YAY! I finished something this break! A Rebel Symbol Scarf!!!!!!!
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| Awwww, isn't he adorable?! |
Rebel Symbol Scarf
Christmas 2010!!!!
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas equipped with all the festivities, family and fun. I had a very blessed time with my family and I got a lot of awesome things this Christmas that I'd like to show you all :)
BOOKS
The past couple of years, I have been receiving books for the majority of my presents. I have an Amazon Wishlist and from it I received:
BOOKS
The past couple of years, I have been receiving books for the majority of my presents. I have an Amazon Wishlist and from it I received:
The Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century Fashion in Detail by Susan North
and
The Nineteenth Century Fashion in Detail by Lucy Johnston
Both these books are from the Victoria and Albert Fashion Museum collection and are really fascinating. I love being able to see individual stitches, minor flaws (that make me feel better about my work), and simply the wonderful detailed photographs/descriptions of the garments. The only thing to make them better would be to have photos of the whole garment instead of really up close ones. The book is great though. I'm soooo glad I have them now!The Cut of Men's Clothes: 1600-1900
and
Corsets and Crinolines both by Norah Waugh
These books are just wonderful. I got a used/older version of the Cut of Men's Clothes and a new version of Corsets and Crinolines but I couldn't be happier. These are definitely must-haves.
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| Isn't it pretty? |
Lawn Dress
It's long past due for a new post. My Red Dress is fitted, now only the sleeves need put on. The Regency Bodiced Petticoat only needs buttons. The Darth Maul Amigurumi hasn't been picked up yet. I haven't even thought about my quilt. But, I can post about an old dress I bought a while back at an antique store.
The dress is called a Lawn Dress. I have pondered the reasons why it would be called such; wearing it for garden parties (on the lawn. harhar), the fabric being called lawn, or some other crazy reason that no one would ever have thought of? Well, I've never really found a good explanation, and don't know enough about fabrics to say if it is in fact lawn or not.
Regardless of my prattle, I'm sure you want to see some pictures, right? Yes, you do!!!! So, here is the ca. 1910 Lawn Dress snatched for $60 at an antique store.
Disclaimer: Yes, that is me wearing the dress, 3 years ago, the day it was bought. At the time, I had never read anything about human oils deteriorating antique fabric. I was very careful and only wore it for about 15 minutes.
The dress has a lot of rips and tears. It used to have a lot of stains, but my mom read up and found a way to clean antique fabrics without damaging them. It worked like a charm.
So, yeeeah. There's a new post !!!!!!!!
The dress is called a Lawn Dress. I have pondered the reasons why it would be called such; wearing it for garden parties (on the lawn. harhar), the fabric being called lawn, or some other crazy reason that no one would ever have thought of? Well, I've never really found a good explanation, and don't know enough about fabrics to say if it is in fact lawn or not.
Regardless of my prattle, I'm sure you want to see some pictures, right? Yes, you do!!!! So, here is the ca. 1910 Lawn Dress snatched for $60 at an antique store.
Disclaimer: Yes, that is me wearing the dress, 3 years ago, the day it was bought. At the time, I had never read anything about human oils deteriorating antique fabric. I was very careful and only wore it for about 15 minutes.
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| These are the only two photos of the entire dress |
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| stupid look on my face.. I know |
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| torqued off Amber? Maybe. |
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| The details are much better seen in Black and White |
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| CrAzY picture of my face |
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| the back of the dress is pretty too! |
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| and this is a cool pic of the sky I happened to take that day |
So, yeeeah. There's a new post !!!!!!!!
Devil in a blue... I mean RED dress. Oh nevermind
Hooray! I am happy to say that I am officially done with Fall Quarter 2010 and am off to my wonderful 5 week break. I received 3 A's and 2 B's for the quarter (of which I'm quite surprised to see I did so well).
Now that my break has begun, I'm delving into new projects each day. Right now I'm dealing with a red dress that's being fussy.
The dress is a performance dress for the choir I am the accompanist and assistant director of. Our school colors are Red, Black and Grey; which was all I had to choose from. I bought my red dress from a consignment shop for $19 bucks and I figured I could just alter it to fit me, add some sleeves and be done with it. At the time I was a size 6 (the dress being a small 9/10 wouldn't have been that hard to alter) Well, not to toot my own horn, but I've lost a little bit of weight, bringing me down to a solid size 4. Oh goody for me. As you see in the picture, it is now quite gappy in a few areas.
