TresSugar

Elizabeth Taylor's Love Letters From Richard Burton Published

TresSugar — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:45:14 PDT

We've been nostalgic lately, so we're excited to see Vanity Fair's July cover is a young Elizabeth Taylor. Though not yet released, the magazine promises a glimpse of the epic love letters two-time husband Richard Burton wrote from the forthcoming book Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.

Truthfully, it's easy to forget that Elizabeth Taylor was one-half of the "marriage of the century." We know that her marriages have been many, but throughout the '60s and '70s Taylor and Burton enthralled the press and the public. Vanity Fair calls them the "super-couple who set the standard" for modern celebrities. They lived dramatically and opulently, which actually does sound more like celebrities of last century than this, which reserves adoration for celebrities that appear the most down to earth.

What remains of the romance is Burton's prolific love letters. Vanity Fair calls Burton a "gifted, lyrical, playful writer" and Taylor a captivating muse. I tracked down some of Burton's writing, and below is how he described the 19-year-old Elizabeth he first met.

"She was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud. She . . . [was] famine, fire, destruction and plague . . . the only true begetter. Her breasts were apocalyptic, they would topple empires before they withered . . . her body was a miracle of construction. . . . She was unquestionably gorgeous. She was lavish. She was a dark, unyielding largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much."

If his letters are anything like this, then I believe!

The True-Life Love Stories Behind Letters to Juliet

TresSugar — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:00:20 PDT

Romantic comedies are often gimmicky and far-fetched, so it's pretty neat that Letters to Juliet, out this weekend, has some real-life love stories behind it - many unrequited, and at least one finally fulfilled.

In the movie, Amanda Seyfried plays Sophie, an American in Verona who joins a group of locals in responding to the letters addressed to Shakespeare's fictional heroine. When Sophie writes back to Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), who left her long-lost love in Italy 50 years before, Claire returns to find him with Sophie's help.

Turns out, the part about the letters is totally true. In the town made famous by Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, these letters arrive by the dozens, often addressed vaguely as "Juliet, Verona, Italy." A self-appointed club who call themselves the "secretaries of Juliet" reply to the notes, many of which are written by teenage girls in the US.

What's even more remarkable is how Redgrave's real-life romance with Franco Nero, who plays her lover in the movie, mirrors the plot of the film. For all the details and a super-cute video, keep reading.

The Love Letter Project Embraces the City of Brotherly Love

TresSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:00 PDT

What is it with Philadelphia and quirky outdoor art? On the heels of the new documentary In a Dream, about one man's giant mosaic memoir, comes Love Letter, a massive mural project by artist Steve Powers and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

The visual love letter plays out across 50 painted walls along Philly's Market Street elevated train. Through the month of August, 40 artists are creating their masterpieces for all to see starting around Labor Day. You can check out the progress so far on the official Love Letter mural. I can't help but love art that loves me back; what do you think?

Bringing Sexy Back: Write a Love Letter

LilSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:59 PST

While your children are busy writing their letters to Santa, steal a few moments and put pen to paper for your partner. If you need inspiration, jot down all your husband's qualities that you take for granted or the 10 reasons that make him your better half. Whether you are thanking him for being the father of your babies or making your life more fun, there are no guidelines. The letter can be long-winded and encompass your entire relationship or a be a short and simple "I love you." Seal it with a kiss, pop it in the mail, and you can be sure he'll find you under the mistletoe.
Source

Sweet Success: 10 Tips For Baking the Perfect Macaron

Sara Yoo — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:06:19 PST

With their vibrant colors and lacy frills, dainty, crisp-crusted French macarons are the perfect Valentine's Day baking project. But these lovely little delicacies are temperamental enough to stump even the most accomplished chefs. Even if you follow a detailed recipe down to the letter, a batch of macarons can go very wrong very quickly. Thanks to humidity, an unreliable oven temperature gauge, or an overly enthusiastic stirring hand, you may find yourself facing macaron-ageddon rather than baking bliss. But before you throw in the tea towel, we've assembled a few tips to solve your sugary conundrums.

Etsy Rolls Out Direct Checkout - Will You Prefer It Over PayPal?

Elka Karl — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:19:07 PST

Have you ever tried to buy something on Etsy, but didn't follow through on the sale due to the extra step required to complete the sale through PayPal? I can think of at least one instance when I forgot my PayPal password and abandoned a sale - and I'm sure I'm not the only buyer who's faced this quandary. Starting today, however, the PayPal step will become a thing of the past: a direct, on-site Etsy payment option is rolling out in the next few months.

Today, Etsy's CEO Chad Dickerson wrote in an open letter,

I'm excited to announce that we are rolling out direct checkout, a new way for shops to accept credit card payments from buyers directly on Etsy. The rollout will continue over the next several months to all U.S. sellers . . . This is an important step forward for Etsy.

