I’m scrambling to wish you a Happy Easter!

Hello Dear Readers,

I couldn’t resist a post featuring an Armitage bunny, so a very Happy Easter to those who celebrate and a Happy Spring in Bloom to those who don’t.

Here’s some Polish language humour:

Jajka means eggs and are also called jaja.

Jaja is also a slang expression for balls, and I don’t mean tennis or beach…

So usually when I wish you: Smacznego jaja! (a tasty egg), I may actually be wishing you something different entirely…

 I hope everyone has a Smaczenego jaja! this Easter, if you are so inclined 😉

Anyway, I could give egg puns a try, but decided not to risk taking a crack at it so…

Have an Eggsellent Easter and I’ll speak to you soon (maybe even sooner then you think…).

Armitage Weekly Round-Up Week 9

I hope spring is slowly heading your way and that’s put a spring in your step 🙂

This is week 9 of the round-up and, as always, you can get the best that Tumblr has to offer over at Guylty’s.

Here’s a round-up of posts that have caught my eye this week.

The list is by no means exhaustive so feel free to leave links in comments.

This week has been abundant in RA news bits and bobs, so when you click on the posts I have linked to, make sure you check out other ones too.

The spReAd the love Children’s Book Challenge is in full swing.

I promised myself I will read all the books that meant so much to my fellow Armitage Admirers when they were children.

Talking about contributing, don’t forget to vote for Richard at the Jameson Empire Awards.

He’s nominated for the best supporting actor, so get voting, especially seeing that he’s up against some tough competition.

I’m not sure about repeat voting at Empire, but it’s worth giving it a try 😉

It’s also worth keeping an eye on The Anglophile Channel as they, and more importantly Richard, are teasing us shamelessly.

Here are some lovely pics of Richard from the day and I for one want to know what was in the glass Richard was sipping on, I think it’s good ol’ vodka

The full interview shall apparently be out at the weekend so I’ll link when it pops up.

Talking about Armitage (and when are we not?), remember when we were keeping our fingers crossed for Richard to play Ross Poldark in the latest adaptation?

Well, it seems my second favorite choice meaning Aidan Turner landed the part *does happy dance*

Don’t worry, Richard is involved in a new project and although there are no cravats involved, I am nevertheless thrilled.

RA/The Hobbit/OT posts

This week many bloggers shared their top ten pictures of Richard:

SueB, Servetus, Guylty, Siriuslygrednforge and reader’s favorites.

Perry would have my… well, certain fleshy body parts for earrings if I didn’t link to this 😉

Benny in a leotard gets me every time

Obscura serves up some Antique John S

Happy Blogiversary Servetus and LadyOakenshield

I do like a guy with a double triple quadruple chin

Mulubinba continues to get emails from Dibley

A “Richard climbing a ladder” picture I hadn’t seen before which can certainly evoke Romeo/balcony fantasies

Phylly on APM

Have you ever wondered about Bilbo’s bathrobe?

On loving North and South (and don’t we all find a tiny piece of ourselves there?)

Minion/dwarf crossover? Too adorable!

Remember to check out the Tumblr round-up from Guylty and I’ll see you next week.

Feeling Crafty: Armitage Army Steampunk Card

I was feeling crafty today.

OK, not enough to actually finish the projects I had abandoned, but I needed something quick, easy and fun.

A while back I had come across this post at Epbot which involved metal tape (aluminum foil tape to be precise), black acrylic paint and plenty of beating and bashing.

Steampunk-licious? Sign me up!

Every so often I send out a card to my fellow Armitage Admirer as way of thanks for something tasty I received from them, but I always struggle to come up with a funky design, or I’m out of cardboard to print it on and so on, so I needed a fun card that was quick to make and purdy 😉

The biggest challenge was to find that aluminum foil tape.

After checking out some hardware shops (I know, it was scary…) it turned out that it’s used for fireplace isolation stuff, so you should find it in that section.

I also bought “drywall seam tape” which is a fancy name for adhesive mesh thingy and some foam letter stickers so I could lovingly create the “Armitage Army” sign.

Once I stuck the letters on, I started adding the seam tape and then covered the whole area with the aluminum tape.

The process was OK, word of advice though:

I felt the letters I had used were a bit too small, therefore when I started to push the tape down to make them more visible the tape punctured in a few places.

