Books: Bigger on the inside

After catching up with Doctor Who, my husband and I decided that we, too, are huge nerd fans for the show. I admit that during the first few episodes I was getting used to the campyness of some of these villains... only to find even campier ones to come. I think the climactic moment of campiness was when the Daleks and the Cybermen headed toward each other in a hostile manner crying, "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" and "DELETE! DELETE!" respectively. Perpetually seeking ways to incorporate my geek passion with my crafty passions and live up to the title of this blog, I leapt at the opportunity to knit a Tardis. Yes. Ravelry is a treasure trove of patterns that one would not have imagined possible... So, without further ado, view this nifty kindle cozy that fits the kindle inside the leather cover from amazon. When you think of it, the Tardis is not the only thing bigger on the inside!

Malon Costume

It's September, so you know what that mean... it's almost Autumn! That means it's almost my birthday which happens to be one of the coolest holidays! That would be the day before El Dia de los Muertos. Halloween! Three years ago I put together an ensemble I've always wanted to do (I have a list of costumes I must wear before I die including Harpo Marx, Weird Al, Dana Scully, and a Rubik's Cube). This is pretty much the best costume I've ever worn even though I've seen better versions of this, and I could have done better myself with more cash and time. I was still pretty satisfied with the result. What is it, you ask? Malon, the minor character from Lon Lon Ranch in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (I love inserting links for Link-related stuff). I love red hair, so I relished the opportunity to play a redhead for a day. Here is what she looks like in the game:

The first thing I worked on was the apron she wore.

I bought some brown canvas cloth and sewed the raw edges closed.

Then I free handed the design with pencil and painted over it with acrylic paint.

Here it is pinned to a purple skirt I found on ebay. I tried to find something the right color without having to buy fabric, buy a pattern, and sew a skirt... It has embellishments, but is more or less the right color.

I also had quite the time trying to find a ribbon color that was a matching shade (rather than indigo or navy or bright-arse neon purple) in order to make the design on her skirt. I pinned the ribbon in place and sewed it on. Unfortunately, I made the ribbon a little too tight and it tightened the size of the skirt.

I bought a plain white t-shirt at Target and used fabric paint to add the design. Above is a close-up of the design.

You may have noticed that the original Malon wears a Bowser brooch on her shawl/handkerchief. I used polymer clay and sculpted one of my own, then painted over it with metallic acrylic paint. The handkerchief was just some yellow fabric sewn in a V-shape to stay around my shoulders.

The Triforce belt buckle was made with the same materials as the Bowser brooch, in silver. I just made a superficial outline, then bought cloth belt material.

I dyed it dark brown from white, and sewed on snaps. Then I used a hot glue gun to add the Triforce to the uppermost flap.

Myself and my little sister (who was dressed as a butterfly whose wings were pulled off).
Below: The only full-body pic I have.

The wig was actually the closest thing I could find that wasn't $100. I was working on a very tight budget with the aid of my husband (who was my boyfriend of one year at the time). He just enjoyed seeing my handiwork enough to be my patron. The occasion was my birthday, so these were some of the pics taken from the party. I made a special cake for the occasion, and will post more on that later.

So, all in all the details are pretty accurate, but the colors/proportions are a little wonky. Malon wore her skirt much higher than mine, but since mine was much shorter I didn't want to wear it any higher! It's an "adaptation" from the concept of the video game, it's not supposed to be 100% accurate, right?
Coming soon: Another costume I helped make for my date. Hint: He's a mad scientist with excellent pipes.

The cake is a lie

In early 2009, my darling husband acquired the game Portal and promptly played through the brief game. I sat and worked on my blanket while I watched, and we both greatly appreciated the dry sense of humor woven throughout the game. The ending song Still Alive was one that he really liked, enough to acquire the entire discography of its author, Jonathan Coulton. I listened to it all before he did and to this day it has been one of our most loved musicians. We saw him twice, and one of those occasions we had front row seats when we saw him on our honeymoon! 

Back on topic, he is a huge Portal fan, like I imagine anyone would be after playing the game. For his birthday, I made this for him:

It's a little funny because it say "The cake is a lie" and it shows a chocolate cake, and I gave this to him for his birthday... and in a sense the cake was a lie, because he hates chocolate. It's a cake he will never have.

Link has come to town

Ok, I'm a huge Legend of Zelda fan, but I've only really played 3  4 of the games and never finished one. The farthest I ever got was in The Ocarina of Time for N64, and in Link's Awakening on my gameboy color. I've tried Majora's Mask and the classic A Link to the Past but never got too far. I loved playing OoT, though. I would play it again in a heartbeat. I love the exploration, the characters, Epona, the Ocarina... I love that you can go fishing and swim in the lake. It's a classic adventure game. You can even say it's Legendary. I have two different versions of the soundtrack, and currently when I get a text message on my phone, it plays the sound effect that plays when you acquire a new item!

