The Ninja Writer's Library: Brian Froud and Alan Lee's Faeries

Hello my book nerd friends,

For the New Year I'm introducing a new segment to the blog The Ninja Writer's Library. In these posts I'll be talking about books: old ones, new ones, used, whatever I end up reading and finding in my shelves I feel like yammering to ya'll about.

Today's offering has been around in some form since according to the book's original copyright 1978, it is the Brian Froud and Alan Lee classic Faeries. This is the 25th edition that came out in 2002, the year I graduated high school. I received this as a Christmas present from my aunt this year, which goes great with one of the gifts I got from my sister The Labyrinth DVD, Brian Froud worked on the film, actually wasn't his son the baby?

This was an informative read. I mean I didn't know a lot of these legends and folklore surrounding different beings in the faery realm. Among these legends and tales you'll also find some faerie realm inspired poetry. There's even a section about flora and their ties to the faeries.

Of course there is the pairs' beautiful art. I actually wonder if they didn't also do work on The Spiderwick Chronicles movie, cause some of the drawings put me in the mind of the beings in the movie. Some of the pages were designed like illustrated journal entries with handwritten notes, which made it fill like you'd come across some old research text, though I found it difficult to decipher words/letters at times, not sure if it was the writing or the fact I wasn't wearing my reading glasses.

I will say some of the tales and descriptions left me a bit chilled. There was mention in this version that a woman had a copy signed for her future children, I'm hoping she meant for when their older, because while it's defiantly something to be shared with future generations I'd hesitate to read some of these stories to too young of children, if they're anything like I was the tales might induce panic and nightmares. Keep in mind I'm the kid who's over active imagination forced my Mom to have to call the school to get our librarian to lay off the weekly ghost stories. *hangs head in shame* so yes keep in mind these are not all happy faerie stories.

If your a fan of faerie art and folklore I really suggest this book. Maybe get one of the special editions that have come out since the original cause I know my edition included more art and writings I think than the original. I know it's going to be a keeper in my library.

I hope the new year finds you in many paged adventures my friends and God bless you all.



Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Don't Be Empty, Be a Tangerine Seed

Greetings in This New Year My Friends,

Earlier I watched Eat, Pray, Love, which turned out I think to be an appropriate movie for the day. We've of course already been celebrating the new year with watching the ball drop, Mom put out her homemade cheese ball and crackers, which is the only thing I've craved today, and in our gorgeous slim glasses we toasted the new year with our traditional non alcoholic sparkling grape juice cocktail, I think where most people have a special night of chocolates and wine I'd do one of sparkling grape juice and cheese ball platter, though I wouldn't say no to some chocolate too. Right now I'm watching the Rose Parade while attempting to keep warm in this freeze.

But let's get quite serious about this time of newness. It makes me think I of this little tangerine seed I have on my desk from the slices I ate the other night, full of potential and growth. If one cultivates it right that is. But yes right now we have a feeling of so much potential and promise, but only if we actually take time to plant and nourish our hopes and wishes will I guess any of them bare fruit.

Back at Christmas when we were visiting my Mamaw for gift exchange she was talking about she thought the cashier was flirting with me and asked if I had noticed (I hadn't cause I was concentrating on trying to get her stuff paid for at the time). At some point in the conversation she said something along the lines how she didn't want my life to be empty. For her it was more dealing with the fact she wished for me to find someone, bless her she worries about me, but I assured her my life wasn't empty. Even if I never find myself in a relationship I have friends and I think I mentioned my poetry, which the latter comes and goes sometimes, but the point is I have things in my life, but it is what she said that has played in my mind not to be empty. In the glow of the New Year's hopes and intentions I think that would be something to strive for not to be empty. As I have mentioned before I have anxiety, depression, and OCD. When I'm not consumed in anger, sadness, fear I find myself in a state of emptiness and being a zombie many times. It's a horrible feeling, maybe not as bad as the previously mentioned three, but it's still hard. I've even had moments where even life around me feels empty. I'd like to reach a point where I have less of that, as much as is in my power. Of course I should remember God's power is in my life, and if it's His will I shall prevail. Maybe 2018 will have me living more fully. Be full of hope and potential as that tangerine seed. Live a life of wonder and being content in my state. It's a nice hope to have, I don't call it a resolution, cause I don't do resolutions. It's a what it is, a hope, maybe I'll succeed maybe I won't, what will happen will happen.

