#the chevron kind of design to them is cool too

[otterskin]

Dumb Details From the Loki Trailer I noticed but then got too serious about

First - apparently it’s not a trailer, so I guess we’ll get ‘Trailer 1′ later? ‘Exclusive Clip’ hardly seems accurate, but hey, I’m not Disney’s marketing division. I wouldn’t live in a shoebox if I was.

Dumb detail no. 1:

Owen Wilson’s jacket is...weird. Look closely.

And another shot:

Yeah...his jacket has a ‘reversed collar’. It’s a cut-out rather than cloth folding on top. Huh. What a strange design choice. What could it mean?

I’ve no idea, but that I watched the trailer enough times to notice this should concern you.

Detail No. 2

In this scene, we see what we can presume to be President Loki’s ‘Throne’. Notice the candy-canes. This is a Santa Claus throne, presumably from some mall Santa. This whole place might be in a mall, judging by the stuff in it.

But the Loki in this shot is not President Loki. Notice that he’s wearing brown pants, a thin brown tie, and the beige shirt he’s seen wearing in other parts of the trailer after he's apparently joined the TVA. President Loki wears black pants, a green vest and a wide green tie with a golden clip that resembles Loki’s little chevron he always has (more on that later).

So it would seem that Loki might meet President Loki here. President Loki might even be addressing him at the end of the trailer. It’s possible that his minions turn on him because there’s two Lokis and they don’t know which is the ‘imposter’. 

Speaking of, there’s a minion with bicycle handlebars grafted to a football helmet here, likely meant to resemble Loki. I dig it. There’s also cans of food scattered among the rubbish here. Makes sense that food production is non-existent since everyone has resorted to wearing license plates and spoons. Love how tattered the whole aesthetic is.

This reminds me of the opening Michael Waldron’s script ‘Worst Guy of All Time’, which featured a similar post-apocalyptic setting after the ‘worst guy’ ruins everything and makes himself king of the ashes. That’s likely what’s happened here, but I hope that Loki isn’t anything like Logan Paul, who was the inspiration for that title character.

Ah, the mysterious female character watching a meteor shower WAY TOO CLOSE UP. But my eyes are drawn to one thing...

What is that oblong object with a shiny handle? Could it be...

A sword? I do love swords. Did you know there’s a bunch of pictures of me in the stock photos for ‘Fencing?’ That’s my cred for loving swords.

I suspect that this female character will be an amalgamation of Amora (shudder) and Sylvie and an alternate Loki of some kind. This sword is currently in her possession, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it or another timeline version of it becomes the Loki Show’s Loki′s weapon. 

Loki has lacked a ‘weapon of his own’ in the MCU for quite some time. I mean, yes, he has his little knives, but they are many and disposable and something he chose for himself, rather than the two legendary weapons wielded by Odin and Thor, Gungnir and Mjolnir. In fact, throughout his appearances, Loki has seemed to want such a thing of his own - he briefly had Gungnir, and then the Gungnir-like scepter, and even tried to lift Mjolnir.

One might ask why Odin would’ve overlooked such an obvious show of favouritism. Why give Thor a storied weapon and leave Loki empty-handed? Heck, even Hela had the Necroblade.

In Thor 1, we might’ve assumed that the Casket of Ancient Winters was perhaps intended one day to be given to Loki, as it is shown with Mjolnir in the Vault and thus connected to it and the children who would inherit it.  But in the comics, Odin did have another weapon of storied history put away for his second son: Gram the Sword.

It was locked for eons by Odin in a special vault which required five keys to be opened, and it was meant to be for Loki if he be worthy.[2] The five keys were infused by Odin with the powers of "journeys", "endurance", "secrets", "new beginnings", and "brotherhood", respectively.[3]

The sword, like everything else in comics, has a complicated history full of take-backs and twists, but let’s just leave it at ‘it’s a representation of Loki’s worthiness and belonging in the trifecta with Odin and Thor as a King of Asgard’. It gives him ‘equality’.

In the original mythology, it’s wielded by Sigurd to kill the dragon Fafnir, and the only relation it has to Loki is that Loki is partially responsible for Fafnir existing in the first place (my username is nod to this myth by the by. Sorry Ottär.) But hey, maybe that means we’re getting a dragon? The Fafnir would be very cool.

Or it could just be a bit of rebar in this mining quarry.

Then again...it appears somewhere else...

It’s easier to see in motion, but that’s a sword swinging on this person’s back.

So the hooded figure is this lady...shall we call her Amylkie? Does that mean she’s the antagonist of this show? Well...maybe, but I suspect the true antagonist is foreshadowed here  -

So, what’s going on here? A young girl (Young Amylkie? Some other TVA prisoner that the guard is watching over? An oracle, A Norn, or a kid who wandered off from the tour group in a basilica somewhere?) She’s giving Mobius M. Mobius a...piece of chocolate. Maybe he saw a Dementor, I dunno. I suspect it’ll be a MacGuffin of some kind later. He looks pretty concerned here, which contrasts with his ‘another day at the office’ blaséness when dealing with Loki. But of course this is the eye-catcher:

So, Norse Mythology. It’s been Christiannized. You can thank Snorri Sturluson for that, but you can google all about him later. Let’s just say that he made many Norse figures into equivalents for Christian ones. Baldur is Jesus, pure and a sacrificial lamb who dies for a greater good. And the devil is...Loki. Something the Marvel comics and the MCU have continued.

Here we have a devil, dressed in green and with a distinct shape on his chest:

Hmmm...wait...I know that weird horny shape...

Ah. I’d say that cinches it. This is meant to be Loki. If you look at the devil’s hair, it also resembles Loki’s, being shoulder-length and black.

So, what’s devil-Loki doing? Laying an egg? Trying out a foot massager? For a second I thought it was a moon, but we see the moon over his left shoulder, amongst the stars. Which means this is - probably the Earth.

...Dammit; I live there.

So Earth is barren and being devoured by flames, likely caused by this Loki sitting atop of it (in a throne, no less). Aw gee, things look pretty bad, don’t they?

But wait - what’s that? Under the Earth (and, possibly, under the earth)?

It’s a plant. A shoot, to be exact.

Back to Ragnarok for a second. Ragnarok isn’t the apocalypse (something we see a lot of in this trailer - all of it seems to be exploring the end of days). Ragnarok is the fire meant to wipe out the old and fertilize the ground for the new. And after the gods have died, what happens? Well, Baldur emerges from Hel, one of the only surviving gods (hmm, seems him dying worked out, didn’t it?). He’s joined by Líf and Lífþrasir, who are the new first man and woman, who’s names mean ‘Life’ and who are pictured, usually, with plants and new life. It is they who are tasked who growing a new Yggdrasil after the destruction of the old. The previous first man and woman are Ask and Embla, meaning Ash Tree and Vine/Elm tree, so there’s a theme there. 

So a new sprout, possibly a tree, growing out of the destruction of the old.

This fits with Loki’s role as understood in mythology. He checks the arrogance of the gods, including when they tried to achieve immortality (sorry, Baldur, nothing personal), and that keeps the gods at their best. After Loki is imprisoned, the gods become weak, unhelpful and foolish, and Yggdrasil starts to rot. Eventually Loki escapes and returns along with Surtur (who also resembles this figure) to burn it all to the ground. This is also referenced in Thor:Ragnarok, with Loki releasing Surtur in the Vault, a place of thematic importance to Loki and one that represents the hidden secrets and sins of Asgard). You could say Ragnarok continued into Infinity War, where Loki played an important part in aiding Thanos’ destruction, giving up the stone to protect his brother and essentially dooming the rest of the universe - but also ultimately leading to its salvation, even if, like Myth Loki, he wasn’t around to see it.

So, we see Amylkie literally start a fire in the trailer -

- in fact, this whole trailer is awash in flame -

It’s fire, fire everywhere and she’s setting them!

It’s possible Amylkie’s our big bad, but I think there’s a chance she’s either a red herring, or, much like how Loki ‘worked’ with Thanos in The Avengers, she is the pawn of a greater foe -

  - a Loki bent on destruction, for some reason or other. The TVA is obviously aware that this is the case, and it seems like they might be trying to ‘fight fire with fire’ by enlisting one Loki to combat another. The villain could be President Loki, since there's evidence of 2 Lokis in that scene - or maybe that's one of many Lokis, and the Big Bad Loki is being played by Hugh Grant as Old Loki. In any case, it would appear that Loki will be coming face-to-face with the worst versions of himself, and many of them. And, if I’m right about this scene:

...Loki will likely eventually discover that even his ‘good’ timeline ended in the destruction of his people and home, plus his own gruesome and torturous death. Although I think the TVA will keep that from him, and just show him the happy parts in an effort to inspire ‘good behaviour’. Until Loki inevitably discovers the rest of how that timeline played out and realize he’s been lied to. I don’t imagine he’ll take that very well...

Damn, even our ‘hero’ Loki is burning stuff down! Does this mean that Loki is doomed, always meant to be an avatar of death and toasty destruction?

Well...let’s go back to that stained glass.

Hmmm...wait...I know that weird horny shape...

And there’s something else...the bottom of the Earth is being lit up, and not by fire. Light appears to be coming off this little plant.

What colour is this plant again? That’s right, green. Green is the colour of new life and growth and change and...hang on, I’ve heard that before, too...

Hang on hang on HANG ON... let me have a look at the shape again.

That’s...a letter. An L? For Loki? Like in the title sequence?

Wait...no, a different letter. An older letter. After all, Loki is old Norse. How do you spell his name in that again?

ᛚᛟᚲ ᛁ -

And ENHANCE on that third letter!

This, my friends, is a Kenaz/Kaunaz, or what would become 'K' in our alphabet. It is also known as the 'Loki Rune' (and the Ulcer Rune, for some reason. I suspect Odin understands why). It’s used to spell his name, but is also used on his own to represent him. Heck, it's even his Superman 'S' in the comics:

Runes are more than letters - they are symbols for concepts. So what else does it mean?

Primarly, it means ‘torch’.

And also ‘knowledge’ (ken). As well as ‘growth, change, the search for truth, decay, arrogance, elitism, feminine, kinship and creativity.’

...Okay, that’s a lot, but you have to admit it fits.

More specifically, it means ‘Mastery of the Fire’. As in, someone who has learned to tame fire so that it is helpful, not harmful. To bring light and, symbolically, knowledge.

There’s another way Loki’s been associated with fire - in the Wagner Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold, the opera that inspired much the Thor films’ aesthetic and certainly their helmets, Loki is called ‘Loge’, which means ‘Fire’. He’s usually dressed to match, too -

Many trickster figures are associated with fire. They are usually called ‘Fire-bringers’ - See: Raven, Lucifer, Prometheus, etc. They are often complex figures with a foot in different worlds, but who nonetheless help mankind with the gift of ‘fire’ - although they usually pay for it, and tend to be self-destructive.

(Side note. Lucifer means light-bringer, which is what luciferase is named after. Because it glows. Which is helpful in labs. In case someone needed to know that.)

Moving from a destructive fire-starter to a fire-bringer seems like a great character arc for Loki to take, especially given his rehabilitation in pop culture, the comics, and even wider culture. Loki has gone from being seen as an evil, deviant, destructive character to one who’s seen as a patron of the arts and creativity, of stories rather than lies. Heck, some scholars of Norse Mythology even posit that he’s the closet thing to a protagonist Norse Mythology has, so I guess that backfired, Snorri!). Being dressed in green and with the sprout clearly also being stylized after his Kaunaz, there’s foreshadowing that he’ll be capable of growing good things even out of ashes.

So, to sum up: Being ‘Satan’ sounds pretty bad, but with a little letter re-arranging like we see in the title sequence, you can be...

...practically a saint. Maybe even a saviour.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

[klaineharmony]

300x3, “Over the Wall”

I needed something lighter today, after all of that emotional angst yesterday, and so I started to write a scene that’s been in my head for a long time, where Kath meets Toupie Lowther of the Hackett-Lowther ambulance unit. Toupie was a real person and extremely cool - wealthy, determined, international fencing champion, lesbian. If you would like to know more about her, I highly recommend Val Brown’s book - Val is a lovely person and an independent researcher. The pictures of Toupie on the internet are generally very poor, but there is a good one here, and if you go here and scroll down to the second photo, it is a picture of several other members of the ambulance unit. 802 words.

@whatstheproblembaby, @katherineisthebestpulitzer, @queenofbrooklyn, @wordshakerofgallifrey, @thelittleredheadedmusician, @elozable, @rum-on-fire, @captainlordauditor, @writemetohell

Without really knowing how she had gotten there, Katherine found herself in the midst of a swarm of ambulances, all preparing to support the French Army at the trenches. All of the drivers were hustling, checking their tires, their engines, their supplies and stretchers loaded in the back, readying themselves for whatever awaited them.. And then Katherine realized what was different, and why.

They were all women.

Every single one of the twenty or so drivers she was surrounded by were women. They wore clothes much like her own - calf-length khaki skirts and boots, long jackets with pockets, leather belts. But they all boasted army caps with official insignia and chevrons on their arms.

In a burst of clarity, Katherine knew who they were. The Hackett-Lowther Unit. They were somewhat legendary at the front, this group of women ambulance drivers who had defiantly attached themselves to the French Army when the U.S. Army would not accept their services, and who were coordinated, trained, and fed by their two women leaders. In all her reporting, she had never managed to run into them, and here they were.

