Mark’s brother-in-law likes MJ probably as much if not more … okay … who am I kidding? Nobody could like MJ more than me.
Anyway, I had a threadless shirt lying around and I decided to make him a pillow out of it. I like how it turned out. I think I like it better than if the shirt would have fit the pillow because I added some contrasting patchwork on the side.
[and it's envelope-back, so if it's too cheesy for him, he can easily change it out]
Did I mention that Thriller is in near-mint condition? Crazy. If I would have tried to find this on eBay I probably would have paid upwards of $50 for it. Instead, I got it for $5.
Now I need a record player. I would actually like to start getting vinyl. I love vinyl — always have. I used to alphabetize my dad’s collection and I’ve called dibs on that collection should he ever want to get rid of it [MINE, Coree!]
1. My musical flowers pitcher. And the resulting photos of it. I really miss my little brick wall porch at my old place in Des Moines.
Two Mistakes You’ve Made in the Past
1. Not saying no when I should. I’m to proud to admit when I can’t take on a project — I love being a jack of all trades. I recently took engagement photos of my friend’s little sister and her (now) hubby. I really shouldn’t have. I’m not a photographer. And I said yes to taking her WEDDING photos too.
[okay, so they didn't turn out too horrible]
2. Using parchment paper to bake these amazing brownies. The result? What my roommate coined “reverse brownies” — gooey on the outside, done in the middle.
Three Things That Make Your Work Unique
1. I’m cheap — but in a good way. I use EVERY scrap of fabric — including the selvedge edges — every discarded dish, every possible inch of batting and use cereal boxes for patterns for sewing projects. I’m currently making a map of the states quilt out of pieces of fabric that are less than 2″ big. Partially because I’m a fabric hoarder too.
2. Asymmetry. I hate symmetrical and being matchy matchy. I will never make a quilt from a traditional pattern — it has to be wonky.
3. Obviously, I love handmade objects. And as a graphic designer in my professional life, I try to incorporate hand-done items into my work as much as possible — whether it’s my own illustrations, found objects, fabric or paintings created by a friend.
[album cover for a band I was in that never took off]
Four Tools You Love to Use
1. Rotary cutter. I have no idea why, but there is something so damn therapeutic about cutting fabric and placing it in neat piles.
2. Adobe Creative Suite (especially InDesign — use it daily at work)
3. Sewing machine — I sometimes think I need a fancy one with more bells and whistles, but the freebie one I got from my aunt has been kicking out great projects and working just fine. I actually got a new Janome in October and it has been rocking my world! I even completed a quilt last month using that machine with no blips in the fabric or dropped stitches. I’m saving my old machine for threadbangin’ more crafty projects.
4. Sketchbook + Prismacolors. I don’t just do things. I think them through first and find several ways of accomplishing what my desired end result may be. It’s surprising what you come up with when you take some time to brainstorm.
Five Inspirations
1. Quilters like Fussy Cut and Oh Fransson!
2. Michael Jackson. Yes. I’m serious. If you’ve not read my blog before, then newsflash: I heart MJ.
3. Every DIY and craft blog out there. ever. I think I follow all of them in my google reader.
4. My granny — she left a TON of unfinished projects when she died and I’ve been randomly finishing them up in the past several years. Here’s a quilt I completed out of blocks she made from what we think may have been old clothing (she was also cheap and thrifty).
5. And I have to mention my boyfriend. He’s constantly helping me refine my work and offers up suggestions and critique as well as an incredible amount of support.
I realized something. Since I’ve been listening to some pop, I’ve noticed that there are certain “artists” in the pop genre who are true musicians — write their own music, are very particular about sound, production quality, etc., write music for others write, direct and edit their music videos, and create a look and personality for their persona that fits with the artistry of their music. Basically, they’re producing more than a fleeting sound or product — these people produce art.
Not everybody likes their art, but that’s not the point. They’re true artists, and that’s not the norm in pop. Some might find them odd, strange, weird or even off-balanced. But that’s part of their nature.
These artists (in the pop genre anyway) only come around every once in a great while.
If you follow my blog or know me at all, you know at least one of the two people I’m talking about.
