RubyMarilyn

Bit of this and that

2012-02-09T11:15:00.001-06:00

Wow. This month is FLYING by! Work has been awful, reaffirming the fact that I am needing to get my act together and move on, but that is easier said than done! But things are busy so that keeps me out of trouble (mostly). Next weekend we have our big Roller Derby Fundraiser event and then it is another Atmosphere concert and an Oscar party. Epic month.

Last weekend I headed down to Iowa once again, this time to see my maternal grandmother Marilyn. It was her 80th birthday this weekend so the family came together to throw a little shindig. They had a big cake for the day of but I ordered a little special one from my bakery for her to enjoy the night before.

Gorgeous right? The most experienced decorator made this cake based on an antique plate. My Grandma collects them and so I thought this would be a little something extra special.

Only problem was I ordered a chocolate cake. Sigh. Apparently working there doesn't mean that they pay any closer attention. Grr. But it was still delicious.

And even though it was my Grandma's birthday she gave me a present.

A sweet old sewing box! Complete with a vintage sewing pattern and needlework book.

Earlier in the week I also bought my mom and sister these little 'groundhog' cakes for Groundhogs Day. My sister and I enjoyed ours while we watched the movie. No better way to celebrate the day really.

And a trip to the fabric store yielded 4 'grab bags' of odd bits of trim. I got all 4 for only $2.60. Lace, sequins, fur, and ric rac. These little odds and ends can really add up so I am pretty excited!

Well I have signs for the fundraiser to make, and I am starting to do more volunteer work at the local History Center so I will be kept busy!

Oscars are coming up fast. I still need a costume. Also I hope to be posting some movie-crafty-goodness in the near future!!!

Ruby M. Smith

2012-01-29T23:21:00.001-06:00

My dear, sweet, Great Grandma Ruby died this weekend. She was 96 years old. And although it is not coming as a shock it is nonetheless always hard to deal with the passing of a loved one. I got a lot of my craftiness from her and she is the 'Ruby' for which 'RubyMarilyn' was named. I hope she is at peace.

What's in an outfit? Derby edition.

2012-01-26T09:54:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the film-nerd rant the other day. Today I am going to re-focus on ROLLER DERBY! Surprise, surprise. Our team is fairly far off from our first bout as of yet but we are having a HUGE fundraiser in February and we need outfits! Our team colors are red, white, and black and by the time of the fundraiser we will have our temporary t-shirt jersey's with our names on them. So between now and then I need to come up with a sweet style and diy the crap out of an outfit that will work for non-skating events but also on the track.

If you have seen 'Whip It' you may have some idea of what a derby girl 'should look like'. Short skirts and fishnets are not unheard of. Outfits need to be functional but also fun! My derby name is Patience Zero and I need a persona to go with it.

Here are a few polyvore sets I came up with to help myself out.

Derby Outfit- Pretty in Pink by rubymarilyn featuring a thigh high hosiery

First up pretty in pink- for as rough and tumble as the sport is going the opposite direction and being super girly is an option I find appealing. Bloomers, pink glitter, and floral prints will be my calling card.

Or...

Derby Outfit- Pretty in punk by rubymarilyn featuring over knee socks

...I could go pretty in punk. Use the bold graphic red, black, and white, mix with plenty of sequins, and generally rock it out. This may be the easiest 'look' to achieve since it will involve basic colors and nothing really too 'out of the box'. Will have to invest in sweet thigh highs.

or...

Derby Outfit- Circus by rubymarilyn featuring printed pants

... I can go for something more 'themed'. I do love a good themed outfit. Or costume. I LOVE COSTUMES. Sorry. But yes, this circus themed outfit could be a fun way to incorporate my love of vintage circus, bows, and once again GLITTER. Glitter is going to be involved any direction I go : )

Once I pick a theme I can start making stuff for my outfit and can start modifying my helmet and such to be super awesome. Practice tonight! Let's hope the bruises from the last practice are healed up enough to get me through.

And the nominees are...

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000-06:00

The Oscar nominations went up today and frankly I am underwhelmed. I have not seen a single film nominated for best picture. I actually haven't seen hardly any of the nominated films. Honestly? The only film nominated for Best Picture that I even sort of want to see is 'The Artist'.

Being a film major/buff/nerd lends itself to some stereotypes. In my head I should have already seen all of these nominated films because I am a 'film person'. I have always loved the Academy Awards and have watched them since I was little. I love the glitz and the glam and the long acceptance speeches and all of it. I was at one point convinced that some day I would be up there giving my own drawn-out acceptance speech. But in recent years the Oscars have seemed more like a chore than a joy. Either the nominated films do not come to my city (which is so ridiculous) or I am simply not interested in seeing them. In no way shape or form was I interested in seeing 'The Social Network' so I didn't. Here is the problem, as soon as you assert yourself to not spending money to go watch a movie you are not excited about you loose your 'film person privileges'. This includes but is not limited to voting on the Oscars. You know that thing that people do either in the office, or school, or as we do at our Oscar Party. As soon as you 'miss' one movie, by choice or otherwise, you can't say with any authority that you know what you are talking about. "Well you didn't even see them all, did you?" That will be the response of any other film person. And it is frustrating. I love movies. Always have always will. Someday I might actually get my act together and work in the business but for now I am content being a film lover. There was a time in college when I was trying to impress all these people (read: Boys) and I would ONLY watch 'films' not 'movies'. I was the obnoxious girl who went to the foreign films every week, who refused to watch 'lowly comedies', and generally was a pain in the ass. I have since gotten over that and now enjoy a much larger range of movies.

My favorite films/movies/flicks of 2011? (In no particular order)

-Scream 4
-X-Men: First Class
-Captain America
-Drive
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
-Jane Eyre

I really wanted to see 'Shame' and 'A Dangerous Method' (Fassbender) but neither of them came to my town. I was hoping that maybe Mr. Fassbender would be nominated for 'Shame' 1. so I could see him on the red carpet and 2. so there was maybe a snow ball's chance in hell it would come to my town.

Derby Gear Bag

2012-01-24T10:29:00.000-06:00

I was so excited to make myself a bag that I rushed it a bit. Has that ever happened in your crafting? I get that itch and I just go to town. I had some upholstery fabric on hand that I liked so I decided to make a bag out of that. I ended up just making a HUGE tote bag with tons of pockets on the inside and out. I like it but I would like something with some more structure.

This is what my floor looked like the other day. I just started cutting and sewing.

Finished bag! I still need to add a button or something to the front pocket so it just doesn't flop open.

Plus side: It is big enough for ALL of my gear and extra workout clothes, etc.

Can't really see but lots of big pockets on the inside for pads, mouth guard, socks. I think in the future I will make a new bag and hopefully it will be out of something more canvas like so I has some more structure to it. But for now I love having just one bag of stuff to lug around and not 2 or 3 like I did before. And since I already had the fabric I am calling this 'free' which is nice.

We also got a present at practice last night! Bracelets! Skate Fast + Med City Mafia + Hit Hard. We will be selling them at our upcoming fundraiser. Practice last night was brutal. I have some good bruises to prove it.

Weekend wrap up and Derby Gear Bag Wishlist

2012-01-22T20:30:00.001-06:00

Derby Gear Bag Wishlist by rubymarilyn featuring a wheeled travel luggage

What a sweet weekend. Friday I got to see 'The Lion King' on stage. Saturday I saw 'Haywire' (Fassbender!) and I got to hang out with my ladies. I made a yummy pear crostini. There was a bit of a snafu with the dogs eating an entire package of hamburger buns....but I am finally over that. Today my sister and I hit the stores. I mostly got things I needed like toliet paper and batteries but I did splurge on clothes on sale. I bought a button up shirt, sleep pants, sweater, and large scarf for less than $20! Win!

I really wanted to hit the fabric store but we got there and they were closing. They were also bitches about it. So now I have to find a new fabric store....hmmm. I wanted fabric for a new derby gear bag. My polyvore set above was sort a wish list/ inspiration set. I might just suck it up and use some fabric that I already have. I should be de-stashing not buying more fabric. I have a gym bag but it is not big enough to fit all my gear. Tonight I am going to continue doing some sketches and I might make an interim bag. The one I have in my head is going to be epic and will need a lot more time to complete.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and if you are in MN be careful on the roads! Pure ice tonight. Not fun.

The Lion King

2012-01-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

I had not been to the theater in quite a long time but last night that pattern was broken with a trip to the Twin Cities to see 'The Lion King'. I was excited about this trip for awhile but I think I forgot how amazing it was supposed to be because when the circle of life started up and those AMAZING costumed/puppeted animals came out on stage I started to tear up. Yep. I cried at the costume design. It was just so perfect. Plus that is totally my kind of theater, spectacle. I like a big show.

This is just an example of the costumes. My favorites were the giraffes.

Since I can't help myself I had to dress with a bit of theme.

I kept it fairly simple with these earrings. Aren't they darling? They remind me of vintage animal jewelry. I snagged them for $3 about a month ago and waited to debut them until last night. My friends were mostly lucky that I decided not to wear my full length faux-leopard coat. : )

Better late than never...

2012-01-17T10:00:00.001-06:00

Yay late Christmas presents getting done...finally! Here is my second t-shirt quilt. I was really working hard to get it done for Christmas but then I bought the wrong size backing material and I just froze. I even went and bought some new fabric before the new year but then the project just sat staring at me. Taunting me. But finally I put it together. I wasn't sure when I was going to see my friend to give it to her so through the power of facebook I sent her a picture. She saw the top when it was put together already but it does feel good to have it done.

I liked this quilt a lot because it is made up of both her and her husband's quilt. I think that is a cute way to meld the collections together and a super practical one if either party doesn't have enough old t shirts on their own! (Are there people like that? I am already saving up for my second quilt!)

Used a red flannel sheet for the backing. Pretty cozy, and it looks like we are going to need it because our unseasonably warm winter is about to come to a screeching halt. Being from MN we like to be sort of hard core about the temperature but this year we have not had a chance to become acclimated to it yet so we are pretty much going to be a state full of whiny cold people for a few weeks before we toughen up for another season.

Golden Globes 2012

2012-01-16T10:01:00.000-06:00

The Globes never quite live up to my standards of awesome as far as awards season goes but I watch it nonetheless and it is always a fun time. All you need to do is gather any friends that have the evening free, add some take out food and mix! Even people who don't know anything about the nominees will have something fun to say about dress choices.

As far as fashion goes this year was pretty good. I love the bold shapes and colors that people were rocking and besides a few near misses I liked the glam looks.

Favorite of the night was actually Kelly Osbourne! She was commentating for E! on the red carpet but her dress was sublime. The color and structure really worked for her and I love love LOVE her granny gray hair thing she has going on. I am such a little old lady at heart.

My other favorite of the night was Evan Rachel Wood. Her dress was the perfect amount of 'wow' without being over the top. The classy silhouette and dark color made her sparkly, scaly, feathery dress perfection.

As far s the show goes it was a bit ho hum. Ricky Gervais played the same act he did last year but this year it just did not work. Where as last year he seemed a little renegade and dangerous this year he felt completely contrived. Over it.

The worst part about the show? NOT ENOUGH MICHAEL FASSBENDER! He had a huge year with Jane Eyre, X Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, and Shame (for which he was nominated!) Do people really not get how amazing he is? Do they not understand what a huge star he is about to become? Sure I would love to keep him to myself but for people in the know he is already the bees knees and I would appreciate a little more screen time.

Apparently he WAS on the red carpet. Damn you E!. We had to watch every damn kid from Glee strut their stuff but you couldn't afford any screen time with Michael? Grrrrr.

Next up for awards season is the Academy Awards on Feb. 26th. Get ready for party time! We are returning to our old theme of dressing up as your favorite movie character from 2012. It does not have to be from a nominated film, just something from 2012 you liked. Last time we did this I went as James Franco from 'Pineapple Express'. Good times.

Fail.

2012-01-12T09:58:00.000-06:00

Hmm. It looks like I only made it eight days in before things started to fall apart. Story of my life. I seriously considered catching up today but then I realized I was already stressed about a bunch of other stuff I need to do today. So without further ado I am bowing out. Didn't last long did I? With the week I have had I was simply over it.

But I do have a lot of other projects in my head for this year. And yes a lot of them are going to be necklaces because I started an idea sheet and some of them I want to try out. Other upcoming projects including an Oscars series (as soon as nominations come out!) and a rather heavy focus on my new love of roller derby.

Cheers. And good luck with whatever projects you have in the works!

8/365 Bow-nanza

2012-01-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

Day 8. I have seen super cute versions of this all over the internet. I figured it would be easy enough to try on my own. I like the results but I think it might be too chunky. Never thought I would say that.

Spending the rest of my time trying to think of a Derby names. Seriously. All day long. Gotta pick by the team meeting tomorrow. I can't do clever under pressure.

7/365

2012-01-08T07:34:00.000-06:00

Day 7

A little more romantic.

Crochet, chain, and a bobble from an old necklace.

*Fun fact. The internet at my new place is set for a parental control time-lock. This explains why all of a sudden at night my internet will not work. Hence another semi-late post. Now that I know what the problem is though I can fix it!

6/365

2012-01-06T23:20:00.000-06:00

Day 6. Fringe benefits.

Once again made out of t-shirt scraps.

