A partial break

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Cynthia Griffith

My husband, Christopher, is currently taking a bit of a social media break. Actually, I think it’s mostly a break from FB.

I’ve taken a social media break before, as well. Now I’m doing it again (and have been, since late January).

I’m mainly staying away from FB, although I’m starting to wonder if I should try avoiding some other places like Tumblr and Twitter, too. *laughs* I don’t actually get much socializing — the Internet is mostly how I stay in touch with people. So any social media break can be pretty lonely for me.

I didn’t really intend to do this, but found I’ve been having trouble focusing and spending way too much time on FB pages. I don’t really use FB like I used to anymore (I won’t bore everyone by going into detail, but I mostly hang out on pages these days), and it’s been a blast making new friends and having fun chatting and being silly.

Things have slowed down a bit since this past December however, and I kept finding myself sticking around “just a little longer” in case chatting started back up.  It sometimes seemed like the fun started happening when I finally did wander away to get some work done, and over when I came back for a break. I figured, if things are mostly quiet for now I might as well just tell myself to get to work and not allow myself to be on there at all regardless of missing out on fun or not.

Things have also been a little different for me since last year too. I’ve added another hobby to the mix, and sometimes I have to start and stop each randomly, which messes with my focus and even my confidence. I’ve still not fully recovered past skills and practice from my very long art break, and sewing is my newer hobby. It seems like each time I stop one to work on the other, it takes me a while to gain enough confidence to fully dive in. I don’t want to waste precious time and resources by starting over too often — especially by making silly, expensive mistakes! With sewing, I can be slow, and while I was fast in the past with art I am forcing myself to try to push myself more and do a better job than I used to (quality over quantity, which is something I do hope to accomplish with all my hobbies, if possible). Struggling to get myself in the mood to even think about doing hobbies I supposedly (and do!) love and enjoy shouldn’t take even more time, slowing down progress more than ever.

I honestly found myself getting angry and annoyed at each hobby for interfering with the other. Plus, I’ve been finding other bad habits trying to come back that I do not want to allow in my life again.

So I guess I’m giving myself a little time out. No fun treats until I get certain tendencies and habits under control again. Plus, hopefully making some deadlines that are coming up way too fast! (Of course, it would help if I didn’t get sick within a week or so of taking said break to make a big push on projects. Typical!)

I’m honestly not sure how long I am staying away. Well, I have two potential dates, but I’m not telling anyone else except Christopher. That way, if I decide to come back sooner or stay away longer, I can change the goal as needed. I’m still monitoring things enough to make sure nothing is wrong with with my FB, or someone isn’t trying to get in touch with me for some reason. Otherwise… see you all there when I’m back from my break!

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Regency Stovepipe Bonnet Without a Pattern

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Cynthia Griffith

See the bottom of this post for a link to the photos and information on how I made this.

Okay, this took way too long for me to sew.

I had trouble keeping interest going with wanting to sew, trouble panicking over what I had sewn, and stopping to consider what I needed to do differently this time than the last hat I made.

Probably a good thing I took my time, because I may have made some mistakes and ended up  hating yet another project!

But here it is, my first sewing project for 2014!

I don’t have photos of me wearing it yet, and I think it looks a lot different on me than the styrofoam head. I’d like to try to figure out my hairstyle and at least add part of a costume before I get more photos, though.

As usual, click the image below to see the photos and the information. I did not take a lot of in-progress photos — I’ve already done a lot of that on the Gainsborough Hat page (I’ve included links from there).

Thanks for looking!

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Bloglovin

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Cynthia Griffith

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Figured I might as well… don’t mind this post.

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2013 Year in Review

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

What a year it’s been.

I was actually VERY nervous to look back over what I did — or more importantly, what I didn’t do — this past year.

I started out decently, and then cancelled a lot of plans and goals as the year progressed. I missed a lot of events, and put a lot of garments on hold. I felt like I did nothing… and then I looked back at what I did and actually felt impressed when you consider everything (not just costuming). I guess it really is true what they say about doing these review things. You really do realize how much you achieved, and cut yourself some slack about the things you didn’t.

First, the bad…

We ended up having to buy a new car unexpectedly. I ended up getting hurt. Twice (one was worse than the other, but still… kept me from doing anything for a couple weeks at least). And they still have not fully healed, which stinks when I need to kneel on the floor to work on things OUCH. And the worst of all, my brother’s death and the last-minute emergency trip for his funeral a few states away. The last half of my year left me feeling like I just did not care about a lot of things. Fortunately, I’ve been coming out of that funk, and am looking forward to the next year.