Michael Jackson. True artist and perfectionist.
But now? Lady Gaga.
I never thought I would feel the same way about another pop musician — utter respect for what this person does. But Gaga has it. Not sure what it is, but MJ had a lot of it and Gaga does too.
To illustrate a small facet of my point, here are some comparisons of their music videos and songs.
Both artists created a song that is a strong statement of their feelings toward a particular social issue of their era.
Michael Jackson: Black or White. Lady Gaga: Born this Way.
Black or White is obviously about racial issues. In the song Jackson proclaims “it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.”
Born this Way is a strong statement about the LGBT community — you were born this way. Be proud of who you are.
How many pop stars tackle social issues at the risk of losing their popularity? Not many.
And then there’s the artistry behind music videos — pioneered by Michael Jackson. Music videos lost their momentum in the 90s but resurfaced more recently with the advent of youTube. Gaga picked up on this early and started making mini-movies the way MJ did.
Judas (which I blogged about a while ago) is an example of Gaga’s take on cinematic videos. Telephone is another example.
Michael Jackson has a TON of cinematic videos. The most epic and obvious — and original — is Thriller. I looked at a few of his videos before I decided which one was most like Telephone. I think Remember the Time is because it features a lot of famous people and it has kind of a title sequence. And there’s action that occurs outside the music.
Anyway, I know this is probably going to piss a lot of Gaga fans off because Michael Jackson is so controversial. It’s probably also going to piss off a lot of Michael Jackson fans because Gaga is so new and seemingly fleeting.
But I really think Lady Gaga has something special. And I hope she can stick around and keep producing new and exciting and beautiful things the way that Michael Jackson did.
I thought it would be cool to own an MJ doll, so I bid on it, thinking I wouldn’t win anyway and that if I did, I could definitely just buy an outfit. But MJ doll outfits are crazy expensive. And I’m not going to make clothes. Tiny things on sewing machines are not fun.
Anyway, I’ve had MJ for 2 years. And he’s just kind of hung out in obnoxious places around my apartment. But why not DO something with him?
So this song isn’t very good. I’m just going to throw that out there. What makes it good is the fact that the entire song aside from the new vocal track is Michael Jackson’s Human Nature.
Okay, so if I was a pop singer, what would the most obvious way to get a hit single be? Sample something from somebody else’s hit single. Namely Michael Jackson. Or maybe Madonna.
Anyway, I’m sure Chris Brown has a following and some talent — he’s obviously a talented dancer as this video shows. It’s basically a giant homage to the King of Pop. He’s apparently a huge fan.
So of course, I’m sharing with you, because I watched the video and pretty much exploded with happiness. It was like MJ reincarnated. But not anywhere near as awesome.
Most amazing and random team-up ever. Lost in the World by Kanye featuring Bon Iver. I discovered this on The Current recently.
Added bonus: definitely a Michael Jackson reference throughout the song — part of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”.
This is off Kanye’s new album “My Dark Twisted Fantasy” — which I’m not going to buy. But I’ve definitely purchased this track. Apparently there’s no official video for this on youTube, but here’s the song.
My friend Kelly posted her pix from Prom 2011 on facebook. And here they are … note the amazing dancing skills. Mostly honed from the MJ Dancing game Mark got me for Christmas for the Wii.
What could be better than combining chocolate and beer? Frosting it. With cream cheese frosting. Oh, and putting it in a portable and cute cupcake form.
Last Sunday was my b-day and my friend Danielle and I made Guinness cupcakes for our friends to enjoy at my little gathering.
I used this recipe for the cake and this recipe for the frosting. These were super super naughty, but soooooo good!
Here is my lovely cupcake display — of course, I frosted them hot pink. Would you expect any less? And Naked Michael Jackson had to come to the party too. It’s not a party without naked michael jackson.
Got 3 @MyTrainerBob DVDs in the mail today. My 8-9 mile run had been downgraded to the gym (LiveFit day 45), but now I'm hanging out w/ Bob. 19 hours ago
@nerdboner@DOOMTREE YES. I was already a fan of Dessa. That's ALL you had to say: Dessa + MN Rap = winner. 2012/02/04
