Lights, camera, action!

As promised, I shall now recount with you my impending brush with Hollywood.

At Blue Dome last weekend, I got a call from a place in Oklahoma City that is helping secure local extras for a movie being shot here in the Sooner State. I submitted my headshot and some biographical stuff back in March but never heard anything, so I assumed I hadn't been selected. I was overjoyed to learn that I'd be one of the Tulsa extras! The movie is called The Killer Inside Me, and it's based on a 1952 book of the same name. Michael Winterbottom, who did the brilliant A Mighty Heart, is the director.

Yesterday was my fitting for the shoot. It was supposed to take 20 minutes, but I was there for 90! Fitting a short-waisted gal with elaborate curves is a bit of a challenge, it seems. It was a ton of fun, though. I felt like a nearly-life-size Barbie! :) I'll be wearing a gorgeous green dress and little white gloves. Ooo! I keep learning and relearning the joys of being a redhead. Several of the women in charge commented on my hair and kept trying to find clothes that would show it off. I don't know exactly what we'll be doing, but I think I may be part of a secretarial pool, so I'll get to get my Joan on.

The Tulsa shoot is set for June 24, but that will depend on how everything else goes, of course. I'll certainly give all the nitty-gritty details when all is said and done. If the director suddenly decided that this curvy carrot top needs a larger part in the film, just remember that you knew me when. ;)

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for the following things:

1. Another vacation! I'm leaving Saturday to visit my best friend in Baltimore. I can't wait! I haven't seen Beth in more than a year. Expect pictures upon my return.

2. The end of my short-lived, somewhat-extreme diet. I did it in preparation for my fitting today. Oh wait, I haven't mentioned that yet, have I? I'll give all the details tomorrow.

3. Desk naps. Not that I ever sneak those in during a work day . . .

Take my poll!

Blue Dome was fun, though it wasn't nearly as profitable as last year according to most sellers. I'm sure the economy -- and Friday's wind-tastic weather -- is mostly to blame, though it's always a little disappointing. For all the gory details, go check out this post by Hollyrocks (whose coverage, by the way, more than rocks.)


Since I'm taking a little craft-showin' break, I'm trying to reevaluate what I sell at these events. What better way, I thought, than to ask all of you? So, if you wouldn't mind taking just a second to respond to the poll at the top right of the page, I'd greatly appreciate it. Bonus: If you respond and then leave me a comment of any kind, I'll enter you in a chance to win some Grey Eye Designs goodies. Ooo! Contest will run now through May 29 at 5 p.m. Happy voting and commenting!

Blue Dome!

It's the start of the big, Blue-Domed weekend. As we speak, my cohorts in the Tulsa Craft Mafia are getting our booth ready to go. I'm headed over on lunch to do some more helping, but I won't be around much today. I still encourage everyone to go out tonight and enjoy the sunshine. If you're the brave, dedicated type, come back tomorrow for shopping in the rain. It'll be a fun, magical experience -- I promise!

After you say hello to us Mafiose in booths 104 and 105, go by booth 55 to see Sara and JD, the Deluxe directors. Make sure to buy lots of goodies from everyone to support the local economy and your favorite indie crafters, too!

I'll see you at 1st and Elgin!

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I'm thankful for today:

1. Windshield wipers that work. I (stupidly) went several months before with broken ones. Now that we're on our 20th straight day of rainfall, I'm very happy to be able to drive safely.

2. A boss-free day! I don't think I need to elaborate there.

3. My sense of humor. So what if rain is forecasted the weekend of my three-day, outdoor craft show? At least I'll get to wear my galoshes and little blue rain coat. :)

Inspiration

I'm not sure if it was the trip to Santa Fe, the 18 straight day of rainfall, or just the end of a creative rut, but I've been feeling inspired lately. I see, hear, touch, smell things that make me way to dig my hands into a new project. Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of a really busy time of year. By the end of May, I will have done two big craft shows, taken two vacations, celebrated my mom and boyfriend's birthdays, celebrated Mother's Day, started play rehearsals, submitted half a dozen or more grants for work, gone to way too many meetings, and celebrated our third dating anniversary, as well as all the regular, mundane stuff. When I get stressed, I bake. When I get inspired, I want to craft. Here's what's been inspiring me lately.

In Santa Fe, I fell in love with almost everything inside the Selby Fleetwood Gallery. This piece is called Ragamuffin, and it's by Rodney Hatfield, an amazingly inventive and expressive artist. The scan doesn't do the texture, the emotion, the life of it justice. This piece took my breath away.


I literally gasped when I saw the full-size Crane Unfolding by Kevin Box at the same gallery. I'm probably more in awe of sculptors than any other artist based on sheer skill. The way Box uses bronze and makes it look like paper blows my mind.

Anyone can glue a flower to a hair clip, but Myra Kim of Twigs & Honey hand cuts each petal and stitches them together. Wow! Her work is just exquisite, and I hear tale of many satisfied brides wearing her handiwork down the aisle.

And on the topic of weddings, this coverage was just beautiful. I think I'd be a terrible wedding photographer, but it does make me want to break out my digital camera again.

So that's what has me all excited to whip out the fabric and beads as soon as I can. Major crafting may have to wait until June, but as soon as I have time, I'm going to try my hand at some new stuff. You know I'll post pictures!

