washingtonsquarefilmforumharrypotter

it all began last weekend
seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the theater.
of course my obsession returns.
all craftiness in me is geared towards this. transferring my energy.

so to distract myself, i took a walk in Washington Square Park. Sunday (July 15) was the perfect day for a movie. no, not Harry Potter (saw that last Saturday). but Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman, at the Film Forum in the West Village. i decided to venture into Manhattan a bit early to wander, since i don't do that enough.

(photo: fountain at Washington Square Park)

Washington Square Park is just wonderful. full of tourists and city-dwellers alike. chess players enjoying the heat, children playing in the fountain. steps leading to the fountain create a haven for visitors relaxing, dipping their hot feet into the cool water.

children cooling off in the pool. i watched them for quite awhile. they're having the most interesting conversation. i wonder what they're talking about.

the fountain of youth, a drinking fountain in the park. i feel younger and younger wandering around this city. so much to see. so much to learn. about myself. about life. about other people. society.

after wandering around for a few hours, it was off to meet my friends (Carmina and Ina [[EEEEna]] from the business women's meeting i used to attend) for a cold drink at the Grey Dog Coffee on Carmine Street, right around the corner from the Film Forum. a very quaint cafe, serving delicious sandwiches and coffee and tea. pictured above, the brick walls are lined with paintings of dogs, Walter's Dogs. We caught up (since i hadn't seen these ladies for a few months), brilliant conversations about business.

the film was quite long, but an eye-opener. a bit. definitely directed toward the single woman living in New York City. it really could be applied to single women everywhere, but it was worth watching. i did learn a bit about myself, and maybe a bit about my friends. the world is so different now, isn't it? the role of the woman has changed. for the better i think. it's just a matter of really going after what you want.

(photo: i am enjoying a lovely conversation with Carmina and Ina on the bench outside of the Grey Dog)

---

so the whole point of this entry.

HAPPY HARRY POTTER #7 DAY!!!!

went to a party tonight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with my friend K. she and her husband own a bar right across the street from this small hole-in-the-wall bookstore. they had a nice party, with a trivia game, free food, sangria, and then sold the book at 12:01. i was in Hufflepuff house for the trivia game, and we tied with Ravenclaw! the two houses LEAST represented in the books!!!! bloody brilliant.
---

receiving my book in the mail in less than 12 hours.

i
am
stoked.

fabric earrings

hot weather makes lesley a motivated girl.

spent a lot of this weekend indoors, making new things, sketching new ideas. sometimes it's difficult for me to be motivated in the summertime, what with all the outdoor activities, hanging out with friends, grilling, etc.

so i had a bit of an anti-social weekend, except for spending some time with my gentleman friend, multi-tasking like nothing else. i couldn't make up my mind! i have a knitting project that i just adore right now. for my friend K who may be leaving for Ireland for a few months in September. now i say 'may' becuz she may NOT end up going. but even if she doesn't go, she still needs a scarf to keep her warm.

[photo: lacey scarf for K, knit with yarn dyed with Koolaid. cherry blast for your neck! this same yarn was for sale on my Etsy site for awhile, bit i decided to put it to good use. the pattern was taken from the book you see, The New Knitting Stitch Library by a woman with my same first name. brilliant. you can also see my little stitch counter. very useful.]

after looking through the Etsy site for awhile, comparing my ideas to what's already out there [also very useful and inspiring], got some great ideas and started sketching/making. didn't get too far, but came up with these!!

fabric earrings dangling from my ears! 2 layers of fabric sewn together, and then quilted-like with a machine-stitched graffiti blossom. added an eyelet for a finished touch, and voila! instant earring! i'll keep these for myself and make some more elaborate ones to sell.

front and back of my new pretties.

making has been a bit difficult for me lately, as i jammed my middle finger on my right hand rock climbing a couple months ago [i am right handed, doh!]. so i've finally decided to keep it in a brace permanently for at least 2 weeks. this is a bit counter-productive for me, and makes it hard to knit, sew, type....you can probably imagine.

and now to teach myself how to knit continental style. thank you YouTube! be sure to check out this tutorial if you'd like to try out a new way of knitting. they say this is better for those of you with arthritis [mama! i'm not sure about carpel tunnel, but it may be worth a shot!]

inspiration today

i am fortunate enough to live in a city of endless possibilities and resources. sometimes i feel like i take this for granted. and then other times, like today, i realize the possibilities, and i grab them as fast as i can.

i decided to venture down to Brooklyn again, to the Etsy Labs, for a free workshop talk with Antonio Gould, about creating a global brand, yet keeping it at a less-than-corporate level. this of course was just what i needed to start my creative juices flowing. while taking notes, i scribbled down ideas, sketching, looking at the artisans around me, wondering if their minds were as occupied as mine. knowing they were.