Roller Derby

2012-01-05T23:08:00.000-06:00

It has finally happened! My city is starting its own Roller Derby team! YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!! There was a bout this fall where different MN teams came to town and it sparked a lot of interest. So much so that a lady put an ad out on Craigslist to see if anyone else was interested in starting a team. A few people answered the call, got some gear together and started skating. Now it is an official team with practices, and sponsors, and events planned! My sister and I joined and tonight we had our first 'wheels on the ground' practice. It is a whole different ball game getting back into skating. I don't think I have been on anything skate like for years and years. My legs burn but it is going to be so much fun. As long as I don't break anything I will be happy.

I still need to come up with a super sweet and unique name (harder than you would think) and gain some major skating skills but I am already loving my new derby family! : )

My first pair of skates!!! They are for sure a 'starter set' but I hope they will serve me well in the learning process.

5/365 Poker Face

2012-01-05T22:58:00.000-06:00

Day 5. Still in odds and ends mode.

Silver chain and poker chips. Once again extra long but I looped it. I am just really into the idea of really flexible pieces.

4/365 A Necklace a Day....late edition.

2012-01-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

Day 4...a bit late. I will not feel bad about this though because this was completely technical difficulties territory. The necklace was made and photographed but I could not get on the internet last night. So here is day four with day five arriving this afternoon.

A bit of free form crochet in a white and sparkly yarn. I am also using this project to work on some of my yarn stash as well. I think any crafter around will agree with me that it is always a problem : )

Bit hard to see some of the chunky details in the pics but it was a fun one to make.

Shout out to my mom who bought me a little baby space-heater the other day. I am a basement dweller now and I guess I complained one to many times about being cold. But good lord does this little heater feel good on me right now!!!

3/365 A Necklace a Day

2012-01-03T19:38:00.000-06:00

Day 3.

Can you tell I am into long necklaces right now? Ha. I just love the idea of long 'cozy' necklaces. This one is also made from tshirt scraps from a recent t-shirt quilt. I really believe in creating as little waste as possible when I craft. This is the perfect project to use up some of those mountains of fabric scraps that I 'had' to keep.

Double it up for a shorter look. This reminds me a bit of Lisbeth Salander from 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. I just recently saw the American film (I also have seen the original film but have not read the books) so it must be in my head a bit right now.

2/365 A Necklace a Day

2012-01-02T23:03:00.000-06:00

Day 2! Is it worrisome that this post is happening at almost 11pm on day 2? Perhaps but I had the design in my head and I knew I wasn't getting home until later so I am completely ok with it.

Here it is! Completely inspired by Game of Thrones the TV show that I am currently obsessed with. They wear so much gorgeous fur in the show for about a week after I finished the first season I wandered around telling everyone how much I wanted a fur cape. Originally I was thinking of a fur/crochet hybrid scarf but I decided to scale it down to fit the necklace theme.

-Faux fur
-braided recycled tshirt scraps
-silver chain

See all that cozy fur goodness? Winter may be coming but they are going to look good doing it. P.S. I have a thing for Sean Bean as well. Love him.

Happy New Year! + the start of A Necklace a Day

2012-01-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! 2011 is finally over and we have a brand new year to start off with a bang. I don't know about you but 2011 was not my favorite year. I had some really good times but it did not have the zing that say 2010 or 2008 did. I think I am an every other year kind of girl.

I spent New Years Eve in the chillest way possible. Sitting on my couch watching movies with a good friend. Pink champagne was still involved but I did not break out a sparkly dress this year. But it was really good- just what I needed. Best quotes of the night included, "The movie is called Warrior not pussy" and "Drinking champagne out of mason jars? It is like we are having a Harlan County New Years!"

I am trying to be optimistic about 2012. So far I have no huge plans in the works besides my friend's wedding in September (I have to go order my dress! Annndddd I might be making them wedding pie...more to come). I am just hoping to go with the flow and figure some stuff out. Other than the wedding I hope to go to some good concerts and get into some new activities. Roller Derby here I come!

To give myself some sort of direction this year (and a challenge) I am starting a 365 project. Inspired by many others doing similar projects I thought I would try my hand at it. If you are interested in hearing about what other people are doing/have done I highly recommend this blog. I have decided to make a necklace a day for a year. Starting now. Rules will be fairly simple. Post a handmade necklace everyday on the blog. I wanted something that would be crafty but also focused and doable. I believe that necklaces will be a narrow enough requirement to keep some of my 'crazy' out of the equation but will be perfect time-wise, space-wise, and money-wise. There is still a ton of room for creativity including themes, techniques, materials, etc. If I know I have trips or events I will make the necklaces ahead of time and just try to keep on schedule. I have a feeling things are going to get pretty random...I already have some ideas for some large fun STATEMENT necklaces that will hopefully be fairly epic.

I will still continue to post any other fun crafts or baking adventures that come my way but I have a feeling that this project will be the most prevalent part of the blog this year.

Here is number 1:

A little bit of granny, a little bit of punk this necklace is a combination of a chunky vintage chain and some hand crochet work.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers.

Thinking of a 365

2011-12-28T09:00:00.004-06:00

Been thinking a lot lately about a 365 project. Basically doing something every day for a whole year. As the new year draws closer I am craving meaning and direction and I think perhaps this kind of project could help me with that. I think of myself as a creative person but I know that I lack direction and discipline. One week it is jewelry the next it is dolls the next quilting. I am all over the place and I always have been in most areas of my life. I changed my major about 4 times before I just wrote my own. I have extremely eclectic taste in music, movies, food, fashion, and often get on 'kicks' that are intense but short lived and inevitably fizzle out until the next thing comes along.

I thought my life direction would present itself to me in a nice little package in college. Didn't happen. For the past few years since I have been floundering in a world of low wage jobs as my friends start careers, get married, and settle down. Of course I do have a pretty good idea of things I do not want to do but that isn't the most helpful. I know that I do want to do something creative. I want to work with my hands and make.

I do not know what it will be yet but I think a 365 project will help me out of my rut. From reading about/following several others it seems like a really great exersise to do. It might not fix all my problems or answer all my questions but perhaps it will give me the structure I need to get to the next step. Maybe it will be a 365 days, maybe 52 weeks, maybe it will be a year of different monthly themed projects. Whatever it is I am going to figure it out soon because what better time to start than the new year.

Have any of you attempted a 365? What were your projects? How are they going/ how did they go? I would love to hear about more!

Team Friendship

2011-12-27T09:27:00.000-06:00

My friends are such nerds. Recently the joke has been 'Team Friendship' and it is our slogan, motto, and battle cry. Two friends in particular were really into the idea. They decided who was in (almost everyone :) and they also wrote a little jingle that they sing together. We joked about getting t-shirts or sweatshirts made. So when Christmas rolled around and I was having trouble thinking of gifts for people I decided a couple of sweatshirts where just the thing. Of course I waited too long to get them screen printed so I headed to my trusty craft store and bought some flocked iron-on letters.

The results were pretty good!

They loved their gifts. Now I will probably make more for the other members!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-27T09:19:00.000-06:00

The last few days have been a whirlwind of holiday celebrations. Thanks to all my friends and family who made it such a special season! I will have to do a post about the generous gifts I received (my friends know me so well!) but today I am going to share with you a little post on what to do with some of that Christmas candy you got in your stocking.

Candy Christmas Trains!

This is a project my mom used to make when I was little. I made a few up this year to give with gifts but they would also make great party favors, gift card holders, ornaments, or place cards.

Basics:

Candy. At the very least you need a pack of stick gum and some lifesavers. Around Christmas I buy the lifesavers in the 'holiday storybook' packs of six. I had to hunt around for the gum but the basic candy aisle in the store is your best bet. For the wheels peppermints work nicely. The 'cab' is a flatter piece of chocolate and the smoke stack is an upside down chocolate bell but a chocolate kiss works nicely as well. These are simply guidelines you can tailor it to your tastes and needs.

Now all you need is your trusty glue gun.

The order really doesn't matter as long as it works for you but for me I always start with the gum and lifesavers, then the chocolates on top and the wheels last. Since it is hot glue it dries super quick and when you are ready to eat it you just pop off the candy.

I made up a whole bunch for this family I babysit for...unfortunately the mom let them dig in right away and 5 minutes later the trains where decimated and I was left with 4 very sugared up kiddos! My mom used to make lots of these and I would take them to school as a treat. Since they are not strictly Christmas-y they work really nicely for that. We just always had them at Christmas so that is what I think of when I see them.

Have fun with it and Happy Crafting!

Holiday Decorating on a Budget

2011-12-15T11:20:00.000-06:00

And when I say 'on a budget' I mean zero money. Well actually I think I spent 3 bucks on computer paper.

I took some old Christmas garland from my mom's house and spent a night watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and cut out some paper snowflakes. I didn't use any fancy schmancy patterns but I hear that there are some really good ones out there.

Strung some up with yarn to add some dimension above our table- also borrowed the table cloth from my mom!

My empty frames are back! I just love them so much. I strung them with some vintage white garland and hung a single snowflake from each one.

We decided to leave our 'Three Broomsticks' decoration up from the Harry Potter Party so I decorated them too. (Roomie changed the sign to read 'It's a Wonderful Life'!)

All the extra snowflakes got stuck up on a blank spot. Easy, festive, cheap. That is the only way I decorate! We have been just getting warmer temperatures and rain for the last couple of days here in MN so our perfect dusting of snow has left us! Hopefully we will get some more before Christmas...until then the inside of our house will have to function as our Winter Wonderland.

Happy Holidays!

Keep crafting...only ten days left before Christmas!

All I want for Christmas....Tickets to the SOLD OUT Doomtree BLOWOUT tonight.

2011-12-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

Not gonna happen but a girl can dream right? As long as I am dreaming I might as well add that I want Michael Fassbender to take me to the concert. Sheesh.

What unattainable things are you wishing for this holiday season?

Happy December!

2011-12-05T21:50:00.000-06:00

This post celebrates finally have internet at my new place. Plugged in and ready to go! December is here and now is the time to buckle down and get stuff done. I already have a white elephant party under my belt and the month will hopefully be filled with other fun with friends and loved ones.

Until then I will be waiting under the mistletoe, just like Joan Crawford....

I am in love with this picture.

Happy Holidays!

Candy&Snowflakes Earring GIVEAWAY

2011-11-17T17:07:00.000-06:00

Sorry Thanksgiving, but I just don't care that much about you. Sure I will hopefully be with people I love and eat tons of food but I can't get excited for you like I can for Halloween or CHRISTMAS!

Yep I am sort of skipping right over Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas. One thing I have already done is make myself some festive holiday earrings. I could have gone to the mall and probably found some but where is the fun in that? Instead I hit up the craft store and got crackin'. I am so in love with these post earrings that I made.

Perfect for me to wear at work! Snowflakes are always gold in my book and these candy earrings will be more than perfect when I help out with the Gingerbread House class.

I love them so much I made a few more pairs and put them in the shop. And I decided that you can win a set of these cuties for yourself!

Just leave a comment between now and Thanksgiving about what you are most excited about for this holiday season and you will be entered into the 'drawing' for a set of candy and snowflake earrings in GREEN.

Everyone else will be shopping on Black Friday but you can win a treat for yourself or a gift for someone on your list! Sounds like a win to me...

Winner announced Friday, November 25th.

Good luck!

T Shirt Quilt

2011-11-11T08:56:00.000-06:00

I made one for myself a couple of years ago but it was more of a 'blanket' since I didn't put any batting in it.

This one is the real deal. Not perfect but pretty cool. My friend was going through his clothes and he was making a pile of t-shirts that he either no longer wore or didn't like the way they fit anymore and I mentioned that I could make him a quilt. He was immediately like "YES! I have always wanted one of those!" He was so enthusiastic in fact that I had to ask if he was being serious. After assuring me that he was in fact excited I took the bag of t-shirts away with me. Got some batting on sale and bought a clearance priced jersey sheet set to use for the back.

Happy 11.11.11 ! I hope this day is filled with good things for you all.

Something different

2011-11-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

My love for Boardwalk Empire grows every episode. Not many shows can make me almost throw up (see last episode) and swoon (see last episode) at the same time. Ah mob violence and forbidden love affairs! Anyway I am pretty much obsessed with anything Margaret Schroeder wears. The costumes on this show are amazing! Also the hair is great. I was inspired enough to try my hand at Margaret's hairstyle.

I couldn't find a good picture of the back but it is all twisty and lovely.

Here is what I came up with:

For more hair inspiration a couple of my favorite blogs are Bobby Pin Blog (and her books!) and Casey's Elegant Musings (not strictly hair but she has had some of my favorite tutorials for hair and her blog is just lovely in general).

Harry Potter Crafts

2011-11-08T09:02:00.000-06:00

Trying to do a bit of cleanup today around the house...no I haven't moved yet and it looks as though the snow is going to beat me. Oh well, it will get figured out! I wanted to share a few 'before' shots for you today with the Harry Potter crafts I did for the party the other day.

Also this is all evidence that you can do some really cool things with little to no money. Work with what you have, be creative and have fun with it!

First up: Wands! The party was supposed to be BYOW (Bring your own wand) but being the nerd that I am I decided to make some after finding a super cool tutorial online. Sticks from the yard plus hot glue and paint that I already had= the most awesome Harry Potter wands ever! They seriously rivaled the one 'real wand' from Harry Potter World. Cost: $0

While google-ing 'Harry Potter Parties' I found lots of kids parties. Go figure. But an idea I did really like was the platform 9 3/4 bit. So I went to a fabric store and found this in the remnant bin.

Tip- don't try to paint straight lines on grass! Dumb idea...I moved to some concrete to get the job done. I had to bust out one of those little knee saver pads to work on this project but it was worth it.

