Happy Friday, everyone. If this new year is all about you taking over the world, find inspiration with this collection of superhero headbands by Janine Basil on Etsy. Janine’s shop features everything you love about geek culture, but covered in glitter and rhinestones and turned into fashionable head gear. Check out one of my favorites below.
My husband and I decided to be a bit more frugal with our Christmas gifts this year, which inspired me to channel my inner Martha and create for him the ever-coveted (and perpetually sold-out) fanboy item du jour – the Assassin’s Creed Hoodie.
Now, I wish I could say I did it all myself, but it would have been truly impossible to create and assemble without the help of my blessedly patient grandmother. Without her, Tony would probably be wearing no more than a pinned-on patch of red stick figures scribbled in magic marker. So if you’re not an expert with a sewing machine, I strongly suggest asking someone for help.
Below, I give you our attempt at creating the Assassin’s Creed Hoodie from scratch with nothing more than some basic items and a simple sewing machine. I know not everyone has a Cuban Abuela handy, so if your embroidery skills are not up to couture fanboy status, you can always purchase an iron-on logo from sites such as scifigeeks.com or alltheragefaces on Etsy and place them on the hoodie as you prefer.
I hope the step-by-step process is easy for you to follow but please feel free to email me with any questions. I’d love to also see any pics of your completed versions. Best of luck and happy crafting!
What you will need:
1) A basic hoodie: You can find this at any Target or Walmart store for little more than $10. I purchased two because I wanted to be sure I had enough fabric to create the beak at the point of the hood. (This actually worked out because I was able to make two hoodies – one with a beak and the other without.)
2) A sketch of the Assassin’s Creed Logo or an iron-on patch.
3) A basic sewing machine and basic embroidery machine (only if you will be embroidering the logo instead of ironing it on). Note: You will also need threading in the colors of your choice and paper cloth backing if you choose to embroider the logo.
4) An alphabet in your preferred font.
5) A pencil, ruler, pair of scissors, some pins and tracing paper.
6) An iron.
How to do it:
1) Place the hoodie on a flat surface and make sure it is free of any wrinkles or debris. Lightly iron if needed. Set aside.
2) Take the extra hoodie and carefully remove the stitching from the front pocket to release the fabric from the body of the hoodie (You can now use this as a second hoodie with a different logo).
3) Fold the fabric into the desired size and shape of the beak you will be attaching to the hood. Pin in shape and set aside. (If you will be ironing on the patch, skip ahead to step 8.)
4) Take your pencil and tracing paper and sketch out the logo. You can print out the logo and trace over it to make things easier (I had to eyeball it and fold it in half to ensure symmetry because I didn’t have a printer handy. Tracing it should be much easier and take less time. Also, if you will be making a second hoodie, you can use the alphabet to trace the year like we did in the 1499 version.)
5) Transfer logo sketch to paper cloth for embroidering.
6) Take ruler and carefully measure center of chest for pinning. Pin the paper cloth logo design to the hoodie to keep it in place while embroidering.
7) Embroider logo in desired color (we used red). Once embroidery is complete, carefully remove pins, peel off excess paper cloth and trim any excess string.
8 ) Once you have your logo in place, take the beak and carefully pin it to the hood. Use a basic sewing machine to attach the beak. Once the beak is attached, remove the pins and iron lightly.
Voila! It may not be exactly the same as the commercial version, but those guys are starting to get a little annoying with their lack of inventory anyway.
Sometimes the gods are good. And though I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve the favor of their grace, I am, all the same, basking in the glow of the film gods as I continue to watch the teaser trailer for EM3 and wonder how I got so lucky to be even marginally involved with this piece. Though my involvement was minimal (I had the chance to review and do one of the script edits in its developmental phase), it was an amazing experience to be able to work on such a dynamic screenplay. These guys captured Miami in its good and bad, the way only a native could.
While I wish I could share the trailer with you, Emmy award-winning editor turned feature film director Jokes Yanes insists it’s not ready for the world yet, so I’ll have to sit tight and keep my links to myself for the moment. But what I can share with you is a few behind-the-scenes images to whet your appetite for the kind of film-making that’s been long overdue in Miami.
From the award-winning filmmakers behind Magic City Memoirs and Vladimir’s Vodka comes EM3: Written & Directed by Jorge Jokes Yanes, starring Andres Dominguez, Belkys Isabel Galvez, Oscar Torre, J.Bishop, David Lago, Sito Rocks & more.
To follow this Miami-born, Miami-made movie, check out their tumblr or follow them on Twitter at @em3_themovie.
