Faux Real opens at the Thirsty Ear

photo (l-r): Mary Dysert, Amy Riley, Amy Tibbals, Lou Ann Racher, Shelley Johnson

Our improv troupe, Faux Real, opened for Parlor Tricks, Shimmy Shake Project, and Fake Bacon last night at the Thirsty Ear in Grandview. After a delayed start because of the sound equipment and a false start with the alphabet game (okay, I forgot which game it was and used a different "alphabet" that has a lot of Y's), we did our set and got some laughs. It was great to meet the other troupes, watch them perform, and laugh so much. Good times!!

Star Wars in Concert

Earlier this month John and I attend Star Wars in Concert at Nationwide Arena. It is a concert where a live orchestra and chorus perform music (composed by John Williams) from the six Star War films while a HUGE LED screen is displaying clips of the films. The show was hosted by Anthony Daniels, who was C-3PO in the films. He did quote on of his own lines in C-3PO's voice while showing his gold vest (his character was a gold-colored android). It was a fabulous concert! There were props from the films at different locations around the arena too. Those who attend our wedding reception know we entered to the theme of Star Wars (yes, we are geeks!).

Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) on the big screen as he is introducing the next segment.

A blurry view of how the films scenes were playing above the large orchestra and chorus.

A frozen Hans Solo prop from the films. I was so crushed as a teenager when the "2nd" film ended with Hans in this condition. He was my favorite character (ok, I had a crush on him). I still have the bubble gum trading card of Hans Solo.


Me in a perilous situation (with a smile on my face).

A Sneak Peek at the House

Since I have finally downloaded photos from the camera to the computer, I am going to post some views of our house. I realized I have not taken very many and not any "Before" photos. Oh well. We have started moving over boxes and small furniture. We are pricing moving companies to move the large furniture next month.

This is the view through the master bedroom window...obviously, taken before all the leaves fell off the trees.

The dining room after we finished painting it. The photo was taken from the kitchen doorway and there is a door to the left that goes into the entryway.

Here is our kitchen which became our main place for everything - tools, papers, etc. Through the doorway (where the black stepladder is) is my studio which is the smallest room in the house. But is it mine with a door to keep out two curious cats.

This is the view of our backyard and beyond from our deck.

Penfield House

This weekend John and I spent the weekend with my parents at the Louis Penfield House. It is an Unsonian house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Penfield House is one of three FLW houses that are available to rent overnight.

The photo below is the gate near the road. The driveway is quite long and the house is near Chagrin River (and a highway - you can hear the traffic but not see it). We saw a buck walking across the driveway one night.

This is the "front" of the house which faces the back property which is quite wooded and gives the feeling of "getting away from it all" despite being located in Willoughby Hills (a suburb of Cleveland).

I am a fan of Wright's style and it was a thrill to actually live in one of his designs instead of just touring a FLW home for a bit and leaving.

Frank Lloyd Wright's signature on a tile near the front door.

A view of the house walking back from the river.

John adjusting the fire in the "walk-in" fireplace.

The house from the "back" which faces the road. Wright believed the front of the house should not face the street but have a view of the less busy and more relaxing backyard.

I only took a few inside photos this year. The first time we rented the house was in 2007 and I took a lot more pictures at that visit. If I can find them (and if they are digital), I will post them.

ATC - November 2009

Here are the ATCs I made for November and the theme was fall. I used chalks, ink, and a rubberstamp. I learned the chalk lines technique in a class in October.

ATCs - Artist Trading Cards

Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are 2.5" x 3.5" handmade [and not mass produced] works of art that are traded among the artists who created them. They are very similar to baseball cards but any art medium (paints, inks, drawing, fabrics, sewing, photography, collage, clay, iris folding, quilling, etc.) instead of players and stats. The only "rule" is the dimensions (2.5" x 3.5") so anything goes! Some people like to keep them "thin" enough to fit in the trading card holders (sleeves & pages are the same used for baseball cards). On the back of the ATC is usually the artist's name, contact information, and title of card. If making more than one in a limited edition or series then they are labeled as such (ie., "1/6" or "4 of 7"). Since ATCs are handmade, they are naturally limited in numbers.

I first heard about ATCs in the October 2005 issue of the Rubber Stamper magazine and had to try making them immediately. It's a fun way to try new techniques or play with colors and embellishments. There are many sites online to get into ATC swaps and find trades. Currently I am doing a monthly ATC swap with my mom and four of my nieces.

October's theme was "language". Below are the six ATCs I made for the swap. I used ink pads and rubberstamps. I colored the base using the direct to paper technique with various ink pads. Then I stamped some sheet music, written document, and Chinese characters in different colors. Each ATC has the recipient's first initial in English alphabet, American Sign Language, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. You can click on the photo to see a larger image.



A couple websites with more information about Artist Trading Cards:
http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/
http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.html

If you make ATCs or are interested in starting and want to trade, leave a comment or email me!

Faux Real and Dingo & The Babies

Photo (you can click on it for larger image)
Faux Real (ladies in black): Donna, Amy T., Shelley, Mary, Amy R.(me!)
Dingo and the Babies (ladies in white and man in black): Sharon, Carol, Erin, Diana, Gigi, Tom
Our wonderful Advanced Improv instructors Amy Talbot and scOtt Summit

We dedicated our show to Lou Ann, our missing Faux Real member, who was dealing with a family emergency (We missed you!!).

The show was so much fun and the audience laughed! (what more can you ask for in improv?!).