March 6

With Realistic Moving Joints

http://www.ryanmcelhinney.co.uk/ryan2/toy1.htmlI hope your parents kept a bag of all your old toys in the attic, because you’re about to want ’em back…

Ryan McElhinney claims to be an interior designer, but it’s pretty obvious that that’s a lie. The guy is a geek-crafter, through and through. He makes these awesome lamps by sticking action figures together and painting them – teamed with a simple shade they look brilliant. If you live in London you can see them live in the pubs Ryan has decorated; maybe you’ll bump into Elton John while you’re their – Ryan is rumoured to have designed the topper for his wedding cake (that’s gotta look awesome on his CV).

What are you doing still reading? It’s spring(ish) – there are car boot sales to raid – GO!

Category: Craft, Geek, Toys | 1 Comment on With Realistic Moving Joints
March 5

No Face Embroidery Hoop

I was taking an animation class just for fun at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design when Spirited Away came to the USA.  That was more than a decade ago, but I remember hearing about the movie, pining to see the moving, and begging some friends to come along and watch it with me. We saw it at the beautiful Landmark Oriental Theater and I can’t remember a time before or since that I was so riveted by a movie.  If you haven’t seen it, I implore you: Stop what you are doing right now and go see it.

It is certainly difficult to pick a favorite character from the movie, but one of the most memorable is surely No Face. A strange, silent spirit overcome by greed. Unable to verbally communicate on his own, we’re left to ponder his intentions and motivation.

Love & a Sandwich (aka Chelsea Bloxsom) captures this unusual character in an embroidery hoop: the distinct mask paired with an amorphous body, among spa tokens and cold coins. Absolutely perfect.

Selecting a project from Love and a Sandwich was rough, by the way. She’s got a million projects (OK, maybe a few dozen) on her Flickr that made me FREAK OUT, but No Face takes the cake.

Category: Anime, Craft, Geek, Movies | 1 Comment on No Face Embroidery Hoop
March 5

Cosplay Pics from Naka-kon 2012

My husband and daughter recently returned from their annual sojourn to a local anime convention, so I thought it might be nice to introduce you to it as well. Dubbed Naka-kon, this convention is held annually in Overland Park, Kansas, to “celebrate Japanese animation and the influence anime has in the Midwest and around the globe by educating people from all walks of life in many diverse facets of popular and traditional Japanese culture.”

No matter whether promoting Japanese anime, video games, or the otaku lifestyle in general, these Kon-goers love to cosplay! The following are but a few examples that my husband took over the weekend.

Montage of photos from NakaKon 2012

I spy cosplayers as No Face from Spirited Away (or what I call “that freaky ghosty thing”), Mojo JoJo from Powerpuff Girls, a Stormtrooper, Mario & Princess Peach, and GLaDOS from Portal, but I don’t recognize the others. Do you?

Category: Anime, Craft, Geek, Video Games | 2 Comments on Cosplay Pics from Naka-kon 2012
March 3

A Hoopla of Robots!

Over on Craftster, there has been a great big HOOPLA! Actually, this Hoopla has been going on for a couple of years now and has not lost momentum like so many other crafty trends. The term applies to any sort of needle work framed in an embroidery hoop regardless of size.

I have to say this particular set of Hoopla is some of my all time favorites. It combines R2D2 and C3PO, needlework and felt. How awesome is that??! Loveandasandwich stitched up these wonderfully detailed pieces bringing our favorite ‘bots to life. She even gives us a bit of insight as to her creative process towards the end of her original post.

Fantastic work loveandasandwich! The Force is with you!

R2D2 and C3P0 – NEEDLEWORK.

Category: Craft, Geek, Movies, Sci-Fi | Comments Off on A Hoopla of Robots!
March 3

Hey Hey They’re the Monkees…

Hey Hey They're the Monkees...

…. and every week from 1966 to 1968, we’d tune in to see what antics they’d be up to. The four young musicians trying to make a go of it and the trials they met along the way. While they were the first of the manufactured bands, earning them the nickname of the “Pre-Fab Four” at one time. But they proved they were good musicians and ended up with quite a list of successful albums and concerts, at one time having a young man named Jimi Hendrix as an opening act for Hendrix’s first live tour.

Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones were not only great musicians but quite funny as well with comedy in their episodes that harkened back to the days of the Keystone Cops. When I was a preteen and young teen, they were one of the top bands going and, yes, I admit to having a fan crush on Davy as most girls my age did.

Oddly enough, one day my eldest daughter came into the house at that same age I had been raving about “a new band that was even on television in their own show”. Imagine my reaction when I heard it was a band called the Monkees. Yes, the four had become a hit again and my daughter inherited those vinyls from their original days which could be heard playing from her room for the next few months.

We lost Davy the other day, suddenly and surprisingly but the memories he and the other three gave many, especially me, will last forever.

In tribute to them, I found this free pattern for a Davy Jones crocheted block by Lee Mac of Totallee.net.  Lee also has patterns for Mickey, Mike, and Peter, among others available at her site.

To the Monkees, thanks for the music and memories

To Lee, thanks for great patterns to remember them with.

Category: Craft, Music, TV | 2 Comments on Hey Hey They’re the Monkees…