Fabulous Fridays: 16 December 2011

If you're restive for the festive season, take a break, chill and have some fun...

• Stolen Sharpie Revolution 2 arrived in the mail earlier this week Hurrah!!! It's tiny, but info-packed. Absolutely recommended if you dream of releasing your own zine.
• Seth from The O.C. explains Jewish-Christian super-holiday, Chrismukkah. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
• Wanna spread seasonal cheer in a totally morbid way? Then Goth Christmas cards are just the ticket.
• Like girly-girl pastels and sweet little Japanese motifs? Don't miss the Drop Dead Cute blog. I can't get enough!
• I'm not usually a rev-head, but this little pink ride is molto bella.
• One of the best TV shows EVER, It's a Knockout. They've even brought it back, 2011-style. Hooray!!!
• How to look like a total muppet... in a good way: OPI's Muppet collection of nail polishes. My pick: glittery Rainbow Connection.
• Did you read Two-Minute Mysteries as a kid? If not, what were you doing with your time??? I loved 'em.
• If they give a (transgender) man bountiful boobs, imagine how these bras could enhance your cleavage. Clever.
• I would be a much more enthusiastic cook if Christopher Walken taught me.
• My childhood book addiction (well, one of many) is now a series of graphic novels. The Baby-Sitters Club never looked so hip!
• A visual guide to making Christmas stockings. Easy enough even for me!

Merry Chrismukkah!

Fabulous Fridays: 9 December 2011

When I'm not busy riding camels and dressing in cherry-red Dorothy-from-Oz shoes, I'm scouring the web for the best and brightest picks...

• Roxette's "Almost Unreal" definitely does that hocus pocus to me, although the Super Mario video clip weirds me out!
• The funkiest tutorial ever for making pop-up cards at The Hairpin. OMFG!
• Finally the world has come around to my view on Miranda Kerr.
• ... And on a related note -- the decline of the western world can all be linked back to her (check out the pic). Thought-provoking.
• What I'll be cooking this week: chicken a la king. My dance teacher's from South Africa and apparently it's a fave over  there. I'll give it a go.
• Don't mess with these elf sheilas, they're packing heat!
• How to go from self-published to a big publishing deal. Yes please, where do I sign up???
• A truly splendid blog celebrating vintage style: The Crafty Minx.
• Dr Cox is the funniest lovable bastard in the history of TV. Enjoy.
• Borrowed from the library, but now on my wish list: The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home. Your granny will be proud when you start whipping up the jams and chutneys. : )
• Although nothing can beat the LEGO one we bought last Xmas, these 24 advent calendars to make come mighty close.

TGIF, folks. Have a good one! ; )

I Met a Published Author...

 



I had a chance meeting on the weekend...

Two gal pals and I visited a nearby seaside town. Among the festivities (swimsuit shopping, eating eggplant schnitzels and riding camels in true Sex and the City fashion), we stepped into a local bookshop. There, a man politely introduced himself as an author and asked if he could talk to us briefly about his book.

Now, normally I'm not so much for people giving me unsolicited sales talks, but I was in slightly less standoffish holiday mode, plus I was intrigued by this guy being a fellow writer, so I said yes to hearing the spiel. I'm so glad I did.

His name is Dave Bell; his book, The gardener's guide to Growing Money Trees. While I'm not squarely in his target audience (being neither a keen plant rearer nor very money-minded), he had a fascinating story about how he decided to write his book.

You see, he was on a surfing trip when a powerline narrowly missed slicing through the minivan he was in and decapitating him. Cue life flashing before eyes and re-evaluating what was important in his life and what he really wanted to achieve. In the words of every movie character Keanu Reeves ever played, "Whoaaaaaaaaa...".

He decided to create a book he'd never seen before, one that looks at the big concepts in life and through beautiful photographs of nature and clever captions, gets us to gently chuckle at the nature of our existence. I'm all for books spreading positivity, so I thought it was cool.

What also impressed me about Dave was his willingness to answer the fledgling writer questions I threw at him left, write and centre (ho ho!). They pretty much came out in a stream of "how did you find a publisher - who was the publisher - how did you approach them - did you write a press release - what was your marketing plan - how did you set up your web site...". He even gave me a copy of his marketing email to businesses who might wish to purchase his book as a corporate gift. Very, very cool.

His book has been featured on TV, he's done radio interviews and he also showed us photos on his iPhone of celebrities he'd met and presented with his book at their own book signings, including Jamie Durie and Jane Fonda. He was definitely pro-active about marketing his own book, to the point where he visited local bookstores and introduced himself to strange hell-raising chicks who smelled vaguely like camel. Kudos.

