The end of the semester and Creature 003.

  Happy end of April! It's been one hell of a month, I'm not going to lie. It seems that life is becoming increasingly dense and uncertain and bizarre. I definitely am not minding it as much as I thought I would!

  I had a super two days with my pal Aerlan this week. It was a super surprise because he was supposed to mosey on down to Seattle for a visit. First, we went to a super hot pot place down on Victoria Drive (highly recommended - Fatty Cow Seafood Hot Pot!) where we partook in a little bit of everything, which included some "out of the comfort zone" foods such as oysters, liver and kidney. It was pretty tasty, except for the weird things. But, hey - now I can say, "I've totally eaten pork kidney," which I suppose I can consider a point of pride? The next day we had a super marathon of The Outsiders, American Graffiti and MASH followed by a strange dinner at a shifty Chinese food place that had horrible service - but hey, all the restaurants you walk into randomly can't be winners.

  I had a great dinner with my friend Amanda when she came through town on her way to spend a glorious year in Taiwan (take a peek at her travel blog!) when we walked around on Kingsway searching for some chow. We came across a strange place called Mega Grill. Seemed to have a little bit of everything. Lamb souvlaki for ten bucks (no objections here!) followed by surprise belly dancing. Yes, belly dancing. It was cool for about a minute before it got horribly awkward in that tiny restaurant. But again - it was a curious experience, and I'm starting to not mind those.

With school over - films screened and exams all wrapped up, I finally got around to sewing a bit this week. Creature 003 is up on Etsy! I think his limbs turned out pretty adorable, as did his teeth and eyebrows. The overall shape of him is kind of funny - but hopefully someone will give him a happy home! Sewing on my days off was such a zen experience. I'd put on some Star Trek Next Generation and stitch all afternoon! I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of felties I create all summer long! Remember to keep an eye out on my Etsy shop. I'm really going to be trying to spruce it up and keep it nice and stocked up from now until Christmas! So many felties!

I ended up taking a couple of courses over the summer - but with only one day actually affected by this I've been plotting out my summer beyond the work place. I'm bummed out I have to work so much - but its something I've been slowly coming to terms to, the fact that I'll be working jobs like this for quite some time. But I've got a solid job that pays alright, and I'll hang on to it until a better opportunity comes a long.

The end of the semester has really brought a change in mindset for me. I think the past four months have really gotten the ball rolling in a sort of "mental maturation" that had been overdue for a happening. After eight months of film school and meeting some of the most fantastic people, I think I've really started to gain new perspectives and at least get a foot hold in the seemingly unscalable wall of the lazy, procrastinating and boring self. I've definitely had a shift in my mind set and it seems that I'm much more positive and am regaining the passion and drive that I had lost in the previous two years of University.

Creator and Monster - and vise versa

The summer seems bright - I was not looking forward to four months of nose to the grindstone cashier work. But things keep popping up that will break up the monotony. I've told myself that by the end of the summer I want three complete short films written and directed by myself as well as a stop motion done on 16mm and the Bolex. I've got an idea or two that I'm slowly developing for the shorts. I basically just want to get out there and make films. It's something I've never really done. Any project that I've done in the past five years has been for school or a paid gig that I didn't have much interest in. With everything I learned this past year, I think I could really make some personal headway in developing a storytelling and visual technique. It's going to be awesome! Some traveling might be in the future as well - and that's always awesome!

I've got two fellow filmmaker shout outs to make this week:

CHOCH! Filmmaker Brendan Prost - creator of Generation Why - premiered his next feature, Choch, at Woodwards a couple of weeks ago. My review for it should be up in the next few days! Now that he's back in Calgary for the summer he's looking to get the word out. I believe he's going to be announcing some Alberta bound screenings in the next couple days. Choch is fantastic - a look at the identities we find ourselves putting up for the sake of fitting in as youth and as well as adults. Shot on a supremely modest budget, this indie film is worth the trip! Go check out a screening and tell your friends! Independent films greatly depend on word of mouth and small promotions. Prost's work improves with each project - take a gander at his previous work. He's got a new website up!

The Long Road Home! Hailing from Capilano U, Adam and Alex are working their way across country to their home towns in Ontario to start production on their first feature, The Long Road Home. They desperately need your support (and maybe some cash, if you've got any to spare). If you find yourself in Ontario this summer and want to lend a hand, get a hold of them via IndieGoGo! Or drop them a donation or a supportive word or two - whatever you can spare!

Support independent film!

I should really be asleep already, as it's a dense weekend filled with work and house hunting! Yes, I am moving! It's going to be insaaaaane!

I did a bit of a photo shoot of my firebellied toads as I fed them the other day. I've had these toads a very long time and every so often I just need to document their little handsome faces!

In other news, in an attempt to improve my speaking/conversation ability, I have started a video blog for the sole purpose of talking about anything and everything. My first post will be up shortly - but check it out at Kingfisher Says!

