15 Important Life Lessons I Learned from the Movie “Labyrinth”

November 13th, 2012

I first saw the Jim Henson movie “Labyrinth” when it was released in theatres – or rather, to be specific, in a drive-in theatre – with my sister and I dressed in our pj’s and ensconced in a nest of sleeping bags and pillows in the back seat of my parents car.  It never lost it’s enchantment for me, and I recently got to enjoy sharing it with my six year old daughter.  Watching it again as an adult made me realize just how many nuggets of wisdom there is tucked away in this story of a young girl’s quest to save her baby brother from the Goblin King.  I’ve created a list of the fifteen most meaningful lessons that I took away from the experience.  SPOILER ALERT:  If you haven’t seen the movie by now, please correct this!  We’ll wait…

… Ok.

15 – Proper undergarments – worth every penny.  A big screen view of David Bowie’s package under those tight.. well, tights… let’s just say it  remains a bit of a joke to this day.  Embarrassing, but there it is.  Always find the right product for the outfit you’ll be wearing; they make all sorts of underwear, and some of it is fabulous for people that might need to wear tight costumes (or slinky dresses, just saying!).

14 – Never underestimate the importance of good hygiene. The Bog of Eternal Stench was a real threat, and Jareth (the Goblin King) and Hoggle knew just how harsh an impact it could have on a person.  It’s not just a matter of smelling like something crawled into your drawers and died.  It’s that no matter how good a person you are, or how well you do your job, it is a sad fact that people will always judge you first based upon such seemingly irrelevent things like how neat your clothes are, and how nice you smell.

13 – Always try asking nicely first.  At one point the heroine, Sarah, finds her way blocked by an overly zealous adversary.  Time is of the essence, and it looks like it could take all day for her and her party to fight their way past their foe (who looks suspiciously like my dad’s yorkshire terrier).  If you approach everything like a battle,  it will become one.  Some people enjoy this approach; personally I feel it is generally inefficient, leading to wasted time and a lot of stress.  Instead of turning everything into a deathmatch, next time you need something try just treating the would-be foe with a bit of respect and a few polite words.  It might surprise you how often this tactic yields results.  It’s certainly easier on the blood pressure.

12 – Stop and help when you see others in need. It would have been easier for Sarah to leave Ludo to the bullying goblins.. and some might argue wiser, because she had precious little time to solve the Labyrinth, and she “wasted” some of it on a complete stranger in need.  Yet that act of kindness and courage earned her a friend that turned into a champion when Sarah herself was in need, and Ludo’s skills became extremely valuable on several occasions, proving that kindness is never wasted.

11 – When someone says they don’t want a kiss, do the right thing and leave them alone.  When Hoggle said “no” and fought to get away from Sarah’s kiss, Sarah should have dropped the matter right then.  It’s a sad double standard though that nobody blinks as this towering girl grabs a struggling man (or goblin.. or whatever) and forces herself upon him despite his cries to stop.  Karma descends with swift retribution though, and Sarah finds out she should have listened when Hoggle said “stop”.  Wish all encounters of this type were so efficiently dealt with…

10 -  Look before walking into unfamiliar territory – a bit of research and a few well-thought questions can save a lot of trouble later.  Our plucky heroine is constantly walking headfirst into trouble or misdirection simply because she can’t be bothered to check what’s ahead of her.  There are plenty of opportunities for her to ask others for information that could help her make better decisions, but she is constantly passing them up.  On at least one occasion she doesn’t even bother to look through the doorway she’s just opened, leaving her to fall to a grisly death (if it hadn’t been a kids movie, that is), because she is too busy talking to check her environment.  Sounds like a lot of drivers on the road actually…

Just because it’s pretty, doesn’t mean it isn’t going to bite you.  Too often we see judge things based on their packaging or presentation.  Next time you are tempted to grab something because it looks shiny, stop and ask yourself if it won’t turn around and bite you at some point.

 

8 – It is exhausting living up to the expectations of others.  Jareth claims he has done everything Sarah asked, and she still isn’t happy.  In the end, you really can’t please others by changing yourself to fit the expectations of others, and you will only wear yourself out trying. Instead of working on the you that others want you to be, focus your energy on becoming the you that YOU want to be – although first you have to figure out who that person is!

7 – Things aren’t always what they seem – always stop and consider all the angles. 

6 – Perspective is everything – even with the best of intentions, people can only offer advice based on their own experiences, hopes and needs. Remember to consider where advice is coming from and don’t hesitate to get other opinions.

