friday dance - thrift shop

i love when a new generation "discovers" the thrift store...  

bwahahahaha!!!  *snort*  newbies....  *smh*

(heads up, the version below is not clean, so prolly shouldn't play around little ears...)

happy friday!  hope y'all  have a relaxing extended weekend!  :)

revolutions & friday dance

yowza...  it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks....

the first week of march, we celebrated paloma's 10 revolutions around the sun (and shortly thereafter, my 41 revs... ay caramba!  yes, you have to say it like bart simpson...)

paloma asked for a studio ghibli/miyazaki birthday party/sleepover...  she basically wanted to marathon movie watch and dance battle her friends on wii...  we also planned to have a cake featuring miyazaki characters... (Haru & Baron from Cat Returns, Haku and Chihiro from Spirited Away, Howl and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle, Totoro, Satsuki & Mei from My Neighbor Totoro)

(no, i didn't cut the cake with my rotary cutter, sassycrackers...)  O_o

and paloma also kept asking if i could make her this dress from The Cat Returns.

*insert boisterous laugh track here* (although, this cosplay of Haru is OFF THE CHAIN. holla!)

eventually, we settled on me making a totoro t-shirt with a pale yellow tutu skirt inspired by that dress for her and matching skirts for her friends... *whew*

 

sadly, all of my grand pinning of miyazaki party ideas on pinterest (i love that that search actually yielded results! *fistbump* pinterest! )  failed, because i caught another Emperor Virus McSicklypants cold....  i finished making the shirt and skirt for paloma but i didn't get a chance to finish her friends' matching skirts...  they're close though...  all in all the young ladies seemed to enjoy themselves... evidence there was much rejoicing...

a few days later, i celebrated my birthday in chicago:

and then i flew out to new jersey to celebrate my bff, corey's birthday with her beautiful family:

corey also has the teensyest tinyest rice cooker i have seen....   ever...   it looks like a toy!!

there were many highlights during the trip including getting lost in princeton...  seriously, who knew we'd get lost on campus...  

princeton is a lovely college town.  i geeked out and saw einstein's house...  but i was too chicken to take a picture, since it's still a residence...  there was signage everywhere exclaiming "Happy Pi Day!"  and "Happy Birthday Albert!"  clearly, corey and i were in very good piscean company...

we had breakfast at pj's pancake house and  lunch at triumph brewing and checked out a bunch of local shops...  and then we caught "silver linings playbook" at the princeton garden theatre.  it's a lovely theatre with a very friendly staff.  and i highly recommend watching that movie... it was SOOOO GOOOD!!!!!  :')

we stayed at the westin princeton at forrestal village...  where they surprised us with complimentary drinks in their latitude lounge and we found  this when we got to our room!

then, we capped off our birthday weekend with massages and facials... it was a short but very sweet visit...  corey said she hadn't laughed as hard as she had in a very long time...  best. compliment. evar!!!  :)

 ennyhoo...   hopefully, i'll finish the remainder of the birthday skirts and i'll update this post with pics of them all together...  :)  

i saw these amazeballs dance videos on my birthday - so you've prolly already seen them elsewhere, but they're so great - you won't mind seeing them again...  and again...  :)

i love that in this video, some of the dancers are *airquotes* RETIRED *airquotes*...  bwahaha....

oooo...  this video just makes me wanna break out all my 80s pastels....  *doublesnaps*

thanks for coming by and reading, i hope march is treating you well, weather notwithstanding.... :)

Lindy Hop Challenge - Day 7 - Dance Friday

Day 7: Something you really want to learn

I really want to learn to lead.  :)

Dawn Hampton leads Virginie Jensen and Frida Segerdahl:



Rebecka and Emelie Decavita:



Laura Keat and Jo Hoffberg:

 

 rare vintage social dance footage of women leading and following:

 

Laura Glaess & Jessica Yoon:



Ruby Red:

 

i LURVES me some ladies leading lindyhop....

*heavysigh* someday....

Happy Friday!!

