Syracuse,  NY — Every year, attendees of the Emmy awards are sent home with elaborate gift bags containing unique gifts from across the country.  This year, a Syracuse-based adornment retailer, Nanalulu’s Linens and Handkerchiefs, has been chosen to donate to the event.

Two weeks ago, Luanne Reilly Oda, owner of Nanalulu’s, was contacted by Off The Wall Gifts and asked to contribute to the S.W.A.G. bags that will be given to the 800 attendees of this year’s 32nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards on September 26,  2011 in New York City.  This year marks a momentous occasion, as Larry King will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for his distinguished work in broadcasting.

Val Wilson of Off the Wall Gifts, the official gift organizer for the 32nd News and Documentary Emmy awards, appreciated Nanalulu’s creativity.  “We try to find smaller companies that have been up and coming and have the potential to grow, sort of the ‘Oprah effect,” Wilson said.  Nanalulu’s Linens and Handkerchiefs is one of only 30 companies invited to participate, all vital, small businesses.

Luanne’s mother inspired her to become an entrepreneur.  They opened their first gift shop together in 1975.  “My mom taught me to love ‘old’ and treasured things, and I’ve tried to pass this appreciation on to my own children and grandchildren.”  As a tribute to her mother, Luanne will include a special memory in the packages she sends to the Emmys- a recipe for orange cupcakes that they used to bake together when Luanne was a young girl.   Along with the recipe card, the gifts will include autumn-themed cupcake liners and cupcake toppers that are available for sale on the company website.

The final product

Luanne has been operating Nanalulu’s Linens & Handkerchiefs out of her home for six years.  The name Nanalulu was given to her by her oldest granddaughter, Breanna, one of ten grandchildren.  The mission of Nanalulu’s is to provide customers with yesteryear’s charms in today’s hectic world.  Luanne started out specializing in antique linens and handkerchiefs but quickly branched out.  Recently their bestsellers have been products for the cupcake craze.  When asked about her success Luanne said, “I seem to have a knack for pegging the next big trend or that one of a kind gift.”

The deadline was tight, but with the help of friends and family, Luanne was able to package 800 gifts for television and print’s most famous faces.  “It’s an honor to be asked to be a part of the Emmy awards,” she said.  “I just hope Larry King likes cupcakes.”

In an effort to stay at the forefront of modern art, the Andipa Gallery is hosting it’s third exhibition featuring Banksy’s urban pieces.  The latest showing comes just four short months after the gallery brought the contemporary art of Banksy and Damien Hurst to the Gstaad Palace in Switzerland.  My all-time favorite piece, Girl With Balloon, is one of the many original Banksy works that will be up for sale during the four week exhibition (June 9th – July 7th).

Even more notably, perhaps, is the fact that emerging street artist, War Boutique, has chosen Andipa as his first commercial exhibition.  With an artist like Banksy featured on the ground floor, there should be significant draw to the showing, and War Boutique is sure to benefit from Banksy’s popularity.  It will not be the first time these two artists’ works have been displayed together, however.  In 2009, War Boutique provided artwork for Banksy’s project during the controversial Banksy vs. Bristol Museum show.  (One such piece, the Metropolitan Peace vest, is shown below.)

War Boutique contributes to Banksy project

War Boutique is known for his wearable art that recycles military and police uniforms, as well as his use of military and ballistic materials “to alert us to the creeping militarization of our society, encourage us to work towards peace and remind us of our duty to realize this.” (Source: The Andipa Gallery)

The militarization theme is an excellent compliment to the anti-war message that Banksy often portrays.  Let’s hope that the Andipa Gallery’s exhibition actually helps the public to understand the significance of the messages behind the artwork, not just value of the art itself.

Banky's "Hard Knock LIfe"

1. Blog again. My last post on my website was in 2009. I have a poor habit of getting very excited about new projects and investing a lot of time into them initially, and then letting them fizzle out very soon after. My fourth, fifth and sixth resolutions follow the same theme of finding hobbies and sticking with them.

2. Take more pictures. On December 25, 2010, I received a state-of-the-art Canon digital camera from my mother for Christmas, and here it is over a year later and I have taken a total of 275 pictures, spanning only six different events. I’m only 24 and my memory is already beginning to fade. I do not want to forget the details of my youth, and I want to be able to share those details with my loved ones. By the time I’m 50, I want to be able to fill a room of my house with all of the photo albums I own.

3. Listen to more music (and sing more in the shower.) I somehow managed to forget how much I love listening to music and discovering new artists. The composer, Aaron Copland said it best: “To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.” And singing along to a song at the top of my lungs is always a great stress reducer.

4. Learn to crochet. (Once and for all!) I have tried on three different occasions to teach myself how to crochet or to take lessons, and I have given up on the idea every time. And the longer I go without picking up crochet hooks, the harder it is to get back into it. I want 2011 to be the year that I master the crocheted scarf, hopefully with enough time to make all of my friends and family Christmas presents. My goal for next year: become good enough for Etsy.