5 - Life’s not fair – but it’s just as unfair for others as it is for you.  Get over it.

4  – The familiar – especially if it’s something we grew up with – may feel safe and comforting, but we can never grow unless we’re willing to open the door and leave it behind.

3 – More often than we like to admit, we are the source of our own problems.  More than any outside force, we all tend to stand in our own way.  Whether it’s fear, anger, or a negative attitude; distraction, depression or inertia.. there are so many reasons we cause grief for ourselves and block our own path to success.

2 – Each of us has within ourselves all the power we need to overcome those problems. Success comes from learning from and moving past or correcting our mistakes and taking responsibility for our actions or inaction.  We’re ingenious creatures, and we all have more potential than we may realize.

 

1 – Every now and then, for no reason at all, we all need a little bit of magic in our lives.

 

*I have no idea where I got all these images, but they’re all copyrighted and belonging to the Lucasfilm or perhaps Tristar.. I couldn’t figure out how to properly credit someone for random old movie screenshots.. tips welcome

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: November 13th, 2012

The end of our second year, some overdue thanks, and some new beginnings…

September 7th, 2012

First, we really need to thank everyone that helped us through this year.  We’ve been blessed with so many supporters, as well as some great friends who have volunteered their time and energy, and we really couldn’t have made it this far without you.  Thank you for helping us to continue pursuing our dreams!

Thanks to James Park for the photos! http://www.jamesparkphoto.com/

It was a crazy year (we count our years from Labour Day, which is pretty much the end for us of the “official” convention season), and very stressful.  We are normally pretty flighty and easily distracted but this year showed us what we can really do – and what we can’t do!  I (Silverfaune) was pretty out of it from December onwards, due to being pregnant making me pretty useless for several months.  And then I had to miss out on Fan Expo, but for very good reason, as we welcomed Merana into the world!  Exciting stuff – but it made my productivity drop to abysmal levels!  Earlier this spring the ‘Pixie moved out, switched jobs and had a lot of upheaval as well in her life, so we were both just a wee bit crazy this year.  Thanks to everyone for being so patient with us and continuing to offer support and an ear when we needed it!

 

This year we introduced a few new things that we’ve had great feedback on.. first, we have started offering up Dragon Eggs for adoption!  These eggs are featured in the Seyrawyn novels by canadian author and craftsman Martial Grise – sadly (for some of us) only available in french for now, but I have heard this will change!  Also, we have procured a varying array of pocket watches – popular with certain fae creatures that are obsessed with time.. or ticking things.  Go figure! We have had a lot of fun with both these things.  They’ll be available at our next event, which is the Ottawa Geek Market coming up October 14th in Nepean (Ottawa).  Hope to see some friends there!

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: September 7th, 2012

Faery Fest’s Enchanted Grounds

June 5th, 2012

Title: Faery Fest’s Enchanted Grounds
Location: Guelph, ON
Link out: Click here
Description: A gorgeous weekend of outdoor performances, art, jousting, a masquerade ball.. you couldn’t keep us away! This is an amazing family event.. last year was our first time attending and we have been looking forward to coming back ever since. They have a facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2358296987/?ref=ts
Start Date: 2012-06-22
Start Time: 19:00
End Date: 2012-06-24
End Time: 18:00

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: June 5th, 2012

Update on Changes…

June 5th, 2012

Mea Culpa…  Call it a fear of tackling the unknown, or taking on a project that seems huge and daunting, or just having been so insanely busy adjusting to a new life the past two summers – for all those reasons and more I have been neglecting this place.   The mechanics and magic behind developing a website are a bizarre art to this particular faun, but I am working on plowing through it.    Without the Urisk we’d be totally lost, as he’s been supplying the means, the layout and tools and everything that goes into a website except for, of course.. content.

A website without content is a sad and useless thing, and so I’m taking a break from crafting and creating more material things in order to bring this strange beast to life.  I have added a “Gallery” page, so that we can put up some of the photos from our journeys over the last year or so.  Also new is the “Cosplay” page, because costuming and all of the fun associated with it is such a large part of the pixie’s life and passion that it goes hand in hand with all that we do.  While most of our products offer a subtle hint of magic, Cosplay (or Costuming) is really about taking it to the extreme and becoming, for a few hours or days, someone or something else entirely.

I’d like to change several other things, and add more.. and continue to add more!  In the meantime though, I’ve sent out a plea on Facebook and I’ll do it here as well.  We’d dearly like your feedback and insight – any thoughts on how we can make this place grow into something living, growing and vibrant.. things you might be curious about, or want to see, or how we can present things better or easier, please don’t hesitate to share it with us!

