Differently the same

I'm sure if you ask anyone that has ever seen the hit movie, "Mean Girls" directed by Mark Waters, you'll know that the movie was based on all the characters placed in their own unique groups and how those groups interacted with each other.  It's funny to think that these stereotypical types or groups of people carry far out of the high school realms and into everyday realities.  No matter how we try to become that highly unique individual, we are always based upon some other idea or person.

So when I came across the photography exhibit called, Exactitudes, I was instantly amazed.  Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and profiler Ellie Uyttenbroek came together over a long course of many years to create this unique look at groups of people.  I'm not sure why it's all so fascinating to me, perhaps there's a funny sense of irony in it all.  I find how when we all try to stand out from others around us, we end up just being like someone else instead.  There are dozens of other people trying the exact same thing!  I guess the question is, what group would you like to be in?

Check out more of the Exactitude works at it's respected website.  It's almost overwhelming to see all the similar groups of individuals.  Also, make sure you turn on your sound.  Once you click on a certain group, a small sound bite will tell you a short description of that particular group.

All images courtesy of www.exactitudes.com

Sew Inspired

Perhaps it's just been the recent discovery of DIY blogs but I've been pretty inspired by other people to start making and creating things for myself...and loved ones.  Other relating factors like my occasional disappointment in store bought clothes and their lack of a "perfect Erin fit" also pushed me to become a bit more sewing savvy and less Gap Store dependent.   Plus, nothing beats making something for myself that fits perfectly and/or costs less than a pair of jeans at Banana Republic!  So I've decided to become more self reliant on how I obtain my clothing and make a few pieces here or there on my new sewing machine!

Now, to give you some background information, I really am not a master seamstress.  Actually, far from it.  I've personally never sewed a piece of clothing using a sewing machine.  But I do have a lot of initiative and drive to accomplish something, so I hope that eventually I'll be using my seam ripper less and various new functions on my machine more.

The machine I happened to buy is a Brother CS-6000i.  When I was younger, my mother had taught me some basic sewing on her old Singer, so I've had some basic know-how on sewing machines, how to set them up, etc.  I can say with absolute confidence that my Brother is a great machine for a once again beginner sewer like me and will also give me the growing ability to become a [hopefully] master sewer one day.  There are a lot of stitches to choose from (over 59) and has some really nice computerized features that make back stitching a breeze.

A lot of people put down newer sewing machines like mine, since a lot of the parts are now plastic instead of metal.  Well...I have sewn on an old HEAVY DUTY Singer and I don't think having a huge 50lb machine is the best for a youngster like me, who seems to move every single year or so.  It would, without a doubt, become a tedious task.

And also to comment again on my purchasing decision, I was initially interested in buying a Singer, since that it was what I had already known.  But after some in-depth research, I found that the company was actually sold to one overseas in China and now all the parts were made of cheap plastic resulting in a short life span for the machine overall.

Over the past weeks, I've successfully accomplished making a couple simple pillows with an applique leaf design and a small crafty project for my darling 1-year old nephew back home.  (Can't wait to give it to him!)  This weekend, I am hoping to start a simple A-line skirt pattern.  Eventually my goal is to make a dress...we'll see about that.

 Horray for 2 day shipping!  (Thank you to Thomas)

My new Brother CS-6000i

Connor is more interested in my discarded box...

My machine. You can probably see my slide film project tossed to the side in the upper right hand corner. I was too excited to sew, which is why the slide film project took me so long to finish...

A look at one of my unfinished pillows with the leaf applique

Leaf detail. I found a woman make a quilt out of this design and after talking over it with my mom and figuring it out a bit on my own, I was able to sew the pattern...without buying the book.

Finished Pillows

Cute little owl project I made for my nephew, Oliver. It was really simple to do and make. I only regret not making a post out of it since I did not take any photos during the process.

Slide Film Lamp Shade, Part II

So over the past week, I've been able to "finish" up the rest of my slide film lamp.  To read up on the first part of my lamp shade check out my last posting. 

To recap, after I had drilled all the necessary holes in the slide film, I had to fix up the lamp shade structure and attach the slide film.  In all, I'm happy with the outcome of the lamp shade but I'm just looking to switch out the lamp itself since it's a bit too long and tall for the shade.  (I suppose you'll see in the pictures and decide for yourself.) 

This weekend is Labor Day Weekend and I'm sure to find some great bargain lamp bases around Rochester!  And speaking about bargain finds, I'll have to do a post on my other recent miscellaneous projects and furniture that we purchased.  To be continued...

Here's what the structure looked like once we tore off the original generic lamp shade. The edges were rough and still had some glue stuck on.

To fix that, I bought some medium grade sandpaper and sanded the rough edges away. The sanding also helped to prepare the structure for painting too.

Thom decided that he wanted some part in my project and offered to sand down the frame.