Maybe had they been a bit bigger, it would have been easier to really get into all the nooks and crannies and they would have been clearer (“m” was particularly challenging…).

I also think you should avoid having tape seams on the letters.

 

Having said that, the black acrylic paint luckily covered any rips and I did make my card plenty grimy!

I should add that I wasn’t using any professional tools, I was free-styling with the rivet holes and such, so maybe if I had a clay tool, it would have been easier.

Anyway, now I’m thinking about what else I could do:

cards? notebook covers? an image to stick in a frame and hang on the wall?

Have a wonderful day 🙂

Armitage Weekly Round-Up Week 5

Welcome to another week of RA/Hobbit/OT post round-up.

This list is by no means exhaustive, so please add any links in comments I may have accidentally omitted.

Once again it’s quite long (the list, not Richard’s…. oh, never mind…), but I’ve tried to include posts from RA blogs for those who don’t do the rounds daily, as well as a few surprises for those who keep their finger on the Armitage pulse.

As always, you can find the Tumblr Round-Up for week 5 lovingly brought to you by Guylty.

Arkenstone has taken care of the Fanfiction Weekly Round-Up, so you’ll have plenty to do to combat the cold.

Thornton Thursday started off with a bang with a guest post by author Trudy Brasure.

She continued her North and South musings on Friday and I hope you did better than me at the N&S quiz…

Trudy’s new book In Consequence is up for grabs, so make sure you leave comments on either posts for the chance to get your hands on this yummy N&S retelling (giveaway ends on Thursday).

Talking of wonderful ideas, Guylty, Ms *Ooof* herself, was brainstorming how we should celebrate Valentine’s Day Armitage Style, and the people have spoken, so make sure you sign up!

Valentine’s Day is the day of luuuuuuv, so have you spReAd any Armitage love recently?

And spReAd it some more!

There’s been quite an uproar in the BBC Sherlock fandom of late and has sent ripples throughout other fandoms.

(link removed by request of blogger) and here’s another post on the topic.

EDIT: Just in case this requires clarification, any comments that I write below are not in any way, shape or form a comment on the posts I have linked to above, but rather very loose thoughts on Abbington’s comments made on the issue of Johnlock and fan art.

I may actually grow a pair in the next few days and write about how, although Abbington has a right to her opinion, I have to disagree with what was said and how it was phrased (and luckily I get to have an opinion too).

In a nutshell this is why I can’t stand by and witness people policing others with regards to their preferences and likes, be it slash fiction, RPF or anything else.

Shades of grey...

RA/Hobbit/OT posts

Mary Mary, quite contrary, what does Richard feel like?

Perry is out with the old and onto the new

OT: Any advice for a fellow Tolkien fan and budding writer?

KatherineD crushes my Poldark dreams with logic (crushes I tell you!)

Whatever happened to the original Poldark?

Harry Kennedy has been in touch and has all the gossip from Dibley

I guess the folks at Wallsauce didn’t want to leave Thorin hanging…

This is one way to stay warm! Now get over here Richard, my furnace with thunder thighs!

Bilbo’s Door is going along nicely, thank you very much!

Armitage and the cutting room floor. I hope someone sweeps this stuff up and delights us.

Sweet Armitage dream or  beautiful nightmare?

This Smaug the dragon certainly shouldn’t be breathing fire!

Zan serves up some Armitage profile (for breakfast or dinner, depending where you are, it’s yummy nonetheless)

There will never come a day when I won’t link to an Armitage bum post! You have my personal guarantee 😉

Musings on The Sassy Elf King and his messed up face

Would you like to live in a hole in the ground?

The Swiss chalet jumper just doesn’t want to go away!

Very cute Hobbit avatars, slightly reminiscent of Anime Thorin, me thinks…

MarieAstra asks what the norm for fans is

On Grumpy Armitage. I agree, it’s attractive. Why?

OT: Joining a fandom (a story told in gifs)- disturbingly accurate!

Let’s hope Pinter/Proust wasn’t Richard’s Stage Swann song

Weta Workshop’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles-Art & Design looks very interesting

I hope you enjoyed this round-up!

Don’t forget to check out Arkenstone’s Fanfiction round-up and  Guylty’s Tumblr round-up.

Richard, a Fan by any other name…

I’ve come across a few notes here and there that said “Hello, I’m a new well-wisher!”.

