Maybe you can tack this all to jealousy, but screw Virgil Coffman and his bright yellow, Transformers-special edition, 426-hp Camaro and the New York Times Blog for running an article on him on November 18th. Now why would NYT care to mention the fact that he bought one on a trade? Because the old fart’s gonna be 102 in January! That makes him older than the Model T! (Find out more after the jump.)

Trading in a Monte Carlo to help close the $38,000 deal, Virgil who has not seen either of the movies (surprise! probably never even heard of them – “Was that one of those moving picture dealies?” -Ed.) chose the car because he liked the design, because he doesn’t need “one of those big cars anymore,” and because of the limited-release of the model. With only 1,500 being released, ol’ Virgil considers it something of a collector’s item saying, and I quote (the dealer, relaying it first-hand): “If I keep that 10 or 12 years, it will be worth about $100,000.”

Shia LaBeouf is Looking Awful Lately

That’s him (the dodgery old white guy hiding behind the car door; what, do you think, he found the Tanning Bed of Youth on a crazy adventure with Bumblebee?) with VP of Global Design for GM, Ed Welburn. When interviewed for the article, Virgil said he “…like(s) to kick it up, [...] [b]ut I’m afraid to drive too fast and get a ticket, and then they might take my license away.” Since September, he’s put 1,800 miles on the carriage, but has yet to take it more than 50 miles outside Decatur, where he resides, presumably for fear of forgetting where he lives.

Bumblebee at Work

Though the common thistle is often regarded as a noxious weed, especially by those who prefer pasture to prairie, not all thistles are Eurasian invasives. A large percentage are true Wisconsin natives. They produce good nectar and so are especially attractive to butterflies, hummingbirds, and bumblebees.

I’ve been going through my summer photos, and found this busy bee. It is spectacularly a November day outside – breezy, chilly, partly cloudy – and the bee brought back pleasant memories of the many prairie strolls I took last summer.

I have managed to resurrect my blog at http://seededearth.com and will be posting there. You may think I’m a crazy woman, but no, I manage only to keep a half step ahead in this computer game. If you wish to follow me back to the “old place” I’d be most pleased.

Senaste tillskottet i hyllan

Transformers 2 – Bumblebee Edition

Fick paket idag från cdon med både special versionerna av Transformers 2, denna & Steelbook versionen. Ena kommer dock att gå på retur men ville se dem först innan jag bestämde mig. Har ju första filmen i en snygg svart plåtbox, men 2an nu matchade inte riktigt istället fick det bli mera leksaker i hyllan.

Denna utgåva är ca 36cm hög, tyvärr endast 2cm djup, hehe.

Förpackningen har dessutom ett hologram som man aktiverar via en webcam som man kan se via den här adressen. www.optimusexperience.com

För er som är sugna finns utgåvan fortfarande att köpa här

Transformers 2: 10/10

MediaSverige: GP 1/5, SvD 5/6, Aftonbladet 2/5, Expressen 4/5, Hallands Nyheter 1/5, HD, SydSvenskan 2/5

Ville bara påminna er om Jultävlingen som går ut på att:

Skrappa ett julpaket med etikett, det kan vara en låda, ask eller en påse låt fantasin flöda.

Sista inlämningsdag för bidrag är fredagen den 4:de december kl 23,59 och kortet/korten skickas till bumblebeeblogg@gmail.com

Å priset…. ja det blir en retired dies, men vilken….. ja det får bli en överraskningspresent.

Hälsar Bumblebeegänget!

http://scrapbooking-art.bumblebee-scrapbooking.com/

I found Bazzil just buzzing about his business in my newly planted basil this weekend. He was having quite a feast on the flowers of my other herbs (just look at the size of him!) and was hoping to have some basil flowers to finish off his meal.

“You’re out of luck, Bazzil” I shook my head, “They won’t flower until the end of summer”.

I offered him some of my special sweet spring flowers instead and he cheered up so much he let me in on the secret to getting your own buzzing bumblebees. And here it is…

Bazzil the Buzzing Bumblebee Amigurumi Pattern

My patterns are written down as I create my amigurumi, but let me know if there is anything missing.

Techniques

You will use the basic amigurumi crochet techniques: magic circle, slip stitch, single crochet (sc), increase, and invisible decrease. But you will also learn a simple way to change colours.
Note: US crochet stitch terminology is used. ch=chain, sc=single crochet, 2sc in next sc=increase, sc2tog=decrease (crochet two sc together to make one sc). I use the invisible decrease method for all decreases.

