Top Movies of All Time according to IMDB ~ #17 Goodfellas (1990)

Apparently I love gangster movies.  Of course this another one that was shot back in the day when we didn't have to see all the gory details.  Most were just suggested.  Ray Liotta  plays Henry Hill, a quiet young boy who gets involved in the mob and works his way up through the ranks.  When drug addiction and a couple of mistakes torpedoes his career he decides to not be so quiet.

Goodfellas is a movie that typecast so many actors as mobsters for the rest of their acting careers.

Academy Awards, USA 1991

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Joe Pesci
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Irwin Winkler
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Lorraine Bracco
	Best Director Martin Scorsese
	Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Nicholas Pileggi Martin Scorsese
	Best Film Editing Thelma Schoonmaker

2017 Craft Space Organization Challenge Take 2 ~ Challenge #7

So how did you make out with Challenge #6.  I'm not a huge fibre user on my pages so I was pretty sure this was an easy challenge for me.  It was fun re-discovering just how much pretty ribbon, floss and washi tape I actually have.

Are you ready for Challenge #7?

Embellishments are some of the easiest things to buy.  Everything looks so good, and you really believe you NEED everything!  Embellishments are also one of the supplies most affected by trends.  Careful consideration is really needed here.

It's also important to find a system that will help you store all of your embellishments in a way that won't overwhelm you, yet also is visible enough that you don't forget to USE them.  

Let's S.P.A.C.E. them.

SORT: As always, bring all of your embellishments together.  Touch every piece that you have and ruthlessly sort through them, deciding what to KEEP, TOSS, SELL, DONATE

PURGE: Immediately throw out the TOSS pile. Bag up and assign a price and your initials to the SELL pile, and put them in the garage sale box. Set up a drop-off or pick-up of the DONATE pile.

ASSIGN: Sort through the KEEP pile in a way that makes sense to you.  Some ideas for sorting your embellishments

1) by category (buttons, brads, alphabets, charms, etc.)

2) by colour

3) by manufacturer

4) by type (metal, acrylic)

5) by theme

CONTAINERIZE: Now that you've decided how to sort your embellishments, the next step is decided how to store them, and how to label them!  Research online will give you great ideas. Talking to other crafters may give you an idea what worked for them.

EQUALIZE: take a few minutes at the end of each scrapping session, when you return from a crop, or return from a shopping trip to put your embellishments away where they belong.

Aylmer, ON ~ Howe's Farm Market

On our recent road trip our first stop was at Steed & Company Lavender and our second stop was to Howe's Farm Market.  

www.howefamilyfarms.ca

The store is so clean, attractive, and well-stocked.  We needed nothing and yet still managed to make a few purchases.  The staff were extremely personable and helpful.  Thoroughly enjoyed this stop.

Top Movies of All Time according to IMDB ~ #16 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

This is one of my favourite scenes from the movie.  I had seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest many many many years ago so I decided to give it another go.  I think even more of it now than I originally did.  



Jack Nicholson plays McMurphy, who wrangled a trip from the prison farm to a mental institution for an assesment.  McMurphy was sure he would have an easier time finishing out his sentence at the hospital.  I'm not going to state that McMurphy was or was not mentally ill when he arrived but, because of his rebellious behaviour, he was treated as ill.  The end of the movie was so sad and yet so powerful.  It does not surprise me that this movie won so many awards.

Academy Awards, USA 1976

Won Oscar	Best Picture Saul Zaentz Michael Douglas 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' became the first film in 41 years to sweep the major categories ... More
	Best Actor in a Leading Role Jack Nicholson
	Best Actress in a Leading Role Louise Fletcher
	Best Director Milos Forman
	Best Writing, Screenplay Adapted From Other Material Lawrence Hauben Bo Goldman
Nominated Oscar	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Brad Dourif
	Best Cinematography Haskell Wexler Bill Butler
	Best Film Editing Richard Chew Lynzee Klingman Sheldon Kahn
	Best Music, Original Dramatic Score Jack Nitzsche

Book Review: Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell

It's been a while since I've done a book review.  Not that I quit reading or anything like that.  

I just finished Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell last night.  I think it may have been the cause of two nights of insomnia . . . LOL.  It is very exciting and swashbuckling with really well portrayed characters.  Each character is really well developed and I love their individual quirks.

The main character is Rider Sandman, a rich man's son, a retired soldier, and hero of Waterloo.  When his comfortable life is taken from him he must find new means to support himself, his mother, and his sister.  He arrives in London to find employment and becomes a special investigator hired to make sure that the artist due to hang for the murder of a Countess is guilty.

I recommend this book but suggest that you don't read it if you need to sleep.  It is a definite page turner.

Top Movies of All Time according to IMDB ~ #15 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

What can I say that I didn't say in the last two Lord of the Rings reviews?  The costumes and backgrounds and CGI and scenery and imagination . . . all epic . . . as befits an epic movie like The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers.

Academy Awards, USA 2003

Won Oscar	Best Sound Editing Ethan Van der Ryn Mike Hopkins
	Best Visual Effects Jim Rygiel Joe Letteri Randall William Cook Alex Funke
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Barrie M. Osborne Fran Walsh Peter Jackson
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Grant Major (art director) Dan Hennah (set decorator) Alan Lee (set decorator)
	Best Film Editing Michael Horton
	Best Sound Christopher Boyes Michael Semanick Michael Hedges Hammond Peek

Sparta ON ~ Steed & Company Lavender

How do you stay indoors on a beautiful fall-ish day?  

We can't so Hubby and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon on a road trip around the Aylmer area.  I can't get over how much there is to see and do in this neck of the woods.

Our first stop was to Steed and Company Lavender.  It is a very beautiful property.  I would have enjoyed walking the paths but Dear Hubby has a "thing" about bugs.  We did enjoying ourselves in their little store.  Everything was beautiful and fragrant, and the edibles were very tasty.  Hal made sure of that.

We really enjoyed the gardens and beautiful water feature.

Everything smelled so wonderful . . . 

. . . or tasted so good.

The young lady who assisted us was very competent and friendly.  I love great customer service.  We ended up buying lavender honey, pillow spray and a large bundle of dried lavender.   

Steed and Company Lavender is located at 47589 Sparta Line, Sparta ON.  They are open from Mother's Day until Christmas and the hours are Wednesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday noon until 4 pm.  www.steedandcompany.com