it's that time of the year again -- oscars.
i confess, i am not very excited by the show this year. the lack of diversity in the nominees have me down and frustrated. i was really disappointed by the lack of oscar acknowledgement for selma last year. this year is even worse with the exclusion of idris elba, beasts of no nation, director cary joji fukunaga, actor abraham attah, and straight outta compton. also, excluding transgender singer anohni from the awards show is so, so terrible!
however, i will watch the show as i watched it since i was four months old. also, my superpower is correctly predicting the winners, (i've won the oscar pool 15 times in the past 16 years!), so i'm going to give it another crack this year.
i've only seen a handful of films this year (i usually see them all), partially due to my lack of enthusiasm and nominee disappointment. for the record, my favorite films this year were ex machina and mad max: fury road.
okay, let's get on with the predictions. keep in mind, i vote head over heart. that is key to winning the oscar kitty. hence...sylvester stallone.
HERE WE GO:
best picture: spotlight (this category is the BIGGEST toss up! i'm going with the underdog. winner may be the revenant or big short, though.)
best director: alejandro iñárritu (the revenant)
best actor: leonardo dicaprio (the revenant)
best actress: brie larson (room)
best supporting actor: sylvester stallone (creed)
best supporting actress: alicia vikander (the danish girl)
best adapted screenplay: charles randolph and adam mckay (the big short)
best original screenplay: josh singer and tom mccarthy (spotlight)
best animated feature: inside out
documentary feature: amy
foreign language film: son of saul
best cinematography: the revenant (emmanuel lubezki)
best costume design: mad max: fury road (jenny beavan)
best film editing: mad max: fury road (margaret sixel)
best original song: "til it happens to you" from "the hunting ground" (lady gaga)
best makeup & hair styling:mad max: fury road (lesley vanderwalt, elka wardega and damian martin)
best production design: mad max: fury road (colin gibson - production design; lisa thompson - set decoration)
best original score: the hateful eight (ennio morricone)
best sound editing: the revenant (martin hernandez and lon bender)
best sound mixing: the revenant (jon taylor, frank montaño, randy thom and chris duesterdiek)
best visual effects: star wars: the force awakens (roger guyett, patrick tubach, neal scanlan and chris corbould)
best animated short: sanjay’s super team
best documentary short: body team 12
best live action short: shok
there you go, darlings. now go primp for the red carpet! oh, and my guess for best dressed: alicia vikander.
i never played with dolls as a kid. but, times change, darlings. times change.
a few weeks ago, i stumbled across mel elliot's ziggy paperboy wonder book at book soup on sunset blvd. the book contains two david bowie paper dolls and 16 fabulous outfits ranging from freddie burretti's mustard yellow and ice-blue suits to kansai yamamoto's 'wonderland creature' leather leotard and 'tokyo pop' vinyl bodysuit.
my fantasy to be bowie's stylist has finally come true! all i needed was an x-acto knife to cut out the pieces, my bowie playlist, and a whole lotta dreaming.
damn, i miss him.
{above: mustard suit by freddie burretti during bowie's diamond dog days. also, bowie's aladdin sane asymmetrical, knitted bodysuit by kansai yamamoto.}
{above: kansai yamamoto's 'wonderland creature' leather leotard worn by bowie for both aladdin sane and ziggy stardust tours. also, airbrushed body as seen in the inner-gatefold of aladdin sane album. airbrushing designed by philip castle.}
{above center: bowie's "life on mars" video ice-blue suit. designer: freddie burretti.)
{above: kansai yamamoto's 'tokyo pop' vinyl bodysuit for the aladdin sane tour.}
get yourself a copy (or two!) at book soup.
david bowie. my hero in all things fantastic. the reason why I love glitter and lighting bolts. the reason I love music. you should have lived forever, starman. on the evening of his death, i was up crying and listening to his albums until 4:00 a.m. like a teenage girl, which makes sense because that's how old i was when I fell in love with him.
LEGO minimoog synthesizers. I repeat, LEGO minimoog synthesizers.
manufacturing these little brick wonder synths are currently a dream of andy g. however, if 10,000 people approve his proposal on lego ideas, lego may create a kit and sell them.
i'm voting, because i need. you can, too, by clicking here.
{via boingboing.}
darlings...
we have conjured the ghost cookies, constructed our frankenbunny fashion, and painted the pumpkins pastel. this can only mean one thing -- #creepycute2015 has commenced! let the party begin.
jonathan and i celebrated in true kawaii fashion with potent pastel potions, sinister sweets, and to DIY-for decor. come frolic in the candy-hued underworld with us!
blue food -- the life-blood of any pastel goth gathering! jonathan created these aqua-swathed, purple cupcakes using this magical mixture and a touch of blue and yellow food coloring for the frosting.
generously adorn your sweets with candy eyeballs. after all, why settle for a third eye when you can can have a thirtieth eye?
a parade of pastel ghost cookies! here's how to make 'em.
SPECIAL TREATS: gummy teeth and skulls for the kawaii kandy karnivore.