Materials

* Yarn: Yellow, Black, and White (your bee can be different colours of course!)
* Safety eyes (I used 9mm black). You can also stitch your eyes or make them out of felt
* Black embroidery thread (for mouth)
* Black/brown soft fuzzy pipe cleaner for antennae (or crochet your own)
* Polyfill stuffing
* Crochet Hook
* Needle (one with an eye big enough for yarn, and one for your embroidery thread)
* Any other materials to decorate

Pattern

Bumblebee: Head/Body

Start with Yellow Yarn
RND1:  6sc magic circle [6]
RND2:  2sc in each sc [12]
RND3:  12 sc around [12]
RND4:  sc in next sc, 2sc in next sc. Repeat. [18]
RND5:  18 sc around [18]
RND6:  18 sc around [18]
RND7:  18 sc around [18] **insert safety eyes & embroider mouth**
RND8:  sc in next sc, sc2tog. Repeat. [12]

Switch to Black Yarn with a slip stitch
[How to: Insert hook into back loop/stitch only of the next stitch, yarn over with black yarn (not yellow), then pull through both stitches to make a slip stitch. You will now have a black loop over your hook. If you want a cleaner join, you will need to join each round: as soon as you finish a RND, slip stitch to next stitch (back stitch only if changing colour, and yarn over with new colour), then chain one, and continue to next RND]
RND9:  12 sc around [12] **stuff head**
RND10: sc in next 5 sc, 2sc in next sc. Repeat. [14]
RND11: sc in next 6 sc, 2sc in next sc. Repeat. [16]

Switch back to Yellow yarn with a slip stitch
RND12: 16 sc around [16]
RND13: sc in next 3 sc, 2sc in next sc. Repeat. [20]
RND14: 20 sc around [20]

Switch back to Black Yarn with a slip stitch
RND15: 20 sc around [20]
RND16: 20 sc around [20]
RND17: 20 sc around [20]

Switch back to Yellow yarn with a slip stitch
RND18: sc in next 3 sc, sc2tog. Repeat. [16]
RND19: 16 sc around [16]
RND20: 16 sc around [16]

Switch to Black Yarn with a slip stitch
RND21: sc in next 2 sc, sc2tog. Repeat. [12]
RND22: 12 sc around [12] **stuff body**
RND23: sc2tog. Repeat. [6]
Do a couple more sc2tog to close off the hole and make the bottom pointier.
Slip knot to finish off (you can leave a small yarn tail out as a “stinger” if you like).

Bumblebee: Wings (make 2, use the white yarn)

Chain 2
RND1:  3 sc in second chain from hook [3]
RND2:  2sc in each sc [6]
RND3:  sc in next sc, 2sc in next sc. Repeat. [9]
RND4:  9 sc around [9]
RND5:  9 sc around [9]
RND6:  9 sc around [9]
RND7:  sc in next sc, sc2tog. Repeat. [6]
Slip st and finish off. Leave long yarn tail to sew to body.
Sew wings to body using the yarn tail.

Bumblebee: Antennae (make 2)

These are optional – if you have a black/brown pipecleaner you can use that instead (I used a brown pipecleaner).
1/ Chain for as long as you want your antennae (I chained 7)
2/ Starting from the second stitch from the hook, slip stitch into each stitch along until you get to the end.
3/ Finish off with a slip knot, cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing.

Your bumblebee can be decorated with other facial features (eyebrows, eyelashes, different mouth shapes), clothing (scarf, hats, pins), and whatever other embellishments you can think of.

Now your bumblebee is off and ready to travel the world! Perhaps you might want to make some flowers for your bee to rest on?

Note: You are free to use this pattern to make as many bumblebees as you like, but please do not post this pattern anywhere else. If you follow my pattern and  blog about it I would appreciate a link back to my website (so others can make it too!). I do not mind if you sell items you make from my patterns, but please be fair and acknowledge the pattern source.

Jag har undersökt användningsområdet för Mementos stämpeldyna på olika sätt: att använda den som distressdyna med Ink blending tool och mask eller schablon, att spreja vatten på färgdroppar för stänkeffekt, att pröva olika färgläggningsmetoder och att stämpla på olika sorters papper.

Stämpeldynan är en så kallad dye ink, av samma slag som distresser dynan. Mementodynan är vattenbaserad, men blir vattenfast när den torkar och passar bra för färgläggning. Den torkar snabbt och är därför mindre bra för embossing. Trycket bleks ej och den är syrafri förstås. Liksom andra dynor av dye-typen mår den troligtvis bäst av att förvaras upp och ned. Mementodynan är bredare, men plattare än distressdynan vilket ger både fördelar och nackdelar. Jag tycker att den därmed är lättare att förvara och att det är lättare att inka kanter med mementodynan då man kommer åt bättre med den plattare dynan. Samtidigt har jag en tendens att tappa den då jag inte får samma grepp om den med handen. Under mina tutorialtester upplevde jag att den eventuellt torkar snabbare än distresser och att den ”pärlar” sig mindre på stämpelytan än vad distresser gör. När jag har färgat in en större stämpelyta med distresser drar färgen ofta ihop sig innan jag hinner stämpla mot pappret, jag upplevde att detta fenomen var något mindre med mementodynan. Jag är nöjd med svärtan på Tuxedo-kulören som jag upplever som riktigt sotsvart. När jag blötte bläcket har det en svag dragning åt grön nyans, men denna färgskiftning uppfattar jag som liten. Jag tyckte färgen bet sig fast lite mer än distresserfärgen när jag skulle rengöra fingrar och stämplar, men den var ändå lätt att tvätta bort från stämplarna.

