Swell Dame

New item at Etsy Shop! Custom "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" bracelet

2012-01-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

This custom cuff has been inspired by Stieg Larsson's "Millenium Trilogy" which features the iconic heroine, Lisbeth Salander.

The cuffs are made of veg-tanned tooling leather. They are hand-cut and the design is burnt by hand into the leather (NOT DONE BY LASER). The cuffs flexibility and design are protected by Eco-Flo natural Gum Tragacanth and Eco-Flo natural Carnauba Creme.

I'm very proud of this because it is my first leather product I'm introducing my Etsy shop.

Check it out at my shop: Custom "What Would Lisbeth Do? leather cuff

The Phantom of the Opera Leather Mask

2011-12-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

This was my first foray into making a leather mask. I still do not know how I did this. It all started in my Stagecraft class with our final project of the semester. We were to pick from a list of props of a corresponding play or we could pick our own prop from a play, the only catch would be that my professor would have to approve of the choice.

At first, I was going to do the raygun from "The Rocky Horror Show" because I love "The Rocky Horror Show" and I thought it would be a pretty cool prop. Until I found out that there was a whole list of what was required in order to carry a fake prop onto campus property, so I just nixed that idea. (I'm still thinking about making the raygun and being Magenta for next Halloween though. hehe)

But then I had an epiphany - "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Phantom" (Erik)'s mask! I knew the play and when I found out that the most recent production masks are made of leather, I thought, that will be a definite challenge for me since I've always wanted to get into leather craft. So, after watching tutorials and researching (a lot) on how to make a leather mask, I decided to venture into doing this.

This is the plaster of my patient sister's face for the mask.

The above plaster mask, of course, fell apart as soon as the wet leather was applied to it because, as I later found out, the plaster mask is a negative mold of the face and I needed as a positive mold of her face. So, now I know that when I do my next mask, I'll need to make one of those.

And three molds later, (which I will pictures later), came up with this:

"The Phantom of the Opera" mask (finished)

Not bad, eh? The funny thing now is, I'm addicted to it, so once I figure out what to do about getting/making a face form, I think I'm going to do a series of art masks. I already have a lot of ideas what I can do. :D

Steampunk Pendant Necklace In Progress

2011-08-01T15:54:00.001-07:00

Last week I watched a fascinating documentary on the author HP. Lovecraft and since I'm already inspired by my undeniable devotion to all things Steampunk, the pendant I burned this weekend is the product of both of those things.

Here is the sketch I drew this week of what I wanted it to look like.

You have no idea why it was ridiculously hard for me to draw those tentacles. It's not like I haven't drawn an Octopus before. XD

And this is what it looks like burnt.

I'm debating on whether or not to add color or keep it the way it is. I want to stop using acrylic paint because I've been told the acrylic overpowers the burning. I've heard that using something that has oil in it (pencils, pastels, paints) looks better with pyrography. But I'm still researching on what is the best kind of oil pastel, paints or pencils to use and which comes in the most colors. I don't want to add too much color to this one. Maybe just the octopus to draw attention to it?

Victory! My First Ever 5-Minute Drawings!

2011-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Liz asked if I would draw her two quick drawings, one would be a deer and the other a panda bear because those two are her favorite animals. Of course, I was so nervous about drawing them because this was the first time I would ever draw animals.

I've always had a hang up of drawing nature because I felt you had to be an incredibly good artist in order to draw nature and animals. But I felt I should at least try, so these are my two 5-minute drawings! Most importantly, the victory is that she loved them. :D

"Deer" (2011)

"Panda Bear" (2011)
I love his little tongue sticking out to snatch the bamboo. hehe

Just reopened my shop!

2011-06-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you come and see the items I've added. I'm very proud of all the pieces I have.

Etsy
swelldameinc

I'm planning on adding a new piece every week and I'll be updating with that news here every time I add something so all of my lovely followers can view my pieces. I'll try and give a sneak peek on what the new piece is and its progress too.

In other news, I am finishing an illustration that I hope will be made into a t-shirt on Threadless.com. So I'll be needing a lot of votes if it's accepted. *fingers crossed*

I'm also working on the Lady Gaga illustration and researching on the best possible way I can make prints for customers who want prints of my illustration. Does any of my talented followers use a printing method or company that they would recommend for illustrations?

I'm back! And currently taking requests.

