Sew La Ti Embroidery [Search results for swaps] 

  • More Kung Poo than Kung Fu

    More Kung Poo than Kung Fu
    ©“Prepare for awesomeness'' reads the tagline toKung Fu Panda 2, the sequel to box-office smashKung Fu Panda. Come the end credits, you will be wondering exactly where the awesomeness you were supposed to prepare for was. After being deemed the Dragon Warrior in the first film, the second picks up with food-loving panda Po (Jack Black) and the Furious Five warriors being tasked with a new and dangerous mission - defeat the evil peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman).
    The screenwriters really want this to be a cute animated story that unites all of us.
    Essentially the character of Po is a young man, living his life, when suddenly - kapow! He's the Dragon Warrior and he's forced to deal with something. Anything. Can we have a villain here? Oh, wait, there's Lord Shen - a Hitler-esque character complete with his very own Holocaust where he swaps killing Jews for killing pandas. The script plugs too hard for an emotional arc - a journey of self-discovery - when the best thing about the firstKung Fu Pandawas the frivolity.
    The character of Po is literally Jack Black in panda form, there's no added features or altered voice work. When Po speaks, you just see the chubby comedian. The rest of the voice cast, who actually try and manipulate their pipes to create more believable characters, are completely underused. Talent like Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Dustin Hoffman, Oldman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Danny McBride and even Jean-Claude Van Damme barely get a few lines. DreamWorks Animation would have paid the big bucks for them, so it seems wasteful for the film to be taken up with Blackisms.
    Visually,Kung Fu Panda 2is faultless and the closest DreamWorks has come to rivalling the superior Pixar. The animators deliver a one-two punch with a combination of first rate computer generated animation in 3D and more traditional, 2D animation used in flashback scenes. Unfortunately a pretty pictures does not a good movie make. With story and humour both lacking,Kung Fu Panda 2is a school holiday film only young children will find amusing. For the rest of us, it's a boring and been-there-before 90 minutes.
    Kung Fu Panda 2is out Thursday, June 23.

    VIA More Kung Poo than Kung Fu

  • Bits and pieces

    Bits and pieces
    Sewing

    I had a ton of projects to finish for August! First up, I participated in Oh Hello Friend's lovely package exchange. Here is the package I put together for my partner. I love doing these swaps, I have so much fun putting a package together. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the box I sent it in, it was super cute I thought, I taped patterned papers all over it. This picture really only gives you a peek at some of the contents. Here is what I sent: a basketful of vintage fabrics, ribbons and buttons, a jar of jelly bellies, the coolest leather journal with gold birds stamped all over from Anthropologie, a wooden stick pencil, a painted sea shell necklace, a couple of vintage flower hair pins, and a headband.

    Sewing Here are my pretty packages I received from Oni! Brown paper packages tied up in strings, these are a few of my favorite things.

    Sewing Here is what was inside! Vintage cards, handmade cards, vintage sewing patterns, buttons, and the coolest handmade necklace! Thanks Oni. I love everything!


    Sewing
    I also participated in Modern Jax's scrappy Christmas block swap.
    I got the ones done for my teammates just in time to send yesterday, I still have the charity block to send on it's way today. These were fun and gave me an excuse to buy Christmas fabric :)



    Sewing
    And here is Amy's block for a Notion or Two, I actually got this one done before my trip, but didn't get around to sending it until yesterday, shame on me. She'll probably get it today though, she doesn't live far from me.
    I still have one more block for another quilting bee from August, I need to get my butt in gear today and make that one!

  • playing catch up

    playing catch up
    Sewing
    I have been super behind for A Notion or Two. I got almost caught up today. Now I only have one more block left, yay!
    The first block is for Meridith.

    Sewing
    The second block is for Allyn.

    I don't know why it took me so long to sit down and get these done, but it feels good to almost be all caught up! I decided that this year I wouldn't participate in any bees or swaps, I just have too much going on and I needed to cut something out, they have been super fun though!