Randomness.

This has nothing to do with much, but it's cool. I scanned my face and this was the outcome:

It's like I'm stuck under the ice!

My hair looks cool

BIG NEWS!

!!!!I am going to be interning at Colonial Williamsburg this summer!!!!

I will be working in the Margaret Hunter Millinery/Mantua Maker Shop, making lots of pretty things and being far away from home! AHHHHHH!!!!!! I'm so excited :)

The Margaret Hunter Millinery Shop

 Part of the reason I am ecstatic about this opportunity stems from my visit to Colonial Williamsburg when I was about 11 or 12. My family and I had gone to visit and I wanted a dress like the girls had in the brochure that we had. So we all went over to the Margaret Hunter shop to check it out. I was overwhelmed when we first walked in. There were ladies at the counter, all dressed to the 9's in their Colonial Outfits, embroidering diligently on Lady Dunmore's gown. Off to the corner, I remember a little girl, about my age, also working diligently on a little something. All at once she got up in excitement and said to the nearest lady at the counter, "I think I figured out how they do this!"  Can I tell you how jealous I was of that other girl???? Very. I wanted to be at Colonial Williamsburg, working on something, while wearing pretty clothes..... And it turns out, that little hope I had as a child is going to come true!

Now, I only need a place to stay/sublease/rent. I haven't had much luck in the 2 days I have been looking, but hopefully something will turn up.

Darth Maul Amigurumi progress

GRRRRRRR!!!

 I've been working here and there on Darth Maul's face since winter break started, and decided to scrap what I had originally made to make a new one. Here's the original flub:

it's truly disgusting.

See how grotesque it is? It looks like the clown from the SAW movies with red and black detailing. Gross!

After inspecting my fail, I decided that I used the wrong hook (which is why the thing was as big as my own head) I was color changing wrong and I didn't really think about what I was doing while making it. This time I've thought it through, am color changing correctly (I think?) and I'm using a much smaller hook, which produces much cleaner results :)

Here's what I've got so far:

muuuch better.

I'm able to get a little more detail and sharpness in the lines about his face, all due to the smaller hook. The rest of the detailing will come with embroidery, as there's no way to get such lines in color-changes.

The contours of the head and face are also
very nice this go 'round

Contour. This is something the original dearly lacked. It was really just a big ball with color changes that I stuffed and cinched to get somewhat of a face and produced a weird lumpy head and nasty, nasty face. This one looks much better :) I'm hoping to finish the head by Friday. Woo!

BIRTHDAY APRON!

Today, I turned 21. Can you guess what I did for my birthday?

Only what every girl would do....

 I made an apron for myself! 

Pretty Cute huh?

The inspiration was from Jessie Steele, an apron site I happened to find a week ago. Her aprons are adorable and ever so classy. I simply had to make one.

This is the one I like the most:

Jessie Steele Black and White Apron

......so I decided to make it Sailor style, because I love sailor stuff.

Fabric wise, I used some leftover navy fabric from my 1780's Caraco/Petticoat and some white bias tape. For the skirt, I used a flared half apron from the 50's as my skirt pattern template. The pocket was a quick whack-job of an applique
*NOTE*I've never done an applique before and just barreled through it, only looking at a tutorial for applique's after I had it already been attached 

For the Bib, I draped some muslin for the pattern, giving a dart on each side, to give it a little more shape. It's only cute if it fits!

and in 6 hours and 2 seasons of the office later....

VOILA!

SAILOR APRON!

I'm sorry I don't have any construction pics. It was an "on-a-whim" project that I was so focused on finishing, that taking pictures was the farthest from my mind. I plan to make a couple more aprons and experiment with different fits. I'll be sure to take more pics for the coming ones.

Donald?

Ouchies

I've not posted in a while, I realize, since I am still very busy with my classes.

Speaking of classes! I was forced to attend a late night salsa/samba workshop for OU's International Dance and Music Week (which was last week or the week before?) and got this lovely jewel:

THAT is a blood-blister, my friends. It's still deep in the skin, and will probably be there for the next month. Just thought I'd show you what's up ;)

Belated Valentine's Day post

First Date 10/20/07

As you all know, yesterday was Valentine's Day. Though Devin and I weren't able to do anything for Valentine's Day due to conflicting schedules I did make him a giant peanut butter pie with Reeses cups on Sunday and for Valentine's Day I got a surprise email from him that was so adorable it made me cry. I'll spare you the mushiness and just pepper you with some cute...and not so cute pictures :)

Prom 2008

After-Prom 2008

New York ATD Trip 2008

Devin biting my face off
Chicago ATD Trip 2008

Wash. D.C. Trip 2010

Christmas 2010

Me and my Mr Darcy :D

Stash Hats

#1

The past few weeks (well, months, really) I've been on a crocheting kick. It started mid-December with a long overdue project a student in my choir has been bugging me about for the last 2 years. She has told me over and over again that she would like a hat.... A pointy one. It's her senior year and her last year in the group, so I figured I would give in to her pleas.