[please excuse me. i'm reading a Dan Brown novel at the moment]

after coming home, ideas flowing, i decided to do a post on my inspirations. to compliment this, i will be posting some of my older work. constructive criticism always welcome.

1. FLOWERS
i wish i could scoop them up into my head and create a garden. everything i do i think of flowers, floral, botanical, organic. there's so much life, so much love in it. the colors are abundant and forever glistening.

[photo: hand-woven messenger bag w/ embroidered abstract flowers. hand card-woven strap. double reinforced for structure and stability. approximate labor hours: 80]

2. TEXTURE
anything i can touch, see, taste. fabric especially. brick walls lead to concave metal rails leading into darkness and i wonder what it would look like as a woven tapestry hanging on my wall.

[photo: taken in nyc metro subway station. just look at that concrete. you can see how the gravity plays with it. approximate labor hours: .125]

3. GEOMETRY
really i know this is a bit like the opposite of organic but organic can really only make sense if it's paired with geometry.

[photo: i am modeling a cabled hat i knit from yarn dyed with koolaid. this was my first attempt at a cable hat with ear flaps and a pompom top. birdies embroidered also with koolaid dyed yarn. approximate labor hours: 35]

4. ABSTRACT FASHION
i know i know, what does this mean? only in vogue.

[photo: fashion project, sophomore year at CCS. inspired by Russian fashion, both old and new. installation included dress with muff, 2 old doors found on parents' farm hinged together to create room, all scrap fabric used during project, an inspiration board, and the word 'RED' in Russian. pronounced, 'kraksnie'. my outfit of my own making as well. hair using felt remnants by Diana Jellinek. approximate labor hours: 100]

5. DOT TO DOT
drawing is something i push myself to do. embroidery is drawing with thread, which is much much more exciting than a pencil.

[photo: embroidery on felt. approximate labor hours: .5]

some of my favorite projects [felt embroidery aside] are so labor intensive, i find it difficult to duplicate and sell. but they can be inspiration to me. and they are.

morning bike ride

this photo hunt of sorts is especially for my mother.

leaving the apartment at around 9:45am, i set out for Madison Square Park in Mid-Town Manhattan, in the FlatIron District. meeting a friend there, to eat at the Shake Shack [amazing burgers and shakes].

rode my european bicycle from Queens to Manhattan, taking the Queensborough Bridge [59th Street Bridge]. a view from the middle of the bridge. some construction is being done, hence the need for wrapping. i like to pretend it's Christo, or some other artist making a statement.

getting into Manhattan, i rode down Lexington Ave. to get to 25th street. these brave soldiers, having lost the use of their legs in one war or another, were out on their arm-driven bicycles. it makes me happy that they can still experience the amazing power of the wind on their faces from riding a bicycle.

arriving at the park a bit early, i noticed this building on 25th street. lucky guy, gets to look at the park all day.

at the park, i locked up my Puch and felt myself being drawn to the fountain in the center. this park is very small, but attracts a number of people for a number of reasons. it's quaint dog park, where dogs of all sizes can run loose and play, the interesting metal sculptures of trees and rocks [sorry no photo], and of course, the Shake Shack. yum.

the railing surrounding the fountain. the photo at the top shows baskets of flowers on all sides of the fountain.

this has been a very pleasant second summer in the city. so far. perfect weather today. no humidity, sun shining, nice cool breeze.

miles ridden: 10

burgers eaten: 1

alcohol units: 0 [so far]

lyla grace

my family you will always be.
and i will love you forever.

as i love your mother forever.



i love you michelle and tim.
my heart is with you.

sampaguita part II

after the first show back in March, we continued work with Sampaguita.
the goals were to show in a theater near Broadway, with a real set, as a real play, not a workshop [as the first play had been].
i took this project on not really knowing the time i would be putting into it.
but it turned out being a great experience, and i treasure my time spent with the everyone involved.

the 45th Street Theater is the venue.
seriously blocks away from Broadway, right down the street from the theater showing 'Curtains', this was an ideal location for Sampaguita Part II.
you can see the poster, which was designed by a colleague of the director's. phenomenal design. the color scheme of the set was very much based on this.

