Vicki Batman's Blog, page 66

The beauty of RED! on Handbag Monday #fashion #accessories #MFRWorg

Handbag MondaySo what do you peruse on the internet when you have down time? I scroll through eBAY and ETSY for handbags. Recently, I discovered this one: 



RED!!! caught my eye. I am a huge red fan and have many handbags in that color. 
This is a red vinyl handbag, size 14 x 14. The lining is red and white striped and is stamped with the Ingber logo and Made in the USA. There are pockets inside as well. The unique handles caught my eye. Instead of being attached, they are an integral part of the handbag. Sold!
From the internet, I found this information about the company: Ingber & Company was founded by brothers, Issac and David Ingber in 1903.  One of their carpet bags was featured in the movie Around the World in Eighty Days, starring David Niven. Their designs were also featured in Marjorie Morningstar starring Natalie Wood. The company was based in Philidelphia and had a showroom in New York City.
Ingber & Company is an example of the American Dream made real by one family’s labor and creativity. During the sixties, designs were geared towards hard leather bags, such as the Kelly bag. The company closed in 1966. Their designs are highly collectible because of their beauty and quality craftsmanship.
FMI: https://vintagenorth.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/ingber-co/

I specifically went back to ETSY and eBAY and googled Ingber. There, I found many delightful designs, some of which may intrigue you to check them out.
What is your favorite handbag color?

@VickiBatman - The artwork of #LittleGoldenBooks , an exhibit #MFRWorg #RLFblog #childrensbooks

As the self-appointed cultural guide in my family, I’m always looking for something for us to do. An ad in my local paper’s weekend section featured an exhibit coming to town entitled: Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 years of Little Golden Books.  I had to go. I read and owned several of these books when I was little and even bought them for my sons.  I had to take advantage of this enriching opportunity and take Handsome. Handsome was reluctant. But I plied him with his favorite hamburger and off we went. Disapointed?  Heck, no!

The exhibition presented the most extensive public showing ever of original illustration art from the Little Golden Books which celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2007.  (I apologize for glare on some photos.)

In 1942, the Little Golden Books were made available at very affordable prices—initially 25cents. Some of the artists included Garth Williams, Feodor Rojankovsky, Tibor Gergely, Gustaf Tenggren, Martin Provensen, J. P. Miller, and Mary Blair (think Disney’s It’s a Small World!). Other artists from America were Eloise Wilkin, Elizabeth Orton Jones, Richard Scarry, and Hilary Knight.







These books changed publishing forever. Not only did wehave the beloved and familiar books, we had various formats like records, tapes, videos, toys and games. 
Stories covered nature and science, the Bible, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales. Christmas titles are popular every year. Many old titles, which are still available, show the strong nostalgia appeal of Little Golden Books. The first twelve books are:  
Three Little Kittens  Bedtime Stories Mother Goose Prayers for Children The Little Red Hen Nursery Songs The Alphabet from A to Z The Poky Little Puppy The Golden Book of Fairy Tales Baby's Book of Objects The Animals of Farmer Jones This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes

For a list of the 800 Little Golden Book titles, go here: LGB list

As Handsome and I wandered through the exhibit, we found many selections we remembered from our childhood: The Pokey Little Puppy, Tootle, Home for a Bunny. The art work was truly amazing.   Did you have Little Golden Book/s when you were little?

author @VickiBatman - Annoying? Going crazy? Why me? #MFRWorg #RLFblog #plottingprincesses

 

I know many of you have been in predicaments or situations where you toss your hands in the air and go Why? Why? Why?

So here's mine:
 Can you tell what it is? Socks! Yes, socks drive me crazy. And matching socks is my least favorite thing to do. I had two loads to fold--darks and lights--and every time I tackle this task, I save the socks for last. They always look like a never-ending mess to me. But I pick through and begin matching the dots, then the ones Handsome wears--ribs with the red at the top, the white Thorlos I wear to workout, and finally, what is left over. And without a doubt, there are two to three singletons without a mate. I suppose I could leave them in one big wad and shove in a drawer. However, we all know being organized works faster. That's why there are pens and pencils standing neatly in a mug. The chips sorted together in the pantry. The varieties of tea in a bin on a shelf. Besides, my mom would be appalled.  What mundane every day thing drives you crazy or is annoying like matching socks?        When Hattie Cooks is written a citation by a cop she knows, she has revenge on her mind, but settles for M&Ms. Find Temporarily Employed at: Amazon   

