Weekend Wrap Up

February 12, 2013February 12, 2013 | leftylex

I love the weekend, don’t you? This weekend was the perfect blend of productivity and rest.

Saturday’s mission was to take a trip to my favorite place in all of San Diego, Balboa Park, and photograph about 25-30 hoops. Yikes! I knew that this would not be an easy task, so I recruited the help of my 15 year old brother (who I can generally count on for good quality, yet inexpensive labor). He’s helped with with Lefy Lex stuff before and was a major help when I was preparing for Artisans Alley back in December.

It seemed as though Balboa Park was extra crowded today (even for a Saturday), but luckily the park is so massive that even the multitudes did not interfere with taking great photos.

The photo in the center was taken in the Spanish Village Art Center which houses 37 independent artist studios. It would be a dream to have one of these spaces; and it never hurts to dream. And believe it or not, little hooped Javert kept rolling towards water every time I turned my back! Stop Javert, suicide is not the answer! Luckily I was able to catch him before he took the plunge. (As my brother and I were taking this photograph, there was an elderly couple starring at us from afar, they began inching closer and once they were able to see what exactly was on the hoop, they began laughing hysterically. They much have been familiar with Les Mis.)

And with Husband at work, Saturday night was spend uploading and editing photos, creating Etsy listings, organizing hoops, and watching many episodes of The Cosby Show. I live life on the wild side.

Sunday began, as it always does, with church. (This is my happy, ready to worship face). The sermon was entitled: Something Greater than Jonah is Here (Luke 11:27-32). I love our church and am grateful that our pastor continually delivers Christ-centered sermons week after week.

Brunch followed church, as it usually does. Husband said that he hadn’t been to Perry’s Cafe in at least a decade, so we stopped on in. I was a less than impressed. I ordered a zucchini frittata (without cheese) and it was one of the blandess things I’ve eaten in a while. Husband enjoyed his Mexican frittata (and the remaining of my entree) so Perry’s was not a total failure.

Brunch was immediately followed by a lovely Sunday nap. Oh day of rest! I woke up with a headache (not migraine, thank God!) first thing that morning so I required two naps prior to 5PM on this particularly sleepy Sunday.

And the weekend ended in the best way possible: curling up with my boys watching Downton Abbey! Jack’s face looks distorted in that last photo because Husband was forcing him to look at the camera. For some reason or another that cat will not look at a camera… drives me nuts!

That was my weekend; I hope yours was just as lovely!

RWL: Downton Abbey

February 6, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

I have succumbed to Downton Abbey fever. Ah, it’s true! I now look forward to Sunday evenings not because the work week starts soon after, but because I get to find out what’s happening at Downton. If you’re a fellow Downton addict, then I’m sure that you too are still mourning the death of Lady Sybil, so hopefully this list will remind you of happier times at Downton.

Red: Seeing that Sybil was always the more fashion-forward, risk-taker of the sisters I could have most seen her wearing this red felt cloche hat. Remember those awful turquoise Alladin pants she had made for herself? Um, yah. I think that this hat would make a much safer and posh choice than those pants. I love the brim!

Orange: Isn’t this serving tray the cutest? Although I highly doubt that Carson would serve the Crawleys with it, I feel that it is very reminiscent of that era. Wouldn’t that be a great conversation starter piece? My dinning room chairs are almost an avocado green shade and I would love to see how the two shades would play upon each other.

Yellow: For some reason I most see Cora wearing this lovely lace necklace. I think that the addition of the yellow lace affixed to the antique brass chain was genius! Come to think of it now, I’m not sure if any of the Crawleys would actually ever wear brass (that might be too middle class), but it’s my RWL and I can pretend all that I’d like!

Green: This vintage emerald ring would have to grace the hand of Lady Violet. I adore pieces like this. A few Christmases ago, Husband bought me a vintage inspired diamond ring whose band detail is very similar to this one and I absolutely adore it. Truth be told, I often wear it in place of my wedding ring! It looks like a wedding ring (I’m not trying to be sneaky) and sometimes its just fun to mix it up. And I always wear it in place of my actual wedding ring when traveling abroad… never go overseas with your real ring lest you lose it!

