Target loves Audrey!

Living in Southern California (again) means having to drive, lots of freeways, and access to Target stores again. I've been going a lot lately -- hey, I need things and they have them -- and I always see at least one Audrey portrait hanging in the art section. Today I went to a different Target, because variety is the spice of life, and found this cute tote!

And here's a close-up:

Of course, I bought it. :) It's pretty affordable at $12.99 and has a smaller pocket on the inside, making it handy when you need a beach bag or market bag that will still hold your wallet and keys and other loose ends. If you can't get down to a store in your area or just prefer shopping online, the bag is available online here. They also have loads of Audrey tees I haven't seen or shared with you yet, along with some different wall art. You can see all "Audrey" search results here. Not on the website? This art, also found today:

the ultimate Mother's Day gifts

I just got a little catalogue in the mail from UNICEF, and it's encouraging their members to buy one of their Inspired Gifts for your mum this Mother's Day (May 11th). I think it's actually a very sweet idea, seeing that the holiday is just a made up Hallmark holiday anyway, and could you give the woman who gave you life* anything better than the chance to touch other childrens lives? The gifts in the catalogue range from an insanely affordable treated mosquito net to save children from insects and disease ($15), to a motorcycle used to speed medicine to unreachable people ($1,980)! Don't worry, there's plenty in between, I just wanted to highlight the price range to show that practically anyone can afford these gifts. Buy it in your mum's name and she has just saved a life. Isn't that fantastic? I think Audrey would have loved to have gotten that sort of gift. :)

If you're interested in doing this as a gift for someone, or because you're flush with a tax return and would like to do something good with your extra cash, you can browse the shop yourself here, or call 1-800-4UNICEF.

*or who raised you and made you the person you are, which is just as important!

hello again

I can't thank you enough for your ongoing patience with all this! My computer is fixed, I'm just waiting on acquiring Photoshop and GoLive again so I can fix pictures and webpages, but I've still being working two jobs and prepping for a move. So after the move next month, the dust should settle and we should be back to normal.

To make up for my extended absences, here's a little something for the ladies: an Audrey Hepburn 50s makeup guide, complete with an elfin Audrey look-alike model! Enjoy, and be sure to try it out on yourself sometime soon. Thick black eyeliner's back in, ya know. :)

Life Photographers Series: Remembering Audrey 15 Years Later

Thank you for your ongoing patience! I'm slowly but surely reinstalling all my programs to start working on the website again. I didn't realize how much junk it took to keep the site going until I lost it all. Anyway, I've been hearing a lot about this special edition Life Magazine called "Life Photographers Series: Remembering Audrey 15 Years Later." Apparently it's an entire issue of the magazine dedicated to the fabulous Audrey, and all of the pictures of her that have appeared in the magazine throughout the years. It's their January 2008 issue, so you can still get it, but if you don't live in an area with any good bookstores or just can't seem to find a copy, don't fret, because intrepid eBayers are already all over it (the link will take you directly to an eBay search for "Audrey Hepburn, Life," which brings up a lot of magazine auctions). I haven't gotten my copy yet because I've either been across town working or forced inside by monsoon-type weather, but it's not raining right now so I'm running out and getting a copy! I'll let you know more when I finally do have an issue in my hands. :)

P.S. To the three contest winners: ladies, your goodies are on their way to you! An extra big thank you for being so patient throughout this difficult, often computer-less time, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your gifts. I'm still working on the extra little gift for all of the contest entrants, I have not forgotten about all of you.

Hello, 2008

Hi all, I hope you had a good start to 2008? I wish I could say I was just taking a little holiday break between the last post and now, but unfortunately I was without Internet from Boxing Day until a few days into this year, and my computer was also in the shop. :( While all of my files seem to be intact, I lost all of my programs, so I don't have my website building programs back yet. I didn't even have Word, and that came with the computer! So it's a big mess behind the scenes here, but at least Internet's back. I'll catch you all up with all the good Audrey news, and it'll [almost] be like nothing happened. Thanks for being so patient and enduring the mess.

Hello again

Hello everyone, I hope you had a good holiday, if you celebrate anything. If not, then I hope you enjoyed a day off to laze around in your pajamas all day. :) I'm sorry I've been MIA lately, I was silly enough to try and work two jobs during the holidays. Hit me with a fish the next time I get that ridiculous idea in my head! Thank you for your patience yet again, and here's your bit of post-holiday news.

Christie's had yet another film memorabilia auction on December 19th, but it didn't really seems to make any major news outlets, at least not that I could find. This was very surprising! But here's all of the Audrey Hepburn specific autions for you, since that's what we're interested in:

Lot 0078: a batch of 15 magazines featuring Audrey on the cover, all from the 1950s. The estimated going price was between £400-600, but was actually sold for £312. (That's still a whole lot, though!)


