Little Lulu

Who likes Little Lulu?? I do, I do! My mentor always says that I remind her of Little Lulu, so finally I saw a DVD of her and bought it for a Christmas gift. I watched it first to see what it was all about, and it is pretty cute! Here's some history about Little Lulu!

Little Lulu is a comic strip character created by Marjorie Henderson Buell. She first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel comic strip, appearing in her debut as a flower girl at a wedding, strewing the aisle with banana peels. The strip ran until 1948. Original Little Lulu cartoons were also used frequently in Pepsi magazine ads thoroughout the 1940s. Lulu was also the centerpiece of an extensive advertising campaign for Kleenex tissues during the 1940s and 1950s.

Supporting characters in the comics include her friends Tubby Tompkins (who later got his own short-lived comic-book series), Annie, Iggy, Gloria, Wilber Van Snobbe, Alvin, Ol' Witch Hazel, and Li'l Itch. Lulu's last name is Moppet.

In the mid-1940s, Lulu appeared in a series of theatrical animated shorts produced by Famous Studios for Paramount from 1943-48. In all, 26 Little Lulu cartoons were released in a period of less than five years. According to Don Markstein's Toonpedia, a similar character, Little Audrey, was then created after Paramount failed to renew the Lulu licence (and therefore avoided the payment of royalty fees). The voice of both Little Lulu and Little Audrey was supplied by actress Mae Questel who was best known as the cartoon voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.

A daily comic strip entitled Little Lulu was syndicated from June 5, 1950 through May 1969. Artists included Roger Armstrong, Randy Henderson and Woody Kimbrell.

- from Wikipedia

Christmas Pup!

This is our little wee dog, Ellie. Doesn't she look like the dog, Max, from the book "The Grinch Stole Christmas"???? She is two years old now, and enjoying her third Christmas.... praying for snow so she can go sliding and chase us down the hills again! The picture of her in the stocking is from her first Christmas in the Dominican Republic.

My Recent Artwork

This peice was done for school & was inspired by three different paintings of Emily Wierenga's. I also used her poem, "Fear of Failure" which is glued onto the painting in the bottom middle. I entitled this paiting "Song of Sorrow" and it is supposed to portray a transition from depression to joy.

Being Dirty Rocks!

You Are 80% Gross

You're pretty dirty, and there's a good change you're living in a total dump. And your body? Not too clean either. Watch out for killer bacteria, Pig Pen!

How Gross Are You?

Exams Schmickxams

Who hates exams??? I do, I do! Well, tomorrow I finally get to hand in my portfolio for my colour theory class.... it will be good to have that off of my hands! Then on Friday at 9am I have my geology exam, and then I'm free! However, until then I will be swamped over my head with minerals, atoms, ions, ionic substitution, igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary rocks, planetary systems, yadda yadda yadda. ARGH! I just want to decorate my tree!

My final project for colour theory is a painting that depicts a transformation from one state to another. I am choosing sadness/depression to happiness/joy. I got my inspiration from my friend, Emily's, paintings... I will have to post a picture of it up on here once I get around to it!
It is kind of disturbing... but a painting about depression shouldnt' be easy on the eyes....

O Tennenbaum, O Tennenbaum...

We got our Christmas tree yesterday from my dad's Christmas tree farm in Blind River (Meadow Sweet Farm). It is such a little tree! My philosophy is that I should not be tall enough to put the star on top of the tree without a step-stool.... but this one's so tiny that I think I just might have to have another "first" this year! We have it up in our kick-butt swivel stand for $50 from Canadian Tire that we got last year... it is probably the best $50 someone has ever spent on us... just kidding (it was a gift). It really is easy and simple though... We don't have the decorations on it yet because I am really busy right now with school work and so I'll wait till Wednesday night when my art portfolio will be submitted and my geology exam conquered!!!

What are your Christmas traditions? Our family watches "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" on Christmas Eve & goes Christmas light driving.... my mom always reads us "The Night Before Christmas" from this cute little mouse book we have.... the mice sleep in little walnut shells 'n' stuff.

I am really trying to cut down on Christmas costs this year because although I LOVE giving... I don't think Christmas should be about blowing your wallet. After I read The Diary of Anne Frank recently, I realized how simple gifts can be whether or not you are poor or wealthy, living in a war or a time of prosperity. Why not give your brother a $10 paperback novel instead of an $80 watch... isn't it just as special? Why not give your mother a really nice mixing bowl or a new CD..... spend a few bucks and make it just as special as buying everyone $50 or more worth of gifts.... like I usually used to do anyway. I still spend that much on my mom, but only because I see so much stuff I know she would love that I can't resist! I should probably save some of it and just give it to her next year though!

We cut back on Christmas cards this year too..... sent about 40 instead of the usual 100 (seriously) since it costs 50 cents per card and almost $1 for each card to the U.S. - crazee huh? i don't know how much longer I will be able to keep up the tradition even though I really love it, if postal prices keep rising the way they have been. Anyway... I will post our Christmas letter on our website for you to read if you didn't get one, and here is the picture we took for it .... Enjoy & have a merry Christmas if I don't post again until then...

Virginia**