It's been ages since I did one of these, so I have quite the backlog! Here are some of my favorite finds from around the web lately:
Choly Knight of Sew Desu Ne gives away free plush patterns from time to time, and last Friday she shared something PERFECT for Fall:
I am so tempted to buy some fleece and actually try sewing again, you guys. SO TEMPTED. Go download the free pattern on Choly's site here, and follow her on FB for the most adorable plushies!
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Star Wars fans, have you seen the lost Michel Parbot documentary from Empire that just popped up on Facebook?! I've only watched the first 15 minutes so far, but this thing is phenomenal: all behind-the-scenes looks at filming, props & scenery, and interviews with the primary cast. (Watching Mark train for one of the lighsaber fights in a random backlot warehouse was my favorite so far.)
The whole thing is an hour long, so grab some popcorn and go watch it full-screen here on Facebook.
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Less fun, but equally fascinating: If you haven't read HuffPo's article "Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong," please do so. It's definitely a long read, and it drops some depressing facts at first, like this:
... but at the same time, there's a huge amount of vindication here for the long scoffed-at notion of "healthy fat." There's also a psychological examination of why overweight people can't - or won't - band together for support, and how the medical community is almost criminally negligent in their shame-based treatment. Read it, please. It's world-shifting.
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Now more fun stuff:
David Rose took this picture at the Labyrinth Masquerade Ball, and it makes me so happy I could burst like a giant toasty marshmallow:
Dappered-up Dana & Tully from Ghostbusters... WITH GLOWING TERROR DOG MASKS.
I
just... I mean... YES. I'm grinning like a goof over here. I will love
these two forever and always. Anyone know who they are?
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More awesome: my friend Jason of Red Rocket Farm met a McCree cosplayer at Dragon Con who showed off her incredible prosthetic arm:
("Can I hold your hand?" D'awwwww.)
Sometimes it's pretty cool living in the future, you guys.
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A few months ago Hot Topic released some exclusive Miss Mindy Disney figures that I love, and Mickey & Minnie are 20% off on their website right now, HALP:
Their siren call of cuteness is overpowering the grip on my debit card, gang. Nooooooooo!
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Oh! Here's another gem for you sewing wizards out there: Super Cute Awesome Stuff by Perdita added a new pattern to her Spoonflower shop:
I mean, c'mon. It has an adipose AND K-9. Whaaaaaaaat.
(I suspect Spoonflower is a dangerous black hole of amazing geek fabrics, btw; so be careful out there. :D)
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Michelle of Steelhip Design makes what I consider to be the most beautiful steampunk jewelry in the entire world: it's painstakingly intricate and filled with drool-worthy mechanical details like this:
And now she's experimenting with resin:
WOW. Just... wow.
Plus look at her Solar System Globe necklace:
::drool::
Go follow her on Facebook for more eye candy, or if you're feeling fast & loose with the bank cards, check out her Etsy shop.
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And finally, here's the video that sent both Eva & Suki scurrying to my side speakers, where they sat and stared and pawed, trying to find the otter inside, hah:
You really need the sound on for this one. SO CUTE. Although your cats/dogs may go nuts!
I hope these made you smile, everyone! Hang in there this week, and remember: looking at happy things is good for your mental health, and an essential part of self-care. If you're struggling under the weight of all the anger and strife online right now, then it's time to clean up your feeds: hide the politics, the doom-sayers, the rabble-rousing relatives, and replace them with art and Disney and fun photos and makers and makeup and silliness. Don't let anyone guilt you into staying down in the muck just because things are bad in the world. Things will *always* be bad in the world, and your health comes first. So put your eyes on the things you want to feel, and fill up your emotional tank, k? The fight to make the world a better place will still be there, when you're ready.
Also remember I love you guys.
Now go share some happy today!
I just hit my highest weight ever and that article was... needed. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLove you, too, doll. The only muck we need is the Sanderson version... "Amuck! Amuck! Amuck! Amuck!"
ReplyDeleteI've been struggling with weight loss for years, and I'm currently just below the heaviest I've ever been. I really needed to read that. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, as always, for sharing some beauty and some joy. You are a bright spot in the world.
ReplyDeleteMy cat Norway is FASCINATED by the otter, btw.
Keep on doing what you're doing - so many of us need it, now and every day. And thanks the mention of "Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong," it's a painful, powerful, fantastic read.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. The puppies do go nuts for that one: my lab was riveted.
ReplyDeleteFun cold-weather treat: if you have a fuzzy blanket, run it in the dryer on high for 20 min, remove, and snuggle!
One of those looks like the automaton from *The Invention of Hugo Cabret*. Admittedly I have that on the brain right now!
ReplyDeleteYes! She mentioned on her page that movie was her inspiration!
DeleteRed Rocket Farms! I randomly bought somethign from their booth at GenCon 2017 and just hung it on my daughter's wall this weekend. They have fantastic designs.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this article. Very illuminating and the first time I've read anything that actually reports on the reality of being overweight in the US. And, as a "person of size" (actually description by an air line representative), it helped express a lot of what I've experienced or feel about myself. Very brave people to put themselves out there. Don't know if I could do it. Yet.
ReplyDeleteWant to really freak out the cats? Play videos of puffins. Try it! Thanks for the otterly fun end to the post.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if prosthetic was from Open Bionics! Such a cool company, I saw a presentation by Samantha Payne, one of the cofounders, at Generator Toronto in January, and it was so inspiring. You should all go check them out! They do amazing work! https://openbionics.com/
ReplyDeleteI realized I didn't explain what kind of work they do! They make "hero" arms, so that people with missing limbs can feel like superheroes instead of like they are missing anything. The arms are completely customizable, and the robotic fingers are incredible. She showed a video of a 10 year old girl picking up a ball with her new arm, after a very short amount of time.
DeleteOh wow, this just reminded me to try resin! :D
ReplyDeleteI've refused to diet as an adult, because I watched my mom lose-gain-lose-gain for years, and all it did was make her miserable and feel like a failure.
ReplyDeleteMy blood pressure is HALF what hers was, and I've outlived her by 15 years, so far.
I have friends who struggle with their weight, and I want to hug them and tell them to love themselves as they are, but that's a message we (especially we women) are programmed NOT TO HEAR.
Thanks for those Jems! I enjoyed those. Thanks also for the article -- it was super interesting.
ReplyDeleteMaureen S
That article could not have come at a better time. Just this morning I was berating myself for gaining another pound and telling myself "You lost 65 pounds once. Why can't you just show some self control and do it again." And then I read that article and almost lost it at work. That lady in the bikini has my same body. I've never seen that before. Whenever I see plus size swimwear or underwear models, they always have smooth skin, flat stomachs, and perfectly perky peach bottoms. I then look at my stretch marks, stomach pouch, back rolls and cottage cheese skin, and tell myself "That stuff still isn't for you." But seeing her being brave enough have her picture taken? I'm still trying to choke back tears. It reinforces what I've what I've wanted someone to say to me for years. Yes my body may be different than yours, but it's no less valid. My body is strong. I can take it on 8 mile hikes. It's let me complete 3 12k races in the last 4 years. So why shouldn't I love it? So thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing that article.
ReplyDeleteAhh. That's the same otter video that recently got me obsessed. Can recommend searching for bingo the otter too!
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