Calamity Kim

Alma Visits the Toy Store

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Written and Directed by: Rodrigo Blaas Produced by: Cecile Hokes Music: Mastretta Art Director: Alfonso Blaas Lighting Supervisor: Jonatan Catalán Character Technical Supervisor: Jaime Maestro Character Design: Bolhem Bouchiba, Carlos Grangel, Sergio Pablos, Santi Agustí Animation: Daniel Peixe, ManueBover, Remi Hueso Sound Design: Tom Myers and David Hughes Post Production Coordinator: David Heras Special Thanks: Keytoon, Next Limit, UserT38 full credits: almashortfilm

This is brilliant and I had to share it- a little creepy but anyone who has ever looked into the eyes of a vintage doll has probably wondered...

enjoy!

and beware the toy store...

xo, calamity kim

what's the next Holiday??? Does it involve more candy?

OK, So I promised a review of Grindhouse. It was exactly the way I thought it would be!!! Very Quentin. I do love me some zOmBiEs and the first movie: Planet Terror was packed full of them.

They were super gross, disgusting and bubbling bits of goo- they were without a doubt the most disgusting Zombies ever! 
Now, I grew up with Creature Feature every Saturday afternoon and Dr Paul Bearer...and then movies like The Blob, all of the Godzillas, King Kong, Tarzan, The Vincent Price Horror movies- Frankenstein, Dracula...they all thrilled me!
I was really afraid of Vincent Price after The Hand...I wouldn't put a toe out of bed unless the light was on for fear of the Hand grabbing my ankle and pulling me under the bed!!! Yikes!!
Now, I just laugh, having a far higher scare level and being numb to the gore- its so fake! Its funny! It was gross and the boys loved it!

Quentin makes wonderful Guy movies- lots of chicks & hot rods. Death Proof wasn't as fun for me- but it was OK, I was already into it by then...I do love Kurt Russell and I forgive him for playing along with the boys on this one... Next I think is The Pathfinder and then we saw previews for a scary one with John Cusack , written by Stephen King about a hotel room....

So this weekend was very quiet- after Fred reached and got the frisbee off the roof he was in pain and agony with a sore back on Sunday...I put us on a Lean Cuisine Diet. I went to Target and got some more coffee cups and walked right past the Easter candy- I did  try some clothes on and the view in the 3-way mirror drove me straight over to Publix and to the frozen diet food section.
I think our problem is my cooking and portion control. I cook fattening foods and there is a whole lot of it! So I am also checking the YMCA.... we need to do something together! I have taken a perfectly good man and made a mess of him!

I have gained and lost and gained and lost...poor Fred just keeps gaining. So again I am resolving to try harder....It actually rained today and I walked Sadie in the drizzle....it doesn't matter...I have seen my ass as the letter C for the last time!

That junk in my trunk has got to go! Maybe I can go walk on the beach in the am...that is always uplifting..the touristas will be gone soon, it will be too hot...I worked on Amandas doll and some fairy wings over the weekend too...Pictures soon- I have to get Sadie some dinner and try to serve a Lean Cuisine to Fred with a straight face...wish me luck...

Grindhouse isn't just for coffee

Don't you just wish? I am going to see Grindhouse with my Brother and Fred today- hopefully- Fred just got called in to work- what's a weekend without going to work? Anyway, my brother has been chomping at the bit for weeks over this double feature- ya gotta love Quinten...or hate him...but there is no middle ground. The grindhouse refers to the rate at which these types of movies were produced- some were made in a day or two....B grade..action packed, macho, bad dialog...I can't wait! I love Kurt Russell and have ever since his Disney days.

This will be fun- and I am rooting for zombies in one of them..we'll see...I'll let ya know..Just a mindless bit of entertainment...wish we had some t-shirts to wear. For the Batman premiere we all wore our Batman t-shirts- yes we are dorky like that. I haven't been out looking yet for the grindhouse merchandise yet. I just Googled McFarlane and they are doing some action figures...oh boy!How exciting! Not very Easterish but we don't have any little wee ones running around...oh well, after yesterdays tea party Fred deserves a bit of macho fun. He asked if I was going to put a bonnet on the dog and sit her at the table. I only wish she would let me! That would be great fun, but she won't sit still and she keeps taking off her hat and running away with it! So, yesterday was fun and I got a bit of painting done before the pot luck started. I am hoping to be very productive and get a few more items in the shop on Monday..I know I said that before but I dropped everything to make roses and was quite off-track after that.

Sometimes I make lists, which I never again look at, that say what needs to be done; or what I'd like to make. The list has stuff like: finish robot & spaceboy, make velveteen rabbit, finish apron, paint polka dots on shadowbox... make 3-D butterflies for doll..design crown for doll- wire or fabric? And then there are rough sketches in the borders...I bought my first moleskin and haven't done more than open it and caress the paper. I am planning on documenting some designs in it. I usually just dive right in and since Flickr I have taken more photographs and this causes me to pause more often in the process. Looking at the pictures helps me design also. I see when something needs tweeking to be improved. I am really enjoying the small quilts- 8 1/2 x 11 is a great size...ideal to get done in a few days... I enjoy sitting on the couch quilting with Sadie curled up beside me or more often on the love seat next to me. I don't put the tv on, just music and it is soothing and relaxing. I always forget when Martha is on. I can always go to her website and catch something I may have missed anyway.

I am not sure about listing any..I am going to be giving away one in my 6th month blog-a-versary coming up and I added my name to a doll quilt swap...so we shall see how long this obsession lasts. It is fun! So, I will let ya know how the double feature is...Happy Easter everyone!  Aren't these McFarlane action figures so realistic?

This was at 5:30 am.....