 

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: June 5th, 2012

Changes in the Works!

May 29th, 2012

Please bear with us.. changes are in the works!

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: May 29th, 2012

Work in Progress – Making a Leather Dryad Mask

November 1st, 2011

Fooled you! Last post we invited people to comment.. and didn’t leave a place to comment! The problem is being worked on by the Urisk.   In the meantime, comments can be left if you click on the title of each post, which leads you to another little world, a world in which comments are allowed…

In the meantime:

There are a few questions that we draw whenever we’re abroad, but the most common seems to be, “How do you make your masks?”. Being far easier to show than to tell, this post is the first in two parts that breaks down how Silverfaune’s leather masks are made.

Material list:

  • veg tanned leather, 5-7 oz
  • olfa knife (box cutter) with a fresh blade
  • bevelling tool (optional)
  • tragacanth gum (also optional)
  • burnishing tool/edge slicker (even more optional)
  • hot water (not so much optional)

All of the leather masks are made with vegetable tanned leather. Everyone has a preference; I prefer to work with 5-7oz leather, which has a weight and thickness that I find molds best and yields the best results. Some prefer lighter leather, but I like a bit of substance – much heavier though and we would be better off making armour.  The mask shape is traced onto the leather, and then cut out (very carefully!).

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Once the mask blank is cut out, the edges need to be examined:  often they will have snags or burrs, especially at tight corners.  Any delicate corrections can be made, before moving on to the next step – bevelling the edges.  Some people skip this part but it makes the finished piece look that much more finished.

This step also helps to smooth out any of the snags that you may have missed, and creates a nicely rounded edge (after you’ve burnished it).

Once this is done, you are ready to soak the mask in hot water for approximately 5 minutes.  The hotter the water, the less time you will have to sculpt it after, and the harder it will end up.  If the water is really hot you will also notice more shrinkage.  Tempting as it may be, do not attempt to create “cuir-bouilli”, boiled leather, by dousing your project in boiling water.  The phrase is a misnomer – it should be more aptly called “soaked in really hot water leather”, but it doesn’t have the same flow.

 

When it is removed from the water, the leather should be flexible and soft.  Lay it on a towel for … well, you have a while.  Initially, the leather is too wet to maintain any form.  You can heat it with a heat gun or in the oven, but I prefer to let nature take its course.  After a while, you will be able to mold it and the leather will start to hold the shape.  The best way to make sure that the mask is a comfortable fit is to mold it from time to time upon your own face, or the face of the intended wearer if they are accessible.

Once you are satisfied with the shape, prop it on your face, or a convenient replacement, until it dries fully.  Depending on the leather, humidity, heat of the water and such, you will likely have a few hours afterwards where small reinforcing pinches or tweaks can be made to the design, but the overall mask is the way it is going to be.  Let’s let it dry for a day or two, and in Part 2 we will be able to finish the mask!

 

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: November 1st, 2011
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Stepping Through Fairy Doors

October 25th, 2011

 

Stepping into the unknown can be terrifying. We’re afraid of dark places, afraid of not being able to see clearly. Afraid of stumbling, and getting lost. Afraid of what might be waiting for us. Sometimes that fear can be paralyzing, leaving us clinging to safe, well-lit, and familiar territory.

Step Into Faerie

At the edge of safe and familiar are the Doors. It’s easy to pretend they aren’t there – they usually don’t call attention to themselves. The shadowed depths of a hollow tree, overgrown with ferns and moss. A darkened pool, cool and tranquil. That space between your bed and the wall, late at night. An oddly shaped arch made from sculpted metal in a city park. Do they lead to magic and mystery – or just a common sense reassurance?

It seems these days that we’re too quick to throttle mystery. Box stores and cubicles don’t thrive on magic and folklore, and it isn’t always trendy to admit that the glimpse of a unicorn on a poster at Walmart made you smile. Not only that, but there are a lot of labels to go with the aforementioned stores and cubicles – nerd, geek, emo, goth, gay, lesbian, corporate, yuppie, normie… it seems that being “safe” means finding out which box we belong in (or more likely, which boxes apply to those around us).

Well, we made our own label. We’re Steamfae: embodying the elements of magic, nature, mystery and mischief of the faerie realm, with the curiosity, perseverance and innovation of the industrialized human world.