Other seeds of hopes and wishes is to be a better writer with this blog. Since coming to the new space I feel I've not done a good job of posting. I'd love to get to a once a week at least like I use to do, maybe even twice a week off and on at some point. I want to hone my writing ability try to see if I can become better. With my poetry try to send off more this year, and hopefully write more, and not fret over a completed collection, when one's ready it'll be ready for the next stage, but not before time.

I think I may put this seed in this little blue bottle I have to remind me to live more fully. What seeds are you planting in the soil of newness this year my friends? I hope and pray you all have and amazing New Year my friends. God bless you!



Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Birthday Gifts for Jesus

A freezing hello friends,

Well we have survived Christmas again. I know it's awful to say that about the day chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ, but with my fragile mind state (I suffer from Anxiety, Depression, and OCD) and holiday stress most often I feel like I'm held together by a thread and Christmas day turns into some emotional/mental finish line to the world of normality.

But this post is not to lament about Christmas woes, but about Christmas Traditions. I mentioned in a previous post recently about how I like to make a gift for Jesus every year and that I'd elaborate on it. It's a tradition that started accidentally when I found myself creating Christ inspired work at Christmas, over time I officially decided every year as a way to remind me why I celebrate and allow Christ to have a birthday gift especially for Him.

I think one of the first gifts I made was during a Christmas Eve when due to snows our power had been off for a day or so. I was listening to a Christian station's Christmas Music and I did this drawing:
 

 

One thing that I did on this was use this special invisible ink pen that reveals what you write with a special light. Great idea, but because it was a restaurant kids meal toy pen, think it was for the last Indiana Jones Movie when it came out.

I've written a couple poems as well. I wrote the poem He the Christmas after my cousin's youngest child was born, she inspired a line. I think the next year I created a little video with me reading it, I haven't a clue what it's saved on.

Last year I wrote In Your Honor, it was a struggle trying to create that year, but I'm pleased what I managed to create.

My most ambitious gift was a little house scene featuring a little baby Jesus as a Christmas present:

 

It was the first time I used these little bag of Wilton babies I bought, and you'll find I have used them multiple times for my gifts.

I've made many other decoration gifts there's the ornament I made to replace my favorite one that broke:

 

 

I've even created a bottled/jarred display using a craft store jar, one of the babies, a fabric white poinsettia, and a 50 cent machine king necklace charm that I felt was too bling for me (yes I will rock 50 cent machine jewelry if it suits my style).

 

This year I channeled my lacking origami skills and created another little scene:

 

 

 

Sorry for the crappy webcam shot. I made 2 origami boxes, the red on for the scene and the green one to lay the baby that I wrapped in scrap fabric. I made a origami star and stitch wrote Jesus in a golden yellow. Then using that old school cootie catching making skill I made the small red poinsettia and glutted it to some green leave shapes I cut out. The image of Marry comes from one of these fabric rose bunches we found so I cut a petal off and glued it inside.

 

I hope maybe my friends next Christmas season we can all remember Him in our celebrations and all make gifts. Or maybe if you already have a like tradition share in the comments. May all be well with you the rest of the year friends and God Bless You!

 

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

 

 

 

Sister VS Christmas Tree

Hello My Friends,
We are still trying to get melted from our nice little 7+ Inches of snow.

Snow in the Backwoods

So yeah we've been holed up in the holler keeping warm by the fire. But cold and snow is not what this post is about. Today's post is about our Christmas tree.
In our household we prefer the stately Faux Ever Green. We have nothing against real trees, it's just not a practical choice for us. A. We don't have the dough foe a new tree every year, and B. We're the type of family that puts our tree up around Thanksgiving (American) and it doesn't come down till sometime in January, yeah living tree wouldn't last.
Now when my sister still lived here, she seemed to be in an unintentional battle with the tree. I mean she had it out for it.
I think the earliest attack was actually my fault. Our tree is set up near the doorway into the kitchen. Now one night when I was angry with my sister over something. We tried passing through the door at the same time and I brushed into her hard enough to send her into the tree, knocking it over, and causing her to land on our little cousin's gift, a tricycle. Angry, understandably, Pop sent us to our room, then a few minutes later we heard him laughing his head off.
She's nicked an ornament with a dart, did result in a new tradition where we search for the ornament she hit. She ran into it with her skateboard, I think she hit it with a tape ball.
Her most horrific attack was the morning of her birthday, which fell on the day after Thanksgiving, and apparently Thanksgiving meal did not agree with her. So she was hauling butt to get to the sick. She made it to the front of the tree... And she didn't just get it on the floor. Yes my sister has created many great memories for us to laugh over for many Christmases to come.