I used a board in my garage to make the horizontal lines. I poured out a TON of paint...you actually don't need very much at all. To make the 'bricks' I found a smaller board about the right size and just staggered the bricks.

At the party it was taped right to the door so when guests entered the party they had to 'go through it'. Project cost: $3

Of course I needed a sign for platform 9 3/4 ! Some people would say I am a hoarder..but I say I am useful. I rummaged around the garage again and found these old cabinet doors from when our kitchen was redone years ago. These have come in handy in many a craft project! I busted out a drill and put two small holes in the 'upper' corners to hang it from.

Then I busted out some red spray paint I already had and gave it a coat front and back. I traced a plate to get the circle and free handed the lettering and numbers (sketched it out a bit in pencil first). All the paint I already had and then We just used some cord I had to string it up. It looked pretty cool lit by the outdoor light as guests arrived. Project cost: $0

For my Bellatrix costume I had this black costume-y 'basic' shift in my costume closet. I first cut the sleeves off and then 'sewed' them back on with a thick black cord. It was a bit skinny towards the bottom so I slit up the sides to the hips, layered it over a black poofy prom dress and then used my mock black corset I made for the cemetery walk and layered that on top. I also added some gold paint swirls to the shift around the neckline and on the sleeves. I don't have a good 'after' shot but for no money it was a pretty sweet costume. Costume cost: $0

The day of we were still crafting, decorating, and cooking like mad. The birthday girl was going as Hermione and wanted a time turner. She is holding it in this picture. The hourglass is two mini bottles filled with a bit of salt and hot glued shut. Then we found two craft frames (the little plastic kind for needlework) so I hot glued those back to back and then built up some hot glue to put the hourglass. Once it set up I painted the glue with a bit of gold paint so it gave it a little shimmer and didn't look so much like glue! Found an old vintage chain in my jewelry making box and done! Might be my favorite craft of the day because it came together really randomly just grabbing things from around my craft room. Cost: $0!

A Very Haunted Harry Potter Birthday Party

2011-10-30T23:18:00.000-05:00

It was a lot of work and we were scrambling at the end a bit but the party came together rather nicely and was a SUPER GOOD TIME. Probably the best 'Halloween Saturday' (as I like to call it) in quite a long time. I just can't help imagining what I could do with more time and money!

Cauldron cakes, licorice wands, Bertie Bott's every flavored beans, and dips, chips, and other goodies.

The Three Broomsticks

Butterbeer!

Group shot (thanks to Muggle camera woman Miranda)

Fluffy

Doby the house elf

Time turner!

Ron

Hermione

Dolores Umbridge

Trelawney

Harry Potter

Professor McGonagall

Trelawney (less unhinged)

The birthday kids. Hahahahahaa. I love this picture! I will write another post and go into some of the crafty details in a different post. But for now I wish you a good nights rest before All Hallows Eve.

Happy Haunting!

Nerding out

2011-10-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

The day is being spent making up treat bags, starting costumes, and working on some pretty nerdy Harry Potter related crafts. In the meantime I leave you with something that made my little nerd heart sing.

Wes Anderson Meets Scream

Flashback Halloween: The Ghost and the Devil

2011-10-25T09:43:00.000-05:00

Not just a ghost. I emphasized the eyes and the mouth, added black and glow in the dark spiders, and made sure that the bottom edge was good and roughed up. Once my little sister got into the costume game I was no longer going to be the most adorable.

ONE WEEK UNTIL HALLOWEEN!!!!

2011-10-24T08:39:00.000-05:00

Hey there gals and ghouls, the real countdown begins! One week from today is Halloween! Saturday I am helping with the nerd-fest known as the Harry Potter themed bday/Halloween party and as such I am going to be sharing Harry Potter posts all week.

Here is a little something to get you warmed up. Which house are you?

Change of plans

2011-10-22T00:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes change is a good thing. My friends were planning on having a co-bday party/Halloween party and having it literary themed. Everyone was supposed to come as a favorite character from literature. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and directionless at the same time. Then an unexpected twist. Both of the co-hosts were considering going as Harry Potter characters and so they decided it would be even more fun to just have a giant Harry Potter themed party! Still bookish but it gave me the specificity that I needed to really make this party work. Now the ideas are flying on decorations, food, etc. AND my costume is now a no brainer. I am going to be Bellatrix Lestrange.

Done.

More Halloween Shopping

2011-10-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hit a couple of stores up yesterday. Fabric store was having a pattern sale!!!!!!

I picked up these beauties for 99 cents each!!!!! If I had bought all these patterns at full price my bill would have come to $142.60! That is insane. Which is why I always stock up.

Also picked up some Halloween school type items. I am making little gift bags for my friend's first grade class.

Then I hit up a thrift store and got all these beauties for $1! I have a weird fascination with old photo books. The others were just cool. The gray book underneath is probably going to be sacrificed for bday party decorations. My friends are having a literary themed bday party next week that I am helping with. Everyone is supposed to come dressed as their favorite literary character. Cool idea but it is harder than it seems right now I am between:

Dorian Gray
Sherlock Holmes
Jane Eyre
Crazy wife from Jane Eyre
Nancy Drew
or Mary from The Secret Garden

Also have a couple more 'kid books' ideas like going as a giant palm tree and being 'Chika chika Boom boom' or a giant red mitten with beanie babies spilling out of it and being 'The Mitten'.

Costume Thoughts: Men in Costume

2011-10-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

As Halloween is fast approaching I wanted to say a little something about costumes...but as I started thinking about it I found out that I have quite a bit on my mind about costumes this year so we are going to break it down a bit.

First Up: Men in Costume

It is a fact of life that if I ever get married it will be to a man who loves Halloween. Heck there may be a Halloween themed wedding...but seriously a good costume on a guy can go a long way to winning a pretty witch's heart.

1. Handmade is always best. It shows that you care. It shows that you put time and effort into it. Re-using your comic-con costume is ok. Wearing the SAME handmade Halloween costume three years in a row with no alterations is not ok.

Nerd alert! And yet I want to know who is in that costume...

2. Pick something fun. You may have slaved over that scary-ass clown costume for weeks and added more fake blood than you know what to do with but no one is going to want to hang out with you. The best you are going to get is passerbys wanting a picture before they run away in terror.

Those lovely ladies are not going to be sticking around for long. 'Burger King' in the background is kind of clever though.

3. When in doubt go overboard. Nobody liked the Steve Jobs zombies at this year's ZPC. Why? First it was a bit 'too soon' and second it took NO EFFORT. A turtleneck and some fake blood does not a costume make. Boo. If you are worried that no one else is going to be as 'in costume' as you are going to be you either are going to the wrong parties or have lame friends or both. Change accordingly to fit with your super sweet costume.

Extra points for group costumes

Bonus: Really looking to win some hearts? Go obscure. Do movie characters. Do quirky characters no one is expecting. If you are going for a well known/common costume you best make sure you do it BETTER than anyone else. Here are just a few characters/costumes that if some guy was wearing I would probably fall in love with them.

Michael Fassbender in XMen First Class. Actually if you can convey Michael Fassbender anything to me you win.

Looking for a super easy costume that I would accept and LOVE? Look to the movie Drive

White satin jacket (with gold scorpion on the back=extra points), driving gloves, aviators, toothpick. Done.

Anyone from Boardwalk Empire. Think 3 piece suits. Include great details like a red carnation in the lapel, slick hair, etc. Extra points? Go as Harrow from the show. Love.

Edward Scissorhands. Once again...LOVE. This gets extra points for have 'The Inventor' as a sidekick (read wingman).

I could go on. Bottom line: Have fun with your costume!

Happy Haunting!

Currently Obsessed With: Daryl from The Walking Dead

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

Normally I would just say that I was obsessed with 'The Walking Dead'- the zombie-rific tv show from AMC. But after catching the Season 2 premiere on Sunday I think my current obsession is much more Daryl based. Yes my crush on Andrew Lincoln was renewed, yes I love all the zombie-ness and the discussions that arise from it but I was really digging Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. He is the resident bad boy with a heart of gold and I think that is why I love him. His brother on the show was kinda awful but so far Daryl is the man there when you need him (and least expect him) and he seems to have the best skill set for living in the zombie filled world.

Sure the days of absolute drop-dead-gorgeousness may be gone (See Boondock Saints) but his crossbow skills and his arms alone make me sort of drool a little. If he keeps kicking ass and saving lives like he did Season 2 Episode 1 he is sure to remain my own personal fan favorite.

Also I just want to mention that I really miss having AMC as they are in full swing now for the scary Halloween time movies. Sigh.

Happy Zombie Hunting!

Flashback Halloween: Black Cat

2011-10-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

Holy crap was I adorable! I still remember this costume fondly. My mom made me a tail out of old black panty hose. She also gussied up a cat mask with some sequins and added fake fingernails to my gloves for 'claws'. From there on it was just as much black layering as was needed for that particular Halloween night.

In other news: I missed a few days on the Countdown to Halloween due to a camping trip that sort of snuck up on me so I had no time to write a few future posts. This week is all about catching up and moving! Yep I am finally moving out of my house. After quitting my full time job that was destroying my soul I had to move back home. Since then I have been telling myself that when I move again it will be for good. Well I have no way of knowing that for sure but I decided quite suddenly this weekend that I was ready to move on. I have definitely been dragging my feet on the topic with the greatest argument against moving being "but all my stuff is already here" which is no way to live life. So although my life may not be exactly moving forward as much as I would like at least it is moving. Now to balance moving into a new place while still getting ready for my favorite Holiday.....I AM STILL IN NEED OF A COSTUME AND IT IS FREAKING ME OUT.

Ok. Stay calm, and Happy Haunting.

Dollar Store Halloween: Hedges

2011-10-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

One of my main crafty rules in life is 'use what you've got'. For awhile now I was thinking about adding some skulls to this large hedge that borders the sidewalk. I like subtlety in my Halloweeny outdoor decor. Don't get me wrong I love a good yard display but as I am not quite there yet I am enjoying adding spooky touches to my yard throughout the month making it spookier as we go.

So today is Part Two of our Dollar Store Halloween outdoor decor series: Hedges

Remember these little guys from the Halloween Shopping of a couple weeks ago? Well now we are going to get some use out of them.

First off they were looking a little 'perfect' for my taste so I mixed up some red, black, and green paint with some water and basically started to 'baste' the skulls in this color mix. Since they are plastic they wont take the color exceedingly well but I was going for a weathered uneven look so every few minutes I would just add another watery layer of paint and let it dry. I did mine outside so they dried pretty quickly.

This next part is the most difficult and if kids are interested in this project this will be the part where parental supervision is a MUST. Seriously. Now you may find a better way to do this but what I did was create two small holes on the back of my skulls using a nail and a hammer. Then I made the holes bigger with a couple of screwdrivers. Since these are dollar store skulls the plastic is not very thick and once you get the hang of it this step actually goes pretty quick. Just be careful since other types of plastic could be more durable/slippery increasing risk of injury. After all the holes were made I used black pipe cleaners and threaded them through the holes. This took a bit of patience but once I figured out a good size to make the holes and curving the pipe cleaners a bit it worked quite nicely. I then twisted the pipe cleaner just like a huge twist tie and they are then ready to twist tie to my hedges!

Feel free to use something else other than pipe cleaners- I just happened to have some of these on hand but you could for sure use craft wire, actual twist ties, even string. Get creative and 'use what you've got'. After you have all your twist tie like items attached nestle them into hedges, bushes, small trees or anywhere else they would be creepy. I liked the idea of making them almost hidden so you wouldn't see them right away but these would also look cool on a chain link or picket fence.

Here is the hedge- I have actually already hidden the seven skulls within the leaves. Even I can't really tell where they are!

I put this one near my 'garden of the undead' as sort of a transition skull.

The rest I hid among the leaves.

I made sure this one was trick-or-treat-er height. Since they are already hard to spot I don't expect to freak too many kids out but I think it would be a little spooky if they caught one out of the corner of their eye!

Variations:
-add more skulls throughout the month and have a sign saying 'lost trick-or-treat-ers'
-with some patience you could probably get creative with some lights and add them in the skulls. A couple small holes in the eye sockets and you would have a very creepy Halloween display. Creepy during the day- terrifying at night.

Dollar Store Halloween: In the Garden

2011-10-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to show you a couple of insanely easy outdoor Halloween decorations that you can do with Dollar Store items. Advantages to using Dollar Store items cheap, easy, and non-heartbreaking when some jerk takes/destroys it. (Ever since my young pumpkin smashing I am sure that all my decorations will be taken or destroyed). Also my dollar store items saved me some time. I could have maybe made some paper mache skulls (the original plan) but I am just running out of time! So here goes.

Part One: The Garden

The garden is a perfect place for the Undead to lurk. Most of the flowers/veggies are already gone for the season and most people don't mind if you dig a little bit in a garden. Yards people get really cranky, but gardens are pretty safe.

Here are the starters I used: Severed hands and feet. (The skulls we will be using tomorrow!)

This is so easy kids should be encouraged to help! Simply dig and plant! The trick is to make sure you get your limbs in the ground deep enough that they wont pop out but out enough that you can see them. I brushed leaves all around mine too to cover up the disturbed soil.

This one I put the foot and hand to look as though someone where buried there.

Super easy- yes- but also pretty fun. Put out as few or as many as you like and at the end of the season a quick spray with the hose and they are ready for next year. (For use with the same craft or a different idea.