Lot 0079: Sheet music for Moon River, signed by Audrey Hepburn. The inscription reads, "To Al, best wishes, Audrey Hepburn." While the estimated selling price was between £400-600, the final bid was for £1,680!




Lot 080: A knee-length coat and a cream-coloured dress, both made by Givenchy, which Audrey wore in the film Charade. In the Criterion Edition of the film in the commentary, screenwriter Peter Stone mentioned that his wife and Audrey Hepburn were the same size (though Audrey had bigger shoulders), and he would take the clothes that Audrey didn't want for his wife to wear. These two items were taken for Mrs. Stone and are now being sold by her. The estimated selling price for these two items combined was between £10,000-15,000, and the actual selling price was £14,400. Whew!

Since the sale of these particular items didn't make the news, I don't think there's any way of finding out who bought the dress and coat. Whoever it was, they've got a good deal! Unlike the sale of the black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey definitely wore this dress and coat. I hope the new owner(s) wouldn't mind putting it on display for some of us to see, too.

P.S. I was right about which dress would be sold, too!

Vote for Audrey!

I received an email today from the UK InStyle magazine, and they've just started a fun new survey about the most stylish costume on film. Our dear Audrey is mentioned not once, but twice! You can vote for Holly Golightly's immortal little black dress from the opening scenes of Breakfast at Tiffany's, or the equally iconic black and white dress from the Ascot races in My Fair Lady. Simply go here, to InStyle's website, and vote for your favourite. They've asked for our help, Audrey fans, now let's give it to 'em!

This survey is in conjunction with Sky Movies' Fabulous Film Costume Season, which starts on January first with The English Patient and ends on January 13th with Marie Antoinette. You can read more about Sky's costume season and the films they'll be airing during those two weeks here, if you're interested. You can also vote for Audrey again through their website, though don't tell them I told you that. ;)

Gifts that give back

If you haven't already started, I know you're already at least looking for gifts to start buying for your friends and family for the upcoming holidays. While there are literally billions of things you could get someone that would be a great gift, how about a little something that keeps on giving? More and more, companies are making products that are not only pretty and useful, but they're made by people in need with the proceeds going to help them, or a product is sold through a charity with the purchase price going towards a certain goal the charity has in mind. Newsday.com has a great article up talking about some of these double-giving presents you might want to consider.

What great things are mentioned on this list? Why, the Audreybags, of course! Handmade in the classic Italian style, the handbags are exclusive, posh, and do something that would make Audrey herself proud: help children in need around the world.

Another great gift for a special lady in your life would be a sterling silver snowflake charm from Tiffany's, with 25% of the profits going to UNICEF. Ooh, another great Audrey-themed gift! And that little blue box will be sure to stop some hearts.

There's lots more on the list, including handmade goods from Rwanda, luscious bath & body sets, and more jewelry, so take a look around and see if you can't find the perfect gift that will not only make your recipient happy, but make many people you've never met happier and healthier.

Contest winners!

At long last, here are the three lucky ladies who will receive fabulous Audrey Hepburn prizes for entering the costume contest. Before I announce them, though, I'd like to say thank you again to all of the beauties who took the time and effort to put together such great costumes and show the world how much they admire dear Audrey. And now, without further ado:

Winning a new copy of the 50th anniversary edition of Funny Face is Jaqueline!

Each winning a new copy of Sean Ferrer's fabulous biography/picture book of his mum, Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit, is Kelly and Jordan!*

Ladies, check your email for instructions on how to get your early X-mas presents mailed to you posthaste. And for every single lady who entered and sent a picture of herself at her Golightly best, you will each be emailed a pop art version of your picture as a little souvenir of your time as the one and only Audrey Hepburn. It might take a while to make them all, but you will get it!

Thank you for all of your time and energy putting those costumes together, too. It made me really happy to see so many happy gals showing off their hard work, and I hope you had a great time too. Congratulations to everyone!


*I got your message about your New York holiday, Jordan. Get that Cracker Jack ring engraved and make us all proud!

Knit your own Holly Golightly!

By now it's a pretty well-established fact that I love knitting and keep trying to force it on everyone else. Consider it one of my charms. :) While going through my morning Audrey news search, I found a new knitting book called Knitted Icons: 25 Celebrity Doll Patterns, a crazy cool book that has patterns to make 25 of the most recognizable celebrities, all in vaguely voodoo doll-type form! You can see Audrey Hepburn as the instantly recognizable Holly Golightly to the left for proof that this is, in fact, a really cool book.

What's more is that this book is currently featured online at Urban Outfitters (where they are also selling Treasures and the new Audrey Hepburn: A Life In Pictures), so they're giving away a free pattern from the book as a bonus. The free pattern in question? Why, the Holly Golightly one, of course!* So if she's the only doll you were interested in making, you lucked out. Now I just have to figure out how to knit with double-pointed needles. Those things are the bane of my existence.

*Link goes directly to the pattern, in PDF.