Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I just want to take the opportunity to say "thank you" to all of my wonderful, kind, intelligent readers who keep this blog fun and always inspire and challenge me! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends, plenty of yummy food, and lots of laughs. What are you thankful for today??

{To see more of Benny Horne's Pilgrim-inspired photo shoot, visit Foto Decadent}

The Joy of Gossip

Barbara Walters once said, "Show me someone who doesn't gossip, and I'll show you someone who isn't interested in people." Gossip's got a bad name, and I think it might be high-time to rescue it from the realms of tawdry tabloid nonsense and mean-spirited fibbing. Is it crazy to think that gossip might actually be healthy when practiced in moderation? In her book, The Art of Conversation, Catherine Blyth suggests that good, old-fashioned gossip is a balm to society's increasingly alienated sense of community and intimacy. She says:

"To me, gossip is a growth industry, ever more essential in atomized urban society, as family ties weaken and networks grow wider, looser, and diffuser...While monitoring a virtual crowd of internet pals can accentuate loneliness if you're not truly in touch, gossip remains frienship's primary medium...{103}"

I think of gossip as a form of social analysis -- like talk therapy, minus the person who probably needs the therapy. People are fascinating. I want to know what makes them tick, why they say and do the things they do {I'm also a bit obsessed with self-analysis, but that's a subject for another time...}. You will rarely find me gossiping about people I don't like, or who, at the very least, I don't find interesting. You will also never find me making something up about someone out of boredom or animosity. People are far too interesting for this to be necessary!

Here are some more reasons why we could all use a dose of healthy gossip:

• It makes us feel better -- it allows us to see that things could be worse; at least we don't have that habit, problem, or compulsion!
• It gets us excited. Have you ever noticed how animated people get, how their eyes light up, when you tell them you have a juicy tid-bit?
• It's an amazing conversation catalyst. Is the discussion creeping to a halt? Mentioning a mutual friend's latest faux-pas usually gets things animated again.
• It creates a bond. Any time friends can get together and analyze, relish, question, ponder, or simply laugh at something {or someone} together, intimacy and understanding grows.

I certainly hope I've given others occasion to gossip about me from time-to-time. How awful to think I've never done anything shocking enough to merit being gossiped about!

::What's your stance on gossip? Is all gossip bad gossip?

{P.S. I hope you didn't mind the crass, but hilarious, MikWright image above!}

Holiday Giveaway: 2010 Shoes Wall Calendar by Jen Hewitt

I was going to wait until the beginning of December for this giveaway, but I'm just so excited about it {and I'm already feeling the holiday spirit}, so I'm going to announce it now. This contest features an adorable, original silkscreened calendar by printmaker Jen Hewitt, featuring what else but...shoes! It's definitely a classier alternative to that calendar you received last year with kittens in a red wagon...just sayin'!

Here are the rules:

1. In the "comments" section of this post, tell me about a holiday tradition you share with family {or friends}. It can be quirky and unique, it can be something particular to your country or home town, or it can just be simple and clever. Whatever it is, I want to know! Also, provide me with your e-mail address, so I can contact you if you win.
2. The contest ends in one week from today {Monday, Nov. 30} at midnight.
3. I will pick my favorite comment, and the contest winner will be announced on December 1st.

::If you're curious about Jen Hewitt's prints, check out her Etsy shop here.

*I look forward to reading your comments!

Cheers, Tara

xoxo

Have an "Ideal" Weekend!

I came across this strange/adorable image over at Glorious Nonsense and just had to re-post it for you. Apparently those weird hybrid photoshop images of the "ideal" celebrity parts melded together is nothing new {you know, Angelina's lips, Beyonce's booty, and Jennifer's hair smooshed into one freakish hybrid celebrity}. Click the image for a larger view...

Speaking of "ideal," do you ever imagine what your ideal weekend would look like? Or, maybe all of your weekends are ideal {if so, lucky you!}. I am compiling a list of all the things my ideal weekend would entail, and I am going to try and make this happen...soon! My perfect weekend would include:

• An orgasmically delicious meal from a fabulous restaurant.
• A surprise bunch of pink peonies from my boyfriend.
• Spending time with friends and my sisters {this must include lots of laughing and good wine}.
• Shopping fortune: this entails finding an unexpected good deal on something I have been wanting {a fancy coffee maker, an art book, or a velvet dress would be good!}
• Giving someone I love an unexpected gift and seeing them smile.
• A lazy afternoon nap.
• Dancing!

