Sewing in a Menagerie

For those of you who don't know, my family has 5 pets. 2 dogs and 3 cats.

Triton (sound asleep in this photo):

Maddy (with her Woolly):

Peekaboo (or Boo Boo in the center. I don't have many good pictures of him):

Zoe Madison (she's the princess):

And Mickey (he was a stray I brought home from campus. He loves water):

A couple of my lovelies decided to be very helpful while I went about making my 5 minute skirt. Mickey was in a very playful mood and was under the impression that the measuring tape was a vicious snake out to destroy the world. He also tried to pounce on my scissors as I was cutting. Not smart, cat. Not smart. 

Then later Triton needed some love. Immediately. He wouldn't have minded if I also threw his ball a couple of times. 

Despite my zoo's best attempts the skirt is complete. Not quite 5 minutes but it was pretty simple. My biggest advice is to measure everything. I creates a casing and threaded elastic through it rather than do the fold over elastic but this FOE does have me intrigued. I just couldn't find any and I was impatient. 

My other bit of advice is for when you go to hem. Lay the skirt flat with the seams on either side and cut straight across. Then lay it flat with the seams on the top and bottom and, measuring frequently, cut the same length all the way across. It should curve parallel to the waist. 

I did have to purchase elastic, $1.99 plus tax, and we owned a sewing machine (otherwise this would have sucked). My fabric actually came from an old sheet. It had been used for another project but there was enough left. Way to upcycle though, right? Kids bed sheets = new wardrobe. 

E'erybody in the club gettin' CRAFTY

I've been a little down lately. Basically I've been stressed about getting enough work, which so far is not a problem, and now I feel like I let other things slip through the cracks. Things like a social life and the chance at romance. I know that I have a social life and I will not die alone. I think I was just stuck in my head too much. So I decided to be busy. I took old jeans and turned them into a lot of new things. There may even be more to come. 

First up is a wristlet made out of pockets to store my essentials such as cell phone, ipod, and keys. You may remember my post about my overflowing purse. This is something I'm trying in an attempt to save my back. I figure this little guy can tuck right back in my purse but I can use it while running around. 

These jeans are actually threecycled. I cut them off and turned them into bermudas first, which were great last summer but I've come to the conclusion that I don't look good in that style. Here is the site I used to create this awesome mini purse. 

Next came a skirt out of old work jeans that were wearing thin in some places. I used this site for this project. 

It still needs to be washed so that the bottom will fray a bit. It can be hemmed but I don't think I have that skill. It would be crooked and awkward so, it will be frayed instead.

Lastly I took the leg off of the skirt I made, sewed the bottom up real quick, threaded an old shoelace through the top, and now have a hanging bag for all of the plastic bags I accumulate. 

So that has kept me busy and a bit out of my head. For one day at least. Tomorrow I'm going to try to make this 5-minute skirt. We have a big tub of fabric leftover from projects downstairs so I'll see if I have enough. I think I'll need to buy some fold-over elastic or enough elastic to circle my waist but other than that all of this has been FREE! Mostly because my mother, my sister, and I have accumulated thread and needles, etc, and we have my mom's sewing machine. Still I bet it would be cheap for you, too.

I'll keep you posted about the skirt. Wish me luck!

The Do's and Don'ts of Gift Giving

So I have been busy and honestly way out of it so I have been remiss about posting. This post has pretty much nothing to do with my typical themes but it's somewhat entertaining. I had a crazy week to start out this new phase in my life that clearly demonstrated some of the best and the absolute worst gift I have ever received.

Glitter presented me this glittery unicorn sticker. Glitter and Gold are obsessed with unicorns. Ok, maybe not obsessed. But they like them A LOT. This was his last unicorn sticker. I will place it on my magic box in a place of honor.

Thumbelina scattered chocolate all over my desk for the opening of our last show. It will take me all summer to get through it. 

Then two days later I went to get into my car to drive to a high school where I was designing My Fair Lady, and I found someone had got into my car. They didn't steal anything just emptied my glove box and side pockets onto the seat and left this on the driver's side. 

It was not originally in the plastic bag. Having my car broken into and nothing stolen is one of the best gifts I've ever received but this knife if definitely the WORST.

