Tuesday Tunes - Chromeo

I have a strong memory of the first time I heard Chromeo. There is a possibility that I had been smoking a bit of grass when I came across their music video for Needy Girl, and I realized what love at first sight could truly be. Now, they are on the verge of having the recognition they deserve with their forthcoming album Business Casual and they release this totally mental and completely terrifying yet somehow sexy but nightmare inducing music video. It makes me feel weird and I love it.

Dance dance dance!

xoxo Amarina

So long summer, hello autumn

Alright, I don't usually share pictures of anything other than weird shit and jewellery. To honour an awesome summer that felt too short, I thought I'd share some of my favourite pictures that my man and I took over the course of the last few months.



"The Spaghetti Incident" - Oh man, I was so excited to celebrate the last days of this past Spring by turning on the oven to bake delicious! chicken! meatballs! yum! In anticipation of d.c.m.y., I had had an early lunch and was ravenous. I was also suffering from Class A Butterfingers, which reached a comic/tragic/sudden end when I smashed my newly plated dish of food INTO EVERYTHING. Tears, laughter and more tears ensued; this level of clutzy-ness is not foreign to me.



Just one of many beautiful shots Ron and I took on our long drive around Central California and beyond with my family this summer. Trip of a lifetime.



A major discovery: leaving Lake Tahoe felt like abandoning a home before you've moved all your stuff in. A return visit ASAP is in order.



I don't even know where to start with the ridiculous setting of this picture. Curiosity, BBQ corn on the cob and too much sun led my man, my brother, his girlfriend and myself into a "Classic Films on Ice" performance starring none other than former Canadian figure skating champion/grannie heart throb/aspiring singer/karate enthusiast Elvis Stoijko. Together with some extremely theatric singers and a bunch of amateur skaters, this solid gold team paid homage to such classic films as Top Gun, Moulin Rouge, Slumdog Millionaire with seemingly random choices like Shrek, High School Musical and my personal favourites Ghostbusters and Kill Bill, in which Elvis sported Uma Thurman's yellow unitard and went through a karate routine on ice. It didn't seem crazy at the time to honour one of our favourite overdone movie moments: Blue Steel!



Meet Yma. She's our darling cat who too often enjoys curling up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee, the morning news and the remote. All I ask of her is that she washes a dish to earn her keep around here. Do you think she does it? Absolutely not.



I came home from a long day to a smiling owl on a steaming shepherds pie. Yet another reminder that I found my soul mate at a young age.



Ah! A mapless driving adventure led us to a beautiful and enormous flower garden on the lake. We decided to give our afternoon snack of muffins to the overfed and ungrateful squirrels who were clearly after something more decadent! I don't know how their tails remain so perfect when they're off doing squirrel things all day, my tail would end up all covered in tree sap.



Ron is the Tree Whisperer. He can negotiate the branches of any monstrocity, regardless of it's size.

It's been such an amazing summer, let's hope for an even better fall.

xoxo Amarina

Back from California and in it to win it

Ron and I are back and recovering from our amazing road trip around central California. It ended up being an onslaught on the senses, with the diversity of gorgeous landscapes, temperatures, people and escapades inspiring us every step of the way. Here's a rather messy representation of where our travels brought us:



Swimming and rock climbing in Lake Tahoe, driving through the desert and losing our brakes in the Sequoia National Park mountains, this trip could never be duplicated. We're starting to think that maybe California is where we need to be for awhile.



I've been spending some time reorganizing my goods for the Fall and Holiday seasons. Tons and tons and tons to come!

xoxo Amarina

Kittens in Windows

Ron and I spotted these two darlings in Peterborough, ON and all I could think of was "Quick, let's document this wonder!" and "How has no one told us about this giant kitten breed? I want in, I want in!"

xoxo Amarina

Add another place to "Things I Must See Before I Croak" List

There are a million reasons why Etsy has become such a success and why artsy crafty people like me are so drawn to it. They've really managed to create a virtual environment that sucks you in and makes you feel like you are a valuable part of a community, and a community that cares about art and handmade things to boot!

This is one of their newest blog posts and I have to say that I'm really quite taken with all the locations they've featured so far in their "There's No Place Like Here" video series, and I'm especially seduced by this place in particular. It's an instant I must visit this place at least once in my life reaction. And so it will be, check it out.

xoxo
Amarina

Bump Bu Bump Bu Bump It Up

OKAY. I absolutely love infomercials. LOVE them. The Shopping Network is a close second to the late night 30 minute spots but I'll settle if I have to. Especially when you get to witness episodes featuring a drunk Brian Bailey hocking his Spring/Summer 2009 collection and making comments like "you'll look good coming and going" while smacking asses, throwing empty hangers around the set and talking over the poor dude who is attempting to sell his product (genius). This one-time live episodic structure of the Shopping Network is precisely why I prefer the late night paid advertisements that you see over and over again.