5. Sketch, sketch, sketch. List of supplies I own: 2 learn to draw books, 1 sketchpad, set of charcoal pencils, 1 giant eraser, colored pencils, and a pencil sharpener. I want to set time aside EACH WEEK to draw. How am I ever going to become a shoe designer if I don’t spend the time practicing now?

6. Become a self-proclaimed, semi-professional cake decorator. This year’s big Christmas gift was a Wilton cake decorating set and instructional booklet. I am definitely not letting this go to waste, and once I get good, I plan on helping out with every bake sale I come across.

7. Run a half marathon. Big goal, I know, but I’m not alone with this one. I have two friends who have made the resolution with me, and with their support, this is not a goal I will let fade into the abyss. With this resolution comes multiple mini-resolutions to: find a running program and stick to it; follow a healthy runner’s diet; and, sign up for a bunch of shorter races, which, in addition to the half-marathon, I have also never done before.

8. Read more often and more diverse works. I use to be a fiction only girl, but now it’s time to broaden my horizons. Reading should be used as a tool for learning as much as we can about the world around us, and I plan to do just that. (By summer, if I’ve successfully followed through with my resolution, I think a worthy reward would be a new Kindle.)

9. Start saving for retirement. Let’s face it- in August of 2011 I will be a quarter of a century old, and it’s time I start thinking less about now and more about my future financial stability. This year I resolve to start putting money away into a 401K, so that one day I actually stop working and start living. Here’s a handy article I found full of general guidelines for retirement savings by the age of 30: How Much Should Be in Your 401(k) at 30?

10. Have more fun. I was just kidding when I said I could start living after I retired. I want to enjoy life more now, instead of getting stressed about little things that won’t matter 5 years down the road. I think the best way to do that is by following resolutions #1-9.

It’s going to be a good year…

The Top 10 Things I Wish My Landlord Would/Could have Told Me Before I Signed the Lease:

10.  “The walls are paper thin, so you will inevitably hear your neighbors partying at 2 am on weekdays, and any loud sex that goes on.”

9.  “All of your neighbors are quite fond of partying at 2 am on weekdays and loud sex.”

8.  “The woman who lives below you is 4 months pregnant.  When she has her baby it will have the lungs of a marathon runner and the loudest scream in the world.  It will almost always be crying directly into the heating vent that runs through your apartment.”

7. “The kids next door will despise your taste in music, so will purposefully turn their speakers up as loud as they can to drown out your own.”

6.  “The next door neighbors have a dog that is afraid of its own shadow and barks at anything that moves.  This bark can be best described as yappy and ear-piercing.”

5.  “A boy in the complex owns a dirt bike, and he is completely content with riding it around in circles around the building.  He will especially speed up by all of your open windows.”

4.  “Any time it snows, it is the specific job of the snow plow driver to plow you into the driveway and make you late to work.”

3.  “Your 16-year-old neighbor smokes and does drugs in his free time.   One day, he will try to hit on you by offering you weed.”

2.  “The mother next door works nights.  While she is gone her children will hold screaming matches and Wrestle Mania tournaments.”

1.  “I’ve rigged your closet door so that it will fall completely off within months of you moving in.”

1.  All-American Rejects — Gives You Hell

The latest hit by AAR (and what inspired this post), every line of this song is filled with bitterness- here is a taste:

“Now you’ll never see, what you’ve done to me
You can take back your memories, they’re no good to me
And here’s all your lies, you can look me in the eyes
With that sad, sad look, that you wear so well

When you see my face, hope it gives you hell…”

2. Fall Out Boy — Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today

The anger just speaks for itself:

“Light that smoke, yeah, one for giving up on me
And one just cuz they’ll kill you sooner than my expectations
To my favorite liar, to my favorite scar:
“I could have died with you”
I hope you choke on those words, that kiss, that bottle – I confess
Now ash yourself, yeah, out on the insides, said I loved you but I lied

Let’s play this game called “when you catch fire”
I wouldn’t piss to put you out
Stop burning bridges and drive off of them
So I can forget about you…”

3. Barenaked Ladies — Thanks That Was Fun

“I’m learning. I’m yearning.
Im burning all your stuff,
But thats not enough.
Im thinking that Im aching:
Mistaking lust for love.

Thanks that was fun.
Dont forget, no regrets (cept maybe one)”

4. Matt Nathanson — Bent

Talking about a break-up- the last line is HEAVILY sarcastic:

“If I bent like you said was best
Would that change a thing?
If I spent myself what’s left
Would you still leave me here?

You’re so sorry about it all
Now that it’s over
Should i thank you for that dear?”