This is what I made her: 

A very pointy hat.

It took only a few hours to do because it's a relatively simple idea. I chose the purple Caron Eco-Friendly yarn I had in my stash to go with her coat and I think that purple is a good color to describe her; happy, funky, and original. The hat is my own design and is about 2 feet in length. I think she looks adorable in it. Don't you?! She's such a tiny little thing; so it looks all the cuter on her :)

Just chillin' with my gnomies

#2

Then my friend Travis came back to Athens for his Christmas Break and told me "You still owe me a hat". I completely didn't know what he was talking about and he informed me that it was mentioned a long time ago that he wanted me to make him this hat:

Jayne Cobb, from the TV Series: Firefly

That hat is knitted of course; and alas, I cannot knit at the moment. So I compromised and made a hat kinda similar to a knit look with the help of a pattern on the internet that I cannot re-find for the life of me.

Cunning? Very.

It was all done the very evening he "reminded" me of it; with scrounged up yarn I had in my stash. I made it while watching the BBC Version of North and South,a GREAT miniseries, and gave it to him the next day with his Christmas present. I think someone had an awesome Christmas... wouldn't you say? ;)


 #3
 Last week I was inspired by a lone piece of ribbon and decided to whip up a hat for myself! Yay! The ribbon has some really wonderful blue and green hues and couldn't get idea out of my head. So, I looked through my stash and found some yarns that would go beautifully with that very lovely ribbon.

:) Smile, Amber! C'mon,
we know you can do it!

Altogether it's 4 different colors and 3 different types/weights of yarn; bamboo fibers (the blue, and ohhhh so soft), Caron 'simply soft' (the dark green, very soft as well), Red Heart Super Saver yarn (the 2 lighter greens, itchy and scratchy and stiff) and the Ribbon of Inspiration (which can be seen in the 3rd photo)

This is how I normally wear it

I was a little nervous at first working with yarns that I've never put together before but I think it worked! I started with the middlemost spiral then switched yarns and stitches when needed. It consists of alternating single crochets, double crochets and puff stitches in different rows to get most of the effects.

The back... a "hipster snail" as one of my friends
called it

In 6 hours I had a fabulous new hat!!! Now that the basic bit is done I kinda feel like I should add some more things to it. Hmmm... Maybe some more ribbon? Beads? Embroidery? I don't know. It needs a little something to give it some"pizazz".....Or maybe I'll just wear it like this?

...like a Crown!

Guess what I'm playing?

I am ever so sorry that I have not been blogging regularly. My reason: piano. The Ohio University School of Music holds a concerto competition every year. Those who enter get out of their jury for winter quarter and the winner of the competition gets to play with the orchestra at a concert; which is a HUGE and cool opportunity for pianist... if they're good enough.

I'm hoping to enter the concerto competition with a piece that I've been playing for 5 weeks. 5 weeks? You ask. My gosh. That'll be easy peasy, right? You say. I say wrong. My track record with learning pieces has been ridiculous. I have been known to spend 6 months on a song that's only 8 pages long. If you didn't know, that's a long time! So this is a brand new breakthrough in Amber's music abilities; to be able to learn, memorize and perform a piece in less than 2 months...a 17 page piece to be exact. Needless to say I'm a little proud of myself at the moment, but hold on folks. We're not done yet!

I plan to enter none other than J.S. Bach's Piano concerto no1 in D minor. The competition is a little over a week away. I've been practicing the darned song every day so it can be sparkling clean by January 25th (the competition).

For those of you who are not familiar with the piece, or you just like to hear the genius that is Johann Sebastian Bach played by none other than the genius that is Glenn Gould. Please, if you are not accustomed to the awesome that is this video, do not press play.

Enjoy!!! (and wish me luck) ;D

Bodiced Petticoat: Finished.

Finally, I'm getting around to posting this! I finished my hand-stitched petticoat right before Christmas and took pictures on Christmas day. I'm set with the undergarments and am ready for the real dressmaking now!

side view

me being goofy

ick, I look very ticked off. but here is the front.

Back view

The entire garment is stitched by hand and made of a white cotton bedsheet from a hospital which was bought from a thrift shop.

Rebel Symbol Scarf

YAY! I finished something this break! A Rebel Symbol Scarf!!!!!!!

The scarf was a request made by Devin (above) because he got a wonderfully grey peacoat and needed a scarf to make it complete. In 6 hours I created and finished this scarf while watching the BBC's Wives and Daughters.

Awwww, isn't he adorable?!

Hoorah for accomplishments :) My next post shall be my hand-stitched petticoat, so STAY TUNED