THIS is my FAVORITE!

My Dog....enough said.

Les félicitations dans le succès sur le Prix d'Académie Marion Cotillard!

Congratulations on winning the Oscar Marion Cotillard!

A confession: I don't like divas. I especially loathe the self-destructive variety — the kind that sentimentally impressionable people are always writing books and making movies about. You know who I'm talking about — the pill-poppers, the drunks, the would-be suicides, all those Judys and Marilyns and Janis Joplins who emerge from their troubled childhoods into careers which revolve largely around making audiences wonder whether they'll actually show up for their performances. And if they do, whether they'll give something other than a pathetic play for our sympathies — which often enough involves our forgiving a sadly diminished voice or presence.

This behavior is more than tiresome, because there is no reason to believe there's a real link between their troubles and their talents. An off-stage battle with booze or drugs doesn't necessarily add depth or soul to their performances. On the contrary, the history of show business is replete with sad stories that are redeemed by disciplined hard work. Plenty of stars refuse to trade on their hard-knock lives; they entertain us, not by forcing us to wallow in their miseries, but by causing us to forget our own for an hour or two.

Edith Piaf, arguably France’s most beloved vocalist, was famed for using her strong, clear voice to bring a spirited, if often heartbreaking, element to songs such as “Non, je ne regrette rien” and “La Vie en Rose.”

Born Edith Gassion in 1913, the 4-foot-8 singer was nicknamed “La Ma me Piaf” ("The Sparrow Kid") by her manager, Louis Leplee. During the course of her relatively short life, the singer moved from singing in the streets to nightclubs and, later, to grand music halls. Called the “soul of Paris” by Marlene Dietrich, Piaf’s 1963 death from cancer inspired thousands of fans to line the streets to watch her funeral procession.

Bon Soir Little Sparrow.

Fairy Fun For EVERYONE in LA!

In addition to my duties as a designer at Charisma/Marie Osmond Dolls, I recently had the pleasure of dressing up as one of the characters in our brand new line of products called "Whispering Willow Fairies." My name was Piper, a Hodeken/Pixie Fairy, so named by the oh so fun and creative Joni, our Product Development specialist.

This was at the LA MART in downtown LA at the LA Gift Show.

I snuck around and ran around the show rooms, waving and acting like a Hodeken, I handed out postcards and invitations to our "Fairy Tea Party" with our own "Fairy Leanna", an actress that was hired to walk around and be the Fairy of all Fairies and to draw attention to the new line in the booth space we had in the temporaries.

Along with ever creative Joni and the AMAZING artist Silke Janas Schlosser (who created the fairies and characters) I developed the logo and identity, print collateral, video "trailer" and the packaging. Joni developed the products with Silke and styles all the booth spaces. Margianne, a costume designer for Broadway shows made the FANTASTIC Fairy Leanna costume, and Pat, our talented and patient customer service specialist in our office made my costume!

Here's the link to pictures of Fairy Fun For EVERYONE and the whimsical Whispering Willow Fairies My Space Page. If you go about half way down on the left there are slideshows of the "Fairy Fun" events that have been going on so far this year! I'm in the HILARIOUS brown hairy mask, stripes and brown velvet pants. I loved being in character and making large smiles appear on peoples faces!

http://www.myspace.com/whisperingwillowfairies

ENJOY!

Time's a thief.

Well,
I cannot believe it has been November since my last post.
Characteristic of how closed I have been I suppose.
How involved work has kept me. Busy some would say.
I am begining to despise the word 'busy' as it just seems to conote many, many, meaningless, really uneccessary things we have to do or are obligated to do. Not the things we engage in because we want to, enjoy doing or mean something. The word annoys me and confuses me all at the same time.

How paralyzed the holidays made me.

Posted drawings I did of my Dad before he died.

I wish I could be 'busy' doing that again.

I miss him so much.


So, I am back amongst the bloggers, apologies for being so melancholy...the dust has settled and I guess I am ready to be open again.

Blog again soon.......