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‘Fantasy furniture’ is whimsical and unusual

“Fantasy furniture” usually refers to postmodern pieces with whimsical shapes and unusual colors made from unexpected materials. Like many furniture styles, it’s older than you might expect. Furniture has been made in fanciful shapes for hundreds of years; with animals being a favorite element. While the name “fantasy furniture” may imply mythical animals like dragons or griffins -- and you can certainly see them in furniture and decorative arts -- representations of real-life animals count, too. Black Forest furniture with elements carved to look like realistic bears are ...

Holiday traditions

The holiday season is upon us! It is a season of honoring traditions with family and friends. A few of my fellow staff members shared some of their holiday traditions with me. LeRoy’s holiday traditions span the whole month of December. “A few from our family: each of the children prepare a gift for one of their siblings - selected in advance so they can be thoughtful about it. They get very excited seeing their gift being given. We do secret Santa with treats to neighbors and friends. We plan a different event each day in December leading up to Christmas that involves a game, ...

‘Past Lives,’ ‘May December’ and ‘American Fiction’ lead Spirit Award nominations

Celine Song’s “Past Lives,”Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” got a leading five nominations, including best feature, from the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Natalie Morales and Joel Kim Booster announced the nominees Tuesday on a YouTube livestream. Song’s quietly romantic film, starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo as childhood friends who reconnect later in life, earned nominations for her direction, script and for both actors. “May December,” about an actress preparing to play a Mary Kay Letourneau-like role got nods for Natalie ...

Recent Reads

I hope that you’ll have a bit of time to relax and read during the upcoming holiday rush. Here are a few novels that I’ve read and enjoyed recently in case you need some ideas. A blonde woman wakes up in the middle of a snowy sidewalk in Paris, her head throbbing. A man with a gun runs up to her, calls her Alex, and whisks her down a side alley, leaving gunshots and black SUVs behind. It seems she’s woken up in the middle of a spy movie, except she can’t remember how she got there, let alone her name. All she knows is that the man with the gun – a very handsome man – seems ...

How grief, creating characters and wigs helped comic Heather McMahan to build a loyal following

When Heather McMahan recently debuted her first Netflix comedy special, “Son I Never Had,” the fan reaction was as though their best girlfriend had achieved a major win. “The coolest thing about this job is a lot of people have been on this journey with me from the beginning,” said McMahan recently over Zoom. “They found me on social media years ago and they’ve been rooting for me. It kind of feels like I’ve been in this giant life sorority and everyone’s like, ‘She did it.’” McMahan moved from Los Angeles back home to Atlanta when her father died from ...

Things you’d be smart to buy at the dollar store

Dollar stores are just about everywhere — national chains like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar, and all kinds of independents like Ollie’s Bargain Barn and 99 Cents Only, too. What do they hold in common? The promise of good stuff, cheap! Thanks to inflation, few things are dollars stores cost only a buck, but even at $1.25, $2 or sometimes even $3, bargains are galore. At least a couple of times a week, someone will ask me what I miss most about living in Southern California. Because we lived there many years before pulling up roots and relocating to Colorado, you ...