Get your own glitter and more at BlingyBlob.com
There is not enough coffee in my cup to help me get awake this morning...Even this jazzy bling thing I found (thank you Phyllis..Shabby in the City) can not keep my eyes open, though I did feel a bit of a seizure coming on as I was creating it...no, just kidding, no, really....So yesterday I saddled up my Durango (wish it was an Appaloosa) and galloped downtown where the air is sweeter and a bit more exotic....I don't know why I feel such a surge of love for Sarasota when I am Downtown, but I do. The shops, the palms and bricks and flowers and the feeling of people seeing new and interesting things..peeking in gallery windows...feeling funky in my black satin converse with pink cherry blossoms sneakers...walking into new stores, checking out the cool stuff...going to a movie house and watching a "film".

I found some wool yardage at a church rummage store $4 for about 4 yards - 2 blue and 2 gray...I will be felting that for future projects...I found a cute little paper mache basket- a reproduction with a wire handle for $2 and a lovely heart shaped tin with painted roses for $5 at The Sarasota Trading Co on Pineapple Ave.... very unique objects in there...did I mention expensive and odd? I saw a skeleton in a Plexiglas case...like something Mr Jackson might enjoy...too bizarre..

I like the shabby chic or vintage look in my shops not the over blown I used to live in Zanzibar giant elephant foot table look....moving on I went to Burns Court and saw Miss Potter...it was lovely and a bit sad..I wasn't prepared for any sad and the tears came unannounced and unstoppable..but it had a happy idyllic ending..I felt the need to come home and Google Miss Potter to learn a bit more about her... Did you know that there is a Beatrix Potter Society? Founded in 1980. Beatrix was born in 1866 and died in 1943.

Here is a quote from her journal which was written in code and took many years to crack:

“It is all the same, drawing, painting, modeling, the irresistible desire to copy any beautiful object which strikes the eye. Why cannot one be content to look at it? I cannot rest, I must draw, however poor the result.”

She was an excellent watercolorist without any formal training and there is a wealth of information about her life on the Internet.

I once did a mural for a woman who wanted Beatrix Potter type illustrations in her mudroom. So I gathered many books and studied up and did a fair copy of Miss Potters style...but it was difficult and acrylics are harder to get soft and delicate as watercolor and a wall is a different surface..but anyway..I have always loved her work and thought that Renee was good in her portrayal..who knows, really what she was like, but Renee seemed to have the old maidenly blushing bad hair and sweaty thing down...Ewan McGregor was fine and all the Victorian set dressings were lovely...it was a more restrained and proper and profusely ornate time. I enjoyed the movie especially when the illustrations became animated..really quite charming....After the movie I found a shop that carried Italian pottery and bought a few pieces of old world map wrapping paper for use in making those recycled coffee tin buckets...

Easter is quickly approaching and I am starting to think about rabbits and I know I should have started making them weeks ago! Oh, well, You can only do what you can, right? I enjoyed a break from the sewing room yesterday but after the grocery store and making dinner and watching Blood Diamond ( where I cried a bit more, when I wasn't covering my eyes completely) I laid there thinking about the Marie bear and what she was going to look like until I finally fell asleep. Super Fred had to go to Tampa today for work and so we were up at 5 am...geez...I hope I can stay awake for LOST....Yesterday I also rented Eragon and Rocky(12?) what a triple feature that is! Fred just rolled his eyes- having become used to my extreme movie diversity- I rented Rocky for him and just guessed about Eragon..who knows? dragons are good sometimes...but John Malcontent, er, Malcovich is in it!?!

We shall see....did I tell you how good I thought Stranger than Fiction was? It is, good I mean.  So today I suppose I should pick that art apron back up..I made a pot holder to go with it...too sweet if ya ask me! I will show pictures soon. It is still dark and I am going to put some of Miss Potters best in here for a bit of candy...I think I will go get some more coffee...have a great day...I added a few pictures after the sun came up! Treasure!

I found the sweetest tablecloth at good will for 2.99 and some4 His n Hers towels with undies on them for 79 cents each! Now how fun is that?!!!!

so good I watched it twice

If you are looking for something that will keep you guessing and entertained then please go rent Stranger than Fiction. Usually Will Ferrell tries too hard, but this time he is believable as an IRS agent, devoid of any semblance of life until he starts hearing Emma Thompson narrating his life in his head! It sounds hokey but really it is a nice movie with subtle humor and great actors- Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and see if you can spot Tom Hulce- Fred said the same age train must have hit him(that also hit Fred!) It was a pleasant diversion from real life...which is what I want in my movies...happy Saturday!

shoes and candy

Pan's Labyrinth... where sadness lives

After an early morning start on the garage sale we went to see Pan's Labyrinth yesterday. It was quite an experience and then I felt so tired and worn out and sad that I had to go to bed at 8:00!!! The movie was about pain and suffering and a little girl's possibly imagined escape from it. There were wee faeries and a faun and some faerie tale lore but there was also war and torture and death and there was no  sparkle, glitter, magic, happy, happy Joy,joy.... .so I was bummed...I always get so excited and did I mention the subtitles that Fred hated..I don't mind reading my movies even though I feel like I miss part of the over all experience because I'm looking away from the action. I might have learned a little Spanish yesterday..... It was probably brilliant and enlightened and I just wanted some pixie dust and escape and this was a frightning place to travel for me. I feel shook up and disturbed. Amanda tried to tell me and I didn't listen. I went to the website and saw what I wanted to see, I saw faeries and said ohhh, pretty.... I always do that. Self delushional fool. Now I am stuck with those images inside my head.....yikes...I need some cartoons or a walk on the beach quick!!!!! Will tell some garage sale stories later...gotta go do it again....

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!