I hope you have a great pre Christmas week, remember not to get to burned out and remember the true meaning of the season, for me it's Christ, for you whatever it be. God Bless You my Friends!
Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

The Snowy Post of Christmas Past

 Hello this Snowy Night,

My friends it appears we have had a nice helping of snow dumped on us, and glitter but that's a whole other matter. At last measure, earlier in the day we had 7 inches and it's still snowing. I'm enjoying it, it makes every thing feel Christmassy. Unfortunately for grocery stores it also means bread and milk is in limited supply. So since this snow has added to getting us into a Christmas mood I figure I'd talk a little Christmas in tonight's post.

Charting Christmas Past

You may recall in a past post that I had mentioned that I'd made a list of past costumes, well I did some minor Christmas mapping. You know certain years that had special memories attached or special titles given to certain years, like the Harry Potter Christmas of 2001 or last year's Time Traveling Christmas.

The above mentioned listing exercise could prove helpful in a new tradition I want to do. I mentioned I want to start doing a Halloween Charm Bracelet, well to also do a Christmas one as well. Along with the mapping of past Christmases I've made notes on the page of memories and things that are very special to me that pertain to this time of year.

One charm memory I'm going to attempt to create myself is with a button. Why a button you may ask. When I went to the Art Room during Pumpkinfest, I found myself reliving a minor yes permanently seared moment from the fragments of Christmastide memories. They had a decorative storage box that was filled with buttons. I couldn't help myself I had my hand sifting through the buttons, travel on a past Christmas road. When I was younger when my Dad and Uncle would go hunting Mom and I, maybe even my sister if she hadn't gone with the hunters, would go out Christmas shopping. I recall one time we'd stopped in a fabric shop right near where my Grandmother use to work. It was filled with fabric rolls, lace samples on the wall, and buckets or barrels of buttons. I remember sifting through them looing for pretty ones to purchase, actually the Art Room box contained I believe similar buttons. But I that little speck of memory opens the door to the feelings and other pieces of memories I have from those trips, hence why a button shall be gracing this bracelet I hope.

A Gift For Jesus
I shall be continuing my newer tradition of creating a gift for my savior Jesus. Every year for the last few years as a way to focus on what this season is about for me and to ensure my Savior gets a gift on His birthday, I make Him a gift. I've written poems, done drawings, and made various other gifts for my Lord's enjoyment. As with the old blog I'll post what I've done, or a step by step of the building. I may take a post to show some past gifts for you all.

Well friends that about does it for this snowy night rambling. I hope your weekend is good and the holiday season is good to you. God Bless You!
Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Austen and Austin

Happy Monday My Friends,

Well I'm happy to say this cold seems to be loosing it's grips from me even further. I unfortunantly till have some conjestion, I think I'll use a term a girl I knew said once, lung butter, but on the positive end I can pop my ears again! I never thought I'd be so happy to be able to pop my ears. Ok enough of this episode of my strange body let's get to more literary topics.

Musings of a Budding Janeite
If had told me in High School or college I would enjoy Jane Austen I'd proabably would have fallen off my unicorn. But I think it was only a matter of time. I enjoyed movies like Clueless, which is based off Emma, and The Jane Austen Book Club, I really enjoyed the mini series Lost in Austen. The closest I came to reading Jane's words was what was used in Sense and Sensibility, and Sea Monsters. I had a failed start one night, but I did attempt later with flying success, and thouroughly enjoyed it, I was kinda suprised to be honest... Should I ever marry I fear I'll hear my husband speak of my nerves as Mr. Bennet does his wife's. Last year at Books Unlimited I found a used copy of Emma with notes made by a student. Some probably don't like having books written in, but I love it, even if I don't understand sometimes what they've written.