5.  Morrissey – There is a Light That Never Goes Out

so much irony:

“And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die
And if a ten-ton truck
Kills the both of us
To die by your side
Well, the pleasure – the privilege is mine”

6. The Rolling Stones — Dead Flowers

“Well, when you’re sitting back
In your rose pink Cadillac
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Day
Ill be in my basement room
With a needle and a spoon
And another girl to take my pain away

Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you’re the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I wont forget to put roses on your grave”

7. Joy Division — Love Will Tear Us Apart

“When the routine bites hard
and ambitions are low
And the resentment rides high
but emotions won’t grow
And we’re changing our ways,
taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart again”

8. Modest Mouse — You’re the Good Things

“You’re the good things yeah that’s  you…

You’re the icing on the cake on the table at my wake
You’re the extra ton of cash on my sinking life raft
You’re the loud sound of fun when I’m trying to sleep
You’re the flowers in my house when my allergies come out
You’re the good things…”

9. The Clarks — Better Off Without You

“You are sultry, dirty, soft and hard
You are close to me and you’re so far
And I’m thinking of the time we spend together
Now I’ll bury this in my backyard

I’m having fun looking out for number one
And I’m doing all the things I like to do
I’m having fun cuz I knew it all along
I’d be better off without you..”

10. Loudin Wainwright III — Unrequited to the Nth Degree

“Oh when I die and it won’t be long
Hey you’re gonna be sorry that you treated me wrong
Yeah you’re gonna be sorry that you treated me bad
Hey and if there’s an after life I’ll gloat and I’ll be glad

Might be a plane crash, or some sort of OD
Hey there’s going to be a photograph with my obituary
You’re gonna see it and you’ll cry
You’re gonna wanna wear black
Hey I’ll be dead but you can bet your life, I’m gonna get you back”

“You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.”  -Banksy

Banksy, who puts much effort into remaining anonymous, is the ultimate anti-consumer and king of satirical artistry.  His work is ingenious.  And as anonymous as he is, his art spans the public arena.  Even though I want to become that person who rearranges the world to put her company in front of the consumer,  I still have the utmost respect for Banksy and what he stands for.  Obviously, after first learning about this pseudo-anonymous artist, I had to check out his website, and I immediately fell in love with his work and how he presents it.  Yes, it’s his portfolio, but what’s more- it is his way of getting his message to the masses, even if it is painted over.  He has a section of photos on his website, “What happened next” that shows the progression of a few of his paintings that public authorities altered in order to remove the negative messages they portrayed.  But Banksy’s work screams the truth, and although it is often covered and quickly hidden, it definitely has an impact on those who see it.

Something that caught my interest when browsing through the artwork in the “Outdoors” section on Banksy’s site was an article he had posted that criticized one of his graffiti images.  The author goes into detail about how the sniper in the picture is holding the rifle completely backwards, and insults Banksy, labeling him as less than an amateur.  I found this article entirely amusing.  Did the artist or the ex-servicemen fail to notice the child behind the sniper who is about to scare him by bursting a paper bag?  Wouldn’t they think there was a little more to this artwork and taking it literally was the last thing they should do?  Maybe the whole point of this painting is to portray that the sniper is unaware and incapable.  Surely, if Banksy were to copy a picture from a photograph he would get it right.  Looking at some of his crude oil works, anyone can notice his attention to detail in his detournement of paintings by famous artists such as Monet and Gainsborough.  If a sniper had already allowed a young child to sneak up behind him, then it is only fitting he be absurdly “holding a rifle into his right shoulder and steadying the weapon with his right hand, while using his left hand to pull the trigger.”  It is a mistake only a professional serviceman would notice, but based on Banksy’s work I want to believe it was not done in error.

Then again, maybe I am giving the man too much credit.  Because his graffiti is so widely publicized, it undergoes much review and interpretation that Banksy may not have originally intended.  This is a man who once said, “I’d been painting rats for three years before someone said ‘that’s clever, it’s an anagram of art’ and I had to pretend I’d known that all along.”  He loves art, sees things in the world he doesn’t like, and uses his art to express that.  His graffiti, he claims, is painted in 35 seconds at times, so if every little detail is not perfect, I think we could let it slide.  After all, how much time can a graffiti artist spend on little insignificant details when he’s constantly worried about staying under the radar?

Added to my wish list of books: Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall

I have witnessed, on countless occasions, people consumed by this book and all it has to offer.  We see it all the time- the quest to reveal one’s fate, find true love, and unlock endless amounts of luck.  People turn to horoscopes all the time for these answers.  But why the obsession?  Humans have a deep-rooted desire to understand life.  We want answers about our future, and explanations for the past.  We fear death, so maybe if we knew just what was going to happen to us we could try to avoid it, or at least make the most of the time we have.  Granted, I am not a proponent of the vague horoscopes found in the Sunday paper that can apply to millions of Capricorns and Leos across the globe.  But I must admit, the intricate system of planet and star alignment can be quite fascinating.  And learning about your destiny, although nothing to live by, can be just plain fun.

If anyone is interested in finding out about all-things-astrology and beyond, and does not have Woolfolk’s book on hand, I urge him or her to check out the website FindYourFate.com.  From horoscopes to compatibility to dream analysis, this site seems to be an all-encompassing information center that answers any questions one could possibly have about fate.  Of course, I know little about the credibility of this site and would never recommend the results of an online palm reading be taken seriously, (especially since a lot of the links on the page prompt credit card payment), but nonetheless, its an interesting site to browse with friends.

As a poor college student, the new furniture purchase just about broke the bank, so I won’t be dishing out the $20 for an astrology book anytime soon.  But until then, I’ll make sure my laptop is open to www.findyourfate.com on my coffee table whenever I have company.