Discussing the Craft

Dec's bringing the piano key tie back!

2010-05-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

I went poking around Joann's the other day, just looking for some inspiration and perhaps a few odd bits of fun fabric, when I came across some piano key fabric. Oh yes, it had to be done. Declan's rocking that famous 80s fashion piece...

Blast Off!

2010-05-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today's onesie experiment brings us to outer space!

It was a bit more difficult than the others because of the cut-outs, but I think it turned out okay.

Now that I've made these three onesies, I need to figure out more designs I can do! I'm seriously liking the fact that I can dress my kiddo in clothes that I've embellished for him. It's quite satisfying and quick, quick, quick. Hey, it's semi-homemade clothing! ;-)

Today's Onesie Experiment

2010-05-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

Since the tie onesie was so freakin' easy to make the other day, I strapped the kiddo back in the Johnny Jump-Up and made a bowtie one! I used two layers of fabric so that when they fray the bowtie might have a depth to it. We'll see if it works!

Here's the model, looking dapper in his new onesie.

And here he is looking goofy. I have no idea where the scratches came from...just a baby mystery, I guess.

And a close-up of the bowtie.

Super Quick Craft

2010-05-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I had the incredible giddy pleasure to attend Austin's first Renegade Craft Fair with two of my crafty girlfriends, Anne and Alexis. I swear we were like teenagers in the car driving down to the fair! (It was probably the excitement of the fair coupled with the lack of children in the car with us. ;-))

I ended up buying some hand-dyed yarn and a few shirts and craft kits. The buying was awesome, but what I really enjoyed was the inspiration! So many booths with so many crafts! I took many business cards and took mental note of loads of crafty ideas.

One such idea was sewing simple cut-outs onto plain onesies. This idea is so brilliant and so very simple (QUICK enough to do before the kiddo starts screaming in his Johnny Jump-Up!!). Here's the one I was able to get done this afternoon. And I'm certain that there will be many more to come. Hooray!!

My Story Right Now

2010-04-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Who Needs Sleep - Bare Naked Ladies

A question for the crafty moms out there

2010-04-06T08:27:00.001-07:00

Since I've started to get that intense urge to get my crafting completely back on track, I have a question for all you moms out there. When do you work on projects? If the kid's awake and in your care, how do you handle them and crafting at the same time? Do you find that you have to have someone else around to tend to the kiddo? Any and all advice is appreciated!

I seem to have forgotten to mention...

2010-04-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

I got a drop spindle!

In an attempt to save some money, and to prove to myself that I can have some sort of willpower, I agreed to not buy any yarn until at least July. This has turned out to be pretty easy because I recently cleaned out some of my stash (donated to a woman who knits for charities) and I realized that I still have a shit-ton of yarn.

So I go shopping in my craft room whenever the urge strikes to work on a new project, which is quite a lot of fun. I have more of a selection than I ever realized!

But then I wanted to find a new hobby, just to try something else and to push myself in a new direction. I knew I couldn't really get back into sewing right now because Declan doesn't allow me enough uninterrupted time in the day for such things. I needed something that I could do in the evenings after he goes to bed. (I still can't sew then because my sewing machine wall and his crib wall are one in the same.) Combining my ban on yarn buying, my love of knitting, and my naturally twitchy nature, I decided to try my hand at spinning.

Pushing all things natural, I ventured down to the fabulous Hill Country Weavers to see if they carried the needed supplies. Ohhh emmmmm geeeeeeeee!!! I love that store. But keeping my head in the game, I left with a spindle that can serve as both high and low whirl and a bag of electric blue roving (and a knitting magazine :-)).

While I know that I don't have the correct technique yet, I've been having fun trying to spin a little at a time. I've also opted to go for a thicker gauge at first until I get the hang of it. I'm looking forward to seeing if I create a useful yarn, or if this will become the ball of yarn that I always keep as my first attempt at spinning. Either way, I'm enjoying it and look forward to getting good enough to spin for a project. Hooray to new ventures! :-D

A Natural Happy Pill

2010-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a nutso week

2010-03-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

And how did I do on my massive list? I know you're just dying to find out! I got about five things done. Yippee! Oh, and there were far more than 32 items on said list. Whatevs. I was just too stressed being stressed. Leave me alone.

But we did get an alarm system installed in our house, which will begin to ease the stress. Happy days.

And Happy St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well now...

2010-03-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

I had mighty lofty goals for this week! It seems like every time I Make A List, life takes me in a different direction and knocks me for a loop. Enter latest list and loop. Wednesday is here and nothing is done. I have friends coming into town tomorrow, so the same will be said for Thursday. Could I do it all on Friday? heh

Whew

2010-03-14T21:12:00.001-07:00

I just made a list of everything that I need to get done this week so that I can get on top of things again. Let me just say AHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!! How in the world can I get on top of things when I can barely keep up? How does anyone do it?

Screw that. Here's the deal. My list has 32 items NOT including creative projects. I want to see how many items I can complete in a work week. This is just the good old grind, or fudgery (fucking drudgery) as Tasca has deems it. On Friday I will update this blog with an exciting entry about how much of this list I was able to complete. Let's see how this goes.

Oh, and it's my birthday week, so it'll be extra tough for me to get anything done while I deal with feeling like I should be treated like a queen for a day. :-)

Maybe, just maybe, if I can get on top of life again this blog will return to its proper state: being a blog about film and crafting. That would be sooooo cool.

Has it really been since May?

2010-03-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

How does one return to "blogging" after ignoring her blog for so long? How do I begin again? Does anyone really even care?

Having a kid kinda takes it out of you. It keeps you busy as heck and pushes aside everything that might not matter as much. But now that my little guy is getting older (He's already 7-months old!), I thought that I should at least *try* to get back into this silly little blog of mine. And I'm hoping that maybe doing so will spur me back into crafting action.

I have been knitting quite a bit on small projects here and there. I've also started working on a possible (incredibly large) project that would be meant to sell. But I still can't get focused enough to schedule time in my days to truly devote to crafting...and making myself super happy! I know I need to schedule in said time, though, because it really does make me happy. Here's hoping that a brief return to this blog will make it so!

Now, let's see a picture of that kid!

What could it BE?

2009-05-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

I started this little ditty earlier in the week and actually completely finished it tonight. (This is odd because I usually wait at least a week or two or three before putting the finishing touches on any project.)

This is what it looked like right off the needles. Any guesses as to what it is?

How about from this angle?

Why, they're hyperbolic baby pants, of course! I got the pattern from issue 6 of Craft Magazine, and they got it from the book Making Mathematics with Needleworks (which I now desperately need :-)).

Here's the finished product from the front...

...and the back (with the awesome diaper bubble butt).

It's been a busy week

2009-04-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

During this pregnancy I've been surprised at how my crafting mojo has come and gone, gone, gone. But when it's here, it demands my attention. My FULL attention.

This week alone, I've learned to do basic embroidery while taking advantage of the Daniel Johnston patterns I received at the Craftster party at SXSW this year. (Jenny Hart from Sublime Stitching was there to give away prizes to people who knew the secret word.)

I've also finished several projects that have been sitting in my living room, just begging for attention. Most just needed simple finishing to be completed, but then there was the Octopus Sweater that needed a bit more attention, as well as the alien hat that had me frightened to embroider on knitting. (My first attempt at that had me making a scary rabbit face for a baby's toy.)

But I decided that if I felt like crafting, by golly I was going to take full advantage of the energy. I tackled everything I could, and here are the pictures to prove it!

First up are the embroidered onesies. The repeat in pattern is on different sizes, and I still want to do another size with the muscle man pattern. I had hoped to do another baby-man onesie, but the transfer wouldn't work a second time.

The Austin Classic

The Baby-Man (That's what I call it anyway.)

Muscle Man

Good enough to do twice

And then we have the front of the alien bonnet. I knitted the body of this hat about a month ago, but, like I said, the embroidery had me frozen. Ultimately, it was easy. Go figure.

And the back. :-)

Here's a simple hat I knitted in no time (weeks ago), but I only sewed it up this week. I made it for a possible goofy Halloween option.

This is just a bobbly hat that I had completed awhile ago, but I thought I should go ahead and add the photo in this entry. (Taking pictures also lagged in my poopy state.)

This is a super soft and lovely blanket (about 30"x30") that I focused on early in the week. I had been puttering with it for weeks and wanted to finish the darn thing already! (Perhaps this completion spurred my craftmania.)

I started the blanket after being obsessed with socks for a bit of time, needing larger needles for my aching hands as well as a pattern that didn't need my attention. Simple garter stitch can be meditative and yet annoying after awhile, which is why the blanket took so long to finish.

Speaking of socks, here's the one pair that I completed during my obsesssion phase. I had started another before my hands told me to stop, so there's more to finish!

And the super fun project that had been sitting in a bag for about a month is the hilarious Octopus Sweater! Patrick had requested this geeky sweater, and I of course obliged. How could I not take on the challenge? Besides, I firmly believe that I'll only be able to dress this kid like a lunatic for so long. I must take advantage!

There's still more to do, but I may have pushed my energy too far. However, there is something I dearly love about crafting while watching the hockey playoffs (Go Hawks!). And there are weeks of playoffs to go! Maybe I'll finish the other blanket I've started, or the next pair of socks, or more Daniel Johnston onesies, or another project that I've yet to start!

And there's always the diaper bag that I have working in the sewing room. Or the maternity tank that needs altering.

So much to do!

MOON Gets a Trailer

2009-04-09T20:58:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite films from SXSW this year finally gets an official trailer.

Holy Cow!

2009-03-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to add that, on top of all of today's geeky goodness, I saw a Beastie Boy!! I do love me some Beasties.

SXSW Days 1 & 2

2009-03-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

The 2009 festival has begun, and I'm already trying to get enough sleep so that I won't get the Festival Sick Bug. Now I have to add Drink More Water because I've been seriously lacking in that "skill" for the past two days. But to the movies and panels!

I started the fest with Tim McCanlies' latest film, The 2 Bobs. Yeah. Prior to the screening, Tim told me that this wasn't his typical film, but it was him channeling Kevin Smith. (Sirens!!) I went anyway. Luckily, I got to sit with a friend whom I hadn't seen in awhile and meet another great guy whom I've wanted to for some time. That was the highlight. The film is filled with the lowest of lowest common denominator bad comedy. Not good. But part of me does kind of like that this was inside the same man who did Secondhand Lions. :-)

My second film was Ron Mann's latest documentary, Know Your Mushrooms. I love little gems like this film where there are fanatics about a certain subject who just don't undestand why everyone isn't as fascinated by the subject as they are! Granted, I did learn a hell of a lot about mushrooms (including how to recognize a Death Cap!), but the people were just plain fascinating. I'm not sure if the film will see the light of day, but it's worth catching if it does.

Today started with the I Love You, Man panel, as that was the official opening night film last night. I'd already seen it at BNAT, so I decided to at least catch the panel. It was fine, but too structured. I prefer comedy panels that somewhat self-destruct into the comedians riffing off one another until we're all in tears from laughter...especially with Paul Rudd as a panelist. This was no such panel. Oh well.

Next up was the Jeffrey Tambor panel on acting. I went to this panel last year and couldn't believe how amazing it was. There was no way I was missing it this year. This panel paid off in spades. The man is so very amazing and inciteful! The actors on stage, once again, were forced to tear apart the scene until something amazing and natural appeared. So fascinating while incredibly frightening for them. I took a lot from the panel again and just want to get out there and make more films!

The only movie I saw tonight was the highly anticipated (feature film) directorial debut of Duncan Jones (David Bowie's son), Moon. Wow, wow, wow! Afterwards, a friend said that he wasn't sure how the festival could get better than that film, and I have to agree. It's a hard science fiction film that basically is only Sam Rockwell (Love him!!) stuck on a moon base doing a three year job for an energy mining company. I can't say much more than that except that Rockwell can act and act and act. He remains, in my mind, one of the finest actors of our generation. Sony Classics picked up Moon, so everyone will get a chance to see the film soon. If you like sci-fi and aren't afraid of being lulled by a movie, check it out.

I should add my super geeky happy moment of the fest so far. Right after Moon, we were headed to a coffee shop to waste some time. We passed Rockwell on the sidewalk, and I was about to tell Patrick (who got in by buying a single ticket, woohoo!) how badly I wanted to get a picture with him, I realized that Rickwell was walking along side me with Duncan Jones directly behind him. Having one of those awesome festival moments, I just had to tell them how fantastic their film was. They both thanked me earnestly, and Jones added how great Rockwell is in it. At that I got to tell Rockwell how he's one of my very favorite actors and that I'd honestly see anything he was in. So, of course, Rockwell had to add that Jones did an amazing job with this film, and I had to agree and promise that I was going to spread the word on the film. It was a simple moment, but it made me giddy as hell. :-)

Now to figure out what tomorrow brings (perhaps the new Sam Raimi movie at midnight) and to sleeeeeeeep.

Greenling and Paqui

2009-02-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Once a week we get fresh, local, seasonal, organic produce delivered from Greenling. I order the "Local Box" and usually add on more products from their amazing variety. Here's a picture of this week's Local Box. When I opened it, the green made me happy.

I mentioned add-ons to my orders. I get local and organic meats, cheeses, other vegetables/fruits, and anything else you might think of. This service is amazing.

But there is one product that I must bring to everyone's attention. On a whim a few weeks ago I ordered Paqui Cilantro Tortillas. Wow, wow, wow! They were so amazing that I had to try out their roasted jalapeno tortillas. Droooooool. This week I added the buttermilk tortillas. Delicious!

I'm a major believer in the Central Market tortilla, but Paqui has taken all of my love. Seriously. They're thick, but not too thick or dense. They're unbelievably flavorful. And you can buy them at Whole Foods (and Greenling!). Try them. They'll convert you too. (And they're an Austin company right on West 6th.)

I gotta give a shout out to Graham who orginally pointed us in the direction of Greenling. It's the best! Thank you!

And if any of you want to try out the Greenling service, enter the coupon code TIFSUL470 in order to get 10% off your first order.

Film Festival Secrets

2009-02-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Christopher Holland, wrote a great book about how to get your film into festivals (major pitfalls to avoid when making the film) and how to get people in the theater once the film is accepted.

It appears that some lovely filmmakers offered to make a few promos for the book, and here's the first hilarious installment.

If you're attending SXSW, Chris will be signing his book at the Convention Center's SXSW Bookstore on Sunday, March 15 from 1:30pm to 2pm.

A New Purse

2009-02-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that this purse has been sitting on my project table, half done, since around July/August 2008. That's when I got extremely busy (and just happened to hit a difficult part of the sewing :-)). So it has sat and sat and sat. Sad.

After being in my sewing room yesterday, prepping a diaper bag project, I got to thinking about this lovely bag. I just had to finish it. I was scared (!) to pick it back up, after not sewing for awhile and knowing that I had stopped at a difficult point, but I just had to remind myself of a simple fact. Sewing is not life saving surgery or being an armed cop protecting a city. It's just sewing. Sure, there are needle stabs and steam burns, but nothing scary or too terrible to handle. (I seem to have to have this conversation with myself every so often.)

So here I give you my latest completed project. It's from an Amy Butler pattern, using Amy Butler exterior fabric.

You can't really tell from the above photo, but the lighter colors on the bag are all shades of lime green. To pull those colors out, I chose a bright lime green for the interior.

I have to say that it really is a nice bag. And, yes, it was quite difficult after not having sewn for at least five months. But it was worth the effort!

An update on another current project: In my last post I talked about the octopus sweater. The basic sweater has been completed, as well as three and a half extra arms. I cannot wait to see it complete. :-)

The Aran Sweater! (and a terribly cute hat)

2009-02-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

First up, here's the "terribly cute hat." It's soft and cuddly and has ears! Also, it will grow with the kid for a time because the cuff is currently twice rolled. Sweet! Even more time to make the kid look silly...ahem, I mean adorable.

And here is the completed Aran sweater. (It makes me so very happy.) Once I got going and really figured out the pattern, the knitting went incredibly fast. Now I just have to hope for a very cold January/February 2010. :-)

One happy coincidence with this sweater is that it basically matches Patrick's Aran sweater, which means that there may be a few very silly pictures of the two of them in the future. Hehe!

Still needing finishing is an alien bonnet that has an alien face on the back of the head. All I have to do is embroider the face, but it takes a lot for me to be ready to embroider on my knitting. It just never seems to work out right.

Next up to begin is an octopus sweater. Maybe I'll get on that right now!

My New Current Project

2009-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

After finishing those other sweaters, I only had two projects on needles. (I know!) I just had to get something else started quickly before, with no other options, I actually had to finish those other two!

I should note here that the other two are lovely, but they're very loooooong projects that will take weeks to finish. The first is a blanket with easy cables, but I'm only halfway through it, and it seems to never grow. The other is a pair of socks that I'm knitting on two circulars. They knit at the same time, so too many rows of stockinette (six inches on size two needles) gets extremely mind numbing.

I've been wanting to try this new project for awhile, but I was scared to start it. With no other options (ha!), yesterday I decided to tackle this baby sweater.

It's an Aran sweater! Here's the back with the cuff open. (I decided that this will be the back because of a small error I made in one of the cables.)

And here's the cuff in proper position. It's so cute that I might get a cavity.

It's much, much easier to knit than I thought it would be. Now to start the front and two sleeves...

What I've Been Doing

2009-01-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I've blogged anything here, but that's simply because of what I'd been working on. I mean, how could I blog about my baby sweaters when I couldn't even tell people that I was pregnant? (Woohoo!)

But now that I'm just about out of the first trimester, I figured it was safe to blog about everything. :-)

I couldn't hold off knitting for my own baby, but since I don't know the sex of the baby, and won't know for a few more months, I needed to knit a few items that could be appropriate for a girl or a boy. Here's hoping that these work.

First up is a sweater knit with baby alpaca yarn that my mother-in-law bought my in Peru. It is soft, soft, soft and super sweet.

Even sweeter are the hippo buttons. Hehe!

I then came across this kimono-style sweater pattern in a Lion Brand Yarn catalog and just had to make it. After starting it, though, I realized that the pattern was for 12 months and up. No big deal, as I knit it up in an afternoon.

And since it was so very easy, I grabbed some yarn from my stash, smaller needles, and had another go (changing the dimensions as I went). The resulting sweater should easily fit a 6 month old.

Here are the differences in sizes:

And something I actually should have blogged at the beginning of January is the fact that we finally mounted our original Alamo seats and put them in our living room. They're actually more comfortable than I remember them to be, but then the last several times we were at the original Alamo were for marathons of sorts. :-)

And here's what we saw...

2008-12-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

BNAT X has come and gone. It was a golly good time, as always.

So here's what we saw. The numbering at the end is a bit wonky, just to fit where the fake list actually ended up in the programming.

1. Viva Villa! (1934)
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
3. 25 minutes of footage from Coraline in 3-D (2009)
4. Sahara (1943)
5. Valkyrie (2008)
6. 45 minutes of footage from Pixar's Up (2009)
7. Metropolis (with the 80's soundtrack) (1927)
8. 20 minutes of footage from Monsters vs Aliens in 3-D (2009)
9. My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009)
10. I Love You, Man (2009)
11. White Dog (1982)
12. A clip from Push (2009)
13. A clip from Know1ng (2009)
14. Footage from Observe and Report (2009)
17. Footage from Terminator Salvation (2009)
15. The first 22 minutes of Watchmen (2009)
16. Che (all four and a half hours of it) (2008)

BNAT X!!

2008-12-13T07:37:00.001-08:00

In just a little bit, I'm off to Butt-Numb-a-Thon X. My tummy is doing flippidy flops.

For anyone who doesn't know, BNAT is an annual 24-hour film festival that celebrates Harry Knowles' birthday. He brings vintage and yet-to-be-released films for an audience of people whom he personally selects from thousands of applications.

This will be my third BNAT. Squeeeeeeee!!!

Each year, prior to the start of BNAT, Harry puts out a list of fake titles that somehow relate to the actual films/bits of footage he'll be showing. Here's this year's fake list. Any predictions on the real movies?

1. THE CHAMP (1931)

2. SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980)

3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

4. ISHTAR (1987)

5. THE STING (1973)

6. KURENAI NO BUTA (1992)

7. FLASH GORDON (1980)

8. GOJIRA TAI MEKAGOJIRA (1974)

9. DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)

10. THE THIRD MAN (1949)

11. BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)

12. FIRESTARTER (1984)

13. THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (1961)

14. GREEN HORNET (2010)

15. WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE? (1978)

16. EL CID (1961)

17. A BOY AND HIS DOG (1975)

The Completed Gloves

2008-11-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I've finished Patrick's gloves!! I just used some sock yarn that I had lying around, and he really liked the pattern, so...

And here's what happens when I try to take a picture of something that *isn't* my dog.

He's a total camera hog. But if you looked this good, wouldn't you be too? (That's his toy cow mooning you in the background, not to mention his princess pillow that I had made for myself years ago but soon got taken over by the princess himself.)

My first Amigurumi

2008-11-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

I started my first Amigurumi creature last week and actually completed the body and three legs in one day. I was pretty excited by how easy it was. And then I got sick.

So sick that I slept for two and a half solid days. So sick that I missed the awesome weekend shoot that included fight choreography and car stunts. So sick that I didn't get to figure anything nice out for Patrick for our anniversary.

It sucked.

I'm still sick, but feeling much, much better. And after a doctor's appointment, today was spent trying to make up for my lackluster anniversary participation by working on some gloves that I promised to have ready for Patrick by winter. (Now all I need to add are half-fingers and they're done. Whoot!)

But since adding fingers will take extra concentration on my first finger(tip)less gloves, I decided to try finishing my little creature that was started before the snot came.

Here I give you my octopus, crocheted with Lion Brand Cotton Ease. He sits about three inches tall and makes me giggle.

Busy, Busy

2008-11-13T07:02:00.000-08:00

Realizing that I hadn't yet shared pictures of my new awesome hat (finished last week), I thought I should get to it now!

I've only cabled two things in the past (two hats for my brother that I forgot to take pictures of before sending along). This hat was far more intense cable-wise than either of those two, and I think the effort was quite worth it!

This is actually made with some leftover yarn from Josie's afghan.

Here's a nice detail of the top/back.

And then yesterday afternoon I decided to whip up this little diddy. It's crocheted (a new skill) with Lion Brand Wool-Ease, so it took no time to make.

Yesterday I also finished knitting a sheer curtain for my front door window, but I can't seem to get a good, clear picture of the thing. Argh.

Today I will try my hand at making some Amigurumi creatures from THIS book. Fingers crossed on them working.

To Josie

2008-11-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

I have officially finished my two gifts to the soon-to-be born Josie. They'll get mailed this week (I hope) to the parents, but I figured I could go ahead and post pics since I don't think that they're regular readers of this blog. And even if Mom might happen over here before the gifts arrive, I know how bad she is waiting for surprises...so SURPRISE! ;-)

First up is an infant gown and cap for the ride home from the hospital. It's made with Lion Brand Cashmere Blend in cream.

And here's a detail of the top.

The second gift is an afghan. It's made with Classic Elite Yarns Lush Angora Wool and measures approximately 4'x5'.

Here's a detail of the design.

I'm certain that these are the first two of many handmade gifts to come for Ms Josie, and I can't wait to meet her.

NJBB: The First Weekend

2008-11-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, wow, wow. I am impressed and happy and invigorated and ready for more. The crew is fantastic and fun and talented. The actors are smart and funny and intense and amazing.

Yesterday, after getting up at 4am, we spent at the St Austin School where the set was upstairs in a classroom while everything else was downstairs, through a courtyard, and in the cafeteria. Guess how many times I ran back and forth? We wrapped the day at about 6:30pm. It was a tough, tight day and was quite a bit exhausting.

Afterwards we had to go to Costco because Patrick is running craft services. So many people with large shopping carts, not watching where they're going...and me barely able to walk at that point. It was exciting, but not.

I almost passed out at 8pm, but I had some things to take care of first. I believe I finally crashed around 10 or 11pm.

This morning we got to sleep in until 4:30 am. (Woohoo!!) And the set for the morning was a single house, which was also lovely. ;-) Some amazing shots were caught, and I was even more impressed with the cast (only the star there today) and crew.

The afternoon set was exciting because we were shooting on San Antonio (west campus) and included several different extras, including a bunch of "school kids" exiting their school and getting in the way of the star running down the sidewalk.

It was incredible to watch the crew quickly shift gears to new set-up after new set-up (at least 14 within a few hours) while the wonderful actor had to run and run and run down the blocks.

I can't help it; I love them all. This was a great first weekend.

Now, perhaps it's time for sleep. Many, many hours of sleep.

And another...

2008-11-07T06:54:00.000-08:00

Ninja James and the Beast Boy starts filming tomorrow!! Weeeeeeee!!!!!

Cormick McCoy is still filming.

Send us all great filmmaking vibes.

Sappy Tiff Comes Clean

2008-10-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I'm a sap about a lot of things. This part of me rarely shows herself in public, but when I feel emotions, I FEEL emotions. Sure, I stay distant much of the time, but occasionally I can't fight the extreme.

This is what happens to me every time I vote.

Seriously. I get teary-eyed as I stand in line and think about how I'm sharing this amazing process with millions of other people. (And to stand in a deep line to EARLY vote made it all the more emotional.) I feel proud of each and every person I stand with and can't help but think about all of the people who will still enter those doors and cast their votes. Powerful energy.

What an amazing opportunity we have to even slightly select the fate of our country for the next four years. On a day like this, I have to admit that I'm a proud American.

I voted. Now it's your turn.

So It Begins

2008-10-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

Cormick McCoy: The Dragon Boy is a go. Send happy thoughts.

(woohoo!)

Dragons, Friends, and Bikes (oh my!)

2008-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

We had such an incredibly full day today, which mostly consisted of gathering dragons for Cormick McCoy the Dragon Boy. I now have an entire back seat full of dragons from several awesome friends of mine. Happy, happy, happy!!

And then, after all of the running-around-and-gathering gathering, Patrick and I went over to our good friends' (Doug and Julie's) house for dinner, fun conversation, playing with kids, and even more dragon gathering. It was a great night that made us all ask, "Why the hell don't we do this more often?" It was just plain lovely. (And their kids, ages 5 and 3, are so delightful and fun and talkative and smart!)

But allow me to ramble on about the middle of the day when I made a crazy decision. Crazy AWESOME decision!

We needed to meet our friend Graham somewhere central, and on the spur of the moment I decided on Bicycle Sport Shop on South Lamar and Barton Springs. You see, my brother works there and can get me a major discount on anything I feel like buying at the shop. This knowledge has been brewing in my mind for awhile, and now that I have a friend in the next neighborhood over from us whom I visit weekly, it only made sense to use said discount!

Officially ordered in my name is an Electra Gigi Woman's Cruiser Bicycle. The paint job is a fabulous fifties retro design, and it comes with a bell! The front basket is just right for everything I might need to carry over to visit my friend, but if I need more room, the back rack is ready for hauling. I already love my Gigi.

Craft-free Post

2008-10-10T16:37:00.001-07:00

I can't really discuss most of my current projects because they're mostly gifts, but I will say that I'm working on four gifts (all knitted) and two purses for myself (one knitted, one sewn). And I should post some pics of both purses next week, even if they're just progress pictures...but I should have both finished soon.

Other than that, we're deep in pre-production on Cormick McCoy the Dragon Boy and should start shooting in a few weeks. Woohoo!

Until the crafty pics continue, here's another photo of my lovely dog. Enjoy.

An actual completed project!!

2008-09-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

I've been sweating finishing this bag in time to send it away for a birthday gift, and I almost nearly made it in time! (The birthday is tomorrow.) The bag took longer than I thought it would, and the Fantastic Fest put it waaaaaay on the back burner. But now it is complete and ready to be sent, albeit late, up to my friend...whom I believe does not read this blog. (Here's hoping, anyway. :-))

This is an Amy Butler pattern, made with her fabric as well. This is my first attempt at such a large bag, and I enjoyed the process thoroughly. (If you're wondering, my craft room currently has posters of Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood, and V for Vendetta.)

Here's a pic of the lining. There are two pockets on either side of the inside of the bag, with no pockets on the outside.

The shot for scale...

And just because...here's a pic of the cutest dog in the world, who's extremely glad to have us back after Fantastic Fest.

Nacho Vigalondo: Rock Star Filmmaker

2008-09-26T15:53:00.000-07:00

So much for keeping up with reviews!

2008-09-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

I knew it would happen; I just didn't know when. And now the thought of reviewing everything else that we saw frightens me. Instead, here's a list of what we saw and just a few words of how I felt about each film. (* are secret screenings)

Cargo 200 - LOVED
Muay Thai Chaiya - Too much going on
Astropia - Adored
Fanboys - Hated
The Substitute - Really enjoyed
Surveillance - Meh
JCVD - LOVED, LOVED, LOVED
Feast 2 - Hated...boring
I Think We're Alone Now - Loved
The Chaser - Really enjoyed
Let the Right One In - LOVED
Acolytes - Meh
Chocolate - Liked enough, but need to see when not so exhausted
Fighter - Meh..rehash of Bend it Like Beckham
Zombie Girl: The Movie - Really enjoyed
South of Heaven - REALLY enjoyed, and the filmmakers were the best
Fantastic Feud/Karaoke - Had an incredible time
Le Creme - Loved
Nacho Vigalondo short films - A complete highlight of the fest
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird - Really enjoyed
*Brothers Bloom - Enjoyed, but the ending wasn't satisfying to me
Awards Ceremony - Had fun...seeing Elizabeth Avellan down a stein of beer was awwwwesome
*Role Models - No thanks...heavy handed jokes that we've heard too many times before
The Burrowers - Really enjoyed
Gachi Boy: Wrestling with a Memory - Loved...cried at the end
*Rocknrolla - REALLY enjoyed
*City of Ember - Okay enough for a kid's movie
Closing night party - Great idea, terrible delivery, but fun because of the bus ride home

That's only 24 films, one shorts program, and three events over 8 days. It feels like there was so much more than that.

Highlights include getting to hang out with the film family again, getting to hang with "The Brits" again, getting to know the South of Heaven guys, seeing Bill Murray five feet from me, and catching some surprisingly great films that I wasn't expecting. Yeah, it was a great time.

Bring it, Fantastic Fest 2009!!

Did you know there's a guy living in our closet?

2008-09-22T03:25:00.000-07:00

I'll get to more reviews tomorrow (later today, I mean!), but for now I just have a story about my evening. It is 5:30am, afterall, and I'm not sure that I can even remember what I saw earlier in the day of fest day 4 right now.

All I know is that I was hanging out with a friend and his friends, one of whom produced South of Heaven - which is a film I definitely remember seeing on day 4 - when another of the producers (whom I had actually been in email contact with earlier in the week) asked us to come along to dinner with them and the cast and director.

Part of the cast? John "Lazlo Hollyfeld" "Uncle Rico" Gries!! Many years of my youth were spent watching and memorizing all of Real Genius, so I was quite excited and awed at the fact that I was eating dinner with Lazlo.

Even better is the fact that he introduced himself to me and leaned across several people to shake my hand. Fangirl moment? Oh, hell yes. I think I said my name was Tiffany, but I can't really be sure. :-)

FF Day 3

2008-09-21T00:53:00.001-07:00

So. Very. Tired. After a pretty damn solid day of movie watching. But so very tired that my eyes couldn't catch most of the last movie we saw. Lame. Very quick reviews, then.

I Think We're Alone Now: This is a documentary about two avid fans (i.e. stalkers) of the 80s pop singer Tiffany (i.e. bane of my late middle school years). It is excellent and I recommend it to everyone.

The Chaser: This crime thriller from China is a very solid movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it would have fit as a Saturday "normal movie viewing" movie for us. An American remake is being done right now by the same company that remade The Departed.

Let the Right One In: All day people had been telling me that this little film is the unexpected gem of the festival. Once again, I was frightened of the hype, and I have to admit that well into the film - while I *was* enjoying it - I didn't think it was quite living up to the hype. But in the end it really does. What I love the most about this film is that it has 30-something, male horror geeks adoring it...and it's a pure love story. :-)

Acolytes: This was okay: neither great nor offensive. It does, however, have some unfortunate editing choices at several points as well as jump scares that become insulting after the nth time. It comes off as a teen movie made by older men, which is exactly what it is.

Chocolate: This is a martial arts film by the director of Ong-bak. As I mentioned earlier, I missed a good portion of this film because my eyes were just too tired to both read the subtitles AND register all of the action. I'm sure if I had been more alert, I would have adored this film.

Tomorrow is another full day: Fighter, Zombie Girl: The Movie, South of Heaven, Short Fuse (live-action shorts program), and the (now) annual Fantastic Feud/Karaoke party. I just hope I can get more sleep tonight than I did last. Yeah, here's hoping.

Oh, but there's one more thing to mention. VIP badges for Fantastic Fest 2009 went on sale at 10am this morning. Patrick and I were sure to post reminders and set alarms everywhere so that we could buy ours ASAP. It's a good thing, too, because they sold out within TWO HOURS! Whew.

FF Day 2

2008-09-19T11:18:00.001-07:00

I'm extremely tired and have to start tomorrow earlier than I would generally want, so here's a very quick rundown of day 2.

The Substitute: This is a fun story about an alien who becomes a substitute teacher (taking the form of a human) in order to learn about humans. She's horrid to the kids, but the parents don't believe it. The kids are great. The alien is fabulous. I enjoyed it.

Surveillance: I saw the twist within the first act, but it's worth seeing for other reasons. And I really liked the ending. I have to admit that the best part was the first question of the Q&A. A woman asked Bill Pullman if there was going to be a Spaceballs sequel. Pullman was so relaxed, shall we say, that he just started rattling off Spaceballs quotes. Awwwwwwesome.

JCVD: Simple: I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! It did not disappoint, and Van Damme is absolutely amazing in it. At one point he has a lengthy monologue, done in one take, that is captivating. I'd love to see this again.

Feast 2: Again, I have a simple review for this one: DULL. The great thing about the first Feast was that it hit the ground running and never let up until the end. While this one has some funny bits, mainly around the beginning, the rest of it was just boring. It could have been better had they cut out large chunks of the film in order to keep up the pace.

Tomorrow's films are I Think We're Alone Now, The Chaser, Let the Right One In, Acolytes, and Chocolate. I can do it!

Fantastic Fest Day 1

2008-09-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

One day and four films down, thus begins a week of geek love. I'll try to keep up with short reviews of what we see, but I can't promise anything. As the week progresses, sleep time shortens you see. :-)

Here's some notes on day 1.

Cargo 200: I am so very glad that we chose to start the festival with this Russian film! I loved every second of it, which is odd for me because it's a real "slow burn" style of film. But there was just something about the settling that wrapped me up and kept me going. It's set in 1980s Russia, which is that Russia we were all raised to fear, and seeing that time through the eyes of Russians is an amazing thing. This is definitely not a film for everyone, as it is graphic and dark and completely disgusting at times. But if you're in for a realistic film that is slow going with sudden events that will make you wonder if what you just saw actually happened, check it out.

Muay Thai Chiaya: In the introduction of this film, Lars (Alamo/FF programmer) said that he hadn't yet seen the film, but that it was an action film about fighting! It wasn't about anything else except the fighting! And it was going to be awwwwwesome!! Yeah. Not so much. It turned into this strange friendship gone wrong - but not - story with music swelling at every opportunity. The friends survive a fall from a cliff? Music swells. One friend asks a girl to marry him? Music swells. One friend gets another a hooker? Music swells. (I kid you not.) This movie is all over the place and is entirely too long. I would have loved a film about fighting, but this was not it.

Astropia: This is a lovely Icelandic film set in the world of genre movies, comic books, and LARPing. It's fun and light (which made it the ideal cleanser after Muay Thai Chiaya). There are a lot of inside jokes for nerds of all types, so it played quite well. And I really enjoyed it. There's nothing stunning about it, but it is good fun.

Fanboys: Ten years in the making, Fanboys has been legendary around Austin. No one knew if we would ever see it, as it's been through so many changes and troubles with MGM. (It started its life as a very low budget indie film before being snatched up by a STUDIO.) So much history...so much hype...so much geek love...so very bad. It's a cliche road trip movie with terrible in jokes and as many cameos as they could fit in. Bad, bad, bad in that "meh, whatever" kind of way. And to me, that's the worst kind. It's coming out over the Thanksgiving holiday (HA!), so you can see it for yourself if you want. I wouldn't, though.

I have to say that the film that has stuck with me the most from Day 1 has got to be Cargo 200, which is a surprise. I still shiver when I think of some of the scenes, and that, to me, says great filmmaking. :-)

Today we will see The Substitute, Surveillance, JCVD, and Feast 2. I have been looking forward to seeing JCVD since I first read about it during Cannes. Please, oh please, be as good as I hope!!

All badged up and ready to go!

2008-09-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Despite all of the warnings of how dreadful getting our Fantastic Fest badge would be if we didn't submit a "shaky face" photo of ourselves right away, Patrick and I braved the badge creation/pick-up this evening, sans submitted photo!!!

We were in and out within 10 minutes. LOVE it!

So we're all badged up and ready to start this thang! We even have our "tickets" to the FOUR films that we've planned to see tomorrow: Cargo 200, Muay Thai Chaiya, Astropia, and Fanboys. Looks like a pretty solid start.

Oh, Fantastic Fest...I'll follow your rules because I love you so.

And help make Cormick McCoy...in a different way!

2008-09-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

At the request of our producer, who is thinking more clearly than myself today, I'm back to ask for help for another short film: Cormick McCoy, the Dragon Boy.

This request, however, is not for money or for time, but is for dragons, dragons, and more dragons! We're looking for anything and everything with a dragon on it. Do you have drawings, good AND bad? How about a dragon T-shirt in the back of your closet? Or a stuffed dragon? A dragon action figure? A miniature? A behemoth made from papier mache?

We need it all!

In return, your items will be loved and coddled, and you'll get a special thanks in the credits. We're shooting in October, so we'd need to gather the items by Friday, October 3. Just let me know what you have, and we'll set a time for the capturing of the dragons.

Oh, and here's a thought. If you don't currently own any dragon items, we would be more than happy to gather NEW drawings that have been inspired by this here post! As said above, we want good AND bad drawings, so let your dragon flag fly!

Help make Ninja James!

2008-09-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous (gushing) post, I'll be ADing Kat Candler's short film Ninja James and the Beast Boy.

I love THIS post of Kat's where she talks a little bit about the production. Oh, and you can donate some money from the post as well! Lucky duck.

I Love Movie Making

2008-09-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love making movies! Have I mentioned that before? Even on the very worst sets that I've ever been on, I've looked forward to being there and have taken something from the experience. Win, win.

I am especially in awe of all of the hard working folks (movie makin' is hard people!) who donate their personal time to projects for free. Sure, I'm one of these people, but I love watching everyone on those sets and thinking about what they "gave up" in order to help make the director's vision come to life.

When I directed my short, I fell in love with each and every person on my set and thanked, thanked, thanked all of them several times. Occasionally I still wonder at all of the donated time it took to make my little baby come to life.

Please, if you ever film something that requires free labor, just remember a few things. Directors are the captains of the ship and set the tone. Directors should be in charge and be willing to make the tough decisions. Directors should know what they want and be able to express their ideas clearly to the actors as well as to various key crew people. Directors should not be prima donas. Directors should thank their crew. Directors should be nice to everyone who is donating their time to the project.

When packing up equipment, everyone, and I mean everyone, is tired. Still, EVERYONE should help. I mean everyone from the director and DP to the grip and PA. Everyone has worked for free to make the film come to life, so if that means that the director help put up lights and the DP help wind up extension cords, so be it.

On my set, I remember being one of the last people cleaning and packing things away so that others, who also helped pack and clean, could get out of there a little sooner. That was one way that I showed my appreciation of their time given towards MY project.

These are a few of my opinions, sure, but they're the right opinions when people work for you for free. Be nice. Say thanks. Seriously, simple "thank you" goes a long way.

The way you act on your sets says a lot about you. The way you treat people on your sets says even more. Add to both of these the fact that people have donated their time to you, and each says more than you can imagine.

Where have I been?

2008-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Buried under projects, that's where!

Unfortunately, most of the things I'm working on right now are gifts, so I can't comment too much. I will say that I've finished a huge Christmas gift (knitted) for my mother-in-law, a sweet gift (sewn) for a certain soon-to-be 4 year old, two little somethings (knitted) for my brother's birthday, am in the middle of an awesome gift (sewn) for a friend's birthday, and started a project (knitted) for an unborn lovely.

Other than that, I've finally fixed a shirt that I made months ago that just hung completely wrong on me. I did this with the help of my new dress form (!!), which really is an amazing thing. I also spent over an hour the other day winding yarn with the new yarn winding devices that a friend and I went in on together. More amazing inventions!

Currently, just for me, I have a sundress on my dress form, just waiting to be finished. I've also started a mod cape that just needs the perfect lining fabric in order to move on.

On top of all of this, I have two film projects in September and one in November with three *possible* features next year.

Oh, and I recently discovered the joys of Netflix. Seriously, why did it take me so long?

Today I will enjoy the sale at Joann's for odds and ends needed to complete several of the aforementioned projects. I swear that I won't buy anything that's not on my list...but I might bring a pen in order to add to it while I'm there. (Hey, it was on the list!)

Tomorrow evening will be spent saying goodbye to a good friend who will soon be leaving Austin for Brooklyn. And then Sunday I'll be cringing at the stoopid job...but I can ignore most of it by spending that time reading the first few chapters of another friend's soon-to-be published book. With this much going on, I gotta multi-task! :-)

And then there are all of the UFOs I have lying around (at least 10 different projects, both knitting and sewing). I'll eventually finish them, I swear (read: hope).

So, yeah, that's what I've been up to. And you?

I'm a Happy, Happy Girl!

2008-08-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

I just got back from the first production meeting of Kat Candler's next short film project, and I am so excited!

At the VERY last minute, Kat stepped in to play a part in The Retelling, which ended up being so terribly terrific. The night that we shot her last scene, she told me that she would be shooting a short this November and asked if I'd want to tag along. There was no need to think about it! I said yes.

But then I realized that I had no idea what she needed me to do. Oh well, no biggie. I'd do just about anything for Kat because I absolutely adore working on her sets. When the email came for the meeting tonight, I was game for anything.

Imagine my delightful surprise when I saw on the contact sheet that Kat didn't have an AD yet! I was listed under PA, which was fine, but you'd better believe I was going to ask her about that AD position.

After the meeting, while a bunch of us were just hanging around and chatting, Kat asked me what I'd really like to do because we'd never talked about it. I mentioned that I really like to AD. When her face broke out into that great Kat smile, I knew I was set.

From the first time I saw Kat direct, I knew I wanted to AD for her some day. And now I get to do just that. Oh, and did I mention that the short is an ACTION movie? AHHHHHHH!!!! How freakin' awesome is that?!?

