Movie Review: (Untitled)

Movie Review: (Untitled) 2009

Very interesting commentery on what people see as art and what is beautiful. Watch it.

In the movie, what seems to be popular is empty and meaningless and art made with passion is dismissed and critiqued harshly.

What I learned:
The artists who make money aren't always the great ones
We shouldn't try to mask true beauty in order to fit arbitrary criteria
Is the commercial aspect of art what is ruining it?

More Mittens!

This Thing We Do is having a free giveaway and you need to enter! The winner will be picked on Thursday, Nov., 3 at noon! So be sure to enter ASAP!

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I'm working on new designs everyday! So stay posted :) Here are a few of my favs!

raspberry hot chocolate

sock monkies

wild wing

teenage mutant ninja turtles

This Thing We Do

This Thing We Do: Crafts. 

We're a mom and three daughters who spend our free time making crafts. Our Grandma taught us to quilt, craft, bake, sew, garden, and how to feed the cows. Now we spend our free time sewing...and we love it. 

Please enjoy our etsy store! 
Allison, Melissa, Lindsey, and Robin


etsy.com/shop/thisthingwedo

Visit me on Etsy!

etsy.com/shop/allibidalli

mistakes i've made today:

not reapplying the 70 spf on my nose.
cheesy beans and rice burrito from taco bell....that was no BRC.
starting the show Misfits.

let's hope i don't make too many more

g'day mate!

that's right, i'm leaving for australia on thursday! and i'm not ready at all. i still have a huge paper to write and turn in and i haven't begun to pack. what have i been doing all this time? i really have no clue.

CA has been fun. i went to irvine for lindsey and mike's engagement party. so much fun! hung out with great old friends. it was just what i needed. my last few weeks in utah were a little out of control and i-town grounded me a little bit.

i've just been running errands in danville, trying to acquire all the items on my packing list as well as getting things ready for the wedding event in august. got a new computer! (mine broke...womp) got some awesome looking keens sandals (i'm sorry if you are embarrassed to be my friend now...but they are really comfortable) and a bunch of other random things.

i probably won't update my blog again until after i get home. and it may even take longer since i'll be so busy until i get back to provo. so you'll just have to wait for pictures.

australia, new zealand, and fiji or bust!

spring is in the air

which means a lot of new things are happening!

mittens are on hiatus (mostly because i broke my sewing machine...womp).

i bought a few new swimsuits for tanning, night swimming, day swimming, trips to california, scuba certification, and of course....FIJI!

tried to go to the pool on saturday...it was a flop :/

but that didn't stop me and kerilyn from getting sunburned! we just laid out on the grass and then went to a rugby game wearing tanks and short shorts. the best.

and on our way home...we picked up another free kitten! we named her lucy. she was adorable, and very whiny. we introduced to todd and five minutes later, we were on university ave with a free kitten sign. and then we were by cafe rio, and then we finally found lucy a new home after sitting in front of walmart for fifteen minutes. i know...we're crazy.

AND i went to the tulip festival at thanksgiving point this week! carson came down and we made it a date. we used the free tickets my grandma gave me two years ago...good thing they didn't expire! keri and brandon met us there and it was so beautiful and so much fun!

tulips are Carson's second favorite flower.

cute baby geese. i love anything that is a baby.

best picture ever? alli. keri. carson.

the handsome couple. keri and brando.

carson squeezes every tulip he sees. this is not a joke. walking through the tulip festival with him takes two hours. and that's why i love him.

the art of steal

looking for a good documentary? watch the art of steal. all about the barnes collection.

barnes was such a progressive thinker. he put art from all over the world, from different times all on an equal plain. i love the way he set up his collection. in the twenties, he was saying that we're all the same--or rather, we all experience life the same. plus, he shared his collection with the working man and didn't want it corrupted by the high society. its a bummer his ideas were not carried through after he died.

"art isn't something that's separate from life. art is life."

i will have lots of art in my house. my house will be a work of art.

Riverdance

i'm crossing something off my bucket list! ben roeling is the bestest ever and got us tickets to see riverdance on april 3rd! i seriously can't wait. i've been watching youtube videos all morning. this has been a dream of mine ever since i new what riverdance was.

for those of you who don't know, riverdance is irish step dancing. not clogging, not tap, etc. and it is so cool!!! i've posted a video below that i just can't get enough of! so take it in. don't be confused, this has BOTH tap and irish step dancing. i hope you can tell the difference. enjoy :)

aren't they so cute?!

lindsey and mike

i love...

bubble baths

wool mittens

iced coffee

diamond earrings

dark chocolate

cozy blankets

clover honey

diet dr pepper

sparkling kitchens

baggy sweatshirts

skinny jeans

new shoes

sleeping kittens

love stories

real people

worn-out tap shoes

lovely music

22 years later...

Friday was my birthday and it was so much fun! I slept in until 9, sewed a pair of mittens, taught a tap class, made some cupcakes, went to DI and bought sweaters, took a nap with todd, went to a fun new restaurant, and then had a party!

Sophie was so cute and decorated the apartment. she's a really good speller...

We ate here. I recommend it. Keri doesn't.

Lots of people came to the party. It was fun. A little bit of music, a lit christmas tree to create a good ambiance, champaign glasses with martinelli's, award winning chocolate chip cookies, and flaming cupcakes! here's what they should have looked like...

...but its didn't work all that well. which was a bummer because the practice run the night before was a total success. don't worry though, keri saved the day and filled them with hand sanitizer, which apparently burns great!

reasons why birthdays are great:

golden spoon gift cards!

cakebites! (gotta love the sweet tooth fairy)

tickets to riverdance! (dream of mine since i was a little girl)

cutest new juicer ever!

sweaters for mittens!

