And Here Are A Few Of My Favorite Britcoms To Brighten Up Your Weekend!

Salve Omni!

And a very happy Labor Day weekend to you, Dear Reader!

I hope your long weekend will be filled with good food, great friends, a plethora of alcoholic beverages, and lots of leisure and relaxation – with emphasis on the relaxation bit (although alcoholic beverages are great for relaxation too)!  This weekend, I plan to do a great amount of relaxing myself, and I am looking forward to watching some great TV programs with my husband.  For those of you with a little rest and relaxation in mind, I’ve got a few TV viewing suggestions from across the pond, which will surely brighten up your weekend!

I will gladly admit…I do watch an astonishingly-large amount of British comedy in a week’s time.  I do love my British programming – murder mysteries, historical dramas, documentaries, etc., but there is just something so enjoyable about watching Britcoms.  They just put me in such a great mood!  And there are so many different types of comedies to watch and enjoy!

Now I can’t guarantee that all of the Britcoms I will list will be available for purchase or download in the U.S. (some are rather old), but I’m sure that you can find full episodes or clips on YouTube.  So, without further ado, put on your favorite loungewear, brew up a lovely pot of tea, grab some yummy tea biscuits/cookies/cakes/scones and clotted cream, and enjoy! 

Here are a few of my favorites:

v  The Black Adder (Series 1-4)

v  Are You Being Served?

v  Fawlty Towers

v  Keeping Up Appearances

v  Absolutely Fabulous

v  Goodnight Sweetheart

v  Waiting for God

v  Chef!

v  As Time Goes By

v  Miranda

v  Red Dwarf

v  To the Manor Born

v  Coupling

v  Outnumbered

v  The Thin Blue Line

v  One Foot in the Grave

v  Only Fools and Horses

v  Mr. Bean

v  The Young Ones

v  Up Pompeii!

v  ‘Allo ‘Allo

v  Good Neighbors

v  Not Going Out

Now, if your spirits have been lifted after watching any of the shows suggested, you are most welcome!  If you did not find anything funny about any of these shows, then I’m afraid you must be a robot, and I don’t understand how you can’t find anything enjoyable about having a good laugh.

What are some of your favorite Britcoms?  Send me your suggestions…I would love to hear from you! 

Happy weekend!

 

 

When did the Art of Cosplay Become so Exclusive?

Salve Omni!

And a Happy Monday to you, Dear Reader! 

Today, I would like to rant a bit regarding one of my personal con pet-peeves.  As a frequenter of cons such as the Dallas Comic-Con, Dallas Sci-Fi Expo, Dallas Comic-Con:  Fan Days, and A-Kon (Dallas anime convention), one of my favorite things to do (other than shop for that one-of-a-kind objet de geek in the vendor room) is to check out all of the cosplay going on.  I love dressing up in costume, and I would love to cosplay (whenever I get the patience to construct an awesome costume), and I admire those guys and gals who wear their costumes gladly and represent their favorite characters, shows, films, etc.  What a great feeling it must be to don the garments and become the character, and to be amongst those who appreciate what you do…or do they?  Cosplay is supposed to be fun?  Right?  So when did the joy of doing something that brings one joy, become so exclusive?

I was reminded of one of my biggest pet-peeves when it comes to con cosplay, while watching last week’s episode of the new TV show, Heroes of Cosplay, on the SyFy Channel.  If you ask me, this show should be renamed, “The Divas of Cosplay”!  This week, the regulars to the professional cosplay circuit welcomed the newbie, Chloe, who actually hosts a show that is all about cosplay.  In the beginning of the show, she lets us know that she has cosplayed for fun in the past, but has never competed professionally, so she thought she would give it a go to find out what it is really like.  Unlike the other competitors, Chloe seemed a bit out of place; she was genuinely excited to be there, and she was enjoying herself!!!  But I digress…When Chloe went to dinner with a few of the other professionals the night before the competition, a discussion arose that really left me quite bothered.  It started out as the group naming the various pet-peeves they had about attending cons, but it quickly changed direction.

