When Bea Arthur accepted the role of Dorothy Zbornak in the sitcom the Golden Girls. She probably had no idea what an lasting impression she made on millions of people. I started watching the show when I was eight years old. I tended to watch a lot of shows that were aimed towards a much more older crowd since I considered my television to be one of my best friends.
I was such a fan of TGIF shows and anything that seemed funny to older people, so the Golden girls were right in my ball park!
As a child I was particular in awe of Dorothy’s wit, intellect, and on point comebacks:
I often tried to match her witty remarks in real life with my classmates but no one really got my jokes. I guess I was the only one in my 2nd grade class that watched the Golden Girls.
I feel like all of the characters in the show were very distinct their roles but I felt like Dorothy had the best lines. She seemed like the voice of reason in many of their zany adventures or when dealing with her ex-husband Stan:
One of my favorite episodes of Dorothy and Stan. Is episode eight, season 7 called the Monkey Show. When Dorothy’s sister comes to visit her and the girls. Stan goes to therapy to deal with getting over Dorothy and the therapist suggests that Stan uses a toy Monkey to talk about his feelings about Dorothy. I am not gonna lie I really wish I had a toy Monkey to used as an emotional tool.
What I also admired about the Dorothy character is her unique sense of style:
She did not shy away from a good blazer or a print!
She was even forced to wear a clown hat but yet managed to make it look fashionable!
Bea Arthur truly evolved Dorothy into a character that was a true friend and always there to help out her roommates when in a jam but obviously throwing some witty shade before doing it.
This week I interviewed a great small business: @jennyeveryday !
Tell me a little bit about how your business started:
“Before we started Everyday is a Holiday we had this whole other life. We restored antique furniture, painted murals and did wall finishes. Then we opened a hand painted furniture store. It was a one thousand sq. foot shop and we hand painted every single thing in it. All the furniture, all the accessories, all of these vintage style boardwalk signs, portraits, flower pots…AND on the side we were making a wholesale collection and selling it to dozens of shops around the world.
It was way too much work for just two people. Then Aaron had a near fatal car crash and we had to slow everything wayyyy down. While he was recovering from multiple surgeries we started selling hand painted signs on ebay. Seriously, we were living on just a few signs a month and that was it. That’s when we named ourselves Everyday is a Holiday. And over the years the brand evolved and we began to branch out. We started a blog, we traveled around the country teaching classes, we wrote a book called “Mixed Media Masterpieces with Jenny & Aaron” (you can find it on Amazon), and we made a scrapbooking paper collection too.
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But the true core of Everyday is a Holiday has always been our online shop. We make pieces that celebrate all the good things in life. Not just holidays and birthdays, but also the collectibles we grew up with and the everyday sweets and treats that make life great.”
2. What is your most popular item in your store and why do you think it’s so popular?
“The most popular piece in our shop is always changing, but our all-time most popular is our Jumbo bottle of Sprinkles plaque.
It was the first in our “Holiday Brand” pieces. We think it’s popular because everyone loves vintage style packaging, and it’s got another thing going for it as well – it’s JUMBO. A container of sprinkles in real life is about 4 inches tall. There’s something really fun about a 16 inch tall bottle of Sprinkles hanging on your wall. And it’s also super colorful and works with lots of different color palettes. And a very close second most popular piece of ours is our Donut plaques.”
3. What is your favorite holiday and why?
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“Yakiddingmerightnow? Hardest question ever. But we’ll try – Halloween is probably our biggest and busiest. And it’s kinda funny because it’s the one time of year that we stray from our bright pastel & candy color theme. Though we do find a way to tie in a lot of pink & aqua at Halloween. Personally it’s our favorite holiday because we LOVE the fall and my birthday is in October. Growing up I always had Halloween themed birthday parties. But we celebrate all of the holidays all year round. We’ve got Easter Bunnies sitting next to Christmas trees, and heart shaped boxes of chocolates side by side with Jack O’Lanterns, and there’s Birthday Party stuff everywhere. We go all out for most holidays except St. Patrick’s Day. It’s my mom’s fave holiday and every single year she tries to convince us to make a St. Patrick’s Day piece, but it never happens, lol. Too much kelly green for me. “
