The Spirit of My Beehive

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my boss that I wanted to see Pan's Labyrinth. Her response was that I should really see this. And she was right (and not just because she's my boss.) While I enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth immensely—at least I enjoyed the parts where I was not cringing in my seat and shielding my eyes from the violence onscreen—I think I enjoyed Spirit of the Beehive even more. I am a sucker for anything remotely melancholic--which this is; the scenery is starkly beautiful--hello nostalgic feeling for wide-open, wind-blown prairie/plains land; I love bees--1985(?) Douglas Co. 4-H Champion in entomology, thank-you-very-much; and little Ana has to be about as cute as it is possible for a human being to be. There are lots of parallels--this was obviously an influence for Pan's Labyrinth, but it is much quieter, sweeter, and the conflict is more internal. Watch it if you can find it.

Oh, and if you are ever in Lawrence, KS, go to the Natural History Museum up (literally) on campus and see the bee tree

Anyway, the whole point of that is that I seem to have been influenced lately by the honey-colored lighting and the honeycomb shaped windows in the movie. Curt called me on it after I showed him the etching that I did (above) and the fabric that I became nearly frantic to lay my hands on last week. I was too slow at Superbuzzy and PurlSoho, but Reprodepot came through for me.

It's going to make one fine fashionable gym bag. Buzzzzzzz

Making Progress

Argyle
Originally uploaded by Luck(x8).

Argyle2
Originally uploaded by Luck(x8).

I am still on a slight roll from the weekend.
The end of this vest draws nearer. It is my first steek-cutting experience and I am apprehensive. I kind of like how the knit-the-whole-thing-in-the-round process turns a vest into a funny skinny worm.
Speaking of skinny...I hope that it's not too skinny. The pattern said it's a close-fit but it really seems awfully close-fitting.
I guess I shall see once I get up the nerve to take my scissors to those pretty stripes.

Under The Sea

Ahhh...that wonderful feeling of finishing a project that started small (the sketch was 4 rows of 4 squares) and ballooned into a many-month long process. Our bathroom has a bit of an underwater theme—sea shells, a scuba-diver painting by R.Land Art, a top-hat-wearing-octopus painted on the wall, glow in the dark jellyfish, etc.—so I wanted to make a shower curtain showcasing squid/jellyfish (I guess they are kind of a hybrid).




I think I bought the fabric back in October, thinking I'd finish it in time for Curt's mom's NYC marathon-viewing visit. ha. Fast forward 4 1/2 months and I'm proud to say it was finally hung today.
I seem to be on a bit of a roll with the completion part of many a project.

Pink Elephants On Parade

Well, they're not parading now, but they were last night as I photographed them for the Softie Awards (the animal category). They are made from some heavy linen that I bought years (close to 10!) ago to make curtains for my apartment. I think they look rather sophisticated. The pink inspiration comes, of course, from the dancing pink elephants from Dumbo. The idea of linking them together comes from the circus elephants who must walk through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on their way from Queens to Madison Square Garden when the Ringling Brothers Circus is in NYC. Curt and I went to see them one year. People crowd the streets around the tunnel on the Manhattan side and wait for these giant creatures to emerge sometime around midnight. They are remarkably speedy for creatures of such great size and they each grip the tail of the elephant before them. It's a terribly gentle gesture—it looks to me like they are reassuring each other that it's not so bad, really, it's not. I haven't been to the circus in many, many years—and that was in Kansas—because I find the reality of it very depressing compared to the fantasy of it.
My elephants have a little braided loop of a tail which can fit over the trunk of the elephant behind him (or her).



I also entered the pincushion category. My prickly little hedgehog has already proved himself to be very helpful.



I intend to make a little velcro wristband from the hedgehog fabric so that he is even more portable.
No more pins all over the table (and subsequently on the floor)!!!

Colorful Monday

We took a trip out to the NYC Aquarium yesterday with some friends. It's been many many years since I've been inside. The overall feeling is a little sad, but the jellyfish in the alien stingers exhibit are stunning. I found myself wishing that I could always be surrounded by gently glowing glass walls filled with jellyfish. It was very relaxing. We emerged from that dark exhibit to a light flurry of snow swirling about. Finally, proving that the third time is indeed the charm, we were able to eat at Totonno's Pizza. The appeal is definitely in the pizza rather than the service, but it was a tasty, tasty meal.
When we got home I made this cake (a jelly roll cake, oddly enough),
which was inspired by this. I have sampled bit and pieces, but my first real taste will be part of today's lunch.
Yum!

Wingin' It

This is my latest entry into the angry chicken's Tie On One Apron Show-and-Tell. A few other shots are here and here. The January/February theme was Valentine's Day so I thought I'd go over the top a bit and make myself into a little cupid (though I did not do the cherub-diaper aspect—yikes!) It has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland look, too. I think that comes from the high waist.

I've only managed to get my act together enough to participate a few times including "Your Favorite Musical" and Favorite Family Recipes (don't look too close, I used the same pink bunny fabric) but how many aprons does one girl need? I have had a good time doing it. Funny how I'm always finishing them on the night of the last day of the month. And I mean funny in a lack-of-sleep kind of way.

I'm proud of the fact that this is entirely from my (too large) stash of fabric. I love the red print. I bought it here back at the beginning of my love affair with Aunt Grace prints and made a 50s-style casual dress from it. To this day that dress is one of my most commented-on and complimented outfits. And it's wonderfully comfy.

The apron bottom is a vintage border print that I bought on eBay, thinking that I was going to make a bed skirt and then realizing that there wasn't enough fabric there. I smocked the ribbon years ago at the early-planning stage of my wedding dress. It was subsequently abandoned and thrown in a drawer. I am happy that it emerged in time to trim the heart and give it that over-the-top vintage feel.

Yay for using up things that you have!