The issue quickly turned to size and cosplaying.  When Chloe voiced the opinion that anyone should be able to cosplay whatever character they choose, because it is all about having fun, the other dinner guests quickly weighed in…and did they!  The consensus – there is money involved, and when you cosplay and compete, you need to be able to look good as a courtesy not only to others, but to yourself.  Their excuse…because overweight people don’t want to end up on the Internet or on sites that make fun of their cosplay.  Does this sentiment indicate that only perfect people need apply?  Perfect thin and crowd-pleasingly beautiful individuals?  When did the local convention become the Hollywood red carpet?

When did having the freedom to represent your favorite comic book/Fantasy/Science Fiction character become so darn complicated?  Forgive me, but I thought that comic-cons and Science Fiction cons and the like were created by geeks, for geeks, to be able to gather and cosplay and celebrate in a setting where all like-minded individuals could let their geek flags fly and for once not feel embarrassed or harassed.  But now, it seems as if the joy is being taken away by people who feel that because they tap into a few geeky activities such as liking a superhero or by attending a con, that they are now entitled to set the norm as to who can or cannot cosplay.  I understand the appeal of perfect men and women with perfect bodies, I also agree that men and women with perfect bodies look good, but I also understand that having the perfect body is not all there is to the art of cosplay.  Especially when it comes to female cosplayers – when women who obviously are not interested in any way in geek culture attend these cons and only do so to get attention – yeah, that is my biggest pet-peeve!!!  They choose characters with the skimpiest costumes, and pose for photos with the sole purpose to draw attention to their sexuality, not to celebrate or become the character they represent.  I, in no way am hating on those who bring a bit of sexy to the con – let’s face it, there are many sexy female characters who also wear very revealing and sexy costumes.  But that is not the case here.  There is a difference between a woman choosing to dress as a sexier character with a sexy costume because she truly likes this character and if given the chance would become this character, and a woman choosing this character because it merely gives her the opportunity to prance around in practically nothing and gain attention by just looking hot and becoming a geeky fantasy.  When the latter, who care nothing about fandom or representing their favorite characters, purposely attend in scantily-clad attire for the sake of attention, thus silently rewriting the perspectives and expectations and attitudes towards who is fit to cosplay because they are suddenly not the “ideal size”, well, I have a problem with that!  This is not a modeling agency, folks!  Last time I looked, Marvel and DC Comics did not hold a model search for suitable types to cosplay their characters.

These rules of cosplay are silently being written and established by what I call “the cosplay divas”, who take things way too seriously, and don’t understand what it means to do things for the sake of enjoyment.  Cosplaying becomes more of a duty than an enjoyable experience – where one is always in competition to go bigger and better and brighter rather than to wear what makes one feel happy.  These sizeist attitudes towards cosplay make it difficult for those who do so for the sheer joy of it, to do so without ridicule if they do not live up to this invisible standard.  If a larger woman (in today’s society, I believe that encompasses anyone who wears a size 8 or above) loves Wonder Woman and wants to be her for the day…what’s wrong with that?  It is sickening to think that because a woman is not a stick figure, that she will be ridiculed and made fun of for wearing certain outfits; this goes for men, too.  Especially when it comes to competing for money and prizes, those who really work at the quality of their costume and body image become the sensation…according to the show.  It makes it truly more difficult for image-conscious attendees who do not fit these parameters, to get out there and express themselves, even though they are completely free to do so.  And female cosplayers wonder why many who choose to dress in skimpier costumes get harassed!  Because it becomes ingrained into the mind of the male con-goer through these sizeist actions and unwritten laws and rules of cosplay, that all female cosplayers must possess great bodies and be the visual epitome of the male sexual fantasy.  It is one thing for those who choose to put their bodies on display and gain that sort of attention, but for the unfortunate women and girls who cosplay these same characters because they actually choose to become the character, they must often suffer varying degrees of sexual harassment because “they obviously want this attention by dressing this way”.  Perish the thought that a woman would want to wear a costume because, maybe, she genuinely likes the character!

Where do we stop with the restrictions and begin with the enjoyment of being among like-minded comrades?  Between the harassment and the ideal body images and the competitiveness, what time is left for fun?  The con becomes the dreaded high school scenario all over again, with the “cool” crowd, comprised of close-minded bullies, setting the tone for what is acceptable.  My Fellow Geeks, our safe havens are being changed and rewritten by those who want to Hollywood-ize everything we hold sacred – from indie comics to the breakthrough superheroes and characters lucky enough to be immortalized in film.  To sum it up, cosplay should be open to anyone who wishes to have fun and pay homage to their favorite characters; not just select elite groups who show up to the con with the hopes of becoming the con.

