"Vintage" Style

  

Ok, so this might be more modern typography than vintage, I just liked this letterpress (by Capsule)

So I've been going through a real 'love of vintage style' phase for a while now. Not necessarily implemented in my own clothing style yet, but I've had a real thing for it, and love it when I see it, and maybe one day when I can buy a whole new wardrobe, I'd love to infuse it with a lot of new pieces like that.

Letterpress Biz Cards by Two Paper Dolls

I have a sneaking suspicion it all came from a combination of falling in love with vintage letter-press style before I started to get ramped up for the Typography class I knew I'd be taking for Graphic Design here... and having watched Good Night, and Good Luck. I may have always appreciated things about these styles, but it's become more obvious to me in the last few years. This year I'm seeing it come up more referred to as "the Mad Men look." I haven't even seen this show yet, but I think I'd like to. From what I've gathered, I may need to be kindof wary of the content, but the setting & fashion of the time is certainly appealing.

Costume design of Mand Men

So this "look," as far as fashion goes, is really just late '50s / mostly1960s inspired clothing. There's something about it. It gets back to a time of more easily defined/identifiable roles as far as masculinity & femininity; which is kindof refreshing. Ladies were definitely, and quintessentially, feminine. Pretty hair, cinched waists, heels, nice jewelry, pearls, bows, faces made up. Men in their well-tailored suits, ties, and the hats, oh the fedoras! (swoon) Of course I'm idealizing it, but it seemed a very classy time, with a definite sexiness to all that polished simplicity.

 

As I said, this vintage style has also piqued my interest in the Graphic Design area.  I'm really liking older natural looks with texture, and imagery from that time. Though when it comes to paper goods, I admit my taste for older style may actually encompass a much wider time-span, as I see myself drawn to old woodblock prints of things like antique cameras and bicycles, etc.

I adore the blockprint bunnies of Oh, Little Rabbit

TheCraftPantry

Some really cool 'vintage' style letterpress, by Adam Ramerth

All that to say, it's really fun & inspiring. Makes me want to get really creative somehow. So right now, while I can't afford to infuse my wardrobe with it at the moment; I'm hoping to maybe make this year's Arties a "Mad Men" theme...because back then they had some super stylish parties!

And Rachel (my future sister-in-law) has talked about letting me do the invitations & print work designs for all their wedding stuff this Summer...and I would love it, if she would let me work in some of that style/theme in those pieces of her wedding! Especially the letter press stuff. They'd go especially perfectly with her colors of Tiffany Blue & Red :D

Neuhaus Design

MattsonCreative

That's a Wrap!

Principal Photography for From Below, our Sr. Project short film production as Cinema students is officially wrapped! And we celebrated with a Wrap Party tonight. Our last production day was this Saturday, but we did have to go back for one quick pick up shot on Tuesday night that we lost from a corrupted file...but it was all good because we also had the chance to go ahead and do some Publicity/marketing photos for posters, DVD & disc art, etc. Within the last 24 hours I created this movie poster for the wrap party tonight so we could have it printed out to unveil. We had two, and got almost everybody from the Cast & Crew to sign the posters with a silver sharpie. (If you didn't come to the party, & helped with production, please let us know so we can get you to sign them too!)

It was a pretty fun little party, a chance to thank our awesome team for all their endless hours, help, and dedication. Andrew and our awesome Editor/Script Supervisor, Katy, cut together a quick blooper reel, a production still photo loop to roll while people came in, and a few rough cuts of some new scenes no one had seen yet. We had a celebratory cookie cake, punch, & popcorn, and we were so happy to get such a nice turn out. I think most of our cast/crew, and supporters were there with just a couple missing.

The scenes are looking good, and the bloopers were really funny...and those weren't nearly all of them. I think it will be really fun to have an official complete blooper reel for the DVD. All of our cast and crew will be getting a copy and a credit, and obviously some fun memories & experience!

The room was filling up in anticipation!

Tucker came in late & missed all the scenes we showed, so we had a special 2nd viewing for him & those that stuck around

The Director & our two Stars!

It's due on December 8th for our Senior Project class, so we should have a really nice finished product then. Though we may make some more final adjustments to really perfect it after the course deadline too, but intime for the portfolio show we'll be in for Sr. Portfolio class next Spring during our last semester.

Obviously our post production team of editors, music composers, & audio guy still have a lot of work ahead of them, and I've got a lot more promotional material & artwork to design, but we're looking forward to a great finished piece. You should be able to follow along in its progress on our Foothold Productions blog too. And Andrew just made a Facebook 'Page' we'd love for you to "like." Look for a sidebar link to Foothold's blog, coming soon.