2011-06-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know I abandoned this blog for a long time but not any more. I promise! It is only that as a college student, a Film student, no less, it got hard to balance my priorities which is why between work and school, us college kids have no social life whatsoever. hehe

But I have been trying to work on my woodworking and my illustrations, so that I can open my Etsy Shop back up again. I want my shop to be bigger and better than ever, with a more line of products to choose from. I want to combine my woodwork with my illustrations, so that it may be the one-stop place to go for all of my artwork.

And here is my first "Work In Progress Post" of an illustration I just finished that will be a part of a new series influenced and inspired by musicians. This first piece was influenced by the great Joan Jett and her songs.

This is the ink drawing before scanning and painting it using Jasc Paint Shop Pro:

(If you want to see a larger version where you can see all of the details, visit the piece where I originally uploaded it on Deviantart.com: Joan Jett Ink Drawing

Here is the finished product - painted. It took me a combined three hours! But I'm really proud of it:

Also uploaded in a larger format at Deviantart.com: Joan Jett Digital Painting

I am taking and already have a few requests for other musical artists. I'm currently brainstorming ideas for a Lady Gaga piece. Here is the list so far:

1. Lady Gaga
2. Jimmi Hendrix
3. Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Any other requests?

A new blog look & I was featured on another blog!

2010-08-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment and thank my fellow blogger Katy, owner of MorningGorgeous Blog, for reformatting and designing the new layout for my blog. I liked the previous layout but since I'm heading in a new direction with my work, I knew I need a new layout which reflected that and Katy did just that! I especially love the banner and how it incorporates my pyrographic piece of Greta Garbo. So, my fellow followers, what do you think?

And speaking of new directions, I'm going to be opening a second Etsy shop soon, possibly by the end of this year. I've decided I will be keeping Swell Dame Inc but I think my woodwork is more suited for its own shop. Swell Dame Inc will be for my graphic art and promo supplies I offer while my second Etsy shop will be for my woodwork. I'm still searching for a name though - any suggestions?

Also I'm happy to announce I was featured on another blog! Chris at CBCrafter Blog featured me on their blog with a few pictures of me and my work space. Since I'm a college student living with my parents, I don't really have a workspace yet - I do most of my burning outside (that way I don't burn the house down) and my painting at my computer desk. So check out my feature as well as the other interesting posts you'll find at her blog:

CBCrafter Blog: Featured Artist - Swell Dame Inc

Thank you!

2010-08-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

I would like to take the time to give a short post and thank two fabulous blogs for advertising my shop:

As a person who takes up knitting as a hobby, I'm more than familiar with the fibre art. It has always fascinated me and the artisans who do it. DZFantasy has incredible skill and talent in this line of work and she was kind enough to recognize my woodwork by giving me a spot for my "Etsy mini" on her blog. Be sure to check out her blog and Etsy shop - her Aqua Sea Nymph piece is gorgeous!

And Groovy Gal Designs is a wonderful place to not only advertise but find a info on a lot of other fellow artisans including Groovy Gal herself. She has excellent resources and is prepared to share them with her visitors. For example, I didn't know there was a site called Plinky.com until I visited her blog. And Plinky.com is a great site for people who suffer from writer's block.

Once again, Thank you very much to DZFantasy and Groovy Gal Designs for giving me the unique opportunity to be on their blogs.

Hooray For Hollywood!

2010-07-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Films have influenced my life since I can remember being a child watching a lot of classic films with my grandmother and mother. Being a filmophile has been running my family for generations on my mother's side; it started with her great grand-mother and filtered through to my mother. As a result, I knew who Charlie Chaplin, Lon Chaney and The Marx Brothers were by the time I was five.

I went through my usual stages of wanting to be an actress, even though I took more interest and passion in writing than anything else. And it was two years ago, when I was 19, that I submitted an application to becoming a Bellaonline Editor, wanting to run the Classic Film section. I was accepted and I still currently run the Classic Film section there where I write an article every week.

My recent article was, "The Influence of The Wild One", where I examine the different angles of pop culture that "The Wild One" (1953) has influenced. You'll recognize this film by the visual reference it conjures up - Marlon Brando wearing the famous motorcycle jacket with a white cap and when asked what he's rebelling against, he answers with an undecided, "What'd ya got?"

As it comes to no surprise that my artwork also reflects my influence and reference to Classic Hollywood, particularly my new piece I added to my Etsy shop. It's a print of my pyrographic portrait of Greta Garbo on the back of a pocket mirror.