Other details caught her attention now. The ambulances emblazoned with “Hacket-Lowther Unit” and their official designation, S. S. Y. 3. How determined and capable each driver seemed to be. The fact that they were laughing and joking even as they were about to go straight into the ugliness of a German offensive. She pulled out her notebook and pencil and began to scribble notes, intent on getting the details before the women left.

“Hey, Red!” someone called, and Katherine looked up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. One of the women, with dark hair cropped as close as a man’s, and bright, inquisitive eyes, lifted a hand. “Are you coming?”

Katherine stared at her. “You’d give me a ride?”

“If you’re sure you want one,” said the woman, with a quick grin. “And as long as you aren’t the type who screams - but I doubt you’d be out here if you were,” she added.

Katherine laughed. “I’m not. I’ve been here for most of the last three years. I”ve long since gotten over screaming.”

“Well, come on then,” the driver said, and Katherine hurried over to the ambulance, scrambling into the passenger seat.

“There’s an extra helmet under the seat. You might have to share with a Tommy, if there’s one who’s conscious enough to sit up,” the driver warned her, and Katherine nodded. 

“I’ve done that before, too. With whom do I have the pleasure of riding?” Katherine asked with a smile, and the driver chuckled.

“Ooh, a society girl, eh?” she said, lifting a brow.

“In a former life. I still remember some of it,” Katherine parried back, and her unlikely escort chuckled again.

“Me, too. Toupie Lowther. Pleased to meet you,” she said, and Katherine stared.

“You are Miss Lowther?”

“None of that ‘Miss,’ please. I can’t stand it, even in the papers. Just Toupie. Or Captain Lowther, if you must.”

“Well, it’s an honor to meet you, Toupie,” Katherine said, putting out a hand, and Toupie shook it firmly. “You and your unit have become legends, you know.” 

That quick grin came again as Toupie climbed into the driver’s seat. “We don’t deserve  special treatment for just doing our jobs - but being a legend has a nice ring to it,” she said impishly, and Katherine laughed again.

“So who are you, and which sheet do you write for?” Toupie asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Katherine exclaimed. “Katherine Plumber Jacobs, reporter for the New York Sun.”

Toupie threw the car into gear and began to move, the other ambulances slowly falling into line behind her. 

“The Sun, eh? And you’ve been out here for three years?”

“With one furlough. I had to go home for a little while - my sister-in-law was in poor health,” Katherine explained, her face clouding over at the thought of Sarah. “I thought about staying, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave things undone here. It hurts to leave my family behind, but this is my job. This is where I have to be.”

“Tough girl,” Toupie said approvingly. “I have it easier than you, kind of - my family’s right here,” she said, giving a little wave out the window to the procession of ambulances. “I don’t have a lot of blood family, and I’m only really close to my mother and my goddaughter. The other people who matter to me are the ones I’m with every day. It makes a difference, when you’re doing work like this.” 

“I would imagine so,” Katherine said. “You all seem to be very close.”

“Nothing like a war to tie people together,” Toupie said, a trifle grimly, but then her face relaxed into a smile. “We keep each other cheerful.”

[liam-93-productions]

The kingpin of music is erupting in the spotlight with a fresh new set of notes, ones that are equally smart and dashing with style. Liam Payne, English-born singer and songwriter who soared through the charts as a member of the band One Direction, is writing a new chorus in unison with BOSS by Hugo Boss. Recently launching a capsule collection at Aventura Mall in synthesis with the opening of the brand’s first ever pop-up shop, Payne is powering up for a partnership that will take starry-eyed fans and wildly cool fashion aficionados “from the plane to the festival in style.”

Haute Living sat down with Payne to hear more on his role as the brand’s new global ambassador, his evolving taste for fashion and his master tips on creating a signature style.

HAUTE LIVING: Tell us about partnering with Hugo Boss as their new global ambassador and collaborating on a capsule collection for BOSS by Hugo Boss.

LIAM PAYNE: It’s been super exciting. Obviously getting to do things like this for me are quite unusual and kind of breaks away from the music a little bit, which is fun actually! It’s been a really fun experience—getting to sit and design clothes—and then finally now, a year in the making, seeing people wear the clothes, meeting all the fans and seeing them enjoy it. It’s amazing. My mom and dad went down to one of the shops in the UK and sent me pictures of all the windows. It’s quite exciting to see a whole new thing start.

HL: Growing up in England, has British-inspired fashion influenced your taste, design-wise?

LP: I think so. This is a heavily German fashion house, as well, and I think both worlds married up quite well towards where my fashion sits. The stuff that we make is very chill. There’s nothing over the top about it. It doesn’t have my name plastered all over it. I was very adamant that I didn’t want that because I want people to be able to buy it if they like the clothes, not just if they like me as well. If you’re a fan, you can enjoy it. If you’re not a fan, it’s still something you can buy and wear and you would never know the difference. I think that’s what is quite fun about the whole thing. But there’s definitely a touch of British fashion there and a lot of German fashion as well.

HL: Your collection reflects the signature chevron artwork. Why use the chevron?

LP: I was sitting down in a design meeting and they presented me with a bunch of different logos that they had been working on and there was one that just stood out to me very clearly. And as I sat downstairs, it was really amazing. I got to speak with Kim Jones, who is obviously one of the biggest fashion designers who’s ever lived, and I asked, ‘I’m designing at the moment for Hugo, is there anything you can tell me?’ He said it’s a bit like music. Once you have a hit, you’ll understand the whole process. And as soon as I saw that, I said ‘that’s the hit.’ I knew it worked.

HL: It’s common to make fashion mistakes. Since your time with One Direction, what was your biggest fashion mistake?

LP: Mine were in front of everyone! You can’t get rid of those pictures. I think my biggest fashion mistake, even though I really enjoyed it at the time, was my rapper gold chains phase, which was quite fun. I enjoyed it for what it was. But it wasn’t for me! I think the most important part of it is dressing for what suits you. Push your boundaries, but I overdid it. I went a little bit too far with it.

HL: How has your personal style evolved?

LP: I actually think my style has gone full circle to when I first started to learn about clothes, right as the band started. And then I went on a little journey and tried out a bunch of stuff, which I think is really important and people should definitely do and go experience, but just don’t take loads of pictures like I did because that’s just really awkward. But I think my fashion sense has gone full circle.

HL: Sporting classy, clever and unforgettably catchy looks throughout your career, which one was your favorite? Do you still have it in your closet?

LP: There’s a few suits that I’ve worn in the past few months actually that have been good. When we were in the band, we didn’t really get to wear many suits and it was quite funny that there was a paradox of one part of the job where I hated wearing suits, but then for me I always wanted to wear a suit somewhere. And the more suits we got to wear was quite fun. There was one outfit in particular that I wore when One Direction first went to Japan, promoting our film. I had a coat on and I was feeling myself that night. I still have it somewhere.

HL: Rapidly growing as a musician and designer, where do you see your career progressing in the future and do you predict both worlds will collide together?

LP: I have more music on the way, so that’s going to be quite fun and I think the more I learn about fashion, the more I’m falling in love with the design process. As soon as we shot the pictures for this first capsule I went home and starting designing stuff right away and they’ve let me change all different logos and all sorts of things for the next one, which is really cool. So I got a lot of freedom on that. Where it’s going to go in the next few years, I don’t really know. I would like to carry on working alongside Hugo. The marriage of the two brands together is just perfect at the moment. Hopefully they’re enjoying it as much as I am. I hope it’s something I can continue doing.

HL: Did you always picture yourself becoming a fashion designer?

LP: Never! When I was on my way to the first meeting with the designer, I was thinking about what was I going to tell people about designing clothes. I haven’t got a clue! But like I said, once you get in there and you actually think it through and you see things, you realize you know more about what you like than you thought.

HL: Jumping into the world of haute couture fashion, which brands can we see you collaborating with next?

LP: For this, I have another collection coming out next year. I have an underwear shoot that’s coming out very soon. And a couple other things I’m doing with Hugo. As far as other brands, I would like to do something more sporty, whether that’s with Hugo or not with Hugo I don’t really know. Probably accessories would be something else I would want to get into at some time point I think. Lots of great ideas!

HL: What’s your pro tip on creating personal style and not being scared of fashion?

LP: I think sometimes, it’s hard to differentiate between when something to you seems boring because it works so well to when you put something else on to try something new. It seems exciting, but then you might be going a bit too far with it. Usually, what’s boring and easy is actually the right thing to go for. For me, I always steered away from what was obvious. I think that’s the first way to go. And then just take inspiration from a bunch of people and things you like and then dress it yourself with your own individual take on it.

HL: What’s your individual take on your new capsule collection with BOSS by Hugo Boss?

LP: It’s quite smart actually! I didn’t realize I dressed as smart as I did.

HL: You initially mentioned your parents went to one of the shops in the UK to browse the windows. How did your parents feel about your new collection?

LP: They were very happy! My dad actually tried to phone me, but I was away somewhere, to talk to the people behind the desk. It was very cute. I think they’re really proud of it actually. It’s something that we all didn’t expect. It’s the best thing ever!

[onceinaugust]

Ranking David Rose’s sweaters in Season 2 of Schitt’s Creek

That’s right, I’m not stopping.

 In case you missed it, Click here to see my season 1 rundown of the best in David Rose sweater fashion . And by best of, I mean every sweater he wore, because who can choose only a few? 

But now we’re onto season two, where we’ve increased in number from 14 to 17 (just wait for season 3- it’s probably going to be broken into two posts), the fashion is getting a tiny bit wilder, and my despair at the emptyness of my bank account grows as I covet more and more of these sweaters. 

Onwards to Season 2: Still not sick of black and white sweaters

A recap of the rules:  I only rank each sweater once, even if it shows up in multiple episodes. I only look at what can be loosely described as a sweater- no button-ups, no t-shirts, no jackets. Cardigans count. Unfortunately, this means no amazing leather jacket from the first episode, no Don’t t-shirt, no hunting outfit, no pajamas, no baseball uniform in later seasons. Yes, I know, this hurts me too. But this is about my love for mainly black and white sweaters, so Here. We. Go.

First up, two quick honorable mentions to this jacket and suit because I just really like them, but they’re not sweaters, so they don’t count.

#17

This one was hard to make any of the details out on because it is such a solid matte black, but it has gathered fabric around the neck and all other details just blend in. (S02E05)

#16

I thought that this sweater was kind of unflattering and boxy, and altogether rather unremarkable for a David Rose sweater. (S02E07)

#15

This is probably by a famous designer, but all it looks like to me is the Detroit Tigers logo, and something about the off white of the inset square clashing with the cream of the stripes makes this a little off putting to me. (S02E02)

#14

It’s a poncho. (s02E05)

#13

Just in case you were worried after reading the season 1 post that there wouldn’t be a black sweater with only one part covered in a shiny faux leather (see elbow patch or shoulder patch sweaters), you can breathe easy as this season we have the entire front of the sweater covered in shiny material. It’s a little much, and doesn’t really go with those pants. (S02E10)

#12

I kept tabbing through pages of my spreadsheet swearing that I had seen this sweater in the first season, but it turns out David just has like two short sleeve shirts with stars on them as well. This is just okay. (S02E09)

#11

I must have flipped this shirt with the #10 choice 5 different times making this post. I like them both, but this one ended up just a hair worse just because we only saw David wearing it while riding a bike and I couldn’t get a true sense of fit. (S02E04)

#10

At first I wasn’t sold on this sweater, but then I noticed the subtle pattern on the black neckline portion, and now I want it very badly. (S02E04)

#9

While it reminded me a bit of the white/blue sweater that topped the S1 list, this sweater that closed out the season didn’t leave as lasting of an impression with me. It’s a bit of a Rorschach Test on the eyes- I see a weird cat man in the middle. What do you see? (S02E13)

#8

The length of this is really working for David (and for me). I thought it was going to be near the bottom as I watched the episodes to take screenshots, but it really grew on me, and it’s another one I really want. (S02E06)

#7

I love a fun geometric pattern, although I kind of wish it covered the whole sweater? Or maybe not, that might be too much. I really like it as is though. (S02E03)

#6

Numbers 6 and 5 were also incredibly close, but I ended up putting this tie-dyed sweater just a little bit lower because it reminded me of when tie-dye got cool for roughly six months when I was in high school and then I had about 10 shirts that I never wore again outside of volleyball practice. (S02E06)

#5

This is another say what you see sweater...I can’t stop staring at the eyes in the middle of his chest. But this really works for Dan/David and it looks great on. (S02E12)

#4

Believe it or not, it took until the second season to get to a sweater that has words on the front. I love this a lot (although not enough to pay 160 actual dollars to buy it). Please Dan, bust this back out in the fifth season with Patrick. (S02E01)

#3

I still love a good colorblocked sweater, even if there’s really no color to it. The shiny chevron that leads to two different colored sleeves works and I really hope this one comes back someday (maybe paired with a button up?)  (S02E11)

#2

Much like season one, there is a black/white fuzzy striped sweater right near the top, but couldn’t quite reach number one again. This looks so, so comfortable and got a bonus point for being the sweater in which David learns how to fold in the cheese.  (S02E02)

#1

It’s so ridiculous that it works, and lends itself to one of the most iconic Schitt’s Creek images. (PS, if you haven’t seen the WindowsXP wallpaper that the official twitter account made yesterday with this image, go to their twitter now. I made it my phone wallpaper and it brings me so much joy every time I see it). I know Dan has talked about how this was his dream piece of wardrobe to get onscreen, and you can see why. Who would have thought that you could put a mohawk on a sweater?  Also, I know the sunglasses aren’t a sweater, but they add so much to the look, it’s perfect. While I wouldn’t wear this ever, part of me wants to own it just for the absurdity. (S02E01)

And that’s another season down! What were your favorites? No color to be found at all this season- the flower sweater from the finale is probably the closest to actual color. To be honest, I think I might have liked the group from season 1 better on the whole than the season 2 group, but I can NOT wait for season 3. There are some amazing sweaters coming.