4. Can you talk a little bit about your custom pieces?
“We always wish that we could do more custom pieces, but our everyday pieces are completely handmade so we rarely get extra time. We love painting personalized cakes and signs the most. Depending on the job a custom order can take anywhere from 6 weeks to ummm…many months. And painting people’s pets is super fun! We also love painting oversized food plaques for bakeries, cafes, and indie food based companies and brands. “
5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“YES! We’re super psyched about a couple of things. First, this year we’re actually going to have a Christmas in July sale. Every year we want to do it, but then things get too busy. But this year it is happening! We want to get all sorts of snowy & glittery in the middle of the summer. And also in the very near future…within days from now…we’re launching some new Party Foods plaques. You know – all those classic childhood birthday or classroom party foods. Slices of pizza, hot dogs, ice cream of course…but the centerpiece of the collection is our life-size Submarine sandwich! It’s more than a foot long, and painting it was insane! It’s easily my new favorite piece. To us, having a vintage stuffed bunny hanging side by side with a birthday cake and a giant sub sandwich is perfection. “
If you like more information. the following contact information is below:
He is one of my favorite Star Wars characters so I decided to make him May’s man of the moment!
He is a couple of reasons why Chewbacca is amazing:
In 1997 at the Mtv Movie Awards he received a lifetime achievement award:
The inspiration of Chewbacca came from George Lucas’s dog:
George Lucas had an Alaskan Malamute and would often sit in his car’s passenger’s seat when he drove. His dog was huge and hairy which would cause people to confused him as an actual person when they would drive by.
We really don’t know his exact age but he is well over 200 years old. He looks wonderful for his age!!
Stuart Freeborn (makeup supervisor) creation the look of Chewbacca:
George Lucas hired him because of his previous work on Stanley Kubrick films. Such as Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Odyssey:
Chewbacca is a mixture of a dog, monkey, cat and lemur.
Chewbacca comes from long lineage of Wookies or otherwise known of “People of the Trees” from the planet Kashyyyk.
Han’s Solo is his best friend:
Chewbacca’s house is am amazing treehouse with his family in Rwookrrorro.
There are many many countless reason why Chewbacca is awesome. I first saw him on cable tv when I was six years old. He seemed like someone who is always there when you need him most and is very dependable.
This book was one of my favorite books to check out at the library and it became a standard in my 3rd grade reading list.
Congrats Chewie on being May’s MAN OF THE MOMENT!!!!!
until next time!!!
Sources: starwars.fandom, Internet Movie Database, and youtube.com
“My name is Amanda AKA Fresa. I was born in El Salvador, I’m a wife a mother and enjoy the simple things in life”
2. What made you interested in opening a skate shop?
” I lost my job in 2020 like many people around the world. I was depress, and my husband was concern and he casually brought up how much I love skating when I was young and rest is history lol… That conversation spark something in me. So I got online and purchase some roller skate. I meat some great people along the way and saw the need the skate community in Las Vegas had for a roller skate shop. I took a leap and here we are.”
3. What is your most popular item in your store?
“Our shop apparel. In particular tattoo colleague designed by a local skater.”
4. Can you talk about your pop up events at your store?
“I love our pop up events. We do them once a month.”
5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
” yesss! We will be participation on rollercon event in July. This is one of the biggest roller skating/derby event of the year.”
If you would like more information. The following contact information is below:
For the past 7 years I have love someone that I have moved emotional and physical mountains for. There were times when I mistook his silence as a need of space, his bitter comments about others as him confiding in me. The countless trips that I would have to sell my some of processions for as a sign that he love me as love. But I came to learned something that will stick with me, he didn’t care about what I did to show him I love him. He didn’t care how scared I was last year when I got my first major surgery. He never offer help when I was out of the job even though he offered to pay for his friends mortgage. I never got a birthday or holiday card or gift when I would scrimped, work overtime, sell things for to get him something for every birthday, or holiday. Everything that I give up freely to him he seemed bother. The last time I went to visit him was for two weeks, I love every minute I was with him. I was shattered when I had to go back. It took me weeks to stop crying. After I got back I told him that I wanted a family with him, he said he was too old. I said I didn’t think so. He felt like home and I wanted to create a family, a home. Something for him to come home too. Instead he stop talking to me, he would treat me like a stranger. I tried to reach out saying I love you please don’t forget me or treat me like a stranger. But he said nothing. I knew right there and then my soul mate wouldn’t treat me so badly. I have love him so freely and did everything my heart could until it worn itself out. My heart hurts so much it is tired and exhausted to see him freely give love, attention, gifts and money to his friends. I felt like a bother, a person who would love him regardless and with open arms. My heart is trying to heal from the past 7 years. It looks at things differently, through a cautionary lens. But it will never treat them the way I was treated by him.