1. Bakgrundsmönster med stänk (resultat, se bild ovan): Precis som med distressdyna kan du dutta med Mementos stämpeldyna på ett bakplåtspapper (gärna av teflon som man kan amvända upprepade gånger) och sedan spreja på färgen med vatten så färgen samlar sig i större droppar. Sen lägger du pappret (helst akvarell, men annat kan också gå) på färgdropparna och förflyttar det som du känner för. Och upprepa tills du är nöjd. Om man drar pappret blir färgen jämnare. Jag tycker att det är roligare med separerade stänkfläckar. Man kan också blanda flera nyanser. Ovan har jag använt Mementos svarta Tuxedo dyna samt distressdynan Fired brick. Om man duttar med de olika dynorna en bit ifrån varandra undviker man att få fel färg på stämpeldynorna. Jag uppfattade det som att Mementodynan gav ett jämnare utseende på fläckarna och distressern mer fläckigt. Men det kan ha varit en tillfällighet.

2. Schablon och ströppling med ink blender tool (se bild ovan): På samma stänkbakgrund som ovan har jag visat att Memento-dynan också kan användas med Ink blender tool och mask. I det här fallet tog jag en Tattered Angels screen som mask. Den är inte klistrig, men i detta fall gick det bra att hålla fast den med fingrarna. Man tar färg på ink blender tool (alternativt en make-up svamp i skumgummi) och ströpplar, suddar med färgen i cirkelrörelser över masken. Det är bra att använda bakplåtspapper även till detta för att börja cirkelrörelsen utan för pappret och sedan jobba sig mot schablonen för att undvika kanter. Jag uppfattar att Memento-dynan i detta fall ger ett jämnare resultat än distressern som lättare ger kanter om man stannar upp i rörelsen.

3. Färgläggning: Jag har också prövat att färglägga med olika mer eller mindre blöta metoder på stämpeltryck med Mementodynan. Från vänster uppifrån syns färgläggning med:
A: alkoholbaserade pennor (av Promaker-typ).
B : akvarellfärger
C: EKS ZIG water color pens nyans Nursery Rhymes (kompletterat med en brun penna promaker som skugga eftersom Nursery Rhymes nyanserna alla var bleka i jämförelse).
D: distress refiller.
Pappret var akvarellpapper 300 gr med medel gräng. Förutom akvarellfärgerna var alla de andra teknikerna nya för mig så det kan säkert göras finare. Jag har inte färglagt stämpeltryck förut. Tillgången till färgnyanser för pennorna hemma hos mig var rätt begränsat, men det viktiga för mig här var att se om stämpeltrycket ändrades i något fall. Det tydligaste som hände var att med water color pennorna från ZIG så löste faktiskt lite färg kring ögonen upp sig när jag hade en extra vattendroppe i ansiktet för att fördriva färgen. I jämförelse med akvarellen tog distressfärgerna väldigt lång tid att torka då jag hade dem så mättade. Om man tittar riktigt nära kan man se att konturen runt vantarna blivit något lite fransig av den långa blötläggningstiden.

4. Stämplat på olika papperssorter och med olika sorters stämplar: Jag har prövat att stämpla på akvarellpapper, vellum, fotoalbumssidor och ett kraftigare ritpapper. Akvarellpappret hade medelgräng (dvs inte helt slät yta) och passade bra för linjeteckning som de stämpeltryck jag färglade ovan, men mindre bra för stora täckande ytor som ni ser på pepparkaksstämpeln och barnet sover-stämpeln nedan. Dessa stämplar blev mycket bättre på de släta papperna. Vellum gick utmärkt att stämpla på med linjeteckningen. I tisdags visade jag Fars dags-kort. Där fanns ett exempel där jag prövat att stämpla på en embossad vit yta. Det syntes inte så mycket av det. En vattenfast permanent dyna är troligen bättre till det. Flera av mina tidigare stämpeldynor har sotat av sig länge efter tryck om man stryker över pappersytan. Det gör inte Mementodynan.

