Thursday Theme: Sing Along

Missed the Valentine's Day post. Timing problem. Not my fault. Okay, entirely my fault. But here I am with a new theme, inspired by my Valentine inspirations. There's one less piece to share than I had intended to have, but that's okay, it'll have to make an appearance some day when I actually get it done right.

Anyway, this week's theme is one that I tend to take for granted. This week's theme is song lyrics. I'm very much inspired by music, especially rock music and Celtic/new age music. I know, strange combination. Though you wouldn't think so if you listened to Blackmore's Night. Anyway, I digress. I work songs into my art quite a bit, whether by incorporating the lyrics themselves or by creating a scene that comes to mind when I listen to a song. So this year for Valentine's Day I was going to do a whole series of tags based on some of my favorite song lyrics about love. Here we go...

Okay, it's sideways at the moment. This is the refrain from A Maid in Bedlam, as recorded by the John Renbourn Group. Not perfect, but it'll do until I have better ideas for it.

One line from Down to My Last by Alter Bridge. The next line is "In your world I'm blind," but I like this sentiment so I focused on the positive.

Remember this guy? From the Oops post? It was going to have the beginning of the theme song for Ouran Highschool Host Club: "Kiss kiss fall in love!" Still need to start this over.

I also showed a glimpse of these canvases last time, because they were a re-work of a failed idea. The lyrics are from the title song on Alter Bridge's first album, One Day Remains. Each canvas has the first half of the line in the red strip and the second half of the line scrawled across the open space.

Also featuring Alter Bridge lyrics (sensing a common theme within the theme?), I threw this together one day in about 10 minutes. It just came to me in the car, and I wanted it to look messy and thrown together, which it does, and that's fine because it's not like I'm going to be trying to sell it or get anybody's approval for it. It's just for me, and for you because I've decided to share. Someday I'll find a frame for it.

Hidden lyrics from Broken Wings, also from Alter Bridge's first album.

It's not all hard rock in my non-lovey dovey stuff. I've got Christmas stuff:

The Peace Carol, from the Muppets and John Denver: A Christmas Together.

*cringe* Early work. With the title line from the theme song of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (the 2005 movie version).

I've got lots more floating around in my head, never committed to paper and whatnot. More Alter Bridge, some Shinedown, some traditional songs, all kinds of stuff. Who knows if I'll ever get it all done. In the meantime, at least I'm never without an internal soundtrack. What music inspires you?

Je rêvais enfant de vivre libre...

No, I don't actually speak French.

But after the insanity that was my summer, I have definitely been dreaming of freedom.  Or maybe just free time.  And once I had some, I squandered what I had.  But no more!  Even as the semester begins again, I'm afire with artistic desire.  And inspired by some pretty awesome artists.

See, thanks to my gentleman, I've gotten hooked on the musical Notre Dame de Paris, and thanks to that I've gotten hooked on Garou, the Canadian singer who starred as Quasimodo.  And thus I was inspired, quite insistently, by this song:


(Decent translation here.  I think.  You should watch this one, too, if you have the time:  Au plaisir de ton corps It's more upbeat and... ok I'll stop, this post is not about Garou....)

I've always loved the idea of gypsies, mostly the sort of bohemian style we associate with them.  So this song "Gitan" kept poking at me.  "Poke, poke, HEY when are you going to do some ART about me?" Okay, okay.  I gave in.  I started (appropriately) with a stripey 7 Gypsies paper, and inked some blue onto it a la Tim Holtz.  Over that, I stamped and embossed a couple of my favorite Michelle Ward stamps with clear ink and powder.  Shiny:


From there I added a layer of orange ink, which of course the clear embossing resisted:



(Working with this color combination was a leap of faith for me...)

So the background was done. Now to build it up, right? First thing I reached for was the new tape from Tim Holtz.

(Oops, that one came out blurry. Sorry.)

So then, to go with the urban gypsy theme, I needed something to indicate freedom. This is the "vivre libre" after all. Wings! Wings indicate freedom. I'll do wings. I'll do wings on grungeboard and affix them to the thingie so it'll have some depth. Oops, grungeboard fail. Oh well, maybe I'll just emboss them. I think I'm destined to work in two dimensions. Here we go, embossing wingalings:


Oops. Embossing semi-fail.

Does anybody have any idea WHY on the black stripes the embossing powder stuck to the ink, but not anywhere else? WTF? Oh well, just looks grungier, right...?

Well now it needs a rockstar touch. Rockstar. Stars! I've got stars.


It was at this point that I started spending way too much time fiddling around trying to figure out what else to stick on this thing. It rejected many of my ideas. What I ended up with was this:


I still wasn't sure whether it was finished, but I asked for some expert advice and was assured that this is the finished piece (you know who you are - thank you for your help!):


All it needs now is a home. I haven't decided yet what to do with it, whether to mount it on something or to frame it or what. But for now I'm just going to enjoy it.

P.S. You might notice I fiddled with the blog appearance.  It was time for an update... What do you think?

Black Monday?

Not that it's been a bad day. I just have a couple of goth thingies to post. One is a meme, one is actual fiber content. *gasp* Bear with me.