I also want to add sleeves to the dress since I am technically a representative of the school and probably shouldn't be too revealed. Though, I'm not sure what kind of sleeves just yet. The girls in the choir said I should do a sleeve like this:
Yet my mom says I should do something more like this:
but maybe bigger drape thing like this:
What do you all think I should do? I'm at a loss
Now that my break has begun, I'm delving into new projects each day. Right now I'm dealing with a red dress that's being fussy.
The dress is a performance dress for the choir I am the accompanist and assistant director of. Our school colors are Red, Black and Grey; which was all I had to choose from. I bought my red dress from a consignment shop for $19 bucks and I figured I could just alter it to fit me, add some sleeves and be done with it. At the time I was a size 6 (the dress being a small 9/10 wouldn't have been that hard to alter) Well, not to toot my own horn, but I've lost a little bit of weight, bringing me down to a solid size 4. Oh goody for me. As you see in the picture, it is now quite gappy in a few areas.
I also want to add sleeves to the dress since I am technically a representative of the school and probably shouldn't be too revealed. Though, I'm not sure what kind of sleeves just yet. The girls in the choir said I should do a sleeve like this:
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| the sleeves would be slightly smaller in width |
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| A much more matronly look |
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| EVEN MORE MATRONLY :D |
What do you all think I should do? I'm at a loss
*insert HUGE sigh of relief*
Finally, my 1780's Servant Ensemble is done and turned in! I don't know what the grade on it will be, but I'm anticipating a high B or low A. BUT!
~Behold~
The bodice went together pretty well, I'm very proud of the back:
The class this is for is Costume Pattern Tech. The goal is to create your own pattern for the garment based on a rendition provided by the designer. There were 15 people in the class; all making the same dress; in different fabrics. Since we each created our own pattern, there was a lot of variety in style lines. In the entire class, there were only two people who created a more complicated back to the bodice. Though I love the style lines I hate that I did the piping on each piece. It created a lot of bulk in one spot and made the piping uneven, but now I know what not to do.
And so you can see the cute bump at the back :)
And now, I have 3 more final until I am officially on my 6 week break! Woo. Wish me luck, the sooner those get done, the sooner I can work on more of my projects for you to see. YAY
Almost..... therrre.....
I have been sewing like a mad woman to get this project finished. Currently I am done with the dirty work of the bodice and only have to insert the grommets at the front and tack down the seams of the sleeves. Next on the to-do-list is the skirt, of which I have the panels sewn together and need to make the placket for the opening and the waistband. The skirt is almost entirely cartridge pleated... oh joy. I have a long couple of days ahead of me.
Since I've been up until 5am most nights this week, I felt the need for a little entertainment. My mom and I dressed my brother up in my nearly finished bodice and took pictures. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
Since I've been up until 5am most nights this week, I felt the need for a little entertainment. My mom and I dressed my brother up in my nearly finished bodice and took pictures. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
Isn't he beautiful?
Latest Happenings
Lately, my posts have been about everything under the sun except sewing. This is partially because I have had a fair share of homework and have not been able to work on a lot of my own projects. Lucky for you, I have been working on a project for our Period Construction class. Here's what I have so far:
Yes, it's too large for Mathilde. The mannequin I used for the pattern is very busty and a size 8-10 (as Mathilde is right under a 5) Anywho, we are to construct a Maid's outfit in the theme of the 1780s. Since it's for the theatre, we have to sew it much differently than I'm used to. The Piping for instance. I am NOT happy about how it looks
The piping is all uneven because piping is on each pattern piece; and that's hard to line up. UGH. It's done this way so that if the piece needs altered, the piping does not need to come off. Lovely for those to come, suckola for me. Despite the annoyingness of the construction, the color of the piping is pretty against the tan herringbone.
I must say, it's very interesting how things are done in the theatre world. Everyt garment is made for versatility and easy alterations. I'm used to just making the garment to fit, and that's that. Fortunately, the last two weeks have taught me to properly flatline pattern pieces, add boning to make a correct shape, without the period undergarment, and learn how to properly do princess seams. Very educational.
Soon to come: The piece is to have an attached peplum and sleeves (that look like she's wearing a white shirt underneath. A skirt is also next on the agenda.
