raindrop chart and rampant onion

custom made owl ornaments & owl keychains

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:57:00 +0000

been trying my hand at making rolled fabric roses for some little bags that i was making but got way laid as i had to make these cute little owl ornaments for a special order.

and since i was already making the ornaments i thought i could make a few plush keychains whilst i was at it. and here's one of them.

shabby chic fabric pears

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

here's my latest project: fabric pears anyone? they're good enough to eat! they were quite simple and straight forward to make and i'm considering making different designs later.

festive hanging owl plushies

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0000

a busy weekend with someone asking me to make some custom-made owls. and here they are >>>i've also finished my owl family project, made from the pattern i purchased from snugnluv. will post pics of them soon.

handmade stuffed fabric owl ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:32:00 +0000

Above is my first project. Looks easy peasy but since I haven't used a sewing machine for ages, I was really rusty. Looking at the results now, I am quite pleased with myself. Below is my Brother Innov-is 500 Embroidery Sewing Machine.
My hubby found this machine for me. Its a really crafty machine loaded with functions. Although a bit temperemental, once you get around its quirks, its a joy of a machine.I will get around to posting a tutorial of how to make this owl ornament yourself, so stay posted to this space, however if you are not so friendly with sewing, you can always get one of my owl ornaments from my etsy shop or my ebay, whichever is easier for you. Thanks so much for visiting!

reviving the Chronicles

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:26:00 +0000

I have come out of my hiding to blog about the plans for resurrecting the Vampire Chronicles movie franchise. I have a need to articulate my opinion of these developments.

Recently I have gleaned from Bloody Disgusting website that Robert Downey Jr. of Ally McBeal and Ironman fame is in talks to reprise the role of Lestat. Not that I don’t appreciate RD Jr.’s charm and charisma. I mean who in this world can duet with Sting and carry it off? But that is beside the point. Loyal Ricean fans know that the main protagonist of the Vampire Chronicles, Lestat was turned when he was not even 20 and he is blonde. Now imagine RD Jr. being blonde and all and trying to carry off the weight of having to look a twenty something vampire? He is I promise truly a great actor, but not Lestat!

L has to be portrayed by somebody who has an inner insolence and must be really naturally full of themselves. You know who would be perfect?

Combine Ed Westwick’s natural impertinence and cover it with Chace Crawford’s face. CC’s looks would match well if Michelle Pfeiffer were to play L’s mother turned vampire fledgling. Perfect? Almost but not quite.

Tom Cruise was nearly faultless as L. TC is naturally insolent anyway, I think. He taunted Louie to perfection in Interview and the only thing really is TC looks dodgy as a blonde.

So whoever is planning this coup of reviving the Chronicles in film, should I think, take their cue from the mega-successful Twilight series. The demographics of this film make it a win-win from the get-go. Take some teenagers and a vampire-werewolf love triangle story and what do you have? Then you have a whole market of screaming girls who are richer than us adults thanks to babysitting money, piggybanks and allowances, to sell the movie to. See what I mean? Not only is this film series inciting hysteria, but it has successfully revived the vampire genre that sort of slumped since Buffy ended its run.

The Ricean novels are a darker, richer, more melodramatic saga and told in the right way with the right actors in film form might just make them the more epic. But unfortunately this is just me saying this and the powers that be that will make this movie, might just on some dumb happenstance create a total disaster!

It’s hard to write blah de blah de blah

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Kind of challenged in the time management department of late, as always, what with juggling a gazillion things to do and cramming basic la lingua español on the side prior to our road trip to the sun-kissed and sea lapped capital of Catalunya. I have a thousand excuses but mostly, truthfully I'm preoccupied with satisfying my inner fashionista alter ego. I’d never be caught un-trendy in Barcelona – that’s a crime! So enough with my blah blah excuses, yes I am guilty as charged. So I’ve been busy indulging my shopaholicness. Kind of lame but never mind, better lame than dowdy right?

gushing over Barack

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:04:00 +0000

I watched a documentary about his childhood and the years before he took over the White House. I’m awed with how he is very much like everybody else but he isn’t at the same time. He is the embodiment of greatness. I think this is what a lot of people see in him. He’s just amazing. Like JFK, Denzel Washington and Will Smith put together. He’s so rock and roll. I hope the shine never fades away. It’s sad when they do, but it’s inevitable… think of a shiny penny thrown into the pig pen that GB left behind. Barack is bound to get his elbows dirty and most likely his knees too. And that stink might rub off on him as well. Just everyone try to remember the shiny penny before it got dragged in the muck ok. He was left with a mess to clean up, what do you expect?

can do no wrong

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Pink for all her wackiness can do no wrong and so is Calvin Harris in my book. Their new videos are darkly macabre but I still find them fascinating. Pink sort or played out her personal life on video with her string of hits So What (about life after ‘divorce’) quickly followed by the sobering Sober (about someone literally sobering up) and surprise surprise, Please Don’t Leave Me (in a nutshell about a doomed yo-yo relationship). I was a bit surprised because begging someone to stay was the last thing I thought Pink would sing about but she does it with gothic finesse anyway. Love the way Pink was channelling Stephen King’s Misery in the video. It’s obsessive watching. You get sucked in and let-in on the evil goings-on. Same with Calvin Harris’s video of the dark irony of cosmetic surgery, he is a very upbeat Dr Frankenstein, I suppose.