Dear Marvel and DC Comics - More Super Heroine and Female Character Merchandise in Our Stores, Please!

Salve Omni!

I hope you had a most excellent weekend, Dear Reader!  Mine was a bit hectic, yet, in a sense, therapeutic.  I am referring to the sacred art of what we females call retail therapy...yes, I went clothes shopping...haven't done that in a while!  For my birthday this year, I received gift cards to some pretty awesome stores, from some very awesome people.  When I learned that some of the stores on my list were having a this-weekend-only sale, I just couldn't resist!

While walking around the local shopping mall on Saturday afternoon, I decided to keep my eye out for cute, geeky apparel that I could add to my wardrobe.  With geek culture alive and thriving more than ever in the modern world, it seems that many popular store chains such as Torrid, Hot Topic, Forever 21, and Target, offer a small to fairly-decent selection of geektastic merchandise (in other words, a plethora of T-shirts), mostly targeted at teenage girls and boys and very young adult men and, then, women.  This is great news for the modern person - I really wish I had more choices when it came to geek-inspired clothing back when I was a teenager; but alas, no!  I did have a few Dr. Seuss T-shirts (and Cat in the Hat slippers), Mickey Mouse tees, an Oscar the Grouch sleep shirt, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pajamas, and...wait for it...a Pee-Wee's Playhouse sleep shirt (I am so not making this up).  Back in the day, I found that availability was sorely lacking in comic book-themed merchandise and apparel - well at least for girls and women.  I don't think that boys and men had that great of a selection either other than a few printed T-shirts, but for girls and women, it would be a very rare thing to find such a treasure!

Now, as confirmed by my recent shopping trip, you can find a decent selection of comic book-related clothing and accessories, just about everywhere you look.  That is great and all...but the choices are still greatly limited.  You mostly find Marvel Comics characters, and mostly, you see the same popular ones like Iron Man, The Avengers (Thor, Captain America, etc), Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The X-Men (mainly Wolverine), printed over-and-over again.  Then, there are the popular DC Comics characters, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern.  See a pattern here?  If not, don't fret...all shall be revealed in the next paragraph!

Recently, I read an article announcing that the popular chain, Forever 21, was to debut a Marvel Comics-inspired clothing collection in their stores for back to school.  What joy!  I was ecstatic!  I knew that there would be a slim chance that my curvy, 31 year-old body would fit into most of this chain's cute clothing, but I felt at ease, knowing that there are now some cute geeky options just for young women out there.  No more having to scour the men's T-shirt sections for quirky, hard-to find shirts to wear to comic-cons and Science Fiction cons, etc.  So I grabbed my laptop and went directly to Forever 21's website to check it out.  Big disappointment!  I will say, there was a surprising assortment of leggings, sweatshirts, tank tops, crop tops, bodysuits, tees, and even a dress, available; with a vintage print of either Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor, Spider-Man, and The Hulk.  Or, an all-over comic book print that looks pretty cool.  So why am I disappointed?  Well it seems that the novelty here is to take a few well-loved Marvel characters (all male, may I add), and add them in vintage prints to women's clothing.  It's different, but not a very novel idea.  Hey Marvel...isn't X-Men a part of your franchise!!!???  And doesn't X-Men have some fabulously awesome female characters that you could promote?  Especially for a fashionable women's clothing line?

Who wouldn't want to wear a cute top or accessory with a print of Storm, Rogue, Jean Grey, or even Mystique on it?  I know girls and women like to give props to their superhero crushes (I know I love me some Iron Man and Batman), but what about some swag for girl power using the images of super heroines and female comic book characters?  Other than the occasional Wonder Woman pop-art tee, I've seen very little on that front.  I guess the fate of women's geek-themed clothing, especially when comic-book related, is subject to the predominately-male favorites.  With a steady increase in female attendance at comic-cons, perhaps the marketing department heads of these major comic book giants will look to encompass the new demographic majority; because women play a large role in geek culture, too!!!

 

Fantasy-Genre Film Dream Casting, Episode I: The Sequel to Labyrinth

Salve Omni!

And a very Happy Friday to you, Dear Reader!