I Heart Mos Def

Sometimes in life you encounter a decision where the right choice and the wise choice are not the same thing. Last night I encountered one of those decisions. In my last post I described how career stuff is picking up and I’ve been busy. I’ve also been absolutely exhausted, taking any 15 minute or longer opportunity to nap that I can get. You would think after the show last night I would want to go home and go to sleep. That would be wise. However I was invited out for drinks with the production team of the show we’re working on. This included the lighting designer, sound designer, scenic designer, director, and co-creator of the show and well as Gold and Thumbelina. These are New York and LA big shots. They have worked literally all over the world. To give you an idea, the co-creator, is Dennis O’Hare, a Tony award winner who will be starring on the upcoming season of True Blood. Drinks were the right choice.

As everyone piled into a booth, they started ordering food and joking around. It was awesome. They treated me like a member of the production team, not just an intern. They shared the 3 appetizer plates with everyone (even those of us who can’t afford bar food) and I got to hear some awesome stories. We began discussing the difference between famous people who go a little off their rockers and famous people who stay totally down to earth. Keep in mind, these guys work directly with these “famous people”. Here are a few of my favorites and I’ve saved the best for last.

William Dafoe: A few years ago he did a show at a theatre called On the Boards a few blocks from Seattle Center and showed up with his wrench to help build the set and strike once they were done.

Mary Tyler Moore: She regularly does, or did, shows at a summer rep theatre back east. When Mary came to town, the president of the board cleared out his mansion and that was where she stayed. Oops, except the president of the board doesn’t have a dog house and she brought her dog. So she couldn’t stay there until a dog house was built in the backyard of said mansion.

Carrie Fisher: Will only perform in places where she is allowed to smoke anywhere she wants.

Now, my two favorites:

So the lighting designer was riding down in an elevator with John Goodman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Christopher Walken. They get out and John Goodman has a car waiting, ducks inside and drives off. Phillip has a car waiting, ducks inside and drives off. Christopher Walken steps into traffic waving his arms and screaming “TAXI!”

The lighting designer did lights for a Broadway show that starred Mos Def. Mos Def was not an actor but he put in tons of extra time training and meeting with the director and vocal coaches, etc. After the show closed on Broadway it moved to London. Apparently London bars close at like midnight, which is not conducive to a theatre schedule. However in London there are these private clubs that will stay open later but you have to be a member and the prices are astronomical. $25 martinis. $40 hamburgers. You get the picture. Somebody at the London theatre had a connection to a club and got the whole cast, crew, designers, and producers a table for the night. They went out and drank and had a merry time. Somewhere in there Mos Def (and his two huge bodyguards) take off. Then it’s time to pay the check and the lighting designer at least is thinking “crap. I probably spent $300”. The director gets everyone’s attention and holds up a wad of bills and explains that before Mos Def left, he gave her enough money to pay for everyone's food and drinks. 

Thusly, I heart Mos Def. 

Spring Gala

Two posts in one night? What! Yes it's true. Here's the deal: I've had two back to back shows at the theatre where my internship is. Even though I don't have as large of a role in the show that we're doing now, the hours are still getting to me. I didn't really get time to catch up after our last show, on which I did have a larger role. On top of that I've gotten two jobs since the start of the second show one of which has the potential to be long term situation. One is as the lighting designer for a high school production of My Fair Lady and I've been starting work on that now kind of splitting my time between the city and the suburbs. Anyway, the point of this explanation is that my blog is suffering and will probably continue to suffer. On the one hand it's great that I have work lined up. It brings me peace of mind. But I don't have much time for this wonderful creative outlet I've found. I have post ideas piling up in my head. I had a couple of hours tonight so I decided to take advantage of it.

Now on to the true purpose of this post. The theatre is having it's huge spring gala at the end of April. It's the kind of event where patrons pay $350 per plate and then are expected to spend more money on the auction. It's actually being held at the theatre. The guests are dining on the stage. It's pretty cool. I will be helping out in whatever way I can, which will require a dress. The invitations describe the dress as "black tie optional". Staff is encouraged to dress "springy". Colorful. Not too formal. Maybe more like what you would wear to a nice spring wedding.

