Wednesday, May 29, 2013

NDK 2013 Costumes Part Four

It's been a long time since I have posted progress, hasn't it? That's because I haven't made any progress! How about that?

I had finished Jareth's vest and went, "Awesome progress! I'm good for a while." And "a while" turned into about two months... Oops.

So I returned to my Jareth costume! It was time to make the dickey. The pattern I am using calls for a dicky instead of a full shirt and I'm gonna go with it because I am going to roast in this costume!

So here is how the main piece turned out. The most difficult thin was the collar, but it really wasn't bad. I also didn't hem the chest part because it won't show anyway and I think my attention needs to be spent elsewhere.
So proud! And there is a snap at the back of the collar.

The difficult part came with the ruffles.

I had already picked a long strand of ruffled fabric (not lace because Jareth's isn't). Here is a picture of Jareth:
Pretty intense, right? I haven't even gotten to the jacket yet...

The ruffles I picked are smaller because its not 1986 anymore and I am trying to stay true to he costume without being too tacky. Plus my frame is smaller than Mr. Bowie's.
Nice, not too big or too 80's.

I tried to start from the top for the ruffles as the pattern suggested and quickly figured out that it didn't work well hat way. So I measured to the center and tried from the bottom with almost as much difficulty.

I finally decided that I needed to pleat the two sides starting at the bottom and then sew the two together before attaching them to the dickey.
All my pain-stacking pinning.

Once I had it all pleated and pinned, it was just about the right length.
I haven't sewn it on yet, but that is basically what it will look like. Yay! And it will be sewn most of the way on, but the bottom will need to be detached to hang out over the vest.

During all this time, I was trying to devise a way to make his broach. I think I am going to bead it and I found some things that might work OK. I am going to have to do some serious experimenting with it, however. I will post that when I finally get it figured out. It is quite intimidating, right?

Baked Rigatoni With Zucchini

You will need:
1. A package of rigatoni noodles (or penne or whatever suits you)
2. 1-2 zucchini
3. 15-16 oz of ricotta cheese
4. A package of shredded mozzarella cheese
5. A jar of tomato sauce--I used a basic marinara 

Heat the oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Start by cooking rigatoni noodles according to the directions.

Slice the zucchini and cook in a frying pan with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Put the noodles in a casserole dish and mix in the ricotta and as much mozzarella as you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Layer the zucchini slices on top and cover with tomato sauce. Sprinkle more mozzarella on top.


Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

This was adapted from the following recipe: Easy Baked Ziti.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Nerdy Ravings: Benedict Cumberbatch

Because you can never have too much Cumberbatch.

I felt this post was necessary because Benedict Cumberbatch is amazing. And gorgeous. And talented. Cool, funny, etc, etc.

He's gained a lot of popularity lately due to his roles in Star Trek Into Darkness and BBC's Sherlock.

Apparently I am a huge nerd. And that shows when it comes to this man. I have been telling people about the new Star Trek movie for ages, it seems. And the main reason for my excitement was, of course, Mr. Cumberbatch. I was shocked and appalled to discover how few people knew who he was.

As part of the Nerd World, of course I have known about him. And if you haven't seen BBC's Sherlock, you really need to. Cumberbatch is brilliant in that show starring alongside the wonderful Martin Freeman.

So apparently he hasn't made as much of a name for himself in the US outside of certain groups. Shocking, I know.

Here are some awesome Cumberbatchy tidbits for you all to enjoy!
A little poster that Isaac brought home for our enjoyment! My enjoyment? Anyway.

And little this treasure:
STIDJunket_TrekOrFalse_h264. This will cause some other related links to pop up--namely other interviews that are fun to watch as well.

And if you aren't familiar with Tumblr, you'd better get on that! There are so many great Cumberbatch-related pictures, gifs, and memes! It's glorious! There is a link to my Tumblr here and some of the people I follow find the best stuff. Yumm!

Please feel free to share your favorite Cumberbatch pictures, videos, quotes, etc! Like I said, there is always room for more! And apparently we need to get his name and handsome face out there so people don't look at me like I'm nuts when I mention his name.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Housewarming Shower

I recently attended a great housewarming shower for a gal I know. She never really had a bridal shower so this was the substitute I suppose.

She decided she wanted a Tiffany's and Co. themed party which came together beautifully! Here is a picture of the delicious cake made by Das Meyer:

I wanted to share my gift--a shower cake!

Like a diaper cake for baby showers but for bridal or housewarming showers!

I used bath towels (hand towels and washcloths for the tiers) because she wasn't registered for kitchen towels and I didn't want to get something she didn't want or need.

The spoons and shakers were on her registry and worked nicely in the cake. 

One important note: since this is unconventional as far as gift wrapping goes, keep your receipts and packaging in case she needs to return anything!

Since the towels were almost Tiffany blue, I figured that I would keep with the theme and use white ribbon to tie the tiers. I added some be-dazzle to them for pretties.

And then I made her card, also keeping with the theme:

It is blue card stock. White ribbon across the top with a little bow glued on. The T is good for Tiffany's or for the recipient's name, whichever she chooses since her first name initial is also 'T.'

And some white card stock glued on the inside on which to write!

Here is the full effect:

There you have it! Some cute little ideas for showers! 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Nerdy Ravings: Star Trek Into Darkness

Yay, another Nerdy Ravings! And it's about Star Trek! Woo!
Image from http://collider.com/star-trek-into-darkness-app-image/
I was super excited for this movie to come out. So, obviously, I went to see it as soon as I could manage.

I like Star Trek in general and have a couple other Star Trek-related posts (see Star Trek and Technology and Women in Star Trek). And I really enjoyed the last Star Trek movie. And then came Into Darkness. Where's bad?

And then came Benedict Cumberbatch. Yummy.