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| It seems Mathilde's bust has deflated. |
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| The back seams are pretty, just not the piping.... |
I must say, it's very interesting how things are done in the theatre world. Everyt garment is made for versatility and easy alterations. I'm used to just making the garment to fit, and that's that. Fortunately, the last two weeks have taught me to properly flatline pattern pieces, add boning to make a correct shape, without the period undergarment, and learn how to properly do princess seams. Very educational.
Soon to come: The piece is to have an attached peplum and sleeves (that look like she's wearing a white shirt underneath. A skirt is also next on the agenda.
Star Wars Amigurumi Patterns
Hello all,
I have had many comments and questions regarding my Star Wars creations. The main question people have being, "Can I have the pattern?!" My answer: eventually....
Right now, the Boba Fett and Jetpack patterns are near done; and I mean all the directions are there, I need to insert the pictures to finish (and that's pretty good considering all the homework I have to do too). But, for all of you "itching with anticipation", let it be known that I have a couple of hoops I have to jump through before I can distribute my ami patterns to the world.
Hoop #1: Lucasfilm Licensing. I have to make sure I am even able to sell Star Wars patterns before I make them available for y'all. I need to make sure that I'm in the clear and won't get sued.
Hoop #2: Copyright. My patterns need a copyright. There's a lot of scheisters our there that may steal my pattern and resell it as theirs or sell the end products, and that's not fair :( I plan to get this done quickly, but I have to hear from Lucasfilm first.
Hoop #3: Figuring out how to sell them in the first place. I've thought about setting up an Etsy site or selling them only on ravelry but I'm not exactly sure how it works I've also thought about doing it by email/paypal, but again, D: I don't know what I'm doing quite yet.
So, my fellow Crafty Star Wars Fans, My goal is to make the Boba Fett and Jetpack Patterns available by the second week of November. Don't hold your breath on it though, as I cannot make any promises on the exact date and time it shall be available. So, check back often and enjoy a lovely picture of a Scalped Darth Maul!
I have had many comments and questions regarding my Star Wars creations. The main question people have being, "Can I have the pattern?!" My answer: eventually....
Right now, the Boba Fett and Jetpack patterns are near done; and I mean all the directions are there, I need to insert the pictures to finish (and that's pretty good considering all the homework I have to do too). But, for all of you "itching with anticipation", let it be known that I have a couple of hoops I have to jump through before I can distribute my ami patterns to the world.
Hoop #1: Lucasfilm Licensing. I have to make sure I am even able to sell Star Wars patterns before I make them available for y'all. I need to make sure that I'm in the clear and won't get sued.
Hoop #2: Copyright. My patterns need a copyright. There's a lot of scheisters our there that may steal my pattern and resell it as theirs or sell the end products, and that's not fair :( I plan to get this done quickly, but I have to hear from Lucasfilm first.
Hoop #3: Figuring out how to sell them in the first place. I've thought about setting up an Etsy site or selling them only on ravelry but I'm not exactly sure how it works I've also thought about doing it by email/paypal, but again, D: I don't know what I'm doing quite yet.
So, my fellow Crafty Star Wars Fans, My goal is to make the Boba Fett and Jetpack Patterns available by the second week of November. Don't hold your breath on it though, as I cannot make any promises on the exact date and time it shall be available. So, check back often and enjoy a lovely picture of a Scalped Darth Maul!
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| Scalped Darth Maul!!! D: |
Halloween 2010
Happy Halloween Folks!
I slept in until 11:00am this morning because of the festivities last night. Devin and I went to the Athens Block Party. Unfortunately I have been so busy this quarter that there was no time to make a good costume for both Devin and I. Devin put on a straw hat and I finagled a "gypsy" costume together. A lot of people didn't know what I was... but oh well. At least I didn't look gross. Here's some pics of my costume.
I had on 6 skirts, a long sleeved black sweater, 2 pairs of thigh length socks and my corset (laced with different colors of ribbon). I was pretty warm actually.
I also carried around a black/gold shawl that I used as a head covering at times. I love that piece of fabric.
AND I HAVE A BINDI!! I love bindi's and whenever I have an opportunity to use one, I jump on it.
Here's to the end of another October and a Happy November!
I slept in until 11:00am this morning because of the festivities last night. Devin and I went to the Athens Block Party. Unfortunately I have been so busy this quarter that there was no time to make a good costume for both Devin and I. Devin put on a straw hat and I finagled a "gypsy" costume together. A lot of people didn't know what I was... but oh well. At least I didn't look gross. Here's some pics of my costume.