I have every intention of hitting up Ross but I thought I'd do a Polyvore of some things that struck my fancy.



I don't think I look very good in long dresses but length does add formality. I love the ruffly spring look as long as it looks formal enough. The knee length seems to be the perfect combination. We'll have to see what I can find.

Locks of Love

So I told you guys that I'm growing my hair out for Locks of Love and I'm excited to try something new when I go short. I played around on InStyle's makeover tool and tried on celebrity hairstyles.

Put your judging hats on! Here they come:



First up is old school Jennifer Aniston. It was a classic in the mid-90's. Can it still be done with dignity?



This is actually a style once sported by Selena Gomez. She's a teeny bopper Disney star but the hair is kind of precious.



This is off of Camilla Belle who is absolutely gorgeous. That my hair will maintain that gentle, delicate curl is a long shot but a girl can dream.



This is Kerri Russell's do. I love the wavy texture of it. It's not perfectly placed but very natural looking.

So its time for you to chime in. Let me know what your favorite is.

What I do for a living...and sexy ladders

So I haven't really introduced my career. I've alluded to it and maybe people have picked up on it but I thought I'd give you a full explanation. I am a theatrical lighting designer and design assistant. When you go to see a play, there has to be light on stage so you can see, but it gets far more complicated than that. There are colors and angles. Is it indoors or outdoors? Is the light coming from a lamp or the sun? Is it winter or summer? Do they live in Florida or Seattle? We also get to be tricky and manipulative and make you look to a specific place on stage without you thinking about it. Or we can make you feel nervous and uneasy just by making the shadows bigger. It's art, psychology, physics, and guesswork all rolled into one. Here are some pictures:


This is from my coup de gras in college. A play called Crave by Sarah Kane.





















This is from a play called Whiteout by Nick Stokes. The character is looking out a hotel window into a snow storm and it's all a little surreal and over the top.








This is from a play called City of Crooked Teeth. It takes place in a magical underground word and the female character is showing the male character how she can make the rocks glow.




This last picture is not from a show I designed but a show I am assisting on. We just started today and I thought this was the prettiest thing so I took pictures then got the idea for the post.



I apologize for the blur. I was in a rush and it was dark but is that not THE SEXIEST LADDER YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?!


I love light.

No Reason Presents

I shall now reveal the oh-so-secret identities of a few of my friends. Aurora is none other than Laura of Ruby Bastille and Little Red is Jessica of Saturday Jane. They are two of my best friends. We were roommates through most of college and not seeing them on a daily basis means that I'm learning all sorts of coping skills I never needed because I relied on them. They are writers in a way I will never be (if you couldn't tell already) and my main source of inspiration for joining the blogging community. After they started their endeavors I followed all of their links and discovered this wonderful community and thought "I want to be just like them." So I'm giving it a go.

You really didn't need that background for the purpose of that post but I'm a rambler. What can I say?

The purpose of this post is to discuss one of the greatest ideas ever. Saturday Jane, Ruby Bastille, and I decided to give ourselves a budget of $5 and buy each other accessories, then we would all swap. So I got to spend some time digging through a bargain bin of cute jewelry while channeling my friend's styles and now I get two presents.

I will now recount what I bought and why.

For Ruby Bastille:



Laura generally has a very classic and elegant style. I immediately started picturing Victorian inspired jewelry. This seems to be in a similar realm but perhaps just a little outside her comfort zone, which I think is kind of part of the goal.

For Saturday Jane:



I've seen jessica wear similar styles before. Bold beaded necklaces. Some of them she got from her grandmother who, from what I understand, had a pretty bold style herself. The ones I've seen her wear though are usually in neutrals. The pink in this is perfect for her coloring so although it may be brighter than she's used to, it'll look perfect on her.

Now that they've received their gifts I can post this and then I'll let you know how I make use of theirs.

Interwebs Help!

I don't know how to set up my blog so that I can reply to comments directly. From what I can tell, blogger does not offer this feature. I did find a source code for this but being ignorant to the ways of the world wide web, I don't know where I would enter this code. Any suggestions, tips, ideas? It would be much appreciated!