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MISS B'S TIME MACHINE....

One evening whilst perusing a book on the vast photo collection of The George Eastman House I was overcome by the desire to have access to the antique processing techniques and equipment that produced such dreamy prints as were featured in the tome.  The images were alive with texture, history and light.  I wanted to be able to take my images and have them developed into Daugerrotypes, Salt Paper Negatives, Albumen processed,  70’s instant photo’s, etc.

Then it occurred to me that I do have access to these techniques as I have a Time Machine sitting in the garage.  It was passed down to me, being in the B. family as long as anyone could remember.  I never really used it because I am prone to fits of travel-induced nausea, but I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to give it a go.

Now a Time Machine is nothing like they make it out to be in movies, that’s just crazy.  I can’t go back and change things but I can go find resources to develop my prints and find inspiration by being immersed in different eras. You see I’m not really taking anything back that wasn’t already mine in the first place,--rule #1 in operating the thing.

My little adventure thus far has been quite successful in being able to procure access to many of the photo treatments of yore.  I couldn't keep this for just myself and my little family  I know it would be something of a phenomena for others to have their photo's taken through the Time Machineas well (okay, I confess my Fancy said 'hey, I bet other people might want you to do that to their photo's, you should offer it, it's cool) I am dubbing this little project--Brandeaux and co. (it's pronounced Brando), I'll be offering the service through the the Bella Bella Etsy shoppe. Here's my little blurb:

Brandeaux & Co. was created to offer the finest in alternative processing and creative development of memories.  We like to believe we are experts  in our field assisting in the capturing of memories and memories created.   We do hope you feel compelled to utilize our services.

You might be sitting there reading this and wondering what the heck I am babbling about so I thought I will show you some images that have been through the Time Machine:

It's not a terrible photo and I am sure it holds a fond memory for the photographer (this is one of my 'found fotos') but it's not screaming 'frame me, stick me to your bulletin board, give me pride of place in your scrapbook...'

Here's the same image after taking it back in time.  This is treatment number 3 'Vintage Snapshot' as it has a feel like it came out of a camera from the early 50's:

Not convinced I have a Time Machine yet?  I know, it's hard to believe but here's some more proof:

Treatment Number 5 has the look of a negative printed on some sort of metal substrate, but that sounded a little too wordy so I opted for 'Vintage Slide'.
Each image that is processed by me will receive an official Certificate of Authenticity (but of course):

 

I am pretty excited by the project as it allows me to be creative and the stress is minimized(Time travel isn't as bad as you might think).  The whole bridal thing makes my stomach eat itself, I get so nervous.  Yesterday I drove miles and miles away from home to hand deliver a bridal project.  It was a total catastrophe!  The project was initially delayed because my outside printer botched the job, I then paid another printer to rush the job, print the recipients names on the things, paid 3 times (no exaggeration) the amount I was getting paid for the job.  I then hand-delivered the finished goods in a car that has no air-conditioning in 90 degree weather, only to get a half-hearted response by the bride to the finished pieces and then realizing when I got home that the bride never paid the balance of the bill.  If you don't believe that I need a break from the bridal market please re-read above...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER EARTH!

It wouldn't be a celebration without a present, so I bought myself something to celebrate my commitment to Mother Earth.  I did order it a while back but hadn't had an opportunity to use yet and now that I have I am quite addicted.  I am officially considering this a Craftista "must-have":

What the heck does a stapler have to do with Earth Day? Well, I saw this great video on 'Mom's' TV show and it's a way to make some super cute (and useful) notebooks from recycled paper.

Here's the link to the video, but be forewarned once you start you may find it hard to stop...Notebook video

HOLA...