Lindy Hop Challenge - Day 6 - Friday Dance

Day 6: Your favorite group dance (shim sham, tranky doo big apple, etc)

shim sham.  no contest.   but then again, i'm (an) old (school dancer) and back in the day,  the only group dance/jazz routines i learned were the shim sham, the jitterbug stroll, and the madison...  in my own defense, i was limited of time and money....

via Frankie and Erin -



there is something very comforting (to me) in the knowledge that despite the language barriers, i can shim sham with groups of complete strangers, pretty much everywhere on the planet...



i would like to finally learn the big apple....



a more modern interpretation with ryan francois and remy kouakou kouame:



lastly and not so secretly -  i hope that the whole swing rueda thing comes back into vogue...  (ha.  snort.)



i hope you had a happy friday!   (posting on saturday because yesterday was just a little crayzee....)

friday dance - shake your body

i saw this:



and said "1:11 minutes?! hell naw..."  and found this:



happy friday.  shake your body.  that is all.

friday dance - love me or leave me

it's still may, so it's still APAHM... :)

i give you probably my favorite lindy hop team routine of all time by the california rolls (whose members look to be all asian american):

 

 and a short choreographed by anthony lee... josie say mentioned to me that she used to be in a dance crew with one of these dancers.... not surprised. :)

 

 happy friday y'all!!!

apahm friday dance -

so... i think imma try to highlight some apa folks for upcoming friday dances since it's APAHM...  :)

first up, fil am drummer, danny barcelona...

 

lastly, the funniest crew i've ever seen on abdc just exited this week...  BOO!  :(

Stepboys - they're amazian! i will miss them the rest of the season....  :(



whatever you do today, i hope you take some time out to dance! :)

friday dance - jumpin at the woodside

thinking of you frankie!  :') 

Catalina 1999 - the night after the thin man proposed... :')

finished projects & a thankful friday dance

december is usually my "no blogging humanly possible" month... between porkchop's birthday and the handful of december family birthday's and christmas, the inspiration and content to blog is there, the energy and time are not...

now it seems that march - my & paloma's birthday month & again, a handful of family members' birthday month - will be my spring "no blogging humanly possible" month...

to briefly recap march - i turned 40! :) paloma turned 9. i celebrated in san francisco by dancing my butt off (and hurting my back). paloma spent a day window shopping on magnificent mile and also got her & her american girl doll's ears' pierced. (finally... YAY!)

i had a wonderful time reconnecting with my dear friends - adopted family really - dancing, reminiscing, catching up and laughing.... waaaaaaay too much laughing... :)

and just like that... it was time to fly home... it's almost fitting that the first two songs that i heard in flight:





"Cause I got days and days of love...
And I don’t wanna have to rush
But 24/7 ain’t enough
Cause I got so much love...
I need another hour and a day
So I can love you 25/8, 25/8...."

so thankful and blessed to have a bounty of inspiring & supportive friends who remind me of how far i've come and how good life is despite its ups and downs... special thanks to mah homegurl, tessa, who came out to "wang chung" with me & helped me calm my ugly crying... ;)

i was keeping busy with some sewing... mostly alterations...



and i finished my friend virginie's gored flounce skirt:


more pics at david homes photography... here and here.

i actually made four different skirts so that she could decide from a selection and could see the skirt made into different fabrics. she picked the black gabardine... :) i'm planning on a new post about the other three skirts later...

and am working on my friend suzanne's daughter's communion dress...



i also (finally) finished a new braided scarf for my friend, katie - who i cannot thank enough for being soooooo patient. :)



ennyhoo.... thank you for taking time to stop by & read... best wishes for a happy friday & relaxing weekend....

new pillows! & friday dance!

a few months ago, a friend of a friend (this is chicago, mind you...) was giving away all these home dec fabric remnants (and i mean remnants, random shaped pieces really) that she was given by an interior designer friend who was retiring.... i scored pretty hard.... bags and bags of fabric & trim - of course, i had no idea what i'd do with this stuff... (i ended up making my spring coat with some of the pieces...)

ennyhoo... the other day, i was sitting on my very plain couch:


and it occurred to me that it was, in fact, a very plain couch.... and it was clearly causing a disturbance in my creative force... so i made pillows... welll, pillow shams really... lotsa pillow shams... :)



it turned out that some of the random pieces were large enough for sham fronts or that they were graphic enough that i could piece a front/back together w/o it looking too odd/off... and i'd picked enough neutral colors that they actually worked together despite being very different stylewise... :)



ergo.... my creative force is satisfied... for now... :) i have a whole pile of remnants awaiting me! i sincerely hope you're having a lovely lovely friday!