a) Memento Tuxedo black på slätt papper
b) Memento på akvarellpapper
c) Distresser Walnut Stain på slätt papper.
d) Memento på slätt papper
e) Memento på akvarellpapper
f) Memento på albumkartong
g) Memento på slätt papper
h) Memento på vellum
i) Memento på albumkartong

5. Jag har prövat både clearstamps och monterade gummistämplar (se tisdagens Fars dags- kort) och märker ingen större skillnad på de olika stämpeltyperna. Mementodynan fungerar bra till båda vad jag kan se. Jag har med bilder på några stämplar jag har som jag tyckt varit svåra att få färg på och är relativt nöjd med resultatet, även om jag tror att det kan vara min stämpelteknik som brister här. Den detaljerade änglastämpeln ovan är snarare bättre med Mementodynan än med de olika dynor jag prövat förut (ex. Versa fine, Brilliance och Distresser).

Avslutningsvis kan jag säga att detta definitivt är en prisvärd stämpeldyna som jag tänker fortsätta att använda.

Må så gott och stämpla på!

Ullisenrullisen

A year ago today I was holding my newborn son.

Twelve months, four teeth, many snuggles, quite a few diapers, a couple first steps, some bumps and bruises later, he’s a year old.

Just like that.

Happy Birthday, Bumblebee!

“It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.”

– William Carlos Williams

Do I need this? No.

Will the world end if we don’t get it? Probibaly not.

Should I tell Santa Jai needs this so I can play too? Maybe nt…

Will we get this cool little bot?  Most likely.

Was this a random , time filling post……bet your bottom dollar!

Isn’t Donald-bee cute?  We have Mickey already, shocking I know.  I think it is released early feb, 2010.

When Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen came out in theators in the summer of 2009, it was widely criticized for having a plot that one could not follow or that didn’t make sense.  Now that the movie is out on BluRay (or DVD), people have been able to watch it again.

So… are there plot holes?  Or can they be explained?

SPOILER WARNING (if you haven’t watched the movie)

1.  How come there were two pieces of the All Spark?  I thought at the end of Transformers 1, Optimus Prime only pulled one shard from Megatron’s chest.  In Revenge of the Fallen, the All Spark shard is the one protected in the military hide-out that Ravage (jaguar decepticon) and his Reed-Man bot steals.  The other All Spark piece, referred to as the sliver, was found by Sam at home.  It was a piece that was stuck to his wool hoodie from the first movie.

2.  Why didn’t Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) use the All Spark sliver that he gave to Mikaela (Megan Fox) to revive Optimus Prime?  In the first movie, we see that the All Spark was able to give Frenzy (the little guy who transformed into a CD player) his body back and give life to electronic machines/devices (cell phone, xbox, etc).  Similarly in Revenge of the Fallen, we see the sliver gave life to small kitchen appliances like the cappaccino maker, phone, blender, etc.  We never see the All Spark give life to a large machine.  We know it didn’t bring back Bumblebee’s legs at the end of the first movie.  We know the shard didn’t bring back Jazz to life.  From these observations, the All Spark sliver or the All Spark shard do NOT have the ability to bring back a large transformer to life who was dead.

Yes, the sliver is used on Jetfire, but he was NOT dead.  He was in some type of “stasis nap”.  He mentions how without Energon, the transformers deterioate.  He likely went in this “stasis nap” to preserve himself.  The sliver re-awakened him.

2.  How come Megatron was “revived” by an All Spark shard when it was the All Spark that “killed” him in the first movie?  I’m confused.  The full All Spark is too much power to be absorbed by a Transformer.  Sam overloaded Megatron at the end of Transformers 1 by putting it into Megatron’s chest.  It did knock Megatron out.  However, whether he was dead or not is speculation.  Our feeling is that Megatron was in some type of stasis-lock.  “The Doctor”, a.k.a. Scapel (the little microscope decepticon), is obviously an expert on how Transformers work and the history of the symbols of the ancient Transformers.  His knowledge of the All Spark was probably also superior to others.  Put these facts together, and it’s no surprise he knew how to get Megatron out of the stasis-lock using parts (and possibly the “spark”) from another constructicon and the All Spark shard.

3.  When the decepticons descended in the ocean, the Navy said there were 5 decepticons.  At the bottom one of them was killed for parts (for Megatron’s revival), but when they ascended, the Navy said there were 6 decepticons.  Isn’t 5 minus 1 plus 1 = 5?  Most people forget that “The Doctor” came out of Ravage’s mouth at the bottom of the ocean.  Therefore he was not detected when Ravage and the constructicons descended to the ocean.  We can assume that he did show up on radar on the way back up.  This accounts for 6.

