I won’t bore you with the plot, but it is supposed to be a modern day version of Beauty and the Beast, and we actually thought that it might be good…we were sadly wrong.  The only redeeming qualities of this cheesy, poorly written, superficial movie were Neil Patrick Harris and Mary Kate Olsen’s characters – the latter of whom plays the witch that casts the ugly spell on the “prince”.

Stormie Dae and I loved Mary Kate’s clothing and style SO much, that I immediately looked up photos of her from the  movie, but there are very very few.  How could this be?  Even doing a search for the designers that she wore in the film came up with next to nothing.  These 3 images are what I could find – hopefully they will give you an idea:

In lieu of better Mary Kate images, have fun viewing these gorgeous Beastly Witch-Inspiration photos via Jak & Jil:

Love,

Stephanie May*

This week has been a long one.  My kids had a 4 day weekend from school and Tristan was out of town, so I tried my best at playing single mommy to 3 youngins (never easy).  Let’s just say that I am extremely grateful that Tristan is home, and we are all together again!

Some recent realizations:

My 3 year old loves grapefruit.  I mean, loves it.  So much so, that when she finished hers, she promptly went to the trash can and tried to eat her older sibling’s discarded halves.  Yup.

Starbucks Iced Vanilla Lattes make a rough day better.  I’ve had a few of these this week.

This movie still makes me laugh after about 87 views.

Tristan makes incredible homemade pretzels.  They are big, soft, chewy, and covered in salt.  My new favorite.

I can’t decide what color to change my hair too.  Seriously, if I can’t decide, I might have to keep it bright red for the rest of my life.  Would that be so bad?

Love,

Stephanie May*

Happy Valentine’s Day from MayDae!  We thought and thought about what we would choose for Etsy Picks for today, and finally landed on the very romantic, Moulin Rouge.  This movie is big, loud, red, and full of L.O.V.E.  If you haven’t seen it already, we (the sisters May & Dae) highly recommend it for V-day viewing.  Enjoy!

Stephanie May’s Etsy Picks:

(red dress by Vrreis, lace and bow spats from HH Fashions, typewriter from Unexpected Partie, crystal headpiece by Rose of the Mire, top hat by Two Back Flats, lace top from Decadent Designz, Moulin Rouge print by Bazinga Crafts)

Stormie Dae’s Etsy Picks:

(Poker Chip Paris Pendant from Teresa DeLeen, Burlesque Corset by French Market Stitch, Antique Remington Typewriter from Junkdrawer, Boudoir Sofa from begs&achen, Antique Tuxedo Jacket from Laboheme, Moulin Rouge Paris print by SketchED, Victorian Style Riding Hat by Noxenlux)

Movie season is here!  I am counting down the days till the Oscars!  I watch a lot of movies through Netflix, and as I was going through my Queue yesterday, I thought it might be fun to put together this list of my favorite movies watched in 2010.  They didn’t all come out in 2010, but that is when I happened to view them:)

Inception.  Loved the men’s clothes, and whole look and feel of this movie.

The Town.  This one surprised me because I haven’t been liking Ben Affleck for awhile, but actually really liked him in this.  It also made me root for the bad guys which is always interesting.

Inglorious Basterds.  This was another that surprised me – you just never know with a Tarantino film, but I so so so enjoyed the score/soundtrack, the set design, costume design, dialogue, Direction, ect….

Best Worst Movie.  This is a documentary about THE best worst movie – Troll 2.  It was hilarious, and just as good as the movie itself.

Coco before Chanel.  This movie was beautiful and inspiring.  I was sad when it was over.

The Fighter.  Pretty much any movie starring Christian Bale is worth watching to me, but I particularly loved this one.  I am so happy that he won the Golden Globe, and that he is nominated for an Oscar – he better win!

The Science of Sleep.  Creative, unique, humorous, and a visual feast for the eyes.

Don’t tell Mom the babysitter’s dead.  I actually first saw this movie when I was 10, but watched it again a few months ago.  I can honestly say that the theme of fashion throughout the movie shaped my outlook on fashion today.  You never know where inspiration will come from.

The Hurt Locker.  We did one of our first Etsy Picks on this movie, and I still love to look at it.  Thrilling, sad, and beautifully shot.  I hope that everyone has seen this.

Never Let Me Go.  Unique storyline and intricate details in the set design.  I was shocked to see that this movie didn’t receive any Oscar noms.  Shame.

Bright Star.  We also did an Etsy Picks on this movie, and I think that it has become one of my all-time favorites.  Sooooooooo romantic and gorgeous!

I love movies so much!  I almost did a section of my least favorite movies of 2010, but decided to focus on the positive (man-oh-man, there were some BAD movies last year!).

Have you seen any of these movies?  Which one is your favorite?  Any really good movies in 2010 that I didn’t mention?