on that note, i dunno why (maybe because they just had their baby) but this song has been stuck in my head:

friday dance - dancing box

i'm slightly buried (again) in (self inflicted) works in progress... one of them is this spring coat i just made from some beautiful home dec fabric i had in my stash... the blue print is from ralph lauren and the cream colored woven lining micmics tree branches in winter... i used vintage simplicity pattern 7936. i've worn it out a few times without the hood and LOVE it! i worried about the sizing but it fits perfectly and i can even wear a sweater underneath on cooler days...

i'm trying to finish up the detached hood:



i've been hearing & reading that auditions for the new season of ABDC have started... very exciting news... in the meantime, i'm trolling youtube looking up a lot of crews who are auditioning and what's going on elsewhere in the hip hop dance world... like this amazeballs crew from japan:



the track is dancing box from modeselektor:



ennyhoo.... happy friday!!!

bonzo for braids!! (& dance friday!!!)

so excited to share my new project with you... this scarf was SOOOO easy and so quick to make... about three hours or so..

like many bloggers, i just recently joined pinterest. and found it to be the MOTHERLOAD of DIY tutorials in one handy dandy spot!!!! it's amazeballs, i could (have) pin(ned) away in there for hours... :)

ennyhoo... one of the first things i pinned was this scarf:



however, when i clicked on it, it wasn't a tutorial, but an actual product for sale, but i thought, "it can't be that difficult to make could it?"

so i did a search for DIY braided tshirt necklace and found this easy to follow tutorial on the i still love you blog.

i pretty much followed the same instructions, but used different measurements that i guesstimated...

first off, i had a printed crinkly jersey 60" wide fabric in my stash... you'll need about a yard and a half... it was just begging to be made into this scarf... :) the scarf i made is actually two separate scarves.

the large piece is just a big tube - 22" x 60". right sides together, stitch up the long side... i used a 1/4" seam allowance. turn inside out and stitch the short sides, right sides together... eventually, you find you can't stitch anymore. i just pressed that seam allowance down and topstitched close to the edge... (or you can use that iron on seam adhesive...)

the second piece is made with 9 strips... (these measurements you might have to take on yourself making sure the smallest necklace fits over your head... depending on how long you want to wear the necklaces... also, not sure if this is true with all printed jerseys, but mine started to curl inward so the print wasn't showing. so, while braiding i had to fold the strip back so that the print would show periodically...

3 strips - 2" wide x 30" long

3 strips - 2" wide x 40" long (i braided this one looser than the shorter one to make them look a little different... or i suppose you could just make the middle one a little wider - 4" perhaps?)

3 strips - 6" wide x 60" long

again, i followed the instructions linked above and within a few hours i was finished... :)

to style it, i put the tube scarf on first, doubled it. then the braids... the longest braid is doubled. :)

i swear, if you can sew a straight seam, you can make this!!!

UPDATE: so i wore this scarf all day today... it kept me warm and was just lovely! however! i looked rather ungraceful taking it off at home this evening... will have to practice... :)

hope you had a wonderful friday!!!

if you're coming from sew can do blog's monday link party or better life bags pinterest challenge, thanks for coming by & welcome! please take a look around! :)





for dance friday - i leave videos of one of my fave dance crews - the s*** kingz from japan... dancing to OLD school black eyed peas... woot!





p.s. if you're on pinterest, please let me know! you can follow me here:

dance friday - happy holidays from california!!!

ugh... it's been so long since i posted to the blog... :( i got slammed with some sewing work before i left for vacation:

i made a few outfits for a friend's daughter and her doll... for the girls a line jumpers i used a vintage simplicity pattern 7783. for the doll a line jumpers, i used simplicity pattern 4271. for the girl's corduroy dress, i used/modified butterick B5631. for the doll's corduroy dress, i used simplicity pattern 3936.



and i was also asked to make some aprons for christmas prezzies. i used the top of simplicity 3803 dress pattern and draped the rest of the apron myself:



and i also had/have some alterations to do.... ennyhoo....

we're on vacation in southern california with the thin man's family and having a BLAST.... we started off with a day at disneyland and hanging out with some very dear friends in LA... we're in the palm springs area now. we hung out in san diego yesterday... and we might be headed to the salton sea for a day trip too next week... :)

but i wanted to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! and wish everyone a peaceful and bright new year... i often think of the heartfelt sentiments in Exile's song - I Wish For You:



but since i've already posted this song - i add along a BONUS!!! apparently, they've released a new (to me) album... here's This is My Life:


EX_ILE / This_is_my_life by Danseryu

see you in 2012!!! XOXOXOXOXOX!!!!

