My friends and family are used to it-- the unique, homemade greeting cards I create for birthdays, weddings, and Christmases. It's become my signature. I approach each one like its own mini art project, tailored specifically for the recipient. As such, each card is one-of-a-kind.
Today I celebrate a person who is also one-of-a-kind-- a person who is very special to me... My Grandma. (The card I made for her appears on this page.)
Most people in the entertainment industry were influenced or inspired by someone. For me, that person was my grandma, who turns 90 today!!! She's a quintessential golden girl and today makes it official: She's Golden!
As a kid, I spent many afternoons with Grandma. We'd watch "As The World Turns" and eat frozen green grapes like candy. She was a dancer and an aspiring actress that wanted very much to be an entertainer, but she let my grandpa ( a professional pianist) take that role. But, she knew everything about classic Hollywood, the mythical city that she so revered.
Grandma introduced me to Clark Gable and Gina Lollibrigida and Tallulah Bankhead and Carole Lombard. My film education started early, thanks to her. As we watched reruns of
"I Love Lucy," she'd tell me all about vaudeville and "oh, how she missed it"-- the variety of acts, the live music, the anticipation. It was with her that I first saw "Gone With The Wind" and other must-see classics. I eagerly digested all of her Hollywood picture books and fan magazines, secretly wishing that I'd been born in time to see the "Golden Age of Hollywood" in real-time.
On a trip to Los Angeles so very long ago, Grandma remembers looking up at the California hills and seeing not Hollywood, but "Hollywoodland."
When I decided to "chance it" in Hollywood, she was the one who always had faith that I could make it -- even when I wasn't so sure myself. She can make a mean applesauce cake with yummy, swirly cream cheese frosting and she continues to conjure up screenplay ideas for me, not her, to write. She never wanted to take any glory, but today glory comes to her.
Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma!
Copyright © 2008 KLiedle
Original artwork/greeting card by KLiedle
Original artwork/greeting card by KLiedle
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