[pipermca]

How about Prowl and Magic for the Halloween prompts?

Magic

Rating: TContinuity: G1 Warnings: Brief description of “bloodletting” with a needle, teen-aged Prowlbeing a little shitAU: Alt Modes and Alchemy, takes place several years before The Renegade andthe Hound (minor spoilers for that story, but only if you think hard)

This is another story that totally got away from me in terms of length. :)

Putting truth to his designation, Prowl crept silently downthe darkened hallway and paused at the door of the alchemy lab. He held hisdoor wings out, feeling for any movement in the lab or down the hallway.

He could sense nothing. He was alone. Everything was goingaccording to plan.

Flicking his door wings happily, Prowl carefully opened thedoor and slipped into the lab. He closed the door behind him and palmed on theillumination. In the flicker of the lab’s lights, Prowl made his way to themain workbench and set down his bundled scrolls.

He had memorized the list of items he needed: copperfilings, mica flakes, solution of feldspar, calligraphy ink, a small iron disc,a crystal needle, a torbuk antler stylus, tongs, and an ampule. The last itemwas in a basket on the top shelf of the storage room, and Prowl had to drag astool across the lab to reach it. But finally he had everything assembled onthe workbench, and he reviewed the recipe he’d transcribed from the book inMaster Auger’s personal library.

Prowl took a deep vent and picked up the needle. He figuredthat he might as well get the unpleasant part over with first. Then hehesitated. It had sounded so simple when he’d read it the first time: simplypoke a hole in his glossa, and collect the energon on the stylus. He read the recipeagain. How much energon did he need? And did it have to come from his glossa?

After another read-through of the recipe, Prowl steeledhimself. Yes, it had to come from the glossa. That made sense: the glossahelped shape the words that came from the vocalizer. At least he didn’t need apiece of that.

He picked up the needle again, stared at it, and then set itback down. He slid off of the stool and ran across the lab to fetch the littlemirror the Master kept in his desk. After climbing back onto the stool, he lookedat himself in the mirror.

After staring at his reflection for a long moment, Prowlopened his mouth and stuck out his glossa. He lifted the needle and held it up.It’ll only hurt for a moment, hethought. Just a quick stab and it would be over. Still he hesitated, unable tobring the tip of the needle to his mesh.

This whole plan had seemed a lot easier when he was back up in his rooms.

Prowl closed his optics tightly and held the needle betweenhis digits tightly. On the count of three,he thought. One… Two…

“Whatcha doin’, Prowl?”

Prowl’s engine squealed and he whirled on the stool,dropping the needle in the process. Behind him, he saw the youngest princestaring up at him. The blue and silver youngling’s yellow chevron was barelyhigher than the workbench.

“What are you doing here, Silverstreak?” Prowl hissed, andslid off of the stool once more. He started hunting on the ground for theneedle he’d dropped. “Aren’t you supposed to be in recharge?”

“I’m returning the book Master Auger loaned me,”Silverstreak said, holding up a thick tome. The cover of the book read Beasts and Creatures of the Praxian Wilds.“I borrowed it so I could read about the hellhounds, but it was a little too…”Silverstreak hesitated, his door wings flickering back and forth, obviouslyunwilling to admit that he had been frightened by a mere book. “I didn’t wantthe book in my room anymore, so I’m bringing it back. Master Auger said I couldjust drop it off when I was done. So I’m dropping it off now.” He slid the bookup onto the workbench next to Prowl’s scrolls, then frowned at his brother.“You’re supposed to be in recharge, too. And…” Silverstreak glanced at thedoor, which was slightly open. Prowl caught a glimpse of a mech standingoutside the door. “Where are your guards? Redline didn’t think there was anyonein here because your guards weren’t outside.”

“I… was just making a quick stop here,” Prowl said quietly.“They didn’t need to come along.” Prowl left out the fact that he’d snuck downthe trellis outside his berthroom’s balcony so that his guards wouldn’t knowhe’d left them behind. Stooping to pick up the dropped needle, Prowl glared atSilverstreak. “And now that you’ve returned the book, you can go.”

Silverstreak’s optics had narrowed, and he crossed his armsover his small chest. “What’s with all the stuff you got out, huh? Why are youhere in the middle of the night?” he asked. “You finished your alchemy studieslast vorn, so you’re not doing schoolwork. You’re making something you’re notsupposed to, aren’t you?”

Prowl’s door wings were flicking up and down as his brothertalked. Fantastic. He knew that Silverstreak wouldn’t let this go now. If hetried to get his brother to leave, Silverstreak would just refuse, or – worse –he might tell someone what he saw Prowl doing. “I’m just… I’m makingsomething to help me with my studies,” Prowl said finally. “And yeah, Ifinished alchemy already, but what’s the point of studying something if younever get to use it?”

Silverstreak considered this, then nodded. “That makessense,” he said, then smiled. “Can I help?”

“No,” Prowl said with a soft vent. “But you can watch, onlyif you promise not to tell anyone.” Silverstreak nodded, grinning widely. “But keepyour voice down! And go close the door, ok?” Then Prowl paused. Silverstreak’sguard standing outside would be a dead giveaway that the prince was in the lab. “Wait. TellRedline to come in, then shut the door behind him.”

As Silverstreak ran back to the door, Prowl found a clothand cleaned off the needle. He briefly considered asking his brother to help bydonating his energon for the spell,but – Prowl shook his helm. No, this was his project. Besides, Silverstreakwould probably whine or cry when his glossa got pricked, and it was importantto stay quiet. He didn’t want the Master to wake up.

Prowl focused on his reflection again as Silverstreakclambered onto the stool next to him. Prowl stuck out his glossa once more, butfroze when he heard Silverstreak’s exclamation. “Prowl! You’re not going to…Energon cantrips are dangerous!” Silverstreakwhispered. His door wings sat straight up and quivered slightly as he stared atthe needle. “Master Auger said only experiencedalchemists should use recipes with fresh energon in them!”

With a growl of his engine, Prowl steadied the mirror again.“I’ve finished my studies, so I’m experienced enough,” he said, trying to soundconfident. “And it’s just a drop… Just enough to activate the energies in theother materials.” Then, before he could lose his nerve again, Prowl shut hisoptics and stuck the needle into his glossa.

It didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. A singleprick of pain, and it was over. Prowl realized that the buildup had been muchworse than the actual event, and he filed that information away for later.

He collected a few drops of his energon on the torbuk stylusas Silverstreak watched with wide optics. Then he smeared the bright energononto the iron disc and carefully started mixing the other ingredients in theampule.

It didn’t take long at all. Silverstreak peppered him withquestions as Prowl carefully dotted the disc with the mixed ingredients. Prowlanswered his brother as best he could, proud to show off his knowledge.

Prowl lit the workbench’s burner and used the tongs to holdthe disc in the flame. In a quiet voice he recited the cantrip from theMasters’ scroll. “Listen for me. Speak to me. Hear for me. Recite to me.” Heturned the disc over and heated the other side until it glowed a bright red.“Serve as my audial’s glossa. Remember the words of the past, and speak them inthe future.”

He carefully set the disc on the workbench for it to cool.Silverstreak peered at the disc, his door wings still held out behind him. “Thatseemed simple enough. What does it do?” Silverstreak asked quietly. He lookedup at Prowl. “I know it’s a charm of some kind, but I don’t think I’ve studied anythinglike this stuff yet.”

Gathering up the ingredients, Prowl said, “It’s a recordingdevice. It’ll listen to what the Masters say, and then repeat it back to melater, when I’m studying.” He set the jar of copper filings into its place onthe shelf. “This way, if I miss something in one of their lectures, I can justplay it back.”

Silverstreak slumped onto the workbench, and his door wingsdrooped slightly. “It figures you’d just be looking for a more efficient way tostudy,” he groused. “Here I thought you were making something fun.”

Prowl smiled as he slid back onto his stool. “Well, I thinkthis is fun,” he said. He tentatively touched the disc, then picked it up whenhe felt that it was cool enough to hold. “Now let’s see if it works.”

Ignoring Silverstreak as the youngling leaned closer, Prowltapped the center of the disc. His door wings wiggled in excitement when he sawthe disc begin to glow with a pale yellow light. “Ruby is red and sapphire isblue, I’ve grown the sweetest crystals for you,” Prowl recited softly, thentapped the disc again. The glow faded out.

Silverstreak stared at the disc. “How do you make it playback?” he asked, his door wings wiggling in almost the same way as Prowl’s. Hisearlier boredom with the charm seemed to have evaporated after seeing it inaction.

Prowl flipped the disc over and tapped the other side. Theyellow glow returned, and Prowl’s voice emanated from the disc. “Ruby is redand sapphire is blue, I’ve grown the sweetest crystals for you.”

“Neat!” Silverstreak’s door wings popped back up above hisshoulders. Prowl could almost see his younger brother’s processor coming upwith ways to use the charm in a prank on Smokescreen. “And can you make itremember more, or does it only remember one thing at a time?”

Prowl was about to reply when the charm repeated the sparklingrhyme it had recited before. “Ruby is red and sapphire is blue, I’ve grown thesweetest crystals for you.” It sounded a bit louder than it had been.

Frowning, Prowl tapped the disc, trying to make the glowfade out again. It only grew brighter… and still louder. “Ruby is red and sapphire is blue, I’vegrown the sweetest crystals for you.”

“It’s not supposed to do that, is it?” Silverstreak asked.He glanced at the door at the far end of the lab, which led to a stairwell thatwent straight up to Master Auger’s apartments. “Uh, Prowl, how do you make itstop? Or make it quieter?”

“I don’t know,” Prowl said, his door wings rising in alarm.“This is supposed to make it stop!” Prowl frantically stabbed his digit intothe disc, then tried the other side. Nothing he did seemed to have any effect.In fact, the rhyme got even louder.

“Ruby is red andsapphire is blue, I’ve grown the sweetest crystals for you.”

Looking up wildly, Prowl saw Silverstreak’s guard standingby the door, looking for all the world like he was trying to suppress a smile.Prowl glanced around the room, trying to find something to muffle the soundwith. When he couldn’t find anything, Prowl shoved the charm into hiscompartments. It did very little to muffle the sound; if anything, it seemed toamplify the voice.

“RUBY IS RED AND SAPPHIRE IS BLUE, I’VE GROWN THE SWEETEST CRYSTALS FOR YOU.”

Silverstreak had sidled his way off of the stool and half-walked,half-ran towards the door. “Um, well, I guess you’ve got some kinks to work outof that charm,” he said, raising his voice over the one echoing out of Prowl’scompartments. “Like you said, I should probably be in recharge, so… Let’s go,Redline! Night, Prowl!” Silverstreak yanked opened the lab’s door. Then hejumped back with a squeal when he saw there was a mech standing just outside.

“Your Highness,” said Trident. Prowl’s guard took a stepinto the lab, his optics sweeping the scene: Redline standing with PrinceSilverstreak near the door, while Prince Prowl sat on a workbench stool, curledinto a ball as he tried to muffle the voice coming from his midsection. Tridentcrossed his arms over his chest. “I see that you’ve made use of the trellisagain.”

“RUBY IS RED AND SAPPHIRE IS BLUE, I’VE GROWN THE SWEETEST CRYSTALS FOR YOU.”

“I’m sorry, Trident!” Prowl said over the booming voice. Hehopped off the stool and ran towards the door. “But not now! Just get me backup to my –“

A new voice thundered out from the far end of the lab. “Bythe wings of Primus, what is going on here?”

Everyone froze as Master Auger stormed out of the stairwellthat led to his quarters. He glared around the lab. Silverstreak stood halfbehind his huge guard, his door wings flat against his back and his optics wideas saucers. Trident still stood by the door, his arms crossed and a bemusedexpression on his face. And Prowl hunched over, desperately willing the charmto stop talking, or for the floor to open up and swallow him. Either one wouldhave been gratefully received.

“RUBY IS RED AND SAPPHIRE IS BLUE, I’VE GROWN THE SWEETEST CRYSTALS FOR YOU”

“What is that noise? Is it coming from you?” Auger strodeover to Prowl and stood in front of him with his hands on his hips.

Prowl slowly straightened from the partial crouch he was in.It took an effort, but Prowl spread his door wings wide and lifted his chin. Hepulled the charm from his compartments. “Yes, sir,” he said.

Auger held out his hand for the charm, and Prowl handed itto him. Auger held it up to his optic and looked at it closely.