4.  How did the Helicopter guy (Blackout from Transformers 1) get revived?  It’s not Blackout.  He’s a little more white-ish and his name is Grindor.  Yes, it could have been explained better.  The proof lies in the toy made of the guy.  Apparently it’s a clone of Blackout or decepticon of the same size who chose the same alt. mode as Blackout.  (More on clones later on in this article…)

5.  Why didn’t the Fallen show up earlier?  First of all, he was old like Jetfire.  You’ll notice that on the Nemesis (the crashed ship on Mars), the Fallen is attached to some stuff.  He likely was resting trying to keep himself “healthy” due to the lack of Energon.  Secondly, he was waiting for Optimus Prime to be killed since only a Prime could match up against him.

6.  How come after the construction vehicles (constructicons) form Devastator, we see some of those same constructicons fighting individually in robot mode?  How are they in two places at once?  Also, how did Bonecrusher (from Transformers 1) get alive again and show up in the desert fighting?  In Transformers lore, there were clones.  In the original 80’s cartoon, there were clones of the decepticon jets Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker and there were insecticon clones.  There were autobots with similar alt. modes too (Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, Sideswipe and Red Alert, Trailbreaker and Hoist, etc…).  So, in Revenge of the Fallen, the multiple constructions must be because of clones.  Same goes for the bot that looks just like Bonecrusher (alt. mode = military “buffalo”).  More evidence of clones is how the Excavator decepticon (Demolisher) in the beginning of the movie (who was killed) is similar to the Excavator who starts Devastator’s transformation at the end of the movie (this Excavator is called “Scavenger” on the toy packaging).

7.  Why are there decepticons that look kinda like Megatron near the end of the movie fighting against the US Military?  These decepticons came from the Nemesis and had no need for an Earth alt. mode since their primary objective was to stop Sam from reaching Optimus Prime with the matrix and to steal the Matrix to use it for the machine (in the pyramid) that destroys the sun for Energon.  You’ll recall that Megatron (in his arrogance) never had an Earth alt. mode either.  Remember how in Transformers 1, Optimus, Jazz, and Ironhide look very similar until they scan Earth vehicles for their alt. mode.  This proves that Transformers can look very similar in their “protoform” state before scanning an Earth vehicle.  Furthermore, these decepticon no-name drones/clones are the “cannon fodder” that no movie viewer cares gets killed.

8.  When Sam is trying to get the Matrix to Optimus’ body, why didn’t he just take Bumblebee in Camaro mode?  He did… well, at first that was the plan.  But then Starscream attacked them.  Sam made a plan for Bumblebee to go off by himself as a decoy and the Twins to go off as other decoys.  Meanwhile he and Mikaela went by foot — something the decepticons wouldn’t expect.  He later had Bumblebee take his parents to safety, probably because he cared so much about them being safe.  Probably more so than his own life, one could argue.

9.  Why are there Transformers that talk “ghetto talk”?  (The autobot twins)  They are basically autobot kids.  Meaning, they’re young like kids are.  You know how kids/youth will talk in ways adults won’t.  Same goes here with the autobot twins, Skids and Mudflap.  Remember, in Transformers 1, Optimus Prime said the autobots learned Earth’s languages through the World Wide Web.  Skids and Mudflap, being young, must have liked this “ghetto talk”.

10.  Why are all three autobot female bikes called “Arcee”?  The writers of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen orginally intended for the three “Arcee bikes” to combine together.  You can see concept art on the 2nd Bonus DVD or BluRay disk.  This plan was apparently a late scratch.  Toys were made of (currently) two of the three bikes.  The blue one was called Chromia (after a blue female G1 character) and the red one was called Arcee.  The purple one is rumored to be called either Elita One or Flare-up.

11.  The Matrix?  A decepticon that transforms into a girl?  Why are they ripping ideas from other movies?  The Matrix was actually an essential part to the 80’s original cartoon.  In the 1986 cartoon Transformers Movie, the Matrix of Leadership was passed on from Optimus Prime and eventually inherited by Rodimus Prime, a new leader.  So… Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did NOT steal from “The Matrix” (the movie).  As far as the transformer whose alt. mode was the college girl (played by Isabel Lucas), that also is based on old Transformers lore.  In the late 80’s, when Transformers cartoons stopped in America, Japan continued making Transformers Cartoons.  In “Transformers: Super-God Masterforce” (1988), there were Transformers called Pretenders.  These Pretenders “transformed” into a human-look-a-like mode.  The Alice character in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was inspired from this.