Variations:

-wrap hands/feet in scraps of fabric for a mummified look.
-add brown/red paint for a bloodier/muddier look
-add tombstones to your garden or the hands to your yard front graveyard.

Flashback Halloween: Little Witch

2011-10-10T15:00:00.001-05:00

Time for another Halloween Flashback! This picture is from the same year as the first one but this is me in all my costume glory. Yep, you are seeing right folks. That is a batman t-shirt masquerading as a witch costume. I am not sure why they didn't at least turn it inside out, but this should give you a little insight into my deep love for Batman. Completing the look is a cape, black witch hat (I still have that hat), a witch glow stick thingy (safety first), and my McDonalds witch bucket (that I also still have.) This was my first year trick or treating at this house and I would grow to know the neighborhood well by who gave the best candy.

I am still in brain-freeze mode when it comes to this year's costume. Do you know what you are going to be yet? Any good ideas floating out there?

Happy Haunting!

Zombie Time

2011-10-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Finally! The crawl has come and gone and a fairly good time was had by all. Our group was fun but sort of too large. I ran into some dear old friends and just other old friends who for reasons we don't need to go into will probably not be my friends after that night! Sigh. Drama. And zombies. Sometimes those things just go hand in hand. But on to the crawl!

Good times. I think last year was a little more fun but it is still an experience!

Now that is taken care of I need to figure out a Halloween costume!

Happy Haunting...

...Last of the details

2011-10-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

Well this post is just sort of a wrap up of the zombiefication process.

Made some little brain matter barrettes to nestle into my hair. This was just one plastic brain that I bought from the dollar store and ripped up into smaller bits. I tried hot gluing the clips on but it didn't work the best so for some of them I just used a couple of stitches to tack it down.

I made this 'wooden finger' out of an plastic glove and masking tape. A little brown paint on top and it will serve it's purpose well. (Although it did fall apart towards the end of the night.)

Zombie makeup case.

Zombied! The night before the crawl I shredded up my items and added paint for mud and blood. This way I got really good coverage for my bloody look but it was not messy at all! All I had to do was my hair and makeup the day of.

My 'handbag' with the extra fingers glued to it...see what I did there? Handbag. Hahhahahaha.

Almost ready...

2011-10-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

The last couple days have been a bit of a mad scramble to make sure everything is zombified as possible. Tonight is going to be epic.

Alteration of glove.

The outfit in the official 'before' photo.

First things first. Before blood and rips and mud you need to make your costume as functional as possible. This means adding pockets. Events like Zombie Pub Crawl are super fun but they are also long and you are probably not going to be heading back to your 'home base' anytime soon. Even though this coat has pockets on the outside I wanted to add one on the inside for things like my ID and cash. (Just for the record, who else thinks it is kinda pointless to ID someone when they are in full zombie getup?) Anywhoo I put on the coat and marked where I wanted my pocket to be (for me this was somewhere below my bust line- I don't need to be adding any more bulk up there). Then I just cut a piece of scrap fabric to the approximate size and sewed on three sides.

It does not have to look good! But it does need to actually hold stuff. Pockets will make your life so much better. Make sure you have plenty and remember when you get the the 'slashing' stage to be careful not to cut through your uber handy pocket.

Speaking of hands... I wanted to make Margot's signature barrette zombie-esque. So I bought a pack of severed fingers at the dollar store and used a plain hair clip I had in my craft stash.

The fingers actually kind of freaked me out! The unused fingers are going to be incorporated into my costume as well...waste not...

The final clip. I ended up sewing it on because the hot glue wasn't really working for me. Again the sewing of this fake plastic finger kinda grossed me out. Apparently I am not really made for this type of work!

Now off to finish aging and bloody-ing. The crawl is tonight! Stagger forth my fellow zombies!

Be safe and happy Z-Day!

They are coming...

2011-10-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

...Zombies that is. Last year a group of us went to the Zombie Pub Crawl in Minneapolis, MN.

This year they are going 'all city' and having a dual crawl in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. After much deliberation we have decided to go with the St. Paul crawl. You could buy a wristband to both (and it includes transport between them) but we decided that one city was more than enough last year. And since we already did the Minneapolis thing last year we decided change is good...also the Guinness World Record attempt is happening in St. Paul. At 8pm this Saturday we are all going to be part of the attempt to break the record for the most zombies in a single place! A horde of the living dead. What do we want? BRAINNNNNNSSSSSSSSS. Epic good times ahead.

Of course I take the threat of zombie invasion pretty seriously. I consider every zombie movie I have ever seen to all be part of my training. The pub crawl is a fun way to take all of our (very real) fears and have some fun with it! Some people will get really self-righteous and say that "you shouldn't dress up as a 'fun' zombie as it ruins the authenticity of the crawl". Um? Authenticity? If this was a real thing people would be running for the hills and not to the next watering hole. The best part of the pub crawl is seeing all the super creative zombies out there. Why would I want to just be myself as a zombie? Boring, and may happen some day on its own. This year I predict a high number of Amy Winehouse zombies.

Last year I had a mini-break-down over my costume. I was going to go as 'Mary Poppins Zombie' and I was intensely invested in that idea for like a week. Then the weather was supposed to be really warm so I ended up going as Marie Antoinette Zombie. It all makes sense...trust me. But this year? What to be? I seriously considered Care-Bear Zombie but the lack of pockets and the added difficulty of peeing in a porta potty while wearing a onesie won that argument for itself. Then I thought about returning to the Poppins idea but I couldn't make myself love it. So now I am going as Margot Tenenbaum zombie. Mostly because I love her.

Don't see it?

How about now?

Haha. Well here is what I have thus far:

Dress, coat, bag. All thrifted. Still need: Blond wig, shoes I can destroy, and pink gloves. And of course some much needed zombifying!

Halloween Shopping

2011-10-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Not to be confused with 'Halloween Thrifting' this post is about things bought at a plain old store. Of course most of this haul was from the dollar store. There is something strangely satisfying by getting an entire shopping basket full of skulls and severed hands...

I was a little mad that I found 'grow your own body parts' at the dollar store. You may remember from an earlier post that I bought some at the craft store for $2 each! Boo. But this way I stocked up a bit. Also 'grabbed' a couple more severed hands (get it!) some severed fingers, a brain, a heart, 'spooky curtain' and the good old bag of cheap plastic spider rings! Good stuff. Some will be used for decor and other stuff will be used for this weekend's zombie costume. Oh yes, I said ZOMBIE COSTUME. Zombie pub crawl is this weekend and going to be just as epic as last year! (Ok, it could be a little less epic..)

Annnnnnndddddd I spent too much at the fabric store. Got some super cute stamps for a buck each but then I splurged on some vintage-inspired Halloween fabric. Projects to follow : )

Happy Haunting!!!

Soundtrack to Haunt By

2011-10-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

Oh internet!!!!! LOVE!!!! Pretty much the greatest website ever for those of you who love Halloween.

Halloween Hits is an amazing collection of Halloween music. A new compilation comes out every year! But hurry! The website goes down on Nov. 1st not to return again until next year. Check out past collections as well. I am listening to the 2011 set right now.

Halloween Thrifting!

2011-10-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

Only October 3rd and I have fallen off the wagon....missed a post yesterday but I was not idle! I got a few of my outdoor decorations up.

Got the little skeleton guys up and the windsock and wind chime. Later this week I will be sharing a dollar store outdoor craft.

If you look closely you will see an unhappy fat cat sitting in the window. Unhappy kitty apparently does not like Halloween.

Also I have been trying to be a bit more budget conscious this year so I have been hitting the thrift stores for some Halloween goodness.

This haul is the result of a couple of trips to a certain thrift store. Mondays they have 25% off all of their used merch so I go and stock up! Most of the pumpkin buckets were about 50 cents! Now you can get these in a plethora of colors at Target for a buck but I am enjoying getting different sizes and levels of wear. The little monster figures look like they originally clicked into something and lit up. I just liked them I might try to take off their little caps on the bottoms to see if I can get them to illuminate.

Not Halloween, but just good thrift stuff. Two more pie plates (good lord I have sooo many of these!) A couple of old books. A silver plated cake platter with server and an old orange tupperware set. My mom has one just like this but green.

Happy October!!!!!!!

2011-10-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

The best month of the year is with us again! Welcome to the 31 days of Halloween on the RubyMarilyn blog! The 'plan' is to have as many Halloween related posts as possible including some fun crafting ideas for the spookiest holiday!

Today we begin with a month-long series of My Halloween pictures. These pictures are a record of my Halloween History. So flip through those old albums and cuddle up to a scanner and share your own!

Three year old me on Halloween day posing with our pumpkins. Ah the good old days before I had a sister. We just had three pumpkins back then and this was our first year in the house that I grew up in. The two smaller pumpkins were smashed that year. It had to have been by some pretty young kids because they couldn't lift my dad's pumpkin off the steps (it just looked like they tried to move it and failed). Nothing is sadder to a kid than a smashed pumpkin and I remember being pretty upset. Since that night we never again put our pumpkins on those front steps but kept them by the back door (that we always used) to keep a closer eye on them.

So much to do still this month! Parties to plan, costumes to make, and yes pumpkins to carve. Time to get after it!

Shout out to Katie and James on their wedding day- I will be celebrating with you in a couple of hours!!!

Happy Haunting everyone!

Bustle and flow: Cemetery Walk Costume

2011-09-26T09:55:00.001-05:00

The first official costume of the season has been completed! I volunteer at the local history center and I was asked to help out with the annual 'Cemetery Walk' that they do. It is a pretty cool guided history tour with actors at some spots. Both the actors and guides dressed up. This year's theme was 'crimes and crimefighters' and it was really interesting. It turned out to be a gorgeous day as well and as weird as it sounds the cemetery was really beautiful. But then again I am the weird girl who actually really likes cemeteries.

Problem was I needed a costume and fast. After some research I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to to. A recent problem I have been having is going out too soon and buying a bunch of supplies before I look and see what I already have. Being a pack rat/border line hoarder I had MORE than enough stuff for this project (with just a few bought fill in supplies) and it was a good de-stash project. We have so many clothes and dresses at our house that we are sure we are going to find that 'perfect' project for. Well I found it this weekend and had a blast making a brand new costume that will hopefully serve me many times over (as opposed to say my care bear costume...don't know how I am going to squeeze some more use out of that one!).

On to the costume....

Pretty much ALL of my ideas for this came from two old Threadbanger videos. This one is all Steampunk outfits but the layering idea was super inspiring. The other is a 'Sweeney Todd' episode that I have watched a ton of times, it begins with a great interview of Colleen Atwood (LOVE HER!) and ends with an inspired outfit.

This costume was made in 3 days with an $8 total cost. Yay for being creative!

This is the first dress. Too tiny but cool fabric. Skirt will be used for bustle.

It already has some cool shaping to the back that I am just going to use.

Second dress from stash. Long jersey type. This is going to be pretty much my top layer.

Some pinning and sewing and we have a top! No cutting involved, if I needed too I could take out the stitches and it would be exactly where it started from.

The only supplies I bought.

Stash dress #3. Another too tiny dress that no one actually ever wore. Took out the zipper from the back, detached the bodice from the skirt, saved the frothy layer for another project and used the satiny underskirt for my ruched layered skirt.

Old wedding petticoat from the costume stash. Used a ton of times. These things are like costume gold.

Hat I made from felt, the feather I bought and random scraps from the sewing room. No sewing here only hot glue!

Putting it all together:

Step 1: Put on (now gray) petticoat

Step 2: Layer overskirt. This was also dyed gray in the same dye batch as the petticoat. Added a drawstring waist and ruching all the way around.

OMG I LOVE GRAY! This was my first diy dye job ever and I am in love with the results. Love love love.

Step 3: Layer on bustle. This is a skirt that I sewed to a black ribbon to tie in the front. Added just a couple of rows of ruching to give the front some shape and then I added all the 'poofy stuff' from the original dress under the back to make the bustle. Historically accurate? Not so much but cheap yes!

Ba-donk-a-donk shot for ya. Also I do not recommend driving in a bustle.

Step 4: Layer on the jersey tank dress from earlier.

Step 5: Wiggle into 'corset'. Made from the bodice top of the black and white dress. I was too lazy/time crunched to make it a lace up corset in the back to I just added a few rows of black elastic.

And done! I added a black shrug that I made about a year ago since it was chilly out. I pinned on my hat and wore some fingerless black crochet gloves and was pretty adorable. I was going for 'victorian mourning wear' but everyone thought I looked more like a saloon girl. Whatever. The costume was a big hit either way!

I think my favorite thing about it is that since it is all separate pieces and each piece is either drawstring and or stretchy that this costume can be mixed and matched with different pieces to make a whole new look that will fit a variety of different sizes. I loved the dyeing process and sort of want to dye everything now! It was a lot less intimidating than I thought it would be.

Currently Obsessed With: The 'Drive' Soundtrack

2011-09-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

First off you should go SEE THIS MOVIE! It totally rocks. Fair warning, it gets pretty violent. But trust me when I say that this movie is pretty much perfection. All of the acting is brilliant and the soundtrack gave me chills throughout, which is why I now need to own it. Any Ryan Gosling fans out there? Every single one of you needs to see this movie because damn plus the boy can act. Who knew driving gloves were so sexy? The movie also has the best elevator kiss scene ever. Yeah I rate that kind of thing.

You didn't believe me did you? Well anyway I want the soundtrack so it can play in my car when I drive anywhere.