I had on 6 skirts, a long sleeved black sweater, 2 pairs of thigh length socks and my corset (laced with different colors of ribbon). I was pretty warm actually.
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| a tad blurry but oh well |
Here's to the end of another October and a Happy November!
Running in the Rain
As some of you may have heard, the midwest is in the middle of a pretty good storm. Although most Ohioans don't consider themselves part of the Midwest per se, we are... apparently. Anywho, this storm was pretty bad and we Athenians got hit pretty hard today.
So, back on track (haha. I made a funny)... I recently decided to start jogging 3 times a week, in hopes not be winded when I walk up a flight of stairs. Today was the first day of my weekly regimen and I was excited. The day was beautiful, un-seasonally warm (76 degrees F) for October, and wonderful gusts of wind that though powerful, felt incredibly soft and comforting.
I had a piano lesson at 10am and it was there I learned from my instructor we were expecting a nasty storm anytime from 3pm-6pm. My break between classes being just that, I was saddened but resolved that it was too nice outside at the moment (being 10am) and that the storm would simply be a later one; after my jog.
As my class ended at 3pm, I noticed the clouds being very dark over yonder and thought "Oh WOW. That's a little nastier than I was expecting." but since there was no rainfall in view I enjoyed the walk to my car, taking my good ol' time. I got to my car to change into some gym shorts and put on my shoes when a few raindrops started to fall on my car. Determined as I was, knowing the storm wouldn't start until after 4pm when my jog would be over with, I started on my jog. I decided to take the route I always had because I know it well. Guess what!? This route happened to be directly toward the storm.
I started running. Again, I was very happy with myself for running in the first place and secondly deciding to go on such a lovely day. The women's lacrosse team was running towards me, pretty darn determined to go way past where I was and in a hurry. What could this mean? Hmmmm.... I took no warning, shrugged my and resolved that it was only because the winds were too gusty for their lacrosse practice. I continued. I got to my first landmark, far away from my vehicle; and the sky DUMPED on me.
When I say DUMPED, I mean DUMPED. And here I am, way too far from my car to sprint to it. Wonderful. I've been completely soaked to the bone in less than 10 seconds. But being as wet as a person can possibly be, I tried to enjoy the sloshy experience and turned back; despite being peppered by the HUGE raindrops and little acorns tossed about by the wind.
Finally I got to my car. The sky is still dumping. I look in my car for some sort of drying tool... Nothing...No towel. What do I do now!? I don't want to drive my car anywhere because the seat will be drenched and I don't want a wet bottom going home! What do I do? What do I do!?!?!? Unfortunately, I had no other choice. I had to dry off somehow. So I hopped in my car and drove to the nearest building with a bathroom close to the main entrance. I luckily had an extra shirt and jeans in my car, so not all hope was lost. BAM. I sprinted to the bathroom.
Sigh. Finally, I thought, all is well. Then I realize that a very vital element to my comfort was amiss. The Hand Dryer. D: Ugh. Here I am, soaked to the bone with no way to dry before I get back into my dry clothes. What did I do, you ask? Funny story actually...Ahem....I ended up standing in one of the bathroom stalls for 10 minutes, using toilet paper to dab the extra wet spots dry. .....yeeeeaaaah.. :-\ ...Finally, after all that, I pulled on my jeans only to realize that there were 2 decent size rips in some very inconvenient spots. The crotch and the butt. Sigh. My underwear was completely drenched and not on me. Needless to say, this made for a very awkward evening of concealing the holes in my pants for fear of major embarrassment.
The Moral of the story, my friends? Always have extra clothes in your car, including underwear. You never know what will happen to you. :)
So, back on track (haha. I made a funny)... I recently decided to start jogging 3 times a week, in hopes not be winded when I walk up a flight of stairs. Today was the first day of my weekly regimen and I was excited. The day was beautiful, un-seasonally warm (76 degrees F) for October, and wonderful gusts of wind that though powerful, felt incredibly soft and comforting.
I had a piano lesson at 10am and it was there I learned from my instructor we were expecting a nasty storm anytime from 3pm-6pm. My break between classes being just that, I was saddened but resolved that it was too nice outside at the moment (being 10am) and that the storm would simply be a later one; after my jog.