‘Tis the Season! I found this great chart on A Cup of Jo, one of my favorite blogs, and a fantastic and enlightening related article on Grub Street New York. Here’s to hoping everyone has a fun holiday season that doesn’t end up with your dancing on the boss’ desk (unless he/she likes that sort of thing)!
Some signs you probably work for a cool company:
• You have been hung-over at work and acknowledged it to your immediate supervisor, only to have her/him respond with empathy.
• There is a pool table at the office.
• You have been skydiving/surfing/to a shooting range with at least some of your co-workers.
• Unique facial hair choices are not discouraged.
• Your holiday party is held at a loft, and people who don’t work for your company try to crash it.
• You often see beer in the office fridge and/or cocaine in the office bathroom, or vice versa.Some signs you probably don’t work for a cool company:
• You had to take a drug test before you were hired.
• The company has a dress code, which is written down.
• The dress code is so antiquated that it still contains a “casual Friday” section.
• The holiday party is held in the office conference room, in the afternoon, and people try to leave early to beat traffic.
• Your co-workers label their cartons of milk in the office fridge.
• Not one single person has a Mad Men-style minibar in his or her office.Obviously, the cooler the company is, the more likely it is that one of your co-workers will end up wearing his tie like a headband at some point during the party, meaning it won’t look so bad when you get up on the bar and start signing “Dancing Queen” alongside him.
A friend shared this with me and it was too beautiful not to post it for everyone to see. Rosa is a sci-fi short film directed by Jesus Orellana that has already received quite a bit of attention. Running for less than 10 minutes, it would be a waste not to experience it.
Use this link to watch the short film:
ROSA is an epic sci-fi short film that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where all natural life has disappeared. From the destruction awakes Rosa, a cyborg deployed from the Kernel project, mankind’s last attempt to restore the earth’s ecosystem. Rosa will soon learn that she is not the only entity that has awakened and must fight for her survival.
The short-film was created entirely by young comic-artist Jesús Orellana with no budget during a single year. Since it’s world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival, ROSA has been an official selection at film festivals around the world such as Screamfest, Toronto After Dark, Anima Mundi or Los Angeles Shorts Film Festival. In October ROSA was screened at the opening night of the Sitges International Film Festival, considered the world’s best festival specialized in genre films. Following the succesful festival run, the short film has attracted the attention of the major talent-agencies and Hollywood producers. Currently ROSA is in development to be a live-action motion picture.
For more information regarding ROSA, please visit rosamovie.com
Become a Fan on facebook.com/rosashortfilm
I had a rare opportunity to take in HOME ALONE: The Sender Collection last night at the now-vacant North Bay Road home of private collector Adam Sender. The exhibit, curated by Sarah Aibel, coincided with the beginning of Art Basel Miami Beach, and is cheekily themed around the idea of what kind of mischief might ensue when a collector leaves his art at home alone.
Of the 70 featured items, many are making their United States debut. Below, a few quick snapshots of the likes of Urs Fischer, Jim Lambie, Jack Pierson, Gilbert & George, and Lawrence Weiner.
The temperature is getting marginally cooler, which means it’s time for a tiny bit of fall weather in Miami and Art Basel, one of the few bits of concentrated culture we get to experience in our own backyard.
If you haven’t checked out the schedule and made plans to go, I highly recommend it. It’s one of the few times (for me) that living in Miami doesn’t feel like there’s nothing but parties in the sand. This is more like parties and art in the sand – which is just fine with me.
Art Basel Miami Beach runs from December 1st – 4th. For a comprehensive interactive schedule, click here. You can also check out their website for Android and iPhone apps. Hope to see you there!
I was such a huge fan of Emily Strange back in college. What’s not to love about the little weird girl with jet black hair and a collection of matching kitty cats? But somewhere between growing up and joining the workforce, I lost touch with my favorite caricature. You can imagine my excitement as I came across this quirky glossary of nightmares while working on another project. Behold, the Good Nightmares Glossary from Emily Strange. I may have to add this one to my wish list…
With Halloween looming closely overhead, I thought it appropriate to share an intriguing piece of literature from Pulitzer Prize winning author Galway Kinnell. The Book of Nightmares, published in May of 1973, drips with imagery of horror, anguish, and brutality – and promises to become a sure favorite despite whether this wrenching genre may fall within your realm of preference.
Kinnell’s other works, dating as early as 1960, can be found on his website and are, of course, available for purchase on Amazon.
I came across this artist recently and had to share her work. There’s something hauntingly captivating about the subjects and their eyes. Seems I couldn’t turn away. Here’s a piece by Argentinian born Nina Surel, a Miami resident since 2001. For more information, visit NinaSurel.net.