Maple Cookies

2011-09-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

Working in a bakery my little inner home-baker gets pretty excited. Completely convinced that I would rock at cake decorating I decided to start small and tackle some cookies.

I have been trying to find a recipe/baking technique that produces super smooth professional looking cookies. This one wasn't bad but I feel I can do better! Then I just googled a maple glaze (since I am in full Autumn flavor mode right now) and then topped the cookies with some orange frosting just to play around with decorations.

I boxed some up to give to my friends. Too much cookie goodness to keep to myself!

I got some good reviews from my taste testers so I will have to make another batch soon!

Halloween shopping

2011-09-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the first purchases of this haunting season. While I love me some Halloween DIY there is something about buying Halloween stuff that makes me super happy.

These technically count as diy items since they will be used in some crafty goodness. And you are right those are indeed 'grow your own' body parts. Hehe.

Mini baking dishes! Only $1 a piece and they are oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. Score.

These last two are my faves.

Also over on Pumpkinrot there is a rumor of pumpkin spice waffles at Target. I must investigate.

Countdown to Halloween

2011-09-04T12:57:00.000-05:00

This is pretty exciting! Already September and Halloween is just around a dark and spooky corner. Fall temperatures are finally here and I am all sorts of ready for sweater/layering season.

In honor of my favorite holiday I am taking the plunge and committing to the 'Countdown to Halloween' a month long blog-a-thon. In all honesty I have already started a list of posts for October so it seemed only right to make a real commitment. If you are interested in also doing so check out the website.

They also have some really cool badges up this year that you can use to spruce up your blog! My favorite is this Vincent Price badge.

That is some Halloweeny goodness right there folks!

Other things from RubyMarilyn to come include: Food, crafts, decor, costumes, zombies, films, and 'vintage Halloween' posts.

Happy Haunting!

Adorable request.

2011-09-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Back in June when we went ~~glamping~~ camping our friends Ellen and Brent became engaged. Now us few tight-knit girls were fairly certain we would be in the wedding party but Ellen was not going to officially ask anyone until her fiance figured out exactly who he was going to have as his groomsmen. Then of course she couldn't just ask us, oh no, she had to ask in the most adorable way possible. One day in the mail I got a letter from her. Inside was a folded piece of paper asking if I would be a bridesmaid and carefully folded up inside this piece of paper was this:

The most adorable paper chain of all six bridesmaids, each individually styled with our names on the bottom. Too cute. Of course I said yes! Now we have another wedding to plan, yay!

State Fair 2011 Part 2: Everything else

2011-08-31T17:41:00.000-05:00

Well we hit the food hard, now let's take a gander at some of the other stuff.

This last pic is the Current Stage where they were broadcasting live with Barb Abney. This is the band 'Peter Wolf Crier' setting up for their show on 'The Local Show'. We left before they actually got to play. A little bummed about that but we already saw them at the St. John's Block Party earlier this summer so I didn't feel so guilty.

If you have never heard them here is a little youtube love for ya. (The drummer is from Rochester!)

State Fair 2011 Part 1: FOOD

2011-08-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Aww. The 'Great Minnesota Get Together'. I heart the state fair. For the second year in a row we have celebrated the day with pretty much one thing- FOOD! Get ready to be amazed boys and girls...here is the visual food journal of this year.

From top: Pear and Gorgonzola salad (so healthy!), apple cider freezy, chocolate shake, pronto pup, giant lemonade, mini donuts, bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies*. Tummy ache.

*most of the cookies went home to family who didn't go to the fair.

Happy Birthday: Sean Connery, Tim Burton, and Alexander Skarsgard!

2011-08-25T10:33:00.000-05:00

What we have here friends is a tri-fecta birthday of awesomness. 3 generations of Hollywood gold.

First up Mr. Connery.

He turns 81 today! Most people probably best remember him for is Bond movies but the first thing I remember him from is actually Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I was a bit obsessed with that movie as a youngster and so he portrayal of lovable/gruff Dr. Jones will always be in my head. But what a fox when he was young right?

Secondly one of my all time favorite directors Mr. Tim Burton!

Today he turns 53! His dark and twisted tales have been singing to my little soul since I was a kid. I watched the first Batman on repeat as a child. Edward Scissorhands is still one of my all time favorite movies (and still makes me cry every time). And like much of the world Nightmare Before Christmas holds a very special place in my heart. This was one that actually was kind of scary for me as a small child so I had to re-discover it a few years later. Thanks to certain chain-stores Nightmare merch became business and I still have quite a collection thanks to those who know my obsession. His most recent movies have not sung to me like they used to but I will always love him. (Just watched Sleep Hollow yesterday, gearing up for Halloween!)

And last (but certainly not least!) Mr. Alexander Skarsgard!

Are you kidding me! This hottie is turning 35 today! You know him as the hottest vampire on HBO's True Blood. (Team Eric!) But don't be surprised when you see him appearing in everything soon because there is a demand- and we are going to need some supply! I am not caught up on the last episode of True Blood so don't ruin anything! He is a really big reason I own the first three seasons on DVD. The first season you do not see him as much and honestly it is not the best but I love watching season two he really finds his vampire stride and is completely comfortable in the role. Did I mention he is 6'4"!? Yeah. I am a fan. He is also in a Lady Gaga video...

You are welcome.

Currently Obsessed With: Misfits

2011-08-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

If you have not seen Misfits yet I suggest you give it a look. If you like superhero tales, British teens, and a great soundtrack you are in for a treat. Best part is that you can watch it FREE on Hulu. So get going! But if you have seen the whole thing don't ruin it for me- I am only part way through season 2. I also suggest turning on subtitles for the first couple of episodes (after that I found I didn't need them as much) to get used to the accents as some of them are rather thick to these poor midwestern ears.

I sort of want to be Kelly for Halloween. Might be another costume no one would 'get'. (See last year as Roxy from Scott Pilgrim vs The World- the best movie no one ever saw.) And it is kind of a bummer that I already own 2 jumpsuits/worksuits but neither is orange. Hmm. Will have to keep thinking.

Is anyone else excited about Halloween yet?! Costume ideas? Party plans? I am already brainstorming and hope to start some projects soon!!!

Vintage Pink

2011-08-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

So I was 'hired' to make a Jackie O style pink outfit and hat. Well as most people say at some point in their lives "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" Yes that's right I found the perfect outfit at Goldrush this weekend. I am just crossing all my fingers and hoping it fits the actress!

It was only $12! WIN!

This picture shows my crazy side and my making of not one but three different hats. One is a vintage hat that I covered in pink fabric. The other two were made from felt and fabric using a tutorial I found on youtube. I liked the felt version better but thought it was too small so then I made a slightly larger one. I hope one of them will work. I sent all three hats and the outfit in a big box out to Wisconsin yesterday and now it is just a waiting game to find out how much I have to kick it into panic mode when it doesn't fit.

Epic Thrifting.

2011-08-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Fear not friends! These purchases are from multiple trips to the thrift store but I am just now getting them all wrangled together.

Already getting pumped for Halloween!!!!!!!!! I have started sketching my lawn display ideas and have been really hitting the Halloween blogs hard as I start really getting into the spirit of it all. I already have some really cool spider/spiderweb metal baskets so when I saw this cat one I snatched it up!

I have started seeing more these little buildings in several thrift shops lately. No I am not going all crazy old lady on you (well maybe I am but not in the way you think!) but I am hoping to use these little gems in an upcoming craft project. Keep your eyes peeled for more.

Ahh worksuits! Do I need you? Not at all. Do I own at least two now? Why yes yes I do. Somewhere in my head a voice says "This will come in handy some day!" and another voice says "You could probably use this in some kind of costume!" Oh voices. I always listen.

Vintage/ just old patterns. Do I know anyone with a toddler? Because those sailor outfits are adorable!

This is not the perfect Margot Tenenbaum dress but it might work in a pinch. Are you seeing it? How about it covered in fake blood? Because I need a zombie costume for this year's zombie pub crawl and seeing as how everyone is going as Amy Winehouse I was thinking more Margot. Thoughts?

Not the best on the skinny mannequin but this eighties dress is actually kind of vampy on. Could work as a good base for any number of projects.

Sweater dress! My addiction hit hard last fall and has been going strong ever since. Seeing as I didn't own a pink one yet it seemed only right I pick this one up.

Hello sailor! A bit of a hot mess now but after some upcycling should be rather adorable. Stay tuned for more!

Dear thrift stores, I will see you soon ; )

Happy Birthday Aimee!

2011-08-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

Aimee had her birthday a couple of weeks ago but she was on vacation so the friends didn't get to celebrate until recently. Having no idea what to get the girl I went what I hope is the crafty route. When in doubt craft. I decided that since she enjoys dressing up for Halloween and zombie events as much as I do that I could make her a custom costume this year for one of our costume events. I went to the craft store and picked up this paper mache mask for a couple of bucks.

If I would have had more time I probably could have whipped something up myself but I didn't have any time. That is also the reason that the paint just didn't turn out quite as well as I would have hoped but it worked for the project. I painted the whole thing black and then in orange glitter paint I added some decoration and this text:

"A gift for you... 1 custom costume"

On the teeth I tried to do 'Happy Birthday' but it sort of smudged together. On the jaw bone on one side I wrote "Halloween" and on the other I put "Z-Pub Crawl" to sort of indicate the events she could think about.

In my head it is/was a really good idea but I don't know if the execution is quite what I wanted. Hopefully she will pick out a fun costume that I can make for her. She is a crafty girl herself but I know that she is busy. So what do you think is better, a highly conceptual gift that does not have instant reward or some trinket that probably would not be kept for longer than a season? I love celebrating friends' birthdays but sometimes it stresses me out. Often I will have an amazing idea of what gift to give someone that will really work (like the tote bags/necklace gift for Krista earlier this year) and other times I draw a complete blank.

Happy Birthday Mike!

2011-08-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

It was my friend Mike's Birthday yesterday and I sent him a little package. Some random candy and a silly mug from our hometown combine to make a small birthday gift that says 'hey I have no idea what you would actually want but I was thinking about you and wanted you to have something.' Haha. Sometimes I find that I just want to send something. I love snail mail- though it is getting expensive! Also in the package was a little note and sappy-quote-magnet for Sarah because I miss her too! Oh AZ, why must you be so far away?

Little House in the Big Woods

2011-08-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

These are just a few shots of the inside of the little cabin at the local history center. This summer they had a reading program where kids (and their parents) could sign up to hear Laura Ingalls Wilder books being read by volunteers. I was one of those volunteers. I dressed up in my little pioneer dress and apron that I made myself and would sit in a rocking chair and read to youngsters. This is the last week it is happening this summer. After this is over I don't know what else I will be doing at the history center but I plan on continuing to volunteer my time out there.

Etsy Update!

2011-08-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

Marie Antoinette and Lon Chaney hanging out.

Finally the day has arrived. After much sketching and making and tweaking I am finally ready to start my new section in my etsy shop- Dolls. My first etsy shop had dolls in it and I believe I sold one or two! I have gone long gaps in between my doll making but now I am back at it and ready for more!

This first series that will go into the shop is basically "Halloween Themed Marie Antoinette Dolls". I have been playing with different doll making techniques and I have been really admiring the folk art/ primitive doll work of many talented online artists. I was particularly taken with the painted dolls. Ever since leaving my ceramic job I have been missing painting. I had forgotten how soothing painting is to me and that is why I am particularly in love with these dolls since they combine my love of sewing, painting, 18th Century fashion, and Halloween/costumes. Whew. Who knew it could be done? Well I had hoped so. This first doll is actually based off of one of my original embroidery projects.

The Halloween Ball

She is headed to the ball in classic orange and black. She wears a mask to hide her famous identity but she can take it off to reveal her true self if the need arises. Made from muslin, stuffed with polyfil, and then hand painted.

The next doll is an homage to 'The Birds'. This doll would be perfect decoration during the spookiest holiday but would also be a fun gift to the die-hard Hitchcock fan. She is also made from muslin, stuffed with polyfil, and hand painted. The craft store birds were hand sewn to her once she was dry.

I wanted both dolls to have a bit of old world charm to them. They are both currently available in my Etsy Shop. More dolls to come soon (look for them early next week as I wrap up a couple of other projects).

Roller Derby

2011-08-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

The 'Med-City Massacre' happened a week or so ago and can I just tell you that I am hooked. Have you seen the movie Whip It? Then you sort of know what I am talking about already. We are talking Roller Derby! From everything I had seen, heard, and guessed it would be a sport that I would totally enjoy and be super awesome at. I feel that my former rugby experience would be an advantage in this sport. I still don't really understand the penalty system but I can tell you right now that if ever I get myself on a team I will most likely be the girl who gets kicked out of matches.

I went with my sister and good friend Krista. Krista told me that she would be Alia Shawkat to my Ellen Page. Isn't that sweet? And another friend of mine is friends with a girl on a team for the Twin Cities and she sent me the name/email of yet another person who is trying to start up a team in Rochester. Whew. Are you confused yet? Let me break it down- Me + someone who knows what they are doing= local derby team. Yes. That would be sweet. Now I have to think up a sweet derby name. Did you know that all the names are registered so that no one can have the same name as you? That is way cool but will also probably make name finding harder.

A man who loves Halloween

2011-08-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

If you needed any more proof of the awesomeness that is Ryan Gosling look no further. The man can act, sing, looks good doing anything. He also is a guy who loves skeletons and haunted houses.

This is the best picture from an online interview with Gosling from Esquire. Aww to be that skeleton.

What every girl needs...