Ok, Star Trek Into Darkness.

I will not post any spoilers, but it blew my mind! I loved it! And it had all those silly little things in it to make you laugh, like the last one did.

I always like Spock and Bones and usually Uhura. Spock has always been a great favorite, which is part of why I liked the first (new) movie so much. Kirk has never been a favorite, but I liked him OK in the two newest movies. So Spock, of course, was wonderful. I'm not sure how you could not like him, really. And the strong bromance between him and Kirk was priceless! Crack me up. Bones was as hysterical as ever. Sulu was sort of minor, sadly, and Uhura was her usual, kick-ass self. And her little tiff with Spock made me laugh. Is that bad? I'm OK with them being a couple, but it was funny to watch them fight.

And then, of course, Benedict Cumberbatch. Mmmm. SOOOOOO good to watch. He was so intense and engaging. And usually gorgeously drool-worthy.

And one of my new favorites? Scotty. I have always liked Scotty just fine and I loved Simon Pegg as Scotty in the first one. In this one, he really has out-done himself! He was so delightful to watch! He was funny and charming and just wonderful. I loved every minute that he was on the screen. Well done Simon Pegg!

And, as you know, Benedict Cumberbatch. Lets just wallow in that a while...
Image from http://geektyrant.com/news/2013/5/3/star-trek-3-could-involve-klingons-and-benedict-cumberbatch.html

OK! I wanted to share this post from Cupcake about this movie (but it does have spoilers, so beware!): Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness. Enjoy! Also, check out her Tumblr page for lots of Benedict Cumberbatch deliciousness.

And here is a good review written by my boyfriend, Isaac: Tertiary Integration: Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness. He pays a lot more attention to the making of the movie, not just the plot and characters.

Also, because it is sort of relevant and definitely nerdy, I wanted to share this ad with you that Wyatt showed me: Zachary Quinto vs. Leonard Nimoy: "The Challenge." It might be one of my new favorite things. I laughed so hard.

And that is it for this episode of Nerdy Ravings! See you next time!

Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day was just over a week ago. Some of you may remember my mom from my previous posts, namely In Honor of Mother's Day

Due to my limited budget, there seemed to be little I could do for her and I wanted a gift I could make that was different from stuff I've made or bought in the past. 

After some searching, I decided to buy some flowers, arrange them, and bring them to her at work. Here is what I ended up with:

Pretty, right? I liked the yellow accents in this irises so a yellow rose offset it nicely. I cut the flowers and put them in a clear vase. I tied a thick white, medium yellow, and thin purple ribbons around it, which gave it a nice, finished touch.

As for the main gift, I decided on a sugar scrub. 

I did a lot of looking on Pinterest for DIY sugar scrubs and found several different recipes. My two favorites were these:

Jaco'lyn Murphy: Sugar Momma! Mother's Day Sugar Scrub. I like using the oil because it is good for your skin. Plus I liked to overall citrus theme.

Simply You and Me: Sugar Scrub. I liked this because of the added moisturizing as well as the fact that it will foam--I like sugar and salt scrubs that foam. Makes it feel cleaner.

I took some aspects from both to make mine.

I got a cute little glass Tupperware with a lid. I filled that about 3/4 full of white sugar (looking back, maybe a courser, raw or natural sugar, would have been better?).

I added some olive oil, just enough to make the sugar easier to mix. 

Then I added about 4-5 ounces of Dawn Olay hand renewal dish soap:
I chose the pomegranate splash scent because it smelled best, in my opinion.

Then mix until every part is the same color and consistency. I kept adding more soap to make sure the scent was noticeable.
Looks pretty, right?

When I tried out a little, I liked in. And my hands felt nice after, though the smell didn't linger. I will have to play with that another time.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Indiana Part of the Trip

While on vacation, we also spent some time in Indiana.
Fun fact: on the highway between Indiana and Chicago, they have signs that report the number of traffic deaths that year. This year while we were there, it was something like 289.

We went to Fair Oaks Farms for a late breakfast/early lunch. While the service staff was less than polite, the cheese was to die for! And the ice cream was so rich and yummy! And I couldn't leave without purchasing some Muenster cheese and, possibly my all time favorite, smoked Gouda! Delicious!!
Amie and Krissy being silly while enjoying their ice cream.

Following the cheese experience, we visited local Wildcat Creek Winery for a little wine tasting and shopping. I tried several different wines: Prophet's Rock Red (a dry red), Chambourcin (raspberry tones, semi-dry), Cayuga White (subtle fruity flavors, semi-dry), Steuben (crisp and fruity, semi-dry), Traminette (fresh and crisp, semi-dry), Lafayette Blush (strawberry tones, semi-sweet), Lafayette White (sweet and light, semi-sweet), and Aunt Minnie's Cherry Tree (cherry notes, pairs very well with chocolate, semi-sweet). My favorites were the Stuben, Chambourcin, and the Cherry Tree. I bought a bottle of the Steuben to go with my Muenster cheese! Perfect.

This required Krissy and I to purchase another bag so we could check one. We had to get our wine home, after all!

Then we baked our cookies with the rest of the sipping chocolate from KC Chocolatier.

Then we accompanied Amie and her boyfriend to their friends' place for dinner and game night. We ate pizza, cheese and crackers (Fair Oaks Butterkase cheese-soooo good!), wine (Cayuga White, from Wildcat Creek Winery), and some other drinks. We played Ascension, which I had never played before, but was very fun! Then we played a bit of another game with a really long name that was a bit odd and gruesome. Still fun, but Ascension was my favorite.

Then it was time to return to Amie's and finish packing and go to bed! The end!

Here is the website for Fair Oaks Farm: fofarms.com.

And here is the site for Wildcat Creek Winery: wildcatcreekwinery.com.