Greta Garbo Pocket Mirror

Now, I want to become a writer/director (and perhaps "pull a Hitchcock" and make a few cameos in my films) and I'm very excited about going back to school as a film student; I'm so excited that I made another Etsy treasury for you all. Enjoy!

Back To School - Film Student Etsy Treasury

Happy 150th Birthday Alphonse Mucha!

2010-07-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Born on July 24, 1860, Mucha was talented in both music and art. While he was able to fund his education with his singing, Mucha was more drawn to art and drawing. He worked painting theatrical scenery, and freelance work in portrait painting. In 1887, Mucha moved to Paris and enrolled as a student at Academie Julian and Academie Colarossi. While attending as a student in the City of Lights, Mucha worked as an illustrator for magazines and advertisements. His life changed when famous actress Sarah Bernhardt produced a poster for her newest play, "Gismonda." The poster was a sensation and Bernhardt signed Mucha to six-year contract for his work on her posters. But the poster did much more than further Mucha's career, his work astounded Paris and the world, starting a new movement called Art Nouveau.

Throughout his lifetime as an artist, Mucha designed paintings, posters, advertisements, book illustrations as well as designs for jewelry, carpets and wallpaper. While in Paris, used his popularity to start the traditional artists ball Bal Des Quat'z Arts.

In the 1920s, He produced "The Slav Epic" which consisted of twenty large paintings which were visual dedication to his native Czech and his Slavic people. In Czechoslovakia, with the rapid growth of fascism in the area, Mucha was arrested by the Gestapo and interrogated by the authorities. He eventually contracted pneumonia and though he was released and survived the ordeal, the illness would forever affect his health. A seventy-eight year old Mucha would pass away from a lung infection in Prague on July 14, 1939.

However he left the world a legacy of beautiful, awe-inspiring illustrations that have continued to inspire artists and art lovers everywhere with his beautiful motifs, feminine compositions and natural colors.

"La Danse" was the first Alphonse Mucha I saw several years ago while browsing my newely discovered interest in Art Nouveau (which makes sense because he is the father of Art Nouveau).

I didn't think that I would actually create me own Mucha-influenced piece one day. However, my first pendant necklace I burnt was one of my very own Mucha-influenced mermaid:

Art Nouveau Pyrographic Pendant Necklace @ Etsy

Mucha said it best about art with his quote, "Art exists only to communicate a spiritual message."

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2010-07-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I was acquainted with Samy at Etsy. She was kind enough to interview me and feature it on her blog. It was a great experience and I am proud to say that if you are looking for someone to be featured by, I definitely recommend Samy - she's delightful!

Be sure to explore her blog and read my interview:

Samy In Wonderland Interviews Swell Dame Inc.

Just found On Etsy!

2010-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not a sewing-hobbyist or a seamstress by any means but I came across this ring that looks like it would be great for anyone who sews on the go and/or likes to look fashionable while doing so! Plus, orange sherbet is one of my favorite flavors - this ring may have just convinced me to take up sewing for myself!

Orange Sherbet Sundae Needle Felted Pincushion by Cleverlilminx

And the best part is that it is a part of a collection of other pincushion rings Cleverlilminx makes and sells at Etsy! So check out her Etsy shop for more creative items such as this.

Shop: Cleverlilminx Etsy Shop

Featured In a Treasury!

2010-07-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

'Sweet' Etsy Treasury by PrincessSamy

I was featured in PrincessSamy's Etsy Treasury this week! It was my Art Deco pyrographic ring of a Mackintosh rose.

Here is a close-up of the ring where it can be found at my Etsy shop:

Art Deco Pyrographic Mackintosh Rose Ring by swelldameinc

Be sure to check out PrincessSamy's blog and her Etsy shop - they're both loads of fun! :)
Blog: Sammy In Wonderland
Etsy: PrincessSamy Shop

New Treasury!

2010-07-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Don't Stop The Music Treasury

I made a new treasury on Etsy inspired by the great music-themed items I found there. Check it out and leave a comment! It's only my second treasury I've ever done. hehe

Please Vote For Me!

2010-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

In addition to being featured on The Art of Stacy's Blog, I have also been selected in a Top 5 Etsy Finds feature at Linda B's Jewelry Designs Blog. My Marilyn Monroe Portrait is #5 on the list! :D

I would like for my fellow blog followers to vote for me at the blog post below and vote often if you can. If I win, I get an interview by Linda! :D You can vote until noon this Friday. Thank you in advance!