As my class ended at 3pm, I noticed the clouds being very dark over yonder and thought "Oh WOW. That's a little nastier than I was expecting." but since there was no rainfall in view I enjoyed the walk to my car, taking my good ol' time. I got to my car to change into some gym shorts and put on my shoes when a few raindrops started to fall on my car. Determined as I was, knowing the storm wouldn't start until after 4pm when my jog would be over with, I started on my jog. I decided to take the route I always had because I know it well. Guess what!? This route happened to be directly toward the storm.
I started running. Again, I was very happy with myself for running in the first place and secondly deciding to go on such a lovely day. The women's lacrosse team was running towards me, pretty darn determined to go way past where I was and in a hurry. What could this mean? Hmmmm.... I took no warning, shrugged my and resolved that it was only because the winds were too gusty for their lacrosse practice. I continued. I got to my first landmark, far away from my vehicle; and the sky DUMPED on me.
When I say DUMPED, I mean DUMPED. And here I am, way too far from my car to sprint to it. Wonderful. I've been completely soaked to the bone in less than 10 seconds. But being as wet as a person can possibly be, I tried to enjoy the sloshy experience and turned back; despite being peppered by the HUGE raindrops and little acorns tossed about by the wind.
Finally I got to my car. The sky is still dumping. I look in my car for some sort of drying tool... Nothing...No towel. What do I do now!? I don't want to drive my car anywhere because the seat will be drenched and I don't want a wet bottom going home! What do I do? What do I do!?!?!? Unfortunately, I had no other choice. I had to dry off somehow. So I hopped in my car and drove to the nearest building with a bathroom close to the main entrance. I luckily had an extra shirt and jeans in my car, so not all hope was lost. BAM. I sprinted to the bathroom.
Sigh. Finally, I thought, all is well. Then I realize that a very vital element to my comfort was amiss. The Hand Dryer. D: Ugh. Here I am, soaked to the bone with no way to dry before I get back into my dry clothes. What did I do, you ask? Funny story actually...Ahem....I ended up standing in one of the bathroom stalls for 10 minutes, using toilet paper to dab the extra wet spots dry. .....yeeeeaaaah.. :-\ ...Finally, after all that, I pulled on my jeans only to realize that there were 2 decent size rips in some very inconvenient spots. The crotch and the butt. Sigh. My underwear was completely drenched and not on me. Needless to say, this made for a very awkward evening of concealing the holes in my pants for fear of major embarrassment.
The Moral of the story, my friends? Always have extra clothes in your car, including underwear. You never know what will happen to you. :)
Presenting....
Dear Fellow readers,
I hope to bring to your attention to a new addition to the blogosphere. My friend Amy has started her own blog: Confessions of a Commuter Student.
She attends Ohio University and has been one of my best friends these past 4 years. Now in her 4th year of commuting and attending college, she has obtained quite a few pretty hilarious stories; and she is willing to share with the you and the internet!
If you like to read something funny, or if you were a college student yourself, give the blog a peek and follower her if you like!
I hope to bring to your attention to a new addition to the blogosphere. My friend Amy has started her own blog: Confessions of a Commuter Student.
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| Amy adopted my Ellie too! YAY! |
If you like to read something funny, or if you were a college student yourself, give the blog a peek and follower her if you like!
Ohio Renaissance Festival, 2010
I'm sure my followers are familiar with Renaissance Festivals and the like. Well, this past week I went our very own, 21st Annual Ohio Renaissance Festival.
I meant to take more pictures than I did (which is normally the case), so I'm going to steal some pics from Google Images.
For those who are unfamiliar with a Renaissance Faire, let me enlighten you... Renaissance Festivals are known for being a gathering of many different types of people. Many of the comedic performers make reference to a Renaissance Faire as being " a gathering of misfits; freaks if you like". It's really just that, and those that are the so called "misfits" or "freaks" will openly acknowledge/embrace the title. It's fabulous.
I've never been to another Renaissance Festival other than the one in Harveysburg, Ohio. Devin, Jeff and I had a blast. This is my third time at the RenFest, and was the best by far.
The performers were WONDERFUL. I was rofl, if you know what I mean. I'm being completely serious; I was a laughing idiot at every show I attended. The first show we saw was Saffron Finch (aka Rob Williams). You may have heard of him, he does a lot of odd tricks and has a great sense of comedic timing. His tricks are very odd, but have gained him a bit of fame. Jay Leno? Donnie Osmond? What do they have in common? this Rob guy made a bologna sandwich for both of them, with his feet.
