Extreme Craft

More Than Meets the Eye!

I've been scouring the web for Comic-Con images from last week to share with y'all, and I've found some good ones.  Nothing holds a candle to this pair of costumes, though.  This gentleman's Bubmblebee Camaro costume is off the chain...but if you look carefully, you'll see the young lady escorting him.  Follow this link to Jalopnik, and you can revel in a whole photo set documenting the pair.  I can only hope that he gives us a step-by step tutorial to make his costume a la TRON guy.

I love this costume, and I concur with Jesse Thorn in my distrust (and maybe outright hatred) of anybody who rails against the new Transformers movies because they're ruining the over-merchandised, horribly animated first Transformers cartoon series.  How COULD THEY?  At least the animated Mr. T. series and the animated Punky Brewster series (ooh...anybody remember the animated Rubik's Cube cartoon) didn't wait a generation to inflict themself on Saturday morning television viewers.

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Hotel Art

I've got a ton of photos and videos from China yet that I haven't tagged and sorted and uploaded.  I'm going to be getting to those soon.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share this amazing hotel from China that somebody forwarded to me.  It's located in Hebei Province, and has been called various names over the years, including Tianzi Hotel, The Emperor Hotel, and the Son Of Heaven Hotel.  The building is shaped like the three Chinese immortals who represent good fortune, prosperity and longevity.  That's longevity on the left, with a giant cranium, holding a peach.  Apparently, the peach is an exclusive suite in the hotel.

You can find more information, including a shot of the backside of the hotel and a Google Earth photo at the excellent Killerdirectory.com.

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The Needle (and the Damage Done)

As most Extreme Craft readers know, craft can be a dangerous, even life-threatening business.  55 year old Ellin Klor found this out the hard way when she was on the way to a knitting club meeting.  Apparently, she was so jazzed to show her friends some new patterns that she bounded up the front stairs, knitting needles in hand.  Unfortunately, Ms. Klor tripped, and one of the knitting needles (the actual remnant is pictured above) pierced her chest, lodged in her heart, and snapped off.  She didn't even notice until she got into the house, where 911 was promptly called.

The trauma team at Stanford University Hospital successfully removed the (shockingly large gauge) needle from her heart, stitched her up and sent her home.  Twelve days later, Klor woke up with a pain in her chest and shortness of breath, and got back in touch with her doctors.  When she went back to the hospital, every test came back negative until a doctor noticed that one of her lymph nodes was swollen.

 

Klor was soon diagnosed with breast cancer, which she had successfully fought a decade earlier.  Doctors actually think that the knitting needle incident saved her life, as the malignancy wouldn't have been caught until it started to spread.  According to a Newsweek article, her line of thinking that got her past the breast cancer was something like "if a knitting needle through my heart isn't enought to kill me, there's no way that a little thing like cancer is going to get in my way."

20/20 ran a video piece about Ellin Klor last Sunday, and although they didn't provide embeddable video that I could directly put up, they do have an archive of the piece HERE.

If this isn't an argument for playing fast and loose with craft, I don't know what is.  Don't be afraid to run with scissors (or bound up the stairs with knitting needles).  It might just save your life.

Running the Tables

Manhood is a many splendored thing.  In its full blossom, manhood can be expressed in many different ways--the crushing of beer cans on the head, the not asking of directions, and of course my favorite... mancraft.  Could anything be finer than creating a temple to your favorite pastime?  Car enthusiasts can spend a decade restoring and customizing a car, sparing no expense or detail.  In Eureka, where I live, there are countless boat enthusiasts who spend way more time building boats out of exotic hardwood with elaborate inlays and finishes than they will ever spend out on the water.  That's not the point.

Hurricane Custom Billiards of St. Petersburg, Florida knows about your quest to equip your man den with only the finest of things.  Your taste is probably waaaaaaaaay more exquisite than the typical pool table.  What if your decorating style runs more toward architectural savagery than pool hall chic?  Hurricane has just the table for you.  The company exists to elevate the sport of billiards to something like performance art.  They will create custom pool tables for you that would make architects like Santiago Calatrava weep with envy.  Additionally, they have some off-the rack (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) tables that will also do in a pinch.

If you buy one of their pool tables, I can only suggest that your game matches the table.  Don't be THAT guy....the billiards equivalent of the poseur who shows up with all of the fancy equipment, but none of the skills.  Game on.

LINK via Gizmodo

Otto Biography

Woodworking legend Sam Maloof passes away several months ago, now the ceramic world has lost one of its true legends.  Otto Heino joined his wife Vivika in that great kiln yard in the sky today.  He passed away at the ripe old age of 94, and was the self-proclaimed "oldest, richest potter in the world".  It's true, the brother was swimming in money.  The world clamored for his work, paying up to $25,000 for his signature pots, and supposedly, $75,000 for a five-gallon bucket of his signature yellow glaze.

According to legend, the massive influx of money to his bank accounts led federal agents to suspect something fishy was going on.  They found out he was dealing in a different kind of pot.  By all accounts, money didn't change Heino--I never met him, but I heard great things from people who visited him at his home and studio in Ojai, California, which was once the studio of Ojai's other (in)famous potter, Beatrice Wood. 

I did get to see a retrospective of Otto's work last year in Los Angeles, and I came away completely charmed.  Heino was a true alchemist of glaze.  He specialized in simple, modern, elegant forms such as simple bowls, but made them transcendent through his signature glazing and (high temperature) firing.  He had an incredible life, and is one of those rare cases where a deserving artist actually got the attention he deserved while he was alive.  Otto Heino won't be forgotten now that he's gone, either.