Etsy shop owners can learn more about the direct checkout in this video or on this open Etsy thread. Direct checkout will cost an additional three percent plus 25 cents USD in payment processing fee per sale, which may turn off some sellers, especially those who deal in lower-price-point items.

One of the other improvements slated for rollout in 2012 is a gift-card option, which should boost Etsy sales even further. While I love choosing Etsy items for friends and family, sometimes a gift-card option would make it a more feasible option for those hard-to-buy-for folks like my dad.

I know that I'll appreciate having the checkout process streamlined and not having to hop over to PayPal to finish my purchases. Will you be using the new direct checkout instead of PayPal?

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

Glee-ful Highlights From Episode "Michael"

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:04:31 PST

When I heard that Glee was performing a Michael Jackson tribute, I basically starting moonwalking across the floor, but the episode didn't quite live up to my expectations. I definitely appreciated the effort, and there were absolutely some standout performances, but I would have loved more Jackson 5 or old-school Michael disco tunes.

With so many songs crammed in, there's very little in the way of plot here. Basically, the entire episode is about the rivalry between the New Directions and the Warblers, and Sebastian emerges as the show's new villain when he hits Blaine with a jacked-up slushie. Oh, and Rachel finally gives Finn an answer to his proposal! Ready to break it all down? Just

The Benefits of Homeschooling Your Kids

LearnVest — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:49 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

In the past, LearnVest spoke to parents who chose not to use diapers with their children and dove into the stay-at-home parent debate. This time, one mother shares why she has decided to homeschool her children.

In 2002, we had our third child, 10 years after our second was born. Our eldest two boys were in a private school, but we began to consider the best way to educate our newest addition. Although we loved the school our boys attended, each year cost us about $10,000. We questioned how feasible it would be to put additional kids through there, too.

We had three more children in the following years for a total of six, and with each new baby came further confirmation that putting our four youngest through private school was out of the question financially. Our two eldest were approaching college age, which put even more pressure on us.

The decision was simple. We elected to educate our four youngest at home.

Why Public School Wasn’t an Option

We always knew that we wouldn’t send our children to public school. Parents who opt out of public school do so for many reasons: safety, quality of education, religious conviction, and many others. My husband and I both went to public school, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t know what schools are like today. For us, religion was the main reason. We believe that God gave parents the responsibility to raise, train, and educate their own children. Many parts of the Bible talk about training your children - to us, that includes education.

For more, read after the jump.

4 Reasons Strong Women Should Watch The Iron Lady

Annie Scudder — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:00:00 PST

Love or hate Margaret Thatcher's conservative politics, you can't deny her life story is intriguing. Meryl Streep's performance as the UK's only female prime minister in The Iron Lady has rightfully garnered award season buzz. Through flashbacks and scenes in the present day, Meryl brings to life a woman at the height of power and in the depths of grief. Here are four reasons any strong woman should watch the film about the lady with an iron will.

It's honest about aging. I thought The Iron Lady would spend most of its time back in the 1980s. So I was surprised to see how much of the film focused on modern-day Margaret Thatcher, who is dealing with what appears to be dementia, grief, and irrelevance in modern society. Juxtaposing Margaret at her prime and then in her older age demonstrates that she's lived a full life with many highs. But it also makes you reflect on the inevitability of aging. Our lives can be filled with success and a great romance, but The Iron Lady offers young women an insightful peek at the melancholic chapter of life that comes after that. It gives the audience an elderly woman we can empathize with, not just a grandma caricature.
There's an unusual love story. Unlike the typical relationship dynamic we see in movies or TV, in The Iron Lady the woman is the power player in the relationship. Margaret Thatcher's husband takes backseat to her career, and during her prime minster days we see her struggle to make time for her relationship and give her devoted husband more attention. When the film flashes forward to present day, it deals with Margaret Thatcher's horrifying grief and denial over her husband's passing. Meryl Streep's performance as an older woman longing for her beloved husband will help you relate to a grandparent, parent, or anyone else who has lost a partner.
Femininity is an asset. In The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher breaks down gender barriers to become Britain's first woman prime minister. But while she take lessons to make her voice sound more authoritative, she insists that keeping her pearls is non-negotiable. It seems Margaret Thatcher knew women had assets men don't posses. For example, in one scene she uses shared motherhood to connect with mothers who had lost their sons at war. As Margaret writes a letter, she notes she is the only PM in history who is a mother with a son, assuring the grieving mother that she can truly imagine her pain.
It's an important moment in history. Margaret Thatcher witnessed views about a woman's role broaden dramatically in her lifetime and helped changed perceptions, too. Starting with a fresh-faced Maggie eager to go to Oxford, The Iron Lady tells the story of a woman with ambitious goals, and the entrenched and sexiest biases she must overcome to accomplish them. In the film, Margaret says "one's life must matter" - and she means that for both men and women.