The whole reson I bring up Austen is because of a web series inspired by her work Pride and Prejudice called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. I discovered this while watching old episdes of Felicia Day's Flog. Actually it was more than a web series, websites, twitter accounts, and such were set up as though the characters had made them and they would post stuff to go along with the episodes. How often can one get a chance to tweet with Mr. Darcy. This year mark's the 5 year anniversary of the show so they are releasing the episodes, tweets, and all as they were released 5 years ago posting them through their Facebook Page. I was a little late when they started showing them again, but a quick binge and now I'm enjoying as it appears on my FB, I find it better this way as opposed to the huge binges sessions I did when I first watched it through. I really recommend you check it out, and when you're through with this series and are itching for more from Pemberly Digital's Austen interpretations check out Emma Approved and Welcome to Sandition, I think it's easy to guess what Austen work each is based from. The writers actually ended up combine all these Austen works into one universe, and they use the same multi media story telling format, Welcome to Sandition, if I understand correctly went as far as having their fans get involved in a roleplaying sort of thing, that was awesome. I'm kinda hoping these other two shows get the 5 year anniversary treatment next year.

When I started rewatching LBD I found this video in my Youtube recommendations. For the 5 year anniversary the cast came together to play a game called Marrying Mr. Darcy. Basically you assume the role of one of the single ladies of the book and try to end up with a suitor, or be an old maid. You know part of me wishes I had more Janeites around who would have fun with this, but at the same time makes me wander what my regular peeps would do with this.

If you've yet to tire of Jane Austen the Marrying Mr. Darcy blog shared a link to a Hellogiggles.com Article on How to Host a Jane Austen Girls' Night In. It's not an extensive list of ideas, but it does offer up some things I didn't know about.

The Austin in Austin
　A few months ago I was diving in a Goodwill Outlet bin trying to find the rest of these Fairy and Mermaid Oracle Cards for Fangirl when I found Austin Kleon's Steal Like An Artist Journal. I was excited to find this. I've been following Austin Kleon for a bit, I don't know how I originally found him, maybe through the writer Keri Smith, though I'm pretty sure it was through his black out poetry. He's a writer and artist living in Austin Texas who sends out great e newsletters each week, and keeps cool notebooks. That's actual one of the purposes of the book I found is to be a notebook to collect your inspirations.

The book also has activities for you to do to get those creative juices flowing. My favorite thus far is where we were asked to climb up our creative family tree. You pick who your most influenced by then find 3 of that person's influences, and then those three's three. It's interesting an interesting tree I must say.

Of course I'm not the first to write in it, as I said it's used, but it's fun seeing what this person, a lover of Van's Chocolates apparently, came up with for some of these prompts. That's what I love about getting second hand books, you never know what treasures you'll find within, and I love connecting with a past reader of a used book I own.

With that I hope your week is good to you friends, may good books come your way, and God bless you!




Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Crazy Idea Time: The Laundromat Musings - A Book

Hello my friends,
I hope this week has treated you well. I am recovering from battling a cold that hit me out of no where, I'm not completely 100 percent, but I think I'm pretty close minus the hacking coughs. But enough about my health let's turn our attention to a place that probably is crawling with as much germs as I am, the Laundromat.
Actually this post was first started in February or March of last year or the year before. Actually was suppose to be for the old blog, yup it's been sitting here waiting on ye olde computer a bit. It started when I was updating my journal, my actual handwritten one, and I was writing about the trip we'd made to the Laundromat to do the massive load of laundry that'd piled up the last time I got massively sick, we'd all been sick that time. Mainly it was just observations of things that night and the people we ran into, but it got me to thinking that would make an interesting book. A book centered around the Laundromat. I'm sure some it's been done, but each person and Laundromat has a tale. I mean seriously interesting thoughts photos, and stories can come from these places.

I have a many memories from my ventures to these places, some that are sick enough to gross out your therapist and those good enough that me feel warm when I think about them. There's the night a couple had this large dog running around the place and it goes sniffing at our Burger King we'd bought to munch on while the clothes were washing. Then after they had finished their clothes you saw them throwing layers of their dryer warmed clothes on them before assumingly walking home into winter's darkness.

Actually at that same Laundromat many, many winters before and my Dad needed to use the restroom, so he parks at the Laundromat, it's a 24 hour place, and he opens the door to their tiny men's restroom only to bean the head of a poor homeless man who'd made it's floor his bed for the night.




These yellow ones had been there since I was little, they were in the process of replacing them.



Dog or Human?

It's a place where the writings of bygone visitors can leave us with so many questions like: "What's the deal with Princess Sparkles?"



Are these crazy kids are still together after almost 4 years?

Who's Jessie and why is he always here?

Besides a place that keeps clean clothes upon your person, it's a place were you profess your love.

So what are some of your crazy Laundromat stories? Or any clothes washing related tale? Well friends behave yourselves, may your clothes always come clean, and may God Bless You!
Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer