crafty mcgee

August hiatus

Just checking in briefly to say I'll be out for most of August. I'll be perusing other folks blogs, but won't be posting here. I haven't been on the computer much at all lately, so if you've left a comment recently, I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Look for a message on the 25th - my one year blogaversary! I'll either be back to posting like normal or saying farewell, I'm thinking on it. I'm leaning toward sticking around, though - after all, the holidays are coming up!

Under da sea: danger mix

This set turned out quite a bit bigger, scale-wise, than the others. The mermaid could pass for a giantess! Only the lobster is "normal" size, but he's the one I started out with (I had the B-52's stuck in my head after making that CD a couple of weeks back).

You can file this one under "It takes so little to amuse me": most of the figures are one sided, with coordinating fabric on the back. But I decided to make the shark double-sided so he could randomly menace other items in my home. For instance -

Shark vs Samurai - who will win??!! (My money's on Sanjuro.)

Una capilla pequeña

Or One Small Shrine, as the swap is called in English. Lots of stuff in this little box pertaining to the person I made it for, but I'll just post about the knitting skeleton. It's shrinky dink, and it was hard! Actually, the arms came out fine the first try, but the main body of the skeleton would not uncurl like it was supposed to, and I ended up with many rolls of hard plastic. I finally ending up donning heat resistant gloves and flattening it out while it was still in the oven. I know that's not right! I did a couple of web searches, but it wasn't much help. Most of them said not to start with a piece that was too big, so maybe that was it, but it wasn't that big. Has anyone else had this problem? I've got a few more shrinky dink things I want to make, and don't want to go through this again.

Something new to look at

while I'm waiting for this existential snit that I find myself in to pass. Even my surefire cheerer-uppers like blogging and crafting seem like onerous chores these days. Crafting continues, but my heart's just not in it. I know it will pass, but I hope it's sooner than later 'cause...according to Kipling West's July calendar, next Friday - July 21 - is Monkey Day! Can I actually let that pass without memorializing it in craft? Amy has come up with an amazing idea for this month's Month of Softies, and last month's "Movie Musicals" apron theme has been extended. Movies!! Speaking of which, I am a big fan of futuregirl's  softies (and accompanying photo shoots) inspired by great German directors. I am going to do a Japanese director series once I crawl out of this energy sucking morass.

Here's a nicer picture. The top one is a little to close to my mood right now. Those who will be in Seattle in the next month might like to visit the mini Gee's Bend exhibit (along with "prints inspired by") at the Greg Kucera Gallery  in Pioneer Square. The major museum show is coming to Tacoma in Fall 2007. The Theatre de la Mode closes at MOHAI at the end of the day on Sunday. It's been there since March 4. Curse my tendency to procrastination when it comes to things like this, but I'm seriously going to try to get there. Maybe I'll have some pictures...soon.

a musical interlude

Geez, where did this week go? It's almost Friday, again. Crafting continues, but I thought it was time for another "meet your blogger" post. I usually don't do CD swaps at all, but for some reason I just couldn't resist a "12 Favorite Songs" swap. Maybe it was the instructions from the organizer to not let it be about how cool you are. Hey, I can manage that! I have lots more favorites than 12, but these are the ones I selected. The ones marked with a "+" are really my favorite songs, the others are songs I love, too. The straight type is what I sent along with the swap package, italics are additional blog commentary. The picture is from this book - a must see if you've got any interest in the 70's.

1. The Day Brings – Brad -  I chose this one to represent my home in the Pacific NW. Believe it or not, these guys were contemporaries of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. This is a lovely song, one I don't listen to often enough.
2. + I Want You Back – The Jackson 5 - Guaranteed to make me feel like a 10-year-old again. Also one of the greatest Motown songs ever. Even though Michael is my age, I thought of him as a baby. Always the rugged individualist, I liked Marlon the best. Poor Michael, he really was incredibly talented.
3. Getting Away With It – Electronic - With guys from Pet Shop Boys and New Order, it can cover my love of non-disco dance music. Bass and strings, what more can you ask for?
4. What You Want – The Roots - Gotta have some hip hop (and the Roots actually have something interesting to say, although this one isn't political)
5. + I’m Not In Love – 10cc THE song of my early adolescence, it still gives me chills. I heard bits of the remake that was popular a few years ago, what was the point of that?! It's the wall of sound effect that make this song amazing.
6. Night – Bruce Springsteen Since I grew up in a mill town in the east, there are lots of Boss songs on the list. This one covers a lot of areas. It has become clear to me over the years that Springsteen is actually looked upon as a joke by most people who grew up on the west coast. I used to greet the snorts of derision with sputtering explanations of how the Boss is the greatest live act EVER, a fine human being, and has done wonders for music in this country. Used to. Now I just shake my head in pity at all they've missed.
7. Boy Who Cried Wolf – Style Council - Reminds me of my art school and traveling days. The very best of blue-eyed soul. So smooth you could skate on it.
8. + Birdhouse In Your Soul – They Might Be Giants It speaks for itself! This is probably the most perfect song ever! A veritable paean to creativity.
9. Light & Day – The Polyphonic Spree -  It makes me feel happy, and represents the kind of music I’m currently into. As in big, and layered and unusual.
10. What A Wonderful World – Joey Ramone - A great version of a great song, and I had to have the punky 70’s in here somewhere. One critic thought that Joey was lampooning the classic Louis Armstrong version. He wasn't, not at all. The poor guy had cancer at the time and meant every word. He just needed to rock it!
11. Swamp – The Talking Heads  -  Lots of Heads songs on the list too, this one fit. This song used to freak me out, like David Lynch movies do. It's that kind of song, and sound.
12. Kaze Wo Atsumete – Happy Endings - Another one that just makes me smile, and one I would have never heard if not for my love of independent film (it’s the closing song in Lost in Translation). I can't wait to see Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola's new film! This song (and that movie) is another reason I'm trying to learn Japanese, crafting aside.

That's it! Have great weekend!

The blues, with some brown

The title is a fake, I don't have the blues at all, except colorwise. Here are the handmade items for this month's Brown and Blue Coloriffic Swap-o-rama. Brown and baby blue have been one of my favorite color combinations since I was a young teenager, when I had my first big hulking crush on a boy with brown hair and - you guessed it - baby blue eyes. It's still a combination that can make me all a-twitter. Back to the picture...in addition to the fab Denyse Schmidt fabric, my swappee will receive a summer ensemble made from this sweet Knitty pattern for her Blythe doll; a stuffed bird made from a pattern in this highly recommended book; and a painted Altoid tin decorated with one of my own drawings. But wait, there's more! It can all be seen here. It was tough for me to give most of this stuff up - hope she likes it.