12.  Why couldn’t Bumblebee talk in Revenge of the Fallen?  Wasn’t his voice working at the end of Transformers 1?  Good question.  Haven’t figured that out yet…

Some would argue that so many questions or the fact that some people have to watch the movie twice to figure it all out means it’s not a good movie.  Did those same critics say the same thing about Mission Impossible (with Tom Cruise) or The Lord of the Rings?  Many people had to watch those movies more than once or ask questions to others (like people who had read the Lord of the Rings books), but yet many enjoyed those movies.  You be the judge with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen…

Farsdagskort med Memento stämpeldyna!
Postat 2009-11-03 klockan 00:01 av ullisenrullisen
Taggar fars dag, glimmer mist, mask, memento stämpeldyna, stencil

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På söndag är det Fars dag! Kanske finns det fler pappor i er närhet att göra kort till? Än finns det tid kvar att hinna pyssla! Jag har gjort fem olika typer av farsdags-kort som förhoppningsvis kan ge er inspiration. Gemesamt för alla dessa kort är att jag har använt stämpeldynan från Memento maximalt.

1. Kort med ”vingar”: Här har jag använt en Tim Holtz mask och ströpplat (”gnuggat” med cirkelrörelser) på färg från svart Memento-dyna med en Ink blending tool, sedan har jag stämplat ovanpå med clearstamps med återigen med svart Memento-dyna, stämplat samma stämpel en gång till men med vattenstämpeldyna och embossat med vitt pulver och provat att stämpla ovanpå med den svarta dynan igen (det blev inte så mycket tryck ovanpå det embossade). Avslutningsvis duttade jag på lite vitskimrande stickles.
Jag har använt: papper från My Minds Eye 29 th Street Market, Classic Everyday Fresh Linens, Tim Holtz Flourish mask, Tim Holtz Clear stamps regal flourish. Kanterna på kortet har jag inkat med hjälp av Ink blending tool samt direkt från dynan. Allt finns hos Bumblebee (utom stämpeln med Fars dags-texten från Inkido).

2. Kort med bladverk: Jag började med en bakgrund på akvarellpapper där jag spreyade grön och blå Glimmer mist över en stencil (Tattered Angels). Sedan lade jag på en Tim Holtz mask och ströpplade svart stämpelfärg från Memento-dynan ovanpå. Det gav ett djup till bilden. Efter att skurit till formatet stämplade jag med clearstamps och Memento-dynan samt inkade kanterna som ovan. Lite grön stickles ger små glitter accenter. Kortet monterades på Basic grey’s papper Two Scoops Blueberry Custard.

3. Kort med uggla: Kortet är gjort på liknande sätt som ovan, men glimmer mist över stencil, sedan har jag använt stencilen istället för en mask, flyttat den i sidled och ströpplat på svart stämpelfärg från Memento-dynan över den tidigare bilden.

4. Kort med handfull av bebisar: Bakgrundspappret är MME’s Peaceful “Dream” Conciousness. Handen (i Basic Grey-pappret, samma som ovan) gjorde jag genom att teckna av min egen hand på baksidan av pappret och sedan riva ut formen. Kanterna på handen har jag inkat direkt från stämpeldynan (Memento), det gick bra eftersom den är så tunn. Bebisarna är stämplade med Memento-dynan och färglagda med alkoholbaserade pennor (liknande Promakers). (Bebisstämpeln ”Ducks in a row” samt Fars dags-texten är privat).

5. Kort med ”Familjen – kugghjul” Kugghjulsmask från Tim Holtz, Clearstamps från Tim Holtz och den svarta Memento-dynan förstås på MME pappret som ovan. Stämplarna privata (Hänglar). Stämplarna är färglagda med alkoholbaserade pennor. Det är första gången som jag färglägger stämplar på detta sättet, så det ju förbättras och förfinas mer framöver när jag skaffar fler färger.

På torsdag kommer en tutorial där jag har testat Mementodynan på olika sätt och mer i detalj jämför den bland annat med distessdynan samt hur den fungerar på olika papper och med olika färgläggningstekniker. Ta nu hand om era Pappor och makar på söndag!

På återseende!

Ullisenrullisen

There's honey in that book bag you know..

There she is folks, Bumblebee Magee straight killing it on her way to class. Now I’m just spitballin here, but I’m assuming the boot on the left leg was because of an accident that occurred when she was fire hosing chocolate syrup into a 55-gal drum filled with Chubby Hubby. I’ve been wrong before, but Chuckles McLovin assures me that she smelled like green bean casserole with a hint of turnip water, and in these parts that’s grounds for being labeled an “ice-cream fanatic”. The next time you see someone wearing a walking boot nonchalantly get up next to them and see if they omit that smell, and if they do shoot them a wink and say “I’m an ice-cream hooker as well”.
SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

-GRIZZ

Last year’s Halloween, we witnessed a surge of Mrs Officer costumes due to the release of  lil Wayne & Bobby Valentino’s radio hit. This year i wont be surprised to see a ton of Michael Jackson costumes from the different era’s of his musical career.

