A Challenge came forth from EmmaTree. She had found a piece of paper with the words 'Just Sit There and Look Pretty.' Inspiration struck her so she turned and challenged some of her readers to create something using the phrase as inspiration. I had a surprisingly fun time with this, as we've been discovering, when you repeat one phrase over and over, letting it be completely fluid, you embark on a voyage of discovery.
My initial idea was to make a journal page, inspired by all the fabric, buttons, yarn, notions and patterns that I have gathered for future projects and that are part of projects unfinished that simply sit there and look pretty. It was freeing to look at the carefully folded squares of fabric, the jar of buttons, balls of yarn and think of how pretty they are in their un-made state, simply sitting there. Ah ha! They are serving a purpose now, they just sit there and look pretty.
It was impossible to think of anything that simply sits there and look pretty as its sole occupation. Everything has a dual purpose, whether it is the yarn that will become a sweet little baby hat or the rose in the garden that inspires all the senses. Even our brains, left & right, competing for technical perfection and creative freedom don't just sit there looking pretty.
When my Mother came to visit, she brought a brown envelope filled with photos. It occurred to me as I absorbed this photo, where my mother is younger than I am now, that the ladies are just sitting there, looking pretty. I remembered that her dress and shoes were gold, even though I was too young to have that memory. How did I know? The necklace still sits in her jewelry box and I have a memory of playing dress up with those sparkly gold shoes. I couldn't help but take the black & white photo and apply some of the new things I've learned to it.
Thanks Smith Kaich Jones - it was a great challenge!
xo
Kath
At first I thought those words were part of the photo when it was taken and I was thinking - no way! get out! LOL! This just makes me smile - they are having such a great time - you can just tell - and they KNOW they are looking mighty fine.
xoxo
Posted by: Debi | September 22, 2010 at 01:38 AM
loved mommy's outfit. i remember the day dad bought it for her, he used to pick out her fancy clothes, remember. ours too!! he liked fancy and that out fit was seriously glamourous. love the photo.
Posted by: margie | September 22, 2010 at 07:43 AM
What a perfect image to apply those words to! Your mom and her friend look so glamorous!
Posted by: Gayle | September 22, 2010 at 07:51 AM
Amazing how an image can spark such memory. Love the idea of them 'sitting pretty'!!!
Posted by: Marcie | September 22, 2010 at 08:10 AM
how glamourous. beautiful shot and i can remember looking through my mother's jewelry and thinking how beautiful she would look in some of the pieces.
Posted by: charlane | September 22, 2010 at 10:35 AM
I too thought the words were actually part of the photo, well done.
This is an era I have very fond childhood memories of as well, thanks for sharing this precious piece of your personal history.
Posted by: suvarna | September 22, 2010 at 01:43 PM
lucky you to have this old photo of your mom! my mom seems to get rid of everything so i have very little from her life or even my childhood to share with my kidlets.
Posted by: amanda | September 22, 2010 at 02:40 PM
I love that, Just Sit There and Look Pretty! It should be our mantra for life. Why not?
Your mom and her friend indeed look pretty, I love how old photographs capture an innocence, a simplicity of life that we can never recapture.
It is a treasure, that picture.
xoxo
Posted by: gillian | September 22, 2010 at 03:27 PM
What a nice thing! A really wonderful photo of your mum. She's really beautiful.
Posted by: Puna | September 22, 2010 at 04:17 PM
I love when inspiration strikes...thanks for the idea for my Love Thursday post! :)
(P.S. - Love the smile on your mom's face and the story Margie shared is so sweet! I love hearing your family stories and seeing pics from way back when.)
Posted by: Katie (Can't Get There From Here) | September 22, 2010 at 05:22 PM
Dearest kath, such a gorgeous photo and a sweet post! It made me smile and i do adore that quote of "Just sit there and look pretty"! :) Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you!
Posted by: Jacqueline | September 22, 2010 at 08:55 PM
And there they sit looking pretty! Sweet photo and sweet posting. I bet you had a lot of fun with this!
I tried to leave a comment a couple days ago so I'm glad to know that I can leave one now.
Posted by: Vickie | September 22, 2010 at 09:17 PM
i adore the looks of pure happy on their faces..such a fun choice!!
Posted by: elk | September 22, 2010 at 10:42 PM
this photo is beaming with fun! i love it!
and what beautiful legs they both have. : )
xo
Posted by: christina @ soul aperture | September 22, 2010 at 11:46 PM
this is great, i love that it looks like they just told each other a secret, or perhaps a slightly off-color joke...
it does look like those words could have been there when the picture was taken, you did a great job!
Posted by: kelly | September 23, 2010 at 09:04 AM
LOVE that photo! They looks so happy...and look like they are feeling pretty! Such glamor back in those days... I just love the styles of the 50's & early 60's. Wish my legs looked so good too...LOL! Thanks for the fun, Kath. Happy Days ((HUGS))
Posted by: Tracy | September 23, 2010 at 09:15 AM
I just love those old timey shots. I have an envelope sort of like the one you were describing that my mom gave to me. My plan is to scan them, it's been a year, still haven't done it! haha
~WW
Posted by: Wayfaring Wanderer | September 23, 2010 at 12:44 PM
How fun to see how each person translates this phrase differently. Love the photo.
Posted by: Marilyn | September 23, 2010 at 01:12 PM
I love the rampant joy on their faces, They KNOW thay are sitting pretty! Love this~thank you!
Posted by: Skye | September 23, 2010 at 02:37 PM
This is wonderful. It reminds me of one of my favorite photos of my mother, taken in the restaurant at the top of Seattle's Space Needle. She looks so glamorous and sophisticated in it, and she's with her best friend too.
My Sitting Pretty project also turned out alot different than I originally intended--isn't that the wonderful thing about creativity? =)
And thank you for visiting my blog! It's nice to meet you! ♥
Posted by: Amy | September 23, 2010 at 04:09 PM
Oh yes, they ARE pretty... And I bet they know how to cook too...
But the year 1963 really takes me back -- I was a junior in high-school... It was a time when I was really confused about most everything -- especially females -- still am...
Posted by: Donald Kinney | September 23, 2010 at 04:53 PM
Your mom definitely was sitting and looking pretty!
Posted by: tanna | September 23, 2010 at 05:12 PM
lol...I too thought that phrase was on the wall...wouldn't that have been a crazy thing for you to find and then use today?!
Lovely picture...lovely words.
Posted by: jaime | September 23, 2010 at 09:36 PM
Very fun! I like it and I like that phrase!
Posted by: Lisa's Chaos | September 23, 2010 at 10:07 PM
There is something quite captivating about your Mom in this picture. She looks lovely for sure, but her essence is potentially visible as well. I feel so blessed to have spent so much time today in the memories, feelings and wonder of so many remarkable people. A banner day for sure!
Posted by: Sally G. | September 23, 2010 at 11:07 PM
What a fun picture! And you constructed parts of it? Really?
Posted by: Jill | March 17, 2011 at 10:13 PM