2011-08-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

...A GIANT CHAIR! Yep. I am 'that girl'.

The return of a legend

2011-08-12T14:35:00.000-05:00

One of my best friends in the whole world has just moved back to my town! I can't contain my excitement. It is seriously the best thing to happen to me in a long time.

Parties

2011-08-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

Lots of people on the internet are into gorgeous food, fashion, or design photography but nothing gets me excited like party 'porn'. This really tells you a lot about me. I love parties. In this I would also include my love of weddings because what is a wedding but the best party EVER? But seriously I really truly love parties. That is one thing about living at home that is not working for me- I have no space to throw my own parties. I can't wait for the day when I can spend a whole week sprucing up my house/apartment and getting it ready for a party. I love decorations and food and creating atmosphere. Now I might not be really good at it yet but I believe this is one of those things that practice does make perfect. I have had some epic fails of parties in my life but I have also had glimmers of awesome. So until the day that I have enough time, space, and money to throw the most amazing parties of my dreams I will gaze fondly after what others are doing.

Like THIS. I want, no, I NEED to throw this party/get together/ movie extravaganza! The styling! The snacks! The movie watching with friends! BAHHHH!!!!!!! Does anyone have a good suggestion as to how to make this happen? I am talking projectors. In the photos it looks like an old film projector but another picture seems to have a dvd in it so I just need to know the best way to do that. And sound? what should a person do for sound? I have so many things to research now...

Anybody throw any fab parties lately? Or attend one?

Infamous Pink

2011-08-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

A good friend of mine is a crazy talented theater major. Her first love is acting but she is currently directing the play "The House of Yes" by Wendy MacLeod. (It was also made into a movie in 1997.) After seeing a sewing project I completed she asked me if I would make a costume for her show. I jumped at the opportunity and now I have a short couple of weeks to recreate one of the most famous outfits in history: Jackie Kennedy's pink suit.

There is some interesting history to this dress that I found on this site. I am a little nervous about doing it justice and making sure the sizing is right! The play is being rehearsed and performed a couple hours away from where I live so there is no chance for a quick fitting here and there. Depending on how difficult I find it to make I might try to make a mock up this week and get it over there for the actress to try on. We will just have to see! I have one vintage pattern that might work but I am going hunting for other options as well. Does anyone know of a vintage (or modern) pattern that I should try to find? I am off to do some research...

Meow.

2011-08-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Have we all seen the new Catwoman photo? Well here it is. The first official photo of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman to hit the web from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Not very cat-like now is it? Hopefully there will be more pictures to come but this isn't really doing it for me. Don't get me wrong it is nowhere near the atrocity that was Halle Berry...shudder..but it is also not anywhere near as awesome as Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.

I will admit right now that I am totally biased towards Batman Returns. Yes I was the ripe old age of 6 when that movie came out but I can remember going to it in theaters. (No censoring here!) I grew up watching the two Tim Burton Batman movies. My seventh birthday was Catwoman themed! (If I can find pictures I will post them!) I remember having a balloon and party favors with Catwoman on them. I also remember that I had a purple Catwoman t-shirt and a Catwoman diary. Seeing the movie again years later I think that the Catwoman from Batman Returns is perhaps a bit of an odd role model for young girls but I think that only makes me love her more. Nothing is sexier than that shiny black outfit with the large white stitches (early craft crush).

I am only being hard on the Anne Hathaway Catwoman because I have such high hopes. I love Christopher Nolan and I have faith in him so we will just have to wait and see.

Vintage DC Sheet dresses

2011-08-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

Love, love, LOVE! These amazing vintage sheet dresses were made for Comic Con and this would be exactly the kind of thing that I would wear if I ever get to go to the famous convention. Now I just have to keep an eye out for these sheets when I am on my thrifting adventures.

Found these on this website. You should check out her blog/cosplay galleries because Meagan has done some amazing work. She has a whole collection of cosplay sets on flickr. Check it out!

Leaky Pipe

2011-08-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

Get ready for a cranky rant...

BOOOOOOOO! I was rudely awakened at 2am by my sister who discovered a leaky pipe in the basement. I wasn't sure what to do in my state of half asleep-ness so I told her that she should probably wake up mom- aka the owner of the house. Of course she was not happy either and instead of dealing with the situation proceeded to huff and puff and stomp around the house. (Thanks for the good example mom.) I wasn't being any help at all so I went back to bed. I woke up this morning to NO WATER IN THE HOUSE because they shut it off to stop the leak. Awesome. So now I can't shower, make coffee, or do pretty much anything to get ready for my day. So cranky me is going to take her little cranky self out into the world and get herself a coffee and a sandwich.

Too much Thrifting?

2011-08-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

I love thrift store shopping but lately I keep buying things that I perhaps don't need. Probably the one thing I really don't need (seeing as I am living at home) is more dishes but they are the thing I can't seem to stop buying! Some day when I have my own place again I will be completely set. I probably have enough stuff to fill an entire house and right now it is just living in stacks in my room and basement.

I can never say no to pie plates! In theory I would make cute gifts out of them or something but we all know that I am just going to keep them because no one will love them as much as I do. Same thing goes for other decorative/display dishes. You will be hard up to find a cake plate/ stand that I am not in love with.

The only thing better than a pie dish? One with a recipe on it. These were bundled all three together for $6 at a local thrift shop. How could I say no?!

Ok these next dishes I probably didn't need but once again I got into my bad habit of "Someday I will need pasta dishes!" Ah the elusive 'someday'. 'Someday' I will make a huge pot of pasta and use one of these gems to devour it as I have a Godfather marathon. (Preferably my cute 'someday boyfriend' will be sitting next to me- he can use the other dish.)

These last few dishes are a bit beat up but they have some really cool botanical designs on them. The have a few tiny cracks in them so I will probably use them at some point for holding indoor potted plants or something like that.

So when is it too much? When your current digs cannot contain the amount of stuff you accumulate any more? Perhaps. Between my dishes addiction and my dress addiction I may have to go into retail therapy.

Other things:

~working on some sewing projects that I will share later this week
~still 'trying to figure it all out' (my ongoing and never ending project)
~already looking ahead to October (omg is it August already?!) and the Halloween festivities to come
~my best friend in the whole world is moving back to MN! She will be back one week from today! SO EXCITED.

Favorite antique shop: Northfield, MN

2011-07-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

I went to college in Northfield, MN and there was one antique shop that I always enjoyed going in. One of those little stores that are just piled high with gems. Not my favorite antique store in the world (that title is currently held by a store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) but certainly a place I stop at every time I go back to Northfield.

A couple of weeks ago some of the girls from senior year were going to meet up in town, have lunch, and then wander around campus a bit. I beat the other into town so I stopped to shop and this is the gem I found!

I have been really into Snow White for a long time. At one point it got a bit ridiculous though. You know when you have a favorite something or other and everyone gets you gifts based on that thing? Well that is what happened with Snow White. My room went from pink with unicorns to blue with Snow White. I had sheets, comforter, pillow, and curtains with Snow White on them. I had books, dolls, beanie babies, happy meal toys all relating to the famous fairy tale. Most of the obnoxious stuff is gone now. The room is redecorated and some of the memorabilia has been put into storage. But as much as I have been 'over' Snow White for awhile now she still holds a special place in my heart. A couple of years ago at our local Gold Rush I started seeing these Snow White statues and I was instantly in love with them. They came in an array of different colors and slightly different styles but they were all beautifully aged and lovely. They were also SUPER expensive. This was a bit of a splurge for me but she was the best price I have seen thus far and I absolutely love her! She has a lovely blue dress, rosy cheeks, and still a hint of glitter.

After just a bit of research I found that these are called "Chalkware" and in the 1940s these would have been prizes at the carnival games. It wasn't until the 1950s that the prizes moved more towards the stuffed animals we associate with prizes today.

I also bought this (not quite all there) croquet set. Someday I will have a collection of old/vintage croquet sets and I will have a massive garden party/tournament. It will happen!

The Letter 'A'

2011-07-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

New necklace in the shop. I have been wanting to start making some necklaces that do not have any sort of metal closures. So many cute necklaces these days tie in the back and this is my version. I have also been wanting to incorporate more embroidery into my work and so I have started this 'tattoo initial' line. I will hopefully be posting more color combos and initials soon but let me know if you are interested in seeing a particular letter/color.

Warrior Dash- MN 2011

2011-07-25T21:26:00.001-05:00

Well this snuck up on me a bit! All of a sudden it was here! So much for training...

Warrior Dash is a 5k obstacle course. Peer pressure and the promise of a costume contest got me to sign up. Fear and adrenaline got me through the day. Pretty much any event that encourages costumes is a good choice in my book. Of course I wasn't going to be 'competitive' enough to be a bad-ass warrior so I went in the opposite direction- Care Bear. That's right people I said Care Bear. First off I went as 'Good Luck Bear' and let's face it I needed all the luck I could get. Secondly I was hoping to show that I was there to have a fun time and not to break records- and I had a faster time than over 1,500 people...so they all got their ass kicked by a Care Bear!!!! I kid. Everyone was really nice and except for a few crazy people there was more a sense of community then competition. Complete strangers talked me over the cargo net obstacle and the rope wall. I got high fives from groups I didn't even know as we conquered obstacles together. Minnesota Nice at its best.

My time was just over an hour which was fine by me. Most of the group I went with was in the 45 minute range and one crazy guy got done in 28 fricken minutes! CRAZY! The part that really killed me? The hills. The whole course was at a ski resort so the hills were insane. I never completely stopped moving and I did all the obstacles. Our group split up pretty fast so it was just me and my crazy self running around, trying not to die and making friends. Other large groups would wait for each other after every obstacle which was really cute. Adorable couples were encouraging each other along the way and passerbys had hilarious comments on how 'this was a dumb idea' and 'omg we paid for this'. Good times!

The rest of my group is already talking about doing it again next year. I don't know if that is in my future or not. I am super glad I did it but I don't know if I need to do it again. We will see.

Crossing the finish line!

Now that my super-cute costume is a bit roughed up and dirty it might transition well into an adorable Care-Bear zombie costume for this year's Zombie Pub Crawl. We will see...plenty of brain ~~eating~~ storming until then : )

These are just a few of our pictures I am hoping that the official website will have some really cool pictures up soon and I will try to share those as well.

Later that same day I got to go see Captain America with an old friend who I hadn't seen since college. It was a super good day. Go see the movie!(Chris Evans...droooooool.)

I heart pattern sales!

2011-07-17T15:59:00.000-05:00

I love sewing patterns. I am nowhere near the point where I can make my own and I just can't help but see a neat little paper package and be overwhelmed with joy of the possibilities ahead. (Funny though how after you cut away all that 'extra' paper you can NEVER fit the pattern back into that envelope!)

Anywhoo I have a super big week ahead of me and I needed some patterns. Lucky for me they were on sale! For $1.50 each! YES I WENT OVERBOARD!

So instead of getting one 'little house on the prairie' costume pattern I got three... no judging!

I really hope the leggings pattern works out because I will be unstoppable if I can make my own leggings. (Rough dress count the other day was upwards of 40-yes 40- so I need some more leggings to avoid my Marilyn moments)

The best part was the price. Buying these patterns full price would have cost me $137.15!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I only paid $12.50. BOOM! Now I really need to get sewing... I will be updating later this week with my Warrior Dash costume and hopefully a 'little house' dress.

Cheers all! Stay out of the heat!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Barbara Stanwyck!

2011-07-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

Isn't she simply gorgeous? Today I am celebrating the birthday of Barbara Stanwyck. If you do not know about this actress I suggest you look her up at imdb. Her bio says that she is probably best known for her role on the tv show 'The Big Valley' but I know her from her movie days. Beautiful and sassy Stanwyck played a large range of roles from comedic to femme fatale. If you are at all interested in seeing any of her films my two favorites are Double Indemnity and Christmas in Connecticut- and these two movies could not be more different!

Double Indemnity stars Stanwyck alongside Fred MacMurray as a femme fatale in the mood to kill her husband in an insurance scheme. It is a classic noir flick and should be seen by anyone who enjoys the genre.

Christmas in Connecticut is the complete opposite. It is a screwball comedy starring Stanwyck as a writer for a 'Home' magazine. In her articles she pretends to have a big beautiful house in Connecticut where she is the perfect homemaker. In reality she lives in New York City and has no idea how to make toast let alone cook, clean, and raise children. No one is the wiser until someone has the idea to do a Christmas promotion piece where they send a soldier to spend Christmas at this 'perfect' home. Amazing comedic timing and a great Christmas-time movie!

So Happy Birthday Barbara Stanwyck! You may be gone, but you are not forgotten.

Currently Obsessed With: Carolina Chocolate Drops

2011-07-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to a very special episode of Currently Obsessed With. Featuring...

The Carolina Chocolate Drops!

If you haven't heard of this band you are in for a treat. This group is filled with super talented musicians sharing their love a music tradition that has all but died out. For more info on the history of string-band music check it out here.

Also check out this video:

This makes me really want to be in a band. I played violin for years and have messed on and off with the guitar but since high school orchestra I haven't really played with a group of people. My problem is wanting to do everything. I want to play fiddle, banjo, harmonica, washboard (See Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band), and 'the bones' or spoons to you folks. I just think it would be sweet to jam out on these old school instruments. Anyone up for starting a string/jug band? Let me know.

In other news...