Firstly, you are very welcome to our little group of friends 🙂

Secondly, I wanted to focus on the phrase “well-wisher” for a bit.

Richard has always mentioned his unease at having “fans” and in his last Christmas message (which I really wasn’t expecting and which brightened up a particularly grim day), he referred to his admirers as “well-wishers”.

Far be it for me to tell Richard what to feel (Oh, I would sooooo love that though…), but I’m just not feeling it.

Let’s take a look:

The Oxford Dictionary defines a well-wisher as:

“a person who desires happiness or success for another, or who expresses such a desire:

Hick received plenty of advice from well-wishers”

OK, not bad…

I certainly wish nothing but the best for Richard, root for him and contribute in my own measly way by buying cinema tickets, DVD and such, not to mention that shameful moment when I actually bought the Guy of Gisborne action figure that I’m way too ashamed to talk about just yet…

But what about passion, Richard?

Let’s take another word: fan

“a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art form, or famous person:

 I’m a fan of this author”

That certainly fits me much better, although the origins come from “fanatic” and…well… I hope that’s not what I am just yet, but give it time!

Strong interest? Check!

Admiration? Double check with a cherry on top!

Of course showing interest and admiration is tied to hoping the object of our interest will thrive, after all, in part, their success is our joy.

Let’s crank it up a notch- how about fangirl:

“(informal) a female fan, especially one who is obsessive about comics, film, music, or science fiction:

your average fangirl, despite the implication of the name, is a grown-up”

Admirer:

“someone who has a particular regard for someone or something:

he was a great admirer of Henry James”

Good, not great, but allocatess with Armitage, so that’s a bonus and doesn’t have that strong stench of crazy…

Then there are the Richardettes, The Armitage Army and RArmy, but this refers to the whole group, a fandom, not an individual.

The point is, as has been proven by the already beyond boring discussion about the Cumberbitches, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and someone hooked on Richard Armitage, however they choose to identify themselves, will nevertheless show interest and support the man.

If you don’t mind, Richard, I’ll wish my colleagues well and I’ll stick to being your fan.

You can call me a crazy fan (no, seriously, preferably whisper it gently in my ear…) but if the Jimmy Choo fits then that’s who I am!

Season 3 is on and I’ve been Sherlocked!

*may contain Sherlock spoilers!*

I had scheduled an Arty Farty for today but seeing that BBC’s Sherlock is back I felt the occasion needed a bit of celebration.

And I’m not the only one, judging by KathrineD’s reflections about the BBC.

How was I supposed to not get excited after such a long wait, a cliff-hanger to rule them all and a teaser that makes you salivate like a rabid dog whets your appetite.

I knew I’d have to go into Tumblr/Twitter/Blog blackout until I watched the first episode of season 3- The Empty Hearse as the internet is crawling with spoilers.

I tried streaming it live as it aired on January 1st at 9pm but the traffic was so intense that all feeds were interrupted.

I then decided to scout the internet for fresh uploads and did that till I finally gave in after 2 am (I still got up absolutely knackered after dreaming I was obsessively trying to watch Sherlock…).

I finally got my hands on the episode on the following day (how? a magician never reveals her/his naughty tricks), but I knew that I needed to find a better solution to watch the next episode which airs January 5th.

After scouting the internet I came across ways of accessing BBC iPlayer.

You need to open it through Firefox and download an app which hides your proxy.

It may be shady but it works (I’ll link to the advice page when I find it again…).

So I’m all set for Sunday and I’m bursting with excitement.

I won’t be writing about the plot as I’m only too aware that many folks are waiting for the episode to air on TV in their respective countries, I will only say that I had shivers running down my spine during the first half.

I’ve expressed before how much I enjoy emotionally charged scenes, ones that show the characters unraveling and there plenty of Sherlock/Watson goodies here, including the process of mourning the loss of a friend, the fight to build a new life and dealing with betrayal.

The second half wasn’t really my cup of tea- give me a juicy murder mystery over a V for Vendetta knock-off.

Anyway, there are some delicious nods to the Sherlock fandom, a clear indication that the creators know very well about ships and tease us with them.

I also grinned when Ben’s parents popped up, then realised it’s creepy that I knew straight away who those people were…

Anyway, one may say the game is on, but the Sherlock fandom has a few cards up their sleeves too, if the tumblr Sherlock tag is any indication.