Dirk and Guido, The Master Swordsmen were very entertaining as well. They came immediately after Saffron and were just as funny.
The funniest part of our venture was the pyro show, by performer, Thomas Wood the Pyro Juggler. He does a lot of different tricks including eating fire, contact juggling, regular juggling, and random oddness. While we were there, it rained and was very cold. My coat was in the vehicle, which was way away in the parking lot. It would have been too late to go to the car to get it because we were wet through within about 10 minutes. While we were shivering and chattering, Thomas asked us all to stand up and stretch to get our blood flowing. It was a trick. He was demonstrating how we should look then he grabbed my hand and chose me as his victim.
He juggled some things over me, but this wasn't even the best part.
He asked who I had come to the Faire with, and chose his next victim. I had come with my dearest Devin. MWAHAHAHA.
Is there any wonder I was a laughing idiot? The final part of his act was:
Machetes, Devin unaware, Me blindfolding the man holding the machetes. It was hilarious. Believe me, you shoulda been there.
Other than the shows, we ate from The Breadbowl; which offers various soups in breadbowls. We walked around to the different shops, watched a joust and Devin and Jeff both bought.... SWORDS.
We had a great time. I suggest you go, should you ever have the chance!
For those who are unfamiliar with a Renaissance Faire, let me enlighten you... Renaissance Festivals are known for being a gathering of many different types of people. Many of the comedic performers make reference to a Renaissance Faire as being " a gathering of misfits; freaks if you like". It's really just that, and those that are the so called "misfits" or "freaks" will openly acknowledge/embrace the title. It's fabulous.
I've never been to another Renaissance Festival other than the one in Harveysburg, Ohio. Devin, Jeff and I had a blast. This is my third time at the RenFest, and was the best by far.
The performers were WONDERFUL. I was rofl, if you know what I mean. I'm being completely serious; I was a laughing idiot at every show I attended. The first show we saw was Saffron Finch (aka Rob Williams). You may have heard of him, he does a lot of odd tricks and has a great sense of comedic timing. His tricks are very odd, but have gained him a bit of fame. Jay Leno? Donnie Osmond? What do they have in common? this Rob guy made a bologna sandwich for both of them, with his feet.
Dirk and Guido, The Master Swordsmen were very entertaining as well. They came immediately after Saffron and were just as funny.
The funniest part of our venture was the pyro show, by performer, Thomas Wood the Pyro Juggler. He does a lot of different tricks including eating fire, contact juggling, regular juggling, and random oddness. While we were there, it rained and was very cold. My coat was in the vehicle, which was way away in the parking lot. It would have been too late to go to the car to get it because we were wet through within about 10 minutes. While we were shivering and chattering, Thomas asked us all to stand up and stretch to get our blood flowing. It was a trick. He was demonstrating how we should look then he grabbed my hand and chose me as his victim.
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| Latex Glove. Scary face on a Stranger. Devin blindfolded. Devin laying down. Seal and a club. Box labeled "Danger Explosives". |
Other than the shows, we ate from The Breadbowl; which offers various soups in breadbowls. We walked around to the different shops, watched a joust and Devin and Jeff both bought.... SWORDS.
*Sigh*
This weekend I was hoping to do some fun stuff. I.E. sewing, crochet, a few more recordings etc. but was overcome with homework from dawn til dusk all weekend long. My homework consisted of reading the story of the life of Mary Jemison, practicing piano, writing an essay, blah blah blah blah blah. Complete with more blah, blah and blah.
Though my homework was exhausting, I felt I should say a bit about The Narrative of the Life of Mary Jemison. I really enjoyed it. The book is a first person account of a woman of Irish heritage and her life as an adopted Seneca woman. Unlike many captivity narratives, she portrays the Native Americans as a lovely people and culture rather than a barbaric cult of savages. It was a long read for me was very good and enlightening, despite the time it took from my other interests. I do encourage those who have not read it to do so if they get a chance. I read the latest edition, with an introduction by June Namais, which also helps keep in perspective what is elaborated upon and what is from Jemison herself. I really do encourage you to read it... and lucky for you it's not an assignment
Though my homework was exhausting, I felt I should say a bit about The Narrative of the Life of Mary Jemison. I really enjoyed it. The book is a first person account of a woman of Irish heritage and her life as an adopted Seneca woman. Unlike many captivity narratives, she portrays the Native Americans as a lovely people and culture rather than a barbaric cult of savages. It was a long read for me was very good and enlightening, despite the time it took from my other interests. I do encourage those who have not read it to do so if they get a chance. I read the latest edition, with an introduction by June Namais, which also helps keep in perspective what is elaborated upon and what is from Jemison herself. I really do encourage you to read it... and lucky for you it's not an assignment
And now, I'll give you some cuteness to counteract the lame of my post
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| Joel!!! |
Me Playing Piano!
