Calamity Kim

Top !3 Halloween Favorite Films

1. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
2. Bell, Book and candle
3. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
4. Shaun of the Dead
5. Mad Monster Party by Rankin Bass
6. Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride
7. Constantine
8. Sleepy Hollow
9. Van Helsing (with Hugh Jackman)
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers( with Leonard Nimoy)
11. Beetlejuice
12. Legend(Tim Curry)
13. Underworld

Now those are just the ones I own and can pop in the DVD player and watch. I loved Saturday afternoons with Dr Paul Bearer and the monster movies in black and white. Frankenstein, Wolf man, Dracula- all the greats! Even a few Abbott & Costello's were scary and creepy! I would like to add American Werewolf in London if I can have an alternate....

Halloween Trivia

• Because The studio expected it to bomb, the budget of Casablanca was so low that the plane used in the background of the final scene was a small cardboard cutout. To give it the illusion of being full-sized, the producers hired midgets to portray the crew preparing it for takeoff.
• The title role in Beetlejuice was written for Sammy Davis Jr.
• Director Wes Craven named Freddy Krueger after a kid who bullied him in school.
• The sight of oranges in all three Godfather films signals that death (or a close call) is about to happen.
• The signature line drawing of Alfred Hitchcock's profile was drawn by Alfred Hitchcock.
• Hitchcock purchased the film rights to Robert Bloch's novel Psycho anonymously-- and then proceeded to buy up as many copies of the book as he could in order to keep the ending a secret.

• The original Clarabelle in Howdy Doody was played by Bob Keeshan, who went on to become Captain Kangaroo. The first Ronald McDonald was Today show personality Willard Scott.

From a book called: Who Knew? by David Hoffman.ISBN 1-56731-442-2. Some fun facts to think about on Halloween! I will have to go back and re-watch Casablanca, because I know I didn't catch that! I posted that one because even though it's not scary, it's shocking!
Sammy as Beetlejuice? We just watched it again over the weekend,( right after Sleepy Hollow) another Bit of Burton Brilliance.
As for the rest- just little factoids I found interesting- Happy Halloween! I'm not sure what time to be ready for the small kids in the neighborhood, it's usually early, I need to get Witchie! Ha! Yes, white and black make-up with black lipstick! I am going to powder my hair- it's long enough to be an old witch and I have the costume. I do enjoy a good fright night and will get Fred to take some pictures for me to post. In the meanwhile I am working on this: a small embroidery with a little bit of quilting and maybe a little embellishment. Buttons and Bows- just to jazz it up. I am going to make a few special people Christmas gifts and I have made a list, which for me is easy to do. Finding the list 2 weeks from now is the challenge! It's the menopause memory game! So much fun to play! Everyday is like a new day, cause you sure can't remember yesterday! Thank goodness everyone is so patient with me, especially my son, Troy. Can I just take a moment to pat him on the back for doing so well in college (FSU) and for being brilliant, charming, witty, handsome and for choosing a wonderful girlfriend, who is his best friend and (I'm assuming) laughes at his terribly biting sarcasim, jokes and rants. They are good kids and I'm proud of both of them. He helped me post my badges on this bloggerbug and is going to help me put up a shop here soon as well. How amazingly brilliant! He must have gotten that from his father, cause it sure didn't come from me!

Tea Towel Swap Button

Tea Towel Swap Button, originally uploaded by wrens nest.

I have spent the last hour trying to figure out how to add this to my sidebar. I give up. I need help. I'm going to go walk the dog. at least I know how .

a little bird told me

a little bird told me, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

I actually won a huge lot of vintage transfers on eBAY and I am in embroidery heaven! My Grandmother, Hattie Mae, taught me how when I was about 8 and I have loved it ever since! I used to save my lawnmowing money to buy kits from the Roses Store downtown. She would be amazed at the variety of colors and materials today! Check out www.dmc.com to see some of their new products and free patterns.

towel6

towel6, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

Place center of ribbon at center of dress covering the seam where you joined top & bottom. If your not sure of the length, just tie it to the other side in a bow. I eyeball it, but it's usually about 10" on either side. Just pin and try it before you cut it. You can sew it down on both sides of ribbon, this will help it not curl up in the wash.
I use velvet or grogain ribbon, I've used rick rack too. If you have to use nylo or rayon or polyester, just use a lighter or a candle to lightly melt the edge so it won't ravel.
Sew on buttons or whatever trim you want to add, and your'e done!
Be Warned: These are addictive, like candy, nobody can just make one!
Happy Sewing!!!!!

