Saturday, August 29, 2015

Giveaway for 10 Portland Peeps - Free movie screening for you and a friend! Featuring Allison Brie, Jason Sudeikis and Natasha Lyonne

Come watch a movie with me, before it is even released!!!

Sleeping with Other People by IFC Films will be released on September 11th, 2015. I have the opportunity to go to the Portland screening on September 9th and I can bring along 20 of our readers! Here is a short synopsis of the film:
"Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie star as two romantic failures whose years of serial infidelity and self-sabotage have led them to swear that their relationship will remain strictly platonic. But can love still bloom while you're sleeping with other people? Writer/director Leslye Headland's (Bachelorette) sexy romantic comedy co-stars Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, and Natasha Lyonne. (C) IFC" - Rotten Tomatoes
I tend to stray away from raunchy movies for the most part but this cast has me seriously interested. I am a long time fan of Community so I know that Alison Brie will make me laugh hysterically. Jason Sudeikis was quite the character in Horrible Bosses (2011). I love Natasha Lyonne. She is just too cool. I can't wait to see what her role is!


MR will be out of town for the event unfortunately but I am really looking forward to this opportunity. To make it more of a relaxed affair we will choose 10 winners and allow each of the winners to bring a friend.

How to Enter

To enter simply email me (1142km@gmail.com) your name and your friend's name so that we can reserve you each a seat. The first 10 people to contact me will be guaranteed a seat for yourself and a friend. If you only need one seat let me know and I'll save the other for any extra entrants.

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 9th at 7:00pm at the Regal Bridgeport 18 in Tigard, OR.  

Disclaimer: This movie is rated "R". It is for adults only. Please do not enter the giveaway if you are under 18 years old.

For privacy reasons I will not post details about the winners of the giveaway online. The names of the winners will be forwarded to the PR team however so that they can reserve your seats. Simply tell them your name at the door.

Thanks for stopping by!

 & ♡ KM

****UPDATE 9/8/15**** It's too late to get onto the list but if you bring this flyer then you can join on a first come first serve basis. 

Friday, August 28, 2015

Bath Salts - An Easy Gift


No, not that kind, you crazy, face-eating zombie. I mean the kind of bath salts that people put in their bath to relieve sore muscles. Some trendy stores are way over charging for bath salts. Making your own makes much more sense, considering. And they make an easy home-made gift.

All you need is:
About 10 drops of Lavender Oil
About a cup of Epsom Salt
About a quarter cup of fancy Salt (optional)

The epsom salt costs only a few dollars for a large carton. I don't think lavender oil is that expensive either. I keep mine on hand to relieve migraines and one little bottle hast lasted me years. I used a fancy pink salt to add some color, but this is totally unnecessary. You don't really need to measure, either. Just look and smell until it seems right.


I dumped all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed. It's that easy. You can add as much or as little to a bath as you like. It's also good for foot baths after long walks.


If you aren't going to use the salts yourself you can put them in a glass bottle. I glued some wrapping paper on the lid of this "up-cycled" bottle to make it pretty. You can just as easily use cellophane bags or something.

Monday, August 24, 2015

All About MCM Handbags

MCM is like Lois Vuitton meets Moschino. Beautiful, functional with a little bit of spunk. These are all on my lust list!

Stellar MCM



MCM makes galaxy print chic. I adore galaxy print things but they often look cheap. These don't.

Kawaii MCM

Kawaii MCM by kmfern featuring MCM


These soft colored handbags are perfect for all kawaii lovers out there. How adorable is that lamb keychain?? Apparently it is $295 worth of adorableness.

MCM Sounds




Beats by Dre speakers and headphones are notorious for their amazing sound quality. Add the signature MCM style and you've got me sold.

Hope that you all are having an amazing, wonderful week full of positveness! And if your Monday was awful, honestly mine could have been better, let's just be happy that there are 6 whole days until next Monday haha.

 & ♡ KM

Friday, August 21, 2015

Beach Day Lay Ons


I went to the air show last weekend and realized there was something I didn't have: something to keep the sand off my bum. So, in this week's episode, I show you the amazing, the invincible beach towel. Okay, it's not that exciting.


But jet fighters flying right over your head is pretty great. Totally worth the minor sun burn I got. Maybe I should be looking at umbrellas, too...

RunWay

A towel with one day in mind: the air show. I guess it might be a fun towel to take on vacation, but who really wants  a towel taking up valuable luggage space?
Shooter
I enjoy this one. I had my eye glued to my viewfinder for almost half of the show, so I think it is quite apt. And I like anything that has a creepy vibe that says "don't talk to me."

Fuzzy Intestines 
Probably a little too fuzzy for the beach. I mean, who wants sand embedded in their nice, soft intestine blanket. We aren't birds, people! Well, maybe the people in the planes are human-birds, but they probably don't want sand in their intestines, either.




Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Get Your Game On: Adventure Time Munchkin

Adventure Time Munchkin is a mixture of two of my favorite things. At first I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the intensity of Munchkin or the sheer hilarity of Adventure Time, but it totally brings the game to a whole new level of enjoyment. Oh my glob - I love it!

Less than $15 on Amazon! - Affiliate linked picture

 This game doesn't replace standard Munchkin. I feel like it isn't quite as balanced. It seems like the game is a bit overpowered and quicker - but it is so fun to play. I feel the same about Zombie and Vampire Munchkin. Maybe I am just a purist when it comes to board games.

 Gameplay: 
  • Choose a character. This version uses characters instead of races. You do not have to draw them you get to choose one automatically. 
  • Deal 5 cards per person. Lay down any cards that you'd like to equip. 
  • On your turn draw a card from the door deck and lay it face up in the discard pile. 
    • If it is a monster card you have to battle it immediately and are able to hire others to help you if you cannot beat it on your own. You gain a level for every monster that you beat. 
      • If you fail you can try to run away. If you can't run away then you die and lose all of your stuff, including your equipment. It's a big deal. 
    • If there is a curse it applies to you immediately unless they can block it. 
    • Any other card can go into your deck. 
  • If you did not draw a monster then you can choose another card face down. Alternatively you can play a monster from your hand to fight instead of drawing a second door card.
  • Players take turns opening doors, fighting monsters and earning treasure. First to level 10 wins! You must earn your last level by fighting a monster.
Full game rules can be found here http://www.worldofmunchkin.com/rules/advtime_rules.pdf.

Other Rules
  • Players can only have 5 cards at a time at the end of their turn. 
    • If you have more than 5 you either need to figure out how to use them, trade them with other players, sell them to the bank to go up a level or give them to the character with the lowest level. 
    • You can try to hide them but if you get caught then you have to discard them all no matter how attached you are. 
The Girls + BMO
Hoping to upgrade picture soon but this will do for now. 
The Boys + BMO
Favorite Features 
  • You can choose to play each character in their standard or alternate form
    • Finn or Fiona 
    • Jake or  Cake
    • Lady Rainicorn or Lord Monochromicorn
    • BMO
    • Flame Princess or Flame Prince
    • Marceline or Marshall Lee
    • Lumpy Space Princess or Lumpy Space Prince
    • Princess Bubblegum or Prince Gumball
  • There are tons of awesome allies in this edition of Munchkin such as
    • James Baxter
    • Peppermint Butler
    • Shelby the worm
    • Tree Trunks
    • Banana Guard
    • Susan Strong
  • Lots of awesome Bad guys too
    • Ice King
    • Gunter
    • Ricardio
    • The Lich
One of my favorite cards - gotta love James Baxter!!!
If you are a fan of Adventure Time this game will have you reminiscing about your favorite episodes. Adventure Time is pretty much a weird, kawaii version of D&D so I have loved it from the start. It is one of the few shows that I actually want to sit down and watch with my kids, in addition to anything Miyazaki, Avatar, Wakfu, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z and How to Train Your Dragon. I also love Bleach and other anime but sometimes they get a bit too heavy to watch with the kids. I guess I totally have a type haha. 

Hope that you all have some fun this week! 

<3 KM

Friday, August 14, 2015

Dye Dye Dye!


I have been wishing I could dye all my clothes black lately. I know this is a bad idea, because I do really like green and purple, but the urge it still there. The good thing is that it reminded me of the journey I took with natural dying some silk scraps last year. I forgot to post anything about it, and now my memory is fuzzy. I won't wait for my memories to get any hazier, so without further mumbles:  


This was my first attempt. I don't think I used any mordant. Maybe salt or vinegar? Anyway, the one on the left is strawberries. It faded within a couple of months to a yellow-y color. The one on the right is some sort of weed - wait! I found my notes. It's lady's thumb. Not a very nice color, but it was pretty stable.



Okay. Let's do this starting top left is walnut leaves, plus iron, I think. Center top is plain walnut leaves, and next to it I think I have ground ivy.
The three in the center row are red cabbage: with vinegar, by itself, and with baking soda. I was really hoping the baking soda would turn out green, but it obviously didn't. 
I think the next row is: blackberry leaves with copper, moss, and who knows? Maybe turmeric or mullein - I think probably plain blackberry leaves.
I used alum is a mordant with all of these.

This one is just plain copper.

And this one is Boston Ivy berries.

This is Boston Ivy with a pH change (I don't remember which way).

I have in my notes that rosemary didn't work. 

Now looking at all the pretty colors I want to experiment more! 

Monday, August 10, 2015

In An Hourglass - New Song

When you can't catch a breath with vivid and nonsensical dreams.