A Happier Post

So while we're in "exile" here in Arkansas from our home in Texas (as Andrew calls this), there have been some fun perks to being in the "Natural State." Especially for one such as myself who's particularly fond of Nature! We live in a duplex with a front & back 'yard' but no fence, here in a little town of Northwest Arkansas. And while we're both night owls & students with crazy busy hours of operation, I'm frequently able to catch sight of wild visitors from our back stoop at night. Right outside our back door is some kind of large evergreen, a juniper tree, lots of grass, and what we call the 'bunny bush,' a giant bushy hedge (or shrubbery?) that flowers and at the base within its dense branches a group of rabbits have a hidden entrance to their subterranean dwellings, so we frequently see them around in the grass around this bush. From that stoop I've also seen a skunk root through garbage, some pretty birds, cats, some slugs, and a lot of rabbits.

But the reason for this post was the wonderful treat of THREE recent fox spottings! I'm not sure I'd even seen wild foxes before. This Tuesday night after staying up at the school, working on the videos we're producing for the new JBU Now website rolling out this month, Andrew was taking me home at 4:30 in the morning, and we had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful fox run right across our path on Holly St. from the Admissions building to the cemetery across from the school. He had a big bushy tail with a thick white end, and when it made it across it turned to look back at us, So exciting!

Then again on the same ride home, a street before our house, we saw another darker looking fox without the white tip, run across our path again! Quite a treat :) I think we'd seen one other one much more quickly run across the street one night last week, near the sager creek bridge down town Siloam. But the two late that night was especially cool, since they're my husband's favorite animal, and while my poor husband was finally taking me home to sleep, he had to go back and keep working for another hour or so that night, so I think that time those were more for him. (I call these happy treats, love notes from God; when he shows us beautiful things just from Him, to lift our spirits!)

Anyway, I couldn't offer actual pictures of ours, but I found some beautiful images of Foxes that were taken in Arkansas by the this photographer, Pat Gaines.

May you have some wild adventures of your own this week, and keep an eye out for those love notes of your own! :)

Gone from this World

This has been a really surreal last few hours for me. I don't have any idea what to even title this post.

This weekend was long enough as it was, being the last weekend of principle photography (production shooting) for our Sr. short film Cinema Project. We shot almost all day Friday, then an even longer all day final shoot Saturday, then the majority of Sunday was spent in the TV studio as student producers doing videos for the new JBU website.

Afterwards when Andrew was working on editing those videos, I read a facebook message from Robyn, my old friend from youth group in San Antonio, letting me know that my first (and only other) boyfriend, Garrett Lierly, had committed suicide. I was 1/2 way through a peanut butter cookie and had to put it down from becoming suddenly nauseous. Please be praying for his family in San Antonio during this time.

Garrett Lierly, Jan. 1983 - Nov. 2010

We were just a teenage a couple for something like a short 3 months or something, our Freshman year of high school, but stayed friends in the youth group we were part of for the next couple years. I switched churches my Junior year, and haven't seen him much at all since our Sr. year when he transferred from his private school (where my father-in-law incidentally now works as upper school principle) to Winston Churchill High with me. I remember things kinda weird with him, like he was a really different person then, and from updates I'd hear every once in awhile, I guess it kept going that way for him. From The Outsiders 'Greaser' hair & leather, to mohawks & piercings. Not that those outward expressive styles are bad, but apparently some more destructive habits came with them for him.

So I haven't known him for years, but hearing this news was till greatly saddening. It's so tragic, especially for his lovely family. He has a younger brother, Ian, and two really great Christian parents. I haven't ever really been faced with someone's suicide before (apart from a dear college friend's brother, whom I hadn't met before) and its' really confusing. So sad, and mostly sadness for others, I'm sad for his family; but it also makes one kindof mad too, and you're not even sure who you're mad at. It sucks, really. And then there's the why, and how does this sortof thing come to happen to people who are surrounded by loving, Christian people? Doesn't seem like it should work that way.

Right here I must say how much I love my dear Husband (and the family he's from). He's so wise and loving. Andrew and I ended up staying up real late talking about all these kinds of things, and went into a lot of interesting theology I hadn't delved into in a long time, or some possibly even at all. We came to some really eye-opening conclusions. We figured out some encouraging ideas, and came up with a few more confusing ones along the way, too. God sure has some mysteries that don't seem to make things easier, but we take solace in the fact that we know He is so much wiser and has bigger plans for a greater good somewhere, even where it doesn't seem possible (or fair) to us.