towel4

towel4, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

Add lace or rick rack to arm edges as well.
14? Haha, I forget which number we're on! LOL, yeah, trust me...
14. Take towel halfs and sew across the top, just to hold tucks and pleats together.
15. Insert towel about 2" into opening at the bottom of the "Dress top".
16. Pin after adjusting straightness.Do other side and then fold together and check bottom alignment.
17. After sewing, I check the back and then I usually sew again to make secure. I use a 2 1/2 stitch length.
18. Get some nice ribbon, that matches, or contrasts, or whatever you prefer and iron it smooth.

towel3

towel3, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

11. Trim raw edges- I use pinking shears. Cut corners on diagonal and turn inside out. Use blunt tool ,like chopstick to turn put corner points, so they look sharp.
12. This is when I take care to iron it nicely with a little starch.
13. At raw edge of shoulder opening, turn it down about 1/4" and iron so that you have a flat hem.
14. Put one inside the other and pin. See the other picture to get a sense of this. It will make a nicer finish than just putting right sides together. This is the easiest way, trust me.
15. Pin together, on both sides, making sure they're even.Sew em.
16. Now you will have a neck line to add lace around.

towel 2

towel 2, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

I draw the pattern for the top of the "dress" onto freezer paper, later i will figure out how to make this into a free pattern you can download the jpeg. But, try it yourself. Be creative or use a doll or infant pattern-modified to fit your towel"skirt".
7. Iron top pattern to fabric and cut out. Make sure you have included 1/4" seam allowance. (Or you sew around freezer paper and then cut out! Whatever.)
8. You will need two sets of these, so cut out four. I just put right sides together, iron o pattern and then cut.
9.Sew them, right sides together along Neck Edge and from arm opening to bottom on each side.
10. This will leave the top shoulder seam open and the bottom open.

towel5

towel5, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

This shows the pinning of the sides

towel swap 1

towel swap 1, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

A Calamity Kim version of a tutorial:
1. Find a kitchen towel that you love.
2. Can be brand spankin new or vintage.
3. Cut it exactly in half.
4. Fold in half and press top of fold to mark center.
5. Measure about 4" to the right and make three evenly spaced pleats and pin.

I have heard of Blog Burnout

But I don't think I'll have that for awhile.Not as long as I can write in COLORS Like THIS !!!!!! Now, if I feel blue, I can show it! Or if I've had too much coffee, you'll know it!!!! Maybe I should just write in pink to Support My Breast Cancer Having A Mammogram this Week....uh, oh. Now, I'm a little more blue again. Maybe purple, definitely not yellow. Just Blue.

Just stumbling around blind

It appears on the surface as if I may be posting correctly but There is so much to learn and I must go sew for awhile and mail some things. I just wanted to try a link like this and see if it would work. I believe that I have it figured out!!!!!! So i'm stopping there. It feels too great to succeed, to fail again so soon would be sad."Chaos often breeds life, when order breds habit."by Henry Brooks Adams

nice illustrations

nice illustrations, originally uploaded by calamity kim.

I will be sharing lots of pictures, once I learn how ! This is a test , sort of to see how to post from Flickr.

As I Stop To Look

The title box gives me pause, as I stop to think, what do I want to share? I look over to my right, at the bookcases side-by-side, filling one wall in our office. My husband asked me if I ever read them. I said, yes, well, maybe not this one, or that one, but I will! I try not to get defensive- he doesn't like the clutter. I love the books. Each chosen for a reason. How they make me feel. Or think. I have a life-time collection of Art books- Quilting, Embroidery, Basketweaving, Bookbinding, Gardening. Then the children's book library I'm trying to create for my  Grandchildren.
This is Austin. Hopefully he will love to read Peter Pan and The Harry Potter books. He's still too young to be able to read- he's only 2!!!! So I might have quite a library for him one day! In the meanwhile, I will keep searching the thrift shops and bookstores. Expanding my knowledge and imagination. Visiting places I'll never get to see. Yes, honey, I read all of them.

A new chapter

Hello, my name is Kim, Calamity Kim. This will be my third attempt at a blog and this time I'm goig to try real hard to make it work. For some reason the other two i started were'nt linked properly, or perhaps I'm an uneducated bozo who just found out about the BLOG world in June and has been reading them and then slipping off to the next. Like a bee loading up on nectar and then searching for the next fragrant flower. I have no idea how to face the cyber future except to be swept up and away with everyone else. It is a wonderful world we live in and movies like Narnia just prove that your imagination can truly have no boundries. What you imagine can become a reality. If you don't know how to make it just Google it and within seconds you have illumination! Faster than a trip to the nearest library...there you have it! In my blog I will attempt to not only share my rants and raves, the goods and wher I got 'em but sometimes how to make stuff- cool, wonderful, special, whimsical stuff that will melt your heart or help you in your daily drudge. I don't know. I'll be happy if I a can just get to the address after I post this! LoL