To celebrate the start of season 3 you can check out this pretty amazing list of the most delicious Sherlock fanfiction, although be warned, some contain Johnlock/slash.

Belstaff coats at the ready, it’s going to be a Sherlock winter 🙂

What a difference an RA Letter makes or How the Bastard C did not steal Christmas

It was a frosty Friday morning, I was waiting for my morning meeting and sneaked a peek at Me+R to brighten up my mood.

The first post merely said:

And I knew that a day that would potentially suck the joy out of me would be that tad bit better.

It was the day when we’d find out if The Bastard C that had been discovered in my mum’s belly had spread and done any damage.

Before I move on let me just light a few fireworks, pop a bottle of champagne  cheap bubbly wine and scream out with joy that although we have tough times ahead, we may just get away with merely surgery (as shitty as that is) and will be battling Bastard C on one front 🙂

Anyway, I quickly followed the link to Annette’s  page and there it was!

It’s true that you may not always get what you want (although I STILL maintain that Richard could theoretically fit under my tree wrapped in a nice big red bow), but the universe sure does gives us what we need.

The Message from Richard Armitage, 19th December 2013 resonated with me on so many levels!

Here are some parts that seemed particularly poignant to me:

I am very proud to have such   a dedicated community of ‘well wishers’ (better word than   fans…right?) Proud because of the dignity and decency with which you   communicate with each other and document your ideas. It’s always   illuminated with positivity and support for each other, unlikely   friendships forged through a common interest.

I couldn’t agree more and I’m not even going to go into detail how touched I always am at the thoughtfulness of my online friends and how kind-hearted and supportive they are!

I am proud that I have the opportunity to spend time and share thoughts and feelings with such a group of intelligent, educated, creative and generally kick-arse bunch!

We don’t always get along, but I strongly believe that everyone who wonders into the Land of Armitage Admirers will find exactly what they are looking for.

If it’s a release from everyday crap, or the need for friendship and companionship, a forum to dig deeper into who you are or some good old-fashioned fangirling, you’ll find it here.

Sadly, some feel the need to fuel their RL frustrations and come here looking for a fight, but I can only hope that they find peace.

The next part resonated with me too:

I wanted to wish you love and happiness for 2014, thank you for the   generous gifts and the donations to the ‘Just Giving’ pages I think our   totals are looking very healthy.

I didn’t have the opportunity to announce that all of the money raised during the Richard Armitage Silent Auction has been transferred to Just Giving.

Although I was particularly involved with the auction, let’s not forget that it was one of many (MANY) donations made to Richard’s charities of choice throughout the year and just underlines that this fandom not only possesses a generosity of spirit but also digs deep in their pockets to support a worthy cause!

Richard summed up my feelings towards Christmas this year perfectly:

I   want to say that for me especially as I get older, this time of year   becomes more about making the journey to be with family or friends and   sitting around a table which hopefully has some good food on it, however   bountiful that is.

With the prospect of very bad news looming over my family I knew that no matter what I had to do my absolute best to keep up the Christmas spirit.

It’s that much more challenging to celebrate a holiday when something bad happens and I can only be thankful that the news we got put a spring in our steps, but also refocused us.

That Friday evening we met up at my parent’s house and decorated the tree together for the first time in over 20 years.

My dad told my mother the wonderful news we got was better than any gift he could have found under the Christmas tree and he doesn’t want to anything else (yes, we all got teary-eyed).

Then he topped it up by going against our wishes and he single-handily put up the lights on the house.

When asked why he was being so stubborn and didn’t ask for help, but he said: I made a promise with myself that if the news is good I’ll put up the icicles! (again, he had us all teary-eyed).

And to all my friends who are going through a difficult time:

But for those who don’t have very much or are alone,   I wish them at least a sense of peace for a day. I know that I am happiest when I can be useful, which usually involves giving time and  effort towards something. That gives me peace.

To those who have a difficult family situation, are alone or have suffered loss, I hope you know that you ARE NOT alone.

I hope that you find comfort any way you can, be it through RA stuff, or connecting with your friends online or popping on a trusty copy of The Vicar of Dibley DVD.

As Richard mentioned, I hope you too find peace in what you do, even if it’s in small things like making gravy!