See, Pam has posted another fun meme, and this one I definitely had to fill out. And by "had to" I mean "really really wanted to." Cos it's fun! Here are the rules:

- Choose a singer/band/group
- Answer using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group
- Tag 7 more people. Or not.

So, my band: HIM (naturally)
1. Are you male or female? Poison Girl
2. Describe yourself. Soul on Fire
3. What do people feel when they’re around you? I'm not answering this one, because I can't presume to know... though if I wanted to be optimistic about it, I'd say Buried Alive by Love :P
4. How would you describe your previous relationship? Wicked Game (Video NSFW!)
5. Describe your current relationship. In Joy and Sorrow
6. Where would you want to be now? Close to the Flame
7. How do you feel about love? Sweet Pandemonium
8. What’s your life like? The Path
9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish? Edit: I changed my mind, my wish would be The Face of God Wings of a Butterfly (This one was tough... I went with the symbolic meaning of the song's title line... regarding love, not necessarily life itself... yeah I had to pick something okay?)
10. Say something wise. Don't Close Your Heart

Now the actual fiber! It is suitably goth, I feel, to go along with HIM. It's what I spun from my Valkyrie colorway Sheep to Shoe kit. I haven't set it yet, so it's still a bit wibbly-wobbly. But it's pretty :)



Look deeeeeper into the black...


So much of my other two favorite colors in there. Red and purple. And various shades thereof. *swoon*

I simply must get back to my wheel. I haven't spun in... I dunno, I think it's been over a month. But hopefully I will have more handspun to post next Monday. In gorgeous Fall colors. Whee!

Just a Nod

Just so you know I'm still around... I have a FO to post but I don't have the pics yet so I'm filling space with this groovy meme I ganked from Pam.

The idea:
A.) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorite [Carrie's note: I do not have just one favorite. There are several tied for favorite, it just depends on my mood. Deal with it]. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

My song list:
1. A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton (Don't get used to seeing this poppy crap in bold...)
2. Get The Party Started, Pink (This kind of stuff either.)
3. Complicated, Avril Lavigne (Getting better.)
4. Dilemma, Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
5. In The End, Linkin Park (At the time I didn't care for LP - too much rap - but I have since become quite a fan. I can admit when I'm wrong...)
6. Ain't It Funny, Jennifer Lopez
7. U Got It, Bad Usher
8. All You Wanted, Michelle Branch
9. Don't Let Me Get Me, Pink
10. Hot In Herre, Nelly (Such hatred do I have for this song...)
11. Hey Baby, No Doubt
12. Can't Get You Out Of My Head, Kylie Minogue
13. Lose Yourself, Eminem
14. The Middle, Jimmy Eat World (Gets me singing and dancing every time.)
15. The Game Of Love, Santana featuring Michelle Branch
16. U Don't Have To Call, Usher
17. Like I Love You, Justin Timberlake
18. Girlfriend, 'N Sync
19. Wherever You Will Go, The Calling
20. My Sacrifice, Creed
21. Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton
22. Underneath It All, No Doubt
23. Jenny From The Block, Jennifer Lopez
24. Just Like A Pill, Pink
25. Blurry, Puddle Of Mudd
26. Gangsta Lovin', Eve featuring Alicia Keys
27. Hero, Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
28. Days Go By, Dirty Vegas
29. Foolish, Ashanti
30. Escape, Enrique Iglesias
31. Without Me, Eminem
32. No Such Thing, John Mayer
33. Can't Fight The Moonlight, LeAnn Rimes
34. Hella Good, No Doubt
35. Heaven, DJ Sammy & Yanou
36. Whenever, Wherever, Shakira (I know. Anomaly.)
37. Family Portrait, Pink
38. One Last Breath, Creed (Yes, I know - Scott Stapp is an asshole. Moving on.)
39. 7 Days, Craig David
40. Hands Clean, Alanis Morissette
41. Die Another Day, Madonna
42. Sk8er Boi, Avril Lavigne
43. A Woman's Worth, Alicia Keys
44. Love At First Sight, Kylie Minogue
45. Underneath Your Clothes, Shakira
46. I Need A Girl (Part One), P. Diddy featuring Usher & Loon
47. Full Moon, Brandy
48. Wasting My Time, Default
49. Soak Up The Sun, Sheryl Crow (This might be the only Sheryl Crow song I like, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that I like any Sheryl Crow song.)
50. Gotta Get Thru This, Daniel Bedingfield
51. Always On Time, Ja Rule featuring Ashanti
52. #1, Nelly
53. Livin' It Up, Ja Rule featuring Case
54. Goodbye To You, Michelle Branch
55. If I Could Go, Angie Martinez
56. Stole Kelly Rowland
57. Just A Friend 2002, Mario
58. Roll Out (My Business), Ludacris
59. I'm Gonna Be Alright, Jennifer Lopez featuring Nas
60. Happy, Ashanti
61. No More Drama, Mary J. Blige
62. Somewhere Out There, Our Lady Peace
63. Video, India.Arie
64. Walking Away, Craig David
65. A Moment Like This, Kelly Clarkson
66. Rainy Dayz, Mary J. Blige featuring Ja Rule
67. What About Us?, Brandy
68. I Need A Girl (Part Two), P. Diddy & Ginuwine featuring Loon, Mario Winans & Tammy Rugger
69. (This Is) A Song For The Lonely, Cher
70. What's Luv?, Fat Joe featuring Ashanti
71. A New Day Has Come, Celine Dion
72. The Whole World, Outkast
73. Hey Ma, Cam'ron
74. More Than A Woman, Aaliyah
75. Disease, Matchbox 20 (Somehow, I missed that Matchbox 20 still existed in 2002...)
76. Oops (Oh My), Tweet
77. Here Is Gone, Goo Goo Dolls
78. Caramel City, High featuring Eve
79. Objection (Tango), Shakira
80. Out Of My Heart, BBMak
81. Girl Talk, TLC
82. Cleanin' Out My Closet, Eminem
83. Too Bad, Nickelback
84. In A Little While, Uncle Kracker
85. For All Time, Soluna
86. Wrong Impression, Natalie Imbruglia
87. Everyday, Dave Matthews Band
88. Starry Eyed Surprise, Paul Oakenfold
89. Where Are You Going, Dave Matthews Band (Nails... on... chalkboard...)
90. Insatiable, Darrin Hayes
91. Rapture (Tastes So Sweet), iio
92. Son Of A Gun, Janet Jackson
93. The World's Greatest, R. Kelly
94. Something More, Train
95. Don't Say Goodbye, Paulina Rubio
96. Walk With Me, Seven & The Sun
97. I Do (Wanna Get Close To You), 3LW
98. Steve McQueen, Sheryl Crow
99. I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, Britney Spears
100. Running Away, Hoobastank

