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Thursday, April 24, 2014

At the movies (in 1989...)


Before there was 'Taken"...




before there was 'Taken 2"...


..and WAY before there was Taken 3 (yup it's filming, click the link if you don't believe me) , Liam Neeson was playing the same gritty, out-for-justice character that we see in his later work in the sadly under-rated classic of the 'Hillbilly Revenge' genre Next of Kin.






The surprisingly stellar cast of this cinematic gem includes Patrick Swayze, Helen Hunt, Ben Stiller, Bill Paxton, Adam Baldwin, and, of course, Liam Neeson of Ballymeena Northern Ireland playing Briar Gates, a Kentucky hillbilly.


 A hillbillies versus mobsters story (think Cowboys versus Aliens- yes, many great ideas were purloined from this movie), this film has it all; life, death, love, revenge, stereotypes, fiddle playing, shoot-outs in cemeteries, attacks with red paint and a school bus full of snakes-what more could you ask for in a movie? I would give you a plot synopsis but I would truly hate to spoil it for you. How was Next of Kin overlooked and Roadhouse becomes a cult classic with articles lauding its 25th anniversary in Entertainment Weekly?

Never say you didn't learn anything profound and useful from reading my blog.

You're welcome.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Project #10: The Stone Age


I've been doing some gardening (which I love), and this is basically what my soil looks like:

Rocky Road anyone?


Fantastic. When life gives you rocks, what exactly do you make? Rockade?? Needless to say I have decided to use these rocks to my advantage, and there will be a few different rock-themed projects coming your way (contain your excitement; please) starting with felted rocks. Let's face it, how can your life really be complete if you don't have a few felted rocks to cherish? Felted rocks are versatile and extremely useful. Obviously.
 
Wool Roving and Thor

Wool roving is what you use to make felted anything. My cat likes it...and then in the picture below; a selection of the finished felted stones. I will try felted soap eventually, once I've used every stone in my garden in an awesome craft project.


                                               

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Project #9 Sow's ear/silk purse


Well clearly I'm well behind in my project postings. I have a super film review coming up too so watch out for that....
Almost twenty years ago, dear children, I started knitting a scarf for a friend of mine. I ran out of yarn and moved to a different continent, and the 'scarf' was in a knitting basket for years...


So, being the ingenious crafter that I am, I made it into a totes adorbs little handbag..
with an interior pocket no less