I'm a happy, happy girl! :-D

One More Scene

2008-08-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

We have one more scene to shoot, and that will be done next Sunday. And then that will be that.

My problem now is that I seriously have no idea what I'm going to do with my week. I'll probably start a new sewing project (I have many on hold right now.). I know I'll clean parts of the house that have suffered from my absence. I'll definitely turn the A/C down low and soak up the not sweating. Maybe I'll even work on some knitting projects that I need to complete for presents (before starting even more baby projects for a certain unborn girl).

But there is one thing that I know I'll do this week. I know that I will definitely miss every single person who I've worked with over the past month. They're all super stars who I look forward to working with in the future. Great job, guys...holes in the foot or not.

Seriously?

2008-08-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

Only two more days of principle photography on The Retelling? Really?

But what will I do without my film family?

Move on to another!!

What an Insane Week

2008-07-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Actually, only a few things have happened, but they seriously knocked me on my butt.

I'll start with Tuesday, when I got a phone message basically telling me that I've lost my job. For a web of reasons, due to my current commitments and schedule, I have to lose my position at that place.

I skipped the film set Tuesday night.

On Wednesday I get a call telling me that a good friend of mine is in the hospital. Her pregnancy had turned into a very high risk pregnancy, so she's on bed rest in the hospital until they induce OR have to take the baby because of an emergency. So I went and sat with her in the hospital Wednesday afternoon/evening. We laughed and laughed and had a great visit.

I skipped the film set Wednesday night.

Our call time on Thursday was either 10am or 10:30am, I can't remember, but my sleep schedule has shifted so radically to staying up all night (due to all of the night shoots) that I couldn't sleep Wednesday night. The morning shoot went quickly, thank goodness, even though I was slightly off kilter. Afterwards, I took Emily and two other crew members to scout a possible location, which ended up being up a crazy winding road that would have been quite dangerous for the cast and crew to drive down after a full night shoot. (It was so bad that I was getting car sick, and I was the one driving!)

At that point we weren't sure if we were going to be shooting that evening or not, so I took my riders to lunch at Chuy's. That was fun, but I could feel myself wilting from lack of sleep and the slow realization of the job crap.

During lunch we found out that we would, in fact be filming that evening, so I needed to drop everyone off in a couple locations...locations that brought me too close to South Congress to not visit Hill Country Weavers and, a recent find, Craft-o-Rama. Let me just say, simply, that much money was spent on retail therapy. Weeeee!

I was able to get home and shower before having to head to that evening's set. Unfortunately, that time off gave me just enough time to think about the lack of employment. Not process, just think about it. I was a bit on edge once I got to the set. The shooting went well enough, but I was not interested in anyone else's issues and may have let that be a bit too well known.

This morning we started at 11:30am, but I still didn't get enough sleep last night. Add to that the fact that I still hadn't had enough time to process the job, and I was so far over the edge that losing time to shots that could be got in the future made my blood boil. You see, we were supposed to drive an hour out of Austin to get a few scenes in daylight, and there was absolutely no way we were going to get the two scenes shot at the house plus the extra footage (that could be got at a future date) and still get down to the small town for the other scenes.

I finally had to remove myself from the set for a bit in order to have some time to sit in peace. You see, there were two "adults on set" who could take over for me at that time. After some time in air conditioning I went outside to check on the shooting. Unfortunately, because I was so far out of commission and, admittedly, wasn't doing my job the best that I know I can, they were still on the first scene. No one had eaten. There was no chance of getting the second scene. And we still all had to get down to Blanco.

And here's where I beat myself up. I failed them today because I was emotionally spent. I know that I could have kept them on schedule earlier in the day, but I didn't. But you know what that thinking got me? More of a fucking emotional break down. There was no way that I was making it to Blanco, and I knew it.

Luckily (very VERY luckily), there were enough drivers to get all of the kids (who don't drive) down there, so I backed out. I used the excuse that I was simply exhausted.

As I was waiting to pull out of the driveway, my silly bad news hit me like a freight train. Yeah, I cried all the way home over a stoopid job that I hated anyway. It just sucks, you know?

But having the afternoon free let me really process the news and come to terms with it. Like I said, I hated the job anyway. Maybe this was going to be the only way that I got rid of it. And what better way to lose a job than by being too busy doing something that you love to even deal with said crap job?

I'm feeling much better now. I'm not promising my perfect awesome self, but something pretty damn close.

Because I mentioned it...

2008-07-20T02:29:00.001-07:00

I feel as if I should now add the end of the Office Christmas Special, which makes me cry every time I watch it. (By the way, I bought the Yaz CD with this song on it, *solely* because of the reaction I have from Tim and Dawn finally getting together. So. Very. Wonderful.)

Freelove on the Freelove Freeway

2008-07-20T02:19:00.000-07:00

This is a bit from one of the best (real) Office episodes. The team is in a training class when David Brent decides he must prove he had been in a band years prior.

I don't know what it is about the song "Free Love on a Freelove Freeway" that gets me every time, but I love it ever so much. The only song on The Office that gets a larger reaction from me is on the Christmas special. :-)

SharpiER

2008-07-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is a short film made by some of the guys working on the feature. It was made in 24 hours.

SharpiER from Harrison on Vimeo.

Das Clown

2008-07-13T12:15:00.001-07:00

The Film Shoot

2008-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

We're about to start the second day of filming...for the second time.

We've decided that the first two days, which were shot at a certain location, were just a needed practice (after that location became too hostile for working).

And then when an actor pulled out at the last minute, we decided that we had needed a better actor anyway.

And when we found out that we'd *have* to shoot something two days after we had planned to wrap, we realized that we could take advantage of the few extra days in order to spread the shooting schedule out a little more comfortably.

So we are using an even better location than the first, have a much better actor than the first, and have a pretty nice schedule. (Sure, it's still incredibly tight, but not terrible.) See, all things happen for a reason. Now we're ready for the very good things to start happening for their reasons.

Other than the few set backs, I'm completely amazed with the crew and especially with Emily (the writer, director, producer). I'm not sure that I could have made a feature film at their ages (high school), never mind TWO features. And while age appropriate behaviors do come out on set, most of them can pull it back together quickly enough. I've only had to use "that mom stare" (shiver) once, and I hope to not have to do that again. It is, however, much better than my normal reaction to bad behavior. :-)

Hellboy II

2008-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the Hellboy II screening at the Alamo with Guillermo del Toro, Doug Jones, and Mike Mignola in attendance.

The movie is gorgeous. (The sets and the monsters!!! Oh good god, the sets and the monsters!!) And the base story is wonderful. I loved the fairies and their back story, especially how their back story is first introduced.

The action is also absolutely terrific. I enjoyed each and every fight sequence. The choreography is so very amazing that it makes me wish I could make something that used such beautiful movements. And unlike the first film, CGI doesn't get in the way of the fights. This was a delightful change for me.

My one problem is that there is almost too much wacky humor. I enjoyed the humor, don't get me wrong. It's just that it got a little old after a bit when I wanted the darker story to come through more. It's not so bad that I would tell someone to not see the film. It's just that I wanted there to be a little less of it.

I do have a problem with one of the story lines, but I have the feeling that many people will have an issue with this bit. However, I can't mention what it is without spoilers, so....

But you know what's really awesome? When Universal pays the tab for everyone in the audience. Yeah, that's pretty sweet.

