PopBetty

A Love Letter to Pop Culture

Fall Frame of Mind: 1 to 3

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I know I said in this post that I was excited for fall. It’s true, and yet…I’m dreading the season too. Not for it’s own sake, but for the cold winter it promises. While I tend to throw myself into fall and winter festivities, it’s largely an act of willful resistance–to the cold, the darkness, and the sense of another year gone.

So, just as Miss Moss had to psyche herself up for summer, I’ve decided to do a series of posts to get myself (and readers) psyched for fall. Think of it as a to-do/photo inspiration list. Here are 1-3:

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Pumpkin Foods
Row by row: Starbucks pumpkin spice latte copycat recipe by Angie McGowan; pumpkin shake by Martha Stewart; pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin spice pancakes by Joy the Baker.  

1. Pumpkin-based foods: Something about pumpkin and its attendant spices says fall in the coziest way possible. I’ve only ever had sweet pumpkin dishes like the ones above; this year, I’ll also try branching out into savory pumpkin dishes like this pasta with pumpkin, pancetta, and broccoli rabe.

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Pile of Books
2. Reading books under a blanket: Thanks to the Borders’ liquidation sales, and as a former bookseller & a frequent thrift store shopper, I have hundreds of unread books in my house. While I believe personal libraries should have lots of “to-read” books (that way you can shop your own shelves, a wonderful feeling), it’s getting ridiculous. My current goal is to get rid of 50 books by the end of October (donated, posted on PBS, or sold on Amazon). Which means lots of reading to figure out what goes.

PopBetty Fall Inspiration - Halloween
From left: Luella Bartley AW2008 witch from Vogue.co.uk (love the orange tights!), vintage Betty Grable Halloween photo, and Grandin Road synthetic pumpkins (no longer available, but good D.I.Y. inspiration).  

3. Halloween/Día de los Muertos: It’s time to announce it: next week is Halloween Week on She’s A Betty. From Monday to Friday, it will be all Halloween, all the time. I know some of you might not find that exciting, and I hear you–I’m personally not so into Halloween. But even I’ve had a blast assembling Halloween party concepts, costume ideas, vintage Halloween inspiration, scary book lists, and a few original D.I.Y. projects for the occasion. Can’t wait to show you everything!

What about you guys? How are you dealing with the new season?

Out-of-Print Wonder: VivaVenice

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Written by Paola Zoffoli & illustrated by Paola Scibilia, VivaVenice is an amazing kids’ travel guide, the best I’ve ever seen. Published by Elzeviro under the series label Curiosamente, it’s chock-full of puzzles, tangents, and trivia, matched with fantastic illustrations: 

VivaVenice Cover Image

See? ADORABLE.

VivaVenice

The book is 167 pages, and unlike adult travel guides, does not spend much space on practical information (restaurant/hotel reviews, itinerary plans), assuming, I guess, that parents will be making most of those decisions. That leaves almost the entire book for glorious cultural tangents, like this intro to the Commedia dell’Arte…

VivaVenice: Venetian Architecture

..or this mini-architectural guide (in a children’s book! I love it). I also love that the writing is accessible but not dumb (e.g., “Gothic style windows are often decorated with floral motifs and have the traditional acute arch shape, pointed at the top”).

VivaVenice

Here’s a gorgeous rendering of the city, pointing out the three bridges over the Grand Canal (also, the text notes that Venice itself is shaped like a fish).

VivaVenice Excerpt

Each chapter has a section called “Oddities,” featuring trivia like “Why is there a bridge called Ponte delle tette (Bridge of Breasts)?” & “What are the Bauta, Tricorno and Tabarro?” (Answers: The bridge is near an area once reserved for courtesans, who lured clients with their assets; the bauta, etc. were parts of a disguise worn by noblemen when in public).

VivaVenice Excerpt

Here’s a guide to common seafood found at the Rialto market & at many restaurants. The fisherman at the bottom right is one of numerous puzzles hidden throughout the book.

VivaVenice: Gondolas

An obligatory intro to gondolas (complete with steering guide) is followed by a thorough overview of the many different Venetian boats.

VivaVenice: Venetian Baked Goods

As a final example, here’s a guide to popular Venetian pastries. There’s a recipe for zaleti on the following page.

The above spreads weren’t cherry-picked, either. Every page resembles the above, packed with cute drawings & fun info. Simply put, the book is a gem.

Buying info: VivaVenice is available from Amazon.

Oscars Party Links

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Things have been a little dreary here, so we’re throwing a mini-Oscars celebration Sunday, complete with ancho chili cake & sparkling wine (any excuse). Good Oscars links to get you in the mood:

  • Finally, check out Project Rungay for fashion commentary leading up to & after the awards.

Read Emily Carroll’s "His Face All Red"

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Emily Carroll's His Face All Red
Oh my god, Emily Carroll, who are you and why are you so awesome?!

Carroll, an animator in Vancouver, has put up some amazing web comics, my favorite being the excerpted horror story “His Face All Red.” READ IT. The art is beautiful, the layout creative, and the storytelling so artfully done that at the end of it you let out a big sigh, because you’d been unconsciously holding your breath the whole time. I mean, damn.