Blue: If you can’t read it, this little card says I love you more than Downton and if you’re not familiar with the show… that’s a picture of Downton Abbey on the front. I would love to have this little card on the pinboard in my crafty space; its simple and elegant, yet so much fun. This little number can be purchased here: http://papercrave.com/downton-abbey-love-card/

Indigo: Let’s imagine for a second that the Crawleys did not believe that the sun rose and set on the English. If we can imagine that, then we might be able to imagine that they might introduce a bit of culture into their lives by adding this Japanese inspired porcelain pair into their massive collection of dishes. I could only image what Mrs. Patmore and Daisy would have to say about that geisha design!

Violet: Her name is Lady Violet for Pete’s sake! How could I not have used a photo of her?! Besides, she wears violet shades half of the time. And does this lady not age? I mean she looks old, obviously, but I remember her from The Secret Garden back in the mid 90s and she looked just as old then!

Well my dear lords and ladies, I hope you enjoyed our travel down the Downton RWL, have a splendid day!

RIP Lady Sybil

Les Felties: Jean Valjean

February 3, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

And last, but certainly not least, we come to Jean Valjean the gallant main character. Les Miserable tells the tale of the many stages of Valjean’s life and this hoop has captured his turning from hating towards goodness. He is a very internally conflicted character and I feel that the film version of LM is able to better portray that torment due to the camera’s ability to really get up close and personal with the lovely Hugh Jackman.

He did a superb job! However, while many an actor have played Jean Valjean, none have been more vocally impressive than Alfie Boe. Check out this snippet from the 25th Anniversary Concert where Alfie is performing along with three others who have played the role. But right around 0:25 is where Alfie proves that his powerhouse vocals are not to be outdone!

I love, love, love, love Alfie! Want proof? See those crazy eyes in the photo below? Um yah, that’s me hardly containing my excitement when speaking with him after a concert; hardly being the key word here.

Yup, that was a great night! I could literally go on and on and on about Alfie, but we must discuss our little felt Jean Valjean.

Okay, back to this little guy. Here he appears in his chain gang garb donning his prison number for those long nineteen years, 24601. I was so excited when I found this felt because it very closely resembles the actual color of Valjean’s costume in the stage performance. In his hand he holds a gift from the Bishop, a silver candlestick which he must use to alter his wretched state and become an honorable man. Spoiler alter: he succeeds!

Jean Valjean sends you off with this bit of wisdom (actually the last lyrics that he sings in the film/stage production): And remember, the truth that once was spoken; to love another person is to see the face of God…

Les Felties: Fantine

February 2, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

Time to meet dear Fantine! In a nutshell, Fantine had a short whirlwind romance, conceived Cosette from that relationship, the guy took off, and she spent the rest of her life doing whatever was needed in order to provide for her daughter. This of course included prostitution and selling her beloved hair; hence the reason she’s donning a choppy boy cut in this hoop. Although her screen/stage time isn’t much she does have the most memorable and popular song of the entire musical: I Dreamed a Dream. (I believe that everyone in the English-speaking world is familiar with Susan Boyle’s performance of the song, right?)

Let’s have a listen to a snippet of Anne Hathaway’s Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning performance from Les Mis the film:

There is no way that she is not going to win the Oscar for this as well!I have seen/heard dozens of actresses sing this song but Anne’s performance had be balling my eyes out in a matter of seconds! Wow, she was good! And for extra fun, let us now watch a small cut of the song as performed by the best stage Fantine ever… Lea Salonga!

If you’ve been following this Les Felties series, you’re probably thinking to yourself: didn’t we see this chick a few days ago? And you’d be correct. you can see Lea in the role of Eponine right here: https://leftylex.com/2013/01/29/les-felties-eponine/

And did you like that little PBS plug at the end to purchase the DVD? Well, I did and I got mine signed by Lea herself! I know that I’ve shared these before, but perhaps you have never read my blog before, so share again I must!

I still can’t believe that actually happened! Now the signing off the photo/blu-ray and the photo on the right happened on two separate nights after performances of Allegiance a new Broadway-bound musical that is set to open sometime this year. It was absolutely amazing, but we’ll discuss that musical at a later time!

I digress! This is my stitchy take on Fantine’s song. This hoop went through many revisions, but I did not like the look of the entire title so I stuck with the key word: dream. This is a super simple hoop made of French knots and split stitches but I really like it.

