Adorable mugs from Urban Outfitters!

I love Urban Outfitters! They carry so many unique and interesting household accessories! Check out this adorable coffee cup and saucer set! I just love the colors, and it is so handy to have them all set up on a stand! $28 at Urban Outfitters!

Adorable mugs from Urban Outfitters!

I love Urban Outfitters! They carry so many unique and interesting household accessories! Check out this adorable coffee cup and saucer set! I just love the colors, and it is so handy to have them all set up on a stand! $28 at Urban Outfitters!

Some exciting news!! :)

Hello everybody!!

As I've told you last week, I have some news to share with you all!

After a long thinking (and it was a very hard decision...) I'm going to leave SBS.
Nothing to do with what happened a few days ago, nothing to do with anything.
Just a decision after Toni of Scraparoni asked me to join her new store :)
Unfortunately, I can't handle more than one store at a time (it's too much time consuming for me and soon my free time will be even less...), so I really had to make a choice!

There's no need to tell you that I'm really excited about this new adventure and I thank Toni from the bottom for asking me to join her store. It's a great honour for me!
Thank you again, Toni!! :)


My kits will be available at SBS until tomorrow, then they will be available only at

http://www.sophisti-scraps.com/


I'm going to retire a few of my oldest kits so they won't be available anymore.

I'm also in the process of updating some of my kits in which I've used "forbidden stuff" (Crazy love, Enchanted and Fairyland). They will be available again soon!!

Also, after a long thinking, I've decided I won't be making full size kits anymore.
I'm mainly known as a taggers kit maker and my full size kits were a bit "snubbed"... lol!!
So I've downsized my full size kits to taggers kit (and updated the prices).
Here they are (not many):

- Bashful
- Believe in dreams
- French kiss
- Harvest
- La dolce vita
- Moments
- Serenity

I know I had a CT call a few weeks ago about my full size kits.
I'm sending my apologies to everyone who entered :(
There were so many to choose from and I'm really really sorry for this decision!
Hope you will understand.

Anyway, the new store is up and running, so you can go and take a look!!
Isn't it beautiful?



Also, there is a huge free collab kit for the Grand Opening, with tons of stuff from all designers!

You can't miss it!! :)




This is my portion:


Thanks for reading!

Have a nice day everyone :)

Hugz!!!

Great Joy

I do believe that my package to a most wonderful and funny, kind and loving, Mom and wife, and friend has arrived. (yes improper sentence) So I can share the contents with you :)

I spoke to how the project formed here.
Have you ever noticed that there are times when working on either a difficult project or a very special project, things "fall" into place. Grace is given. That is what happened with this project. :)

The given was that I wanted to use what I felt may have been a V.I.P. portion of the piece of art that I scooped up from her shop. I thought it may be the birds. So with a found piece of paper lace and a color that reminds me of the Ocean, a foundation was formed and the Love Birds were painted on top, whew.
Now something to define the outline, sheet music, "Good Morning Merry Sunshine". The Tittle was cut out and placed along the edge and then I filled in the area with those bands of music notes ( i am not a musician). WHY would I be going thru all of this detail!? Because the way I described the procedure was exactly how it happened , not nilly willy but not every detail was focused on. So when I looked down at it at this point I see that WITH the birds in an upright position , looking down at the plaque, the music bands of notes formed the letter "C" !!! This was not planned, the doves were upright with the "C"! "C" for Creative Chaos, Karin's site and "C" for her wonderful Cosme! Hey, simple things bring me joy!

Have things like this happened to YOU!? Please do share with us :)



I know my photos are not up to par today, so sorry but no retakes are possible. For some great photos or to score your very own piece from Karin, Icing On The Cake Studio, hop over to her blog and etsy shop. Her work is even more wonderful in person!!!

Big Hugs to you, Karin :)

Hugs,
Mary

Great Joy

I do believe that my package to a most wonderful and funny, kind and loving, Mom and wife, and friend has arrived. (yes improper sentence) So I can share the contents with you :)

I spoke to how the project formed here.
Have you ever noticed that there are times when working on either a difficult project or a very special project, things "fall" into place. Grace is given. That is what happened with this project. :)

The given was that I wanted to use what I felt may have been a V.I.P. portion of the piece of art that I scooped up from her shop. I thought it may be the birds. So with a found piece of paper lace and a color that reminds me of the Ocean, a foundation was formed and the Love Birds were painted on top, whew.
Now something to define the outline, sheet music, "Good Morning Merry Sunshine". The Tittle was cut out and placed along the edge and then I filled in the area with those bands of music notes ( i am not a musician). WHY would I be going thru all of this detail!? Because the way I described the procedure was exactly how it happened , not nilly willy but not every detail was focused on. So when I looked down at it at this point I see that WITH the birds in an upright position , looking down at the plaque, the music bands of notes formed the letter "C" !!! This was not planned, the doves were upright with the "C"! "C" for Creative Chaos, Karin's site and "C" for her wonderful Cosme! Hey, simple things bring me joy!

