This year, here in the U.S. Towel Day or May 25 is also Memorial Day (which is always the last Monday in May).
As the unofficial start of summer, it’s the perfect opportunity to do something geeky and vacationy.
Made of Sundays
We’re as of yet undecided – quite understandably – of what exactly we’d like to do. But just like the peeps in Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, we won’t panic while exploring our options. 🙂
(The mirror decal photo is by Made of Sundays – visit their site for more!)
Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.
During the covid-19 pandemic, many people in my social bubble have turned not just to handcrafts but to video projects as a way to pass the time and provide comfort. I’ve seen a wide spread of projects and inspiration as a consequence, and enjoyed every one. Here’s an example.
Polokkarit is a 25-year-old folk dance ensemble based in Oulu, Finland. They recorded a polka performance that respects physical distancing recommendations.
(P.S. Beware of one blurred-out NSWF moment – I’m kinda flabbergasted that they left it in.)
They tell a bit about their polka video on YouTube:
“At the moment most of the world is in lockdown mode, but the Finnish folk dance group Polokkarit has found a way to combine dancing and social distancing. Ever since Finland introduced official COVID-19 restrictions, weekly video calls have gathered the group together to practice, keep in touch and socialize. These sessions resulted in an idea of ‘Polka in Quarantine’, a video piece for celebrating International Dance Day with the aim to help ease the group’s yearning for dancing together and at the same time brighten the day of people all around the world.
“The whole production of ‘Polka in Quarantine’ was carried out remotely. The piece introduces the variety of Finnish polka steps in the characteristically cheerful Polokkarit style while offering the dancers’ national costumes a long-awaited outing as well. The video features 29 Polokkarit dancers altogether, scattered to different parts of the country due to the pandemic. Despite the physical distance, this video piece brings the dancers together, thanks to Finnish polka. As well as demonstrating a variety of traditional Finnish polka steps, ‘Polka in Quarantine’ also gives the viewer a unique chance to take a peek into Finnish homes.”
Love it! It’s also nice to see glimpses of familiar places in the background.
Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.
Many people in my social bubble have turned to handcrafts during the covid-19 pandemic as a way to pass the time and provide comfort. I’ve seen such a wide spread of projects and patterns and inspiration as a consequence, and enjoyed every one. Here’s an example.
Pillows by Heather Lins, photo by Cameron Sadeghpour. ReadyMade Aug-Sept 2010, p. 32
Solar system throw pillows by Heather Lins; photo by Cameron Sadeghpour for ReadyMade magazine Aug-Sept 2010.
I found this while browsing inspiration for a pillow project. This doesn’t quite do it for my present needs, but they’re awesome nevertheless.
Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.
Connecticut-based author M.L. Brennan had a brilliant idea the other day and tweeted it out. Basically she posits a murder mystery show set in Britain where “Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are elderly widower neighbors who bicker a lot about their gardens, and also solve crimes”. Brennan also suggests plot points and gives her casting choices for the supporting characters as well.
I really encourage you to read as much of the long, rambling thread as possible. It brightened our evening a lot one night when positivity was needed.
Here’s the beginning:
I think what I'd really like right now is a cozy British village murder mystery show where Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are elderly widower neighbors who bicker a lot about their gardens, and also solve crimes. And there's a super hot grandson who has to drive them around.
And Lewis, who is Ian's grandson is played by, you know, let's say Henry Cavill.
And he shows up and is all, "I am supposed to be playing rugby with the lads, Granddad! How could you possibly have an urgent medical appointment right now?"
The fun part of all of this (other than being a Patrick Stewart-Ian McKellen crime-solving garden-crabbing star vehicle) is that you could employ every British actor as either:
A: A Grandchild B: A grumpy middle-aged child C: An octogenarian friend D: A villager E: A murderer
Since I last posted, Runa has moved to Lisbon, Portugal. She also published a book, Quilling Art, and a second one, Quilling: 20 Beautiful Designs, will be out this summer. Congrats on both!
Like before, I’m only posting three of my favorites, but Runa is so productive it really is difficult to pick only from among her recent work.
Plant pots aren’t Ozaltug’s only specialty: she also makes figurines, ornaments, wall art objects, wind chimes and various dishes for organizing your life.
I was looking for something quite different when this print fabric caught my eye: skeleton mermaids. (Skeletal mermaids? Mermaid skeletons? Mer-letons??)
I see one playing a panflute, another a harmonica, yet one more a guitar; some are wearing sombreros or crowns on their heads. What?!? LOL! 😀
Sadly, the vendor doesn’t describe it in any more detail than “novelty cotton”. I wonder whether it might be a Day of the Dead print? It’s fun, nevertheless.
Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.
Husband and I do Halloween in a very minimal way in our house: usually we only carve a pumpkin, light candles and get ready for trick-or-treaters. Despite not growing up with Halloween, I love seeing what creative decorations and tips other people have shared.
Earlier in the month I was going through some of my notes and found this photo of a gorgeous Jack-o-‘lantern carved with constellations:
Martha Stewart Magazine, October 2017, p. 107
It’s from the October 2017 issue of Martha Stewart Magazine. Apparently they used a LED light string and pushed into each hole an individual light as a star. No wonder they’re so bright. Very nice!
Happy Halloween to those celebrating!
Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.
I’m always on the lookout for unusual solutions to decorating problems. The fireplace below certainly applies: despite it’s traditional looks, the reality is very non-traditional.
It’s from the Drachten, Netherlands, home of Mindy and Theo Schroor. From their description (the mantel is “purely decorative”) it sounds like the fireplace is a faux one built around an electric stove. The tile surround is actually a tablecloth mounted to the wall.
I’ve seen clever faux fireplaces before. In this one, it’s the tablecloth surround that really makes the whole, however: the print displays copies of Dutch artists’ work and details from Delftware ceramics, repeated tile-style, as a lovely nod to the local history. The history nerd in me definitely appreciates the choice!
