Saturday Night At The Movies: Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the story of a young Irish girl who leaves home for a new life in Brooklyn, New York when life seems to offer her nothing in her small Irish town.

Sick on the voyage across the ocean, terribly homesick as she struggles to adjust to life in a new country where she still seems to have nothing and noone, she meets a young man one night at a dance.

He's completely charming, and falls for her almost immediately.  Spending time with him and taking night classes at a local college give her confidence and a feeling of place.

A tragedy at home returns her to Ireland, where she doesn't reveal that she married her young man before leaving Brooklyn.

Everything she didn't have when she left home is suddenly presented to her.  With her bookkeeping certificate she has a temporary job.  She meets a young man she likes who has very good prospects.  She loves spending time with her friends and her mother.  Letters from America go unopened.

It seems she might leave the life she had in America behind to live this wonderful new life at home.

I haven't seen such a sweet movie in a very long time.  Saoirse Ronan is luminous in the role of Eilis Lacey.  The music, the costuming, the portrayal of life in the 40s, all just stunning.

Itsy Bits and Pieces: Top Five Things To Buy At Yard Sales This Year

From my Crafty Blogroll section, there's a post: Top Five Things To Buy At Yard Sales This Year from The Itsy Bits and Pieces Blog.  The post is part of a Blog Hop in which 14 different Yard Salers recommend things to look for this year.

Treasure hunters unite!  Many of the bloggers buy both for themselves and for fix-up and repair to sell.   Many things seem trendy and appear on multiple lists:  old luggage, old wooden ladders, baskets, things for the garden, vintage tablecloths and linens.

I personally haven't room for a new toothpick.  I have a million fun things but they aren't arranged appealingly.  I have no gift for hanging pictures or shelves.  Still!

Looking at all of the old trailers "glamped out" recently with vintage items has made me think of how pretty those things are. Maybe I could look for a few things for the garden and my shed.  This recent magazine certainly  feeds the dreamy vintage inspired garden decor beastie.

I need to seriously work on my refurbishing skills.  A bargain isn't a bargain if you never make it useable, right?

Waterlogue: Portraits and Gardening

I'm finding Waterlogue addictive.

I did a couple of people shots, including one in Black and White.  Then I found some garden pictures on my iPod, and I love how they came out.  Postcard pretty.

Wordless Wednesday: RV Storage Solutions

Waterlogue

Somehow this morning I went from trying to master Pinterest to finding an app called Waterlogue from a company called Tinrocket. It makes water colors from your photos.

Here's my first try:

Original

Waterlogue

I love how soft my beagle and her blanket look in the app version.  Her coloring in the app version is very sweet.

I wasn't sure I liked the way it renders people while in the app, but seeing the pictures side by side, I really like it.

Original

It is 3.99 on the App Store, very reasonable.  You can see below my first picture the "filter" options.

It looks as if I would need to get another copy for my laptop which has Windows 10 for another 3.99 in order to use it with older photographs I have in digital form.

Scamp Dreaming

Quite a few years ago, my husband, son and I borrowed my in-laws Scamp Trailer for a trip east to Wisconsin's House on the Rock, Circus World Museum,  and Wisconsin Dells. 

Those attractions were spectacular, and the entire trip was more fun and cozy for our having our own little home right with us.  We could bring anything we needed along to make the trip easier with a small child.

The only drawback was that this particular model had bunk beds and our son of course wanted to sleep on the top bunk.  I'm certain we tried to provide a barrier to keep him safely in place, but at about 3 am he fell out of the top bunk.  Uninjured, but it scared us all.  Bottom bunk after that with extra precautions!

I had always wanted to camp in a trailer, and by this time we had tired of tent camping, mostly for the cold, uncomfortable sleeping situation.

Although we loved the trip and the Scamp, for some reason we never borrowed it again.  All these years, though, I've pictured us traveling along with our Scamp.  Anywhere we want to go, taking our own time, cozy with our own little place.

My spouse has always been completely resistant to the idea, until recently, something cracked in his Grinchy little self. 

We decided we would like to try Road Trips as vacations rather than going by air, with all of the hassles and limitations involved.  Specifically, we thought following Route 66 from Chicago to California would be a great adventure. 