Linda B's Jewelry Design Blog: VOTE FOR ME!

Also, my portrait is still for sale at my Etsy Shop. You can click on it in my side bar under my "Swell Dame Inc. @ Etsy.com."

I Have Been Featured!

2010-06-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

I have been extremely busy lately with college prep and promoting my work around the internet but I wanted to come back to my blog and let all of my fans and followers know that I've been featured on an art blog!

The Art of Stacy blog made me their first Weekly Artist Feature and in it I answered a few questions of how I got started and why I love pyrography as much as I do. It is an interesting article, if I'm not being too biased. hehe

Weekly Artist Feature Article

I would also like to let everybody know about the first product I have on sale for my new jewelry line at my Etsy shop. I think it goes without saying that this is Twilight-inspired. I loved the way this turned out and I hope it goes to a devoted Twilight fan who will love it as much as I loved making it.

Apologies, New Jewelry Line

2010-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm aware that my last post was in March and I haven't been updating since then. I apologize to all of my followers and readers for not keeping up with posting at this blog. I'm in the middle of a lot of real life commitments right now with going to college and other things related to it. But I will still update this blog as much as possible.

And as of starting today, I have re-established my goal of updating this blog at least once a week starting with this post.

I wanted to stop by and let everyone know what I've been up to creatively with my pyrography. I'm starting a line of jewelry soon which will feature designs handburnt into the wood by me. Every piece will have my signature and date on them in order to ensure that every piece is a unique piece of wearable art.

I'm starting with necklaces and then I'll steadily expand to rings and eventually bracelets and earrings. I have a ton of ideas for this line but a limited income to do it on, so it might take a little longer than I want it to, but I'm very excited about this new venture. And here is a sneak peak on what will be available on my etsy shop:

I also have my own tumblr connected to my Etsy Shop, so if I don't update here, I'll be updating over there with pictures and info on my products. You can follow me at: http://swelldameinc.tumblr.com/

Please feel free to comment on what you would like to see in this new line or what you think of the necklace I've posted above. :)

Selling One of My Pieces!

2010-03-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'd like to make a brief announcement to my readers and let them know that I'm selling one of my pyrographic pieces. This was one of the pieces I first burnt to wood.

It is a pop art portrait of Marilyn Monroe. I burnt and painted her profile into the wood, provided with one of my favorite quotes of hers, "If I am a star, than the people made me a star," which is also burnt into the wood. The piece is sealed with two coats of polyacrylic finish and the back is protected by eco-felt with a sawtooth hanger to hang it on the wall.

The watermark doesn't appear on the actual piece of course.

For more info, check out the listing at my Bonanzle Booth

Writing With Fire: Snow White

2010-03-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Inspiration can come to you in all sorts of funny ways. My recent piece came to me after reading "Snow, Glass, Apples," a short piece Neil Gaiman had contributed to in the collection of vampire short stories - "By Blood We Live." On a brief note, it is a fantastic book to read if you're a fan of any of the number of authors who contributed to the collection and/or a vampire fan in general (excluding "Twilight" of course.)

Gaiman's piece was extremely dark, exploring a few macabre and taboo themes I won't dare mention here. My piece has more relevance to the Walt Disney animated feature film that we were all familiar with, yet it was the story which spurred my idea to think about Snow White. I find it so funny how things happen like that sometimes.

This is after I drew and burnt the image into wood. I drew this completely from my imagination, using only clip art from the internet as to what certain objects looked like such as the heart box and Art Nouveau type of illustrations. The little pencils marks you see are what I used as a guide on what I would and wouldn't paint on the piece.

This is the way it looked after I finished painting it. I didn't have any gold paint for the crown, so when I do, I'll be painting it gold. The things that are lodged in the apple are jewels to represent the dwarfs and I'm pondering on whether or not to paint them or leave them blank.

The next thing I'm going to do is paint this piece onto a canvas.

Writing With Fire: Greta Garbo

2010-03-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how I have new people following my blog, I decided to take a few pictures of what the process is like for when I do one of my pyrographic portraits.

This piece was inspired by the Greta Garbo photography taken by Russell Ball in 1927. Like many people I have a fascination with Greta Garbo and I particularly love the photographs where she has her thrown back to accentuate her perfect "sphinx" profile.