Let’s get creative people!

I did stumble upon a couple costumes online that I thought were truely amazing and would be worth more than just winning a gift certificate to starbucks.

That was nuts wasnt it?! “Chii-kuhh-koo-kuuu”, how about this guy…

Although i thought Ron Jeremy does have strikingly similarities to Super Mario, its a bit disturbing to see him dressed up in a PG costume considering what he does for a living. Makes me wonder what Princess Toadstool is lookin’ like!

(Once in a while, I actually find some of the stuff out there ridiculously cool, and not just ridiculous. Hence, they will be titled…”I like how they did that.”)

OMG right?!

Just a few snapshots of the Exotic Erotic Ball! Plenty of sexy times, goofy times, bloody times…Let’s just say it was a blast and you wish you had gone. If the $185 VIP ticket didn’t throw you off and you made it – CONGRATS! Now let’s point at those other kids and laugh…

I keed – I keed. I’m no hater. More to come!

Check out the zombie patron in the background – Most likely negotiating a little “star” treatment…Little does he know she’s got a craving for brains…and not the ones you’re probably thinking about, you freak.

Click on any of the images you see here for a blown up version!

Ajib has been carrying a bag full of toys to almost all destinations – school, malls, relatives’ houses, etc. By doing this, I notice that he is less likely to drag me to the toy aisles at the malls and more likely to develop connection with other boys.

Yesterday, I bought Jet Ray (Ben 10 Alien Force) from Popular Bookstore. Ajib was excited to meet his new alien hero. He also brings with him a Transformers comic book and likes to wear his Optimus Prime or Bumblebee t-shirts.

Ajib is no longer a quiet and reserved toddler. Toys enable Ajib to try out all sorts of actions, body movements, possible ‘crimes’, potential plots, etc. He also let Liya to take part in the battles of Ultraman, Ben 10 or Transformers. Ready, action, cut……the camera is rolling!

When we had dinner at the Pavillion Kuala Lumpur, Ajib took out all his ‘men.’ Liya and I helped to arranged the toys on the table before the appetizers and main courses arrived. We discussed, negotiated and argued but before the spring rolls hit our tables, there were no issues unresolved…

SEDUCING MY SENSES

What was it that I saw?
A bird fluttering to the ground?
No, just a leaf that released its hold.
But, oh, what a leaf, to deceive
my aging eyes.
I should have known,
with such pungent scent in the air.
Burning leaves casting their aroma
on the gentle breeze that tickles
the hair on my arms.

What was it that I heard?
The wings of a bumblebee?
A faint hum, unlike the hurried
buzz when touring my garden’s bouquet.
I feel the fan of his tiny wings
as he lights upon my arm
to investigate my perfume.
He spreads tired wings to the sun,
then after a few false starts
he soars off in his last flight.

What is that fragrance wafting by
on a current of autumn air?
Sweet and beckoning.
Brilliant carmine jewels
hanging from bare umber arms.
Their succulent sweetness teasing
me to bite into their aromatic
jackets. A rivulet of juice slips
over my lips, as my pallet is bathed
in rich drops of nectar.

Autumn, seducing my senses.

4/28/96 Phyllis DeWitt VanVleck

The Camaro isn't a car it is a movie star

I was never a fan of American cars, things like the Dodge Viper, the Corvette, the Camaro and the Mustang, all are very nice to watch but always not very nice to drive with stiff suspension and terrible steering which will mean you are in for a rough ride, it wouldn’t be a problem occasionally as you are not going extremely fast. The only great American car in my opinion is the Corvette Z06  and they are not sold in Singapore…reason? I don’t know, I mean people can afford a Zonda and Gallardos in Singapore so why not a Corvette? I feel that the traditional muscle car like those you see in movies not a car at all, it is instead a character of a movie, remember Transformers when the Camaro appeared as Bumblebee? Now it is not a good car by any means but it is one of General Motor’s top selling cars, because it turns into a giant robot in a 2007 movie (which I enjoyed by the way) and then there is that Fast and Furious series which I detest because of their portrayal of cars, but they push the sales for the specific cars they produce which got me thinking, if General Motors are so caught up on designing a car for Micheal Bay to portray on screen do they have the time to actually make a good car? I mean not by looking good on the telly or in the movies because American muscle car look good but just don’t perform well. I would say that if GM can continue what they are doing as long as they earn money I don’t think they will really capture the hearts of true car fans, they just aim at people who look at a nicely covered box with an engine and 4 wheels and say yes…it is car. I would rather not have a Camaro if I had a choice, I would even go as far as to say I would rather have a an M5 compared to that…in fact the M5 is really the better car.