“I fell into it actually; I didn’t set out to be an eyewear designer…
I studied fashion and dressmaking and translated that into millinery 15 years ago. Back then I didn’t really think about accessories beyond headwear until I got my hands on a vintage pair of Safilo Peggy Guggenheim tribute sunglasses, they were great and ticked a few boxes but something wasn’t quite right with them. The glasses had a sad turned down look so I decided to redesign them and make them better…and my ‘PEGGY’ shape was born. I found an artisan in the UK to make me a prototype pair, which was as far as I was planning on taking it, until I posted a photo on Instagram and was urged to take them into production. Since then, I’ve had great fun dreaming up new styles. I currently have a lovely family factory in Canada that help me with eco friendly production. I really believe in buying smarter, less and good quality. My Eco-warrior lifestyle is at odds with mass manufacturing which is why I have kept this venture small and Mother Earth friendly.”
“the photo that launched 100 sunglasses.”
2. Who are your three top pop culture icons and why?
I am obsessed with eccentric woman that eschew trends and societal constraints. There are so many I could name, but let’s just randomly narrow them down to: Beatrice Wood the Potter: lover of hunks and chocolate,
Marchesa Luisa Casati: A flaming red haired muse and heiress who is still idolized and inspires designers even after her death.
and the The Lava Lady: The less said about her the better, an LA icon you might have been lucky enough to spot around Melrose 20 or more years ago. (I was lucky a few times!)
“Mimicking another wonderful eccentric Diane Pernet
3. What is your most popular item and style in your store and why do you think it’s so popular?
“Peggy for sure! My first design still is the most popular, but I’ve recently made a 70’s ‘boozy aunt’ version I’ve named ‘GUGGENHEIM’ that is following closely in popularity. It takes a bold lady (or lad) to wear either but you will be rewarded with so many compliments.”
“The Guggenheim Style”
4. Do you have a favorite fashion decade? If so: what decade is it and why?
“There are some many wonderful parts of each decade but what I adore most is the whimsy of the 40’s, fashion really hit a high then, especially in accessories.”
5. What is your go to spring accessory and why?
“Sunglasses and hats, of course, both are so easy to toss on but can make such a huge impact on your look. (Or not, if you are boring and wear Oakleys and baseball caps with no irony) “
“My newest sunglasses design coming next month: the Luisa.”
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“Next month I will be merging my sunglasses into my millinery company @hood_london
I’m looking forward to making my work seamless and easier to access. It will all be in one place at https://www.hoodlondon.com/ I have two new styles landing that are really gorgeous, an ornate Rococo pair and a new Snake cat eye shape that I currently wear the most.”
If you like to learn more about Adele. The following contact information is below:
In celebration of the upcoming Criterion Collection release of Pink Flamingos in late June:
I wanted to share from movie facts about the film!
The film debut on March 17,1972 at the Baltimore Film Festival. The movie was gaining a lot of buzz because John Waters previously release another film Multiple Maniacs
The movie has been banned in the following countries: Australia, Switzerland, and some parts of Canada and Norway.
Divine was arrested for shop lifting during the making of the movie but he said it was because he was trying to do method and it was part of his character.
John Waters does the narration of his film. He was trying to mimic a popular local celebrity named “Mr. Ray.”
John Waters wanted to do a sequel to Pink Flamingos called “Flamingoes Forever.” However with the deaths of Edith Massey and Divine he changed his mind.:
The dog poop eating scene at the end of the final was real and Divine’s reaction to it was 100% authentic. After the scene was wrapped he would call John and asked him relentlessly if he could be pensioned by what he ate. John Waters stated that when Divine ate the poop it turned him into a star.
Mink Stole and David Lochary dyed their own hair. Although David Lochary color his hair with a magic marker.
Fun Fact this poster is what sparked my small 7 year old mind into watching Pink Flamingos:
The famous trailer home of Babs Johnson was bought for $50 dollars at a junkyard.
And lastly and I am personally proud of this one!
In 2021 the United States National Film Registry from the Library of Congress selected Pink Flamingos to part of a preservation process and become part of there library. The goal of the Film Registry is to recognize American Films that are “diverse and showcase the range of American Film.”
