Since Christmas has passed and all the cards and presents have been given, I decided to do a little recap of the cards I made for this #TBIthursday.
And since today is an extra monthly post that means the feature is Pop Culture. The year-end means we start to prepare for Oscar awards season focusing on movies seems appropriate. Award season kind of crept up on me (don’t worry, the awards show isn’t until April this year), I decided to review what some experts are predicting for nominations.
Last week I detailed the various crafts and creativity that I did for Christmas but I didn’t include the cards that I was giving people because they hadn’t opened them by the time I posted my blog last Thursday. Since all the cards have now been opened I have decided to share them in detail because I am proud of the ideas I am coming up with (all ideas are mine) and that my artistic ability seems to be improving and I can happily match the ideas that I come up with in my head. That’s truly the key in my creativity: execution (and control). The more I write the more I feel like I can execute the ideas in my head and the same is happily true for drawing! This is truly an exciting development and something I can say I truly developed to this stage in 2020. See, 2020 wasn’t all bad!
A card I drew using a play on the “Little Drummer Boy” lyrics with pictures of my dog Selby and my sister’s dog Bella. I gave this to my parents because my maternal grandfather loved this song and used to sing it when I was little.
As you will notice as we look at these cards I always put a joke or something silly on the back of the card usually showing either Selby or Bella or both.
Front: Come they told me pa rum pum pum pum.
Inside: The dogs saying “Did someone say come? Do they have treats? Bones?
Back: Selby saying “Seriously. Do you hear what I hear?”
For my sister with a visual joke on snowy Minnesota (where we live). We had ironically not had a lot of snow until the day before Christmas Eve. Now we have plenty so this card is accurate!
Front: Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Inside: Clearly this song isn’t about MinneSNOWta!
Back: My sister’s dog Bella saying “Don’t eat yellow snow.” (and a patch of yellow snow for good measure.
A card for my Mom joking with the “Let it Snow!” lyrics. I realized when researching the lyrics that I actually have them wrong for this card but I kept them because the concept was cute.
Front: The Weather Outside is Frightful
Inside: But my DEER you’re so delightful!
Back: Selby wearing reindeer antlers asking isn’t SHE delightful?
Actual lyrics of “Let it Snow”: Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful.
And since we’ve got no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
For my Dad, the American history buff and retired American History and Government teacher, a card with Mount Rushmore.
I want to try drawing Mount Rushmore again because I feel like I was getting better as I went along! It’s far from super realistic but drawing realistic people is not my strength and I felt like I got better as I drew this card.
Front: Mount Rushmore Presidents singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas!”
Inside: And Happy New Year! Bye 2020.
Back: Selby with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln wearing a Santa hat and she’s confused and says “Santa?”
For my niece. She and my nephew call me La La so I thought it would be cute to play on the lyrics to “Deck The Halls.”
Front: Deck the halls with boughs of holly.
Inside: My nephew, niece and Bella singing (little singing Bella makes me smile).
Back: Selby singing “Fa la la la la la Mommy!” (because she doesn’t know me as La La!
For my nephew. He LOVES his dog Bella so I knew I wanted to feature her. This is a play on “Jingle Bells Batman Smells” (he’s 13 so I went for that goofy humor)!
Front: Bella singing “Jingle Bells, Selby smells…”
Inside: Selby with stink showing up all around her and flies buzzing shouts “HEY!!”
Back: Me holding my nose saying “It’s true! She does!” (She doesn’t smell great because as a cocker spaniel her ears always smell gross!)
Monthly Feature of the Week: Pop Culture- looking ahead at Oscar predictions.
I looked at two entertainment industry sources to see what their predictions were, Entertainment Weekly and Variety and I link and list those below.
Note: The Academy announced in June that the Oscars will be held in April instead of the usual February. They have also extended the eligibility requirements from movies released January 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 (usually a movie has to be released by December 31 in order to be eligible). Read more about The Academy’s decision here.
Entertainment Weekly Predictions for Best Picture:
- Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures): “After losing everything in the Great Recession, a woman embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Frances McDormand, Gay DeForest, Patricia Grier. Release Date: February 19, 2021.
- Mank (Netflix): “1930’s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins. Release Date: December 4, 2020.
- One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios): “One Night in Miami is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge. Release Date: December 25, 2020.
- The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix): “The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen. Release Date: October 16, 2020.
- Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix): “Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable “Mother of the Blues”. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson’s play.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Viola Davis and Chadwick Bosman. Release Date: December 18, 2020.
- Soul (Pixar/Disney): “A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton. Release Date: December 25, 2020.
- Judas and the Black Messiah: (HBO Max/Warner Bros): “The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal.”-IMdb.com Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jesse Plemons. Release Date: February 12, 2021.
- The Father: (Sony Pictures Classics): “A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.”-IMdb.com Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman. Release Date: February 26, 2021.
- Minari: (A24): “A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Youn Yuh-Jung. Release Date: February 12, 2021.
- Da 5 Bloods (40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks) “Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters. Release Date: June 12, 2020.
Variety’s Predictions for Best Picture:
- “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics): “A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.”-IMdb.com summary. Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman. Release Date: February 26, 2021.
- “Judas and the Black Messiah” (HBO Max/Warner Bros): “The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, and Jesse Plemons. Release Date: February 12, 2021.
- “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix): “Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable “Mother of the Blues”. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson’s play.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Viola Davis and Chadwick Bosman. Release Date: December 18, 2020.
- “Mank” (Netflix): “1930’s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.” -IMdb.com summary. Staring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins. Release Date: December 4, 2020.
- “Minari” (A24): “A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Youn Yuh-Jung. Release Date: February 12, 2021.
- “News of the World” (Universal Pictures): “A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Tom Hanks, Steve Boyles, Helena Zengel. Release Date: December 25, 2020.
- “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures): “After losing everything in the Great Recession, a woman embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Frances McDormand, Gay DeForest, Patricia Grier. Release Date: February 19, 2021.
- “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios): “One Night in Miami is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge. Release Date: December 25, 2020.
- “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features): “A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie. Release Date: December 25, 2020.
- “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix): “The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.” -IMdb.com summary. Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen. Release Date: October 16, 2020.
My assessment: Even though films are being released to On Demand and Streaming services pretty immediately because of COVID-19, I don’t find myself ahead of the game at all because we’ve been watching more feel-good things (think endless hours of baking competition shows) instead of more serious fare. I will have get a little more focused in my watching.
#CreativityFor Days Weekly Project Summary
As you can see in this post and last week’s post that I am creating a lot. Yesterday I got the urge to paint. I draw more than paint so it’s a pretty untested medium for me.
I was looking for reference images (that’s how I draw and paint… with references to what I want) of drawn or painted cocker spaniels and found Selby’s twin. So I had to paint it and make it more like Selby.
A Selby Sweetie Conclusion and Throwback
Like I said before, we got a bit of snow before Christmas. And to Selby, that means the outdoors turns into a giant delicious snow cone (she loves to eat snow)! She eats so much of it (even though we try to stop her) that she gets the chills and shivers until I swaddle her in a blanket like the little frozen burrito 🌯 she is! Here are some pictures of her in the snow in the present and in the past.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Here’s hoping 2021 shapes up… Even if it is still a little rocky compared to the salad days of pre-COVID, comparatively to 2020 it HAS to be better!
Writing By Laura 
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