“RUBY IS RED AND SAPPHIRE IS BLUE, I’VE GROWN THE SWEETEST CRYSTALS FOR YOU”

“A dictation charm, hmm?” He stared at Prowl until the youngprince dropped his optics.

Prowl nodded. There wasn’t any point in trying to lie to theMaster Alchemist.

With a grumble from his engine, Auger strode over to themercury tank against the wall and dropped the charm in.

“RUBY IS RED AND SAPPHIRE IS BLUE, I’VE –“

The charm was silenced instantly. Prowl’s door wings sank. That was all he’d had todo? That would have saved him fromthis trouble?

“You’re a good student, Prowl. I’m surprised you didn’tremember how to counteract minor charms,” said Auger, and smiled as realizationspread across Prowl’s face. “But I’ll deal with you in a klik. What are you doing here, Prince Silverstreak?”Auger asked, turning to the other prince. “Both of you know better than toenter my laboratory and use the equipment without permission. But I’mespecially surprised at you, Silverstreak, since we just finished going overlab safety a few cycles ago.”

Prowl could tell that Silverstreak was bravely trying toraise his door wings, but couldn’t quite manage it. He watched Silverstreakgnaw on his lower lip before saying, “I’m sorry, Master Auger.” Silverstreak’svocaliser quavered as he spoke. “It… it won’t happen again.” The youngprince’s door wings fell flat against his back again as soon as he stoppedtalking.

“He didn’t do anything with the charm, sir,” Prowl said.When Auger turned to face him, Prowl stood as tall as he could. “He justhappened to be here returning your book. The charm was all my doing.”

Out of the corner of his optic, Prowl saw Silverstreak givehim a grateful look.

Auger glanced at the workbench, where the book satforgotten, and nodded. “Off you go, Silverstreak,” he said. “But I expect youto be on time for your studies tomorrow.”

“Yes sir thank you sir good night sir!” Silverstreakchittered, then bolted from the room, Redline on his heels.

“As for you, Prince Prowl,” Auger said coldly, and Prowlfelt his spark sink. “Let’s see what you were up to.” The Master picked up thescroll that Prowl had transcribed and read it over.

Every moment of silence felt like a vorn to Prowl. He’d‘borrowed’ the book from the Master’s private library without permission. He’dtranscribed the recipe. He’d created a charm using fresh energon. He’d used thelab and the Master’s materials without permission. Prowl closed his optics andwaited. There was no way he was going to get out of this without some kind ofpunishment.

“Do you have any ideas about where you went wrong, Prowl?”

“Sir?” Prowl opened his optics and looked at the Master, whowas smiling at him. Prowl gaped at the Master. “Um…” Prowl’s door wingsswiveled as he thought. “No. I don’t.”

Auger set the scroll back down on the workbench. “You made asimple transcription error, and left out an ingredient… which you probablywould have noticed had we spent more time on energon charms. But you know oftheir danger… That’s why we didn’t study creating them in any depth.” Augersmiled. “My fault, I suppose, for not at least covering the basics of theircreation.”

Prowl blinked at Auger, unable to believe his audials.“Sir?” he asked again, and dared to lift his door wings.

“Which is not to say that you’re forgiven for using the labwithout permission, or for attempting to create an energon charm,” Auger said.He rolled up Prowl’s scroll and waved it at the prince. “But if you returntomorrow morning with Silverstreak, we’ll go over the basic components ofenergon charms… And we’ll review why you shouldn’t use them.” When Prowlnodded, he added, “And then I expect three scrolls of research afterwards fromyou explaining why energon charms should be avoided. If you do that, then… Idon’t think your sire needs to know about your little failed experiment here.”

Relief cascaded through Prowl like a warm oil bath. “Yes,sir!” Prowl said immediately. He bowed to the Master Alchemist. “Thank you verymuch, sir!”

“All right, get out of here. I think you’re going to get anaudial full from your guard next,” Auger said, smiling at Trident. One look atTrident told Prowl that Auger was probably right. “I’ll see you in themorning.” As Prowl turned to leave, he said, “Oh, and Prowl? Next time… Justask for permission.”

Prowl ignored the quiet chuckle from Trident. “Yes sir. Iwill. Have a good night.”

[blushlouise]

Those who suffer

(So I’ve been sitting on this for a while, unsure if I was going to post it. But I’m actually kind of happy with it. So this is a Les Miserables adaptation for Transformers, based closely on the songs from the musical.)

Prologue, part 1

The chain is heavy. Each link is as thick as his wrist, and it’s connected to the downed freighter with an eyebolt wider than his waist. He takes a tighter hold of his part of the chain, and waits. Around him, the other six mechs on his team do the same.

He dares a look back. The freighter is big, broken in the fall, wedged into the chasm. The many teams standing ready at the chains are the last chance to get it up intact. If this doesn’t work, they’ll have to start dismantling it.

As he watches, the air teams take off. Seven flight teams, each headed by one of the more powerful shuttleformers, each minded by a pair of dark green seekers. Their rifles are trained on the shuttleformers – he knows the chain is heavy enough that if the shuttles are incapacitated, the chain will drag the rest of the fliers back down.

Like him, the fliers are not simply carrying the chain. They’re all connected to it by thinner loops of metal running from their link of the main chain to their hips.

“So warm,” the dark mech behind him pants. “It’s hot as pit down here.”

It isn’t, really. He glances at the mech, sees the tell-tale signs that his coolant has run out a while ago.

This one won’t last long.

“Ready!” Their minder calls, glaring at them. “Raise the chain!” The call is echoed by the other guards. Like in the sky, there are two guards to a team – more than enough to mind a team of chained-up, beaten-down convicts.

The cannon-shot signal is louder than he had expected.

“HAUL!”

He hauls. They all do. Twenty ground teams and seven air teams, 189 half-starved, weary mechs in total.

The freighter budges slightly.

“Primus,” someone whimpers. “Primus hear me, it hurts so much, please. Primus, have mercy on me, I’ve done no wrong!”

“Primus doesn’t give a turborat’s aft about slaggers like you,” one of the guards snarls. “Now haul!”

They haul. Slowly, the freighter slides out of the chasm, and then tips over on the flat ground with an almighty crash. From the corner of his eye, he sees one of the flight teams pulled down by the sudden weight shift, notices what’s left of the ground team closest to the freighter pulling at their buried comrades. Behind him, the overheating mech collapses.

They’re not unchained, other than the half-buried team. The freighter isn’t clear yet. Instead, they’re told to sit where they are as their rations are distributed.

He looks down into the small cube. The energon is murky, full of impurities, and he’d dread the effect it will have on his tanks and systems if it wasn’t already too late to worry about that. He downs it quickly, not lingering over the taste. The guards have been known to come down hard on mechs that dawdle over their rations.

The overheated mech, already greying, is taken away. In his place, a slighter mech is chained down. A speedster-frame, by the looks of him. Might have been white, once, but now he’s too scuffed to make out anything but a blotch of color here and there. He’s a new addition, new enough to glare daggers at the back of the retreating guard.

“When my time’s up here, I’m gone,” he spits. “Won’t see nothing but the dust-trail in my wake.”

“No point talking like that,” the hulking mech at the front of the chain grunts. “You’re here until you deactivate, mech. Just like the rest of us.”

The mech who was praying whimpers. He’s curled into a shivering, trembling ball, energon untouched next to him. “How long? Please, Primus, I just want to die.”

The once-white mech eyes him. His energon ration, more precisely. “You gonna drink that, mech?”

There’s no response from the shaking ball of plating. After a moment, the speedster reaches out and snags the grubby cube, downing the contents quickly. The Primus-devoted doesn’t notice.

That one won’t last long either.

A sudden commotion close to the guard barracks draws all their attention. Two guards are approaching their chain, managing a large mech between them. He looks like a tank-former, and must be a recent addition – his plating is pitted, but hale, and he’s struggling.

Struggling is one of the first things they learn to give up.

The bulky mech at the front of the chain looks down as the guards stop in front of them. So do the others. Oh yes, they’ve learned their lesson well.

“24601,” the guard says. “Up you get.”

He looks up in surprise. “Sir?”

“You’re 24601, right? Get up. Boss wants you.”

He’s pulled roughly to his feet, the chains at his hip disconnected. The tank-former is chained in his place.

The others aren’t looking at him, but the lead mech on his team grunts as he’s pulled past the end of the chain. “Good luck, mech.”

There’s no point asking what’s going on. He knows he won’t get a response. He focuses on placing one pede in front of the other, not meeting anyone’s optics.

The guards march him into the main guardhouse. He’s mindful to keep looking at the floor, how it changes from the filthy gravel outside to even metal paving, scuffed and worn from use. After three turns and a long hallway one of his guards knocks on a door, and he’s pushed across the threshold.

“24601, sir.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

He chances a glance up, at the doorwinged mech seated behind the desk.

The captain.

This could be good, or very bad.

“24601,” the captain says, and he finds his gaze drawn by the mech despite himself. No looking down now, no matter how well it had been beaten into him. “You have served your sentence fully. As of right now, you’re on parole. Do you know what that means?”

He licks his lips. Parole? “You mean… I’m free?”

“No.” An elegant optic ridge lifts under a striking red chevron. “No, you’re not free. But you get to walk out of here with your yellow ticket-of-leave. You must obey the rules and regulations of parole, and it is a limited liberty of sorts. But it is not freedom.”

The mech stands up, wanders over to the window facing the wrecked freighter. It seems that they are pulling again. The downed transport is tilting even further, falling over slowly.

“Freedom is a benefit, not a right,” the captain says contemplatively. “It is something you must earn. You are a criminal, 24601. A thief. This benefit is not for you.”

“I stole a single energon cube,” he protests, all lessons to keep silent forgotten.

“You broke into a house,” the captain says, looking over his shoulder at him.

“I broke the window, I didn’t go inside!”

The cool look weighs him and finds him wanting. “That is the same thing.”

“Yer an arrogant prick,” he spits. “My sparkling was almost in stasis! We were starving, we had ta fuel!”

“And you will go right back to starving when you get out there,” the captain says, his temper finally showing. “You will starve again, 24601, unless you learn to obey the laws!”

“Oh, I know the laws,” he laughs grimly. “I spent nineteen vorn in here because of the fragging laws.”

Then he’s backhanded across the face, and it’s enough to knock him to his knees. The captain examines his white finger plating calmly. “Five vorn for theft and burglary. The rest for attempted escape. You shouldn’t have tried to run, 24601.”

He pushes up to one knee, then all the way up to his pedes. “My designation,” he snarls, “is Ironhide.”

“And mine is Prowl,” the captain says, walking back towards his desk. “You’d best remember that, 24601. I am the mech who will hunt you down if you break parole.” He picks up a datapad, hands it over. “Here. Download and implement that. And this is for you to carry.”

‘That’ turns out to be an edit to his ident-code, so that it pings as ‘convict-parolee’. He sneers at that. There is also a complete file of rules, regulations and limitations. And ‘this’ is the so-called ticket-of-leave - yellow, as promised, a small square of metal meant to affix to his plating. A non-permanent brand.

Ironhide already hates it.

“Take him away,” the captain says distantly, sitting down behind his desk again.

Ironhide grunts as he’s pulled around and dragged back out of the room. There seems to be no ceremony to this – he’s hauled outside by a different gate, uncuffed and placed on a transport.

The trip is short and uneventful, through dark tunnels and wide open fields broken through by chasms and ditches. In the end they arrive in a small town, and he’s pushed unceremoniously off the transport.

And gets to take his first invents as a free mech in over nineteen vorn.

It might not be freedom. But it feels like it.

[hogan19schmitt]

The Place To Buy Super Faux Birkin Bag? （unbiased Critiques From Hermes Expert）

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[livingcorner]

These DIY Trellis Ideas Add Beauty and Function to Any Kind of Garden

susandanielsGetty Images

Beloved by gardeners and greenskeepers around the world, the trellis is a mainstay of the gardens everywhere—the bones upon which the garden grows. They can take many forms and serve just as many functions, from simple structures meant to merely keep vining veggies from crawling across the dirt, to far more elaborate, studier designs that give shape and beauty to back patios, add a splash of floral color to otherwise plain walls, or provide shade and privacy to pathways. If you’re just looking for a basic trellis, you can often get away with simply buying a great trellis online or at your local garden store. But sometimes you want something a little more personalized — or cheaper. That’s when it’s worth taking (a small amount of) time to design and build your own trellis. To help you envision the perfect structure for your climbing plants, we’ve rounded up the best trellis projects from around the web, to match a wide variety of styles and purposes, from purely functional to easily elegant.

You're reading: These DIY Trellis Ideas Add Beauty and Function to Any Kind of Garden

Trellises, which often seem undeniably romantic, are a safe bet for inclusion in every great garden in the world. But it’s not necessary to pay a fortune for a beautiful, functional trellis. Whether you’re dreaming of an uncomplicated little support system for growing peas, or a stunning arbor laden with blooms that arches overhead, chances are, you can make it yourself— especially with the help of the following DIY trellis ideas. (And don’t forget to check out our best garden plans, landscaping ideas, and backyard ideas.)

1 of 22

DIY Pergola

Pergolas, also known as trellises and arbors, can be used not only as a support structure for crawling vines, but also to define outdoor spaces and create cooling shade. Before building yours, be sure to call your utilities offices and note the location of underground lines. You’re going to need to sink the footing to one-quarter the height of the post.

Get the tutorial at A Piece of Rainbow.

SHOP TIE CONNECTORS

2 of 22

DIY T-Post Trellis

This sweet, rustic little trellis can be made from simply two T-posts, poplar sapling twigs, and twine, though you can use zip ties instead of the latter for added strength. Use bigger branches on the bottom and smaller ones up top, alternating the thick ends on each row.

Get the tutorial at Chicken Scratch NY.

SHOP ZIP TIES

3 of 22

DIY Honeycomb Trellis

Lovely in itself, this hexagon-shaped honeycomb trellis will add serious zing to your property. Use a miter saw to make the hexagonal cuts, then mount the trellis onto a fence, making sure it screws into all the horizontal supports.

Get the tutorial at Mama Needs a Project.

SHOP MITER SAWS

4 of 22

DIY Fancy Trellis

This beautifully made trellis is suitable for showing off at the entrance to your home, especially draped with a flowering vine like clematis. Be sure to use pressure-treated lumber and stain and sealer so it stands the test of time.

Get the tutorial at HandyDadTV.

SHOP STAIN AND SEALER

5 of 22

DIY Clematis Trellis

Just about everybody loves the privacy tall fences bring, but they can also look fairly uninspiring. Jazz up your backyard barrier with a clematis trellis that will give flowering vines the support they need to climb high. For this project, cedar boards cut into short, 1 ½-inch-wide strips make the perfect trellis material.

Get the tutorial at The Handyman’s Daughter.

SHOP NAIL GUNS

6 of 22

Read more: Honeybee Swarm Nesting: Dealing With A Honeybee Swarm In The Garden

DIY Wire Wall Trellis

Shouldn’t all brick walls have at least a few vines crawling over them? You can help get picturesque greenery going on your brick with this wire trellis, which uses masonry anchors, eye hooks and cable wire to create a foundation for your plants to cover.

Get the tutorial at Salvaged Living.

SHOP DRILL BITS

7 of 22

DIY Trellis With Planter Box

Two projects in one, this trellis is mounted inside a handy planter. Even better, the box has casters mounted on the bottom, making it easy to move. Along with the casters, be sure to add drainage holes to the bottom of the planter to keep your plants healthy.

Get the tutorial at Deuce Cities Henhouse.

SHOP DRILLS

8 of 22

DIY Copper Trellis

You don’t need to be able to weld to assemble this delicate copper pipe trellis—just be sure have some Gorilla Glue at the ready. And think how lovely that copper will look draped in vines when it begins to weather to a pale green patina.

Get the tutorial at 33 Shades of Green.

SHOP GORILLA GLUE

9 of 22

DIY Trellis Ladder

Whether you’d like to use this to use this homey ladder as a true trellis, or as a support system for pails of posies and other seasonal decorations, it will be a lovely addition to your porch or patio. Craft it from black birch saplings or the limbs of other visually unique trees to give it extra appeal.

Get the tutorial at Ashbee Design.

SHOP PRUNING SHEARS

10 of 22

DIY Crisscross Wall Trellis

This elegant crisscross trellis can be used in the most formal of outdoor spaces to support climbing foliage like pink bower vines. If you have a fountain or artwork you’d like to highlight, think about leaving out the center “X” and placing the piece within the space, using the trellis as its frame.

Get the tutorial at Centsational Style.

SHOP STAPLE GUNS

11 of 22

DIY Rustic Trellis

Whimsical and deeply charming, this trellis is made with green saplings, which are bent into a hoop shape and wedged between large rocks for about two weeks, until they’re dry. The ends are then placed in wood inserts buried in the earth at either side of the walkway, the saplings lashed together with jute twine for extra stability.

Get the tutorial at Ellen Ogden.

SHOP JUTE TWINE

12 of 22

DIY Garden Obelisk

You can use this simple, cheery obelisk for everything from a tomato cage to a trellis for roses, depending on your needs. Easily assembled out of pine, it can be topped with a weather vane, or coated with protective tung oil instead of paint.

Get the tutorial at Flower Patch Farmhouse.

SHOP TUNG OIL

13 of 22

DIY Cattle Panel Trellis

A perfect space saver for those of us with little room to garden, this clever trellis made from metal cattle panels enables you to grow goodies like cucumbers, pole peas, and beans up instead of out. After trimming and halving the panel, use hog rings or cable ties to join them. This trellis saves space in the winter as well, by folding flat for storage.

Get the tutorial at Frugal Family Home.

SHOP HOG RINGS

14 of 22

DIY Pea Trellis

Kids will love to lend a hand making this adorable, tiny trellis for pea plants. After building the frame out of four bamboo poles joined by twine, run the twine up and down the frame, keeping it taut. With a little coaxing, the pea tendrils will take to the twine just fine.

Get the tutorial at Garden Therapy.

SHOP GARDEN TWINE

15 of 22

DIY Freestanding Trellis

Easy, efficient, and, at less than $5 for materials, incredibly cost-effective too—this trellis is built from just four 1 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. furring strip boards, glue, and brad nails. You can customize the size to suit the needs of your garden as well.

Get the tutorial at Hydrangea Treehouse.

Read more: The Pros and Cons of Square Foot Gardening

SHOP FURRING STRIP BOARDS

16 of 22

DIY Pea Trellis

Perfect for peas or any vining plant, this five-foot-tall trellis can also be built shorter or higher, depending on your needs. For slightly sturdier, thicker trellis, as seen here, you can use 2 in. x 2 in. boards.

Get the tutorial at Jen Gilday Interiors.

SHOP NAIL GUNS

17 of 22

DIY Trellis Wall

Pretty as a picture even without bougainvillea creeping over them, these expandable wood trellis panels create visual interest where there were once only a blank wall. If you’re planting something as leafy as bougainvillea, make sure to hang the trellises several inches from the wall, so the vines have space to grow around and through them.

Get the tutorial at Jenna Sue Design.

SHOP HAMMERS

18 of 22

DIY Trellis Planter

Practical, but smart-looking, these trellises will add weight and structure to your patio or porch. You can make the build faster and easier by using pre-fabricated latticework, but think about adding a frame made with 2 x 2 pressure-treated lumber around the trellis to give it a more finished look.

Get the tutorial at Love Grows Wild.

SHOP CIRCULAR SAWS

19 of 22

DIY Pallet Cucumber Trellis

Get your cukes off the ground and away from insects and diseases found in the soil with this quick, easy trellis made from a wood pallet. No tools are required—just bailing twine and two posts—and you can even plant another row of crops like lettuce and radishes underneath the pallet.

Get the tutorial at Lovely Greens.

20 of 22

DIY Chevron Lattice Trellis

Using the eternally-stylish chevron shape for lattice is genius, guaranteeing your garden will have a slightly modern flair—especially if you spray paint the trellis black. Add clay flower pots to the trellis with zip ties and go even bolder, ensuing you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood.

Get the tutorial at Remodelaholic.

SHOP MEASURING TAPE

21 of 22

DIY Garden Tools Trellis

This playful trellis doubles as garden art, and is a good use of broken or worn-out tools like rakes, hoes, shovels, spades, and the like. Simply chisel down the ends of the tools into a stake shape, next attaching cross slats made from scrap wood using glue or a nail gun. The more weathered the sculpture becomes, the more its charm increases.

Get the tutorial at Sadie Seasongoods.

SHOP CHISELS

22 of 22

Modern Trellis

Sleek and slim, these trellises offer simple, unfussy lines that contrast nicely with the heavier, more traditional raised planters installed beneath them. You can keep the look clean and bright by using two coats of an exterior semi-gloss paint; for extra ease, use a sprayer.

Get the tutorial at Yellow Brick Home.

SHOP PAINT SPRAYERS

Jill Gleeson Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network.

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Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

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[glaucophane]

Disappointment rex

As the new models for the alpha of Battle For Azeroth come out on Wowhead and MMO-Champion, I find myself more and more torn between two emotional extremes. On the one hand - and even though I exclusively play Alliance, who likely won’t spend much time in the zones populated by these creatures - a whole slew of new dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are slated to be added to the game, and I could not be more excited for the possibility of tracking down every one in the game world. And on the other, I am deeply, deeply disappointed - not necessarily by the models themselves, but in how badly the people from my field have been unable to communicate what dinosaurs actually look like.

There’s a major disconnect here between stuff that’s known to science, and what ends up filtering in to pop culture.

We’ve already seen this happen before with dinosaurs, with the backlash against the discovery of feathers on certain theropods - specifically on those belonging to Maniraptora, commonly known as “raptors.” While taken as a given in paleontological circles, this idea of feathered dinosaurs has been very slow to catch on in the world at large. The first confirmed feathered dinosaur was described in 1996: Sinosauropteryx, a small compsognathid dinosaur from China, was found with preserved feathers, and the evidence has only compounded since then. And yet we still see naked raptors in Jurassic World, hand-waved away by the progenitor story’s famous use of frog DNA to fill out a spotty genetic code sample. Populating a world with fleet-footed, giant-clawed, efficient hunters is somehow less cool when those same animals are covered in sleek plumage, it would seem.

But I’m straying from the thing that inspired this essay. The thing that’s really just stuck in my craw. The thing that’s been gnawing at me: devilsaurs. If there’s anything that highlights just how badly we’ve cocked up showing the world what dinosaurs look like, it’s the new undead devilsaur model. Because, somehow, it’s more boring than the real things.

While I doubt that the models were accurate before now, having an animate skeleton to look at makes the disconnect between science and pop culture clear as day. I could nitpick at length about how the third digit on the thing’s hand makes my eye twitch, or how the arms are held in an anatomically impossible way, how the shoulder girdle is completely misplaced on the body, that the hips sit too low on the body, and on and on ad nauseum. But there are two things that I think are far more worthwhile to point out:

the absence of gastralia on the skeleton, and

the repetition of the square-ended neural spines and chevrons

The first is a clear example of the disconnect, and I know precisely how it came about. The gastralia, or gastral basket, are a series of “belly-ribs” found in multiple theropod groups, including tyrannosaurs, oviraptors, and compsognathids. They may have aided in breathing but, in spite of their importance, they are frequently left off of skeletal mounts in museums. This is partly a practical decision, because the gastralia are thin and fragile relative to the rest of the body. But perhaps more than that, the exclusion of gastralia has led to a perception of dinosaurs that are far skinnier than science knows them to be. Regardless of whether or not it’s based on T. rex or Allosaurus, the devilsaur is missing a good chunk of its body.

The second is as much a violation of good artistic design as it is bad skeletal anatomy, and also where the design really hits the brakes on my excitement. In a nutshell, the more times an element is repeated, the more it fades into background noise. This is somewhat broken up by slight color variations on the model, but not enough to make it any less dull. And, in an ironic way, it makes the creature seem less like it belongs on Azeroth than the actual creatures from Earth.

The neural spines - the part of the individual back and tail bones that stick upward - and the chevrons - a series of V-shaped bones that attach to the underside of the tail - are not so static on real theropods as they are on the zombie devilsaur. On a Daspletosaurus, between 1/4 and 1/3 of the way down the tail, the neural spines begin to taper backward, becoming more swept-back, while the prezygapophyses - the forward-facing knobs of bone that help keep vertebrae aligned - grow in length and sweep forward. The chevrons below progressively transform from being knife-shaped to being shaped like axe blades, and then finally more like straight razors near the tail tip. The look of the current devilsaur is one of stasis, of tedium, while real-life tyrannosaurs were far more slick and fluid. The art design would rather swap a series of Chiclets for a series of backward-swept blades and forward-swept pikes, which is so far removed from the Warcraft that puts spikes on damned near everything.

I really don’t know where to go from here. I have my doubts that a massive company like Activision-Blizzard is going to be swayed by the likes of my puny blog, and that isn’t even my intent in putting this out here. And as much as this could be written off as venting from an unpleasable fan from a notoriously unpleasable fanbase, it’s not that either. I know I’m one of the few people on Earth that gets to regularly work with these incredible extinct beasts, these creatures that have captivated us for two hundred years, and I want to share that knowledge and experience instead of hoarding it all.

At a time when “well, actually” is the fastest way to identify a pedant with nothing worthwhile to contribute, I don’t want this venting into the void to amount to nothing but nitpicking. More than anything, I hope that this kind of art criticism can be a jumping-off platform, a way to make inroads into bridging the gap between the thing I’ve devoted myself to - paleontology - and the things that I play to unwind after a long week in the lab - video games.

[arplis]

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Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/minimalist-3-tier-tray

[rikrakyarnncrafts]

Playdate: A Baby Knits Collection

I make no secret of how much I love, love, LOVE tiny babies and their tiny baby clothes. The look on my face and audible squeal I make whenever I see a new human in a grownup looking garment is also kind of a giveaway, too. Imagine my delight when I learned we were planning a baby knits collection for this spring! Hoo-boy. It was some next-level excitement.

Designer: Quenna Lee

First things first—is there anything more heart melting than a little one in a teeny knit cardigan? I think not. This new collection offers several versions of this wardrobe staple to choose from! One such project is the Baby Graphic Cardigan, featuring the classic top down raglan shape, complete with triangular side panels knit in squishy Garter stitch.

Designer: Stana D. Sortor

Keep those little heads cozy and warm with the Little Lamb Hat, knit in our new oh-so-soft cotton Snuggle Puff yarn.

Designer: Sandi Rosner

Even little ones need a few statement pieces, like the ultra-hip Round Yoke Cardigan. With a mini chevron pattern at the neckline, this classic cardigan will have your babe stylin’ and profilin’.

Designer: Michele DuNaier (Bumpy Bear Hat) Designer: Holli Yeoh (XOX Pullover)

A simple textured hat that looks like a bear? SOLD. The Bumpy Bear Hat is a simple and quick knit that looks adorable on kids of all ages. Pair with the XOX Pullover, and watch as the cuteness level goes off the charts.

Designer: Kristen Jancuk

Whether playing in the sand on a day at the beach or just getting some quality tummy time in, this cotton Romper is the perfect outfit to keep your little ones feeling footloose and fancy free.

Designer: Triona Murphy

Is your little one headed to a formal snack time between nursery school alums? The gender neutral Moreland Pullover fits the bill for when baby needs to look their most adorable & distinguished self.

Designer: Sherrie Kibler

Kitten toy + playful baby = Instagram fodder for days! The Puppy & Kitten Toys are knit in ultra durable CotLin DK yarn, giving them the ultimate quality: machine washability.

Designer: Tiam Safari

At the end of a long day of self discovery, giggles, and joy-inducing cuteness, nothing sounds better than naptime with your favorite blankie (very relatable). The Triangles Pom-Pom Blanket is modern comfort for today’s baby. Sporting a fringe of über-cool faux-fur poms, your favorite little is sure to adore this blanket for years to some.

There you have it. Baby clothes are cute and babies are even cuter*. That’s just science, BTW. Want to see all of the precious pieces of Playdate? You can here!

*The opinions expressed here are solely those of Kate Millard. But seriously folks, how cute are babies? Amiright?

The post Playdate: A Baby Knits Collection appeared first on KnitPicks Staff Knitting Blog.

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[frogsandfries]

Guys, I have a problem

Back story: When I stopped working on the galaxy curtains, I just kind of folded them up and moved on. Then I started working on the striped curtains, and I guess I got distracted working on a thermal curtain, and my dad found a temporary alternative to that situation, so I put that away too.

So the whole point of that is that when I started working on the galaxy curtains again, I’d left a needle with them.

I just found one of my thermal curtains (now where’s the other?).........and it’s got a needle with it. Now I have two needles.....

Where do all these needles keep coming from?? There was even a needle in my driver’s seat cupholder, which, y’know, I don’t drive, and I don’t really drink when I’m riding around, so my cupholders are kind of like junk drawers. Well, I’ve got my needle book now, so I’m just going to start rounding up my needles in one designated place.

I guess now that I’ve found it, I’m going to finish that thermal curtain. I have all this green-striped fabric that I bought when I thought we were using the shell, so I guess I’ll just use it to back some of my thermal curtains.

Hmm, now that I’m on the subject, I only have two of these curtains........ Should I try to buy more fabric like this, or should I go for something different? This is sort of something I debated all winter: Is it too much to have different patterns on each side or group of windows? I don’t want to go to all the effort of making all these curtains with different patterns only for the space to be too busy, or to make a whole set of curtains that I don’t like in the context of the space.....ugh....what to do......? Well, I could try.....like....a color palette? I’ve really been leaning toward...well, violet, which I find amusing. I mean, the privacy curtains for the windows are blue striped, and the as-yet unascribed curtains are green-striped (can I just say, how cool is is that I’ve got these three different patterned fabrics, the dashed stripe blue, which looks really similar at a glance to the solid stripe blue, and the solid stripe blue is literally the same pattern, different color palette as the green striped fabric). But the galaxy curtains are violet, and this thermal curtain pair is violet. Maybe I could go for.....hmmm......like...a tropical green pattern for the front half? Or maybe a solid or gradient green? Or.....hmmmmmm.... It would be lucky if I could find a green with a similar theme to the violet thermal curtains. Would it be too much to go for yellow/yellow-green?

Well, I supposed I’ll just get a photo of all my curtain sets together, and use that when I go hunt for the next pattern. I really don’t want to see the stripes from inside, but given that the blue stripe fabric is my privacy curtains, and they let the light in, I do see them anyway. I really just chose the fabric initially, because the van is striped on the outside, like those runner stripe things, just like four or five close set stripes that are kind of actually flaking off and I won’t miss them when they’re gone. But anyway, the blue stripes just seemed really, like, bland, they wouldn’t call too much attention when the sun shines directly into the window and you can see the fabric clearly through the window, which happens, so really, even though the windows are tinted, it doesn’t actually mean a whole lot 24/7. So I’ve got this really vague fabric that seems appropriate to the van, and that just keeps out prying eyes, and actually, it doesn’t really bother me when the curtains are open, but I think having stripes like, inside the living space would irritate me. I dunno, it’s like, the privacy curtains are right-side to the window, so really, the reason the stripes don’t bother me is that I always see the wrong-side of the fabric and unless the sun is shining directly in the window, the stripes are kind of faint, and that’s a big contributor to why the curtains don’t bother me.

I guess the easiest and strongest option would be white. I had these great white chevron blackout curtains in the bus, but now those specific curtains are tainted with rabbit allergens, and probably not even white anymore, because the curtains were against the wall and so were the rabbits. Blech. Anyway white curtains would blend right....into the wall, now that that’s outside of my head, that’s a bad idea. It would feel like there are no windows. Yellow would be cheerful.....but yellow is literally the opposite of purple....what would that do to the space....?

Oh crap....I have to make curtains for my loft window/s and the thermal curtain that I want to make the space more cozy and especially keep the warmth in during winter, when I might not want to run a heater all night. Or in the future, if my kid is taking a nap, or I’m not feeling well (like, when I have a migraine, all I want is darkness), or I guess when my kid isn’t feeling well too. So at least the divider curtain is going to need to jive with the lower curtains, and I can probably chose a totally different color theme for the loft.

I have to plan and purchase windows for the extension. Obviously, I want the loft to have at least one window; I like the idea of at least one or two really long, thin windows in the ceiling, but I have an idea of what a pain in the butt it might be to make curtains for the ceiling, but also curtains in the ceiling probably wouldn’t be as demanding as any window someone might be able to see into. I definitely need curtains in my cooking space, for any time that I can look out of my window while I’m cooking or doing chores.

Maybe I could arrange two windows in the loft: One on the rear of the van, and maybe one in the ceiling over the loft. Hmm, if I’m going to line the roof with solar panels (at least four of these medium ones from Menard’s, but maybe six, it might depend on how I use energy in my van), it might prove futile to have windows in the ceiling, but I could pretty much just line the extension with windows. Given the height of those windows, I could forgo privacy curtains....well, when I’m not somewhere someone could be higher than those windows....Lots of curtains....llllloooooootttttttssssssss of curtains, lots of fabric. So much fabric. I haven’t even discussed the cushion/pad for the futon or my loft, or my clothes--I’m keeping my whole wardrobe, till I get pregnant. Actually, maybe through raising my kid. I’ll find somewhere to put two peoples’ worth of clothing. I mean, kids grow so fast, I’ll be swapping clothes at Goodwill all the time for like ten years anyway, so they won’t even need a lot of clothing. And I’ll just wear out what I have, so eventually I won’t have so much after a while. Just on another tangent for a moment, I may actually not keep those totes, or I may lend them to my sister, let her keep the girls’ clothes in it, but she has to agree not to let it get broken, and not sell it.

[georgeycowell]

On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018

In February, I created a booth for Rust-Oleum at the first-ever Workbench Con. And in true UDH fashion, it became a crazy story all its own.

For more than eight years (April 1st was my blogiversary, actually), I have spent time regularly updating this blog, (mostly) all about my ups and downs of DIY home remodeling. It’s been about individual projects aplenty, but most of all, it’s been about the journey. It has taken years to build a home I love, and there’s more yet to do. Through that, I created a business I’m passionate about. And even more astonishing to me, I created a brand that is recognized by companies I admire.

And? That’s all super, super surreal. Frequently. Because things come at ya fast, and you wind up saying yes to things you can still fail at because you’ve never really done them before. That’s how I wound up building a brand booth at a conference that took over my kitchen and living room and made my new roommate wonder what the hell he’s gotten himself into.

Booth & conference backstory

Over the winter, I was asked by Rust-Oleum — a brand that I’ve used so. many. times. and even featured as some of my first projects — to build their booth at the first-ever Workbench Con in Atlanta, GA. You guys have heard me talk about Haven before, and this conference is sort of like its rough-around-the-edges cousin. More focused on woodworking, set up in a warehouse instead of hotel ballrooms, and more influencers of all kinds (Haven is mostly blog-focused, while this also drew YouTubers and Instagrammers and such, who collectively refer to themselves as “makers”).

For a new conference, I didn’t really know what to expect or what other brands might be bringing to the table. I mostly had Haven as reference, which meant I needed to bring my A-game! I knew Rust-Oleum had previously asked bloggers to create booths for other conferences in the past, such as when Bower Power did it for Haven in 2016. I never thought I’d ever get an opportunity like that.

They asked me to help with the event since I was local, and sent me a few of their ideas to work with. I came back with my design concept, and they agreed! Part of what I was commissioned to do was to showcase some specific new products. One of these is a product designed to chemically mimic the look of aged wood (I nerded out a little with some of the Rust-Oleum reps while setting up, and they have some real smarties in product development). Neat.

Rising above self-doubt

As you might expect, when faced with a totally new challenge and completely unanticipated circumstances, I had a lot of self-sabotaging thoughts leading up to the conference.

I’m not really “into” farmhouse/rustic style, and didn’t know if I could take my own style and still give Rust-Oleum something that would showcase well. After all, this was about them making their product look good, and I really wanted to do that job well. (I later changed my mind about the product once I started using it, and may even like it better than regular stain now.)

I was intimidated by the fact that the conference was targeting woodworking experts; would my beginner-level skills hold up to their discerning eyes?

I’d never built furniture meant to be transported before; what if the whole darn thing fell apart before I even got there? Exactly how crazy am I to agree to this?

Still, with a whole lot of ambition — and perhaps naive enthusiasm — I said yes. I gratefully said yes, because it sounded like something that would be too cool to pass up. I knew I would always regret turning it down… and would challenging myself be so bad? As long as I put in the work, I would gain new experience and possibly the chance to shout “Look at what I made!! It’s so cool!!!” from the rooftops.

Battling fear with research

As I do with my house renovation projects, I went into research mode. I asked the event organizer for a breakdown of what was to be expected, and to physically see the warehouse before the event to get a better minds-eye for what I needed to do. I even called Katie from Bower Power to get her behind-the-scenes take at Haven; I furiously took down notes and came up with my game plan.

Getting to work

Rust-Oleum sent a huge shipment of products to my door to help me create the booth. The overall plan involved living elements, lighting, and lots of texture. From Rust-Oleum’s product line, I used stain, the wood accelerator product, and lots of spray paint.

Here’s where the first part of my plan goes awry, though: it was a few weeks before the conference, and the weather predicted nothing but RAIN until the day of. For weeks!! And I really needed to work outside with stain and spray paint. My kitchen had just undergone a mini-makeover with new appliances, and the garage was full of the old ones until I could sell them off. My boyfriend was right in the middle of moving all of his stuff into the house, and we’d just cleared out the guest bedroom for renovation. I had basically no workshop, and without the weather cooperating, no option to work outside. Womp-womp.

I waited as long as I thought possible (in vain), hoping the weather would allow me to stain and paint outside. Short of that, I started building in the living room.

The living room takeover

Starting with the back of the booth, I built frames out of 2x4s and ripped down large sheets of 1/4″ oak plywood into strips. I matched them all up to form a chevron pattern on each wall segment.

The general idea was to build in sections. This way, I could lift and move them into the warehouse myself. About a day before the conference, the sky gave me a short reprieve so I could cut down the plywood overhanging each segment and stain them all. I know this will sound like a cheesy product plug to say it, but part of the reason why I like Rust-Oleum/Varathane stains is because of the short dry time. This was probably not the exact reason for engineering them that way, but it made the difference between finishing and not finishing on time.

The kitchen takeover

With the panels for the back wall taking up all available space in the living room, I created the booth table and storage in the kitchen.

Creating the chevron pattern for the wall meant cutting off excess along the sides of each panel. These leftover cutoffs didn’t go to waste. Instead, I tacked them onto the front of the booth to create a layered wood effect. This was partly inspired by the West Elm store in Ponce City Market, one of my favorite local spots with that same industrial-chic vibe (lots of shops and really unique eateries).

For the top and front of the booth table, I used pre-painted MDF for the trim and stained the plywood with the new aged wood accelerator. This is where I was pleasantly surprised: I loved the look! It’s water-based and went on beautifully, no matter how sloppy I had to get to fit my brush into all the little nooks and crannies of the layered wood. Unlike stain where you would wipe on/off, with this you just put it on and let it work its magic. Truly fun to see it work into the wood grain and the rich color it creates.

The hallway takeover

For the back wall, I was tasked to show off some of Rust-Oleum’s spray paint line. I was eager to use my new scroll saw that I received for Christmas, so I cut out each letter of Rust-Oleum’s logo and mounted it to a wooden sign. The letters were spray painted white, while the back was metallic. I thought it fun to make the square grid of their logo carry the living element theme, so I placed succulents inside (to be mounted when installed).