The Baby Gifts

2008-06-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Now that the gifts have been given, I can share the projects that I've been working on since April. I'm terrible at keeping my own secrets, so I'm quite pleased that I managed to not post anything about these projects before now.

First up are the two blankets that I knit. The second is an infant blanket (about 2.5 ft by 2.5 ft). The striped blanket is probably about 5 ft by 4 ft.

Here are two pairs of knitted booties. The teeny ones are only two inches long, and the larger are about three inches long.

Next is the psycho looking bunny (also knitted). It's actually a "baby blanket/snuggle buddy," maybe a foot and a half long. The face wouldn't come out right, and I added the pupils to avoid it looking like a zombie, which it definitely did. Now it just looks like it's giving you the eye. As Patrick said, the baby has to learn fear some time. :-)

The two sewn outfits are below. The first is a ruffled dress with bloomers, and the second is a gingham romper. I also made a pair of bloomers for her (which I gave to the parents several weeks ago) out of vinyl record printed fabric. From a distance, it looks like it's covered in polka dots, but up close you realize the dots are the centers of the records. She's gonna be one hip baby!

What I Did Today

2008-06-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

After finishing many projects for gifts, and feeling kind-of beaten up today, I decided to make myself a top. This is the first version of this pattern, using a cotton mod print. I want to make another version using a silkier, drapier fabric. But I am happy with this first try. It's gathered at the neck and waist, creating a ballooning shape. It's super comfy and looks good on.

Mod Squad, here I come.

You'd Swear it was Him!

2008-06-19T14:46:00.001-07:00

These pieces of crocheted goodness...

...(after adding eyes...

...stuffing, and sewing together) will be Cthulhu!! AHHHHH!!

The pieces in the pictures are his head, body, arms, and wings. Hehe!

The Purple Sweater

2008-06-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Several months ago (February?) I started this purple tube top sweater with Lion Brand Cotton Ease yarn. I thought it would be a fun, light project that I could make for the summer.

(Here's a close-up of the center detailing.)

However, when I realized that the pattern wasn't quite right...and the sweater top seem large enough for two people...I changed to smaller needles while decreasing a bit on either side. This explains the odd shape of the top. I wasn't sure what I was going to do to make it fit, until I saw (on Knitty Gritty) that people sometimes CUT sweaters in order to fit sleeves. I realized then that I could take in the sides by fitting the sweater properly, sewing, and cutting off the excess.

After stitching the lines twice, I decided to go ahead and zigzag stitch the seam as well because I was scared of unraveling my entire sweater.

And then, with my trusty shears, I CUT!!

It was scary because of the amount of time I spent knitting the sucker. (Six inches of ribbing feels like miles when you're halfway through it!) But it all worked, and the sweater fits beautifully. Hooray!

Current Sewing

2008-06-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'll have a much larger post after this Saturday, when I give the gifts away that I've been working on since April, but for now I thought I'd post about an on-going project.

One of the first things I wanted to conquer after learning to sew was making a man's shirt. It's complicated because of all of the details and not something a beginner should really attempt, so I took several months before getting up the nerve to just try it. (It's not life or death, I keep telling myself.)

Here's a close-up of the fabric I've chosen for this project, and it wasn't inexpensive. (I should have placed a dime on the fabric so you can see the size of the print. It's pretty small.)

First, it took weeks for me to actually cut the fabric after pinning the pattern in place. And then it took weeks for me to make all of the necessary markings on the fabric before removing the pattern from the cut pieces. Once I had everything in pieces, marked, and ready, I became scared of the details. Here's where I began chanting, "It's not life or death." So I just dove into it. As it turns out, the scariest thing for me (the button holes) were the first to do. You know what? They weren't all that bad. Sure, I measured everything about ten times, but they turned out okay.

So far I've only pieced a few bits together. I just wanted to show my progress. :-)

Here's the full shirt.

I'm very proud of the collar. (not the best picture)

And these are the buttons that we found this weekend.

Amazing WALL*E Tie-in

2008-06-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

An Alamo Drafthouse blog just pointed the way to an amazing tie-in website for the film WALL*E.

Buy-n-Large is the huge corporation that has, basically, taken over the world. Here is the company's official website.

Fun, fun, fun.

The Aftermath of Movie Day

2008-06-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

We ended up seeing the films in the perfect order, starting with Iron Man. This movie was cool, sure, but if you've seen the trailers you've seen all of the fun/slick/funny parts. I was actually shocked by this, as I had such high hopes for the film. It's still fun, but nothing new.

While my high hopes for Iron Man hurt it, perhaps my low expectations of the Hulk explain why I liked it. But here are my issues with it. The throw-back moments to Hulks in the past got verrrrrrrrry old verrrrrrrry quickly. Also, they really should have built a puppet character for any close-ups of the Hulk. While the CGI looks "fine" for wide shots, the close-ups suffer greatly from the CGI. I still enjoyed it. Popcorn fare, you know.

But the star of the day was the dear, sweet, lovely, funny, smart, amazing WALL*E. I cannot say enough good things about this movie! There is only a small amount of actual dialogue in the entire film, which makes it even more compelling. Please go and see this lovely film! And be prepared for another genius Pixar short before the film that gets you warmed up for the joy to follow.

Oh, how I love WALL*E!!

And speaking of movies

2008-06-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

We are officially spending a day at the movies on Sunday! (Can I get a wh00t?)

We're (finally) catching Iron Man, which we've been meaning to see for weeks now. Then will be a fun screening of the new Hulk movie. (PLEASE, let it be a fun - good - movie.)

But then will be the best of the three...I am quite certain! We got into the early screening of WALL*E (Thank you, AICN.), which I've been aching to see since seeing the footage at BNAT 9. Oh, happy day!

Now the Movies

2008-06-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'll be ADing a feature in July that is written, directed, and produced by Emily Hagins. You should check out more information on the project HERE, especially noting (and taking advantage of) the "DONATE" button on the lower left of the page. :-)

Past Knitting Projects

2008-06-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Moving on to the pics of knitting projects I've completed. (There are many more without photos, believe me.)

Here is a sweater that needs to be sewn together. (Yes, it has two sleeves.) All of the ends needing to woven in have stopped me from completing this project, unfortunately.

This is a fun, kitchy steering wheel cover that has since been destroyed by over-zealous car cleaners. But there's already another one that just needs to be assembled and put on.

Here is a fishnet-style shawl/scarf thing. It's a good five feet long and took ages to make, but it's gorgeous.

Fun, fun, fun is my punk sweater! I'm not sure if you can make out the holes and gashes in it.

And after the punk sweater is a sweet afghan. It's warm and cozy and wonderful.

I'll be keeping tabs on the yarns I use for any future projects I post here. These are just a few that I happened to have take pictures of with no other information included.

First Sewing Projects

2008-06-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Let's start with my first sewing project ever, which was made in January of 2008. That's when I took a beginning sewing class and got hooked.

Also made in that class was one pillow...which I then replicated at home after buying my sewing machine.

When I say I got hooked on sewing right away, I mean it. After completing these simple pillows, I made these:

All of these projects are incredibly basis, but I wanted to document my humble beginnings. :-)

Testing the Waters

2008-06-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've decided (finally) to start a blog about all of my crafts: movies, knitting, sewing, crocheting. This is an attempt to document all that I do in all of these areas. We'll see how it goes.