dance friday - i miss summer

here in chicago - it's freeeeeezing.... :( and i miss summer... T.T

(even though i'd probably be inside an air conditioned room waiting out the heat...)

i saw this video on harry shum jr's tumblr while drinking hot cocoa with mittens on... lol!

it starts off with a lovely sample of the beach boys' wouldn't it be nice.... which ALWAYS makes me think of summer.... and open fire hydrants on a humid night...



thankfully, i will be in cali this christmas visiting with friends and family... it won't be as warm temperature wise as in this video, but it'll be hella warmer than chi-town... lordy!



best wishes for a warm and happy friday!

friday dance - our steel year!

i'm posting some of our wedding dance videos today in honor of our anniversary! :) 11 roller coaster years! WOOT! LURV YOU, BABE!!! :)

our first dance:



my first jam:



the thin man's first jam:



happy friday!!!

friday dance - good rockin' tonight

for some reason (i reeeeally dig it) i have had jimmy witherspoon stuck in my head for the last few days... especially, good rocking tonight, one of my favorite songs to dance to:




i also came across this video of two of my SF contemporaries, david madison and peter vawter "stealing"... it's a little dark (lighting wise), unfortunately...



and lastly, one of my FAVORITE stealing videos of all time, some choreography from herrang... done (attempted) by a follow... hee...



maybe i shoulda called this post "been caught stealin.." *snort* :)

happy friday!!!

friday dance - Happy Birthday B. B. King!!!

apologies for the light (nonexistant) posting to the blog... a friend invited me to sell some handmade items at her open house this weekend - so i've been sewing nonstop... wish me luck... :)

ennyhoo.... it's b.b. king's birthday... so, some blues are in order... :)



random namedrop: long long ago, when i was still a college student, i wandered into legends - it was/is across the street from my alma mater, columbia college chicago. there weren't too many people in there, and i have no idea who was playing... i grab a bar stool and set down my backpack and enjoy the music. the guy in front of me turns around and smiles and i smile back... and then, i think - he looks really familiar... maybe he's a professor at school?? does he work around here?? *gearsturning*

eventually, he gets up and walks over to someone and says hi... and i hear someone say behind me, "whoa. that's eric clapton."

duh. *lightbulb* hahaha.... i'm still that clueless... :)

happy friday!!!

friday dance - groove era lindy

so... since i've been sick with this cough, i haven't been able to go dancing - lindyhop or otherwise... the silver lining is i get to catch up on all the dancing that's going on everywhere else and being filmed...

although i've been lindyhopping for 14 years now, i've really never been to too many events that a lindyhopper "should" attend - herrang dance camp and ILHC, for example... i've never really had the time or money really...

and now that i'm an ancient "groove era" "wigglehopper", the style of dance and music has moved beyond me into something else... i enjoy watching what's new and trendy in lindyhop... i like change, but i'm old (literally and figuratively), and change is difficult (physically). >:) and i like to think that groove lindy or wigglehop is something of a curiosity in our local chicago scene - that the few of us still offer up something lovely, diverting and charming to watch for a few minutes... :)

thankfully, some world renowned dancers/teachers still groove on proudly:



if you're interested, dancer & lindyblogger jerry almonte also has a great post about this dance and the groove era here and here.

happy friday!!!

friday dance - countdown

this song seems appropriate since Beyonce's birthday is on sunday and she's now counting down the days until she gives birth (squee)... i watched most of the vmas and was hugely disappointed save for her energizing performance... and adele's... :)

i'm still recovering from this upper respiratory infection... so i missed hip hop class yesterday. :( my teacher has played this song a few times as a warmup...



and i have to admit... when i listen to the lyrics i think about my thin man... cuz he's my boo - 14 rollercoaster years together and counting... :)

happy friday!!!!

friday dance - uturn

i'm feeling nostalgic for my elementary/hs years for some reason... maybe it's the whole back to school atmosphere... anyway, these lyrics crack me up:

"...In the 80s, fresh was the talk
MJ had everybody doing the moonwalk
In the 90s, I had a high flat top
Doing the wop, Pee Wee to the Reebok
I can't forget about my high school days
The sound was Bobby Brown
The dance was the running man..."

it never ceases to amaze me that usher is only a few years younger than me - he's crazy youthful...

or a vampire... hmmm.... :)



*is he wearing an aaliyah t-shirt? :')



ok, no more sad.... back to running man... *snort*



happy friday! :)