If you gathered my mother is a foreigner you would be spot on...Well, she's American but her English is peppered with a heavy, heavy accent and yes, she is from foreign lands.  The funny thing is she thinks she doesn't have an accent.  Wha?  I can barely understand what she says half the time.  Which brings me to what I am getting in the mail..I have decided after many years on this earth and in this relationship, it should be about time I can actually communicate with her.  I mean I know when she's screaming at me in Spanish, I understand every word, maybe because I've heard them so many times?  Latin women seem like they are always yelling anyway even when they are in a good mood.  if they are amongst family and friends bring your ear plugs, it's going to be LOUD.  I know how to speak fluent 'Spanglish', it's pretty common in California, most natives can speak Spanglish--the hybrid of English and Spanish.  This of course, drives my mom INSANE.  She speaks Spanish with a lisp, she says it's "proper" Spanish--I say it's embarrassing...I figured that after being her daughter for almost four decades I would make an effort to learn how to speak Spanish (without the lisp..). 

I really have never had an aptitude for language, which is odd since I think you are supposed to use the same part of your brain for language as science and I rock at science.  I had been seeing ads for a company for years that was supposed to be a revolutionary way to learn a new language, the C.I.A. used it, all sorts of heavyweights, it seemed very legit but it was also VERY expensive.  Then I saw an ad on TV and the company was offering a FREE disc to try, free, no shipping, no handling, f-r-e-e, in any language you want to learn (that's on their roster).  I called them up, you have to call you see, the offer isn't available on line, but the number is and you can tell them you too saw it on tv and get your FREE cd.  I don't know if it will work, but I sure hope it does, because I have my heart set on learning French and Italian now as well...

The company is Rosetta Stone, no I am not affiliated, but if you want to try it here's the site. Adios!

PUBLIC SHOWER ANNOUNCEMENT...

What is this ugly looking device?  Well, it is practically one of the best inventions on earth!  This little ugly saved me from stringy hair and developing soap scum on my body.  Prior to this I had zero shower pressure, yes, nada, rien, zip.  I live in a very old building and with the beauty of arched doorways, hardwood floors and other lovely bits of character I had water pressure that made the idea of washing with the garden hose a real possibility.  My future mother in-law mentioned she got this showerhead at Sharper Image and now she takes showers that blow her across the room.  I couldn't believe this was possible for a mere $30 investment?  I thought maybe she didn't know what bad water pressure was, she didn't realize that I would have an easier time trying to rinse my hair when it was raining outside than using my so-called shower.  I decided to take the plunge and bought me an oxygen shower head.  Now I have showers that would make a firehose jealous.  I am not kidding, there's a little knob on the side that you can adjust the flow if the water is ***gasp*** too strong.  If you too are dealing with no water pressure, what are you waiting for?  Clean hair and skin await you here...   

FLY GIRL...

What is this magnificent notebook you may ask?  Well, it is a MODOFLY, laser-etched Moleskin!  Modofly is a collaboration of two fellow artist/designers that are using both the iconic Moleskin and laser technology as their medium.  They will be working with other artists to produce new editions and guess what?  Yup, they chose lil' ol Miss B. for the 2nd round of books!  I am thrilled, honored and flabbergasted!  How cool is this?  It feels like I won the Lotto, really it does!  My designs haven't been chosen yet but I am really hoping that the monkeys swinging from the chandelier make the cut as they make me smile whenever I see them.  I like the new butterfly faux specimen plates as well.  They are faux because they are not actual plates, I put them together in fact I think one of my 'butterflies' may be a moth but hey, it was pretty and looked good in the line-up...I am thinking of adding some faux Latin the next round something like: Butterfliest Maximus  or I dunno, I haven't gotten that far in my thought process....

I am open to suggestion though....If you would like to see more of the Modofly emporium you can stop by their shop here.

Dégringolade and then some...

    Ah technology, my love-hate relationship continues daily.  This my pretties is a LOVE!  A dictionary that can actually pronounce the words you may be looking up.  How erudite of you to have such a big, sexy--vocabulary...I do love my paper version and truth-be-told I am completely jonesing for one of these elegant leather versions (that can be personalized!!!)