This photo above gives you an idea of what the "pre-burn" is. I generally deal with uncomplicated pieces since I'm an amateur at this medium still.

And the photo above shows you after I've burnt it. I use a Walnut Hollow pyrography pen and I do all of my burnings by hand. I put my initials "A.G." At the bottom of the piece along with the date from when I finished. Next, I'm going to coat it with Minwax Polyacrylic Protective Finish and put felt on the back to further protect the wood and apply a sawtooth hanger to hang it on the wall. And when I'm done with those steps, I'll take pictures and post them! :)

Writing With Fire: Norma Shearer

2010-02-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

The following piece I burnt into wood and painted was inspired by one of my favorite photographs of actress Norma Shearer taken by Alfred Cheney Johnston.

The fusion for this piece was from two things. The first being my adoration for whom I think is one of the most beautiful actresses of classic film, Norma Shearer and my love of collecting old photographs, particularly Alfred Cheney Johnston's photographs of the Ziegfeld Follies girls.

I am not sure if I want to sell it on my Etsy store or not because I've kind of grown attached to it. XD

Writing With Fire: OOAK Marilyn Monroe Portrait

2010-02-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was a teenager, I've been inspired by Marilyn Monroe. I have at least two copies of the Norman Mailer biography, a few other books featuring the photography that was taken of her and I've contributed a few articles about her on my Classic Film Column.

I handcrafted this piece about a week ago. I burnt, painted and sealed everything on this piece. I am extremely proud of it because I drew most of Marilyn's face freehand and I didn't even know I could draw freehand! hehe

I didn't think this piece would turn out so beautifully. And now I'm selling it on Ebay. I hope it goes to a good home and a person who appreciates and loves Marilyn Monroe just as much as I do.

This piece of art is currently on sale on Etsy.com.

Recap of January 2010 Goals

2010-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Is it February already? I'd say that I had a pretty successful month. hehe

On the art/entrepreneurial front, I had a goal of making at least one piece of pyrogaphy to sell on my etsy shop and I ended up with three! I'll be submitting them to my shop by the end of this week. I'm very excited!

On the writing front, I accomplished my goal of writing one short story each week. I ended up submitting one of them to be published on an online sci-fi magazine. *fingers crossed that it gets accepted.*

I also wrote one blog entry every week to this blog with the exception of last week. I initially planned my blog entry to be about my art but the pieces aren't done yet, so keep looking out for that post. It's coming soon!

The only goal which I had to completely change was writing the first draft to either my movie script or to my play. The reason for this being, is that I completely changed the method of writing them. I've decided I'm going to write a fictional narrative (much like a novelization, only only as descriptive as what I can put into their final format of screenplay/play). This way I can flesh out the scenes, perspectives, motivations, dialogue, etc. when my mind is more open to possibilities. Usually, my mind is too scrambled and worried about putting everything into the right format while I'm writing a screenplay or play that I can never see a through-line of everything. I've experimented it with my screenplay and it's worked out so far. I'm hoping that in about two weeks, I'll have a complete fictional narrative to this screenplay which I've been writing for four years. XD

Writing With Fire

2010-01-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

The first idea I had about wanting to do pyrography came from picking up the V-shaped stubs which fall from the palm trees here in Florida. I thought maybe I could recycle them and pyrograph them, hence I bought myself a pyrography kit.

To put it plainly, Pyrography is pen-like tool which you plug into an electrical outlet and when it heats up, you can burn shapes, lettering, portraits, etc into a piece of wood.

But as I quickly learned, these V-shaped stubs start to become brittle with time. You really can't do anything but let them break apart and mingle with the earth.

I was a little bummed out but it was around the holidays when I got the idea that I could make something for each of my friends with this kit. I always try to make at least one thing for each of my friends around the holidays and birthdays.

For my best friend I pyrographed a Celtic Knot symbol for "Friendship" in the top of a small wooden box. Then I painted the box a sea green around the knot and glued some felt into the bottom to provide some cushioning (these photos are provided by my account I have at Deviantart.com):

Celtic Friendship Box: Back by ~ange-etrange on deviant ART

That was my "beginner" project.

Then I decided to pyrograph a James Dean Portrait into a wooden plaque for another friend of mine.

James Dean Portrait by ~ange-etrange on deviant ART

That was my "intermediate" project.

I also took another wooden plaque and took a "Little Prince" illustration from the book and burned it along with her favorite passage from the book.