~ I am a super-nerd who has started volunteering at the local history center. I get to dress up and read Laura Ingalls Wilder books to kids in a log cabin.
~I am freaking out about Warrior Dash. It looks super hard and I haven't been training like I said I was going to oh so many months ago. Oops. One week! BAH!
~HARRY POTTER COMES OUT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, super-nerd.

Thrifting

2011-07-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

These are just a few things I picked up in the last month or so at the thrift store. First off some vintage aprons that were $.75- $1!

The detail on this one makes me really smile. Look at those braids!

This is probably one of my favorite finds. A full length, hooded, faux fur leopard print coat! Perfect thing to buy in sweltering heat! I got a few crazy looks for hauling this one out of the store mid-summer but come winter I am going to be looking uber-fierce. Plus it was $6!

Lastly a lovely vintage plate that I found for $2. It is currently sitting on my dresser holding my plant. Pretty!

In other shopping news I have a serious dress addiction problem. In two days I bought a total of 4 dresses to add to my already overburdened closet. I just can't seem to resist a dress on sale. I need to buckle down a bit though and save up if I ever want to move!

What is the item that you can't stop buying? In addition to dresses I should probably stop buying so many dish/kitchen items since I don't currently have my own kitchen!

Cheers.

Minnesota FAIL.

2011-07-01T16:29:00.000-05:00

For any of you that have read this blog at all it is pretty obvious that I am a happy and proud resident of Minnesota...most of the time. If you haven't heard Minnesota is facing a government shutdown. Shut. Down. When I heard those words for the first time I said, "Shut the front door!" or something more colorful. Yep apparently we suck at life so much that we can't even have the state open for business at this point. Everyone is pointing fingers as to who's fault this is but the clear truth is EVERYONE IS TO BLAME FOR THIS. If you were not part of the solution you are part of the problem. I give props to Governor Dayton for sticking to his points but something needed to be worked out! Let us just hope that they figure something out soon because this shutdown is of course hitting the 'little guys' the hardest.

Birthday Totes

2011-06-23T15:11:00.001-05:00

True to form I waited until the last minute to crank out a birthday present. What to get for the girl you have been shopping for forever? Thankfully my friend Krista said that she was planning on using mostly tote bags this summer. She has a really cool vintage library tote that I should try to get a picture of...but long story short I decided to make her a few totes to fill out her collection. After digging through my fabric collection and deciding there was nothing there that was going to work for my vision, I jumped in my car and headed to one of my favorite fabric shops. At the store I found some drapery remnants that would be perfect. I made three totes for her (each with a cotton lining and pocket) in the span of 24 hours.

The first tote is a plain fabric with an embroidered flower girl from a pattern from doe-c-doe on flickr that has been hanging out in my favorites forever. The birthday girl is going to school for horticulture so I really wanted to do something like this. Originally I was just going to stop with this tote- but of course I didn't.

The second tote is similar size to the first and it has the loveliest little flower pattern. It reminds me of something that you would maybe take to a country market in France. I was tempted to keep this one for myself! (I might have enough fabric to make another one...) And I did not stop there...

The last tote bag is longer and a bit narrower than the other two. I wanted to include a different shape for hauling around different kinds of stuff. Plus it has a blue stripe pattern- Miss Krista owns more blue-stripe-pattern clothing than anyone I know. It is her signature and she pulls it off well. My hope is that this is subtle enough to work with a lot of her existing pieces.

So there you have it. A new summer wardrobe of totes. I had a lot of fun making them and once I got into the groove they whipped up pretty fast. If you are interested in making your own totes I would suggest googling it! That's what I did and after looking at a couple different tutorials I found a method that worked well for me. It was important that they had linings so that I could include pockets (especially on the blue stripe tote since it is so deep I put the pocket close to the top) and so I could embroider on one layer and have some protection for the stitching. This might be exactly the project I have been looking for to use some of those other vintage patterns that have been lurking in my flickr favorites.

Cheers.

Camping Win, Glamping Fail

2011-06-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

Well my dreams of a glamorous camping experience did not really pan out. I was looking super cute as we traveled the 4 hours to our lake in Wisconsin but by the time we got there it was so cold I had to change into the warmest clothes I brought. Of course I would be more worried about how warm it was going to be! I had barely any warm clothes at all! But layers are my best friend (along with sunblock and bugspray!) and I made it work. Also once we arrived at our destination I realized the sad truth that it was really just us friend there and that I had no one to impress. Enter no-makeup and rumpled clothing. Perhaps most shameful of all? I went FISHING. This was the one activity that I was fairly sure I did not want to be a part of but they hooked me (excuse the bad pun) and so the first night we were out I bought myself a 4 day fishing license. It was really fun being out on the lake and I actually caught some good fish! Of course we had to let my 16" bass go because it was Thursday and the season didn't start until that Saturday. Boo. Also fishing is a pretty gross business- live bait, unhooking fish, etc. but I will put a shout out to the guys who were not only patient with me but helped me with many of the 'gross' tasks that I just could not handle.

We spent so much time out on those little boats that I still feel them moving when I sit really still. We had two boats for our group and the first night we just had 6 of us so four of us (and a dog : ) were in one boat and then our other two friends Brent and Ellen were in another. We joked and laughed and shouted when we caught something but at one point Ellen shouted over to our boat..."Hey! We just got engaged!" Those two have been going out forever and as a group we were pretty sure that Brent was finally going to pop the question but we didn't know when. It was really cute for them but I still think that someone proposing to me on a fishing trip would be a "no." But she is really happy and that is all that matters. Now we get to plan another wedding!!!!! Yay!!!!!

Besides fishing and life changing moments we ate really well. Of course this is the "foodie" group but I wasn't sure what was going to happen on this kind of trip. Bless Sabrina's little heart she sent out a spreadsheet the week before the trip dividing up all the meals. Couples had two meals and singles just had one. I actually only had 'sides' for our fish fry that we were planning on having Saturday (depending on us catching enough fish for the event!) so I made a couple of sides and then also some snacky food for in between times. I ended up bringing two kinds of potato salad, two kinds of hummus, mini banana chocolate chip muffins, mini trail mix muffins, and fixins for smores. The mini trail mix muffins were a new recipe and I thought they were fantastic, little bite sized portion of granola, mini chocolate chips, walnuts, and dried apricots. I also took it to the next level for the smores. I made homemade marshmallows and homemade graham crackers. They made fun of me for not making my own chocolate but they all thought it was delicious.

Everyone else brought their A-game as well. We had two different versions of stuffed burgers, hobo dinners, an entire rack of bbq ribs (oh my god yummy), sausage and eggs, the list goes on! By Saturday night we also had quite the catch for our fish fry. The boys took the fish to get them ready (I was not going to watch that). They brought a little fryer and fried up those fish right in front of us. From lake to table in under an hour? Do you get any fresher than that? I had never done anything like that before and I was just in awe. It was so yummy.

So overall it was an excellent trip. I was ready to go home though, the boys have a collective maturity of about 12 years old and I swear if I hear another bowel movement joke I will shank someone. But I got in a good chunk of fresh air, reconnected with mother nature a bit and rebooted for now that I am back in the city.

Shout out to one of my besties Krista! It is her birthday today! (Later in the week I will post about the gift I made her.)

Cheers all!

Glamping

2011-06-14T07:07:00.000-05:00

I get to go camping this weekend! Usually I would not actually be this excited for this kind of thing (nature and I have a very love/hate relationship) but this upcoming weekend I get to spend some quality time with friends in the great outdoors. The only thing is that I am not technically going camping...I am going glamping. Glamping, or glamorous camping, is the best of the real world meets camping. Now actual people who go glamping are usually on the richer side of things and go to places with beautiful fully furnished tents and things like that. We will be in cabins (big step up from a tent-on-the-ground) and I am taking this opportunity to show off some of my favorite sundresses, big hats, and sunglasses. I will be sitting lake-side either reading or crafting (yeah I am planning on taking some embroidery with me!) While all the other people do real camping things like fishing I will be lazing about movie-star style. I am also planning on bringing a ton of make-ahead food for snacks and sides for our meals.

Some cute plaid would be in order for this weekend as well...

Glamping by rubymarilyn featuring retro sunglasses

So pack your sunscreen and bugspray kids! Two more days of work and I am FREE!!!

Simple skirt recon

2011-06-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I have great ideas and other times it takes me awhile before I have one of those 'duh' moments. This is the latter. A few months ago I bought a skirt at a thrift store that I really liked and it was labeled my size so I bought it without trying it on. Well I got it home and it was too tight. In a fit of dissapointment it got thrown onto a pile of 'scrap' clothes in my craft room to be forgotten for awhile. Then this past week I decided that I needed something new to wear to the Soundset music festival. (A full closet of clothes and I really wanted something new!) Anyhoo I found this skirt in my scrap pile and went to work.

At first I was going to try to make it into a dress by adding a waistband and then sewing it to the top of a t-shirt. This did not go as planned so I kept it as a skirt. Remember how it didn't fit? Well all I had to do was to look at it for a second to realize that I could take off the waistband, remove the zipper, take out 2 pleats in the back where it would not be too noticeable and just sew it onto my new waistband (a strip of elastic cut to size). SIMPLE. Seriously, it was like this skirt was waiting for me to figure out how to make it awesome. Now it has a comfy stretchy waistband that I made to fit as a high waisted skirt. Layered over a tank top with a cardigan thrown over it I am ready for anything. Yeah new skirt!!!!

Not too different but oh so much better!

Bacon Party Recap

2011-05-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

That's right folks we threw a BACON PARTY! And not just any party but a surprise birthday bacon themed party. We are that cool. But seriously it was a good time. This happened a couple weeks ago and I just wanted to share it because I made some SUPER cute crafty things to take this party to the next level. But first some background. Our dear friend Sabrina was about to turn 25 and we were trying to come up with fun things to do for her birthday. She wanted to hang out Saturday night and then go to Valley Fair on Sunday. This sounded like a good plan. Between us girls we decided that a showing of 'Bridesmaids' (it was it the opening weekend) would be a great idea since we were all in TWO weddings last year. We also decided it would be epic if we wore our watermelon-pink bridesmaid dresses to the movie. So that was our plan to go to a movie decked out in bridesmaid dresses and then to meet up with the boys for food and drinks. Without the birthday girl's knowledge we arranged for the boys to be setting up the surprise bacon bday party. This girl LOVES her bacon and it just seemed like a good theme to run with. Everyone was to bring something bacon-y to eat and I made all the decorations. She was surprised and it was a great time!

Homemade pig pinata

Bacon-wrapped beer koozies for the boys

Hand painted bacon garland for decoration

Bacon headbands for the girls. Part Lady Gaga meat dress/ Part royal wedding

Bacon food! Bacon shaped cake, bacon jalepeno peppers, bacon wrapped sauseges, bacon wrapped shrimp etc!

Bacon font found online to make Bday banner

Bacon shaped cake (just red velvet flavor)

Bday girl getting her pinata on

Notice the nice tv in the background? Note to self: No pinatas inside!

Girls with their bacon headbands and "Bridesmaids" pose


Bday girl with her head band and chocolate covered bacon in hand. Oh and she is married to that creeper in the background :)

So there you have it. Proof that with a few simple supplies and waaayyyy to much ambition you can create a creative themed party around anything! Cheers!

SOUNDSET 2011

2011-05-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

I have FINALLY been to Soundset! This is the hip-hop festival to go to if you are from the Midwest or anywhere really. Held outside rain or shine every year in Shakopee, MN it is a day of great hip hop and FUN. Now I will say that my friend and I should have done things differently. Either you want to get your tickets early and be a VIP or you want to buy a physical ticket because Will Call was F*ING STUPID! Doors opened at 11am. We got there at 11:20ish and we stood in line for OVER AN HOUR. That was super frustrating. You would think after 3 years of this they would have a better system of getting people in the door. Because of that we missed a few of the opening acts that I sort of wanted to see. But for anyone who is even slightly a Hip Hop enthusiast there is plenty to do. Food and drink are expensive and you are not allowed to bring any in so bring plenty of cash but they have a fairly good variety and it is all part of the festival experience right? There are two stages, a DJ/B-boy tent, car show, merch tents, meet and greets with artists, skateboarding, and graffiti artists. People watching might be one of the best parts though. Special note to future goers with asthma- bring your inhaler- even though it was outside the amount of smoke (cigarette and otherwise...) was super thick and irritating.

DJ Espada

B-Boy

Pint sized B-Boy! So cute

Doomtree on the main stage

Sims and P.O.S of Doomtree

Doomtree

Brother Ali

Atmosphere

Slug of Atmosphere


End of the night. Atmosphere closed the show

Top 5 things at Soundset 2011: (Besides the amazing music and in no particular order)
-Guy in Ghostbusters jumpsuit
-Guy dancing in crowd saying "I think I am in Narnia"
-Pint-sized B-Boy
-Random guy grabbing my arm to pull me through the crowd before his girl friend started shouting "WRONG GIRL!!" Guy was embarrassed but sweet.
-Stupid girls being annoying and SHOVING their way through the crowd getting their little bikini top strings pulled as they pushed through (by a girl who was sick of their shit. Haha. )

Cute video telling who is going to be at Sounset. I think the little cartoon characters would make great plushies!

Video from the day. You can see more on the Rhymesayers youtube chanel

I want to be a glitter bandit.

