aquafrolic

Friday, January 15, 2010

it's that time of year again...

ahhh, mardi gras...

before we get started, i created this mardi gras playlist for you to enjoy while you read :] click play...you know you wanna!

there are three types of people in the world:

1. people who live in louisiana - these people have been gearing up for this since the day after christmas. while most of the world is focused on ringing in the new year, as soon as the red and green gift wrap has been put away, us louisianans start seeing purple green and gold. mardi gras is the only holiday on our minds...we start planning the upcoming season's crawfish boils, checking the price of live crawfish EVERY day, until they dip below 2 bucks a pound. we start letting out the wasteline on our favorite pair of pants in anticipation for the amount of king cakes we'll be eating the next few months. we start requesting vacation time off for parade days, and start stockpiling the liquor cabinet for "the big weekend".

2. people who have moved away from louisiana - these people are the ones who, as soon as christmas is over, start kicking themselves in the rear for ever moving away from this wonderful place. what person in their right mind could experience the months of january, february and march without crawfish, king cake and parades?!? it's a mystery i will never understand.

3. finally, we have the rest of you folks...those who have been in the dark their entire lives. those who have never seen the light. those who have never tasted the sweet and delicate taste of that beloved pastry. have never felt the warm juice from a crawfish head rolling down their elbows...never had their sinuses cleared so quickly by that delicious red pepper...for these folks, i make this post.

now for a little history lesson :]

mardi gras (pronounced mah-dee gra) can be traced back to medieval europe. the name means 'fat tuesday'. it was brought to the states by the french-canadian explorer, Jean Baptiste le Moyne Sieur de Bienville in 1699, when he landed on a plot of land about 60 miles south of new orleans. he named the place, "pointe du mardi gras". (he also discovered mobile, alabama, which for those of you who didn't know, was the original capitol of louisiana :] ) to celebrate the french holiday, he started secret societies, which are known today as "krewes" (pronounced like crews). the first secret society was called masque de la mobile and lasted from 1704 - 1709. in 1710, the boeuf graf society was formed, and held the first mardi gras parade, with the first mardi gras float made from giant bull's head, pushed along on wheels by 16 men. crazy, right?

so in 1718, jean baptiste discovered new orleans, and by the 1730's, the holiday was being celebrated openly in the city and surrounding areas, but not in the parade form that we celebrate today. then governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuill established elegant society balls, which are still held today.

by the late 1830's, new orleans street processions where a prominent way to celebrate the holiday, with masked carnival goers parading in the streets and horse drawn carriages and such. at this point, the celebrations became more organized, and local newspapers started printing events related to the holiday in advance.

in the 1870's, the third krewe was established...The Twelfth Night Krewe. this krewe established the first mardi gras "throws" (beads, dubloons and such that are thrown from floats). later that decade, a group of businessmen established a King of Carnival, Rex, to lead the first daytime parade. the Rex parade was where the colors of mardi gras, the mardi gras song and the mardi gras flag were introduced.

during the 1870's the governor of louisiana signed the mardi gras act, making it a legal holiday in our state. all government offices and schools close for lundi gras and mardi gras (monday and tuesday :] )

nowadays, mardi gras is a 5 day long celebration, starting on the friday before, extending all way until midnight on fat tuesday. once midnight hits, mardi gras is officially over and the streets literally shut down. during the parades, people will literally do just about anything for beads, because, well, as we all know...the bigger the beads, the better :] really, you just have to experience it to understand it...i think it's something everyone should do at least once.

here's a little mardi gras eye candy for you...

if you want the folks on a float to throw you anything, you have to say these words

brass bands are EVERYWHERE, playing zydeco and jazz

beads are a big deal. the bigger the better. :]

the french quarter is so beautiful, especially when decorated for mardi gras!

that giant head above is Rex, the King of Carnival

so now that you all have a little understanding of the holiday (sorry for the boring history lesson), let's talk about king cake! this history lesson will be much more fun, i promise...plus, there's a giveaway at the end! :]

the history of the king cake began in 12th century france, where bakeries would bake a cake on the eve of january 6th, to celebrate the visit of christ by the three kings. a small token was usually hidden inside of the pastry as a surprise for the finder. the cake is generally oval shaped (imagine a racetrack), and is similar to coffee cake dough, laced with cinnamon. the dough is rolled out into a long tube, then shaped into an oval. a small plastic baby is inserted into the dough as the "token" spoken of earlier. it symbolizes baby Jesus, and how difficult it was for the wisemen to find him. once the cake is baked, it is iced and sprinkled with a thick layer of granulated sugar, usually colored in purple, green and gold. the best king cakes are filled with your choice of filling. my favorites are strawberry and cream cheese, apple, chocolate and coconut, and praline :] there are hundreds of traditional flavors to choose from, and most bakeries offer a special flavor specific to their bakery.