I call that gift my "advanced" project.

And I'm finishing up a fourth project for another friend of mine. I will post it as soon as I finish and take pictures of it.

All of the projects took about a month to finish. And I've received a few compliments on my work including the suggestion that I should make and sell some work. I'm making it one of my goals this month to finish a piece which I can sell on Etsy and see how it goes. I took to this craft faster than I ever had with any other craft. In short, I'm obsessed! hehe

Up In The Air: Review

2010-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

"Up In The Air" is about "Ryan Bingham" (George Clooney) who is a man hired to travel around the country to failing businesses and fire their employees when the bosses and CEOs are afraid to do it themselves. "Natalie Keener" (Anna Kendrick) is a fresh-out-of-school twenty-something who believes in pie-charts, graphs and is assigned to tag along on Bingham's travels in order to understand the business better. "Alex Goan" (Vera Fermiga) is a woman who Bingham meets and makes him think in terms of whether or not relationships really mean anything at all.

When I first saw the preview for "Up In The Air" was when I went to see "Precious" a few months ago. I had some reservations about it. I'm familiar with Jason Reitman's work - I loved "Thank You For Smoking" but I didn't catch onto the "Juno" craze as everybody else seemed to do. Lastly, I thought it looked kind of boring.

However, "Up In The Air" really surprised me. I thought it was going to be Hollywood preachy about The New Depression but it wasn't. I can see why it's getting the buzz it deserves because I don't think even Hollywood could escape from making this film real and topical. In fact, I do believe somewhere I read they had to change the some of the film's material from being satirical to being more truthful because the economy crashed in the middle of production.

I loved how George Clooney's character was an archtype and a metaphor at the same time. He represents so many people people who's lives are based on their "points" whether it be their credit score or frequent flier miles. He's never grounded only for more than a few days otherwise, he's up in the air and leads a very isolated and sad life. It was sad to see him in his apartment and think that if he would die to tomorrow, it would be as if he didn't exist at all because of how nondescript and empty his apartment was - no trinkets, no photo albums, no collections, not even a favorite food (except for the hotel bottles of alcohol in the refrigerator).

Every character was unique and where they could have fallen into stereotypes and cliches, Jason Reitman's writing and direction revealed human truths about every one of them. I think a lot of young people who watch this film will relate to Anna Kendrick's character. I'm twenty-one and while I couldn't relate to some of the things she thought or did, I did relate to her strict discipline of deadlines and goals she has to set now while she's young.

This film has many layers. It's a film about The New Depression and in regards to how business has turned into something that isn't strictly personal but the contradictions it implies when taking away a person's lively hood. It's a film about the worth of relationships and how we conduct them moreover technology than we ever have before. It shows how we're constantly removing ourselves from each other and the question is, what is it for? What do we get from removing ourselves from each other? And I thought it was interesting in way it lead to how we've responded to technology so far. We use technology as a pathetic excuse in order to avoid face-to-face contact and what does this result to? The only redeemable quality we can have is in hoping that we realize what we're doing before it's too late. We also don't have any sense of etiquette to how to handle technology either. For instance, should being dumped or quitting a job over a text message be considered just as insensitive and inconsiderate as laying someone off over an I-Chat? I think we lack the recognition that with technology brings a lot more work and consideration than we ever thought it could.

It is a great film. One of the most topical and definitive films I've seen in a long time.

My Verdict: See it!

It's 2010!

2010-01-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 Everyone!

I know it's a little late to be wishing everyone a happy new year, but I'll say it nonetheless. With a new year, comes a little sense of rebirth when everyone can begin anew and have the chance to change things they didn't get the chance to change the previous year. People make resolutions; I make goals.

Last year, I made specific list of goals for each month adding up to the larger group of goals I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year. I succeeded in half the goals I wanted to accomplish, an accomplishment I never reached in the previous years when I only set "resolutions." However, the un-achieved goals weren't so lucky. Instead, I transferred them over to this year and I'm making it my responsibility to see that they get done!

And to make it even more complicated for myself, I've made up two lists of goals, one for General/Life Goals and one for Writing Goals. I've amounted to have at least 4-6 goals on each list that I must accomplish by the end of the month. Here's to hoping it works! XD

A few goals for my writing goals for January are to:

Write one short story a week.
Submit at least one story to a publication.
Finish the last 27 of the first 100 pages of my novel.
Finish the rough draft to my play.
Finish the rough draft to my screenplay.
Post at least one entry to my blog each week.

Yes, you read correctly, one of my goals this year is to pay more attention to my seriously neglected blog. I've made it a goal to make at least one blog post each week which will up my yearly blog postings from 0 per month to at the very least, 52 posts a year (since there is 52 weeks in a year). So hopefully, you'll be seeing me around here a lot more often!

What Decade Fits Your Personality Best?

2009-12-14T09:04:00.001-08:00

My Result was the 1920s

You are classy, not afraid to go against the norm, and love to celebrate the joys of life. You love to be in the "right now" of society's latest "new thing"; and because of that you exert the latest fashions and put a high priority on having a great time. After all, you deserve it after all the struggles you have gone through in life thus far. You have a little rebel in you, although you don't overtly show it because you keep yourself and your standards classy, sophisticated, and elegant. And chances are, you have a thing for jazz music. You are a perfect combination of lady-like and party animal.

I thought I would get 1930s or 1940s. I'm not quite sure if this decade fits me or not. hehe XD

What Decade Fits Your Personality Best? - ROFLquiz.com

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Read or Skim: The Wounded Woman By Linda Schierse-Leonard

2009-10-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

Title: The Wounded Woman: Healing The Father-Daughter Relationship
Author: Linda Schierse-Leonard

Without going into too much detail, I will say that I am one of those women who didn't have the normal father-daughter relationships the lucky little girls grew up to have. "The Wounded Woman: Healing The Father-Daughter Relationship by Linda Schierse-Leonard" is a self-help book for women in a similar situation, whether their fathers were physically uninvolved or were emotionally or psychologically absent in their development as women.

For start, Leonard's book provides the different personality types the daughters may turn into as they grow up. Nothing is black or white in the descriptions of these types and none of it places the blame on either the daughter or the father. Instead, Leonard provides description and illustration through fables, fairy tales and her own personal experience for these personality types and throughout the book. It provides a gentle overview of embracing both the feminine and masculine side of the female figure and what can benefit from embracing both sides.

It is not made to look or read like a "quick fix" self-help book. It is not one of those books who claim they can fix any disorder or dysfunctional relationship between their book covers. Leonard's book allows the reader to forgive herself fore she did nothing wrong to create his absence. Leonard's book is a "step in the right direction" book for women who want to find their "inner father" and trust it without making men the enemy because of their father's absence.

I Say: READ IT.

DISCLAIMER: I wrote this review with a borrowed copy of the book from my local library. I was not endorsed by any of the peoples or companies involved with this product.

New Magnet Design!

2009-09-21T12:46:00.001-07:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
swelldameinc.etsy.com

The Phantom of the Opera - A Lifetime Obsession

2009-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

It is possible that I was a 'Phantom of the Opera' fan ever since I was in the womb. As the daughter of an avid musical theater fan (my mother), my first curiosities of POTO was the cover to the CD soundtrack. I immediately took to drawing and copying the famous half-mask and rose on all my bookmarks and journals.

Since then, I have collected items to support this obsession of mine. Film as been a large influence in my life and it was no different when it came to my fandom. I remember being six years old and staying up late with my grandmother to watch Lon Chaney's silent film adaptation of the story, "The Phantom of the Opera" (1926). Even at a young age, I was sympathetic for "The Phantom" until it came to the end when the story took a weird turn and he turned out to be a lunatic from an asylum. (But it would be the start of a "love affair" for the "The Phantom" aka Erik.)

The Lon Chaney dvd was free during a dvd sale at Borders. My best friend contributed a copy of Charles Dances' 1990 NBC mini-series of the story - another adaptation I enjoyed. My favorite line, "I'll kill them both...I'm teasing the only one I'll really need to kill is her."

My favorite adaptation would have to be the 2004 film that took Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical to the big screen. In my first trip (out of six times) for the first fifteen minutes, I didn't care for it. However, by the time "Music of the Night" ended, I proclaimed it my favorite film of all time. hehe I ended up seeing it six times in the movie theaters and I have the ticket stubs to prove it in my ticket stub book! XD

(I lost two of the tickets. I'm a bad fangirl.)

(The rose was "given" to me by Erik on my eighteenth birthday. ;) )

I was a teenager when I read through both Gaston Leroux's novel and "Phantom: A Novel" By Susan Kay. The books might as well had been water because I read them in such a short amount of time. XD

I confess! I went against one of "The Phantom of the Opera" fandom commandments - Thou shall not lay claim to losing a library copy of "Phantom: A Novel" By Susan Kay (and then pay for it said "lost copy") because it is out-of-print. I had to. It was at the peak of my "POTO" craziness and it made me do crazy things. But does it really matter that I created such a sinful act? I have kept it and treasured it since the moment I committed this evil deed. Fandom forgive me.

Once I met my best friend, a union was made in "The Phantom of the Opera" fandom. She too had been a "The Phantom of the Opera" fan since she was a child. We're in our 4th/5th year of writing out a fanfiction story set in "The Phantom of the Opera" universe. It parallels the original book but with some plot changes. In our "verse," Erik has a sister named Angelina who falls in love with Raoul. I could only describe my character Monique as a psychotic prima ballerina who is perfect for Erik. :P We're currently writing our 106/107 chapter.

Yet, I still have one more thing to do in order complete my lifelong fandom worship - To see an actual theater production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical! hehe

Shop Is Open!

2009-09-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

I have a few items in my store right now, so come by and see what I have! I'll be adding more as the week progresses. You can click on the javascript link below or you can click on the "Shop" button on my left navigational bar. :)

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
swelldameinc.etsy.com

New Layout & New Articles

2009-09-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone likes the new layout! It was made by my sister who owns MorningGorgeous.com. I did the graphics while she helped with the coding; I still can't get the hang of html and css yet.

As you can see I've added a "SHOP" button to the left navigational bar. I have it linking to my new Etsy Shop which I'll be filling with goodies over the weekend. :D My first items will be buttons like these:

New Articles
I have two new articles up at my Bellaonline column. I've decided that September was going to the month of exploring the lives and works of famous film composers.

My first was for Bernard Herrmann who created the fantastic scores to "Citizen Kane" (1941) and most of Alfred Hitchcock's films including "Psycho" (1960). The Music of Bernard Herrmann.

My second and most recent article was an appreciation piece for Jerry Goldsmith's music. He created the scores for "Planet of the Apes" (1968), "Alien" (1979), "Poltergeist" (1982), and many more. An Appreciation for Jerry Goldsmith.

About Me

2009-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

My name is Amber Grey. I am twenty-one years old. I am an aspiring writer/filmmaker. My ultimate goal in life is to make a living by doing what I love. Isn't that everyone's dream? The only problem/blessing is I love everything.

I'm currently the Classic Film editor of Bellaonline.com. It's a job that fuses both of my passions and has allowed me to grow as a writer.

Underneath, I feel I have an independent world traveler inside of me. I intend to do just that once I save up enough money. One of my secret goals is to become a vagabonder.

I feel that anywhere I am, I can be at home and make myself feel like the world is on my front doorstep. With the exceptions of my close friends and family, I can easily entertain myself and I'm satisfied with being on my own most of the time.

Angela Lansbury: The Other Woman

2009-08-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

Check out the article my lovely sister wrote for me this week: The Other Woman.

It is a profile of Angela Lansbury's career from "the other woman" type of roles to her massive success in all media.

My sister's blog is MorningGorgeous.com

My first post ever! Mad Men love!

2009-08-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my excitement for the upcoming third season of AMC's "Mad Men." It is basically the only show I watch on television besides "Fringe" and "Saving Grace." (excluding repeats of other shows) *Grieves over the loss of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles*

Joan Holloway (played Christina Hendricks), you are my hot-blooded, red-headed vixen. :P I'm glad that the writers stripped away more of the "Office Sexpot" and revealed a more vulnerable and real woman underneath her. I'm hoping Joan leaves her fiance after what he did to her in Don's office. It one of the best episodes of the second season because it showed how much time has changed for women alone. In the 1960s, they didn't have resources or support for when they were physically, emotionally or psychologically violated. It's kind of a horrific thought when you really think about it. Maybe after she leaves her fiance, Joan will go back to:

Roger Sterling (played by John Slattery). Slattery, you are my Silver Fox. :P I know it's wishful thinking since I don't see the writers back-trotting to Joan/Sterling pairing anymore. So sad.

Season Three starts this Sunday August 16 at 10:00PM/9:00PM C!Woohoo!

Sources
OhNoTheyDidn't @ livejournal.com - Mad men Promotional Pictures
Vanity Fair Annie Leibovitz Jon Hamm & January Jones Photoshoot

Privacy Policy

2009-08-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

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