You might recall the old TV series Route 66 with Martin Milner and George Maharis.  I only recall it vaguely, but I liked the idea of just traveling along this fascinating route.

With an actual trip in mind, and thinking of the time involved and cost of hotels and restaurants, he began to consider the Scamp an option.  We both started researching different aspects of ownership and traveling without hotel stays.

For me, the eternal list maker, this opened a world of possibilities.   What to pack, how to store it most efficiently.  Recipes for cooking over a campfire! 

One of my favorite parts of any trip is making my packing list, with an emphasis in recent years on packing light.  Dreaming of making the most of storage space in a tiny camper, yet having everything you need to be self sufficient....I have been having the best time writing and revising my lists.

Dream With Me!

In our dreams, we're getting a 13 foot Scamp (the size my in-laws had).  There are two layouts available for this size.   One has the bunks up front, but that is wasted space for my husband and I.  We like layout 2 with a bathroom up front.

Note one of the blogs in my roll is called Happy Loves Rosie.  She had her own "vintage" 1952 camper which she decorated so charmingly.

Isn't it so sumptuous?  The vintage/retro decorations, the fabrics, the colors!  See how nicely that afghan fits in.  More motivation for me to work on my crochet projects in waiting.

Although she sold her caravan, (trailer for us non-UK sorts though caravan sounds more romantic), she is featuring the work of others who are refurbishing campers on her blog.  Read and dream!

With this sort of vision in my tiny head, as I was researching I came upon the concept of Glamping.  This is essentially bringing some glamor and bling to camping.  Decorating your camper with real style.  Even if we never get a camper, I am in love, and I'm going to look at pictures of adorable campers in a semi-dream state just forever.

From the Public Facebook Group  Glampers on the Loose

From the Facebook page Casita Divas & Other Fiberglass Eggs:

From the Facebook page Oh A Glamping and A Camping We Will Go:

From the Happy Hour Glampers Facebook page:

Back to my own modest Scamp Dream

We are going to rent a 16 ft Scamp this summer to see if we really like Scamping.  Assuming we love it, we would get our own baby and think of how to personalize it just starting out.

As you can see from the visions above, you can reupholster the seats in any fabric you'd like.  Upholstery isn't quite in my skillset yet so I'd pick the blue shade of upholstery from the factory.

My little sister said she'd make me new curtains if we get one. So I'd like some in a complimentary blue shade, perhaps something blue and white since many of the surfaces are white (I'm dead set against the "deluxe package" which adds wood to most surfaces, and somehow reminds me uncomfortably of a coffin.  Not what I'm looking for!)

We're going for the vinyl floor which seems much easier to clean than brown (ugh) carpet.  Add a cozy rug to that surface.

Add some decorative pillows for comfort and charm.

Make sure the bedding is a nice match, even though it is only out at night.  Inviting is the theme!

http://www.scamptrailers.com/

Saturday Night At The Movies: Mockingjay Part 2

Saturday night, popcorn, and the last of the Hunger Games films, that's the way to live.  Mostly it was nice to see the characters a final time.  Everyone of them was so well realized.  To think before it all began, I didn't like any of the choices for the actors.  Wrong once more.

Jennifer Lawrence is always wonderful to watch, but she has been transcendant in the role of Katniss Everdeen from her first moments on the screen.  Here she finishes her heroic journey and emerges triumphant.

That said, while the movie was full of nail biting scenes, explosions, and incredible effects, I thought that dramatically and emotionally it would have been best if Mockingjay had not been split into two films.

Random Thoughts:

President Snow-deliciously evil, though I don't like evil as a rule.  Bad, bad Evil.

Peeta!  Sweetheart of the world.  Great scenes where he just went nuts.

Gale in the books seemed to be more ardently bent on the any means necessary approach.  He had more conscience about his actions here.

Poor sweet Prim.

Julianne Moore's Alma Coin was silkily Evil.  She could seem so convincing.  I loved the moment when she met her arrow of doom.  Muahhahaha.

I had forgotten what the Mutts looked like.  Icky.  Reminiscent of something else I've seen lately, that I cant put my finger on.  Maybe something from Grimm.

Wordless Wednesday: Pink In The Garden