Ta-Da! All smooth and clean.

Next we added a few coats of spray paint.

All finished and much, much better.

Next, I bought a few bags of craft jump rings and began to attach the slide film together with needle-nose pliers. Originally I think I only specified one pair but realized that I needed two in order to properly manipulate the jump rings. I attached 5 long rows of 11 slides and then attached the rows to each other from top to bottom.

I ended up migrating over to the TV since it was all pretty mindless work. But here you can see the rows that I created and later attached to each other.

And here is the final result!

A close up

Like I said before, I'm really happy with the outcome but perhaps not on this particular lamp base? The shade does look a bit dwarfed on the stand, don't you think? I'm still unsure but I have enjoyed just turning on the lamp and looking at the pictures!

Slide Film Lamp Shade, Part I

So this has been a slightly delayed "to-do" post that I actually started a couple of weeks ago.  To explain a bit better, this is a DIY post on how to make a 35mm slide film lamp that is currently still in progress.

A few years ago, I had gone to some random college party and found that the girl hosting had the most unique and brilliant lamp shade that I had ever seen.  The shade was all made from 35 mm slide film, mounted together and linked to form a beautiful lamp shade.  The whole idea was just brilliant because it was a clever way to view old slide film just laying around.  [And yes, it isn't that taboo; if you are a photographer/hobbyist, you will more than likely have some just lying around.]  Anyway, I had loved how each little slide was a unique facet of information and picture.  At the time, I had some slide film already shot but didn't really see the point in seeing 36 exposures of an old boyfriends face, etc.

Since then, I had always wanted to try the same thing but never really gave it the effort and time it required.  But as you grow older, you find that "arts and crafts" time isn't something you can schedule in like a third period from the old high school days.  Instead, I've had to work at this project, weeks at a time. 

First, I went out and purposefully shot some slide film.  Thom and I headed down to the Rochester's Public Market and walked around a bit while I photographed the various knick-knacks and miscellaneous things for sale.  As always, miscellaneous things = interesting composition for slide film lamp shade.  :-)

Then, I got down to business and worked out how many slides I would actually need, paper to back it, holes to add and drill bits to buy!  Below are just some of the steps that I have currently accomplished.

Supplies I needed to buy.  Not shone are a pair of needle nose pliers.

First off, I shot 3 rolls of slide film, just in case.  Here are just a few example images taken from that market day.

I figured that I would need aproximately 55 slides to make a full lamp shade.  So I measured and cut out (55) 1.25'x2' rectangles from 1 ply vellum paper.  Vellum paper will help diffuse the light better once the film is mounted on the lamp shade.

After I cut the rectangles, I glued each onto the back of a slide.

Next I laid all the slides down on my table and flattened them with two heavy books.

Then I had to mark (6) 1/8' markings from each corner and from the top and bottom middle.

Here's a close up.

Instead of trying to mark 55 slides from each corner and middle, I decided to drill the first slide and use it as a template to mark the rest.  After marking all the slides, I then had to drill all the markings.

This is as far as I've gotten!

Next I'll have to finish up drilling the rest of the slides, fix the lamp shade structure and beginning linking and placing.  I'll have another post up soon on those finishing touches.  Stay tuned!

*Update:  Check out part II of this process here!

Pizza Thursday

Let me start by saying that I feel like that deceitful child that tires of a toy and then later on sees another child playing with that same toy and then further decides that she too would like to play with that same toy again as well.  Coming back from a month long sans-blog posting feels a little bit shameful and hypocritical BUT, I do have to keep in mind that this is my blog; dedicated to my life and sometimes, life just gets a little too busy to keep up with blog posts!

Having said my poor metaphoric excuse, let me re-begin this post by telling you of a photo story of last night's cooking.  Since Thom and I have been busy with work, side projects, events to go to, weddings to shoot and freelancing, we haven't been able to actually sit down together for dinner during the whole past month of July!  ...Or so it seems.

So this past Thursday, Thom and I went out and bought some much needed groceries to fill our very empty refrigerator and as well as the ingredients to make our very own semi-homemade pizza! 

Our small outdoor potted herb garden has been growing successfully this summer, so we had decided to take advantage of the fragrant basil and create our own Italian-style thin crust pizza with cheese, basil and pepperoni.  [Find out about more of my gardening musings here]  Ours was semi-homemade based on the fact that I bought the whole wheat dough and sauce instead of making it and the basil is home-grown if that counts?!

All-in-all, the pizza came out marvelously fresh and was quite tasty.  [More of a comment based from Thom, since I've been getting over a small cold and really can't taste or smell anything but I did enjoy it!]  Even our cat Connor was itching to snag a piece!

More posts to come hopefully for this month!

Happy 1st Birthday Oliver Christian!

Today is my nephew's very first ever birthday!