Have things like this happened to YOU!? Please do share with us :)



I know my photos are not up to par today, so sorry but no retakes are possible. For some great photos or to score your very own piece from Karin, Icing On The Cake Studio, hop over to her blog and etsy shop. Her work is even more wonderful in person!!!

Big Hugs to you, Karin :)

Hugs,
Mary

Just a reminder

Just a few days left!

http://simplybeautifulscraps.com

May-July09 Class Program

My dear students! Welcome to our May-July09 Trimeter! Here, you have our class program. Please, download it for future references.


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by doris3m

If you have any questions, let us know...

Worldlink Codes - May-July09

Greetings May-July09 trimester!



This is to let you know.. Our ONLINE workbook keys.



Level 1

S111 E-TBJJZZD6XWH5



Level 2

G222 E-5ADZRAKHEPRU8



Level 4

C411 E-3MR2ZTX8Z83KR

D411 E-3BPYCSUQG3RDS

H411 E-4QAXNYTMFGAUP

M411 E-568QKSNMR8GQ4

R411 E-YMRE7ZSM7PCK7

R412 E-25M82ZC3NH9PN

S411 E-3ZFHD4PSAG9AA

D522:

E-53P7DWHM8PJEN

S511:

E-5E278WWBA6B3B

Buy your books and use your book key + our course key to register to the online workbook..



This is the link:

http://myelt.heinle.com



Here you can find instructions in Spanish:

https://myelt.heinle.com/_mediaRoot_/telt/help/spanish/home_Spa.html



and this is a tutorial:





Uploaded on authorSTREAM by doris3m If you need any help... let me know



Keep on shining Love and Peace!



Doris3m

Visit EFL University at: http://efluniversity.ning.com

Facebook Manners And You

These are great facebook manners.... Do you think we need good manners in Facebook? what about you? What rules have you broken? which one do you think is the most important?

Enjoy the video and write your comments!

Kindness, Love ...

This is a petit post on Michael Oher. He is just towards the end of his college career and is in the top contenders for the NFL draft. WHat??? You ask. Football? I know. I will confess that I do not ever "choose" to watch football, nor any other sport now. But given my loved ones that do like to watch various or all sports, hahaha, I may tune in a bit, crocheting could come in handy here :) Back to the real story here: Michael Oher's life story thus far reached me just this past Friday, the day before the NFL draft for 2009. What a life he has already lived in his young age! Just watch this video! Oh, and grab a new box of Kleenex, since you may have used up your previous box on Susan Boyle's moving audition!




I think that for me, knowing more about the players may be key to becoming a sport fan. Oh, and having watched my son play.
How about you? Are you a sports fan? Prefer to watch your children play?...

Hugs,
Mary
Michael Oher

Kindness, Love ...

This is a petit post on Michael Oher. He is just towards the end of his college career and is in the top contenders for the NFL draft. WHat??? You ask. Football? I know. I will confess that I do not ever "choose" to watch football, nor any other sport now. But given my loved ones that do like to watch various or all sports, hahaha, I may tune in a bit, crocheting could come in handy here :) Back to the real story here: Michael Oher's life story thus far reached me just this past Friday, the day before the NFL draft for 2009. What a life he has already lived in his young age! Just watch this video! Oh, and grab a new box of Kleenex, since you may have used up your previous box on Susan Boyle's moving audition!




I think that for me, knowing more about the players may be key to becoming a sport fan. Oh, and having watched my son play.
How about you? Are you a sports fan? Prefer to watch your children play?...

Hugs,
Mary
Michael Oher

your VisualDNA

Welcome Everybody! let's take a personality test...! This is mine.

Click here to Read my full report
I agree with the results of this test. According to it, I am a Sofisticat. Because:

• I am romantic in my outlook with a bit of a taste for the exotic. I love adventure.
  
• I love feeling the sea breeze in my hair, sun on my skin...Yes, that's absolutely right!
  