Fantine’s lfe was a tragic one but in the final scene she does appear to be an angel, of sorts, that guides Jean Valjean to heaven, so we can assume that Hugo’s fictional afterlife treated her better than her time on Earth. All’s well that ends well!

Les Felties: Marius

February 1, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

I love this little feltie! Don’t tell the others, but he might be my favorite. He does have a rather large head (we’ll have to change that next time) but his cute little outfit and French flag more than make up for his giant head. Marius is the love interest of both Eponine and Cosette, a student, and a revolutionist. On the stage, he has been played by several very fine actors but none as wonderful as the original, Michael Ball. Check out this clip of Ball performing at the Les Mis 10th anniversary concert.

He is excellent! And although I do not believe that Eddie Redmayne (Marius in the LM film) has the same impressive vocal ability that Ball has, his rendition of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables is spot on, he had me balling! I’m a little angry that I could not find the clip to show you. I know that the film is still in theatres, but you would have thought that someone might have sneaked a camera in and filmed this scene. Oh well, I guess you’ll just have to go see it for yourself. It’s a very powerful scene!

Here’s Marius (Redmayne) holding a dying Eponine (Barks) after she took a bullet for him. Poor girl. He’s not shabby to look at though so I’m sure she’s not too sad.

This is my take on Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. This is the largest hoop of the entire Les Mis song collection at 7″ (which makes it difficult for me to store it with the others!). But the title is so freaking long that it mandated a larger hoop to house all of those running stitches.

And for comic relief:

Oh, so mean! I really have nothing against Jonas, it’s just that he should have never, ever been offered the role of Marius. Pinterest is flooded with little nasties like this in reference to Jonas’ performance as Marius. I guess you can’t have it all.

Les Felties: Cosette

January 30, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

And we come to Cosette. I highly doubt that she’s anyone’s favorite character in Les Mis, but she’s not evil or vindictive; she’s just sort of blah. Has a sad childhood, saved by a rich man, falls in love with Marius upon first glance, etc. etc. I actually did not mind this character until about the second time that I watched Les Mis the movie and became super annoyed with Amanda Seyfried’s portrayal of Cosette. Now let me preface my my critique of Ms. Seyfried’s performance with this statement: I have no musical ability whatsoever! I played piano for 3 years when I was a kid but aside from that, I have no further musical history therefor the following statement is purely based on personal preference. She sounds like she’s singing in the highest key she possibly can while running out of breath, and shaking uncontrollably while doing so . I understand vibrato, but hers is a little extreme. That is purely my opinion, I don’t buy her as Cosette (loved her as Karen in Mean Girls though!).

I much prefer Katie Hall as Cosette, she might not be the beauty that Seyfried is, but the chick has chops! Listen and compare the difference:

That is how A Heart Full of Love should sound (sans the whole Nick Jonas vocals)! Note that Katie Hall does not start singing in this song until 1:49; prior to that the female voice you are hearing is Samantha Barks’ (Eponine). I would have also loved to see what a young Kristin Chenoweth might have done with this role; killed it I’m sure!

And this is how A Heart Full of Love should be stitched: with a little felt heart bursting with fly stitch love! This is not a sad, broken heart but rather a heart so full that it is exploding with love! While Les Mis does have an awful lot of doom and gloom, the story of Cosette and Marius is at least one that ends in happiness.

And now you have been properly introduced to Cosette, we’ll meet her beau tomorrow!

Les Felties: Javert

January 29, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

Oh Javert, all law, no grace; no heart, no forgiveness! While he is a stiff and an extreme source of turmoil and torment for our main character in the book/musical/film, he is rather cute in this 7″ hoop. Before we discuss him further (and if you’re not familiar with the character), let’s listen to this clip of Stars…

The fact that I can find videos like this on Youtube proves that I am hardly the only Les Mis obsessed person out there. This must have taken some time to make as well as knowledge of who the best/worst actors to have played Javert were/are. So, who was your favorite? If your answer is Russell Crowe, then you’re wrong (he puts no emotion into his performance). I will accept either Philip Quast (the other white guy) or Norm Lewis (the black guy) as the correct answer. While I love both, Norm Lewis wins this for me. He is amazing! And I know that I Dreamed a Dream is suppose to be everyone’s favorite song from this musical, but truth be told, my favorite is Stars.