.@VickiBatman - author Marianne Rice w a bag of Mommy Love #MFRWorg #RLFblog #fashion

Handbag Mondaywelcomes author, Marianne Rice, who writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. When she's not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children, and when there's time, relaxing with fancy drinks and a great read.
 I have to admit, I’m more of a shoe slut than a handbag ho. However, now that my children no longer require me to carry around snacks, wipes, and diapers, I’ve been able to invest in some Mommy Love. I only have one awesome handbag…my Coach purse. It’s pretty, simple and holds everything I need. Inside my lovely purse I have a snakeskin Coach wallet, four different flavored tubes of Chapstick, a bottle of Advil and a not-so-secret stash of chocolate and mints, with just enough room for my Kindle. Because a  
He’s got to make the riskiest play of his life to get her to fall in love again …
 Find False Start at:   http://bit.ly/FalseStart
Find Marianne at:  http://facebook.com/Mariannericeauthor Thank you, Marianne, for sharing with us on Handbag Monday!
 

@VickiBatman - to sequel or not? The SECOND Best Exotic Marigold Hotel #movie #retirement

* Movie Mom *
I loved the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and when I heard a sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, was coming--woohoo! 

Sadly, my paper (who gives the hardest ratings of all humankind to movies) gave it a C. Did not matter to me. I went anyway and was DELIGHTED!


The Second Marigold has our cast settled into jobs, life, and an approaching marriage; however, the hotel is bursting at the seams and the only solution: open a second hotel. The cast is features an ensemble cast featuring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Tamsin Greig, Tena Desae, Dev Patel, Lillete Dubey, David Strathairn, and Richard Gere.

The acting was smooth as always with Maggie Smith getting great lines and a tear-jerker ending. And maybe that was the reviewer's problem. He wanted more mystery instead of just a nice story about people. 

I liked it and have spread the word because reviewing is subjective. And what one person likes, another may or may not. Many people like sci-fi.  I'm not a sci-fi person (yes, adore Star Wars); so I tend to avoid those. 

FMI: Wikipedia

Are there film genres you prefer over others? Do you always follow someone else's reviews when choosing what to watch? 

#gifts from the heart #MFRWorg #embroidery #needlework #crochet

Crafty gal

I made a pledge, even wrote down seven items, after the first of the year. Not really resolutions, just things I wanted done. One included was to clean up my needlepoint projects. Like many of you, I suffer from the "pretties" - I want that, and that, and that. LOL

Many years ago, we lived in another neighborhood and made close friends with a seventy something woman two doors down. She saw me embroidering and said she wanted to pick it up too. The whole idle hands thingy. So I took her to the craft store, loaded her up with cuptowels, pillowcases, transfers, needles and thread. 

In her early nineties, she moved to Pennyslvania to be closer to her brothers' families. However, before she left, she gave me things and one was a bag of embroidery projects. I'd stashed it with the needlepoint and when I found a day to declutter, I opened the bag. Lo and behold, there was a finished set of pillowcases. 

Not quite finished though. They needed an edging. I visited with my mom who I knew had a bunch of things from my grandmother. She didn't abide by idle hands either. We combed through mom's collection and found this:





I feel very lucky in that I have something stitched by my friend and something fashioned by my grandmother:




Do you received handmade goodies from friends and family?



Something Vicki Batman handmade is a book, a romantic comedy mystery, Temporarily Employed. For a good laugh, go to: Amazon

Jerrie Alexander's hubby is exceptional; see on #handbag Monday #MFRWorg #RLF blog #fashion #accessories

~Handbag Monday~welcomes author, Jerrie Alexander!

Hi Vicki! Thanks for inviting me over to chat about my brand new bag. I'm really hard to please when it comes to purses, so this new addition to my closet was well received.



This Laurel Burch bag was a Christmas present from my wonderful husband. Okay, full disclosure; he had my help when it came to selection. :) I stumbled across a two day sale on Zulily.com and fell in love with the styles and sizes offered. The construction is very sturdy, but the bright colors and fun design won me over!  

I've needed something large enough to carry swag at book conferences, yet, serviceable enough to haul towels, sun block, and sunshades for vacation on a warm, white sand beach.

Thanks for having me over. 

Hi, Jerrie, and love having you show off your Christmas present! What an exceptional man. And isn't it rare to see a handbag with a painting on it?