• I always take the first dip. It means I am brave.
  
• When it comes to art, I tend to have a traditional approach. I love Van Gogh. This painting is Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night

• I am passionate about history and true classics. Truly great art stands the test of time.

Now, It's your turn!
1. Go to Youniverse register and take the test.
2. Have fun while taking the test.
3. Get the results widget and paste it in your blog.
4. Write what you think about the results.
4. Invite your friends to see your post and visit your friend's blogs

Now, let's see yours!

Taken from: Yo universe. My visual DNA
Image: Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night

Hostess With the Mostess....Bling Bride Party

Jennifer Sbranti A.K.A. The Hostess with the Mostess has some of THE BEST party inspirations on her blog hostessblog.com! This Bling Bride parry was originally designed as a bridal shower, but I love this look for a playful bachelorette party too!I just love all the girly details, tons of pink and sparkles!

How cute are the flashing "diamond" rings on the stem of each glass?

Rhinestone letters, lots of glitter, and of course the bride wears a tiara!

Serve all your favorites at this event, include lots of pink food and drink!

Hostess With the Mostess....Bling Bride Party

Jennifer Sbranti A.K.A. The Hostess with the Mostess has some of THE BEST party inspirations on her blog hostessblog.com! This Bling Bride parry was originally designed as a bridal shower, but I love this look for a playful bachelorette party too!I just love all the girly details, tons of pink and sparkles!

How cute are the flashing "diamond" rings on the stem of each glass?

Rhinestone letters, lots of glitter, and of course the bride wears a tiara!

Serve all your favorites at this event, include lots of pink food and drink!

Songs and Paintings!

Old PTU kit now free #7!

Hello everybody!

Today I have another old ptu kit to share as freebie with you. Hope you like it!
As always, remember this is veeeeeeeeeeeery old but it was one of my favourite, at those times!

If you want, you can download it from here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/100984502/b3469aca/CS_prettydenim.html

Preview:


Also, I have some news to share with you all in the next days.
I took some decisions and I will also let you know about the CT call I made a while ago... I haven't forgotten about it! lol

If you are interested, I've re-activated my kits at SBS and they are still 50% off until the end of April.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I will take the day off... :)
Saturday is the Freedom holiday here in Italy and I'm going to celebrate it outdoor with friends. So it will be a loooooong weekend! Hope the weather will help...

I still have lots of mail to go through and I will reply as soon as possible. Hope you understand, especially my fab CT!!
Thank you again everyone for contacting and supporting me, much appreciated!

Have a great week everyone!

Hugz!!

Bachelorette Party Time!

Since the bridal shower I planned, my mind has been on the next wedding event to happen....the bachelorette party! There are so many directions you can take a bachelorette party, from naughty...to nice. In the coming weeks I will be sharing ideas for all kinds or bachelorette parties. If you have thrown or been to an awesome bachelorette party , please e-mail me all the details!

Bachelorette Party Time!

Since the bridal shower I planned, my mind has been on the next wedding event to happen....the bachelorette party! There are so many directions you can take a bachelorette party, from naughty...to nice. In the coming weeks I will be sharing ideas for all kinds or bachelorette parties. If you have thrown or been to an awesome bachelorette party , please e-mail me all the details!

Monkey themed Bat Mitzvah from Party Spot.com!

I recently showed you a fantastic Simpsons themed party from Partyspot.com. Well I've got another fabulous shindig to show you ! This adorable monkey themed Bat MItzvah was planned by Abigail Kirsch. Take a look at some of the clever details!

I love the choice of color for this event! What 13 year old girl doesn't love hot pink and orange? 

Multi-colored drink charms in red. blue, and green hung on the rims of wineglasses.

Every chair was accented with a neon toy monkey.

I love the pop of color in such a simple way: colorful paper shreds in lucite boxes!

Every guest went home with pink and white Paul Frank monkey printed socks!

Well readers, I hope that you enjoyed and were inspired by the photos from this event! Party Spot has much more where this came from!

Monkey themed Bat Mitzvah from Party Spot.com!

I recently showed you a fantastic Simpsons themed party from Partyspot.com. Well I've got another fabulous shindig to show you ! This adorable monkey themed Bat MItzvah was planned by Abigail Kirsch. Take a look at some of the clever details!

I love the choice of color for this event! What 13 year old girl doesn't love hot pink and orange? 

Multi-colored drink charms in red. blue, and green hung on the rims of wineglasses.