So now the good…

I’m going to break it up into sections, because I can’t just count sewing. I did a lot of other cool things this year that took the place of sewing, and leaving them out doesn’t balance things out correctly. I’ll start with sewing first at least! I’m also not going to link to every thing mentioned.

Sewing:

I’d almost forgotten about these first two items!
– Talma wrap.
– Small 1880’s bonnet.
– Elf costume (both gown and crown).
– A new black muff cover.
– New black mitts.
– Started an inked pendant accessory (needs ribbon for wearing, and possibly a sealant to protect the paper).
– Gainsborough hat (still needs to be trimmed and I’m unsure if it’ll work, but at least I tried it).

And I even started working on a pattern of a Regency stovepipe bonnet for next year’s first costuming goal!

I didn’t work on any of the dwarf projects, but I’ve been acquiring pieces as collectibles and references, and I now have a couple books with how-to information I will be needing.

As far as historical costuming, I intend to finish some things I started, and finally start a basic Regency outfit I can add accessories to and eventually perhaps have a few outfits to choose from.

Art:

This is the part that surprised me most of all! I have not drawn in a very long time, and not only do I have a lot of sketches (both finished/to be finished, and “just because”), but I finished some very nice pieces. You can see a lot of those over on my deviantART account (look under the main gallery and the scraps section).

Some of these have become my favorite pieces I’ve ever done. I still hope to continue drawing Thorin and dwarf fan art, and hope to even add more detailed and possibly painted pieces as well.

Social Media:

I overcame my shyness online again and not only set up the aforementioned deviantART account, but also a Facebook page, and a Tumblr account. Stepping into the public areas of FB as myself (page or personal) was a little nerve-wracking at first, but I’m glad I did. You might have seen me kind of roleplaying on various Hobbit character pages, and I met some really neat people this past year. You know who you are, out there! *winks* They were also very calming and helpful, with getting me through my brother’s death. For that, I am truly grateful.

Health:

My husband and I flat-out need to get in better shape again. Not only so costuming is more comfortable, but also because we just felt better when we were more active and fit. To start off, we did some virtual challenges (5K and 10K and are considering trying the 13.1).

We hope to continue into the new year, and as weight goes down and fitness levels return, perhaps even run a 5K or a few. 🙂

We also, for our anniversary, took an archery class together. We haven’t been back, but I have not forgotten the fun we had. Maybe next year we’ll get some gear and then renting lanes for practice will be so affordable!

Traveling:

Well, it’s hard to count the funeral trip as traveling, but we did it. So thankful we had the new car (the old one wasn’t reliable enough, so we would always rent a car for road trips). We did, however, take a trip down south and saw a cave we have been wanting to go back and see again. That was a nice realization, that we could always make quick, one-day trips and get out and see things for not too much money or time.

For 2014:

I have a lot of things I need to try to make as goals next year. All for various things… health, art, costuming, and personal. A year seems like plenty of time, but in actuality it will fly by very quickly and take you by surprise.

I’ve definitely learned not to kick myself too hard when I don’t make goals and end up missing out on things I really look forward to doing, but I guess we’ll just have to see what I’m able to do this next year. I’ll try to keep things simple, and then if I end up with extra time perhaps I’ll squeeze a few more things in.

So really, looking back over this past year, when I consider everything that happened (both good and bad, planned or unplanned)… I can’t really say it was a year I didn’t do much. I may not have all the costumes I had hoped, or attended events I thought I might, or even drawn everything I wanted… I definitely did a lot of various things. What an interesting year.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Christmas 2013 Gifts

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

Some of my collecting and costuming-related gifts from this year.

To be honest, I wasn’t really much in the mood for the holidays. After the year I’ve had, I was just feeling a little “meh,” not to mention my poor husband has been working so much overtime. We don’t really know where the month of December went!

I did receive some very helpful and lovely gifts from my mother-in-law (Mary) and her brother (Bob), though!

I have not been able to do much with costuming at all, either historical or the dwarf projects, and I need to purchase tools and books for the latter.

Fortunately, I now have a little bit of a start.

Mary bought me a great book on make-up effects and hair/wig making (Special Makeup Effects, by Todd Debreceni), and Bob got me Basic Leathercrafting by William Hollis (some of Thorin’s costume pieces are made from leather).

Being able to get started on these things will be in the distant future still, but now I have the ability to read up on things and have a better understanding of what I will need. Maybe even start acquiring some of the tools. Who knows? I might even be able to do simpler things as practice… a dwarf lady, perhaps?