I found time to record for my grandmother. She lives an hour away from us and doesn't have a piano, thus making it a very rare occasion when she does hear me. Because of the vast interweb resources at hand, I am going to utilize Youtube so she is able to listen whenever she wants and of course share the videos with you all!
I beg you, please ignore the stupid looks on my face, the seasick-inducing movements, the poor sound quality and slight lag in the video. I recorded these via Webcam on my laptop and plan to record again when I have better equipment.
The Sailor Song was born my sophomore year of high school with a friend who was in my Music Theory class. It was first composed with drums and bass along with my piano. It was a bit more "funky" and had some J.S. Bach interjected at points. I have since made my own version of the piece, adding some movie themes for substance. Very early on, my friends fondly declared it "The Sailor Song".
The first 3 melodies you hear in this song are from the following soundtracks:
The Secret Garden by Zbigniew Preisner
King Kong by James Newton Howard
Black Beauty by Danny Elfman
Pirates of the Caribbean Composer, Hans Zimmer, is one my my all time favorite composers. I think I've fallen in love with each and every one of his soundtracks. This is my rendition of my favorite theme from POTC, Davey Jones. I made my own sequence of the piece through different moods from the latter two movies, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. The first is the main melody played in a high register. Second is from the Musical-Heart of Davey's. Next is a more agitated Davey and the last bits being what I consider a call and response between the ill-fated lovers, Calypso and Davey. This has to be one of my favorites of my renditions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I like playing it :)
Nameless doesn't have a real name, so I call it thus. It is simply a song that I came up with while learning Chopin's Nocturne in F minor. I would play this when I got tired of practicing the Nocturne. That's really all I have to say about it.
I beg you, please ignore the stupid looks on my face, the seasick-inducing movements, the poor sound quality and slight lag in the video. I recorded these via Webcam on my laptop and plan to record again when I have better equipment.
The Sailor Song was born my sophomore year of high school with a friend who was in my Music Theory class. It was first composed with drums and bass along with my piano. It was a bit more "funky" and had some J.S. Bach interjected at points. I have since made my own version of the piece, adding some movie themes for substance. Very early on, my friends fondly declared it "The Sailor Song".
The first 3 melodies you hear in this song are from the following soundtracks:
The Secret Garden by Zbigniew Preisner
King Kong by James Newton Howard
Black Beauty by Danny Elfman
Pirates of the Caribbean Composer, Hans Zimmer, is one my my all time favorite composers. I think I've fallen in love with each and every one of his soundtracks. This is my rendition of my favorite theme from POTC, Davey Jones. I made my own sequence of the piece through different moods from the latter two movies, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. The first is the main melody played in a high register. Second is from the Musical-Heart of Davey's. Next is a more agitated Davey and the last bits being what I consider a call and response between the ill-fated lovers, Calypso and Davey. This has to be one of my favorites of my renditions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I like playing it :)
Nameless doesn't have a real name, so I call it thus. It is simply a song that I came up with while learning Chopin's Nocturne in F minor. I would play this when I got tired of practicing the Nocturne. That's really all I have to say about it.
SnorgTees Girl Competition
Of my latest happenings, one of the more exciting is a modeling competition I've entered hosted by SnorgTees. They're looking for a new model and is open to all women/girls regardless of previous modeling experience. Well, I have a SnorgTees shirt and love it, so I figured 'What the hey? Free entry for cool prizes?? Yes, Please!!!!' I also want to buy more shirts but I'm a poor college student of the theatre, music and history departments... I have a bit stacked against me.
The winner is selected from a panel of judges and a separate competition is for the model with the most online votes. Both have really cool prizes, but the official judged part is what gets the photoshoot. If you feel like voting for me, you're welcome to! Just click the link below !!!
Thanks for reading!