Every chair was accented with a neon toy monkey.

I love the pop of color in such a simple way: colorful paper shreds in lucite boxes!

Every guest went home with pink and white Paul Frank monkey printed socks!

Well readers, I hope that you enjoyed and were inspired by the photos from this event! Party Spot has much more where this came from!

Listening Party, April '09

While I await Amazon's delivery of the new Pet Shop Boys album, here are some quickie reviews of what I've been listening to over the last few weeks thanks to a recent influx of new music CDs at the library...

KONK
Sound of KONK: Tales of the New York Underground 1981-88
Soul Jazz Records, 2005

KONK answer Wild Cherry's entreaty and the (mostly) white boys do indeed play that funky music. Though I loathe the much-lauded (underservedly for the most part except for James Chance) post-punk No Wave period in '80s New York City, I was pleasantly surprised by this compilation. Most of those No Wave guys were avant-garde (i.e., "bullshit") artists who made noise as opposed to music, but the tunes here are afrobeat dance-friendly instead of headache-inducing. Some interesting pop cultural tidbits via Wikepdia: KONK's Richard Edson (Lounge Lizards) played drums on the first Sonic Youth record and had acting roles in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise, while trumpeter Shannon Dawson not only played in Jean-Michel Basquiat's band Gray but is the Uncle of uber-hottie Rosario Dawson. (Oh, and Konk is not to be confused with the sophomore album by The Kooks or with The Kinks' record label, though I made both those mistakes when I saw this on the New CDs rack!)

THE ASTEROID #4
An Amazing Dream
Rainbox Quartz, 2006

Great star/shoe-gazer psychedelia for a rainy day by Philly-based indie rockers who sound like San Francisco's melodious Sneetches on chemical enhancement. Bonus points for covering a Church song ("To Be In Your Eyes," from 1982's dreamy The Blurred Crusade) and for a psychedelic rewrite of "Hey Joe" called "Into the Meadow." I think the name refers to Vesta 4, the biggest 'roid in the asteroid belt. If you like The Church, Brian Jonestown Massacre (they opened for BJM) or just mellow music to fall asleep to, this one's for you. I'd probably buy this if I did heroin. No I wouldn't - I'd steal it!


TOUMANI DIABATE
The Mande Variations
Nonesuch, 2008

My musicologist (and filmmaker) friend Michael Lawrence turned me on to this guy. Apparently, Mali's Kutta Toumani Diabate is the world's greatest player of the kora, a 21-string harp-lute that looks like a cross between a gourd and a sitar and is used extensively by peoples in West Africa. This is very relaxing background music, very zithery, like something you'd hear in a Mideastern restaurant, possibly while watching a belly dancer. Somehow it makes me yearn for grape leaves and hummus.

THE BAD PLUS joined by Wendy Lewis
For All I Care
Heads Up, 2009

The Bad Plus is a collective made up of bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King that Rolling Stone has called "as badass as highbrow gets." Here they are joined by vocalist Wendy Lewis, a former bandmate of King's in The Happy Apples. Basically, the highbrow part of the band's description refers to the fact that they're classically trained musicians (smarties who can read music) and the badass part means they cover rock songs (typically written by dummies who can't read music), like Nirvana's "Lithium," Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," the Flaming Lips' "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," Heart's "Barracuda," Wilco's "Radio Cure," Mission of Burma's "Lock, Stock and Teardrops," Yes's "Long Distance Runaround," the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love," and so on. Worth a listen as a curio (I have to admit I really like the dissonant bebop intro on "Long Distance Runaround" but Wendy Lewis' cocktail drone soon grates on the nerves), but this strikes me as strictly an academic exercise for the hipster crowd. Besides, this idea's been done to death. Didn't Tori Amos cover Nirvana like 17 years ago? (And the Bad Plus themselves covered "Teen Spirit" on their previous release!) That said, the best track on this CD is an Iggy cover - Iggy Stravinsky, that is (Igor's 1947 classic "Variation d'Apollon"). Personally, I think this album would have worked better as The Bad Plus Minus Wendy Lewis - For All I Care.