My late Great Uncle Gerald Mooney
(the one behind my cousin Owen)

The other weirdness that made this last days so surreal, was that after all that last night. This morning I found out my Dear Great Uncle Gerald died. Though this was a much 'happier' death (that shouldn't come off as insensitive, I promise). Gerald Mooney was married to my Aunt Nancy Mayfield, who was my GrandDad's sister. Nancy & Gerald were 2 of the most wonderful people God has blessed my family with. They were both such fun, interesting, inspiring, kind, God-loving people. Aunt Nancy was someone I specifically looked up to & wanted to model myself after. She was fiery & passionate, and so full of Joy. A very strong woman, also dainty & beautiful. With a big laugh, who was so encouraging, & also outspoken to those she cared for, and outspoken about her faith in the Lord. In a really good, contagious way.

Her husband loved her so much, too. His was a very inspiring, obvious Love. Uncle Gerald was always so kind and sweet & fun to talk to. I especially remember how excited he was to talk to me about flying when I expressed interest in flying planes like my GrandDad, a while back. He was so encouraging and excited, and lifted your spirits just talking with him & seeing his joy in life. Though you could also tell he was always a very sensitive, empathetic man, because he spoke of my GrandDad, his friend, with such love & sadness in his passing. He was very open and truthful about his feelings & thoughts when it came to the people he loved & lost, like his wife & my GrandDad. He had a powerful love you could see, and hear, & feel.

After his wife died a couple of years ago, you could tell he was crushed, and his last couple years without her was a struggle, so I am actually quite relieved & happy for him, to know that he is done with all of that here. He doesn't have to keep struggling or harboring those sad feelings anymore. I know he is now in the most perfect place, with his wife, her brother, and our Father. I was told his last words were: "I see God, I see Jesus, they are beautiful." And my cousin, Karise, put it this way: "Uncle Gerald died this morning after a terrible battle with Alzheimer's Disease. I know he has been reunited with my Aunt Nancy in heaven. He was a professor, a pilot, an avid train enthusiast and a wonderful father/grandfather/uncle/man/friend."

I'll miss him, Aunt Nancy & my other family there with him, but I'm so glad & encouraged they're no longer dealing with this fallen world. They are so loved.

This New Blog

About the Blog & a little on Us
I've been wanting to have a nice little place to keep our thoughts, stories, and our friends & family in-the-loop about updates in our little family of two as we go along.

So that's what this blog will be. We're two married-students in the our last year of undergrad University Education, here at John Brown University, in little Siloam Springs, Arkansas. We're Texans (whose families both moved us around a lot of other places growing up), and we can't wait to get back to Dallas, or wherever the Lord takes us, when we finally graduate this coming May (you can pray for us on that).

We're both transfer Digital Cinema students here, technically majoring in Digital Media Arts w/ emphasis in Cinema, and I'm minoring in Graphic Design. We love making movies together, and hope to stay filmmakers in some capacity for the length of our careers. We've both got quite a few short films & other professional freelance productions under our belt, plus internships on one feature-length film, Searching for Sonny; coming out this Spring.

Andrew's an aspiring Director with amazing talent for leading, Producing, and Editing. And I kinda like to do it all. I'm striving for Production Design, because I love art and making a mythical word & all it's details come to life. Think the underground Goblin Market of Hellboy, or any of the locations of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, or InkHeart, etc. But I also really enjoy other roles like coaching/directing the acting, or script-supervising for continuity. And my first production job in videography at Irving Bible Church made me fall in love with lighting & shooting well composed video from behind a camera. So we'll see where all this leads.


Current Going Ons

Right now we're both pretty strung out & tired from working as co-Producers of our Sr. Project film, From Below. I'm acting Production Designer & Andrew's Director, though there's clearly a lot more than just these two roles for the both of us. We've got a good team of fellow Cinema students helping us on each production day, and last year's JBU alumni Tyson Banks is our amazing Cinematographer.
With a lot of help from the crew, we've shot some amazing footage already, but this is our last weekend with several of our biggest scenes to accomplish. There's a whole 'underground' shanty town to build from nothing & a bunch of costumes & props to make/acquire by Friday w/ almost no budget. Please pray for us this week that we can get it all pulled off in time.

Production Still Frame by DP, Tyson Banks

In the mean time, You can click here to download the Quicktime file of the rough cut from some of the earlier scenes we shot. This Facebook album by our Production Photographer, Josh Adams, has some Production stills of shooting days, and Trent Chopski (Assistant Director) has some more in this album. You can also follow some of Andrew's Production posts on what the movie is up to, over at the Foothold Productions Blog. If you didn't already know, Foothold Productions is the unofficial name by which all of our Armstrong films are made under. Its title comes from the Scottish Armstrong clan roots.

Anyway, if you've read along this far, you probably really care about us :) And we'd love for you to "follow" our blog by pushing that button over on the side, or subscribing to the feed, which I admit I have no idea how those work. Please keep coming back for updates on what we're up to.

Love you guys, and Happy November!
-Krystal & Andrew :)