Mickey Mouse Quilt

Happy birthday, Luke! As you can see, I made this for him. This guy turned two and he's awesome. I'm lucky to have awesome nieces and nephews.

I had no idea what to make for this kid. I was trying to think of things to crochet for him, but to no avail. Then I remembered the Mickey Mouse fabric I got from Granni's stash. It turned out to work so well. This kid LOVES Mickey Mouse. When he opened it up, he was pretty excited. His Dad decided to lay it on the ground and he laid right on it. I guess he liked it. ;)

Recent Art

So I've been trying to keep myself busy while being at home. I decided to do some art. It helps keep me distracted, mostly. While I was with my parents at my Grandad's house, I found some artwork that Granni started before she died. I was able to finish the first two pictured there because there was still some paint and brushes at his house. And no one seemed to mind. I think others may have been excited to see them finished.

Once I was home I remembered that I needed to make some amigurumi for an upcoming niece and nephew. The bunny is for the niece and she actually came six weeks early. I wanted to give it to my brother and sister-in-law at the baby shower but I got caught making it and my four year-old niece gave me up. And the monster worked out really well because we found out my sister was having a boy while me being back. Both of these seemed to go over really well.

Then these last things were done just for fun. The sign is actually some wood that Granni left behind and I decided to go ahead and paint "Welcome Foolish Mortals" on it. This references my favorite Disney Park ride: The Haunted Mansion. Originally it was just going to paint everything all flat, but Amber gave me the idea to modge podge the wallpaper on the back. I'm so glad that I did. I love how it turned out. It should be great to use at Halloween time.

Then this is another thing that Granni started but I finished. She made all the squares but one. I had to make one in order to get the pattern to work out. Which is ironic because there's also a square on the back because it's smaller than the others. I like how it turned out. This will be good to put on a table or on the back of a chair. We'll see in the future.

Frozen

 Frozen
PG -- IMDb -- 102 min.

I love this movie. I have known that this movie was in production since 2011 back when it was still called The Snow Queen. And, boy, am I glad that they changed the title. It isn't anything like the original fairytale. (Just like a bunch of other well-known Disney features.) Elements are there but now it's its own story.

There's so much to like about this movie. The animation is gorgeous. (And if you want to see more gorgeous art form this movie I recommend The Art of Frozen. So good.) There is an 'oopsy' that I know about but you'll have to watch the movie with me to find that out. I don't care about the 'oopsy' because everything else around was amazing.

There's a lot of fun in this movie, but there's is also a lot of sadness. The King and Queen of Arendelle decide that Anna and Elsa must be separated for both of their safety. Both girls end up growing sad and broken. Anna is the utterly confused as to why her best friend and sister would abandon her; Elsa is scared and scarred from a memory and by her powers. It's so sad to see the longing they both want for a relationship with each other but can't have. But there is happiness at the end of this story. This is how Disney works, people. ;)

That twist at the end had me gasping. (I bet my sister can vouched for this.) I wished that it wasn't so but that's how it was. Stupid expectations from knowing so much prior. Gah. That was my fault. Then the ending was so sweet. It could have gone down the normal Disney story, but this one had a touching ending. I loved seeing everyone so happy in the end.

Go see this! I have seen it twice and have heard the music more than I can count. And wait for the end of the credits. You won't be disappointed. ;)

Disney's Newest Ladies (Plus Dragons)

When I'm in my room I've been looking at the 10 Disney Princesses and Merida that I made last spring, and thought to myself that they looked incomplete. Disney has some new leading ladies coming out in November and I knew that I had to make some that would match the ones that I've already made. I know that I should find the time to make some other Disney ladies, but since I'm excited about this movie I figured starting with them would be the best.

Meet Anna and Elsa of Frozen.

Their backs. Yep, I'm THAT obsessive.