Anyway, I acquired a pattern years ago of Link in Wind Waker style, even though I never played the game. I thought he looks kawaii and chibi and all that. I never got far, but I started again after unpacking my craft supplies from our recent move. I love mindless crafts, why not multitask and make something cute (instead of being put off by crafting altogether because it is a "time commitment")? Besides, just sitting there and stitching string into holes is kind of boring because my mind will wander and itch for some other stimulation. I like letting my mind wander, too... but I like listening to podcasts or watching The X Files or Dexter while I stitch (right now it's Doctor Who). If I don't have any other stimulation, chances are I'll have the Hyrule field theme playing on loop in my head while I stare at Link. About 2 weeks ago he didn't have a head or color. I expect to finish him in another week or two, and then I'll move onto my first attempt at amigurumi.

I have some elaborate (and some simple) cross-stitch projects I have to post about soon. I have half a dozen ideas on designs that have yet to come to fruition. There is so much to stay tuned for, so stay tuned!

Crafty Accessory

Did you know there was a market for this? I didn't! I suddenly want an iphone.

Vivi - A ceramic figure from 2002

When I was in my homeschooling enrichment ceramics class, my younger brother Andre was shilling Final Fantasy to me. He made me play Final Fantasy 9, and I didn't want to initially because I thought it looked like too much of a kid's game.  Let's just say I enjoyed it enough to be inspired to create another character (see this post for the moogle) in my beloved ceramics class. His name is Vivi, but the black mage is a recurring character type in Final Fantasy games. They have different powers than say, a summoner or a knight. Nerd stuff. Look it up.
 This is what he looks like in the game:

He is a cute little ghost boy, although the characters' costumes in this game are a little weird. I created two of him, and I don't have pictures of the sculpting in progress, but this is after they were fired and before they were painted:

 

The painting was probably the most fun part. I love how adding the right colors can make this nondescript character into a specific character with a specific costume:

 

 

 

He was fun to make, even if it is a little wonky around the edges. It looks like he's got a big brother-little brother thing going on.

Ceramics - the beginnings

I decided that my first few posts are going to document some of my extinct hobbies, like ceramics. It's not extinct by my choice. As a matter of fact, I had more fun taking classes in ceramics than I ever had with any art medium before that.  I believe the years I took this class were 2000 - 2002. I was 15 - 17 years old when I made the sculptures you'll see on this blog. I made tremendous progress in that time, and am convinced that I never reached my peak. I've never considered myself a true artist, but among my many dream jobs, I could envision myself spending all hours of the day creating tedious claymation figures like Wallace and Gromit. I knew there was no real future in that, but what can I say? I've always been a dreamer. I actually had been to class with my grandmother a couple times before this, but I was a wee lass then, and probably got some help. I tried to duplicate her style with this:

 

She's kind of a paperweight, and has no class whatsoever. I mean, she's clearly a faceless albino with blond dreads! How dare she masquerade in a turquoise sundress! She was glazed, which means the paint was made of crushed glass powder that melts into a glassy finish in the kiln.

Somewhere down the line, I got here: random outdoor objects that I painted in acrylics, and were abused & broken and glued back together. Not quite "The Well and the Lighthouse", they are a well and a windmill. I could have totally done a lighthouse.

 

The windmill doesn't really serve any purpose, but the well is a nice holder for stuff. I mean, objects, not food or ashes or candles or anything flammable- it is made out of flammable paint. If you want to make something to hold a candle in, it needs to be glazed. I now recall other things I made that were broken... one of them being a candle plate with delicate roses on its perimeter that promptly chipped.

 The next item I will share today is a small castle, based solely on my love for L. M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle:

The castle was poorly done, and mind you- I had the limitations of the class period to complete these. The weight of the clay sunk the top in a little.
The last exhibit of today will be the failed Moogle from Final Fantasy 9 I created. It was supposed to look like the character you visit each time you want to save- it opens up the book and lays in front of it. This one looks more like it got sloshed and fell asleep face first. Actually, where is it reading from?! Its eyes are looking over the book, not at it! Like I mentioned earlier, this type of clay can be tricky to work with- it sags under its own weight. It reminds me of this AFP baby.

I thought it could have been kinda cute, but it doesn't look that good on the shelf. It's hardly recognizable. Anyway, goodnight folks!