And don’t ask me why I’m drawn to dark ghastly stuff, I’m just allowing my darker half be content and so should you. Look at what happens to people who are too self righteous and condescending. Don’t get hypocrites started or you will end up regretting you even opened your mouth in the first place. Which reminds me, weeks ago while channel surfing, guess what was on TV? Music video of the Ketchup song. So as the sibling singers were gyrating and singing asereje, Mariel was informing me that as a matter of fact, the said dance to the song was the devil’s dance in the Philippines. So I say, “Where on Earth would such conclusion come from? Mariel don’t believe all the non-sense that you hear!” And please tell me whoever started this rumour/fiction, because he/she needs to be shot. Obviously this person has too much time on his/her hands!

Remember how in the early nineties, rumours abound about certain songs how they inspire you to become followers of satanic cults? The most popular of these, Queens’ Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s bonkers, really. Some school mates I know even played an inverted tape of Queen’s hit to listen to the apparent satanic verses. What a load of BS. Seems to me that people who propagate these scare-fests are themselves obsessed with sex and are over compensating for that via and all out media war on anything suspiciously dark in nature.

So going back to Pink and CH, move over PCD’s, I have a new 3-minute obsession x 2. And since these 2 can’t do no wrong, who has done wrong lately that I can bitch about? Hmm… nobody else but 2 KT P’s… KT no 1, saying having swine flu is trendy… and since she thinks so, can we at least make her the poster girl for swine flu? She’ll probably catch it with kissing all the girls? And KT no 2, for going out, getting drunk and flashing her 2 gigantic cosmetically enhanced assets while 3 children and husband are at home. Girl, we know you earn most of the dough but you are giving us ladies a bad name. It’s just not right when you’re a mother and you’re flashing in public… just plain wrong!

neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:33:00 +0000

With the onset of British summertime, we all have to get up an hour early. It doesn’t get dark till about late 8-ish and establishments are inundated with a plethora of youth. All the hyper-mania, pent up during winter, is released upon the innocent citizens of our neighbourhood. Full on spring is just around the corner and apart from unwanted midges and insects, comes terrorists disguised as children, armed with an arsenal of ‘deadly’ weapons, like eggs, stones, water-guns, etc. Street corners are amassed with hooded characters fresh from the pages of Sin-City. You have to look twice behind you when you hear footsteps. Hmm don’t you wish it was winter again?

Pinoy trivia

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:23:00 +0000

We watched Mission Impossible a couple of weeks ago and Moira was saying that Tom Cruise looked young so I said I think that movie was shown before you were born, to where I added, from out of nowhere, ‘as far as I know nung pinalabas yan nanunuod pa ako ng Palibhasa Lalake’. They looked at me funny as if I’m an alien or something. But its true, its one of the silly TV shows I used to watch as a teenager, why on earth I don’t know now. It was really up there in the silly points, but maybe its saving grace was that the intelligent, sort of posh, Cynthia Patag was in it as the bizarre daughter of Gloria Romero. And need I say that Richard Gomez and Joey Marquez moved on to be political heavy weights? Guess having a weekly TV food fight helped in the campaign trail. By the way does anybody remember TODAS and Brod Pete of Bubble Gang? Wazzup?

What’s with bjork and lily?

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Do you get Bjork and her electropop madness? Try as I might and the music fan that I am I can’t. I must be Bjork-resistant, not withstanding her swan-murder dress, included.

Oh Lily! Why oh why? Your new video is hideous. Don’t know if I should square dance and say Yee-ha. You are putting the fear in me. Not sure if this song is going to grow on me. I might keel over first.

music collection

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:20:00 +0000

With the arrival of my new computer, I have been consolidating my files that have been everywhere because I didn’t have a PC to call my own but rather I have been using hubby’s and the children’s, so my files are like here there and everywhere. And like I mentioned before I have tons of music. Irregardless that a radio DJ I’m not and for what purpose I keep all these files I can not logically explain but I still keep them and still continue to amass any song that tickles my fancy. I have a 6-minute obsession with Pussycat’s Jai Hoi featured in Slumdog. This track is so Bolly. And going back to my ever growing music archive, I have so far copied and archived about 4 DVD discs together with my original music files, generated an html playlist and ha-ha laughing to myself, it will take me 1188 hours (or 49.5 days) to just listen to these files. Still adding.

notebook glove

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Pretty please someone buy me a notebook glove for my tiny pc?

too true

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:03:00 +0000

I have come across this today and it's only too true.