Catherine McCoy lands in small-town Texas and meets Sheriff Matt Ballard, he ignites a flame she thought lost forever.

Find Jerrie at: Facebook
Find The Green-Eyed Doll at: Amazon

#Oscars over & let's talk #shortfilms #movie #MFRWorg

Movie Mom 
The Oscars are over and there's a winner. After seeing a program on short films last fall, Handsome and I were very excited when one of our favorite theaters showed the 2015 short live action films. 

They are:

Boogaloo and Graham by Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney: Jamesy and Malachy are presented with two baby chicks to raise by their soft-hearted father.







Butter Lamp by Hu Wei and Julien Feret : A photographer and his assistant photograph the inhabitants of a remote Tibetan village.



Parvaneh by Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger : An Afghan teenager living in a refugee center in Switzerland encounters difficulties wiring money to her family and asks a young Swiss woman for help.






The Phone Call by Mat Kirkby and James Lucas: A woman working for a crisis center phone line receives a call from a suicidal older man.
View Trailer /▶




Aya by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis : A young woman waiting at an airport has an unexpected encounter with an arriving passenger.View Trailer /▶


Don't underestimate how fabulous short films are. All were distinctive and very well done. We picked The Phone Call, although Aya was very good. Parvaneh has me worrying like a mother. The Butter Lamp was very interesting and cute. Boogaloo and Graham was hiliarious. 


FMI: oscar link

I know a lot of theaters don't show these. Do you get to watch short films?

I'm #crafting for me - #needlepoint pillows ! #MFRWorg #RLFblog #decorating

Crafty gal
Last fall, I was perusing a stitchery catalog and ran across two simple pillows to stitch in bargello. The kits came with yarn, albeit acrylic which is okay as sometimes, wool makes my eyes itch. I'd been wanting to try something like this and determined the colors would look wonderful in my family room. Here's what I began with:











This triangle pattern went so quickly. I finished and here she is:


Then I moved on to this beauty (shown before finished):












I had so much trouble with this one. The canvas was printed and didn't exactly start on the right spot. I did several rows and was a bit troubled as I had to count. Once the rhythm of the counting felt comfortable, I was able to continue with little trouble. Here is the final fabrication: 
I love how the coral in each pillow gives a pop of color to the room. 

What kind of crafting projects are you working on right now?

Look who discovered The Esse Purse Museum! #MFRWorg #RLFblog #fashion #accessories

Handbag MondayMany of my friends know of my love for all things handbags. Some have gifted me with treasures. Some have been on my blog and shown theirs. Recently, a friend asked me if I’d heard of the Esse Purse Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

I hadn’t! So I googled the museum and perused the website. I found many enjoyable things to comment on. I landed on the contact us button and traded an email and phone call with Laura Cartwright Hardy from Public Relations. Here’s what I found out:
Esse Purse Museum began with Anita Davis who had been collecting handbags for thirty years. She had done many travel museum exhibits, but wanted to recurate her collection in a permanent home. This she did in Little Rock, Arkansas in a former candy/cigarette building which she renovated. Laura told me there are only three handbag museums in the world and only one in the U.S.-the Esse Purse Museum. Esse comes from the Latin “to be” which translates nicely into women’s essence in handbags. The museum showcases handbags from 1900 to 1999. Each decade is featured in a case. Four specialty cases include: skins, evening, travel, and philosophy. The next temporary exhibit, which opens March 7, will be an antique button collection.
FMI: http://essepursemuseum.com/about-esse/
Esse Museum Shop: http://essepursemuseum.lightspeedwebstore.com/the-store
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EssePurseMus... to have some handbag fun? How about submitting your handbag for The ESSE Purse Project? As the museum says, “we believe you can get a feel for a woman’s personality through the contents of her purse, as well as from the purse itself. What story does your purse hold and tell? Are you willing to share that story with the world, anonymously or proudly proclaimed?


From the website, here’s how to participate: send a clear, medium resolution photo (no whopper files, please) to essepursemuseum@gmail.com with the subject line “ESSE Purse Project.” Make sure the photo includes your purse and its contents artfully displayed (feel free to censor/omit embarrassing or identifying contents).Please specify whether you want to share your full name, first name, city – or some other category such as age, job title, mother of three. But if you want to be totally anonymous, that’s fine, too. Please also include this statement:  “I give The ESSEntial Blog full permission to use this photo.”
I’m intrigued! And ready for a road trip!! Who’s in?