2011-05-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

Via the social networking systems I found this video of Newt Gingrich being 'Glittered' by a young man at a book signing. I have been so focused on myself lately that I sometimes forget to look out into the world. Props to Nick Espinosa for having the guts to do something for what you believe in. It doesn't seem like much but even though we seem to have a broader view of the world it also seems that our focus becomes narrower and narrower and frankly it is starting to scare me. I think as citizens of the world and especially of the United States we need to be careful not to let things slip away from us do to ignorance or neglect. If you can keep yourself informed on the issues and defend them in an in intelligent manner then you are being a good citizen. I used to think that I had to show respect to everyone's opinions but I finally found out that I only have to respect those who show others respect. Now you can argue that this act of civil disobedience was not showing respect to Gingrich but how much respect does he show to people? There were no injuries and no permanent damage to people or property (nothing a good vacuum couldn't clear up). I hope glitter sales go through the roof.

Here is a write up of the incident from the Huffington Post.

Did I mention that this happened in MN? And that I went to school with Nick? I am really proud right now.

Feel the rainbow.

Thor, God of Thunder

2011-05-08T19:13:00.001-05:00

Hi there. Well I guess you can guess what I did this mother's day weekend. Yep. I went to THOR!!!! And I would just like to take this opportunity to welcome in what is to perhaps be one of the greatest summers in Geekdom history!

For those of you who do not read comic books, never fear! I don't and yet I am going slightly gaga over the plethora of comic-book related movies this summer because, well, they make good movies! (In theory, I know many of these films fall far short of wildly high expectations but that does not mean we should lose hope.)

This weekend viewing of Thor was highly anticipated for mostly one reason, or shall I say six- Chris Hemsworth's abs. Thor may be god of thunder but I was goddess of giggles throughout this movie. I giggled every time we saw him shirtless, every time he smiled, even every time he attempted a joke. Heck sometimes I was giggling just when he LOOKED at Natalie Portman a certain way. (Just for the record I also giggled during the preview for Captain America, I just can't suppress laughter when I see the creepy CGI Chris Evans emerge from his capsule as the shining beautiful man he actually is. Giggle.)

As far as movies go I wasn't that impressed. Visually pretty stunning but the whole movie just felt rushed like it was leading up to something grander. Thor's time on Earth was way too short to have the emotional impact needed and the entire cosmos-coming-to-an-end bit seemed a bit hasty. But seriously worth watching if you are gearing up for super-hero season. I will probably also consent to being dragged to Green Lantern but the trailers have yet to impress me. I put a lot of stock in trailers. A good trailer can really sell a movie to me. An amazing trailer can oversell it and I can actually enjoy the trailer MORE THAN THE MOVIE. X-Men First Class is going to be the movie I line up to see at midnight. Finally the world has come to understand what I have always known- Michael Fassbender is going to be a huge star. Plus it just looks like a good movie, we won't even talk about Wolverine.

Plus there are some non-superhero movies that make it into the top geek spots as well. Pirates: On Stranger Tides is trying to reboot a franchise that should have stopped after the first one but I will be on deck with this film as well, mostly for Johnny but also I have a deep seated love for Ian McShane who will be playing Blackbeard. I also hear there is this little film coming out about a boy named Harry Potter. Probably one of the most significant film franchises made in my lifetime is coming to a close this summer. And whether you love em or hate em everyone has watched them. Even my silly little sister who refuses to read the books (big mistake) loves the movies. But yeah, overall it looks like it is going to be a good summer for blockbusters!

retail therapy. sad but true.

2011-05-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

I am going to admit right now that I give into retail therapy. I am usually so thrifty that when I finally say heck with it and spend a little it makes me happy. Does this make me an awful person? Does this mean that I have succumbed to consumer culture? Probably yes to both of those but I don't even CARE!

The Splurge: Hot pink eyeliner, hot pink blush, and an octopus ring. All of them were on clearance. Total was less than $10. Woo crazy, I know!

I am pretty much in love withe the ring. I have it on right now and it just makes me happy. I haven't bought a new ring in a long time. I usually wear the same two or three. This has definitely made it onto the regular rotation since I am hoping to get my next tattoo this summer (that involves a rather large octopus!!!!).

As far as the makeup goes I am the girl who loves makeup but doesn't wear that much on a day to day basis. When I saw these I had to have them though! Especially since my bff has finally decided what she wants to do for her birthday coming up... four of us were all bridesmaids in our friend's wedding last summer and we had these hot pink dresses that we wore. So naturally we are going to dress up in these dresses and go see the movie Bridesmaids! It comes out the weekend of her birthday. Who doubted that those dresses would come in handy? I am so excited for this. We will probably also go out to dinner before the movie and then the bars after. I don't even like going out that much anymore but it will be fun to see how obnoxiously pink I can be and this makeup is going to help. I also think it is going to show off my new red hair rather well. Oh did I not mention that I dyed my hair bright red? Well that's another thing I do. Big life change? (Losing job.) Big hair change, this time bright red!

Living life people. That is what I am trying to do.
Cheers!

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

2011-05-02T19:06:00.000-05:00

Yes this is the title of my favorite Smashing Pumpkins song but it also describes today's post. These are some of the last few bowls that I painted at work. We had been having problems with these little heart bowls so I was allowed to paint these one day on the clock. Best day ever. I just used our little 'funwriters' to decorate them in hopes that they would turn out at least a little bit. These bowl were to be donated to our local 'Empty Bowls' fundraiser to raise money for the local food shelf. The program is really cool, basically you buy your ticket, get a bowl of soup and some bread made by local restaurants and then you get to pick out a handmade/hand painted bowl to take home! Last year I had just started my job so I submitted a couple of really sad looking bowls. This year I was really excited to make a whole bunch of bowls. Our store donated 400 bowls last year. Too bad we closed... I was told that these few would still be donated. I hope that actually happens.

This is my Wizard of Oz bowl and it might be my favorite. I made an itsy bitsy Emerald city complete with rainbow, yellow brick road, and poppy fields! Around the edge it says "Somewhere over the rainbow." Since I cannot stand to have the outside completely plain I added a yellow brick road to that as well.

My obsession with octopi continues (I just bought a ring with one on it!) and so this was my easy/whimsical/fun bowl. The tentacles continue all the way around the bowl as well.

Also all things vintage circus are always in my mind so this little guy came to be. On the outside of the bow I just added some skinny red stripes over the plain white.

And here is my craft bow. I heart it lots. The stitches around the edge and outside turned out well and it didn't take me nearly as long as it looks.

I hope they find a happy home! I wish I could have put my name on them or a tag or something so I could maybe find out where they end up. At least with things like giveaways, swaps, or etsy you have some idea of where your piece is going. Mine will probably stay local but I would just love to know who picks them up! Good luck little bowls : )

Clean Slate

2011-05-01T19:13:00.000-05:00

What a week. What a month. I have recently been on an emotional and physical roller coaster over the past month. Feeling like a slacker with my part time job I jumped at the opportunity to start a new nannying gig in the mornings. Apparently I did not really think things through and I quickly went from working 30 some hours a week to well over 50. I had no time for anything besides work. I stopped going to the Y, I stopped crafting, I didn't even READ the blogs I loved, and obviously I did not keep up with my own little blog world. Sleep and work, that was it. Then last week it all sort of fell apart. My 'main' job had been sold to a new owner so my position there was already up in the air as I know many people would rather start with a fresh staff then work through any sort of retraining/loyalty issues. Then I found out that the baby I nanny might have something wrong with her heart. It has been only a few short weeks but I am already super attached to the little baby and her sweet older (almost 2 yrs old) sister. Every time I held the baby and no one was in the room I cried. Sick kids are my kryptonite. The day after that I found out the deal at my job had fallen through and that we would be out of a job come Friday.

I wasn't insanely attached to this job and I knew it was not something that I would do forever but this kind of suddenness really did piss me off. But I am now looking at this as a sign. For a while now I have been sketching and making lists of new things I would like to make for the shop. Some are just new jewelry designs but others involve upcylced kids items and maybe some more holiday themed things. So with my afternoons now free again I am going to be working hard to breath some new life into RubyMarilyn. Not only am I working on new designs but I am also revamping my packaging and other areas of business. With more time now I can take care of myself better with more sleep and exercise and hopefully plenty of quality time working on my etsy shop I hope to head towards a more positive place. I have this nannying job for awhile so I do not have run out the door right away and freak out about finding a job which I am thankful for. Here is to a new start and a clean slate. I hope to be sharing some exciting updates with you soon!

Cheers.

Too much?

2011-03-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

This alone should be enough evidence that I need supervision in craft stores. ESPECIALLY by the dollar bin. But how could I resist any of this? Only a dollar for vintage circus themed items? Are you kidding me? YES! I WANT THEM ALL. And I bought them all.

Stamps, cards, journals, gift bags, and baking cups. How could I resist? The balloon pattern is my favorite as seen by how many of each one I bought but I also really enjoy the acrobats on bicycles! I love it all and you can't stop me!

Hot air balloon baking cups- swoon. I should be set on baking cups for awhile now!

Warm and Fuzzy- A Hip Hop Love Story

2011-03-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

I am lucky to live in a state with so much amazing, home-grown hip hop. This weekend I was also lucky to see Brother Ali in concert. Not only is this guy mad talented he is also one of the nicest, coolest guys ever. Before the show he was hanging out in the back, completely chill, signing t-shirts and taking pictures with fans. BEFORE THE SHOW! Who does that! So cool.

Whereas so much rap/hip hop is this hateful spew about violence, drugs, being rich, and degrading women, Brother Ali's music is about the positive things in life. Among other things he talks about being thankful for what you have. That is refreshing. His live performance is filled with this sense of community and what he called 'togetherness'. He talked about the government and he talked about love. He talked a lot about loving yourself. I have a soft spot for people who talk about this especially guys, since you don't hear it from them as often. Speaking directly to the ladies Brother Ali said in fairly simple terms "You may not have porno tits but, be honest ladies, does your man have a porno dick?" It seems crude as I write it here but as he was saying this and many other things his mixture of eloquence and frankness struck a cord. It was a concert/therapy session. I felt so much better after the show!

I will be completely honest. As there was much talk of togetherness and peace I did want to punch a couple of audience members in the face. WHY DOES THERE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE SOME DRUNK A**HOLE AT CONCERTS THAT I WANT TO PUNCH IN THE FACE?!?!?! Drunk a**holes stay home. Dance, head bob, jump around....do what you gotta do to have fun at a concert but DONT push through the crowd to the front because you were too busy getting drunk to get a good spot and really just DONT wave your beer bottle, clutch purse, hat around in the air in a way that is going to HIT ME or you might just get HIT IN THE FACE. Can't we all just get along?

*note to self: need camera that takes good low-light pictures. any suggestions?

Shamrock Tag

2011-03-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

After re-reading my yarnbombing book I have decided that I want to get more into it. There is no one in my area doing it right now (that I know of). Though in all seriousness I don't think there is anyone doing any form of serious street art in my area. My crew is small- just me and a sneaky accomplice/lookout. For St. Patty's we tagged a bunch of trees around a local trail. Being our first time out locally we got spooked by a couple of passing people (the started walking right at us!) so we didn't get many good picks.

Shamrock tag


In action

Hopefully more will be on the way.

A little crazy, a little late: Happy St. Patricks Day!

2011-03-18T00:53:00.000-05:00

Ok. I survived another St. Patrick's Day, but oh there was so much to say. Every time I thought about spewing crazy thoughts all over my friends I bit my green-stained tongue. Not anymore! Where better to share my crazy than on the inter-web!

Lets get to it. As some of you may know I went to Ireland last year. It was a short, whirlwind trip that was crazy and amazing and mostly made me want to go back for more. This was also the trip where I met Steven. Yes we only talked in a pub for a few hours and no I will never see him again but I will continue to be in love with him forever. Yep it is THAT kind of crazy. Over a year later now I still sometimes get sad and mutter 'I miss Steven'. My friend who went on the trip with me freaked out at me the last time I brought up Steven but I don't care. (Something about how I need to get over it....blah blah.) Maybe it was because I didn't get to say goodbye properly, maybe it was because he was cuter than any other boy I had ever met, maybe it is because I am just a big ol bucket of crazy, but I will never forget him. Sigh.

Speaking of cute Irish boys are you familiar with Tommy Bowe? Because you should be:

Irish. Rugby player. Enough said! I think Tommy could help me get over Steven....Happy St. Patrick's day!

Pyrex love

2011-03-11T02:58:00.000-06:00

As many others out there love pyrex so do I. It is the best. It is also expensive. My solution? I am thinking of making some faux pryex! (For my own personal enjoyment and use- pyrex people take a breath.)

At work we can paint chip/cracked bisque for freesies and recently there have been a couple of bowls in the stack. I have agonized over what to do with them. I try to think of people who need something/have a birthday coming up but I can't seem to think of anyone. So what better way to use them to create some of my very own pyrex!

I didn't even know about this turquoise balloons pattern! Isn't it the prettiest? I think so. This will be perfect for a shallow serving dish I grabbed.

It comes as a chip and dip?!? WANT.

Then there are these matching bowls that I think will work quite nicely for the pink gooseberry pattern. I plan on doing one pink on white and the other white on pink.

Hopefully I will be able to share updates of my crazyiness with you.

Pendants!

2011-03-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some new pendants that I hand-painted. I am pretty pleased with them. We have MN Nice, Lace teardrop, matte finish spiral, bubbled oval, and romantic stamp pattern heart. I made these for myself but was thinking about putting some into my etsy shop. Thoughts?

Minnesota Nice! Get it? I had to make this one! Slug from Atmosphere was wearing a t-shirt at the concert that looked like this. If I put any of these into my shop the proceeds are going to go to Operation MN Nice.