If you like to learn more about the program the link is here:
“I’m Sarah, behind the @shelleyduvallxo Instagram and Tik Tok account! I’m currently a senior in college in Boston, MA studying journalism! I’m graduating so soon and I’m clueless about what I want to do post-college, which is slightly exciting, yet nerve-wracking. But running my Shelley fan page has been a fun hobby of mine even if I’m quickly posting from the train or in the middle of class, I love connecting with so many fellow Shelley fans over my posts & stories. Even if I’ve had a bad day, watching anything Shelley is what brings me joy. Aside from my love of Shelley, I am a HUGE Taylor Swift fan / Swiftie and I also dedicate my life to her. I also enjoy reading all day and every day, I love country music and I’m an avid horror music lover. I also grew up with many rabbits and now I have my own pet rabbit, Millie – named after Shelley’s character in 3 Women of course. My personal IG account is @sarlukowski if you ever want to follow me along on there.”
Shelley with a letter I sent and a photo of my tattoo, October 2021
2. What made you interested in creating a Shelley Duvall fan page?
“I originally became a fan of Shelley in 2016 after watching The Shining for the first time. I unfortunately never grew up watching Faerie Tale Theatre or knew of her prior to watching Shining on a random whim, but after watching Shining I immediately became enthralled by her unique looks and her eccentric personality and had to Google search her. From there I had a steady fascination with her life & career and would watch some of her movies from time to time, but it wasn’t until the beautifully done and humanizing 2021 Hollywood Reporter article that I fell even more in love with her. I had it in the back of my mind to make a fan page for Shelley, but that article definitely pushed me to make an account even more, so I did make one in March 2021.
My main reason for creating @shelleyduvallxo, was so that it would be my own personal, niche hobby to find out more about Shelley while also posting daily pictures and videos beyond harmful rumors and what toxic tabloid articles write about her. A lot of people like to dwell on her mistreatment in The Shining, but she’s so much more than that. Through my fan page, I have learned so much about Shelley’s career, which I didn’t know before. For example, she was a pioneer in children’s cable TV programming and FTT was even the first original show on Showtime and she was an incredibly smart businesswoman overall. Even a year into my fan page, I still discover new things about her and even uncover photoshoots I’ve never seen before!
Some of my Shelley collection –mostly bought secondhand such as on eBay.
I’ve been deep into eBay trying to find all things Shelley for my account and to add to my fan page. I will never stop my research even if I’m piled up with homework. There is so much to Shelley and even though life hasn’t treated her too kindly in recent years, I am so glad that I can spread the love and appreciation for her on the internet while still offering her the privacy she needs! And I’ve connected with so many fans that I never thought possible – there IS a thriving fan base for her online and I’m pleased I can facilitate that in my growing fan page.”
3. What are your top 3 favorite movies of hers? Why are they your favorite?
“This question can be difficult because I love them all even the wacky, kid’s movies she was in in the 1990s and early 2000s. But 3 Women, Nashville, and The Shining are my top favorites, although it fluctuates with my mood and with the seasons.
3 Women– 3 Women is a movie I watched for the first time only about a year ago when I first created my account. But I quickly fell in love with it for the hazy desert atmosphere, dreamy pastels, and effortless yet strange performances by Shelley, Sissy & Janice Rule. So many different ways you can interpret it and I still find new details when each time I watch it. I closely relate to Shelley’s character in this movie as someone who kind of observes everyone from the outside and is very talkative – this movie is relatable too because I also want to be Shelley just like Pinky. Shelley’s yellow fashion is my inspo for this summer.
Nashville– As a fan of country music and Shelley, Nashville is the perfect movie for me. I don’t watch it too often since it’s lengthy, but Altman perfectly captures this large cast of characters trying to make it in Music City. Shelley is stellar as always, but this time as groupie LA Joan in her short shorts and crop top and that big afro. She’s so mesmerizing.
The Shining– Of course, I have to mention The Shining, it’s how I first discovered her. I won’t get too into it, but Shelley’s performance as Wendy Torrance is at the emotional, heart of that movie. She’s phenomenal as always in showing her terror. Even if it was difficult for her to film, no one else could have done it better! Her performance should be valued more and held to the same level as Jack Nicholson’s. “
4. What is a random fact that not a lot of people know about you?
My Shelley-inspired tattoo, August 2021.
“I do in fact have a Shelley Duvall tattoo that I got done by NYC tattoo artist Chris Cutthroat in August 2021. I happened to come across Chris’s Shelley flash tattoo on Instagram and had to get it on me forever. The tattoo is inspired by Shelley’s Brewster McCloud photoshoot – with her stringy dark hair and big Twiggy lower lashes. I love having it on me and staring at it all day, even if some people like to comment on it asking if it’s of me or Lady Gaga. But I’m excited for the warmer months because I can show it off again. And Shelley herself even knows about my tattoo and loves it – although I didn’t need that validation it’s nice to have her appreciation in return.”