Deluxe weekend

I rose early Saturday morning all full of Deluxe anticipation. I got ready, loaded the car, and awaited the arrival of lovely Miss Holly. We were well on our way to arrive by 10:00 when the rain started. With the rain came the stupids. I was driving the stretch of I-44 around Chandler where the number of lanes goes from two to one. Cars waited until the last minute to get over (not me, of course!), and suddenly the vehicle in front of me slams on his/her brakes. It had been raining just long enough for things to be a nice, slick mess of oil and water, so I was sure I wouldn't stop in time. By some miracle, I managed to slam on my brakes, swerve a little to the right, and stop inches short of Doofus's car. I couldn't believe I hadn't caused an accident. The car behind me followed my lead but swerved slightly left. I sighed. I didn't think I'd get out of that without hitting or being hit. Suddenly, I heard a slam, and then another, and another, and, as I watched the truck that was now behind me still moving, I felt a tap on the left side of my rear bumper. Erg! I was so miffed. I could see him in my rearview mirror not slowing down for whatever reason, but I was sure he'd notice me there at some point. Nope!

I debated whether or not I would stop. I knew that was the right thing to do, but dammit, I wanted to get us to Deluxe! My conscience won over, so I pulled off the right side of the highway at about 9:15. I went back to talk to everyone else, make sure there were no injuries, and piece everything together. Everyone was really nice and understanding, and nobody was hurt, thank goodness. The boy (maybe 17) in the truck that hit me didn't even realize he had. I think he might have been in shock. The truck at the very end was smashed, but the people inside were totally fine. All in all, the accident involved two cars, three pick-up trucks, and a mini-van. Does it surprise anyone that the two of us who managed not to hit anyone were the cars? Anyway, I surveyed my own damage and didn't see enough to worry about, but I decided to wait for the police any way. It took them an hour, I think, to get there. The officer who showed was incredibly nice and told me I didn't need to stay. As we began to leave, my battery wouldn't start! I was a little freaked and totally ticked off at this point. The combination of the cold rain and the hazard lights drained it right down. The wrecker wasn't able to jump me, so we waited another 45 minutes for AAA. Miraculously, the charge box got my car moving again in seconds. That was a huge relief. We then got back on the road and made it to the location at 11:45 -- 15 minutes before the show started!

Photo of our booth, shamelessly stolen from Holly here.

Other than the car debacle of the morning, it was a good day. The show wasn't all that profitable, but it was a lot of fun. I sold my first body scrub, so yay! I also got to meet some sellers I've spoken with online but had never met in person. Also, there is one good thing about a show at which I don't sell very much: I have plenty of stock for my next one! This weekend, I'll be selling at the Blue Dome Arts Festival. I expect December Deluxe this year to be awesome like last year's, so you'll definitely see me there.

I hope your weekend was far less eventful than mine. :)

Deluxe!

Tomorrow is the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar in Oklahoma City! Please come find me. I'll be sharing space with the uber-awesome Tulsa Craft Mafia, so you know our booth with be chock-full of goodies. I'm driving up with the wonderful Hollyrocks, which is going to be so fun. Here are the show details once again:

What: Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar
When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 2009
Where: Centennial Building, State Fairgrounds, Oklahoma City
Cost: FREE FREE FREE!
Details: www.deluxeok.net for more info

I better see you all there! :)

Exploring the City Different

I'm home, and all is well. Santa Fe was a delicious delight this weekend, and coming home sure felt like punishment for something terrible I must have done in the past, but I've decided to whoosh right past the post-vacation blues into "Oh my God! Deluxe is this weekend!" mode. First, though, I do have some photos to share. I didn't take my usual route of snapping shots of everything I see. My camera's just bulky enough that I didn't carry it around much. Plus, my wonderful companion gets kinda embarrassed when I go all tourist on a new town. (He'll gladly whip out his GPS or fire up Google Maps on his iPhone, but me taking pictures is just too much. He he!)

My favorite thing to take pictures of is, for sure, signs. I just love the names of stores and their lovely illustrations. Here are a few I liked:

Here's a knickknack store called Moxie, photographed because we have a mutual affection for the name.


Cheri Cherie had, hands down, my favorite sign in Santa Fe. Check out this close up:


So adorable! For the record, Cheri Cherie is a fun children's store with some toys and books, but its highlight is all the costumes: ballerinas, cowboys, and lots of other goodies. The blue tint was due to the cloudy, raininess of our Saturday. Yep, it was cold and wet in the high desert, too. To be fair, we had beautiful sunshine the rest of the trip, but Saturday saw me all bundled up.

This is the (again, blue-lighted) sign for our fabulous motel, the Silver Saddle. If you are looking for a place to stay in Santa Fe and don't care about fancy amenities, this place will treat you right. It's a small property on Cerrillos Road, which is close to downtown but still far enough away to offer great rates -- $45 a night, to be exact! Woo hoo!


Inside Room #8 (where we stayed), you will find this wonderful story of Billy the Kid. It starts out, "Legend has it, Billy the Kid was half horse and half devil." AWESOME. Can you even read that without a a slow-speaking, grizzled old man voice playing in your head? Next to it once hung an old tintype of Billy the Kid, but some nasty former resident made off with it a while ago. Instead of framing a print from the internet, the motel owners hung a photo of Emilio Estevez dressed as the old-west legend from the movie Young Guns. OMG DOUBLE AWESOME.

And because a trip to Santa Fe isn't complete without a stop at the Loretto Chapel, I present you with my photos of the legendary spiral staircase:
In its full glory.

Ooo, shadows reflecting on the ceiling.



And with beautiful stained glass glowing in the background.

I could write a novel on our brief trip, but I'll spare you all the pain-staking details. Suffice to say it was one of the most exhilarating trips I've had in a long while. I felt rejuvenated and inspired just being there in the sunshine, taking in the wonderful smells, enjoying my 80 minutes of divine pampering at Ten Thousand Waves, exploring the amazing array of art and architecture, and spending a weekend the way I like with the one I love.

And now, back to business as usual and Deluxe this weekend!