I also got around to finishing up the accidental Harry Potter themed dragons. There are the Maroon & Gold, Green & Silver, Blue & Bronze, and now the Yellow & Black. I suppose you can guess which house the dragons belong to. I thought it would be fun to have a matching set of dragons. ;)

I also decided to experiment a little. I have a few extra glass pebbles and I wanted to do something fun with it. Putting the pebble in the center helped me come up with an idea: a dragon's eye. I thought it would be interesting and different than anything I've made before. After baking I put a silver-wash on the clay and then glazed it to help the scales have more texture.

By the way, if you would like to commission me to make you something you can. I just don't make anything with licensed characters or is explicit. You can contact me here on the blog or on my deviantART.

An Oldie and Some New

First, I'll start with an older craft. This is an amigurumi that I made for my newest nephew. I made this back in February but with the move and all this was the only good picture that I got of it. I'm not sure why I decided on a wolf. All I remember is that I like the color combination and the sparkles in the green yarn. I figured it would make a good plush for him.

Here are some polymer clay rings and a charm. I just finished glazing these yesterday. I've always wanted to make some polymer rings but I didn't have the right ring backs. I eventually found them at a Hobby Lobby in  WA and now had a chance to do something with them here in TX. These are the designs that I thought would be fun. And the little charm will be fun to wear on a necklace or something. I thought that Paperman was a cutest short when I first saw it. I figured it would be an awesome charm.

And finally, here is another Mon-Mon. This time he's blue/pink and love brains just as much as the other Mon-Mons. Although this time it seems he may have gotten a little hungry before he could be photographed.

Crochet Mickey Mouse Bag Pattern

Mickey Mouse Bag:

You'll need:

• G-6 Crochet Hook (4 mm)
• Black Yarn
• Yarn Darner/Needle
• OPTIONAL: Whatever you want the strap to be made of.

Ears: Make Four

1. Magic Adjustable Ring OR ch4, ss to beginning of chs, ch3
2. 12 dc into ring, ss to top of ch3 (12sts)
3. inc in every st around, ss, ch3 (24)
4. *dc into next st, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (32)
5. *dc into next 2 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss (44) END

Head: Make Two

1. Magic Adjustable Ring OR ch4, ss to beginning of chs, ch3
2. 12 dc into ring, ss to top of ch3 (12sts)
3. inc in every st around, ss, ch3 (24)
4. *dc into next st, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (32)
5. *dc into next 2 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (44)
6. *dc into next 3 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (56)
7. *dc into next 4 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (68)
8. *dc into next 5 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss, ch3 (80)
9. *dc into next 6 sts, inc in next st* Repeat around, ss (92) END

Put It Together:

Now you will use your yarn darner/needle to sew the pieces together. Make sure the "right way" is facing each other before you start. Sew the ears and then the head. Then you will sew the ears to the head. Now it's up to you to decide what kid of strap you want. This one is a bunch of yarn braided. Easy but very stretchy, so be careful. OPTIONAL: If you want a button flap then you should crochet back and forth on one side of the head that it open. Make sure to leave a button hole. Sorry I don't have the pattern for this part. I forgot to write it down when I made it over a year ago.

**If you make one, please let me know! I would love to see it. And please give credit where it's due.

Wreck-It Ralph

 Wreck-It Ralph

PG -- 108 min. -- IMDB

This is another movie that I had been waiting a long time for. When I knew that Disney was doing a movie about a video game character, I knew that would want to see it. The more that I found out, the more that I liked.

I loved the mix of new and old characters. And that they all had there own personality. I like the growth and development of each of the main ones as well. There is a back story to each of characters that are important to the story and you see a change happen to them all. The change happens either because of what happens to them or their interactions with each other. 

The video game references in this movie are AMAZING. Most casuals gamers will get most of the hidden things. But there are things that only big video game fans will get. Tiny things are all over the place as are more obvious things. There's even a lot of humor for the those who don't play games that often. I found that there's a lot of humor just meant for adults. Even the story. I overheard a kid ask their parent, "What just happened?" They couldn't see what the older audience saw. I love that about this movie.