On a positive note the apparently the Public Transport shares have dipped from 63% in 2004 to 59% now, which means that quite abit of people have taken interest in cars, given that if I can influence more people they might just drop to below 40%…which will make me way happy. However our Transport Minister, a cock, would love to see the tides turn against the car which leaves me in fear because all the taxes on cars will probably increase just because this guy doesn’t like how things are going. Also the minister say that by 2020 our public transport will be equal to London’s and New York…but with that wouldn’t it mean we will have extra jams caused by buses because, to be honest the bus doesn’t go very fast and I would like to see what will happen if you have a bus lane on almost every road because it is going to be so hateful I think the government would explode. Oh yeah…I have a small quote from our dictator…I mean minister

He also added: “As we expanded Electronic Road Pricing to more roads last year, the traffic conditions of these roads have improved correspondingly.”

That guy has his own head so far up his ass he cannot see the jams on the minor roads, he is saying that there are more ERPs and the people are more unhappy that they cannot drive, so lets see, people are unhappy and the government is earning money from them…sounds like a dictatorship to me…I would go as far as to say they are a 3rd world dictator…those imbeciles.

Two strategies have been identified to increase the number of people taking public transportation: 1) investing in rail network and; 2) reducing vehicle growth rate,  Singapore’s Transport Minister Raymond Lim said in his opening speech for the second World Roads conference.

Another quote here and I understand that you need to invest in the rail network…because people need to take the train to get to places but what the bloody hell is with the 2nd part? Reduce vehicle growth rate? That is like saying in a school you want to reduce printing paper because too many students are doing their homework. I am going to stick my own head out of the window and into open fire and say that this transport minister should just get lost and let motorist roam free, I think if someone wants to drive a car, who are these wombles to prevent us from doing what we love by restricting it? So…here’s my message to Mr. Raymond Lim:

Go Fuck yourself and stop with your public transport plea, don’t you think there is enough already? You don’t see people complaining about there being to many buses or bus drivers complaining there are too many cars…in fact besides your little Nazi group, I don’t see anyone complaining about there being too many cars…so Mr. Lim if you are reading and you probably aren’t; leave us alone you womble.

Car of the day

Volkswagen Scirocco
Engine: 2.0L 4-cylinder 16-valve turbocharged FSI
0-62mph: 7.1 sec
Price (SG): $100,000 – $126,000
Price (UK): £17,700 – £22,385 [just to show how inflated our prices are]
Top Speed: 145mph
*NEW* Cool meter: 90%
*NEW* Practicality: 70%

It is like a pretty girl that is smart as well...she just is perfect

With the Scirocco, in Singapore costing less than $130,000 it is for me an alternative to the Ford Mondeo if I have that wee bit of extra cash because I think it is a stunning looking car, better styled than the Mondeo and it is very comfortable with wonderful seats and a non-bumpy ride. Also there is something about this car that pulls people in…maybe it is because when you turn up in school or at work in a Scirocco and people look at it you can ask “What do you think of my turbo?”…the word turbo just is cool…it just is. Quality of the car is good, inside you will find parts from old VWs and it isn’t really a problem isn’t it? Because at least you know this and that works. The Scirocco has very accurate steering as well which means it can almost be a competition to the Golf GTI, in its own way. This car is in the mid range of my practicality list because it only has 4 seats unlike the usual 5 and the boot is big but the hatchback isn’t, so it is a good car to take your girlfriend out in.

Wreck of the day

Toyota Prius
Engine: 4-cylinders in-line DOHC VVT-i / Electric motor
0-62mph: 10.2 sec
Price (SG): $96,000
Price (UK): £17,232 – £22,037
Top Speed: unknown (?)
Cool meter: -100%
Practicality: 80%

easily the most hated car in the world by motor enthusiast

I was doing some reaserch on this car and it apparently there are people offering this car for hire, apprently their slogan is “People so mental and blind you can’t see what you are doing”. This car is the pinicle of uncool, even the beetle is cooler than this…and that is saying something because the beetle is waaaaaay down the cool list. This is a Hollywood car because according to Jay Leno, it is a car that celebrities drive as a fashion statment saying “I drive an ugly car and it is OK because I am saving the planet.” I mean sure it doesn’t cost much to run but did you know that the process of building this car is more damaging to the earth than say, a Hummer H3 or a Land Rover discovery? Bet that is news to you. Good things about this car is there is at least a petrol engine inside so you can go around at night with your headlamps on and there is a big boot for a 5 door hatch which makes it real practical. It will cost less to maintain this car as well but lets face it, these little things doesn’t make up for the uncoolness of this car…if you are seen getting out of one, you are an idiot.

This would definitely top the Ghostbusters.

via Tim the Intern

-Räusche