in the 18th century, french settlers brought the custom to louisiana. the first king cake of the season was served on january 6th. whoever found the baby was allowed to choose a mock court, and were required to host the next king cake party (parties were held weekly from january 6th until mardi gras). in the lat 1870's, the Twelfth Night Revelers held their balll with a large king cake as the main attraction. instead of choosing a sacred king for the ball, they used a bean in the cake to choose the queen. this tradition is carried on to this day. now, a large wooden replica of a king cake is used, with various small drawers along the lower layer. all the girls at the ball open a drawer. if they find a silver bean, they are a member of the mardi gras court, and if they find the gold bean, they are the queen.

now, when your eating the cake with friends and family, it's tradition for whomever finds the baby to buy the next king cake :]

so, in honor of this holiday, and the traditions it includes, i am giving away a king cake :] the winner will be chosen one week from today. i will order a king cake in the flavor of their choice from my favorite local bakery, and ship it to the winner, along with some other fun mardi gras staples. everything you'll need to celebrate the holiday wherever you are :] this is my way of sharing my family's heritage and my state's legacy with you wonderful folks out there! to enter, leave a comment telling everyone something cool that is specific to where you live, sort of like mardi gras is to louisiana. :] tweet about the giveaway (be sure to use @emjay0121) for a second entry, and for a third, blog about the giveaway and leave a link in the comment section. i look forward to hearing some of your stories! :]

xoxo

emjay

hi :]

i miss you. but i promise to be back later this morning with a fun playlist or something :]

goodnight

Monday, January 11, 2010

meet me on monday

melanie godecki

melanie is a 27 year old gal from toronto, who recently packed up and moved to - get this - france! she is a crafter, french linguist, and photographer, and her blog is so lovely! let's get to know her, shall we?

what is your favorite craft?

oooh i love crafting. scrapbooking involves so many crafting techniques + you get to create precious mementos and there are no rules, which i love. close seconds would be jewelry making and sewing. i also got to work full time at a scrapbooking store last year. sadly, it is no longer, but it was great while i was there!

what are the five most played songs on your itunes?

i'm addicted to these:

dance dance dance by lykke li

posters by peter katz

gobbledigook by sigur ross

whoo! alright-yeah...uh huh by the rapture

i will follow you into the dark by death cab for cutie

i will be posting a new favorite song every week on my blog :]

describe your personal style

i think anyone that knows me can tell you that i wear what i want. i love wearing things that other people are afraid to try on. it's always colourful and usually vintage inspired. although my wardrobe is much tamer than it was in high school - i'm more afraid of spandex now - i still think carrie bradshaw would be proud.

as for the rest of my life, i love vintage made modern - old items with new life, a mix of found treasures and simple modern touches. and colour...always colour!

what was it like moving from one hemisphere to the other?

in some ways, not as difficult as you'd expect. thankfully i still have all the modern conveniences and the internet to keep me connected to north america. the 6-8 hour time difference is a little tricky when trying to arrange phone calls with family and friends, so we talk a lot on the weekends. the difficult part is all of the little secrets that the french keep from you until you get here. there are a lot of unexpected expenses. (i need insurance to walk down the street?!? yes.) and a lot of paperwork and meetings. the infamous french red tape is real. but i did get really homesick at halloween. they don't really celebrate it here.

what prompted you to move to france? a job, a man, or a whim?

literally, all three. my boyfriend steve and i love to travel. he wanted to take a year off school before beginning his PhD and one of us suggested moving to europe for the year. as for france specifically, i have always wanted to become better at french, an i have a cousin who did the language assistant program a few years ago. she helped me to apply for the job, and the job means you are actually allowed to stay for a while - voila! the job placement was actually an unknown...we could have ended up anywhere in france. however, my experience with film production had us end up in cannes. ahhhh, yes.

your photos are so beautiful. what gets you to whip out the camera and start shooting? where do you find inspiration?

first off, thank you for the compliment :]

i always have a camera with me. i will not buy a purse that will not fit it. i think it's partly obsession, and i find inspiration everywhere. traveling is so easily inspiring, but when i'm in my hometown, i treat it moreso as a hunt. when i photograph people, i ask them questions to peek into their personality and use it to jump-start the shoot. i also love browsing magazines...the more adds the better. i try to dissect each one to figure out what lighting techniques they used, etc. ads are definitely where photography is allowed to progress. i also get incredibly inspired when i get a new toy (lens, light, filter, gadget...)

what are some of you favorite photos that you've ever taken?

here are my top five:

my friends braydan and amanda, as they are about to be introduced as mr and mrs

seeing the tulips in holland in the spring - incredible

my cousin, his wife and their daughter

steve and i do a light painting photo on canada day every year

paris, this christmas

if you had a genie to grant you three wishes, what would they be?

assuming that the genie says you can't wish for money or more wishes, and has already granted someone else the wishes of world peace, ending world hunger and stopping climate change...

1. hair that grows on command. i could try any hairstyle and never regret it!

2. to be a member of the product testing panel for canon (get a free one of everything!)

3. unlimited travel i.e. being the child of mr. hiltona an ms. british airways :]

thank you so much mel for sharing a piece of you with us! be sure to check out mel's blog and flickr! she has some very beautiful and inspiring things to share with you! :]

if your interested in being featured in a future meet me on monday post, email me at emjay0121(at)gmail(dot)com :] there are still spots open for february.