And this, of course, is my artful depiction of Stars. I actually did lip sync this song (to the Norm Lewis version) on my birthday and I’m pretty sure that my sisters would tell you that this tiny hoop is much prettier that my actual Stars performance (but equally entertaining, I’m sure).

So what do you think? He’s kind of hard to dislike when he’s only about 6″ tall and composed of felt and French knots with one tiny stitch as a smirk. Don’t tell anyone else, but I rather like him.

Les Felties: Eponine

January 29, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

At long last, I am ready to reveal my first musical collection! I have had so much fun creating this line and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. We will start our introduction to the Les Mis felties with sweet, sad, love-struck Eponine. She is my favorite character; I think that this is largely in part to the fact that both Lea Salonga and Samantha Barks have played Eponine on the stage (and film) flawlessly. Do yourself a favor, watch both clips below and judge for yourself who played the better Eponine. (There is no wrong answer here!). While I love, love, love Lea (and have met her twice), I am inclined to say that I prefer Samantha a tad more when it comes to the Eponine role. Eponine’s two highlighted songs are On My Own and A Little Fall of Rain; I spared you and am sharing the Lea Salonga/Michael Ball version of the later as the only Youtube clip of Samantha I could find was with Nick Jonas and I do not want your ears to start bleeding! Now have a listen.

Who did you prefer? Tough choice, right?

As you can see, my little felt Eponine’s garmet choice mirrors the stage (not the film) costume. I would have loved to make her a tiny felt trench coat, but that didn’t happen, perhaps for the next go around. For now our little Eponine is housed in a 7″ wood hoop wearing a hat, bodice, belt, skirt, and a frown as she, of course, is mulling over the fact that she will never have her beloved Marius. Oh, so tragic! At least she is gifted a glimpse of happiness as she dies in the arms of her beloved while singing A Little Fall of Rain.

This was actually the starting point for my Les Mis collection; I made this one way back in November. I used around 8 different shades of blue and grey and many, many running stitches to create my “rainfall” effect. Do you like? This 7″ hoop is felt on felt and I love the feel!

And that, my fine folks, is our tribute to Eponine. Don’t feel too sad for her, it is a fictional story after all…

RWL: Felt

January 23, 2013February 8, 2013 | leftylex

So, I’ve been working a lot with felt this week (a lot). And, let it be known that the only good felt supplier in San Diego County is way, way, way up north about 45 miles away and I have had to drive all the way up there twice in the past 10 days. Luckily I have my trusty musical soundtracks to keep me company while on the road! Anyhow, I decided that felt must be the topic for this week’s RWL; check out these cute little treasures!

Red: My kingdom for a kiss! Can you hear Jeff Buckley singing? I find this felt castle creation whimsical and romantic. And bonus, the designer is from Spain (the land of amazing castles) so it seems fitting.

Orange: When I was little my Nana used to take me to a wonderful Chinese restaurant where we would drink tea, sip won ton soup, and eat shrimp fried rice till our hearts’ content. After the meal was finished we would walk to the counter to pay the bill and Nana would buy me a Sunkist gummy that looked very similar to this plushie. Nana went to be with Jesus in 2011 but I still buy that Sunkist gummy whenever I go to that Chinese restaurant and think of her.

Yellow: I want to buy this little yellow critter and keep him hidden in my pocket for sucky days. He just seems to exude joy and happiness. Lovely.

Green: I have no idea how these green shoes would actually feel; my gut feeling says itchy but they are fun! Want to hear a cringer? This was the color of the prom dress I wore my junior year… yikes!

Blue: After making several pendant necklaces myself, I have the utmost respect for anyone who can create artwork of this magnitude on such a tiny canvas. I especially like those six little French knots at the bottom (and I would kill to know where those pendants come from!).

Indigo: I love, love, love this most of all! I might actually have to buy this from GaffneyGirlStudio; it’s seriously too cute. My needles would look much better stuffed in this vintage repurposed Jello mold then they do in their little plastic box. I might be drawn to this since I have been watching lots of Downton Abbey this week and it looks like something that might grace her Ladyship’s vanity!

Violet: Monochromatic color schemes do it for me. I’m not exactly sure what one would do with this little tuft of purples, but I like the shades (I believe that all 3 can be found in my felt box too). For some reason I imagine a toddler holding this running through a forest. Don’t you?

I’m so excited to show you what I’ve been doing with felt! Just a few more days until my reveal.