MORRISSEY
Years of Refusal
Attack Records, 2009

I haven't had listened deeply enough to deconstruct the lyrics in their entirety, but after a couple of run-throughs in the car CD player, I'm toasting this as the best Morrissey album since 1992's standard-bearer Your Arsenal (which was the best since Moz's fab 1988 debut Viva Hate) - and arguably his best ever. Morrissey certainly thinks his 9th solo record is his "strongest" work to date. One thing's beyond discussion: Mozzer's voice has never sounded better or more confident and his backing band (new guitarist Jesse Tobias - who replaced Alain Whyte, guitarist Boz Boorer, bassist Solomon Walker and drummer Matt Walker) totally rocks out from the opening anti-meds salvo "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" to the final chords of Moz's status update "I'm OK On My Own." There's not a bad song on the 12-track CD, this depite losing guitarist Alain Whyte who still contributes five the 12 songs here ("Something Is Squeezing My Skull," "Mama Lay Softly on the Riverbed," "When Last I Spoke To Carol," "It's Not Your Birthday Anymore," and "You Were Good In Your Time"). Fortunately, Boorer still supplies tunage ("Black Cloud," "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris," "That's How People Grow Up," and "One Day Will Be Farewell") and new boy Jesse Tobias pens three strong compositions in "All You Need Is Me," "Sorry Doesn't Help," and "I'm OK By Myself."

Once again produced by Jerry Finn (You Are the Quarry), Years of Refusal was recorded "live," which gives it a great, poppin' fresh energy to the sound, with "Black Cloud" especially lively thanks to guest guitarist Jeff Beck's licks.

Despite the usual aesthetic laments (no one loves him except "stone and steel" so he's "throwing his arms around Paris"), I suspect Morrissey is actually - dare I say it? - having fun. After years of refusal. Sure, he taunts his critics with "You don't like me but you love me/Either way you're wrong/You're gonna miss me when I'm gone" and "You hiss and groan and you constantly moan but you never go away/And that's because all you need is me" but he seems to be reveling in his arsenal of hiss, groan & moan rather than complaining about it. Good grief, the man even sings "Whoopee!" at one point.

Good times, all around.

Oh, and about the cover: the baby in Morrissey's arms is Sebastien Pesel-Browne, son of Morrissey's assistant tour manager Charlie Browne. At first I thought maybe Moz was going through a Madonna-Angelina Jollie baby adoption mid-life crisis phase. We can rest assured.

MGMT
Oracular Spectacular
2008

I'll probably hate these guys in a month or so, but for now I love the song "Time To Pretend"...maybe probably cuzz I've heard it a million times as the theme song of cable TV's Sundance Channel. I've read and seen band interviews that didn't wow me as far as them being geniuses (or fashion plates: one guy dresses all gypsy-rocker like Steven Tyler/Jimi Hendrix and the other is nondescript with non-commital facial hair and dumb hats) but the one singer sounds exactly like Marc Bolan (always a good thing) and they seem to have listened to a lot of T. Rex, Sparks and early Ultravox (never a bad thing) and to have watched some good movies (the "Time To Pretend" music video contains references to Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 cult film The Holy Mountain), and on this one song have captured the essence of the Rock Star Dream; along with the Byrds' "So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star," this should be part of the Rock Star 101 curriculum for any aspiring musician:

"I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.
Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives.
I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and fuck with the stars.
You man the island and the cocaine and the elegant cars.

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices, and wake up for the morning commute?"

I think these guys are a duo (I can't tell them apart - all these skinny young indie rock guys look the same to me with their funky fedoras and Aerosmith head bandanas and tight-fitting black jeans), but the band's real tight and I especially love the drum sound - good drummer whoever he is. The other standout tracks on the CD NME named Best New Album of 2008 include: "Weekend Wars," which starts off like Tyranorsuarus Rex before the middle eight morphs into a Sparks song...The funky "Electric Feel" sounds like it would fit in nicely on Beck's Midnight Vultures, which is to say it sounds just like early '70s Sly & The Family Stone...and "The Youth," which starts off like John Lennon circa the New York City years (guess it the other dude singing, the one who doesn't sound like all fey like Bolan), then goes into a dreamy chant...and "Kids" is an infectiously catchy singalong set to a simplistic Fischer-Price keyboard riff...whole CD kinda reminded me of Hot Chip if they listened to less Kraftwerk and more Sparks. Speaking of which, I read somewhere that since they're a duo, they studied the music of other famous duos, like Hall & Oates, early (pre-electric) T. Rex, Sparks and, well, Kraftwerk is basically Ralf and Florian. It all makes sense.

