Keep on the Borderlands D&D Miniatures Painting - started

This is the 2nd time my boyfriend (Kelly) will be attempting to run Keep on the Borderlands, a 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons module I purchased some years ago. Since it is a classic, and we will be running the campaign in-person, he decided to invest in some miniatures (Dungeons & Dragons: Nolzur's Marvelous Unpainted Miniatures) to go along with it! I've been having fun painting them, and wanted to share my in-progress pictures (apologies for the focus):

I am super pleased with how my custom washes on the undead (bottom picture) turned out! The zombies use a wash of 1:1 Guilliman Blue Glaze & Seraphim Sepia Wash over Fenrisian Grey layer. The Skeletons are a homemade wash using Karak Stone layer with a tiny bit of Sepia wash, a few drops of water and a few drops of Flow-Aid paint additive (Liquidtex), over a white primer. (All paints Citadel brand, miniatures are Dungeons & Dragons: Nolzur's Marvelous Unpainted Miniatures)

This last one has nothing to do with Keep on the Borderlands, it is a Harrower mini from Pathfinder I am thinking of using for my Bladed Scarf Magus, but I am really pleased with how the dollar store glitter nail polish enhanced this magic effect:

NOTE: Further Miniatures painting updates can be found on my new gaming blog "Tales of gaming on a shoestring budget"

Sewing for Halloween!

So, my dad got these bright red shiny Nike shoes [source], and decided he wanted a Dorothy dress from Wizard of Oz to go with them for Halloween. I found Simplicity Plus Size Pattern 4136.

Unfortunately, this pattern isn't going to come anywhere close to fitting him, as 1) his measurements are way off the charts, and 2) he's a dude, with a big ol belly. I had "extended" measurements before, so I figured I could probably do it again, but the man belly caused a new sort of problem, since the pattern is shaped for roughly hourglass shaped ladies. I had heard of a "Full Bust Adjustment," so I tried googling "Full Belly Adjustment." Lo and behold, I am not the first one to try to alter a pattern in this manner, unfortunately each source does it differently, so I will need to experiment.

Other bonus to me actually digging out my sewing machine & accessories, I found a BOX of PATTERNS! I had totally forgot about my collecting random patterns I've found at thrift stores over the ages, and most of them were costumes, too! Unfortunately I either wasn't paying attention to the sizes or didn't realize pattern sizing is totally different than consumer retail sizing, so even though I'm pretty slim (36b-30w-41h), there ain't no way most of those will fit me without modifications, either.

Videos of PATA rehearsals to come soon...

...as soon as I can figure out how to edit/convert them, and find the time!

Pre-liminary PATA auditions prep!

My pre-audition is in less than a week, so this is crunch time to finish up any work I want to do before Monday. I keep meaning to do a write-up about my workshop last week, haven't found the time yet, but I finalized my monologue selection and cuts! I will be doing Gina's monologue from Hole In The Sky by Reed McColm and Chuck Lorre Productions #267. My monologues are in decent shape, but I know there's a lot deeper work I can do with them, and I just need to finalize memorizing the new cuts.

A girlfriend of mine died of leukemia last April. She was 26. She'd been ill with it once before, and recovered, and so, we thought, well, she'll do it again. I went to visit her in the hospital a few times, but I didn't like it--she didn't look good and the whole place was full of sick people.
Her organs started failing, and her skin got scaly, and the last time I saw her I thought, this could be it. But she said to me, "I know I won't die, Gina, because I haven't lived yet."
Well, she died.  - Hole in the Sky by Reed McColm

Last weekend I went on a movie date with a very nice [gentleman]. During the coming attractions I managed to get a piece of popcorn down the wrong pipe. I started coughing. The young couple sitting to my left immediately got up and moved across the aisle. The old lady directly in front of me leapt to her feet and literally vaulted over her husband in order to sit further away from me. For some reason, I was a little miffed. But then I realized the newfound power I had. Maneuvering like a knight on a chess board, I countered their move by moving two rows down and one seat over. I looked at them. I smiled. I coughed. They were stunned. How had their simple movie outing turned into an Edgar Allan Poe short story? But it had! The old woman cried out, "Why are you doing this to us?!" I laughed and said, "Why? You want to know why? Because death, my dear woman, is the inevitable end for us all! And there is no hiding from it. Even at the AMC!" - Chuck Lorre Productions #267

Honestly, I'm more concerned about my lack of headshot, and blowout failure. I've been trying to get a decent headshot for cheap for years, and now have less than a week to succeed.

...yeah, kind of like that.

Blog Renovation: FASHION/SEWING

Hello fair-wind internet travelers and friends! I apologize for the gap of service. If you haven't noticed, I've obviously fallen off updating local Spokane/CdA audition notices, due to moving to Portland a few months ago. As a consequence, this blog has been languishing away in obscurity whilst I decided what to do with it.

Life does that sometimes. My health and finances made moving in with my dad in Portland the only feasible option. New city, same issues, but with less community.

So now I'm in Portland and, in an effort to keep myself moving forward and to keep in touch with faraway friends, I've been trying to update my personal blog on a more regular basis, mostly commentating on my personal struggles with chronic pain & fatigue, depression, and recently discovering I have severe adult ADD.

It's kind of a lot. I get overwhelmed, a LOT. And I'm trying to be as honest as I can be on my personal blog, so I can truly move forward, but it can be kind of intense sometimes. Creativity helps me be more positive, focus on my strengths, and practice follow-through. Sharing about it on the internet helps people who want to learn more, or who have similar hobbies, or who are interested in my stories & projects, as well as giving ME a sense of community & accountability. If I say I'm going to finish something, and I don't "get around to it" or forget, you have full permission to nag at me about it, please do!

Unfortunately, acting isn't really something I can do right now, due to the physical demands on my health, significant time investment required, and lack of knowledge in a new community. But I have many interests, and am trying to find out a way to support my family using my fashion/sewing/design skills.

So... that is what I think I'm doing to dedicate this blog to, for now. Eventually, I might also upload some songs or videos, as I get my recording/studio corner set up, and my voice back in training. Singing takes a lot out of me nowadays.

So!: FASHION! And sewing. And stuff. YES.

Things I may include: pictures of current projects, tutorials, design sketches, photos of Portland street fashion, costume ideas, links to patterns or great resources, fashion/DIY tips, inspirational board?

Also women power and stuff.

Really, I'm hoping this will give me a goal to focus on, to help me be motivated to sew. Most of my friends seem quasi-interested in my fashion/sewing/costume exploits, so I would love community support as well! Eventually I'd like to open my own etsy store, but fashion school is too expensive, so I'm working small to start. :)

Here is a sample of what is currently in my notebook:

Apologies for moving

So, I had turned this blog into mostly an audition notice website for the Spokane area, but since I've moved, I haven't kept it updated. I'm trying to get into the Portland theatre scene now, since that is where I live. Not sure what the future of this blog will be for now. Sorry 'bout that. :(