And the Oscar Goes to...

ME! I get an Oscar for acting like I can throw a party on a Sunday night & not want to kill myself on Monday morning when it's time to go to work!

OK, maybe I don't get an Oscar. Maybe I just get a headache & an "I told you so" from Mr. Engel. Whatevs. We threw an Oscars party & we killed it.

We made it a potluck & we asked guests to bring something themed on a nominated film. I did Cracker Jacks for Moneyball.

Tropical punch with little umbrellas & pineapple for the Decedents.

And (not pictured because I'm me & I never have it all the way together to take pix of the set-up): deviled eggs for Puss in Boots (Humpty Dumpty, get it? Get it?), egg rolls for Kung Fu Panda 2, pigs in blankets for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (this was a stretch, but I was kinda going for NY hot dogs. No one got it), & Milly's chocolate pie from The Help (I hid mini Charleston Chews in the pie to serve as the turds. Because I am all class). Our lovely guests brought incredible treats like pain au chocolate, baked brie & the world's deadliest & most delicious champagne cocktail (I'm looking at you, Babkes!)

We also had popcorn. Duh.

I printed out ballots before the party & everyone picked The Artist for everything because we were drunk but not dumb.

And the winner got this  comically big bottle of cheap champagne.

This is the very best thing to happen at the party. This is Derek. He's our beloved Samantha Kinkaid's cousin visiting from the UK. Derek fucking Turned. It. Out. (But he wouldn't let me look under the kilt, so that mystery remains unsolved).

Can we pause for a moment to discuss this woman's ass? It was unnatural. Are asses supposed to point like that? I'm not exaggerating when I say that we all spent about 10 minutes discussing said ass & what type of foundation garment or exercise routine might result in this type of pointy ass situation.

Hi cute party people!

Hi even cuter party childrens!

In conclusion, I would like to point out that there were three people at the party wearing sparkly shoes. Two of them were five-year-old girls. The third was me. 

Toy Society

Done!

The Weekend

Harlem Globetrotters with his Pops.

Vasquez Rocks with his pals.

Little Warriors

Even before I became a mother--even when I was a child--the only thing that scared me about having kids was the idea that they might get sick. You learn to live with the fear, take the leap, pray and hope that your child will be safe and healthy, but you always know that the horror of illness could be lurking around the next corner. So I can't even begin to imagine the pain, the fear, the abject panic the parents of the Littlest Warriors--children fighting cancer--feel.

You may remember that Craft Hope is an organization (well, really one incredible woman, Jade) who has the power to motivate & mobilize scores of people all over the world to create and donate hand-made items to those who are in need. Craft Hope's Project 16 is to provide these brave boys & girls with beanies & totes.

I drew up a primitive serpent & appliqued it onto pirate bandanna fabric. Then I sewed up the world's best & easiest messenger bag pattern from Diary of a Quilter. (Seriously, I was DREADING making the bags & they were the easiest part).

I lined the serpent bag with this vintage Peter Pan fabric that I've been hoarding, after using the bulk of it for Dash's bedroom curtains.

My second bag was appliqued with a Viking head I adapted from an image that Merlilee very generously made available on mer mag.

I only made one girl bag, but I tried to make it as girly as humanly possible. I appliqued this one with a simple polkadotted heart.

Coordinating beanie. Because of course it is.

This one goes with the serpent (I carved the tiger stamp before Christmas & used fabric paint on nubby linen for the appique.)

And this one goes with the Viking. It's made out of Dash's super-soft Van Halen t-shirt and a vintage motorcycle shirt. (All beanies were based on an awesome pattern from I am Momma-Hear Me Roar)

Each bag will contain (along with some  doodle books, markers & assorted loot) a little friend to keep each warrior company and hopefully bring a little comfort. This sweet girl was made from Sew to Speak's adorable pattern.

Her house is an Altoid tin that I decorated with cut paper.

Hey! I wonder who lives here!

Well hello! It's Basil the mouse!

Your nightstand is a spool of thread! Whomever made you sure was nuts!

'Sup, Gnomie?

Gnomie the Homie is a little too girthy to fit into an Altoids tin.

So he's crashing in a matchbox.

OH! Did I mention I got a badge maker? Fuck yeah I did.

I hope they wear them and always remember that they are warriors--brave and strong...

...and the baddest badasses of all.

Loot

Lucky in Love

Be His

Ever year I go a little further off the rails for Valentine's Day. This year Dash & I collaborated on three different projects.

First, I sewed up about 10 of this hipster Valentine bear for our youngest Valentines. He's based off of Danny Britos's adorable pattern. I just swapped scrumptious fleece for the felt, made them a bit bigger & left off the ghost turd on top. 

Blue for boys.

Pink for girls. Yeah, I do buy into color-based gender stereotypes. Wanna fight?

Then, Dash drew out this skull design & I carved it into a stamp for him.

We just stamped up some blank postcards I had in my stash & pinned them to the bears with embroidery floss.

For school Valentines, I whipped up some bag toppers from card stock that say "You Rock," stapled them onto treat baggies full of Pop Rocks & BOOM. 

(Get it? Pop Rocks? You Rock? Huh? Huh?)