My affair with the late night infomercials began with the "Set It and Forget It" rotisserie grill that would be absolutely useless to a vegetarian such as myself, yet I still wanted it. The talking head of the doctor in his office features him outlining the benefits of the machine while a pair of fowl rotate and drip in the background. IN HIS OFFICE.

Next came the Magic Bullet, which sounds more like a vibrator I'd like to have and less like a piece of kitchen equipment that I can't possibly live without. The smoking hag gave the hosts a run for their money in the acting department and I was hooked.

This was followed by a brief fascination with that self-sustaining vacuum that is capable of making decisions and maybe has a soul. I have now concluded that I'm scared of it and try not to think about the advancement of machines.

I'm not even going to get into the Vince of ShamWow meth-fueled prostitute-ridden drama because it's too out there and I could really go on about it. I will say that his new "Slap Chop/Graty" show is pretty impressive, regardless of a million products out there exactly like it.

Now we get to the Bump It, which I have been enjoying for the last couple of months. I know the video is 8 mins long, but please if you're going to watch any of it, watch up to the 3 minute mark. After professions of "no teasing!", "no hairspray", and something like "no more hair disintegration", the woman is actually unable to create the look without these things. The resulting coif was described by my boyfriend as a lop-sided wedding cake. Instant classic, enjoy!

xoxo
Amarina

Toronto Air Sex Championships

Oh man, so excited that it's finally consistently lovely outside and my partner and I feel like we've broken the hermit cocoon and are venturing out into the world again. One of the things I'd been looking forward to for awhile is the Air Sex Championships that rolled through Toronto last night. A perfect mix of sexy slow jams from the 70's - 90's (hello Color Me Badd!!) and epic film instrumentals (maybe a ditty from Harry Potter?), the brave souls that ventured on stage wiggled and moaned and stripped and were generally sweaty and hilarious.

I like to think it takes a lot to shock me, but I was genuinely surprised to see the very first contestant light his prop dink on fire. This must be the ultimate sign predicting one hell of a summer and I'm so ready for it.

xoxo
Amarina

Sharing the Shame

Just a quick one this time: Hibou Accessories is now sharing hot shit and being generally sassy on Twitter! I figure if Colin Meloy and Diablo Cody are doing it, I might as well hop on the bandwagon.

xoxo
Amarina

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Coming to a jewellery box near you...introducing the Clusterfuck Collection

So this is a wee taste of what I've been keeping myself busy with: The Clusterfuck Collection. I had two goals,

1. Create some jewellery that was eclectic and interesting and a bit of a mess...in a good way.
2. Throw the word fuck in there for significant reasons but also for some good cursing karma.

I should say, or maybe I shouldn't say that I fucking love swearing. It feels so fucking great to swear, mostly because I work a day job where it would not be the best idea to say fuck all the time but also because I just love to say fuck. I try not to swear in the blog too much, and I generally try not to swear all that often...but I fucking love it.



I'm not implying with the title of this collection that the necklaces are one big fucking mess. I put thought into each piece...more of a calculated clusterfuck than anything. The Steer Clusterfuck necklace is now up for grabs on Etsy. Click on the photos above for some Hibou Accessories on Etsy loving.



Now we have the Nautical Clusterfuck Necklace. I've mixed vintage charms, sodalite stone, a few charms I picked up last time I was in Santa Cruz and some sweet sweet chain. I love gun metal, but for some reason I only like it in bits and pieces. You know what that means? Paired with gold, this necklace and the rest of these guys go with mostly everything in the land of jewellery. We've got silver, gun metal and gold, so anything goes and I like that kind of versatility in my accessories. This piece has just been added to my Etsy shop, check it out!



This last teaser might end up being a permanent teaser. Above, I'm wearing the Bear Clusterfuck Necklace, which I have not taken off since I put it on for this picture last week. See that little flip in my hair? That's not usually there...this is the hair flip of someone who is going to tease you with awesome stuff and never sell it to you! Even though it's my job! I think I'll try to make something similarish (all of these babies are one of a kind), and I promise I won't taunt you with it.

There's more to come! Featuring all sorts of clusterfucky goodness: crystals! horses! Wild Bill Hickok! emroidered uniform name tags! Stay tuned...and let me know what you think. Is there anything you'd like to see thrown into a mess of charms and chain? Do tell.

Thanks for reading,
xoxo Amarina

Amarina Green

In celebration of V-Day, I've posted one of my favourite living room dance party songs. Single or taken, dancing alone or with somebody else (or in my case with my cat who secretly loves it but doesn't want me to know) is there anything better than a sweaty living room dance party?

This is Adam Green "Dance with Me". He was in The Moldy Peaches. He also has a solo career and has released a handful of ridiculously amazing and offensive albums. He's a sensation in Germany if that says anything. Also, when he performs live he doesn't blink at all. Seriously. I've missed songs I was looking forward to hearing because all I could concentrate on was counting the time between blinks. He's one of a kind.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

xoxo Amarina