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There Once Was a Blog From Nantucket!

I don't often make Extreme Craft posts to gloat, but I've gotta make an exception just this once.  Artist/Blogger extraordinaire Hilary Pfeifer devised a devious mid-summer contest that connected her blog, Etsy site...and love of poetry....chiefly, the limerick.  I've been known to write a limerick or two, so I dived into her contest with gusto.  The object was to write a limerick to accompany one of Hilary's amazing sculptures from her Etsy store, Bunnywithatoolbelt. 

I've written before about my geeky love for public radio, so the above sculpture was a natural.  Hilary even said in the title of the piece that the bird was listening to public radio.  I gathered up a pen and paper and set to work.  After some soul searching (and the determination that Ofeibea Quist-Arcton was too difficult to rhyme), I set my sights on my other favorite NPR reporter:

Rest on these speakers a spell, son
To hear audio news that is well done
from reporters acclaimed
with elliptical names
like Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson.

That's the winning entry, ladies and gentlemen.  However, Hilary threw down the gauntlet and suggested that I make an accompanying rhyme for Sylvia Poggioli, a task I didn't take lightly.  Here's my (slightly more adult) limerick about Ms. Poggioli:

there once was a scary parolee
whose face was covered in pozole
he said with a grin
as he wiped off his chin
that he wished it was Sylvia Poggioli

Let's keep the fun going...I think I've just scratched the surface of the public radio-themed limerick.  If you have an NPR/PRI-themed limerick, email me at garth (at) extremecraft.com.  I'll send the winning entry a copy of my DVD, ReConstruct:  eco-friendly crafts made easy.  I know you've got it in you, Extreme Crafters!  If you need a refresher course in limerick writing, here's a link.  See you in Nantucket!

Go, FISH!

Huzzah! Project Runway is returning in just over a month, and the Extreme Craft household is in full-on anticipation mode.  We're over the moon that Ari Fish, a young designer who graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute made it onto the show this year.  She should make the competition majorly spicy, as she specializes in edgy, art-damaged rocknroll clothing.  She specializes in men's clothing with crazy details like credit card pockets in the collar, where no self-respecting Kansas City mugger would think to look.

Ari is also a talented painter and makes amazing drawings.  I love the portfolio of her past work that contains little mylifetime.com watermarks like the one above... the watermark is a little like plopping an Oxygen network logo onto a Cradle of Filth album.  If that wasn't enough, Ari was actually a ceramics major at the Kansas City Art Institute before switching to fashion.  I'd love to see her whipping up some custom porcelain buttons in a little kiln in the Project Runway studio.  I'm sure they have a kiln in there somewhere.

Among other Kansas City musicians and artists, Ari also makes costumes for Kansas City jazz musician Mark Southerland, who creates functional musical sculptures that can often be worn.  Ari creates costumes for his performances and videos, which, judging from his website, seems like a match made in heaven.  Kansas City is aflutter with the news of a respected member of their art community making a splash on the national scene.  If you're in Kansas City, Fish's creations can be found at Peggy Noland's boutique on 18th Street.  The Pitch advises you to snatch them up quickly before they sell out.

The new Project Runway website is incredibly content-rich.  There are snippets of the original audition tapes, as well as excerpts from the casting sessions and a home visit, like the one I posted at the top.  If that wasn't enought, you can check out multiple portfolios and inspiration walls.  Lifetime is making it possible to come into the first episode (August 20, for those of you who are counting) with your own hopes, aspirations and prejudices.  We know that Ari is going to be kicking ass and representing for Kansas City.

LINK

Fäshion Förward

The highlight of yesterday's New York Times was a page devoted to Sacha Baron Cohen's longtime costume designer, Jason Alper.  Alper, who is also responsible for Borat's suspender-thong swimsuit, among other looks, was truly in his element designing for the new Brüno movie.  In true Baron-Cohen style, Bruno has been globe-trotting to promote the movie, leaving it to Jason Alper to design looks for each country that will make an appropriate splash.

Take, for instance, this fashion-forward bull-inspired costume.  Any fashion icon could've put on some matador-inspired clothing, but it takes a real man to go hooves-n-all with a sculpted, anatomically accurate bull suit.  The Times has a full slideshow of Jason Alper's greatest hits, including the aforementioned Borat swimsuit and Bruno's stunning half-suit.  My favorite nugget of information from the article was that he uses a lot of pre-existing fashion for Brüno.  There are people out there already making most of the far-out accessories and clothing that Brüno wears...it just takes a visionary to put the ensembles together.  The article also reveals that there was a significant scent component to Borat's suit...it was apparently purchased off the rack, but NEVER WASHED.

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Beer glasses

Check out this bizarre glass I found at a garage sale yesterday. It looks like a booze-filled Pablo Picasso pustule. Drinks anyone?

I'm Sticking With You!

Extreme Craft Stickers are BACK!  I just got a new shipment in, and I'd love to send some to you.  If you'd like one of these 4" round vinyl stickers, just email me at garth (at) extremecraft.com with your mailing address, and I'll get some out to you.

You can also come visit me in person at the San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair.  I'll be manning the ReConstruct DVD booth on July 18th and 19th with my friend and co-host Jeanee Ledoux.  Stop by and say hello, and I'll stock you up with stickers!