SPECIAL TRICKS: behold how jonathan transformed creepy halloween decor into creepy cute, camera-ready creations. these gradient jack-o'-lanterns are absolutely spellbinding!
a most curious cream soda. learn how to concoct this magical, foggy brew on happy mundane.
drippy pastel pumpkins -- see how to make them here.
for the witching hour -- a soothsaying lavender martini! i took inspiration from this recipe:
soothsaying martini:
2 oz. vodka
1 part concord grape juice
1 part chambord
crushed ice
pour ice, vodka, grape juice, and chambord into a martini shaker and shake vigorously. strain well and serve up.
garnish with gummy eyeball. after all, soothsaying requires clear vision.
jonathan creeps it real.
i made a new friend.
more DIY decor magic from the laboratory of happy mundane.
and finally, the most important ingredient to a super kawaii, pastel goth party: friendship and kindred spirits!
jonathan and i wish you a very happy halloween! creep it real, darlings!
xoxo
in celebration of my #creepycute21015 halloween adventures with the eerily talented jonathan lo of happy mundane, i'm embracing a 30-minute costume in pastel goth fashion.
behold - frankenbunny!
i admit, i'm queen of the lazy, last minute costume. it usually involves a mask and something vintage from my closet. nothing too advanced, but enough to get me into a costume-required party.
all that is needed for this quickie frankenbunny costume is the following:
1). pastel sweatshirt. i chose a long one in order to wear alone with tights, but you can chose a shorter one to wear with jeans or a skirt.
2). felt 9" x 12" sheets in pink, black, and white. available at most craft stores.
4). scissors.
5). round head straight pins.
6). pellon fusible web, iron, and damp cloth.
7). frankenbunny template printed onto 8.5" x 11" paper. DOWNLOAD THE PDF TEMPLATE HERE!
step 1: iron felt to fusible webbing. this adds weight to the felt makes it easy to iron your bunny directly onto your sweatshirt. see how to use fusible webbing here. it's soooooo easy!
step 2: after you have fused your felt, pin template to fabric. you may also draw the bunny design directly onto the paper side of the fusible felt and skip this pinning step.
step 3: cut bunny head shape.
step 4: iron pink and black felt to fusible webbing. cut bunny eyes, teeth, nose, and ear inserts.
step 5: place eyes, nose, teeth and ear inserts into white bunny head. iron and fuse them to head. again, consult this tutorial if you've never worked with fusible webbing.
step 6: place bunny design on your sweatshirt. pin design to your sweatshirt to determine placement. once you iron the bunny head on, it is FUSED, so do not skip this step! make sure you like the placement. iron frankenbunny onto sweatshirt.
step 7: optional: for added hold and safe washing, sew fused bunny onto sweatshirt using a small running stitch.
step 8: that's it! add black and white tights, a black parasol, and a pastel wig. oh, and false eyelashes, of course!
stay tuned for more creepy cute halloween from me and happy mundane this week!
for halloween decor DIY to DIE FOR, click on over to happy mundane to see the latest and greatest in creepy cute creations. jonathan creates pastel party magic with a spray paint can, and you can, too!
darlings, it's time!
i have collaborated with the talented and mesmerizing jonathan lo of happy mundane to bring you the creepy cute world of PASTEL GOTH! prepare to meet lavender creatures and mysterious pumpkins that glow gloriously soft gradients.
visit happy mundane to see jonathan's latest bag of tricks. you'll be glad you did!
of course, i'm all about the treats at WHORANGE. pastel goth ghost cookies, in fact! take my hand and we will journey into the land of single-bite, sugary spirits.
for the recipe, i consulted the amazing sweet sugar belle for her easy-peasy sugar cookie concoction. i've tried several recipes and sweet sugar belle is my fave so far. she also offers tons of helpful tips for amateurs like me. please refer to sweet sugar belle's sugar cookie and royal icing recipe on her website as you follow along.
meanwhile, i'll show what it looks like to conjure the cookies.
rolling dough with friends.
the little 1.5" tall ghost is actually an upside-down, mini tulip cookie cutter. i first saw this trick on make me cake me. due to the tiny size, i coaxed over 100 cookies from one batch!
whipping up the royal icing requires only 4 ingredients: powdered sugar, meringue powder, clear vanilla extract, and water. so easy! i used wilton's meringue powder, although i hear there are much more tasty options available. explore and let me know!
who doesn't love a stiff peak?
mixing the royal icing color is tricky. be sure to start off with just a teeny tiny drop, mix it up, and add more color if desired. i used wilton's royal icing color because it's readily available at michael's. however, americolor is supposedly much, much better.
pastel piping. i used a #2 tip size. i highly recommend this trick for fast and easy bag filling and clean up!
my favorite step is flooding the cookie with thinned icing after the outline has dried. the flood bottles remind me of 2nd grade glue dispensers.
adding faces. :| :| :|
i used a #1 tip size.
the final step: RAINBOW DISCO DUST! because even ghosts want to feel fabulous!
there you have it -- the pastel underworld of cookie decorating! not too scary, right?
these little ghosts are perfect for beginners. due to their tiny size, you can make a billion and practice your piping skills.
stay tuned for more creepy cute from me and happy mundane! follow our supernatural journey on instagram @happymundane and @whorange and snapchat, too! (snapchat: @happymundane and @tulajeng.)
R.I.P = Rest In Pastel. xoxo