USITT and a yarn party

The USITT SWAG!!!!




I worked very hard to get my free stuff! The bags are the leftover scraps from a company that does custom theatrical drapes. The tshirt (which i kept) was from a Rigging company based out of Las Vegas. I got some samples and swatches of fabrics for some very interesting products - which i plan to be using on the next mainstage show. You will be hearing more about those items and how we will be making headpieces and costume pieces for THE NEVERENDING STORY this summer. One company that i need to place an order from for work or play is these guys. The whole iron-on trim and beads thing was pretty nifty! I am not sure how much i would use it but the fact that you can iron on to ANYTHING was just gosh darn cool - and they were very nice.

photos of the adventures from USITT found here: Max at the airport, Muslin undergarments by PeriodCorsets.Com, Some random ballet costume (???) Swan Lake Costumes (by ????)


More Restaurants:

The next restaurant was an Italian joint - not too far from the Convention Center called JOSEPHINE's. The food was good, not amazing, just plain good and satisfying and worth the price. ANd i cannot say enough how amazing the service was at each and every restaurant (except for one). It has ben a week and i cannot remember what i ate, but Max loved the tiramisu and the wine was gooooooood - but the coffee was nasty. (their espresso machine was down and all they had was basic bad coffee)


The nest round of great service was at an IHOP - yes you read that right. International House of Pancakes. Okay the food is the smae everywhere , but our waiter, prison tat's and all, was one of the nicest, most on the ball waiters i have ever had! And he was so nice to Max. And did not complain about the clean up job that my kid left him (there was egg and crackers EVERYWHERE!!!

And then there was the Yarn Party!

Via a Ravelry group - some local to DC/Baltimore, spinners and dyers held a Yarn Party in Takoma Park. As you can see:




It was a bit overwhelming. I don't think anyone realized that sooooo many people would show up - I was definitley feeling incredibly claustrophobic. I only purchased one skein of yarn from StormMoonKnits - it was a sock yarn (go fig!) and the colorway is "I kissed a girl" all dark purples and black and some fuschia (or is it violet? - or magenta?) - will take more pics of yarn from today and things from my trip when i get better lighting. More pics of the local yarn dealers here.

CAMERA POLL:
Don't know if you noticed - but my pictures are starting to look like ass if i am not in the most perfect of lighting (and our apartment is not!) - so we are looking into a new camera. So....What do YOU have?

Gratuitous baby pic:

this one by me:




this one by Jill:





also check out these fab pictures by Jill - now she has an amazing camera and she knows how to use it.

My week in review - Houston Part 1

Well last week in review…

Did you know that there isn’t any zoning in Houston? Really none – well not as far as I could see. The yarn stores were in the middle of neighborhoods (that is a different entry) – the PetSmart was at the end of the street in a very nice neighborhood. And yes, there is a Starbuck’s on almost every corner! Insane I tell you!!! Absolutely insane! And so unorganized. The true definition of suburban squall (what’s the phrase?)

So here is Max waiting for the planes:




No pics of the babe on the plane – I was too busy trying to keep him from running down the aisles.
He loved it! And on the way back he slept the whole way – as he should have since it was a 6am flight.

So my restaurant reviews:
First off, every single restaurant we went to, say for one, was fantastic. The food was great and the service was amazing! Almost too nice. Maybe a bit cult-ish. In New Jersey, you get rude service with a smile – and they mean that smile. In the DC area, you just get rude service – unless you have a true Northerner or a true Southerner. Then they know who they are and how to deal with the situation.

The first restaurant we went to was a TEX MEX place called CAFÉ ADOBE – oh-my-goodness! It was fantastic!!! I was boring and had my usual – Chicken Enchiladas with the “delicious” tomatillo sauce. It was not boring at all. I almost licked my plate clean. Seriously. Almost. Oh and the frozen Margarita!!!!! Tasty! I needed it too – and the service was great. They kept the chips basket full – we actually needed the two different kinds of salsa refilled several times….and yes the four of us were total and utter piggies eating all that fab food. Checked the drinks and made sure that we were very happy all night long. No room for dessert – though we thought about it since everything looked so good.

#2:

Yatra Brasserie – Indian food to die for. And again, the service was amazing! For an appetizer, I had Keema Empanadas (had to get it - a little lamb empanada) and then I had this amazing Lamb dish, Saag Gosht. Fritz had a shrimp and scallop dish. Our friends had the Chicken Tikka Masala and something else - with lentils. And that was all goooooood. Our one friend has a limited diet – gluten free – so Indian was perfect for her. Instead of Nan, they served these chips/bread made from sundried lentils – again delicious. Everything had the right amount of spice and heat. The kind that burns but still lets you taste everything you are eating. Oh it was good.


I am getting hungry just thinking about all these restaurants. Should have eaten a better dinner. Fritz should not have left me to fend for myself.

Okay say that is part one.
I wish I had thought to take pictures of all the yummy food and everywhere we went.
But there was work involved and there was a baby involved. He made it a bit difficult J
I say that with love.
Really I do.

one year ago today.....

this little guy was born:





in order to celebrate this occasion, i made bought, cupcakes from the grocery store on our way home from the airport - made a little crown and we started here:



and ended here:




there were a few stops in between :)


it ended in a bubble bath - no pics but i think you get the idea

as for USITT - we had a great time and we are exhausted! I will post yarn store reviews along with a few restaurant reviews - there are places that you defintley want to go when you are in Houston, and there is one or two that you should never eat at, no matter how cool the name!

never enough time

No, I haven;t vanished - I just have been way busy! And getting ready for USITT - hoping to learn many things to make me a better costume shop manager and/or designer.

Max will be on his first plane ride early in the morning with just ME!!!
Fritz left this evening - later than expected due to hailstorms and the like in Texas.

WE'll be staying with friends all week - i hope they still like us after spending 5 days with us and the baby! We'll see......

And we will be flying back on the Sunday the 23rd....Max's first bday!!!!

He has already had a head-start at the yarn store!

i didn't forget

there was all this build up to today and what it would mean....so i spent the week being mentally and emotionally exahausted and today arrives and all i can do is laugh! and well, smoke the first cigarette in the last 20 months! (just the one, i promise)

Cheers to you Daddy!




dad in COMEDY OF ERRORS - he can so work that gold lame! He is FIERCE!

and no i couldn't bring myself to light a yahrzeit candle - i was worried that the baby would climb the bookcase and knock it over :) i am truly a mom - shoot me now!

last review

No mention of costumes, but the last review for LOST AND FOUNDLING can be found here.

and yes, i am going for the gnome-pooh next!