The winner is selected from a panel of judges and a separate competition is for the model with the most online votes. Both have really cool prizes, but the official judged part is what gets the photoshoot. If you feel like voting for me, you're welcome to! Just click the link below !!!
Thanks for reading!
Highschool Artwork: Paintings
Sometimes I feel like there is nothing to blog about. Then, while being in a completely random place I find something to blog about. Today's topic is going to be part of my highschool artwork, Paintings. There are a few different types of paintings, watercolor, acrylic, etc. These were all done 2005-2008. I thought I would share them with you.
I'm certainly not a "gifted" painter but I paint better than I can sculpt. So, when working with my paint I prefer to have a bit more control. Watercolor just gave me anxiety. Since we were getting graded on it, I had to have my painting perfect. It didn't come out that way and isn't even close to the rain forest photo I used for inspiration.
I really enjoyed working with acrylic paints because I had more control. The above painting was a completely original composition, the only direction given was 3D. I instantly thought of a beautiful neck with some huge jewelry decorating it. I loved working with the chocolate tones. So warm and comforting. I used wood for the larger pieces, beads for the smaller, and the circles are from an 80's bracelet with spiraling copper wire. For some weird reason my canvas was cardboard and is now extremely bowed. :-\ And still, although not anatomically correct and missing some beads, this remains one of my favorite pieces.
My mother's favorite composition, "Chicken Dumplings" is from my junior year Advanced Art Class. Each quarter we were given a challenge, this one being Favorite Foods. I remember one person did a sculpture of Tacos (from Taco Johns) at war with McDonald's foods (background being that on one of our roads, the two restaurants are across from eachother). Everyone came up with some good ones. But back to my piece, it took me an hour to think up, compose and finish, the night before it was due. Felt tip pen and crayola watercolor paints (thank God my mom had daycare art supplies) and viola! A!!!
This piece was out of boredom, and you can tell. It's got a lack of composition and the black is far too much of a contrast with the very pale, creamy, yellow of the sun. Done with acrylic, I like the reds and oranges and the dark red dots emphasizing my brushstrokes.
The "Dream Flower" was just that. I had a dream with this form in it and promptly sketched out the shape on the nearest piece of paper I could find. It ended up being a really neat piece. Acrylic paint and 2 weeks of class to finish.
My favorite piece I ever did is my Indian henna inspired kokopelli. He took a great deal of time to do and I had to wittle down brushes to get a really fine line. Done in acrylic. This is the only picture I have of him, which is really unfortunate. I sold the painting to a teacher who has since moved and I have no way of contacting her for more pictures. I hope to recreate this painting so I have my own copy.
Although not a painting per se, but along the same lines, is my "Henna Chair". I was offered to use an old chair of my art teacher's for a project and was delighted. Done right after my Kokopelli I ran with the same designs. The original plan was to cover the chair entirely with the white details but the chair took 2 months to get as far as I did. My eyes were starting to go crossed by the end of the two months, so I decided to call it quits and hand 'er in. My teacher was pretty impressed (at least he seemed to be) and insisted that we enter the piece into an art competition and my chair went to finals! I didn't win anything, but saying that my piece made it to the state finals was pretty fun.
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| First ever watercolor painting Beginning Art Class |
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| 3D Painting Beginning Art Class |
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| "Chicken Dumplings" Favorite Foods Challenge Advanced Art |
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| Terrorized Chickens. |
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| Wacky Sun Advanced Art |
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| "Dream Flower" Advanced Art |
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| "Henna Kokopelli" Advanced Art |
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| "Henna Chair" Advanced Art |
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| The best detail shot I could get |
Haircut!!!
This past week, on a kind of whim, I decided to cut my hair much shorter than normal. And I must say, I. LOVE. IT.
My hair is rarely above mid back, normally falling right above the waistline of my pants. I've only had it cut "short" twice since I was little. It's amazing how free you feel after having 8 inches cut off. That's right, 8 inches. I swear, I weighed myself after the ordeal and I had lost 2 lbs. I don't know if it was actually the hair's weight or just my excitement prevented the scales from picking it up.
I am in love with my haircut, if you couldn't tell. I also want to thank my mother for being creative and awesome enough to handle such a job, as I don't trust anyone to cut my ridiculously thick hair. Thanks mommy!
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| Didn't my mommy do a fabulous job? |
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| The most recent pic of my long hair. (It was longer than this, but you get the idea) |
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| 2 lbs of hair. |
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