So, I have an interesting thought that I would like to share.  It is based on a series of conversations that my husband and I have had for a few weeks now.  We were watching Labyrinth, one of my favorite Fantasy-genre films of all time (hey, David Bowie is in it - what's not to love?).  While driving around town one weekend, running errands, we found ourselves jamming to my favorite band, Coheed and Cambria's newest double album, The Afterman:  Ascension and Descension.  If you have never listened to anything by this band, you are definitely missing out on some truly amazing music.  Incorporating aspects of alternative, progressive rock, punk rock, pop, metal, and post-hardcore into each album, I can truly say that THIS BAND ROCKS!!!!  Along with this double album, they have recorded several previous albums that all tell a science-fiction storyline called, The Amory Wars; created by frontman-guitarist, Claudio Sanchez, and written as a series of comic books and full length novel. 

Although the entire two-part The Afterman:  Ascension and Descension album is quite fantastic, I do have my favorite tracks.  One of my favorites on The Afterman:  Descension album, is a track called, "The Hard Sell".  This song is just awesome - give it a listen - I guarantee you will be dancing in or out of your chair in no time!  Well, there we were, driving around, jamming to "The Hard Sell", on repeat, and I just kept imagining Jareth the Goblin King and his goblin minions dancing around the castle to this tune.  For some crazy reason, I started imagining Coheed and Cambria's, frontman-guitarist, Claudio Sanchez, as the son of Jareth, in a movie sequel...and with Coheed and Cambria performing all of the awesome music, with lyrics and singing by Claudio Sanchez.  And that's when I got the idea (no, I had not been drinking), for a Labyrinth sequel Fantasy film dream casting...because it could happen! 

Now you might agree with my casting choices, or you might not, but you must remember, this is purely a suggestion of who I would like to see cast if there was any possibility of a Labyrinth sequel.  I'll start with my dream casting choices:

 

v Balthazar, Jareth's Son / Goblin King - Claudio Sanchez, frontman-guitarist for Coheed and Cambria.

 

v Sarah - Jennifer Connelly.

 

v Connor (Sarah's 7 year-old son) - Don't know yet...any suggestions?

 

v John (Sarah's journalist husband, who is out on assignment) - Billy Crudup.

 

v Hoggle - Voiced by Geoffrey Palmer (from the Britcom, As Time Goes By).

 

v Ludo - Voiced by Peter Mayhew.

 

v The Fire Gang - Voiced by the actors from the Britcom, Red Dwarf:

o   Fiery 1 - Craig Charles.

o   Fiery 2 - Chris Barrie.

o   Fiery 3 - Robert Llewellyn.

o   Fiery 4 - Voiced by the original voice Actor, Danny John-Jules.

o   Fiery 5 - Hattie Hayridge.

 

v Sir Didymus - Voiced by Johnny Depp.

 

v Worm - Voiced by Rik Mayall.

 

v Wiseman - Voiced by Stephen Fry.

o   Bird hat - Voiced by Hugh Laurie.

 

v Junk Lady - Voiced by Helena Bonham Carter.

Now that we have the cast, let me set the scene for a possible sequel scenario...Imagine, it has been 22 years since Sarah has rescued her half-brother, Toby, from Jareth, the Goblin King.  She is now 36 years-old, and married to John, a journalist, who is currently away on assignment.  They have a 7 year-old son named Connor.  Sadly, we find that Jareth has recently been murdered by his own power-hungry son, and heir to the throne, Balthazar.  Balthazar had been stolen from his biological parents as an infant, shortly after Sarah rescued Toby from being turned into a goblin and resisted Jareth's demands to join him forever in his kingdom.  Now, a grown man, Balthazar has slain Jareth in order to gain power and become the new Goblin King and rule the kingdom.  His goal is to steal more and more children and turn them into goblins in order to strengthen his army of goblin soldiers; in the hopes of one day being powerful enough to take over the mortal world.

Sarah, gets into an argument with Connor late one afternoon, when he asks to ride his bike out to pirate's cave with his friends.  The cave is an old cave, high upon steep rocks, and overlooking the sea.  It is rumored to be filled with magical and dark creatures.  Sarah does not think it is safe for Connor to go, and he gets upset because he feels as if he is being treated like a child.  He storms off to his room.  Sarah, now frustrated, calls John to vent her frustrations, and John asks to speak to Connor to try and talk to him.  Sarah goes upstairs to get him, but finds that he has climbed out of the bedroom window, and is gone.