Todd

I got a kitten! Sunday morning, Keri and I were just eating popcorn and watching ice age and the next minute we are online calling people about cats. A couple hours later, we were in the car on our way to Smithfield to pick up Todd.

Todd is the cutest little calico kitten in the entire world. I talk to him and about him like he is my little baby boy. Because he is. He like to play with shoe laces, and bite my fingers, and play with the mouse Mommy Keri got him, and play with the string Auntie Caitlin put on the door. He is the cutest. he likes to cuddle and sleep on my bed while I sew mittens. He is so good at using his litter box. I am the proudest mother ever. I love Todd!

When the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

When i'm walking, I like to look at people and imagine what their parents look like. I'm really good at guessing. comes from lots of practice. Some people are more difficult to do this with, but the challenge makes it more fun! i know...i'm weird.

Anyway...I saw a kid today with really ugly parents.

Todd is lucky his mommies are so cute :)

Mittens!

I am making mittens now. and I love it! It is so fun to have a hobby again. Thanks mom for my sewing machine!

Check out my mitten blog to see my designs :)

inspiredbymittens.blogspot.com

some words about the bachelor

he laughed a lot this episode. i liked that. he's always so serious and scared...come on brad! loosen up a little!

michelle...knows how to get her man. brad just melts in her hands. i hope brad figures out how annoying she is soon and gets rid of her.

i waste far too much time watching this show...

they did it again

anthro, just stop it right now. lindsey sent me an e-mail today...and now i visit this site every five minutes. i love the song, and the pictures are so beautiful. its hasn't even been "unveiled" yet...haha, oh well. alls i can is, you picked the perfect time to get married linds! i might have to turn into one of those girls that starts planning their wedding...

BEHOLDEN

sick as a dog...

i don't understand the saying, but i'm sure it applies.

give me money!

so i've been working on this scholarship essay due on friday. i was taking a nap today (which basically lasted all day long...love being sick) and i had a dream that i got an email saying my QAR scores were too low to qualify for this scholarship. the email basically told me not to send my essay in. i did anyway (take that subconscious!)

first of all, talk about my subconscious not wanting me to succeed! i woke up and read every email in my inbox. how could that not have been real? didn't find anything...so i guess i'll assume they have no scoring system (not sure what scores these were) and that i still qualify.

second of all, who has dreams about checking their email? i do. that's who.

things i ate today:

german pancakes (i have no other food in the house so i must make things now...)

some ham and bean soup

birthday list

my birthday is coming up (feb. 11) and this year i will be 22! For all those who haven't had a math class in a while...11x2=22, so i'm pretty sure this a my golden golden birthday...shall we call it a diamond birthday? not feeling very clever at the moment.

anyway, i have no idea what to do or how to celebrate...any ideas?

i'm thinking of making these cupcakes because it looks like so much fun! we shall see!

i'm not expecting any gifts. for real. but if you were already planning on getting me something...get me something from REI...i'll need it this summer.

things i ate today:

belly buttons--damn you caitlin for leaving them out ;) they were so delish.

glass of water

back to the grind

fun weekend. it was great. a little bit of salt lake, a little bit of dancing, i have a new aussie boyfriend--jeff, burlesque at the dollar theater, funfetti shake from sammy's, plus a little more. i stayed busy.

i did the warm-up in tap today...epic fail. i hate being put on the spot like that. oh well. it wasn't that bad...just not super smooth, haha.

shout out to my new friend tim, whom i met lounging in the rb. he called me homely and thought i dressed like a farm-girl. (to his credit it didn't sound as harsh in-context, i didn just come from tap, and i am wearing a flannel shirt with cords)

things i ate today:

pack of almonds

dill pickle

half a tuna sandwich

fresca

giant chocolate chip cookie from blue line

cucumber in vinegar

diet pepsi

brownie

(not the best day i guess...)

fun friday!

i got to talk to nicki today! that was fun, it's been too long.

i only got one clue on my crossword today...lame.

did lots of homework, stuff i've been putting off week no less. don't worry, i still have a whole weekend's worth of stuff to do...great...

i stumbled upon this today. maybe i'll move to new york and be a street performer...

tonight i'm headed up to SLC with brooke to meet natalie and carson for dinner at the spaghetti factory. anyone up for dancing after...?

things i ate today:

new england clam chowder in a bread bowl (thanks blue line!)

greek yogurt with honey

apple sauce

tomato

a string cheese

it's january, and it's 2011

whoa, last year went by fast. maybe its because i was doing a million things. ok, maybe not a million. spending half the year in CT was truly amazing. getting back into school and moving back to provo was a feat. i got the closest i've ever been to figuring out what i want to do with my life, planning my future, etc.

anyway, its a new year and i have made some changes. they may not be obvious...yes, my room is still a mess and no, i haven't been to the gym once this year...but i still deserve a little credit!

classes this semester: hard and boring. its going to be rough.

however...i just found out i have a study abroad to look forward to! i'll be going with BYU to the south pacific (australia, new zealand, and fiji) in july! here are some of the places and things i will go and do:

canyoning in the blue mountains

scuba diving in the great barrier reef

kayaking to uninhabited islands

staying in an underdeveloped village in fiji

backpacking in new zealand

bungie jumping

and so much more!!!

it is going to be the trip of a life time.

things i need to do before NZ:

get really skinny and tan (to look good in bathing suit)

buy new bathing suit

get scuba certified

what i ate today:

oatmeal with 1/2 a packet of apple cider mix (i learned this from kerilyn...it's pretty tasty)

entire can of homemade chicken noodle soup (thanks grandma!)