Getting Pinterest Crafts Done!
Have you done any of those projects?
If you have, then you're awesome. If you haven't, then it seems like you aren't alone.
Last month, my sister came up with the brilliant idea of having a monthly Pinterest Craft-a-Long. She corralled me, our mom, our cousin and her daughter for the inaugural event. We each emailed craft pins to the group and decided on one to make. My cousin, Kim, hosted the event for October and we got our paint, cut and glue on! (Well, they did. I ended up having to work. Boo.)
The group each made this project:
I was at my cousin's house over the weekend and was excited to see her creation. It looked pretty awesome, and she reported that they had a lot of fun!
We're already planning our November Pinterest Craft-a-Long and trying to round up ideas on what to make. This project is getting my vote:
Have you tried a Craft-a-Long for those undone Pinterest pins? If you were going to do it, what's the first item you'd make from your boards?
The Fab Fath Sisters: The HerKentucky Interview
I was so excited when
and Victoria Fath agreed to an interview with HerKentucky. They are the cutest Kentucky girls you can imagine. Soap opera fans will know Farah from her roles as Mimi on Days of our Lives and Gigi on One Life to Life. Here in Lexington, we know Victoria as a talented wedding videographer and pageant director. Together, the Fab Fath sisters run
and keep Twitter hopping. Thanks so much to Victoria and Farah for taking the time to talk to us!
OK, the #fabfathsisters are just about the cutest girls on the Twitter. Tell us a little about yourselves.
The Fab Fath Sisters at an early age.
Victoria:
I'd say we had a pretty normal "Kentucky girl" upbringing. For example, we cheered, did pageants, and went to the lake in the summer. Things changed when Farah got on "DOOL" and we moved to California. She was 15 and I was 12. Moving to Los Angeles from Lexington so young really changed us because it's such a different lifestyle and you're exposed to different ideas and cultures. However, I think we both pride ourselves on keeping our Kentucky "small town" values in the way we live. We both have a crude sense of humor and aren't shy to speak our minds - as that comes across often on Twitter - but people that really know us, know how genuinely kind we can be and how important our family and friends are to us.
You girls have done a little bit of everything -- New York, L.A., TV, videography. Tell us how a couple of Lexington girls wound up doing such glamorous things
.
Victoria
: Living in NYC is not glamourous!! It's a hustle. We've made a lot of moves in our life; I've moved across the country 7 times! It's hard but you've got to be willing to be flexible in life if you want to better your life. I'd say NY was the best experience in my life, I just really lived it up there and left feeling like I had done and seen everything I could in 4 years. Farah is really the person for this question...
Your Tumblr profile says "We look alike. We sound alike. We think alike. We are #TeamFathSisters"; have y'all always gotten along so well?
With friend Catherine Combs the night of UK's National Championship win.
Pretty much. :) We have some differences but overall we are like the same person.
Y'all grew up in Lexington. Are you UK fans?
Victoria:
Of course #BBN. You don't grow up in Lexington, KY and not bleed blue. I actually went to UK for my freshman year.
A couple of "soapy" questions for Farah:
I think most of us grew up with a mama or grandma who watched soaps. In fact, I think every Kentucky grandma was addicted to Days of Our Lives. Was that something y'all grew up with? If so,was it crazy walking onto those sets?
Well you guessed it. Our mom's mom watched Days since its inception. Strangely enough she only passed it on to one of her daughters (not our mom). Our mom was an ABC soap fan so I think she was more impressed when I got on One Life to Live. That's not to say she didn't watch Days when I was on it. She did, of course. I definitely remember sitting in my grandmother's TV room while she'd play Days. Obviously she recorded it on her VCR like everyone else. I was fascinated with the show and got even more into when mine and Torie's babysitter watched it everyday during her summers with us. So yes, it was very surreal going from fan to cast member. Although the feeling of being awestruck faded fast due to the busy schedule and tough work load. I adapted quickly into my new life and the people who I grew up watching became my 2nd family.
At the risk of going all fangirl here, I'll admit that I grew up watching ABC Soaps. What was it like to work with
-- one of THE grand dames of the genre?
At the OLTL Wrap Party last year.
It isn't possible for me to say enough nice things about Ms. Slezak to even come close to doing her justice. I seriously am choked up right now just thinking about her. The first scene I ever taped for OLTL was with her and right away I was blown away by her extreme professionalism and grace. There isn't one nerve in her body that isn't full of class. It was so refreshing to witness someone of her stature be so completely kind and respectful to each and every body on that set. No matter if you were her co-star for the day or your job was to sweep the floor, you were her equal. Oh, and I never saw her look at her script. Just trust me when I say that's unheard of. The stage manager would be counting down and my script would still be in my hand. lol
OK, Dirty Soap -- what was it like to do that show? It seemed so crazy and DRAMATIC!
Well the fact that it took 6 months to film only 8 episodes, I don't have much good to say about it. Doing that show added nothing positive to my life. Producers had a story board for the season and they did whatever they could to manipulate situations so they could get the story they wanted. I could only stand my ground and refuse to do or say something for so long until I just wanted to go home (or for them to go home). I also didn't want the show to suck either, so that was another reason I'd agree to certain scenes that I knew "would never actually take place in real life." Just know reality TV is all in the editing. I couldn't believe how some of the situations were pieced together because it's not at all how things really happened.