Love,

Stephanie May*

Today’s Etsy Picks are all about one of our favorite holiday movies:  Little Women

It’s hard to believe that we were only 12 (May) and 8 (Dae) years old when this movie came out in December 1994.  We totally remember going to the local mall to see it with our family on Christmas Day, and we were instantly smitten with the gorgeous sets and costumes, beautiful and poignant Jo March (played by Winona Ryder), and the very cute “Laurie” (played by Christian Bale).  To this day, Little Women remains a Christmas-viewing must for both of us, and if you haven’t seen it, please please do.  It will make you weep (in a good way).

Stephanie May’s Etsy Picks:

(Doll from Nacho Kitty, chalkboard from Beth Whitcomb, cup of tea photo by Emma Lynne, ice skates from Mechanical Stag, dress by Maggie May Fashions, opera glasses from Rage of the Age, sled from Bellalulu, hair combs by Bel Canto)

Stormie Dae’s Etsy Picks:

(Antique ice skates from Bargain Track, Beaver fur top hat from Marvita 13, Copper candle holders by Twelfth Night Design, Civil War camp dress by Maritime Arts, Antique pen nibs from Regina’s Studio, Stack of books from Two Vintage Avenue, Sleepy time bonnet from Second Wind Vintage, Antique curling iron from AM Radio)

Hello lovelies!  On this lovely Friday morning where I am already pretending it is winter and am wearing my knit hat from Taiwan, lots of layers and a scarf – I am going to bombard you with photos.  Are you ready?

I recently watched a movie that came out a few years ago called MirrorMask.  The story is by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean and it is lovely.  Definitely not your typical unwinding movie because if you’ve ever read anything by Neil Gaiman, you know he pushes the imagination to do fantastic things.  The way he layers images on top of one another and intertwines worlds in your mind is incredible.  This movie is no different.  The story is about a young artistic girl whose parents run a circus troupe that she hates being a part of.  When her mom gets sick, she is thrown into the imaginary world she herself has created and drawn.  Within this world, she must overcome all sorts of obstacles to find the MirrorMask and her way back home.

It was quite by chance that I decided to watch this movie at the same time that a friend of mine suggested this book to me:

I have not had a chance to read it yet, but it is next on my list and is about…the circus.  I love the imagery of the circus – the sights, sounds, colors, the large tents – and really just the creative type of people that are involved in the circus.  They are appealing to me and I have always loved fashion shoots and parties modeled after the circus.  Not the bubbly, kids type of circus – not a carnival…but the nitty gritty behind the scenes real lives of circus entertainers.

Anna Sui modeled one of this year’s lines after the circus…so it must be good, right?

(Photos from Style.com)

The colors and patterns of this collection are breathtaking, and I want every pair of tights she designed.

And to top it all off, what did I receive in the mail a few days ago but just start to look at last night?  My November 2010 Anthropologie catalog with dozens of photos reminding me of none other than the circus.  I don’t know if that is exactly what they were going for with some of these photos, but the feel of it was the same for me and I think this is my favorite catalog they have ever put out.  I will apologize in advance for the quality of the photos…but I think you will get the picture:)

I desire everything in this photo.  The chair, the wallpaper, even the fox.

There are clowns and animals and fabric tents and over-sized props, even a few circus freaks here and there.  Isn’t it all so delicious?!  As much as I would love to post all 89 pages of the catalog, I’m sure you are tired of all these photos…so go check it out for yourself here – you’ll love it.  I promise.

Oh and in case anyone was wondering or even remembers, this is NOT the post I spoke of last Friday…I’m still not done with that one.  Surprise, surprise.

On a side note, I stopped by Starbucks this morning for my first drink in a couple weeks and to my great delight:

Christmas cups!!!!  My world is complete.

Good morning dear readers!!  On this lovely Monday, we(the sisterly team of MayDae) are bringing you this weeks Etsy.com picks from one our favorite fall movies, The Village.  Although it seems that M. Night’s popularity has dropped off a bit lately, we adore the colors, sounds and feel of this romantic and thrilling film.

A town that, running from it’s past, has secluded itself amongst a forest of deadly creatures is challenged when one of their own commits a crime and they must send a blind girl out into the woods to get help.  I still get chills when Lucius comes to the rescue of Ivy at the absolute last second and we all breathe a sigh of relief.  Now is the perfect time to watch whether it be your first time or tenth, with the leaves changing and Halloween just a week away – we promise you won’t be disappointed.  This film is breathtaking.

May’s Etsy Picks:

(blouse from Custard Heart Vintage, table by Gray Works Design, boots from Night After Night, berries photo by Snaps, pinafore from Maggies Pride, mason jar lights by BootsnGuns, plaid cloak from Enidandedgar , dress from Moon Child Vintage, bench by True Connection, floral head band by Royal Menagerie)

Dae’s Etsy Picks:

(Sitting in the sun photograph by The Quiet Canadian, Victorian wedding dress from Faded Rose Vintage, Ball mason jar hanging light by The Blue Cabinet, Knit yellow cape by LazyTCrochet, Red berries letterpress cards from Red Bird Ink, Vintage granny lace-up boots from sheHEARTSvintage, Vintage storybook page garland by Maisy and Alice, Vintage pinafore apron from Gypsy-Girl Enterprises, Vintage black box from The Real Mcc0y, Sweater monster by Hofmonsters)