The other great gift is more of an inspirational piece. One of Thorin’s rings (the linked page has more information about the ring) from Mary. I will eventually have to make something for Christopher’s size since the replica will not work for him. At least it’ll be something nice for me to wear and display! And thanks to uncle Bob, I can listen to the soundtrack for Desolation of Smaug while I’m working on art or contemplating future costumes. 😉

It really helped brighten my spirits. I’m so thankful for that, and the help of getting these important references and inspiration pieces. I just love when family has fun seeing me get into fandom. 😉

I still need to do my end-of-year entry (I am so not in the mood to mess with it right now heheh), and I have been contemplating next year’s goals and projects. Feeling a little overwhelmed and slightly panicked, but hopefully I’ll be able to tackle some of those.

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I apologize in advance for this one

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

I sketched out a very quick cartoon. I couldn’t help it. I saw this quote from the actor who played Thorin in The Hobbit movies, and well… I don’t think my brain would leave it alone until I did it:

“Well, big boots and then fake prosthetic hands which is very disappointing when you go to the bathroom during shooting… very, very disappointing.” — Richard Armitage

So yes, I got a little silly. It seems to have cracked up a lot of people though, so I’m glad we could all have a little chuckle over it.

View quick cartoon here.

Not sure if I will be able to draw anything else before the end of 2013. I still need to do my end-of-year blog entry. I’ve a feeling I will cringe when I see how little I sewed, but at the same time I drew a lot which I was not expecting to do at all. I think I may break down the year for quite a few things, and not just focus on sewing so I can really put it in perspective.

I also need to plan for 2014. Anyway, thanks for looking! 😉

 

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King Thror and Carc the Raven

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

I finished a new drawing. This one took a little while — between holidays and ice storms, not to mention just flat-out not working on it every day… I’m happy to finally call it “done.”

I’ve always had problems with my eyes, but I’ll admit it’s getting worse. When I was younger, I’d get to work for long periods of time before I started having trouble. Now, it’s almost instant.

Add to it, the shaking. It’s annoying enough, trying to working with fabrics and pin and hand sew… takes even longer to get tasks done when you shake so much you struggle to get those tasks done that require fine control. Inking with a brush? That definitely doesn’t mix well with shaking (but at least I don’t risk jabbing my fingers with pins and needles because of it)!

To be honest, if I were to add up how many hours total I spent on this drawing, it wouldn’t have been too much longer than I normally would have done (there are a lot of details in it, especially compared to the more basic drawings I’ve been working on with no background). Like I mentioned, however, I did not work on it every day and there were times I could only put an hour’s work in then stop before I had more things to fix the next time I sat down.

About the drawing itself, I really like the two characters. They were fun and I’m pleased with what I’ve been getting back of the “old” me before I took a very long break from drawing, and am even pushing myself to try new things. The background? Hate it. I kept trying to find images from the movie showing where they were standing, and sometimes what I saw didn’t make sense, or it wasn’t quite what I needed. I sloppily filled in the blanks and just got a “don’t care anymore, throw something down” attitude. Unfortunately, I also tried something different with it (I didn’t want the figures to be lost in other details, so I wanted to be more subtle — like not using spot blacks and regular inked brush lines). They were such large spaces, I started working very fast with ink wash to avoid too many jarring splotchy sections. I guess I’ll have to figure something out for my backgrounds if I continue using ink washes like this. Fortunately, except for one drawing in my stack of things to finish, most are outside.

Anyway, here is the drawing itself! Please see the deviantART page for a bigger file, a link to the blue pencil sketch before I started inking it, and information about what I used to draw it. Thanks for looking!

View finished drawing here.

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10K LOTR Virtual Villains Challenge and Thanksgiving

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

The 10K medal — we should be receiving our medals sometime in December.

I recently did the 5K LOTR Virtual Villains Challenge, so my husband Christopher decided to sign up for the 10K.

Although we did a combination of walking and some running for the 5K on the trail, we decided to just walk the 10K. We haven’t actually walked that far at one time in a while, and we woke up before sunrise with temps below freezing on Thanksgiving to do it.

Since we started walking before the sun was up, we didn’t get as much sleep, we skipped coffee (I usually try to have at least one cup — helps me get going, without overdoing the caffeine), and we barely had anything to eat. That was a bit of a mistake, because a little over halfway we both started feeling the energy draining (especially poor Christopher). I wish we could have had a little more practice to build up, as well as better planning, but we walked 6.56 miles (we went over the 6.21 or so we needed) when we could have easily just slept late — we’re still happy with it, even if it had taken us twice as long to walk. 😉

We picked another trail, paved this time, and it had a lot of hills as well as some flat sections. It was another very pretty walk, and although we didn’t see any herds of deer, we were about 12 feet away from a hawk sitting in a tree near eye-level!

Here is a link to a few photos Christopher took on the walk before his battery died… thankfully, I had my phone app tracking our progress.