In An Hourglass
-me

The days 
Flow through my fingers 
Like grains of sand
We're on the edge again 
I feel its sink or swim 

I'll try 
I'll try my best not to hold you down
I'll keep my head up now
I'll try 
I'll try my best just to stand up tall
Just need some help that's all 
I feel its sink or swim

You may see the paintings 
But can you hear them speak
They're closing in around me
As I'm losing all my teeth

The fish tanks all are breaking
And the fox squirrels on my knee
I think it'd make a difference 
If I knew just what this means

Can I get just a little bit stronger now
Can I get just a little bit thinner now
Can I be just a little more patient now

The days 
Flow through my fingers
Like grains of sand 
We're on the edge again 
I feel we're sinking in 
I fear its sink or swim 
I feel its sink or swim

All rights reserved

Hope that you all are having a beautiful week so far!! 

 & ♡ KM

Friday, August 7, 2015

I Made Hot Sauce!



The Fiery Food Fest in my city is coming up soon. I am super excited! I love all things spicy. 

 I had a bunch of extra habeneros, so I made a sauce to keep the peppers from rotting. This is a very simple sauce, and is just a showcase for the flavor of the peppers. If you're really serious about making sauce, I think it would be better to experiment with adding garlic, onions, herbs, carrots ect.


All I did was cut the seeds out of the habeneros (leave the white part - that's where most of the heat is!), and put it in the food processor with some vinegar and lime juice. This site has a breakdown of how much acidity you need to prevent botulism (complete with nifty pH strips). Most people say 20% vinegar is a good guess.

You also want to be careful about what you're going to put it in, especially if you're not going to eat it within a few days. I highly suggest you sanitize any container you use.



Strangely, after about a week, my sauce lost some of its heat. I'm not sure if it was because I kept it in the fridge, or if some weird reaction took place.



My infertile Hawaiian chili pepper and its friend, Alien Skull, chilling with my new hot sauce.

Monday, August 3, 2015

Why Artists Hide: On Artistic Freedom and Self Expression in a World of Professionals

Many of us grow up with talent and passion for the arts. As we enter the professional realm most people sacrifice artistic endeavors in order to participate in culturally approved "grown up" or mainstream hobbies such as golf and spin class in order to appear professional and disciplined. Others shut down early on in the game because they feel that they aren't good enough, even as children. Although most people love to sing and paint there are many reasons that people feel obligated to hide their love of the arts.


We each have a unique imprint to leave on this world whether it is in the form of poetry, painting, pottery, theatre, photography, music or all of the above. There may be some people who have always thought that anything creative is boring and uninteresting but I simply cannot relate. I find that most of people with that attitude tend to be carrying barriers put up by the overbearing views of families and society. I believe that many people in this world feel unable to express themselves for fear of a negative social or economical impact.

Many of those that are still creating well into adulthood eventually give up their ambitions because they are not profitable enough. Others find ways to make it profitable by compromising the fruits of their labor, creating what they know will sell rather than what is flowing through their veins. Some struggle trying to make ends meet because they refuse to compromise. A select few have the resources, connections and luxury to be a truly free and respected artist.

Personally I have decided to keep on going even though I need to have alternate employment in order to remain financially secure. Songwriting and blog authoring are both very important to me however I certainly hide them from my workplace. I truly believe that my music and blog posts are harmless and even potentially helpful to others who can relate but it feels risky to share any sort of artistic endeavor in this society. I strongly believe that it doesn't have to be this way.

In our society we are taught to be closed. We are taught to "leave everything at the door" when we enter our schools and workplaces. In some ways this is good, work can be an escape from your personal troubles or at least a replacement of troubles. But perhaps life could be more open. Perhaps we could share more. Perhaps that would alleviate some of the weight depressing the masses instead of drowning hardships with tasty food, excessive media, juicy gossip and who knows what.

I believe that oppressing artistic expression is ultimately damaging to your psyche and emotional well being. Creatives who suppress their artistic energy often suffer from depression and anxiety. Some creatives go on to live vicariously through the creativity and expression of others who have been more successful. This can work to some extent, however I believe that having an artistic outlet is important in order to truly express and communicate the entire spectrum of emotions.

When I first "came out of the closet" as a songwriter I was a bit shocked by those who supported me and by those who did not. I had been writing songs for ages which I largely kept to myself outside of a few that I shared in Blues Band and Man Shoes. Many of my friends and family were supportive of my decision to begin sharing with the world, even more than I had anticipated, however there were a few people whom I considered to be near and dear who straight up told me that it was a bad idea.

I was certainly overenthusiastic, daydreaming about being a rock star as always. They were worried for my family's finances and reputation. I truly needed an outlet. One friend mentioned that I should write and share children's music instead of my music. I actually do write songs for my sons sometimes but my deepest expression lies in the songs that I write from the heart.

Sharing my music on Soundcloud and blogging with my best friend here at 11:42 Style are both extremely satisfying. Personally I feel like these projects are two of the best things that I have ever done in my pursuit of self discovery. I believe that it has certainly helped me professionally because I feel more balanced and at peace but I don't dare talk about either of them to my coworkers or clients! In the future I would love to see our society evolve into a place where authentic self expression is truly celebrated and shared beyond art, music and poetry class.

 & ♡ KM