There were other little extras, like converting some square planters into wall mounted ones, getting each piece ready to assemble and hang day of, etc. I just barely finished in time. Even though I’m proud of what I accomplished, I will always wish I could have done more.

The booth!

The day of installation, it was a mad rush to load everything onto a rental truck (K had helped me load a few items the night before, but there were still lots of big pieces to load next day on my own — and unload, of course!), wheel it all into my designated booth spot, and set up. And here it is!

I also want to say a special thank you to my friends, Charlotte (yes, my Dueling DIY nemesis!), Erin Spain, and Yuni from Love Your Abode for helping me finish! They came by for some words of encouragement and to say hello, and got roped into helping (knowing full well I’d put ’em to work). Thank you, ladies!

I took a few super-short clips while I was at the conference (mostly shared on Instagram stories), so I was able to extract a short video clip of the booth as well.

Here’s the crazy part

The rest of the conference went by in a flash, and it was just as most conferences tend to go: lots of meeting new people, lots of seeing familiar faces, and lots of learning. It was a great conference, and I’m planning on coming back in 2019!

As part of building the booth for Rust-Oleum, they also wanted me to disassemble after the conference and drop it off to one of their local buildings for future use (part of the reason I tried to build things in separate parts, so it could be shipped later). Right after the conference closing ceremonies ended and all the giveaway prizes were handed out, I grabbed my rental truck and returned back to the booth to take it apart. Only part of it had mysteriously been done for me. It cracks me up now, but in the moment, I was panicked.

Somehow, in the chaos of the other brands taking apart their booths, there had been a miscommunication that Rust-Oleum had left their booth behind for the conference crew to take apart. Who, in turn, encouraged attendees to take as much as they would like home with them (makes sense, since it’s less work to haul away). Since I had made everything deliberately to be taken apart in pieces for shipping, I suppose I made that extra easy. So the plants, planters, and all the smaller decorative items, including the lights on the back wall, had all disappeared.

I called the Rust-Oleum team to let them know of what happened, and later even learned of where some of the items wound up (one of the conference attendees even sweetly offered to ship me back what they had taken after seeing my post on Instagram, wishing a new happy life to the objects that had walked away ).

I swear, this is the kind of thing that would only happen to me. I am forever grateful for this experience — even the nutty story.

Two inspired pieces

But, the story doesn’t quite end there. Remember how I thought my wood carving project for the Wood Art Challenge might crash and  burn? I still had a bunch of scrap plywood left over, so I thought it would be perfect for a backup art piece, just in case the carving failed and I needed something else in time for the challenge.

Originally, I was planning on making that inspired art piece and a short recap of the conference as one post. But as you can see, the story got… a little long. So, I’m splitting the two, and you can find that second post right here. You don’t want to miss it. I LOVE this new art! It fits perfectly in my home office.

I actually have a third related post in store that is also inspired by my booth. The white planters you see hanging on the wall of the booth is an Ikea hack, so that will be shared soon too. After making them the first time, I really wanted some for the house. That’s a little further down on the priority list until I get more of the shed done, though. So go click over to the air plant wall art post. I hope you enjoy!

The post On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018 appeared first on Ugly Duckling House.

More Where That Came From

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Haven Highlights: A Lengthy Recap

Haven Conference in Atlanta

Ten Hilarious Things I Learned at Haven

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[liam-93-productions]

Liam Payne on tracksuits and his first Hugo Boss collection

Liam Payne found fame as one fifth of One Direction but can he cut it in fashion? He talks to Emma McCarthy about tracksuits and talking shop with Vogue’s editor-in-chief. - Evening Standard UK

It’s approximately 24 hours until Liam Payne’s design debut is revealed but already he’s in possession of a little black book to rival that of a fashion industry stalwart.

“I’ve made a lot of friends in the industry,” says the 25-year-old Wolverhampton-born pop megastar, who found fame as one-fifth of boy band behemoth One Direction, when we meet on a grey, grizzly day in London a fortnight ago.

We’re here to discuss the imminent arrival of his capsule clothing line for Hugo — the young, cool, image-conscious arm of German style juggernaut Hugo Boss — which is due to be celebrated with a star-studded party in Berlin tomorrow night, before launching on Instagram on Thursday and in stores on Friday.

Among his closest confidants is British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who he first met “at the same time as Anna Wintour”. Casual. “I was like ‘woah, what’s going on?’,” he says, eyes wide in mock panic. “But I don’t like to hover so I went over and said hello and left as quickly as possible to avoid saying anything stupid.” Since then he has come to regard Enninful as a firm friend and mentor, from hobnobbing with fashion’s inner circle at Chiltern Firehouse’s legendary after-parties — “the best fried chicken is there” — to ringing in the New Year on holiday together in Africa. He also recalls bonding with Idris Elba on the front row of a Versace fashion show in Milan and swapping design tips with Dior menswear superforce Kim Jones. “He said to me, ‘it’s kind of the same as music — once you have a hit and you know what you’re doing, everything becomes a little bit easier’.”

So is he ready for fashion’s frontline? “I’ve got a long way to go before I could be considered a style icon,” he concedes. Though the collection — a polished 10-piece range of T-shirts, trainers and tailored trackpants which expertly cater to the modern man’s smart-casual sensibility — suggests he’s come a long way from the X-Factor fashion cupboard. “When we were in the band, everybody had their thing. I was the guy in the patterned shirt. Louis had the trousers with the Tom’s, and no-one could wear stripes because he did. I haven’t worn a stripe since I was 15. It’s funny now looking at how everyone’s style has changed. Growing up as famous as we were, you can’t get away with all the fashion mistakes you’ve made over the years.”

I ask for specifics. “There’s a shot of me wearing this furry thing with no T-shirt and sunglasses on — inside — and red jogging bottoms. I don’t know what was going on that day,” he laughs, also remembering a fondness for wearing huge gold chains around his neck. “I think there was a part of me that enjoyed that the way I was dressing was annoying people — I was like, I’m going to get abused whatever I wear. Before, I used to hide behind my clothes, rather than putting them on and being myself. But you soon figure out what works. Now I’m more confident.”

There’s a self-assured quality to the collection too. A chevron design, which is laced into the logo and trimmed onto shirt pockets, is lifted from an early tattoo on his right forearm — “it was a mistake at the time but I didn’t want to tell this big, muscular biker guy that it was too big” — while the double zipper pocket which features on the joggers is inspired by Payne’s perpetual habit of breaking his phones.

Just as Hugo Boss straddles the worlds of streetwear and tailoring, so too does Payne. Today he’s dressed in a slim-fitting polo top which does justice to his jiu-jitsu-honed physique — he’d been training before we meet — with suit trousers and boots. He’s a big fan of a suit — an affection harboured through binge-watching Peaky Blinders — and describes his style now as laidback yet considered, adding “I don’t find myself leaving the house in joggers and trainers any more unless I’m going to the gym”.

(...) 

He speaks openly and with refreshing honesty about how an adolescence spent in the company of one of the biggest boybands on the planet has led to a life where even the simple act of shopping can prove a source of anxiety. “Sometimes I get high-pressured in shops now, like I’ll pick something up and stand in the queue, then I’m sweating but I don’t know why, so I put it back and walk out. Sometimes it just gets the best of me. I’ve had such a weird life in that sense.” At its worst, Payne’s anxiety led to him avoiding social situations altogether, something which he says his friendship with Enninful has helped to overcome. “At first I struggled going out. I developed this agoraphobia thing where I would stay at home and not meet anyone. Before, I was in my little comfort zone, buffering people away, but Edward was a massive help for me. He’s just so confident.”

When he needs to relax, you can often find him in the gym. “Going to the gym is grounding for me because it’s the one thing I have control over that’s totally up to me. When everything else in your world is so micromanaged it’s nice that that’s my thing,” he says, pointing out a gash on his chin from today’s training. “There’s going to be more music coming very soon,” he teases, before dashing off the studio. Jiu-jitsu disciple, megastar and style icon in the making — it sounds like he’s bossing it.

[darensmurray]

On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018

In February, I created a booth for Rust-Oleum at the first-ever Workbench Con. And in true UDH fashion, it became a crazy story all its own.

For more than eight years (April 1st was my blogiversary, actually), I have spent time regularly updating this blog, (mostly) all about my ups and downs of DIY home remodeling. It’s been about individual projects aplenty, but most of all, it’s been about the journey. It has taken years to build a home I love, and there’s more yet to do. Through that, I created a business I’m passionate about. And even more astonishing to me, I created a brand that is recognized by companies I admire.

And? That’s all super, super surreal. Frequently. Because things come at ya fast, and you wind up saying yes to things you can still fail at because you’ve never really done them before. That’s how I wound up building a brand booth at a conference that took over my kitchen and living room and made my new roommate wonder what the hell he’s gotten himself into.

Booth & conference backstory

Over the winter, I was asked by Rust-Oleum — a brand that I’ve used so. many. times. and even featured as some of my first projects — to build their booth at the first-ever Workbench Con in Atlanta, GA. You guys have heard me talk about Haven before, and this conference is sort of like its rough-around-the-edges cousin. More focused on woodworking, set up in a warehouse instead of hotel ballrooms, and more influencers of all kinds (Haven is mostly blog-focused, while this also drew YouTubers and Instagrammers and such, who collectively refer to themselves as “makers”).

For a new conference, I didn’t really know what to expect or what other brands might be bringing to the table. I mostly had Haven as reference, which meant I needed to bring my A-game! I knew Rust-Oleum had previously asked bloggers to create booths for other conferences in the past, such as when Bower Power did it for Haven in 2016. I never thought I’d ever get an opportunity like that.

They asked me to help with the event since I was local, and sent me a few of their ideas to work with. I came back with my design concept, and they agreed! Part of what I was commissioned to do was to showcase some specific new products. One of these is a product designed to chemically mimic the look of aged wood (I nerded out a little with some of the Rust-Oleum reps while setting up, and they have some real smarties in product development). Neat.

Rising above self-doubt

As you might expect, when faced with a totally new challenge and completely unanticipated circumstances, I had a lot of self-sabotaging thoughts leading up to the conference.

I’m not really “into” farmhouse/rustic style, and didn’t know if I could take my own style and still give Rust-Oleum something that would showcase well. After all, this was about them making their product look good, and I really wanted to do that job well. (I later changed my mind about the product once I started using it, and may even like it better than regular stain now.)

I was intimidated by the fact that the conference was targeting woodworking experts; would my beginner-level skills hold up to their discerning eyes?

I’d never built furniture meant to be transported before; what if the whole darn thing fell apart before I even got there? Exactly how crazy am I to agree to this?

Still, with a whole lot of ambition — and perhaps naive enthusiasm — I said yes. I gratefully said yes, because it sounded like something that would be too cool to pass up. I knew I would always regret turning it down… and would challenging myself be so bad? As long as I put in the work, I would gain new experience and possibly the chance to shout “Look at what I made!! It’s so cool!!!” from the rooftops.

Battling fear with research

As I do with my house renovation projects, I went into research mode. I asked the event organizer for a breakdown of what was to be expected, and to physically see the warehouse before the event to get a better minds-eye for what I needed to do. I even called Katie from Bower Power to get her behind-the-scenes take at Haven; I furiously took down notes and came up with my game plan.

Getting to work

Rust-Oleum sent a huge shipment of products to my door to help me create the booth. The overall plan involved living elements, lighting, and lots of texture. From Rust-Oleum’s product line, I used stain, the wood accelerator product, and lots of spray paint.

Here’s where the first part of my plan goes awry, though: it was a few weeks before the conference, and the weather predicted nothing but RAIN until the day of. For weeks!! And I really needed to work outside with stain and spray paint. My kitchen had just undergone a mini-makeover with new appliances, and the garage was full of the old ones until I could sell them off. My boyfriend was right in the middle of moving all of his stuff into the house, and we’d just cleared out the guest bedroom for renovation. I had basically no workshop, and without the weather cooperating, no option to work outside. Womp-womp.

I waited as long as I thought possible (in vain), hoping the weather would allow me to stain and paint outside. Short of that, I started building in the living room.

The living room takeover

Starting with the back of the booth, I built frames out of 2x4s and ripped down large sheets of 1/4″ oak plywood into strips. I matched them all up to form a chevron pattern on each wall segment.

The general idea was to build in sections. This way, I could lift and move them into the warehouse myself. About a day before the conference, the sky gave me a short reprieve so I could cut down the plywood overhanging each segment and stain them all. I know this will sound like a cheesy product plug to say it, but part of the reason why I like Rust-Oleum/Varathane stains is because of the short dry time. This was probably not the exact reason for engineering them that way, but it made the difference between finishing and not finishing on time.

The kitchen takeover

With the panels for the back wall taking up all available space in the living room, I created the booth table and storage in the kitchen.

Creating the chevron pattern for the wall meant cutting off excess along the sides of each panel. These leftover cutoffs didn’t go to waste. Instead, I tacked them onto the front of the booth to create a layered wood effect. This was partly inspired by the West Elm store in Ponce City Market, one of my favorite local spots with that same industrial-chic vibe (lots of shops and really unique eateries).