Thanksgiving 10K walk Flickr set.

Christopher cooked us a simple and light Thanksgiving dinner after a little rest when we got back home. I think the worst part of doing that, was despite a few sore spots on our feet, I wanted to go go go! We kept thinking we should go for another walk that evening. We had other plans for the day after Thanksgiving, however. That meant we needed to get up very early again and try to get caught up on sleep.

We’ve been meaning to go hit some of the Texas caves since earlier this year, and we finally got that chance. We went to Longhorn Cavern State Park. A quick roadtrip down and back. I used my iPad to get some of the photos, and didn’t want to use flash. I did post some of the better ones here on Flickr:

Longhorn Cavern State Park Flickr Set.

It’s been a great holiday weekend hanging out with my best friend, doing healthy activities together, and seeing something we’ve been meaning to check out since earlier this year. I look forward to more memories as this year comes to an end, and we start another! 🙂

And of course, here is a screenshot from the 10K (I took another, not shown, at the very end of the walk since we went over the distance):

The screenshot when we hit the required distance — we actually walked 6.56 that morning. Unfortunately, we ended up running out of energy a little after the halfway point thanks to lack of sleep and enough calories, but we’re still happy we did it. We decided at the last minute to go ahead and sign Christopher up for this one, since I had signed up for the 5K.

 

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5K LOTR Virtual Villains Challenge

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

What the 5K medal will look like. We’ll be getting it sometime in December or January.

Before I started having health issues and eventually discovered I had fibromyalgia, I had been trying to train to run (not so fast, but still) for a 5K. Sadly, I never made it to the 5K. I got hit so hard with all-over weakness and diminished fitness and health — one week I had been essentially running a 5K in practice, and the next I could barely run for 3 minutes.

My husband and I are determined to get back to the health and fitness we have enjoyed most of our lives, however. We love hiking and getting out, and hope to make more time for those things. We also hope to try and run some 5Ks, even if we can’t run the entire thing, much less at a fast pace.

I discovered a virtual challenge with a Lord of the Rings-type theme, called the LOTR Villains Virtual Challenge. How could I pass that up? The 5K race has a dragon theme! They’re not even strict on how you “run” the race… walk it or run it — you can even break it up into chunks if you need to.

My husband and I regularly walk on sidewalks and parks, so I decided I wanted to do something to make it a little more special to me if I couldn’t run it. We chose a biking/hiking trail (some photos here from another time we visited the trail to take photographs), and we did plan to do some light running.

Our original plan was to practice, since it’s not a flat surface, and figure out which trails we would use to map out our 5K and then do the 5K for real about a week from now. We had a perfect evening a week or so ago, and Christopher and I had so much fun… we signed him up for the 10K “demon” challenge. So instead of doing the 5K on the day we had originally planned, we will go to another location and walk the 10K.

It was a perfect late-afternoon/early evening. We came across a herd of deer a few times as we made our way down the trail. There were also leaves all over the trail, and on one steep slope I managed to slip and fall twice, but got right back up so I wouldn’t lose time. We would have made it under an hour, but on the way out a large family slowly riding bikes came down the trail. We had to stop and let them by, and it would have been more annoying to try and pause my app/timer, so I didn’t bother. Ah well… that’s part of the trouble when you pick some locations over others. 🙂

So here is the app screenshot from that day, with a few photos my husband took showing some of the flatter sections of the trail.

Our usual pace for a 5K was slower than usual thanks to the terrain, but at least we earned a bigger elevation change than we had done before while recording past workouts. 🙂

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Inked Thror Sketch

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Cynthia Griffith

Where did this month go?? I could swear I just posted a drawing more recently than I did, but wow. This year will be over before I even know it.

Still taking my time on the sewing/costuming side of things, but I am now starting to consider my next year of events and things I need to make. Instead of wanting to hide, I am finding myself pondering things and looking forward to sewing them, so that’s hopeful!

I also am trying to keep up with art. I think my biggest concern with that lately (aside from still feeling a little rusty) is figuring out what to work on, what size to draw it, and how to finish it. Christopher wants to hang a lot of the dwarf images (fine with me!), but… I have no clue where a lot of them will go! I used to think our little place was so bare, but now that I’m looking for places to hang things I keep finding myself wondering why we have so little wall space to cover. 😉

Anyway, this most recent piece wasn’t meant to be finished. I was just sketching it in blue pencil while I waited to get some more supplies and figure out what to draw next. After a little encouragement, I decided to cut the page out of my sketchbook and ink it for a quick project.

As usual, head over to deviantART to see the bigger version, and the details (including a link to the blue pencil sketch before it got covered in ink).

View inked sketch here.

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