But I love the idea of having my dictionary pronounce the words for me.  Who cares about the phonetic spelling?  Half the time I can't figure it out.  I'm getting up there in years, last time I studied phonetics I was in the 2nd grade.  This I believe is manna from heaven for people like myself that obsessively look up words from my nightly reading fix. My understanding is that it even has headphones, so I don't have to annoy my snoring Fancy (one of the reasons I read late into the night is because I can't sleep when the bed is levitating).  You can check it out here.

And if you prefer to spend your hard earned cash on other things (like shoes), Merriam-Webster offers their dictionary on-line complete with pronunciation and word of the day. *Dégringolade 

 

HAPPY V.D.

If you were a loser, uhm, busy and didn't get your Bella Bella co. valentine's day cards then perhaps you should hustle your little digits over to the Official Bureau of Correspondence .  You may want to bookmark their site as they have plenty of  theses Madlib-esque forms that you  can fill out and send to all your loved  ones.  Can you imagine answering your mother-in-law's  email with one of these?  What a hoot!  Unless she's your future mother in-law--try  to refrain.  I  actually sent the above form to my Fancy for Valentine's day because  there's only so many manatee cards one can get in their lifetime...

NEW SCHOOL

    I have to admit I was never much for school, it was basically a place for deep daydreaming BUT I have always loved to learn.  I know that seems at odds but I guess I just like to learn on my own time, at my own pace and of course best of all-- what I want to learn.  That's why I am so enamored with Podcasts.  Some of you may have delved deep into this well of goodies and others may just be finding out about this fount of information. 
    For those of you just finding out about this glorious resource and those of you who are "in the know" here is my favorite podcast and favorite podcast resource but first, you may want to download a free receiver.  I am on a Mac, so I have I Tunes, but I also downloaded JUICE it downloads and keeps the podcasts organized and also allows me to get new ones when they air (it's like being able to program your own radio station!) click on the lemon logo and it'll take you to their site.

    I like to listen while I work, I figure that by osmosis I may be getting smarter by the minute (podcasts are generally quite short and sweet).  One of my very favorite's (and one I need to pay extra attention to) is 'Grammar Girl'.  She answers many questions that stump even the most erudite (that would not be me).  I find her podcasts to be fun and always learn something new, which I LOVE!  Really, I may not have bought a new house today or any other barometer of 'success' but if I learned something new (hopefully it's relevant to my life as well) than I feel I have accomplished something.  Now, if I could only feel that way about exercise I'd be on to something...

If you'd like to find more free podcasts, I highly recommend
PodCast Alley You can download 'Grammar Girl' and many others.  Learn French Spanish, Italian, how to cook, craft, it's really amazing, I hope you learned something today.

Remember I am trying hard to keep my blog updated so if you have any questions you want answered on the blog, this is 'The Everything' after all, so all subjects are pretty open.  Please feel free to email me and I will try to oblige.

CHOP, CHOP!

One of things my friends might be completely aghast by is the fact that I cook dinner almost every night.  In fact, I am aghast by it as well.  I love to cook, truly I do, but I never thought I would be in a position where I had to cook in order to have a good meal.  Trust me sometimes I think cooking can  be just as expensive or more so than eating at a fast food joint, but I'm not at that level and hopefully won't be any time soon. 

This is the life of an entrepreneur, some things have to be cut out of the budget and for me it has been going out to dinner, lunch, breakfast, Starbucks all of the little things I actually took for granted, I now look way back in my past with a sigh. At least I can still eat and to boot I fit in size 26 jeans! 

So, if you too are cooking regularly you know the chopping becomes uber tedious day-after -day.  I invested in this little number and am thanking my lucky stars each night when I begin the prep.   It's not such a dent in the pocket, but a nice tool to have.  You can get it here.

PROCRASTINATION STATION

Ah the internet an amazing resource for procrastination..Sometimes you do just need a break and doing something mindless that gives you the giggles can be a welcome reprieve to the otherwise mundane.

So I offer to you this little gem of a site where you can take your ordinary photo's and turn them into little comical vignettes:

Get your procrastination on here: