a favorite Christmas movie

 Christmas in Connecticut  

One of my favorite Christmas movies of all time is Christmas in Connecticut, made in 1945 and Starring Barbara Stanwick who plays a wanna-be domestic goddess and expert on all things home and garden. It’s so relatable to me, and that’s why I love it so much.

Made just after the Second World War, this film starts off with a Navy hero who recovering from being lost at sea, is on bedrest and is absolutely enamored by all the meals and fabulous recipes he reads about in Smart Housekeeping magazine while he’s in the hospital. 

Then the attention quickly to turns to Elizabeth... the fabulous home and garden writer for Smart Housekeeping magazine...

  

This is when we first meet Barbara Stanwyck as Elizabeth Lane, the ever so popular writer of Smart Housekeeping magazine. Liz is a modern-day Martha Stewart who is the most popular women’s magazine writer and personality.

The trouble is she's a columnist for "Smart Housekeeping," THE magazine for all aspiring homemakers in America. Her popular monthly column called "Diary of a Housewife."

She goes on and on writing about cooking, practically brags about her idyllic home life on her Connecticut farm with her husband and darling baby (who don’t really exist). 

For months and probably years she’s been putting on this farce, and doing it quite well, I may add!

The thing is, she really lives in a tiny and humble Manhattan apartment, alone, with less than picturesque views and she can't cook to save her life. 

With the help of the darling restauranteur “Uncle” Felix who inspires every gourmet meal she that writes about, she has no trouble getting away with being this domestic imposter.

 

As you can see, I can totally relate to this role of Elizabeth Lane, right down to the scene where she is forced to show off her flapjack flipping skills!

The most intriguing part of this movie for me is that she’s such a fabulous writer and with her vivid imagination, she pulls off being the popular Elizabeth Lane persona without a hitch.

When I sit down at my own computer keyboard, I'm often inspired by this first scene of Elizabeth at her typewriter. The words and wonderful pictures she paints with her stories are always in the back of my mind.

Here's an example of Elizabeth's writing style, as expressed in this first scene that she appears in...      

“From my living room window as I write...

...I can look out across the broad front lawns of our farm...

...like a lovely picture postcard of wintry New England. In my fireplace, the good cedar logs are burning and crackling. I just stopped to go into my gleaming kitchen...

...to test the crumbly brown goodness of the toasted veal cutlets in my oven.

Cook these slowly.”

It's simple, quite effective and right to the point!

 

Meanwhile, there are undergarments and other laundry drying on the clotheslines outside her slightly dreary NYC apartment. 

The radiator blasts a poof of steam that in her mind translates to a dreamy stone fireplace with “good cedar logs” burning. 

She’s eating a breakfast of sardines right out of the can. I love how the whole scene is beautifully juxtaposed.  

 

So off we go to spend a Christmas in Connecticut! And of course this movie is set during Christmastime, so this is where the fun and love begins…

 

A lot is riding on her made-up charming life and ultimate deceit, and of course, love blooms between Elizabeth and the handsome war hero.

There are moments of light screwball comedy in this movie, but overall, it’s a fun and festive holiday movie.

 

Mr. Yardley- “I remember what you said about the charm of an attractive woman...

...performing her homey little task of flipping flapjacks...

...with the smell of good coffee and sizzling bacon in a sunny kitchen.

I'm homesick for a sight like that.”

 

Felix- “Oh, Lizka, Lizka. You give me goose pimples. Watch now. 

I show you how to flip-flop the flop-flips. On...  up!  Ah.  You see?  

It's easy.  Now you try it. Throw it up. Up!  

Not on the stove.  In the pa...  Now.  

Throw it with this. High, high, high, high.  Oh...  Up! Ah. Up. 

Take this. Throw it up. High, high, high. 

Oh, up! Lizka!

Better you cook on the typewriter.”

Elizabeth- “Oh, Felix, what am I going to do?”

 

“She can't cook, but what a wife!

What a Christmas!

What a Christmas!”

ciao fabiana

 

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entertaining for the Oscars

The Oscars are tomorrow night, and hosting a red carpet watching party is so much fun!  I love getting together with a few girlfriends and noshing on a few fun hors d’oeuvres while watching the fashion parade of celebrities unfold on tv. 

I want to share with you some fun and simple decorating ideas for hosting an academy awards party. One idea is to sprinkle around some framed photos of your favorite movie stars.  You can just fill small silver frames with photos cut from magazines or ones printed from your computer.    

Add a dazzle of gold to some plain white helium balloons.

Wrap some glass votives with some old 35mm negatives.

I love this one!

Cut out a few sparkly Oscar statuettes 

and highlight them with candle light. 

Create some specific Oscar wine charms.

This one is creative,

make your own Oscars with old Ken dolls!

Offer your guests a popcorn bar with a variety of flavors.

Movie props are always fun.

Party stores usually have some available.

Buy or make a few starry garlands. 

A red napkin represents the red carpet,

then all you need is a white folded napkin with a gold sticker and a touch of red ribbon for this table setting.

Enjoy your night at the Oscars!

xo  

ciao! fabiana


photo credits:
  Good Housekeeping
Babble
Pinterest 
Tip Junkie
Life in Yellow
Celebrations at Home
Escapades Blog
Maddie Bella Home

my friday five

1. The Newport Beach Film Festival 

started yesterday, and one 
of the many theaters hosting 

the festival is the Lido Theater. 

It's a favorite of mine, 

and was built during the 1930's. 

It has beautiful art deco style 

and a great provenance. 

Here is a little fun bit of history from their page: 

“The Lido Theatre was opened in 1938, and the first film it played was Bette Davis in "Jezebel". The reason for that was that Davis lived nearby in Laguna Beach and traveled by the site daily. Upon stopping onsite, she told the owner "they had better open with my picture." And they did. 

"Davis also is responsible for the sitting parlor in the ladies room that harkens back to a time when women sat and smoked and chatted while arranging makeup in the mirrors.“  

There were lots of interviews on 
the red carpet last night, and 

the Edwards Newport Theater was 
hosting all the fun red carpet festivities. 

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley

2. Downton Abbey season 5 

started filming this week in England. 

3. New York Times list
of home &  garden tours
We made the list!

via pinterest 

4. Glamorous closet organization.

I got started on mine this week, 

with a little bit of this closet inspiration.

5. A fun Summer hat...

I got mine from Hurley.

have a fabulous weekend...
ciao! fabiana

do you have a favorite Cary Grant film?

My favorite Cary Grant film has got to be

the Philadelphia Story.

I could watch it over and over.

And what a great pairing with

Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.

He's so quirky fun in his early years,

and then of course,

he gets so sophisticated in his later years.

Meanwhile, enjoy the eye candy...  

 

 

 

 

ciao! fabiana