The animation is, of course, spectacular. Each character gets they're own specific way of walking and moving depending on the feel of their game. It's cool how many ways they can move and have it be convincing.

I was smiling a laughing throughout this whole movie. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Especially since Disney put a short called "Paperman" in front of it. The animation is something new and stellar and the story is cute. In short: it's awesome. ;) Go see this movie. The family will enjoy it, especially the gamer in heart.

Frankenweenie

 Frankenweenie
IMDB -- 87 min. -- PG

I have been waiting for this movie ever since I caught whiff of it. I'm a big fan of stop-motion animation and of Tim Burton. I was also intrigued that all of the sets and characters were done in black and white, and not shot in black and white. After watching the movie (on Oct. 5) I can see why this choice was made; and it was a good one.

Starting with the choice of black and white. I loved this choice. I have a hard time watching most things in black and white but I loved that this was all made that way. This movie is an homage to olden day Monster Movies. The black and white emphasized all of this.

The story line also did this. It was meant to be kid friendly in a way, but also the adults could appreciate it. There are themes in this movie that children won't understand. That's what I like about it. Children won't get as to why the experiments worked out differently, but the adults will if they think about it. The beginning of the movie also introduces adults to more mature themes at the start. The themes I could see were alienation, moral ethics, and naivete in understanding consequences. A lot of this reminds me of the original Frankenstein, and perhaps that's why I love it so much since it's my favorite book.

I loved this movie. If you're a fan of Tim Burton and old monster stories, go see it. You won't regret it. ;)

Disney... Again. =)

So I decided to take another go at the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World. Last time I had lots of fun hanging out with roommates and working at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom. The hours were interesting given the fact that the Emporium was open so late all of the time. But you get used to that kind of thing. I loved being in the Merchandise role. The people I worked with were also easy to be around. I thought that by going back into the Program that I would have the same amount of fun.

And I am. This time I work in Quick Service Food & Beverage. I would much rather be working in Merchandise, though. There isn't anything wrong with at a QSR location, but you do need to know that hours are a lot different than Merchandise. I've only worked in retail so this is a whole new ball of wax for me. Breaks are done differently and you have to aware of certain rules and regulations that you wouldn't think of while being in Merchandise. But once you know them, it's easy to remember.

I work in the Magic Kingdom again so sometimes the hours are late but never as late as the Emporium. But that doesn't mean that they aren't as long, if not longer. A word to the college student wanting to do the Program: you will work hard. You interact with a ton of people every day and have to try and make it magical for each and every one of them. And that takes some work. Guests expect a certain degree of perfection at Walt Disney World, and you do what you can to fulfill those expectations.

The roommates that I live with this time are a TON of fun. It's a plus that all of us are of the same denomination. Having that makes things so easy to get along on a deeper level because you know that your value system is the same as theirs. And this time I live with five girls instead of three. They're hilarious to be around and I haven't seen any of them mad as of yet. So easy tempered is a good thing. ;)

Going out in the parks is just as fun as it was last year. The difference is the familiarity. When I went back on property it was awesome. I didn't feel lost at any point because I felt like I was returning home. It sounds corny, but it's true. When you become so familiar with a place there's a sense of calm that comes to you like when you return home. The people are different, for sure, but it feels good.

Now that about five weeks have gone by it's time to go out there and have some fun. I'm going to try to see things that I haven't before and experience other things. Like this Saturday I'll be going on an airboat ride and be able to hold baby gators. I'll make sure to take a ton of pictures. The ward here is able to let us go for only $10 and I happen to have the day off. I'm pretty excited about it. =)

I've got to apply for the Professional Internships this next week so we'll see if I get to stay longer as one of those. It'll be fun to find out. Stressful, but fun. If not, then we'll see. I have a couple ideas. ;)

Simply Meant to Be Embroidery Hoop

This is my latest craft endeavor. I've had this embroidery hoop for some time and I really didn't have any use for it. After looking at some other craft ideas with these hoops, I decided to take a crack at a movie scene. One of my all time favorite movie scenes. This is the ending scene from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. I love this movie and it's the reason that I love animation; especially stop-motion animation. I thought that this scene would be perfect to start off my Movie Scenes Hoop Series. At the moment I have a ton of Disney ideas, but I will also venture out to some others. Now I just need to get a hold of more hoops and some more black embroidery thread...