Friday, January 8, 2010

tropical

i've had countless inquiries about my nail polish in january 1st's edition of photobooth friday, so for all you teal loving fools out there, here you go:

color name: tropical

brand: LA Girl FLARE

i bought mine at urban outfitters, who regularly carries the brand (you can find it at the register counter). i've also seen the same brand at forever 21 in the past, but not recently, and i usually never saw the same colors as urban. i'm sure if you search online you might be able to find it as well. they carry an awesome acid green color, as well as some fun purples and fuscias...and most recently for winter, GLITTER! :]

happy polish hunting :]

emjay

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

when in springfield...

so last time i was in springfield, i got this:

and cecily got this:

and recently i've been getting the itch for another. i think my next trip to springfield will be the perfect time to get it! i'm thinking on the back of my neck, but i can't decide if i want it centered or sort of traveling down one side a bit...it will be small though...i'm not one for being covered in them. i mean, it's cool for some people, but not for me :] here's sort of what i'm thinking about:

i posted a tweet asking who wants to get one with me in springfield, and like, 10 people jumped on the bandwagon quickly! we'll have rent out the whole parlor! :] yay for a tattoo party! :]

tonight is yoga night with mom...yay! and after yoga, we watch the middle, modern family and cougar town. :] i love wednesdays!

xoxo

emjay

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

sooo...

01/04/10

i've created my list of goals for twenty ten :] however, i'm working on a creative way to deliver them to the masses. while i'm working on that, i'm still planning on starting to realize these goals now.

goal #17: take a photo everyday.

now, most of these will be with my iphone, of course, because i *never* have my real camera with me. but thanks to danielle, erin and steven, i now have a lot of super cool iphone camera apps to play around with! this goal goes hand in hand with another goal for 2010...

goal #5: blog something every day.

it doesn't matter if it's just one line and a photo, or a whole novel. something *must* be posted every day. since i'm not the novel writing type, a lot of these posts will probably be photos of the day. but i'm ok with that. killing two birds with one stone is not considered cheating, right? :]

by combining these two goals together, it will be a fun and easy way to share the fruits of goal #17 with all of you wonderful folks, and it'll give me material to use for goal #5 on those days where you really just have nothing all that exciting going down. i mean who wants to read a blog about me sitting in my pajama's watching reruns of "major dad" from sun up to sun down? i think a photo of a dandelion would be much more interesting :]

ps...i'm learning to crochet tonight :] (that's 1/3 of goal #12!)

pss...i wish i would have smuggled these from brittany's suitcase when she was in town last week. drats.

01/01/10

emjay

i think

that beauty can be found in the most unusual places.

Monday, January 4, 2010

open for business

i tried to think of the best way to make this announcement, and i figured that here was as good a place as any.

my etsy shop is currently closed, due to the overwhelming amount of hours i put in at my regular job - it's just too difficult to keep up an inventory. however, after taking a 2 month hiatus from pretty much all things crafty (due to hand surgery), i am finally feeling well enough to get back into the game...sort of. right now, i will only be taking custom orders. below is a list of items that i get regular requests for, along with tentative prices. all prices include supplies and labor, and shipping within continental US, unless otherwise noted. for shipping outside the US, costs will be added.

3x4 emjay original painting - $12

4x5, 5x5, 4x6 emjay original painting - $17

5x7, 6x6 emjay original painting - $21

8x6 emjay original painting - $25

8x10 emjay orginal painting - $30

> 8x10 up to 12x12 emjay original painting - $45

18x24 emjay original painting - $65 + shipping

24x20 emjay original painting - $73 + shipping

24x36, 28x36 emjay original painting - $100 + shipping

**if you do not see the dimensions you would like listed above, a quote can be made**

custom planner/address book/journal - $50-$75 (depends on size and content)

custom album - $50-$100 (depends on size and content)

button earrings - $6 (small) $8 (large) -

button ring - $6 (small) $8 (large)

button earring/ring set - $10 (small) $12 (large)

handpainted canvas totebag (phrase of your choice) - $23

hand stitched ruffled totebag (your choice of up to 3 fabrics) - $32

**10% discount will be given if multiple items are purchased together.

**please allow for a 2-3 week turnaround for artwork, 1 week turnaround for jewelry, 2 week turnaround for totes and 4-6 week turnaround for journals/albums/planners

like i said before, these are all items that i get requests for and make regularly for people in my area, but i'm very interested in branching out and growing my client base. i am always up for a challenge, so if you have an idea for something and you need help seeing it realized, email me and maybe we can work something out :] i hope to be doing a lot of fun projects like these for folks in the next few months, as my day job tends to be slow at the start of the year.

as part of my blog makeover, i will be figuring out a way to have my pricing information easily accessible and readily available should anyone need or want to reference it.

if you are interested in purchasing anything, or working on a collaboration together, either email me at emjay0121(at)gmail(dot)com, or if you leave a comment in the comment section, be sure to leave me your email so i have a way of contacting you.

i'll leave you with a few photos of things i've done. i apologize in advance for the horrible photo quality...most of these are snapped by the buyer upon receipt. (i always forget to photo my work :/ )