And now a couple for Victoria:
Tell us about your background. It sounds like you've done some amazing work. What brought you back to Lexington?
"Amazing work" is a strong statement haha. I spent so much time on a TV set growing up that I think it was natural for me to fall into this sort of work. I basically majored in Television in college. I wrote a term paper on the cult fandom of soap operas actually. lol... Soap fans are CRAZY die hard. After I graduated college, I was getting pretty burnt out with the NYC lifestyle and my boyfriend wanted to move desperately, so we decided to move to Lexington. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it and also moving to a place where my education in film and TV was kind of useless, but it was the right decision. I've been doing freelance filming of weddings and pageants. I toil with the dilemma of work and location all the time. Lexington is not where I'd like to be for my career but I'm where I want to be in my personal life. And I think the latter is more important. I know Farah has the same struggle. I truly believe Lexington is one of the best places to live. My boyfriend thought we'd be here for 6 months and move but he grew to love it and we bought a house and have no plans to leave anytime soon.
I've become very involved in the pageant circuit around Kentucky since I've moved back home, judging and now directing. Our mom and I have started our own runway and arts pageant. We want to allow both boys and girls an outlet for creative expression and we expect this to be a fun and modern pageant. Our first preliminary is Dec. 3 and our state pageant will be in late April. You can find more information at
or by emailing
You're a brand-new mom. Tell us a little about how that's going for you. Is your daughter well on the way to being as fabulous as the Fath sisters?
Lola rules. Her last name may not be Fath, but she is a Fath girl. As Farah put it, "She's a great addition to the family." Being notoriously blonde, I was shocked to see my baby with head full of black hair! I was never one who thought about having kids but being a mom just comes naturally to me. There's a lot of love in my life. I'm blessed.
You can read more about the Fab Fath Sisters on their Tumblr,
, and on
and
's twitter accounts.
Pumpkins and Witches!
The HerKentucky 60 Things Project: Prestonsburg/ Floyd County
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| Coal in my parents' backyard. |
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| The New Martin |
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| The School's been closed for 20 years, but Wayland is home of the Wasps. |
The HerKentucky 60 Things Project: Lexington
In choosing things to include on my list of 10 things that define Lexington, I opted to go for things that are top-of-mind for me right now. There is a lot of history (and I'll fully admit I know very little of it) behind lots of places in Lexington, and were covered well in Cheryl Truman's Herald-Leader piece. I'm just sticking with what I know (and love) about my city.
1. Interstates 75 and 64. Lexington is located in a prime sweet-spot of I-75 and I-64, which will set you off in whichever direction your car needs to go. It's so convenient to have both north-south and east-west interstates right at your back door. Whether you're heading away on a vacation or are traveling for work, there are many destinations within a one day driving distance. Today, I hit the road for Knoxville - a short drive straight down I-75 that took less than 3 hours, and was smooth sailing (hooray for no construction!)
2. The seasons. Also related to today's drive along the interstate is the seasons. Lexington has all four seasons, but without too many extremes. We get bright, warm summers but without the humidity of our friends further south. We get fall and these AMAZING colors all around on the trees. If you squint your eyes, the colors seem as vibrant as they are in a crayon box. Winter brings enough snow to build snowmen and go sledding a couple of times, but not so much that it shuts down the city (usually). Spring brings with it some rainy days, but also delivers pastel-colored blooms that will snap your winter blues.
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| As seen on my drive down I-75 today. |
5. University of Kentucky football. Since hubs is a loyal UK football fan and we got married the day UK beat #1 LSU, UK football is embedded into my life. Every fall, I listen to disgruntled fans call into talk radio shows demanding for the current coach to be fired. Even during the bowl games times, you'd hear people wanting a change. It's never ending, and kind of funny.
6. University of Kentucky basketball. You can't escape it, nor do I really want to. The juggernaut of UK basketball brings energy, life, and unity to the city (although not to the state... sorry Cards fans). One look at Big Blue Madness and you'll realize that this NBA-size production is unlike anything else in college basketball. Further evidence? The ESPN All-Access Kentucky series currently running. Craziness.
7. Keeneland. Until you go yourself, you'll never understand the magic of Keeneland. Between the people watching, horse gazing, food/beverages, and pretending like you know how to bet, it's just an amazing experience that seems even better since we can only experience it in April and October.
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| From Keeneland last Wednesday |
8. Good Foods Co-Op Hot Buffet. Yes, I'm going straight for the cafe/buffet and not for the grocery-part of the store. The by-the-pound hot bar has a menu that changes daily, save for the Good Foods Kale, which is like healthy green crack. With vegetarian, vegan, and carnivore options, everyone is satisfied with this tasty stuff. On the weekends they have brunch items, of which my favorites are the chorizo burritos and the grits - always a different flavor (cheddar jalapeno, smoked gouda, basil, etc). Not so great for my waistline, but oh-so-yummy.
9. Lexington Cemetery. I've written about the cemetery before, which you can find here. Every time I enter the gates it's like I'm being transported into both history and into a secret garden. The least creepy cemetery ever!
10. The people: There are some good peeps in Lexington. Yes, there are some douchenuggets, but the awesome, honest, beautiful friends I have outnumber them by far.