FRANK SINATRA
Seduction: Sinatra Sings of Love
Frank Sinatra Enterprises, 2009

As the BBC's Michael Quinn observed, "Few popular music catalogues have been re-worked so rapaciously as that belonging to Francis Albert Sinatra. His 50-odd albums – from 1946 Columbia debut, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, to the second volume of Duets on Capitol nearly five decades later – have spawned well over 2,200 compilations, with barely a handful of them worthy of serious attention." That last comment certainly applies to this compilation, which was compiled by Sinatra family archivist Charles Pignone for Rhino Records just in time for Valentine's Day 2009 and features glib liner notes by The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Living author Bill Zehme, one of those latter-day Frankie-Come-Lately hipsters who laud Sinatra for his surface bling (broads, booze, '60s Schwing) - everything, in fact, but his artistry. God I hate shallow too-cool-for-school drivel like that...is it too much to put out a compilation with actual information about the music, like who what or where played the song and what album or session it was from?

Listening to this CD, I surmised that it's mostly from his '60s period at Reprise - though "It Had To Be You" dates from 1979's Trilogy LP - with the bulk of these versions available on the excellent 1963 release Sinatra's Sinatra ("Witchcraft," "All the Way," "Young At Heart," "The Second Time Around," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and "How Little We Know" - all keepers). 12 of the songs were arranged by Nelson Riddle, six by Don (father of pop star Nikki) Costa, three by Billy May and Neal Hefti, and two by Quincy Jones.

Of course, as a Sinatraphile, I fell for it and checked out this latest entry in the never-ending Sinatra reissues catalog from the library because it had some songs I was unfamiliar with, namely "Prisoner of Love," an alternate version of "My Funny Valentine" and "This Happy Madness." Well, "Prisoner of Love" is fantastic - I had never heard it before and it's the pick of the litter here...

"For one command I stand and wait now
From one who's master of my fate now . . .
She's in my dreams, awake or sleeping
Upon my knees to her I'm creeping,
My very life is in her keeping . . .
I'm just a prisoner of love."

Written by Leo Robin and Russ Columbo and originally recorded in 1932 by Russ Columbo, "Prisoner of Love" appeared on Sinatra's very underrated 1962 Reprise LP Sinatra and Strings (recorded with arranger Don Costa). It was a big hit for Perry Como in 1945 and later was covered by - of all people - James Brown and His Famous Flames in 1963 (The Godfather of Soul always had excellent taste; I recall an interview in which he cited Sinatra as one of his favorite singers). Though, like Sting's "Every Breath You Take" "Prisoner of Love" is kind of a scary sell as a "seduction" song as it's really a borderline stalking tale of obsessive love.

The lovely "This Happy Madness" is actually from the 1967 Sinatra album he did with the Brazilian Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim (which I should have picked up on by the song's parenthetical title Estrada Branca) and arranger Claus Olgerman - an album that proved he could handle legitimate bossa nova/jazz stylings just as comfortably as his popular singing and swinging.

The alternate "My Happy Valentine," features the bel canto singer's textbook glissando near the end whereby he shows off what he learned about breath control all those years ago watching Tommy Dorsey. Singing "Stay little valentine, stay - " he holds the note for what seems like an eternity before effortlessly gliding into the finale " - each day is Valentine's Day." He first recorded this song at a 1953 Capitol Records session with Nelson Riddle that was released on the album Songs for Young Lovers (1954), so I'm guessing this is from those sessions; given the lack of liner notes, we'll never know. It was a staple of Sinatra's live performances and can be heard in that context on 1962's excellent Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris album. But if you want a great alternate version of a Sinatra song, how about the lesser known "Night and Day" ballad version Sinatra cut with Don Costa from Sinatra and Strings? Though Frank recorded the Cole Porter gem five times, most famously as an uptempo number with Nelson Riddle on 1956's A Swingin' Affair, some consider this to be his best interpretation.

I guess this is a fine intro to Sinatra for the kind of people who buy these kind of compilations at the Starbucks checkout counter, but for Sinatra lovers, it's frustrating to encounter a release of songs with a tenuous connection to "seduction" (I mean, what else did Sinatra sing but love songs?) that seem rushed to market. And, as far as songs that seduce, how can you leave out Cole Porter's "You're Sensation" from the High Society soundtrack? ("Making love is quite an art/What you require is the perfect squire, to fire your heart!") I'd even drop trou for Old Blue Eyes if he serenaded me with that! Still, in these end times of soul-less, show-off-y American Idol singers, it's refreshing to hear what a singer with passion, command and respect for The Song can do when he borrows a tune from the songsmith and artistically interprets it. Sinatra was the best, even if this compilation isn't always.