For the top and front of the booth table, I used pre-painted MDF for the trim and stained the plywood with the new aged wood accelerator. This is where I was pleasantly surprised: I loved the look! It’s water-based and went on beautifully, no matter how sloppy I had to get to fit my brush into all the little nooks and crannies of the layered wood. Unlike stain where you would wipe on/off, with this you just put it on and let it work its magic. Truly fun to see it work into the wood grain and the rich color it creates.

The hallway takeover

For the back wall, I was tasked to show off some of Rust-Oleum’s spray paint line. I was eager to use my new scroll saw that I received for Christmas, so I cut out each letter of Rust-Oleum’s logo and mounted it to a wooden sign. The letters were spray painted white, while the back was metallic. I thought it fun to make the square grid of their logo carry the living element theme, so I placed succulents inside (to be mounted when installed).

There were other little extras, like converting some square planters into wall mounted ones, getting each piece ready to assemble and hang day of, etc. I just barely finished in time. Even though I’m proud of what I accomplished, I will always wish I could have done more.

The booth!

The day of installation, it was a mad rush to load everything onto a rental truck (K had helped me load a few items the night before, but there were still lots of big pieces to load next day on my own — and unload, of course!), wheel it all into my designated booth spot, and set up. And here it is!

I also want to say a special thank you to my friends, Charlotte (yes, my Dueling DIY nemesis!), Erin Spain, and Yuni from Love Your Abode for helping me finish! They came by for some words of encouragement and to say hello, and got roped into helping (knowing full well I’d put ’em to work). Thank you, ladies!

I took a few clips while I was at the conference, so while this video really won’t make much sense, you can see more of the “real” look at the conference and everything around us.

Here’s the crazy part

The rest of the conference went by in a flash, and it was just as most conferences tend to go: lots of meeting new people, lots of seeing familiar faces, and lots of learning. It was a great conference, and I’m planning on coming back in 2019!

As part of building the booth for Rust-Oleum, they also wanted me to disassemble after the conference and drop it off to one of their local buildings for future use (part of the reason I tried to build things in separate parts, so it could be shipped later). Right after the conference closing ceremonies ended and all the giveaway prizes were handed out, I grabbed my rental truck and returned back to the booth to take it apart. Only part of it had mysteriously been done for me. It cracks me up now, but in the moment, I was panicked.

Somehow, in the chaos of the other brands taking apart their booths, there had been a miscommunication that Rust-Oleum had left their booth behind for the conference crew to take apart. Who, in turn, encouraged attendees to take as much as they would like home with them (makes sense, since it’s less work to haul away). Since I had made everything deliberately to be taken apart in pieces for shipping, I suppose I made that extra easy. So the plants, planters, and all the smaller decorative items, including the lights on the back wall, had all disappeared.

I called the Rust-Oleum team to let them know of what happened, and later even learned of where some of the items wound up (one of the conference attendees even sweetly offered to ship me back what they had taken after seeing my post on Instagram, wishing a new happy life to the objects that had walked away ).

I swear, this is the kind of thing that would only happen to me. I am forever grateful for this experience — even the nutty story.

Two inspired pieces

But, the story doesn’t quite end there. Remember how I thought my wood carving project for the Wood Art Challenge might crash and  burn? I still had a bunch of scrap plywood left over, so I thought it would be perfect for a backup art piece, just in case the carving failed and I needed something else in time for the challenge.

Originally, I was planning on making that inspired art piece and a short recap of the conference as one post. But as you can see, the story got… a little long. So, I’m splitting the two, but will share that second art piece today as a tandem post to this one! You can find that project right here.

I actually have a third related post in store that is also inspired by my booth. The white planters you see hanging on the wall of the booth is an Ikea hack, so that will be shared soon too. After making them the first time, I really wanted some for the house. That’s a little further down on the priority list until I get more of the shed done, though. So go click over to the air plant wall art post. I hope you enjoy!

The post On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018 appeared first on Ugly Duckling House.

More Where That Came From

Haven Highlights: What Frogtape Is Made Of

Haven Highlights: A Lengthy Recap

Haven Conference in Atlanta

Ten Hilarious Things I Learned at Haven

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[lowmaticnews]

On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018

In February, I created a booth for Rust-Oleum at the first-ever Workbench Con. And in true UDH fashion, it became a crazy story all its own.

For more than eight years (April 1st was my blogiversary, actually), I have spent time regularly updating this blog, (mostly) all about my ups and downs of DIY home remodeling. It’s been about individual projects aplenty, but most of all, it’s been about the journey. It has taken years to build a home I love, and there’s more yet to do. Through that, I created a business I’m passionate about. And even more astonishing to me, I created a brand that is recognized by companies I admire.

And? That’s all super, super surreal. Frequently. Because things come at ya fast, and you wind up saying yes to things you can still fail at because you’ve never really done them before. That’s how I wound up building a brand booth at a conference that took over my kitchen and living room and made my new roommate wonder what the hell he’s gotten himself into.

Booth & conference backstory

Over the winter, I was asked by Rust-Oleum — a brand that I’ve used so. many. times. and even featured as some of my first projects — to build their booth at the first-ever Workbench Con in Atlanta, GA. You guys have heard me talk about Haven before, and this conference is sort of like its rough-around-the-edges cousin. More focused on woodworking, set up in a warehouse instead of hotel ballrooms, and more influencers of all kinds (Haven is mostly blog-focused, while this also drew YouTubers and Instagrammers and such, who collectively refer to themselves as “makers”).

For a new conference, I didn’t really know what to expect or what other brands might be bringing to the table. I mostly had Haven as reference, which meant I needed to bring my A-game! I knew Rust-Oleum had previously asked bloggers to create booths for other conferences in the past, such as when Bower Power did it for Haven in 2016. I never thought I’d ever get an opportunity like that.

They asked me to help with the event since I was local, and sent me a few of their ideas to work with. I came back with my design concept, and they agreed! Part of what I was commissioned to do was to showcase some specific new products. One of these is a product designed to chemically mimic the look of aged wood (I nerded out a little with some of the Rust-Oleum reps while setting up, and they have some real smarties in product development). Neat.

Rising above self-doubt

As you might expect, when faced with a totally new challenge and completely unanticipated circumstances, I had a lot of self-sabotaging thoughts leading up to the conference.

I’m not really “into” farmhouse/rustic style, and didn’t know if I could take my own style and still give Rust-Oleum something that would showcase well. After all, this was about them making their product look good, and I really wanted to do that job well. (I later changed my mind about the product once I started using it, and may even like it better than regular stain now.)

I was intimidated by the fact that the conference was targeting woodworking experts; would my beginner-level skills hold up to their discerning eyes?

I’d never built furniture meant to be transported before; what if the whole darn thing fell apart before I even got there? Exactly how crazy am I to agree to this?

Still, with a whole lot of ambition — and perhaps naive enthusiasm — I said yes. I gratefully said yes, because it sounded like something that would be too cool to pass up. I knew I would always regret turning it down… and would challenging myself be so bad? As long as I put in the work, I would gain new experience and possibly the chance to shout “Look at what I made!! It’s so cool!!!” from the rooftops.

Battling fear with research

As I do with my house renovation projects, I went into research mode. I asked the event organizer for a breakdown of what was to be expected, and to physically see the warehouse before the event to get a better minds-eye for what I needed to do. I even called Katie from Bower Power to get her behind-the-scenes take at Haven; I furiously took down notes and came up with my game plan.

Getting to work

Rust-Oleum sent a huge shipment of products to my door to help me create the booth. The overall plan involved living elements, lighting, and lots of texture. From Rust-Oleum’s product line, I used stain, the wood accelerator product, and lots of spray paint.

Here’s where the first part of my plan goes awry, though: it was a few weeks before the conference, and the weather predicted nothing but RAIN until the day of. For weeks!! And I really needed to work outside with stain and spray paint. My kitchen had just undergone a mini-makeover with new appliances, and the garage was full of the old ones until I could sell them off. My boyfriend was right in the middle of moving all of his stuff into the house, and we’d just cleared out the guest bedroom for renovation. I had basically no workshop, and without the weather cooperating, no option to work outside. Womp-womp.

I waited as long as I thought possible (in vain), hoping the weather would allow me to stain and paint outside. Short of that, I started building in the living room.

The living room takeover

Starting with the back of the booth, I built frames out of 2x4s and ripped down large sheets of 1/4″ oak plywood into strips. I matched them all up to form a chevron pattern on each wall segment.

The general idea was to build in sections. This way, I could lift and move them into the warehouse myself. About a day before the conference, the sky gave me a short reprieve so I could cut down the plywood overhanging each segment and stain them all. I know this will sound like a cheesy product plug to say it, but part of the reason why I like Rust-Oleum/Varathane stains is because of the short dry time. This was probably not the exact reason for engineering them that way, but it made the difference between finishing and not finishing on time.

The kitchen takeover

With the panels for the back wall taking up all available space in the living room, I created the booth table and storage in the kitchen.

Creating the chevron pattern for the wall meant cutting off excess along the sides of each panel. These leftover cutoffs didn’t go to waste. Instead, I tacked them onto the front of the booth to create a layered wood effect. This was partly inspired by the West Elm store in Ponce City Market, one of my favorite local spots with that same industrial-chic vibe (lots of shops and really unique eateries).

For the top and front of the booth table, I used pre-painted MDF for the trim and stained the plywood with the new aged wood accelerator. This is where I was pleasantly surprised: I loved the look! It’s water-based and went on beautifully, no matter how sloppy I had to get to fit my brush into all the little nooks and crannies of the layered wood. Unlike stain where you would wipe on/off, with this you just put it on and let it work its magic. Truly fun to see it work into the wood grain and the rich color it creates.

The hallway takeover

For the back wall, I was tasked to show off some of Rust-Oleum’s spray paint line. I was eager to use my new scroll saw that I received for Christmas, so I cut out each letter of Rust-Oleum’s logo and mounted it to a wooden sign. The letters were spray painted white, while the back was metallic. I thought it fun to make the square grid of their logo carry the living element theme, so I placed succulents inside (to be mounted when installed).

There were other little extras, like converting some square planters into wall mounted ones, getting each piece ready to assemble and hang day of, etc. I just barely finished in time. Even though I’m proud of what I accomplished, I will always wish I could have done more.

The booth!

The day of installation, it was a mad rush to load everything onto a rental truck (K had helped me load a few items the night before, but there were still lots of big pieces to load next day on my own — and unload, of course!), wheel it all into my designated booth spot, and set up. And here it is!

I also want to say a special thank you to my friends, Charlotte (yes, my Dueling DIY nemesis!), Erin Spain, and Yuni from Love Your Abode for helping me finish! They came by for some words of encouragement and to say hello, and got roped into helping (knowing full well I’d put ’em to work). Thank you, ladies!

I took a few clips while I was at the conference, so while this video really won’t make much sense, you can see more of the “real” look at the conference and everything around us.

Here’s the crazy part

The rest of the conference went by in a flash, and it was just as most conferences tend to go: lots of meeting new people, lots of seeing familiar faces, and lots of learning. It was a great conference, and I’m planning on coming back in 2019!

As part of building the booth for Rust-Oleum, they also wanted me to disassemble after the conference and drop it off to one of their local buildings for future use (part of the reason I tried to build things in separate parts, so it could be shipped later). Right after the conference closing ceremonies ended and all the giveaway prizes were handed out, I grabbed my rental truck and returned back to the booth to take it apart. Only part of it had mysteriously been done for me. It cracks me up now, but in the moment, I was panicked.

Somehow, in the chaos of the other brands taking apart their booths, there had been a miscommunication that Rust-Oleum had left their booth behind for the conference crew to take apart. Who, in turn, encouraged attendees to take as much as they would like home with them (makes sense, since it’s less work to haul away). Since I had made everything deliberately to be taken apart in pieces for shipping, I suppose I made that extra easy. So the plants, planters, and all the smaller decorative items, including the lights on the back wall, had all disappeared.

I called the Rust-Oleum team to let them know of what happened, and later even learned of where some of the items wound up (one of the conference attendees even sweetly offered to ship me back what they had taken after seeing my post on Instagram, wishing a new happy life to the objects that had walked away ).

I swear, this is the kind of thing that would only happen to me. I am forever grateful for this experience — even the nutty story.

Two inspired pieces

But, the story doesn’t quite end there. Remember how I thought my wood carving project for the Wood Art Challenge might crash and  burn? I still had a bunch of scrap plywood left over, so I thought it would be perfect for a backup art piece, just in case the carving failed and I needed something else in time for the challenge.

Originally, I was planning on making that inspired art piece and a short recap of the conference as one post. But as you can see, the story got… a little long. So, I’m splitting the two, but will share that second art piece today as a tandem post to this one! You can find that project right here.

I actually have a third related post in store that is also inspired by my booth. The white planters you see hanging on the wall of the booth is an Ikea hack, so that will be shared soon too. After making them the first time, I really wanted some for the house. That’s a little further down on the priority list until I get more of the shed done, though. So go click over to the air plant wall art post. I hope you enjoy!

The post On Creating a Brand Booth for a Conference, aka the Whole-House Takeover of 2018 appeared first on Ugly Duckling House.

More Where That Came From

Haven Highlights: What Frogtape Is Made Of

Haven Highlights: A Lengthy Recap

Haven Conference in Atlanta

Ten Hilarious Things I Learned at Haven

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