One of the fun things about this year's stitch journal is discovering covers or other arrangements of songs that inspire each month's journal entry. This is mostly because not every song is available on Instagram when I share my daily posts. In some cases, I end up using a cover or an instrumental version of a song. Other times, I happen to know of a different version of a song or I want some variety so I go looking for one. That wasn't the case with this month's soundtrack BUT I found a fantastic album I didn't know existed because I was looking for alternate versions of the song "Xanadu."
Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia-Newton John
I don't own this album but I really want to own it. I've listened to it online since that's my only option right now and it's an absolute delight. If you're not familiar with Juliana Hatfield, she's a musician who was in several indie bands in the 1990s and early 2000s including The Lemonheads, Some Girls, and the Juliana Hatfield Three. She was also featured on soundtracks and tribute albums like Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, The Craft, and Reality Bites. According to the liner notes, which I was able to read online, Hatfield is a huge Olivia Newton-John fan and created the album as a tribute to the importance her music played in Hatfield's life. Her versions are lovely tributes to the singer and I highly recommend listening to it if you have the chance. Hatfield also did tribute albums for ELO and The Police.
So we've come to the end of July and the assembly portion of this month's Liner Notes entry. I wasn't sure if the tulle I picked to use for the title piece was actually going to work but it did! I think it turned out really well. I'm also glad to be done with sticky solvy - none will be used in August if I can help it.
The idea with this Liner Notes entry was to act as the lyrics you'd read if you were looking at the Xanadu liner notes. I picked my three favorite songs but they're also three songs that are incredibly important for the action of the movie. When I found the metallic fabric earlier in the year, I knew I had to use it for this month's piece. It fits the vibe of the music and the movie. Like the tulle, I wasn't sure how easy it would be to work with, but it wasn't too bad. Doubling the fabric was the right decision and using the sticky solvy was the only way to make this month work. The DMC Diamant and Etoile threads also worked way better than I anticipated.
I'm pleased with how this turned out. I could have done something very different but this felt right. These are songs I know all the words to and sing to myself without the soundtrack. It's an album I default to when I need a little pick up or want to dance around my house with Bea (she tries to attack my feet when I dance around the house). I've listened to the album since I was around 12 or 13 years old. It's part of me and it was fun to spend the month with it.
Here's this week's entries and the completed July Liner Notes featuring Xanadu.
July 26
July 27
July 28
July 29
July 30
July 31 - The remaining pages were attached and put in order. This is Xanadu - A Love Story in Three Songs.
July's Liner Notes - waiting for August to join them.
There is no post tomorrow since I'll only just have started working on August's Liner Notes. The full piece is called The Sky Is a Neighborhood and focuses on the music of the Foo Fighters. Here's a little sneak peak:
WIPs, Books, A New Routine, and Other Small Joys
Well, I made it through my second week back at work. I'm still adjusting to the schedule but decided, for now, to go to the rec center for a walk Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week and take a rest day on Thursday. I usually go to the office on Tuesdays, so that's not really a rest day, but a day off from the gym. I think I need to balance it this way while I'm still getting myself back to regular routines. I tried buying a standing desk converter top for my desk, but it's the wrong size. I think I found one that might work better but I'm holding off on buying it for now. (Side note: if you or someone you know needs a standing desk converter for their desk, let me know. I have one I need to get rid of since the company wouldn't let me send it back or fully refund the purchase. Sigh.)
I did start the mushroom shadowbox piece last weekend. It's going to be an interesting piece to work on. I'm not used to using yarn for embroidery so I started with the easiest part of the design. I think it's coming along nicely.
I've made some progress on the Jonathan Adler bargello piece but not enough to really count it as progress. I feel like that piece is going to be my "I feel like doing some needlework while I watch TV" piece. And that is a perfect piece to be.
If you've been around An Embroidery A Day for a minute, you know that one of my dad's hobbies is buying items he sees on The View. I enjoy being the recipient of these items because it's always something just a little random like a butter dish that softens butter faster, fancy honey, and lip gloss that has built in light and mirror. We've now moved on to book recommendations. Apparently, Whoopi Goldberg recommended this book recently and my dad bought it and now wants me and my brother to read it. I was a bit surprised by the book, but am looking forward to talking about it with him once I've finished.
I'm only a chapter in, and it's very good. As someone who grew up Catholic, I identify a lot with the premise of the book. The "Christianity" that gets thrown around these days is not the faith I grew up in. Fugelsang has an unique perspective - his mother was a nun and his father was a Dominican brother. They met, fell in love, and left their orders. Wild. Anyway, if you'd like to join my dad's book club (not a real thing), let me know.
I also finished Holly Madison's book Down the Rabbit Hole and the first book in Gigi Pandian's Accidental Alchemist mystery series, The Accidental Alchemist. When I was on leave, I watched two true crime shows produced and hosted by Holly Madison. She's really interesting and I appreciated her take on life in the Playboy Mansion. Her book is good and really eye opening. If you like cozy mysteries, gargoyles, and vegan cooking, then you should definitely check out The Accidental Alchemist. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Apparently, it's been 29 years since I attended the first Lilith Fair concert. Wild.
And yes, Juliana Hatfield played that day. I don't think I saw her set. I'm pretty certain we were at the mainstage the entire day, but I could be wrong.
Bea has had a good week. I think she's getting used to our new routine and adapting to me being back working from home. She's been trying out some new lounging spots and running around like a wild animal. I was finally able to get her an appointment with the dermatologist next Friday. I hope this helps and we can finally figure out what's causing her issues.
According to the vet, Bea's preference for having dinner in a secondary location is a quirk and not something to be worried about. Basically, she confirmed my cat is a little weird. Shocking.
Enjoy the weekend and do something super fun for yourself. I'm going to make a cherry cake and sleep until at least 7 am both days. Wild.
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