Brave

Brave
IMDB -- 100 min. -- PG

I have been waiting for this movie for over a year and only hoped that what I thought this movie was going to be was just that. I was happy when I left the theatre. Very happy.

The animation is spectacular. Pixar really knows what they are doing when it comes to that. They continue to push the industry to do something new and innovative. This goes for story, too. Since I'm a member of Tumblr, I knew certain things about the movie before going. I knew what I was going to get into. I knew that this movie was a new direction for Pixar. And I like it.

There is humor involved as with any Pixar movie. The humor is mainly done by Hubert, Hamish, and Harris (the triplet brothers). And there are a couple other moments that are because of the PG rating. Know this before you go so you don't get butt-hurt. I thought it was hilarious. (P.S. - Some parts may be intense for young kids.)

**SPOILER
I read somewhere that someone thought that having things fixed by the tapestry was too easy. I don't think we were watching the same movie. It wasn't about fixing the tapestry. It was about fixing a relationship torn apart by pride. The tapestry enables Merida and Queen Elinor to work together to rebuild that relationship; it isn't the reason the spell is broken.
**END

I love that this movie is centered around a family. There is so much that can be done for a movie with the family as the basis. I love that Pixar knew this and grasped it to their advantage. They built the love they had so well for each other. I literally cried at one part of the movie and I don't like doing this in the theatre. I was so happy when this movie finished.

Pixar's short, "La Luna," was also amazing. And don't forget to stay after the credits. You'll get a nice tid-bit. ;)

Drawstring Bento Bags

I have been making some clothing for my nephew and niece with some fun fabrics, and I had lots leftover. I wanted to use the fabrics in another functional way that would be simple enough to make. Then it hit me. My bento bag is boring. I decided to go overboard and make these three. I really like how they turned out. They fit my everyday bento as well as my one-layer Ponyo bento. I would say that multi-purpose = WIN.

Want to make one? Follow my tutorial on deviantART.

Disney's 10 Princesses

I should have posted this a while ago. The Princess Merida charm that I made started a new adventure. I decided that I wanted to make Disney's 10 Official Princesses. And I say "Official" because there are plenty of princesses that get snubbed by Disney. (Eilonwy from Black Cauldron, Kida from Atlantis, etc.) I may get to the 'unofficial' ones eventually, but these sure took a lot longer than I thought they would! There were a few of these that I figured would be super easy to make, but they turned out to be deceptive! Especially since I'm using colored polymer clay. The only painted things are the faces. I'm pretty happy how they turned out. It sure was fun. ;)

Sorry about the column of pictures. I couldn't get them to sit side-by-side since Blogger changed their settings. It's really weird. If anyone can tell me how without needing to write a bunch of code, I would appreciate it.

Princess Merida Charm

On a roll. ;) This time I decided to make Princess Merida from the upcoming Disney-Pixar film Brave. I have known about this movie for a year now and I'm excited that I'll finally be able to see it in June! Merida seems like a tough chick with a sweet heart. Her family looks like fun, too. Since this movie is coming soon I thought she would be perfect to start my Disney Princess charm making. I'm hoping to make the other princesses, including the ones not on the line-up. I really like how her hair turned out and it's helped me gain a new hair technique. That should be a reoccurring thing with the next princess. Now, who should I make next?

