happiness recipes

I love rainy days. Have I said that before? I really love them. I don't really even mind being out in them. A little weather-enforced melancholia gives me a pleasant, snuggly feeling. I was out and about in the rain today for a few auditions and found myself in Kunikuniya which is a Japanese book store around Bryant Park here in Manhattan. In case you didn't know, the Japanese have got some seriously beautiful happenings in the world of craft books. I mean--it's really outrageous. They're slightly more expensive than their American counterparts, but it's negligible. And for the most part, they're so much more beautiful. I treated myself to the two lovelies you see above. It was hard to narrow it down to two. It's partly the photography/aesthetic, but mostly the patterns themselves are so great. The one on top (with maybe the cutest girl I've ever seen in my life) is called "Sweet Dress Recipe"  (thus the title of this post). Can you stand it? I gather what we call "patterns" they sometimes refer to as "recipes" which I find wonderful. It implies a measure of creativity as opposed to an absolute which is certainly how I feel about most sewing. It features such 'recipes' as:

(Note the bow tie and the saddle oxfords. I'm in love.)

I could just. Die.

The second book features various recipes for homemade slippers. Which is perhaps the sweetest thing ever. I was thinking what a great gift homemade slippers would be. You'd have to be pretty stealthy gathering shoe sizes, but I used to want to be a spy so I say it could be done. Look how dear:

(Those are embroidered. Devastating.)

Did I mention that every single word of these books is in Japanese? I am presuming I will be able to decipher the instructions using common sense and their very thorough drawings. I think I can!

So a few new items added to the ever-multiplying master to-do list... in my little studio right now is a stack of 12 mis-matched fabric dinner napkins which are waiting to have ric-rac sewn onto them. We really needed new everyday napkins with color and I had some sizable remnants. I hope to have them ready to show you tomorrow after a full day of auditions...

What I have to show you right now, however, arrived in the mail today:

When I tell you that I have been searching for months for a pair of bright red, vintage, interesting, easy to walk-in pair of shoes--I'm not kidding. Months! And it turns out they were waiting patiently for me over at the lovely etsy shop AvantGarb. And, truly, the shop proprietor Stacey is so lovely and enthusiastic, I can't recommend her or her shop enough. She has quite the on-going collection and very reasonable prices so run don't walk!

In other news: I am very happy to report (though I've known for awhile and am only just now sharing) that on the acting front I have a very exciting project/job to look forward to, which begins rehearsals in March. I know a bunch of the people involved and I have a very good feeling about the whole experience. I'm still auditioning for TV and movie roles of course, as well as some commercials and voice-overs as they come up (in fact I recorded a radio spot for Corona today! Super fun!) but it would have to be a pretty amazing something-or-other to take me away from this play. I'm a very lucky girl :)

Sigh. I also have to show you a cake I made the other night that was so divine, but I think I'm done typing. I need tea and a bath. So off I go :)