Connor makes his way to the cave as it is nearing evening.  His friends are not there, but he decides to go in and explore anyway.  He paces around angrily, picking up small stones and throwing them at the cave walls.  The sounds echo throughout the cave, disturbing the secret world inside.  He wishes aloud that he could get away from his mother, because she treats him like a child.  The cave begins to rumble, the floor opens, and Connor falls through.  When he lands, he is in the Goblin King's castle, and finds himself face-to-face with Balthazar, who immediately tries to turn him into a goblin soldier for his army.  Connor manages to escape the castle, and is now loose in the labyrinth.

Sarah goes after Connor.  She goes to the cave to see if he is there, and finds his bike propped against the cave wall.  She hears faint laughter as she calls out for him, and sees small shadows and hears the faint scurrying of small creatures move about the back of the cave near the tunnels.  Realizing that these could be goblins and that Jareth might be behind the kidnapping of her son, she calls on Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus for help.  They appear, and take her back to the labyrinth.  The adventure begins...with an awesome soundtrack too!!! 

Did I mention it would be directed by Guillermo del Toro, and produced by David Bowie?  Of course, they would have to collaborate with me, as I would be the screenwriter!

So there you have it...my picks for a dream casting of the sequel to Labyrinth.  Let me know who you would pick for the ultimate dream cast...I'd love to hear your suggestions!

 

Love, and/or Circumstances Make for the Greatest Flawed Romance Movie Adaptations, EVER!

Salve Omni!

At last, Dear Reader...a new post!  Last week was crazy hectic, and the weekend was filled with lots of birthday fun (and craziness and lack of sleep), but now things are crawling at-a-snail's-pace towards normalcy again...well, I hope!

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about love (awww!) and relationships and the elements that attract and connect people to one another.  What makes a person willing to declare that they would do anything for the other, or would do anything to be with the other person?  I have seen countless romantic films and read countless novels where characters, despite enduring hardships, separation (often intentional by the other party), and plenty of emotional abuse and low self worth, will often risk everything to make their love known because they feel so certain that their happiness is completely dependent on being with the other individual.  Are they wrong to think so?  No.  Because many times, it ends in joy. 

So many stories, novels, and films, have been written and produced, that deal with the very subject of romance.  Many become the go-to staples for womankind...many become the ideal of what love should be like.  What bugs me with many romantic films is the fact that reality has been far removed to create a fairy tale of sorts.  We get these cutesy films, in which everyone is most always smiling, and it always ends in happily ever after.  I immediately think of a few romantic Disney classics, such as, Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and many other sweet and hopeful romantic stories and films and fairy tales with happy endings forever and ever and ever.  I'll admit...I love these films and grew up watching them; planning to one day meet a prince of my own (yes, I was dead serious), who would sweep me off of my feet, and whisk me away to his kingdom.  And I would never have to worry about anything ever again; because we would be the perfect couple.  And we would have singing pets who also were handy around the castle during chore time.

But where does the reality begin?  You know me...I like my love stories flawed and full of human emotion, struggle...imperfect and a true reflection of human nature.  As a married woman, I can truly speak from my own experiences when I say that every relationship requires work, complete trust, understanding, patience, equal compromise, and most of all, love.  Yes, love!  I am a hopeless romantic...been guilty of that for years and years.  In the past especially, I was apt to follow my heart rather than to think clearly and rationally...because I was a romantic, and love is all there is, and as long as you have that, everything will be perfect.  I am a bit wiser now than my teenage version, and have come to the understanding that no relationship is perfect.  When two individuals enter into a romantic relationship, you can guarantee there will be times when they are going to clash regarding opinions and the manner of going about specific things, etc.  Then, there are the unfortunate, tortured souls in tragic romances, where one or both must suffer terribly through unrequited love, or emotional drama, before they get to their happy endings; if there is one.

 

Troubled characters, unforeseen circumstances, a plethora of hardships, brooding (I do love this word), and longing - lots of longing, in my opinion, have more realistic qualities than the fairy tales and meet-cute concoctions that are so darn happy; leaving us with false hopes and damn-near impossible ideals.  I'm not saying that this is true for everyone in every relationship, but I find the unpredictability and imperfectness of everyday life more convincing and believable than a romantic relationship with no problems and rainbows and sunshine every single minute of every day.