A Month of Disney

It's pretty crazy to think that I have already been here for over a month now. It still feels like I've only been here for a couple of weeks. So much has happened in this little amount of time. Part of me wishes that I could stay more than the summer but I know that if I don't go then I'll just be delaying graduation and finally getting out on my own. (Scary thought of its own, but that's for another time.)

I'm so glad that my family was able to come down for a few days. I wish that I was able to be with them for the entire time but I guess that's part of working here. We had so much fun enjoying all of the parks. There was, of course, drama to go along with it, but what family vacation doesn't have that? I do wish that they could have stayed longer. I know that it was time, though. If they had stayed even longer I would just miss them more than I already do and I would be out of 'my groove.' Thanks for coming down, all. <3

As for work itself I think that there's pros and cons like any other job. Working on the register can get pretty boring, and being a college program student means that I work some pretty ridiculous shifts. My poor roommate has been working 11 hour shifts for a while now and I hope she gets a break soon. I've been working from the evening to early in the morning most of the time. The people who have worked at the store I'm at longer get better shifts than I do but I'm okay with that. Who gets to say that they have worked at Walt Disney World? Other college program participants tell me that I'm going to get sick of it. I don't want to. The difference I've noticed in them is that they're... slackers. I don't think they're used to working all of the time. Welcome to the real world, kids. One of them tried to convince me that I was lying about how I felt about working here. Whatever.

I've been asked on several occasions on what is my favorite park. Can I be a truthful in saying that I think they are all my favorite? All of them have good things and not-so-good things. (I don't say bad because I don't think anything has really been bad.) There are still a couple of rides that I want to hit. I also want to start getting pictures and, yes, signatures of characters. I think that it would be fun, and why shouldn't I? I should be able to get quite a few when I get down to it. There are also some shows that I need to see before I go. Some at the parks and at least one off of the parks: La Nouba by Cirque Du Soleil. I get half of and what other time will that happen? It's must see while I'm here. Oh, and something totally not Disney related: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Yeah, you heard me. Be jealous. ;)

I want to keep posting pictures of my adventures onto Facebook... but I have run into a little problem. My computer--now named Dinosaur--won't read my 4GB SD card. It'll read the full 1GB, but not that one. I also neglected to bring the cord for my camera to connect to the computer. I know it's in a box in UT but I think the software is in a different spot than the camera box. Interesting problem, huh? I'll see what can be done; until then, I'm sorry!

I'll keep you all as updated as I can. <3

Crocheted Bags

I actually finished this bag before I finished the Mickey Mouse Amigurumi. I had originally planned to type out the pattern but I don't think that's going to happen now. There's lots to do at the end of the semester including packing, studying, and taking the finals. Anyway, this bag is mostly made out of puff stitches and single crochet stitches. When I finished the crocheting part 3 days after starting (I got really fast suddenly. O.o), I knew that it would need a lining. It was made to keep things in the bag and to prevent it from stretching too much. I found a purple fabric for the out lining and used the left over black and white that I used in a kanzashi and dress. I really like how it turned out.

I finished this one this past Monday. I signed up for the Ward Talent Show to display some art and wanted to show this with all of that. Originally, I had planned on adding Mickey's face to the bag but I decided that it was more iconic this way. I also did braided yarn for the strap so it wouldn't stretch too much. The bag closes like the bag above but with two smaller buttons. I like how it turned out and I know it'll be fun to wear around Disney World this summer. =D

Mickey Mouse Amigurumi

First of all... Happy 200th Post! I finally made it! Woo! =D

In honor of going to Disney World this summer for an internship, I made Mickey Mouse! I love this amigurumi. You want to know my favorite part of him? The gloves. I finally figured a way to make hands that were convincing that I could crochet and no stitching together. There are some felt details on the bottom of the feet to represent soles for the shoes, but you can't see them very well in this shot. I like him a lot. He may become my little pal when I'm out at Disney World. He'll probably show up in some pictures that I take there. I haven't quite decided. ;)