now you must understand that the set had 2 phases. the beginning of the play, act 1.

with the storyline, we enter into an apartment of a man recently widowed. this is the living room area of a loft apartment in SoHo, in the lower part of Manahattan. on the left you can see part of the kitchen/dining area. behind these areas are three fabric walls, creating a doorway into the bathroom/bedroom areas, which are not meant to be seen by the audience.

the dining/kitchen area.

fabric walls. to the left the bathroom, to the right the bedroom. this also created a changing area/backstage for the actors.

as the play moves on, the apartment gets cleaner and cleaner, as we transition from past to present to past again. the main plot line shows two time periods, moving from a present to a past memory. this was depicted using different lighting. it was quite fascinating to watch.

act two set, with lighting set to flashbacks.

--

thus ends one of the busiest weeks i've had since i graduated from college. i don't know if i'll pick up another set design project in the near future. it was very stressful, but to see the end result is so satisfying. a feeling that nothing but a finished project that i'm proud of can bring.

we all wanna be somebody

memorial day weekend. how glorious to have an excuse to run around like a crazy person for 3 days.

Saturday: Coney Island with friends visiting from Michigan.

oh i use any excuse to go to this lovely beach/carnival/hot dog stand/freak show.
i certainly loved going on the day the beach opened. luckily it wasn't too overly-crowded.
walked on the flaming hot sand.
bare feet in the freezing ice water [where people and naked babies were actually swimming!]
nathan's coney dogs with onions and mustard and chili cheese fries.

ice cream, teeshirts and best of all.
riding the cyclone!

i think is in fact one of the nation's oldest rollercoasters. built in 1927. quite amazing that it's still running and quite one of the most fun rides i've ever been on. and i've been to Cedar Point too many times.

while waiting in line. i had one seat all to myself and was sliding around. it definitely added to my excitement.
D and i on the boardwalk. you can see the parachute landmark in the background. it is beautifully lit at night. too bad i missed that. we were both afraid of the sun that day. so glad when i meet someone else who covers up as much as i do. it was so hot and a scorching 90 degrees that day. yikes. can you see the smog?

and that was my coney island adventure. don't worry. i'll be back soon sweet dirty coney island. i love you in all your glory and grime.

tees in Etsy!

with a flat tire on my bicycle and a hectic week,
i decided to stay in tonight
and make a tee to sell on Etsy.

this is the second of its kind.
the first was made for my good friend L for her birthday
[still waiting for a photo to show]

the design is very similar.

side view.
blossom petals appliqued on the front and back, with vintage buttons details.

i found a button that matches the aqua pin striped fabric perfectly.
so i sewed it into the top left shoulder of the tee. (see item on Etsy)
balances it well.

button details. fluorescent colors are so in right now.

this is the first of many tees i hope to sell. check it out!

--

my Harry Potter obsession has returned.

wine country

my good friend N is visiting from Idaho this week
so a big group of us went out to Long Island to visit wine country
we ended up at a winery out in the middle of sod farms, about a mile from the Long Island Sound.

2 cars
each packed with 5 people
my car also included a dog. Bean.

Bean inspects the unsuspecting gargoyle guarding the cow barn.

the first photo is a barn on the winery property.
i was throwing a frisbee around with a few of my friends, with cows mooing in the background.
i think i accidentally set off the security alarm in the barn as i wanted to visit with the cows.
it was a bit strange sitting on picnic tables in the middle of a large farm, drinking wine, in the middle of the afternoon.

Martha Clara. one of the only wineries we could find with complimentary wine-tasting.
we ended up buying a couple bottles anyway.

i love this group of people. i rarley spend any time with them, something i'm hoping to change.

--

today. taking my bicycle down to Prospect Park. may end up joining the same group of people for a BBQ in the park.
must take advantage of this beautiful weather.
[[no worries Rauf. i always bring water and my helmet. ]]

riding in new york

i love to ride my bicycle.
i have been loving it even more lately, as my boyfriend is nuts about his bicycle. it's quite contagious actually.

his bicycle. there is pink on it.

this month is Bike Month in NYC.
so there is something to do every night of the week, including a bicycle fixing workshop for women. i will be taking advantage of this. put on by Recycle-a-Bicycle, i get to fix someone else's future bicycle, and take the knowledge home to my own.

--

heading out to Long Island now.
more photos later.