carin_speaks

Santa Claus is a Timelord.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

-Carin-

 

(Yes, it's been forever since I've posted here. So whip me with a wet noodle.)

OMG, this is the most amazingly convincing costume I've seen in ages!



I've missed a lot (maybe most) of Dr. Who episodes, and "Blink" is one of them. This costume tells me I need to get the good Doctor back into my Netflix rotation!

Make sure to scroll all the way down to the last picture in the costume description. Lookout, Kaylee!

-Carin-

 

...please!

But, while you're doing that, make sure that Megan Murphy, of Kawaii Not is there to capture the moment. She draws cute four panel cartoons of everyday objects, which have unusual views of themselves. As Megan says on her FAQ page:

"Hopefully it's funny. Or maybe you're just dead inside."

Oh, it's funny alright. I spent half an hour annoying amusing my husband while I LOLed at the over 200 comics. I highly recommend that you wander over there for a few minutes of fun!

-Carin-

 

Bonsai is miniaturized trees, right?

What do you get when you miniaturize bonsai?

A portable peaceful place.

-Carin-

 

I just want to take a moment to point you to Tigers & Strawberries, the primarily-food blog of Barbara Fisher, chef at Restaurant Salaam in Athens, Ohio. This blog is a foodie's internet paradise. In it, Barbara shares her favorite recipes, including some of their history, discusses the politics of food and the restaurant business, and sprinkles in the occasional "snapshot" of her own home life, starring her toddler, "Kat." It's a wonderful, sensuous read, and I highly recommend it!

-Carin-

 

"smeddly" was primed. The course was plotted out before her as she started on the first heat of her chosen field, but a miscalculation at the first turn sent her back the starting line. Undaunted, she forged ahead, but it was another false start - her stash wasn't up to the task, and no busting would happen here. Re-equipped, "smeddly" began once more, and this time, it stuck! Knocking out block after block, she gained momentum, and screamed up the seams. In the last leg of the event, "smeddly" commented on her progress thus far, "this afghan should end up weighing in at almost 10 pounds! I might not be in the running for most difficult, prettiest, or most creative, but I think I stand a decent chance of medalling in the ‘heaviest’ category." At last, she crossed the finish line, raising her cramped hands in triumph.

(cue 16-bit dancing Russian guy, wielding crochet hooks)

Congratulations on a fine finish, "smeddly!"


-Carin-

 

I meant Velveeta.

(Don't read this before lunch.)

-Carin-

 

When an issue is released into the world, we editors breathe a collective sigh of relief, pat ourselves on the back, pat each other on the back, and look forward to a well deserved rest.

During which, we start worrying about the next issue.

Samhain (or Hallowe'en, if you prefer) is my favorite holiday, and, thus, my favorite issue. While researching for an article for the coming issue (no, you slackers, we don't just throw some words on the page and call it good enough), I found these:



Oh. Mah. Gods. I. WANT.

Alicia (pronounced ah-lee-see-ah - it's Spanish) Traveria has created the most simultaneously beautiful and adorable calaveras EVER! Fortunately, she sells them at her Etsy shop. Unfortunately, they're out of stock for the moment.

Curses!

Oh, well, I'll just have to console myself with sugar.

Lots and lots of sugar.

Heh heh heh...

-Carin-

 

In my wanderings through Live Journal today, I found myself in the crochetcrochet community. Let me tell you, there are some damn talented hookers there! I'm absolutely in love with "sally2003"'s floral sweater. Seriously go look at it! (I would have pasted a pic of it in here, but I didn't have time to ask her permission.) She was inspired by a blouse she saw online. She crocheted all the individual motifs and sewed them together. It is a touch cheerful for us Angstylvanians, but that's just a matter of the colors she chose. It's gorgeous work!

-Carin-

 

They knit new crime-fighting costumes!



Chris Wass knit this Wonder Woman costume in just 6 weeks, from her own design. Rather than try to work the eagle motif as part of the short row shaping in the bust area, it and the white stars on the bottom part were knit separately and appliqued in place.

If you find yourself at Comic-Con this weekend, look for her!

-Carin-

 

Live Journal user twocheeseplease has posted a tutorial for carving your own rubber stamps that looks easy. Yet another craft on my list of things to try someday!

-Carin-

 

...or a Ninja?

-Carin-

 

Well, fellow adventurers, I was going to tell you all the wonders of the d12 Bag of Holding, but I lost my initiative roll. And, given the state of my apartment, I have other things I ought to be doing.

But wait! What do I hear rustling in the underbrush? Look sharp! It's a party of kobolds, wielding dirty dishes! Quick, equip your sponges and dish soap!

Er, aheh, um...

What I meant to say was that Chore Wars can help entice your kids or roommates into doing their fair share of household chores, or let the apparent slacker prove that they're actually the one dusting and vacuuming while everyone else is at work. Track who gets stuck taking the trash out every time, or when the garden was last watered, or how often the dog is being walked. "XP" are awarded for each task logged, and your character class is decided by what kinds of chores you do.

As you gain XP and levels, you may have monster encounters, which the party's Dungeon Master creates. Defeat the monster, gain gold and treasures, which can be used for rewards your party has agreed upon. For instance, have an adventure washing the dishes, and you may have to defeat the dreaded Slime Mold. The Slime Mold's body may yield a +1 Towel, which you can then use as a "coupon" to get someone else to dry and put the dishes away. It's all customizable: the monsters, treasures, and rewards are up to the imagination of your party's Dungeon Master, and you can ignore the monster encounters if you like. You'll still get the gold, but not the other item drops.

I've started a party, called "Borogrove Under the Hill," to try to encourage myself to actually do some house work. I've only got two adventures put in so far, but, if you're interested, drop me a note and I'll send you an invite. We can back each other up.

For now, let's make camp. Mage, you start the fire and roast that rabbit the Ranger snared earlier.

I'll take first watch.



[ETA: Just read some of the testimonials on the Chore Wars site. A knitting group is using it to encourage members to finish projects. A guy with mental illness is using it to make sure he takes his meds and takes care of himself as well as his house. It's not just for dishes and laundry!]

-Carin-

 

Every once in a while, someone's craft is too weird, even for me.

The fashion blog is called The Coveted, and well, it's a fashion blog, so it's got some good stuff, some eh stuff, and some what-were-they-thinking stuff.

Like shoulder pad hats.

Aside from the red fringey one (which has a serious case of WTF regardless of its base construction), can anyone look at these and not think, "Wow, she has a shoulder pad strapped to her head"?

Do they at least serve as flotation devices?

-Carin-

 

...Deserves Another!

I feel like a proud parent! Well, a proud project designer, anyway. Baconhenge (and the rest of the "Unclean" issue, by association) has been mentioned over at Slashfood. When Slashfood wrote to ask permission to make the post, I went over to check out their site.

It's a pretty nice place, especially for foodies. Just on the current front page, there are 15 posts by at least 10 writers, covering everything from lower-salt potato chips to harvesting and cooking cattails, with stops along the way for beer festivals and congratualtory new-baby rice bags. I'm not that much of a foodie myself, tasty trilithons notwithstanding, but I found it pleasant and interesting to read, and I intend to check in with them from time to time.

Thanks, Slashfood!

-Carin-