Have you ever had a chance meeting (or near-miss with a powerline) that inspired you?

What Magazines Do to P*ss Me Off

While I'm a total mag hag and can't devour enough glossies, occasionally they get on my bad side. Here's how (warning: my swear bear rating is high-extreme today)...

1.   "Hot or Not" Galleries:
Gossip rags can't get enough of overanalysing and then cattily commenting on celebrity red carpet outfits. Lampooning a person's look, no matter how famous they are, is vicious and demeaning. Stop it.

2.   Fat Roll-ercoaster:
Declaring a starlet is fat because she gained a couple of kilos, then decrying her as anorexic in the next issue when she loses weight is so not cool. Tiresome and unimaginative.

3.   Word Abuse:
I can't stand the gross overuse of terms like "fashionista", "must-have", and my particular peeve, "eclectic". I know I'm guilty of repetition as well -- I use "love" every other sentence -- but I figure what better word to have on high rotation?

4.   Badvertising:
I get it. Mags need to make money to survive. I just wish they would occasionally take $$ from companies with better environmental, animal rights and sweat shop labour records. You know, for a refreshing change.

5.   The Yearly Body Image Issue:
While I applaud your commitment to representing women of all shapes and levels of fleshiness, it's not really a "commitment" if you dare to be different only one month of the year now, is it? How about throwing some plus-size models into your fashion stories every issue without all the fanfare and self-congratulation and see if anyone complains or even notices their hideous curves and lack of protruding collarbones? I double dare you.

6.   Steal Appeal:
I'm sorry, but an $800 skirt is only a "steal" if you're Winona Ryder and actually theft it out of Saks Fifth Avenue. Take your bullsh*t marketing spin elsewhere. It may be lovingly hand-spun by Tibetan chipmunks from the silky testicle hairs of the rare golden bullfrog, but it's STILL... JUST... A... SKIRT!!! F*ck off, I'm not buying.

Okay, enough negativity. Let's talk about those fine folks who get it right. They're my fave reads for a reason. : )

Here's why I love...

Peppermint:
Notably free from badvertising, this fashion mag features handmade, ethical finds without compromising on wow factor. It's the perfect read for wanna-be hippies who prefer the smell of Chanel No 5 to patchouli or incense (yuck!). If you haven't already, try one issue and I guarantee you'll be hooked!

Shop Til You Drop:
It's been criticised as a glorified catalogue, but Shop is fun, friendly and relatable. Forget $800 skirts, Shop will point you in the direction of variously-priced clothes and accessories, most of which your bank manager would approve. Regular column, "On the Plus Side" by Megan Moir Pardy, gives style advice from a curvy girl's perspective. Love.

Marie Claire:
Making it chic to give a sh*t about important issues like homelessness, global women's rights, war, racism and poverty, Marie Claire has weathered the highs and lows of magazine publishing industry for a reason -- its quality reportage. Mix that with ever-hot fashion that rises above petty outfit assassination and worrying about which star has lost 10 pounds and you have a winning fashion mag formula. Hooray!


Have I included your glossy gripes on the list? Which magazines have your vote for doing the right thing?

Fabulous Fridays: 2 December 2011

Before my little jaunt to the seaside, I bring you the most fabulous of this Friday...

• Candace Bushnell, creator of my beloved Carrie Bradshaw, had her birthday yesterday. Wish her many happy returns!
• Doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook this week... Two Lesbians Raised a Baby. Powerful stuff.
• Love it: A Brewing Mind blog -- non-daggy DIY crafts and inspiration.
• I'm considering choreographing a dance to Ms Aguilera's Candyman tune. It could be very sexy-cute. Whatcha reckon?
• Mr Big bought me a little pressie... the Aliens Omnibus. Yes, that's sci-fi movie + comic books, but a female protagonist totally works it back from nerdiness, right?!
• The more I see politics, the more I think Yes Minister was understating its absurdity.
• I'm not really down with the small-pleated skirts in fashion right now, but this one's a bit special.
• I adore anything that springs from Jane Espenson's mind and fingertips, so I'm keen to give Husbands a go.
• Not for the claustrophobic -- Tiny House Blog.
• Here's some ideas for my bucket list and yours too. Learning graffiti and finding Nemo look like excellent goals for starters...
• I don't think you're ready for this jelly. Silly, but satisfying!

A sunny farewell, sea you next time! ; )