5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
” I’ve been helping out with the Shelley Duvall podcast, Texas Twiggy, since September 2021, and it has finally been out for a few weeks! There are 11 episodes overall and a new one drops every Wednesday. I did the research for the podcast, but my friend Emma is the creator, producer, and
narrator and she does such a beautiful job detailing Shelley’s career and also uncovering Shelley’s life, but with the utmost respect and concern for her privacy. When I first started my fan page I never thought I would be working for a podcast dedicated to Shelley, but helping with Texas Twiggy research actually validated my obsession and made me feel sane. Episodes can be streamed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else where you can listen to podcasts. Even if you’re not a Shelley fan, you can start by listening to Texas Twiggy 😉
“I immigrated to the USA from Canada at the age of 12, back in 2003. I was basically born inside a Neil Young song, in a small town in North Ontario. I have an MFA in creative writing from Northern Arizona University and I love to write (obviously), play music (on Spotify under Eric Dovigi!), and do visual art.”
2. .What made you interested in doing a daily comic strip?
“I quit a job teaching Middle School English a few months ago and found myself with lots of time on my hands. Basically, I coped with this by listening to the news way too much and was starting to get really depressed. I spent a lot of time on Instagram and developed a passionate dislike for inspirational and motivational viral posts. I’m interested in language and semiotics and found the text in these posts to be largely inscrutable, comprised mostly of generalities. I can’t understand how anyone can make sense of a phrase like “live your best life.” Maybe my brain is broken, but what does “live your best life” mean to me and the day I’m having? So I decided to try my hand at creating the opposite. I wanted to create expressions of experiences or thoughts I have had that other people might also have, without advice, normative judgment, or stance. Drawing was my first love. So a comic strip seemed like it would be a good outlet. And it has been so fun!”
3. Do you have any personal favorite comic strips? If so, what are your top 2 and why?
“I love comic strips for sure. Tintin was an influence on me as a child growing up in Canada.
I love the directness and vividness of Herge’s “ligne claire” style.
Another big influence is Nancy by Ernie Bushmiller. For Bushmiller, economy, directness, and authenticity are virtues. If “Anti-Peptalk” could be half as relatable as Nancy, I’d be extremely happy.”
4. Can you talk a little bit about your process in creating your comic strip?
“Here’s an example of how I do a panel. Last week I was in a public restroom. I’d been feeling a little anxious in the coffee shop and went to the bathroom more to escape than to do anything else. Sitting in the single-staller, I thought, “I can’t be the only one who uses bathrooms for this reason.” A picture popped into my head of someone sitting on the toilet fully clothed, with a mischievous expression. And I ended up pairing that image with the caption, “I feel safe here in the single-stall public restroom.”
I have 12″x12″ cardstock paper, a cat-mug full of colored pencils (or “pencil crayons” as we call them in Canada), and some archival ink pens. I measure out a 6″6″ box, sketch the composition out in pencil, then ink over the lines. Next, I fill in the colored parts with colored pencil. Earlier I was coloring the whole panel, but I found that too time-consuming. So I’ve recently just been coloring the central character and leaving the rest b&w, which kind of has a nice effect. Finally, I carefully write the caption (if there is one) at the bottom.”
5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“I have no events lined up yet! I’d love to get a gallery showing of my panels in the Tucson area someday. “
If you like more info on Eric. The following contact information is below:
It is no hidden secret that I love to read! I decided to share some of my books I have in my reading pile for the spring.
I just started this:
I got a Monster: The Rise and fall of America’s Most Corrupt Police Squad by Baynard Woods and Brandon Soderberg- The true story of Baltimore Maryland’s Gun Trace Task Force unit. A true crime book that discusses the dishonest and shameful police force of Baltimore Maryland.
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse- In 2002 Erikia Krouse is a private investigator and starts a job looking into lawsuits. One of the lawsuits details her to look into a case of a college student who was sexually attacked by a football players and others at a party. This certainly hits a cord with Erika who is also a survivor of sexual assault.
I was the President’s Mistress!!: A Novel by Miguel Syjuco- Do you ever see a book cover and are so impressed by the cover art that you buy the book without reading the back of it? Well this was the case with me with this book. The cover art and title alone gave me total Jacqueline Susann vibes! Who happens to be one of my favorite authors. Plus it’s fun to keep books a total mystery until you open it!
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