What about you? What would your ideal weekend include? You should work on making it happen, too!

Winter's Muse: Geraldine Chaplin

Today's guest post comes courtesy of the brilliant and funny lady behind Loose Leaf Tigers -- a blog dedicated to girl crushes, great art, and gasp-worthy fashion finds...

Bonjour! It is such an honor for me to be guest posting here at Nothing Elegant; one of the most stylish, eclectic and intelligent blogs i have come across. I visit here almost every day, and so should you!

With winter fast approaching, i thought i'd take this opportunity to celebrate two fabulous actresses (Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin) from one of the most wintery films ever made: Dr. Zhivago (1965). Let's begin with the elegant and fascinating Geraldine Chaplin, eldest child of Charlie and Oona.


Geraldine made a brief appearance in one of her father's films when she was eight years old, but her dreams were of the ballet rather than acting and it was while dancing in Paris that she was discovered by David Lean, who chose her for the role of Tonya in Doctor Zhivago.


Throughout the 1970s, Geraldine appeared in several of Robert Altman's films, as well as nine movies directed by Carlos Saura, with whom she has a son named Shane. While filming Welcome to L.A. in 1976, Geraldine was required to do a nude scene. Although she was perfectly comfortable doing the scene herself, director Alan Rudolph feared the loss of financing if the producers fell into disfavor with her world famous father, by embarrassing him prior to his death.


As such, the scene became one of the first experiments with digital compositing, positioning Chaplin's head on the body of a former Penthouse pet (!). Geraldine performed the scene in a nude body-stocking and it took almost an entire month, using antiquated production equipment, to digitally merge Chaplin's head with the body double.

Some of my favourite of Geraldine's performances can be found in Altman's Nashville (1975) and Pedro Almadovar's Talk to Her (2002), one of many foreign films in which Chaplin, who speaks fluent Spanish as well as French, has starred. In 1982, Geraldine played her real life grandmother Hannah in Chaplin, starring Robert Downey Jr., a role for which she received a best supporting actress Golden Globe.

In 2006, she married Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla, with whom she has a daughter, Oona. Geraldine now calls Miami, Florida home, where she has a house on the beach. The humble actress has been quoted as saying: "I thought it'd be easy to get into the movies as Charles Chaplin's daughter. And I suppose it was. Except I wasn't much good as an actress - really terrible at the beginning."

If you'd care to read the companion piece to this entry, please come visit Loose Leaf Tigers and celebrate the life and career of Dr. Zhivago's other star, the incomparable Julie Christie...

::Thank you so much to Tara and her wonderful readers for having me! xo

Calling Cards.

Do you use calling cards to promote your blog...or yourself? I have this nagging feeling that I should get calling cards, but I'm not even sure where to begin. Of course, the first place that came to mind was Etsy, and I do love this very simple, bold version by Modern Motive {I would get red type}. If you use cards, who do you give them to? When? Why? Wow, I'm just full of questions today, but self-promotion is rather new to me.

Any advice, my clever readers?

::By the way, I have a fantastic guest post from Heidi at Loose Leaf Tigers lined up for tomorrow...stay tuned!

Wet Plate Collodian Photographs

{photos by Robert Szabo}

If you've travelled anywhere in the midwest or southern United States, you have inevitably come across one of those wonderfully kitschy old-time photo booths. On a summer vacation many years ago, my sisters and I had our photos taken dressed as Southern Belles. There is just something so fun about imagining yourself as you might have been in another time, don't you think? I like to imagine I would have been a woman who lived on the fringe of society: A hooker with a heart of gold? A rogue girl-pirate who stole from the rich and gave to the poor?

Robert Szabo is a contemporary photographer that takes the idea of the old-time photo booth to the next level. He is one of the few photographers in the world who produces wet-plate collodian prints using much the same process as was used during the 1800's. There is just something so uncannily authentic about his work, partly due to his eye for historical detail and nuance. Let's face it, the vintage iPhone camera apps and the Bakamatsu Koshashin Antique Photo Generator are awesome toys, but there is just no comparison. I will officially be removing one of my items from the "101 Things to do before I Die" list and replacing it with: having my photograph taken as a dead Victorian corpse by Robert Szabo...or maybe a circus performer...or an eccentric countess. I'll need to narrow it down.

::Also, check out the amazing photos Anna over at Wildflowers:Pretty had taken by Robert!

Design Finds: Vintage Tally Cards

If you love vintage collectibles, but lack space and endless funds of money {like moi}, collecting paper ephemera can be an excellent option -- it's often reasonably priced and perfectly suited for framing and hanging. Over the years, I have collected vintage paint-by-numbers, postcards, and advertisements, to name a few.

I recently discovered the beauty of vintage tally cards -- these were popularly used for keeping score during Bridge parties and other social card games. Some of the designs are strikingly beautiful, particularly the ones from the early 20th century. I'm just imagining the interesting ways these could be put to decorating use: gift tags, Christmas tree ornaments, hung as wall displays, or simply framed...they would also be great for invitations, place cards, and party favors.

Etsy sellers Carmen and Ginger have an amazing selection; the art deco designs are particularly lust-worthy!

Weekend Links.

I can't even believe how quickly this week has flown by! I've actually been quite productive this week and hope the momentum will continue. What are your weekend plans? My mom postponed her trip to this Saturday, so I will be spending some time with her. I also have another round of wine-tasting to look forward to -- this time, the theme is Australian and New Zealand wines. Any recommendations??

I thought I would post this amazing video for you -- I was listening to Portishead's album Third today in the car, and remembered this eerie video I came across some time ago: a four-minute version of the 1960 horror film Les Yeux sans Visage set to Portishead's song Hunter. Chillingly beautiful.

Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the links!

::Just in time for November's political shenanigans, check out this fantastic {and funny} collection of political signs over at Yes and Yes.

::Blood Milk's JL Schnabel celebrates her one-year anniversary with her husband, and posts pictures from their ceremony at Philadelphia's Mutter Museum...yes, they were married at a museum of medical oddities. Coolest. Wedding. Ever.

::Sheaff Ephemera -- This endlessly addictive site houses image collections of everything from "extreme typography" to "people holding fish."

::I don't personally own...or even like...velvet paintings. But they do hold a tender place in my heart due to the fact that my grandmother had a giant velvet Last Supper of Christ painting hanging over her dining table when I was growing up. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure grandma would appreciate the velvet paintings at Velveteria.

:: One of the things on my "101 Things to Do before I Die List" happens to be to live in a house or apartment with a chandelier. I can't even begin to dissect the psychology behind my obsession with shiny, dangly things, so I will just say that this NotCot post featuring some of the gorgeous chandeliers at Versailles has me working overtime trying to figure out how to meet this goal...

Beuys: Coyote Crazy

{photo via FFFound}

I remember learning about Joseph Beuys in my contemporary art class in undergraduate. Beuys was a performance artist associated with the Fluxus movement in the 60's and 70's, and he did crazy stuff like locking himself in a room all day with a wild coyote, his only protection being a blanket and a wood cane. Sometimes the coyote would become aggressive...sometimes they just peacefully hung out. I remember thinking: OK, I can appreciate a lot of stuff, but this is just ridiculous...this is my limit of appreciation.

I have a degree in aesthetic studies now, and consider myself an art-lover with varied and broad tastes. But, I still cannot get past the idea of locking yourself in a room with a wild animal and expecting people to take you seriously. The one form of art I have never been able to come to terms with is performance art (*boo* *hiss* from the audience}. I just have this primitive, gut reaction to it: LAUGHTER. I had a colleague when I worked in New York that always tried to get me accompany her to performance art shows, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want to make her feel bad or degrade what she liked by turning her down, but I also didn't want to go and mortify her by laughing so hard that I snorted the free wine up my nose. I'm quite glad I never went with her, because she told me on one occasion that a performer had stuck a light bulb up her hoo-ha. But, I digress.

My point is: Do you ever feel this about something -- that you're supposed to like it but you just can't? What do you do? Do you just laugh unapologetically, or do you try and force yourself into appreciation?? What are your limits?