OOOWL!

Hello everyone! Behold my first significant felt creation for quite some time! I've been fiddling with the pattern for about a week and in the past couple days the assembly began. Lots of things did not go to plan, but I think he turned out pretty swell!

See a quick progress photo in my last post, here!

The thing I love most about him is his shape That turned out pretty well. I ended up doing a lot of snipping and extra stitching than originally planned, but that is so with many of my creations. I love his colours and his lidded eyes! What I think I could of done differently is his front feathers - they could have been a little shorter I think. Originally, the pattern had him sitting a lot taller, so it would have worked in theory. He's a little lopsided (again, like most of my creations) and he doesn't sit quite like I wanted. But I think he's still quite handsome!

Side profile, so handsome!

I'm a big fan of how his tail turned out!

Ahoot ahoot?

Top view to see his glorious wings!

His gorgeous amber eyes are from Suncatcher Eyes, here on Etsy.

Such eyes!

See this sweet owl's listing on my Etsy!

Happy September everyone!!

School, stones and film.

The other night I went to the most lavish cinema I know (the VanCity) and sat down to watch a gorgeous print of Dziga Vertov's Man with the Movie Camera with live accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra. Seeing this film as it was originally intended blew my mind. My experience with Vertov's (and all Soviet era cinema, I suppose) has souly been through DVDs. I fell in love with Vertov's essays in the film studies courses I took last year.

 

Seeing the brief Q & A afterwards opened up some new avenues of thought for me. The Alloy Orchestra explained why they enjoyed writing soundtracks for silent films so much - they essentially bring silent cinema back to life and forward into the present. I guess there are people against them writing new material for old films.

In other news, I have a roommate now I suppose. His name is Brody and he is a small brown mouse. I saw him peek into my living room late last night (or rather, early this morning), after I had suspected something with tiny feet had been scuttering about my bedroom the odd night. At least I know for sure he's not a cat sized cockroach now. That always makes turning the lights off a little easier. I was considering buying a snap trap, but now that I've named him I've gotten all attached, so a live trap it is.

I harvested my first two wee tomatoes today! Pictures will go up a bit later. Despite my recent gardening neglect, I do have one tomato forming on one of my Brandywine Tom plants, which is delightful. The Micro Tom plants are loaded with fruit and keep budding with new flowers! It's quite wonderful. I've also got some nice flowers going in this square planter. Mini peppers are fattening up on a ledge in my kitchen and I'm thinking of trying my hand at herbs again... who knows!

Last time I posted I said I may have had a kidney stone, and that might is still a might. The theory is that I passed it by the time the ultrasound was preformed. Which is good, as whatever was bothering my abdomen was a great deal more painful than anything I've ever experienced.

There's a midnight double bill of Mad Max and The Road Warrior in the next couple weeks, and I intend to be there and enjoy the future dysotopia that is Australia with a young and dashing Mel Gibson. Inception is on my list of things to see this week - after papers of course.

Class registration is done. On Mondays I get to scamper between three different campuses, which is going to get tiresome pretty quick, I think. But I feel a little more like a film student now that I'm all enrolled and ready to go. Although I'm taking only one film related course (as I've taken all of the lower division ones I possibly can already), I think September's going to be a bit of a blast.

I've just finished reading Dune by Frank Herbert and I wasn't as fond of it as I thought I would be. A friend pointed out that it is written very much like a play, a style I often have a hard time enjoying. However, I am glad I've read it - it is a classic after all!

Sorry, not much craft news these days - I've been so busy! I purchased some key rings from CLBeads on Etsy and a variety of hand painted glass eyes from Suncatcher Craft Eyes from Etsy as well. I'm quite excited for the eyes, I had been anxious to try something more complex than a button for some time. This should add a little touch of personality.

I hope everyone's summer is illin'!

Creature 002!

A new feltie is up on Etsy! Creature 002! A bat-licious felt creation! He didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I think he's still pretty awesome! I love the colours of the felt I used. Delish!

My garden!

It's sort of a pathetic garden, but I like it. Whatever.

This is the deal I've got going on my patio.


What my plants look down over each and every day!

Creature 001's departure!

And away he goes to his new home in Canmore!!

I made a little name tag to go with him, and I think I'll need to continue this trend, because I love it! I have SO many more creatures planned! It's going to be a blast making them!

Toasty!

Hi all, meet Toasty Marshmallow! I made him last night! He's a little taller than my first marshmallow, but he's made out of really nice felt (super plush!). There's dry pearl tapioca in his lower half, so he sits really nice. See him up for sale on my Etsy site!

See more pictures after the jump!

Marshmallows!

Hi all, a quick introduction is in order. I make felties. All the time. I started December 2008 and have not been able to stop. I'm always looking for inspirations for my felties!





My Etsy Site