I didn't listen to the radio much in high school, come to think of it. I was too busy listening to classic rock cds. When I did listen to the radio, I think you can tell what kind of stations I generally tuned into. \m/ *headbang* \m/

Notably, I discovered today that I'm a Gordon Lightfoot fan. Go figure.

HIMday!

I know, another WiP Wednesday with no WiPs. I promise, it's just because I have no noticeable progress to record. Also, it's been a busy week, trying to stay on top of things for Ragtime, for which rehearsals started this week. There are 42 cast members. There is one of me taking their measurements. I only got halfway through the cast on Monday, so I have to do the rest tonight. Fortunately, I think there will be people to help me manage the wardrobe backstage during the shows. 42 is a lot of people. On the bright side, I think I know The Question now.

Also, it's football season, which brings with it its own projects. I need to get to work on fingerless gloves and hats for tailgating. So much to do!

But most importantly, the new HIM album came out yesterday! I couldn't get it until late at night, so I'm finally listening to it this morning. It's AWESOME. As expected. Everyone needs a copy. Go forth all of you! Seek out Venus Doom (it's the one with the really ugly painting on the cover). Buy it. Swoon over Ville's voice. Enjoy the music. It's the reason we were put here on this earth.

Are you glad to be alive?!?!?

*not-so-craft-related post*

This morning, I wasn't sure I was. My ears were still ringing and I could barely move and could hardly feel the palms of my hands. Surprisingly I had a voice. Why was I so broken, you ask? Because I saw Cowboy Mouth from New Orleans, Louisiana last night. It's the second time I've seen them, and the second time I've been right up against the stage. This time was so much more intense. And I had a ball. Even though my favorite member of the band (if I even have a favorite) has quit, which means no more of his songs in concert. No Hurricane Party, no Shotgun in my Soul, none of that... However, my other favorite member was RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and wow. That was hott (yes, I did just say that). He rocked out an inch and a half from my nose. And he high fived me. Hellz yeeeahhh!!!! And the drums were right next to me with the leader banging away and singing as though his life depended on it. Because his life does depend on it. And he makes you feel like yours does too, and no you're not allowed to stand still, and no you're not allowed to stop clapping, and no you're not allowed to stop screaming and YES you WILL have the time of your life dammit, and if you don't then what are you doing there so YES Fred I AM glad to be alive and YES I will scream louder than I thought humanly possible and YES I will jump up and down until I collapse in a panting, twitching heap of euphoria at just being alive. YES.

Okay to be fair, it did kinda suck to be barely able to walk and mostly deaf. I've never left a concert that deaf, and I've seen this same band before, standing directly in front of the drums. Last night was its own unique sort of glorious pain.

Anyway, if you ever have the chance to see Cowboy Mouth, do. You will never go to another concert that is more intense, more uplifting, more fun, and more gloriously and euphorically exhausting. By the time we left, my friends and I thought we were going to die. And we were pretty okay with that.

The bonus, now? One of their openers was this rather subdued young man with an acoustic guitar signed by B.B. King. When he took his place, I wasn't sure if he was a roadie warming up the guitar for the musician, or the musician himself. Then he started playing. Dear God. You know how some people are described as having an old soul? I think this kid is one of them. His name is Eli Cook and you should listen to him. If you have the opportunity to see him live, it just might be the closest to God you'll ever come in America. There's more talent in his little finger than the rest of us mere mortals have in our entire beings.