Round Robin Challenge: Pretty Paper

"Better to be strong than pretty and useless."

~Lilith Saintcrow, Strange Angels

RRC: Pretty Paper

I decided, since we are only a couple weeks shy of Christmas, to go with two of my favorite holiday papers... an advent calendar, and Christmas gift bags! Lets start with the advent calendar, shall we? In our house, it simply wouldn't be Christmas without the advent calendar! Alan had never had one as a child, and I hadn't had one either... well... except for the one we made for our classes in school. The way it worked then was the teacher would make the basic template, than each child was asked to draw a small picture for the door assigned to them for the calendar. So, if I drew December 1st from the Santa hat, than my drawing would appear behind that door, and I would get to stand in front of the class as the other children guessed what was behind the door for that day!

Whoever guessed correctly got a sticker star for their paper tree! The child who guessed correctly most often, got to serve as Head Elf at the Christmas Party. It was a fun time in my school life, and a part of me really missed it when I went onto Junior High... although I wouldn't admit it! LOL. So, when Alan and I first got married, and he said he had never had an advent calendar, we got one, and put a slight variation on what the prize is for guessing correctly most often! Usually, the winner chooses the holiday pie. Alan wins a lot more often than I do, but we have a lot of fun with it. Like I said, it just wouldn't be Christmas without it! So far I am 1 1/2 points ahead, but there is still time for him to come back from behind and knock me out of the lead! Wish me luck!


And Now For The Much Maligned Holiday Gift Bag...


Why do folks hate the holiday gift bag so much? I actually found a couple articles by folks who found them not only lame, but downright tacky and even peevish! Personally, I LOVE the bag! The holiday bag is just as pretty as the rolls of paper, and stores easier! Plus, it's fun to watch the cats dig into their bags to get their assorted gifts out! I have taught them to know when the holidays are coming, by when they see special bags with streamers and ribbons on them! Elvis was great about that also! He always knew when we brought out the hats, and the PRETTY PAPER bags, something special was about to happen! Plus, there is a lot less mess when the cats play with all the bags later in the day on Christmas, and this year that will be important with this being baby kitty Joey's first Christmas!

Print Ads Can Be Pretty As Well...


I was in a coffee shop the other day, and someone had left behind a copy of a Wall Street Journal on the coffee table. I thumbed through it, and on the very last page was a full print Chanel ad that I found rather striking! That is the whole point... right? Ads that capture your attention, and your imagination, make a product more intriguing! I don't think I will ever own a Chanel watch in my lifetime, they are a bit out of my price range, but still a girl can dream! Just because I can't walk into Chanel and buy a gorgeous new suit, dress or watch, doesn't stop me from window shopping on Maiden Lane during the holidays! Chanel mannequins are some of the best dressed ladies of Union Square! LOL. I wouldn't miss it for the world!


My Favorite Year...


Okay, how could I participate in a Round Robin Challenge, when the subject is Pretty Paper, without including my favorite Pretty Paper of all time? This is the movie poster for the film Blue Jasmine, which was done by my favorite director of all time, Woody Allen! As you probably know, during August of 2012, Woody was in the Bay Area filming Blue Jasmine, and I got to watch the filming a couple times! I waited, and wondered, what the official movie poster would look like? I knew the beautiful Cate Blanchette would grace it, and more than likely the color blue, but when the two came together, it took my breath away! I had to have it! And look how gorgeous it looks on the wall of my office. It looks amazing against that cornflower blue wall! And it makes me smile. That August held a lot of good memories for me!

Sigh! Smile! Happiness!

Okay, now that you have visited me, and saw my contribution to this round of the Round Robin Challenges, why don't you visit the other participants to see what they have all come up with? Better yet, join in the fun! Click the link at the top of this post, to be directed to the official Round Robin Challenge blog, where you can find the list of participants, and all the info you need to play along!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)