We created Steampixie to make a place where we could pursue dreams and enchantment – to unabashedly examine beauty and mystery, ancient legends and modern myths, in our art and designs and in our experiences with others whose paths we cross. Our belief is that creativity, playfulness and imagination are not just for kids – it’s a vital spark in all of us. It is simply magic. Our goal is to foster that creativity and playfulness in others, and use it as a stepping stone to encourage self-respect and creative empowerment.

For two introverted artists, this blog is a big step for us outside of our “safe” zone.  There are lots of roots and branches in the dark that trip us up from time to time, but we’re learning, and those on the trail ahead have been a great help.  Despite the odd bout of panic or bumps and bruises, we wouldn’t give this up this twisty-turny journey for all the box stores in the world – and we hope that maybe you’ll come along too. For now we will be posting once per week, with updates on our creations or activities, tutorials, resources and other offerings that we find inspirational along our journey.  We’d love to hear from others who have ventured out, stories or tips from those who are blazing their own trail into the mysterious unknown!  Share if you have them!

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: October 25th, 2011
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Time for refreshment.

September 30th, 2011

It was a really busy summer, but fall has rolled in and taking a month to stop and look around us, to recapture our vision and realign ourselves, has really helped. Thus, the website is undergoing a bit of a facelift, and we’re able to start out on our journey once more! Our Facebook page has been growing and we love hearing from people, and our Etsy site is slowly being refilled!

What seemed like a big step a year ago now feels a little like we’ve only just gotten to the end of the lane, but in the words of JRR Tolkien: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Grove | Recorded: September 30th, 2011

Another Outing – Toronto Comic Con

February 25th, 2011

[Ether-wave Communicator Transmitting]
It has been a difficult few months documenting the activities of the fae creatures of the Grove. Winter storms have wreaked havoc upon my writing supplies and a bear got into my notes, having discovered a fondness for the taste of ink.

I can confirm the news that there are a few citizens of the Grove who have grown brave enough (or curious enough) to venture out into more civilized surroundings. The Silverfaune and Steampixie are due to arrive in the city of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, the 18th of March for an event at the outlandishly titled “Direct Energy Centre”. The so-called “Comic Con” appears to be an event of some significance, what with merchants and educators and throngs of good folk looking for entertainment. The dirigible has been hired and arrangements for lodgings are being made. Although I was in another area of the Grove and could not document their purported venture into Gatineau this February, I shall attempt to rectify this lost opportunity in offering to accompany them. I am certain that my services as a translator, scribe and scholar will be of value to them on their journey (not to mention as a gentleman intimately acquainted with civilization and personal grooming!). Notes and observations will be included in my field journal, which will be sent back to Athenaeum Prime via Post as soon as is practical.
[Transmission Terminated]

Steampixie and Silverfaune will be traveling in March, to the city of Toronto for it’s 2011 Comic Con – which runs from March 18th – 20th! Come say hi!

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: The Dreamer, The Grove | Recorded: February 25th, 2011

Uncharted Territory

January 4th, 2011

There was a charge in the air, as if a storm approached; wild and vibrating and stretched as taut as the bronze cables on the airship that once hovered over the woods. The time approached.

The faun lay stretched across a large boulder – her favourite, pressing her cheek into the moss as she drew in deep draughts of earthy scent. Cool limestone, riddled with pockets and crevices, breaking out of the ground like a hatching wyrm. Soon she was going to trade it in for the smells of this so-called “civilization”.

A few feet away the Steampixie watched, fretting with something that chimed about her waist. Bells and baubles, bits of shiny metal – these were the items they had traded for, bought from the airship, or selvaged from the unwanted things the humans had left behind. Steampixie had turned them into something new – something fae. Now half the denizens of the Grove could boast sporting something made with human findings, if not more. Supplies were running out.

Pursing her lips, the faun rolled over, giving the boulder one last pat. Her legs stretched and she slid gently down until her hooves settled on solid ground. “We have a month to prepare, if we really mean to do this. We’ll have to be cautious – we don’t know how we’ll be received. Practice your glamour – ” She stopped, and smiled wryly. Steampixie was rolling her eyes, with good reason. Silverfaune did have a habit of repeating herself, after all. And nobody was better at glamour than the pixie.

Verdigris Grove will be among the vendors at the 2011 G-Anime convention in Gatineau, Quebec, the 5th and 6th of February, bringing a little bit of Steamfae to the Anime crowd! Make sure to drop by if you’re in the area!

Author: Silverfaune | Origin: Faun's Crag, The Grove | Recorded: January 4th, 2011