... when you're in a hole - STOP digging!!!

day 118

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Do you prefer receiving expensive gifts or ones that come from the heart?

music and siesta

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Can somebody start a petition to the House of Lords to make Siesta compulsory in Britain and whilst you’re at it can you also include a law making all public places required to play alternative rock music in random play? Better yet, have a music hour dedicated to U2, Red Hot Chilli and The Killers, you know like earth hour? Also did anybody hear about Eli Buendia having a heart attack? This news is ancient but I’m having a delayed reaction like, OMG don’t keel over yet, I haven’t seen your band play live yet!

poor poor

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Can I indulge myself in some self-pity? Poor me for buying discount books at Amazon and now it’s come back to bite me. Reading Blackwood Farm and found that page 38 to 55 was missing. I’m almost certain it’s not karma b’cos I’ve not done anything evil recently ha-ha. I will be accepting commiserations and welcoming filler-ins for the gap in my book. I will be waiting.

olympic dream

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

I was reading an article about the 2012 Olympics today and it got me thinking like apart from the opening ceremonies, what’s really exciting about it? Ok you’ve got athletes in different stages of ‘greatness’ competing for more greatness and all the fame that comes along with it, but really what the Olympics will bring will be plane loads of cheering masses to the delight of hoteliers and restaurateurs, but alas to the despair of displaced residents left with little or no parking and a congested commuter system, which only adds insult to the injury of the inflated council tax to pay for the building of the Olympic venue. Yeah ok, maybe I’m being the eternal pessimist, but to ordinary you and me, we might watch the odd event here and there, then when the last of the Olympic faithful depart, our life will just carry on as if an afternoon storm dissipated as quickly as it materialized.

day 117

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:24:00 +0000

if you could live one year of your life all over again, without changing anything, what year would it be? why?

fotofunia

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Been swamped with work lately so I haven't had much time to post. Also just got myself sorted out with a new notebook. So no more queueing to use hubby's. Anyway this is what I did as soon as.
Amazing what a bit of time and a little gadget can do. Got the site off Ed's blog. Really cool.

100 years of high school

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:33:00 +0000

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

I was meaning to write something about this song and I think now is the right time. I’ve not heard this song for ages, then it was featured on an episode of Smallville. The piano intro is really catchy and the melody sticks to you. The most important thing though is the lyrics to this song. I have recently had an increased level of communication with former schoolmates and this song seems to be so fitting for this sentimental time. And what a lot of people will not understand is my high school class was so special. We were the few selected to tough it out together for four years. Every year for those years, we shared the same home room and we had to endure each lesson and each other all through out. But now thinking about it, those years were so carefree and so short like what the song 100 Years says, we are only 15 for a moment. They were the best of times.

I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind

In a few days I am facing leaving the first third of my life behind and start the second third of my life, if I live to a hundred. I am what I am today thanks in part to life experiences and the various friendships that I had the privilege of having during high school.

15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you’re on your way
Every day's a new day...
15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

day 116

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:54:00 +0000

are you a well-adjusted person?

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:49:00 +0000

You arent going to be her first, her last, or her only. She's loved before, she will love again, but if she loves you now what else matters? Shes not perfect. You arent either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if she can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and admits to being human and making mistakes, hold on to her and give her the most you can. She isnt going to quote poetry, shes not thinking about you every moment, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you could break. Dont hurt her, dont change her, dont expect more than she can give. Dont analyze. Smile when she makes you happy, yell when she makes you mad, and miss her when shes not there. Love hard when there is love to be had.

day 115

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:22:00 +0000

do you have a trait that reminds you of your mom or dad? what is it?

spooky or is it?

noreply@blogger.com (ninaparton) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:29:00 +0000

Have you ever watched one of those Halloween specials of the Simpsons? They call it the the Tree House of Horror. Won't you just love to sit around a camp fire and just trade spooky stories with just a white sheet and flashlight for high drama? I would love to do that and maybe carve out a couple of pumpkins for fun. Anyway I read this story a while ago and its for people who they say are - mababaw ang kaligayahan. Translated in English means shallow fun-hearty?

This story happened in a little town in Mexico, and even if it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it's real. This guy was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the middle of a storm. The night was rolling and no car went by; the storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly he sees a car coming towards him and stop. The guy, without thinking about it, gets in the car and closes the door -- just to realize there's nobody behind the wheel. The car starts slowly, the guy looks at the road and sees a curve coming his way. Scared, he starts to pray, begging for his life. He hasn't come out of his shock when, just before he hits the curve, a hand appears through the window and moves the wheel. The guy, paralyzed in terror, watches how the hand appears every time they are before a curve. The guy, gathering strength, gets out of the car and runs to the nearest town. Wet and in shock, he goes to a cantina and asks for two shots of tequila, and starts telling everybody about the horrible experience he went through. A silence enveloped everybody when they realize the guy is crying and wasn't drunk. About half an hour later two guys walked in the same cantina and one said to the other, "Look, Pepe, that's the idiot that got in the car when we were pushing it."