Raiders of the Lost Decor.

Friends, I am the Event Producer of the Texas Film Hall of Fame. Its certainly one of the coolest events in town and I am honored to work with the good folks at Austin Film Society for my fourth year. But more on that subject later...

With an event this large, the key to success is collaborating with fabulously creative minds.  Recently, the decor team (the awesome gals at Prototype Vintage Design) and I had the opportunity to stop by Strong Productions and take a tour of their decor warehouse.

Wow, wow and more wow, you know that last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark? The one where they store the ark's crate in that massive warehouse and realize there's a ton of mysteries of the world we'll never know about. Well, that's what Strong Events was kinda like. Amazing decor adventures stacked to the high heavens.

 Need one of these guys?

 By the way, those lions are huge.

 Leaning Tower of Pisa ended up here.

 

 You need this cool head for your Mardi Gras soiree.

 Bolts and bolts of fabric and drapery.

The elves working away. Notice that giant Roman statue in the back.

If you ever have a need for some very cool decor options, you must schedule an appointment at Strong Productions. You will not be disappointed. Ask for Kyle... and tell'um Celeste sent ya. Or better yet, hire me for your next event, and I'll go for you.

The Storyteller.

I adore stories. When I was a little girl, my dad would read fabulous stories to me every night. Somehow I think these stories helped to develop my passion for all things creative.

We read stories to our kids just about every night, but every now and then you gotta pop in a show on TV to buy yourself some time.  These days, I'm kinda disappointed for my girls and what's left of storytelling, particularly in kids' film and TV. Movies for youngsters are so loud, fast and annoying. It's no wonder why so many kiddos have attention deficit disorder. We, as a society, are absolutely blaring in our taste.

However, I have stumbled upon a wonderful series of the past called "The Storyteller".  It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created by the fabulous Jim Henson and developed by Anthony Minghella.

You gotta check it out. 

The images are wild and the storytelling is superb. 

Perfect for the kid in all of us.

It doesn't get much better than curling up on the sofa with your kid and enjoy explaining an old European folktale or Greek mythology. And it certainly beats the heck out of being the victim of a loud, green space alien guinea pig that plays an electric guitar. 

PS: Some may be a little scary or advanced for the average 5 year old, but most episodes certainly peak their interest. (But heck, I heard all kinds of Brothers Grimm fairy tales when I was little and it was fun to be scared!)

graham williams

Just utter the name "graham williams" to any music nerd in this town, and they know who he is. The guy who booked Emo's for 10 years. You know, the dude who founded FUNFUNFUN FEST and Transmission Entertainment. The dude who came up with the whole concept of FREE WEEK on the Red River music turf. The most under-stated, level-headed, non-animal eating, non-drug doing and alcohol-free dude out there in the music world.

To me, he'll always be my little brother. The one who couldn't stand the smell of bacon in the morning. The one who was reading noam chomsky at a very, very young age. The one who could shimmy up any pole on the playground. The one who totally got on my nerves when I was a teenager. The one I bailed out when he got caught stealing at Tower Records. The one who fell madly, truly, deeply in love with his soul-mate at 21 years old and had the balls to marry her six months later.

That's the one.

(pic taken in Guatemala)

(pic taken in Virginia)

(pic taken in Texas)

(pic taken on top of the world.)

Well, thanks for being my brother. 

I couldn't have picked a better one to look up too, literally and figuratively!

happy birthday (weekend), little brother! You are so loved.

can I live here?

don't ask me how many times I've seen Lord of the Rings.
but this ain't no ordinary Shire.

 living room.

oh my gosh. 

Real people built and live in this real house. 

I love them.

learn more about this incredible project.

I am a spice girl.

I love the allure of spice.

Faraway lands growing exotic flavors. Little tiny jars filled with yummy tastes and smells. Beautiful earth-colored dust that adds magic to cakes, coffees and cookies.  The seeds of ancient plants in brown paper packets...

Spice is the mystical dust that makes mere cooking become alchemy.  And once you are hooked on the art of cooking, you have to figure out where to get the ingredients to cast your spell.  Well rest assured, we can all become attempt to become a magician in the kitchen with Austin's new Savory Spice Shop.

I've been wondering to get Grains of Paradise.

Thank goodness I've finally found them.

 These little pink peppercorns are kinda sweet and super savory.
Gotta try them whole.

 Neil Young must have stopped here before he wrote Cinnamon Girl because this stuff is the bomb.

 

 

Hope to see ya on the exotic aisle.

OUT LOUD.

I wish I had a Master's Degree.

I remember graduating with my BFA in Studio Art and thinking, "When I leave this playground of intellectual self-absorption, I must return someday." But alas, life has taken its twists and turns, and I haven't found my way back to the glorious land of Academia.

Well, thank sweet baby Jesus for podcasts. Now I can walk around my neighborhood and tune out South Austin suburbia, and plug in to endless conversations, dialogues and interviews that cover every subject under the sun. (That's what I enjoyed most about school anyway.)

However, all podcasts are not created equally. And it's easy to become totally overwhelmed if you take a gander on Itunes. Well, no worries, my friends. I have done some of the legwork for you.

Allow me to introduce you to the New Yorker's OUT LOUD. It's a weekly conversation about what’s new in The New Yorker, hosted by Blake Eskin. For roughly 14 minutes per podcast, you can enjoy some of the most fascinating little chats ranging from the rise of extreme beer... to African merchants in China... to the enduring appeal of vampires, or even the investigation of a gang of Balkan jewel thieves. It's awesome.

Find 14 minutes of intellectual heaven here.

Feel free to thank me after you've listened to a few. 

sisters of the black moon.

These Texas-based stylists are beyond delicious. From their goddess-like poses, to their incredible wardrobe collection, to who they choose to collaborate with... these chicas are seriously on top of their game. I want to take their portfolio, proudly storm Anna Wintour's office and say, "Step off, Manhattan. These gorgeous and talented ladies got it going on! Right here in the ATX."

Sisters of the Black Moon, 

thank you for inspiring me so very much. 

Can I be like a distant cousin or something?

And, GIANT shout-out to Alexandra Valenti for the photography and who just took fotos of The Husband for his latest music project. I would like to continue shouting for Laura Kaulalaau who did make-up and Danann Patrick who did hair and those fabulous headdresses. 

I was so born in the seventies.

PS: If you too want to become a sister of the black moon,
you can at least check out their killer Ebay store here.