Now I do like my meet-cutes and I do admit, every now and then I love when the happy ending in a film is easily attainable, but then, I do love my flawed romance stories just as much.  I thought I would share a list of some of my personal favorite flawed romance movies.  These are truly great films, with very strong characters, who often find their voice through hardships and seek to overcome obstacles (sometimes tragically), in order find true love and happiness.  And, here they are:

v Now, Voyager - This 1942 film stars Bette Davis as a spinster who, through therapy, finds her voice, blossoms and finds impossible romance.

 

v Like Water for Chocolate - This foreign film, set in Mexico in 1910, is about a girl who is forbidden to marry, despite falling in love, and must instead be the caretaker of her aging mother. 

 

v Jane Eyre - I highly recommend the 1996 version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt.  With a very young Anna Paquin as the young Jane Eyre. 

o   I also recommend the 2011 version starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

v Sense and Sensibility - Okay, a little more light-hearted than the above listed, but it also fits the description.

 

v Romeo and Juliet - As a huge fan and avid reader of the works of William Shakespeare, of course, I will highly-recommend the 1968 version directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and starring Olivia Hussey as Juliet.

o   I also recommend the 1996 version directed by Baz Luhrmann, and starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio.  Despite the modern-day setting, the original dialogue is still used.

v Wuthering Heights - You must see the 1939 version.

 

v Atonement - Starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. 

 

v The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - Stars Rex Harrison of My Fair Lady fame, as the ghost of a sea captain who begins a strange relationship with a young widow who moves into his home.

 

v Rebecca - One of Alfred Hitchcock's best!  You must see this film!

 

v Much Ado About Nothing - Another great work of William Shakespeare, this is a comedy that deals with darker themes such as deception shame, infidelity and honor...and with very witty dialogue.  I do recommend the 1993 version! 

 

v Orlando - One of my favorites!  Based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, this film begins with Queen Elizabeth I commanding the nobleman Orlando to stay young forever.  And young he stays, right up to the 1990s, barely aging a day.  The film follows the young nobleman through British history, as he forms relationships, deals with love, and lives several different lives - even changing his gender at one point!  A must see!

There you have it...a few of my absolute favorite flawed romance films.  Not exactly all hearts and rainbows and castles, but great stories full of emotion that are definitely worth watching. 

What are some of your favorite romantic films?  Don't be shy...send me a comment...I'd love to hear from you!

 

It Has Been One Busy Week, But I've Managed to Write a Few Sentences!!!

Salve Omni!

Dear Readers, I must apologize for the lack of new posts this week.  Unfortunately, time has not permitted me to write (or ponder at length) anything witty for my blog.  You would think that since this is the week leading up to my birthday, that I would be out and about the city; living it up and having some crazy geeky fun.  I wish!!!!  Instead, I've been having some work-related fun at home... my week has been consumed with working on a few projects that needed attention...including my jewelry business!!!

What's that you ask?  You didn't know that I make jewelry?  I see Someone hasn't been reading my blogs and/or bio close enough.  Yes, I make and sell my jewelry creations under my business name, Designs by EHL.  I currently have two online stores where I sell my jewelry, and I also do custom orders, so if you are interested in a custom piece...please contact me for more information (contact information can be found by clicking the link below to either online store!)

The Muse has yet again inspired me to create!  I have been working this week on creating new pieces for my Earth, Mother, Goddess, jewelry line.  I am working with natural Jasper stone beads in various colors, shapes and sizes, mixed with earth tones, and gorgeous beads to create pieces that are sure to awaken one's inner goddess.  I will post some pictures soon. 

I finally had the chance to update the listings photos for both of my online stores.  I thought I would enhance the beauty of the pieces listed by taking some artsy photos to include online.  Take a look!  The new photos make the shops look a bit nicer...don't you think?

Here are the updated photos from my store at Etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsbyEHL):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are the updated photos from my store at Shophandmade.com (http://www.shophandmade.com/store/designsbyehl):
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 
 


















I will return next week with brand new ramblings and brand new posts, so stay tuned!  Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!