And to Richard, the glue that keeps this whole community together, the person who gives us joy and inspiration, a huge thank you for connecting with your fans, for brightening our day (after day after day…), for giving us so many reasons to call ourselves the Armitage Army/Armitage Admirers/ well-wishers, or whatever form feels right to you!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends and have a nice glass of grog/eggnog/red wine on us 🙂

Tomorrow I’ll be boring you posting about how we are celebrating Christmas this year and I’m sure I have a few “Richard in a Santa hat” PS images in me to knock out 🙂

The Richard Armitage Silent Auction starts Friday! Rules and Procedures

This is a looooong post, but please read through it carefully before you bid.

The RA Silent Auction starts this Friday 29th of November at 9am GMT.

The auction will last till the 2nd of December 9am GMT.

We have an amazing variety of items going under the hammer (20 goodies in 17 separate auctions), many but not all connected to RA.

Please make sure you stop by, peruse over the delicious goodies we have lined up, and bid your heart out 🙂

ALL of the proceedings from the auction will go to an RA JustGiving charity!

Below I have written out the procedure of the silent auction, as well as the general rules that apply.

Before bidding, please make sure that you read through these points and please email me if you have any questions at RASilentAuction [at] wp.pl

Apart from the silent auction there will also be a poll to determine which RA JustGiving charity the RA Silent Auction funds will go to.

There will also be a raffle for all of those who bid, comment, retweet, repost, reblog and are generally refabulous (not a real word…), with the chance to win an RA goodie.

If you wish to contribute to the RA Silent Auction Fund, but will not be taking part in the bidding, I have established a Donate button on the side.

Please state clearly that this is a donation and not a payment for an auction item.

RA Silent Auction procedure:

The auction starts at 9am GMT on the 29th of November at 9am GMT and ends on the 2nd of December 9am GMT.

Any bids that come before or after that time will not count.

All items will be featured in one auction post that will be published on Friday the 29th of November at 9am GMT.

All bids must be sent via email to RASilentAuction [at] wp.pl

Comments to this post will be open and you are encouraged to leave your thoughts, but bidding in the comments section will not count.

All of the items up for auction have been generously donated by my wonderful RA friends.

Some items are one-of-a-kind and a minimum bid has been established, the other items have no minimum bid.

 The good news is there’s no maximum, so bid big on multiple items 😉

Each item has an identification number.

When emailing your bid please write the item number in the subject line.

Apart from the item number and your bid, please do not include any personal details, address etc.

After you have won the auction I will email you with further instructions regarding the transfer.

 After the money is transferred I will request your shipping details which I will pass on to the person who donated the item.

Make sure to check your email so I can contact you if/when you win.

All bids must be made in GBP (pound sterling) in order to unify the currency.

All transfers are to be made to the RA Silent Auction PayPal account.

PayPal converts your currency automatically.

Unfortunately, due to logistics other means of transfer will not be possible.

If you do not have a PayPal account, I can assure you it’s very quick easy to set up and safe to use.

If I do not hear from the auction winner by the 8th of December 10am GMT the item goes to the second highest bidder.

After the transfer is completed and I have received your shipping details, the item/items will be sent directly from the person who donated it.

The postage + packing costs will also be covered by the person who has donated the item/items.

After all the transfers have been completed, I will tally them all up and send the money from the RASilentAuction PayPal account to the RA charity that was chosen in the poll that will appear in tomorrow’s auction post.

RULES:

The auction is open internationally and everyone can bid (apart from me, AgzyM, unless an item does not receive any other bids), including those generous people who have donated the auction prizes.

You can bid multiple times on multiple items.

You may raise your bid, but please don’t lower it.

All bids are confidential (hence the silent auction) so I will not be disclosing any information during or after the auction.

All bids must be made in GBP via email RASilentAuction [at] wp.pl and all transfers via PayPal.

ALL the money raised during the auction will be transferred to an RA JustGiving charity.

The information that you provide, including your email address, bids, shipping details etc. will be handled with respect and the information obtained will be treated as confidential.

Due to the nature of this auction, I have asked Guylty to serve as independent arbitrary/umpire.

If there are any questions regarding the auction, bidding, money transfers etc., Guylty will have access to auction information and will analyse your question/claim as an independent arbitrary.

If you have any questions about the auction, please email me at RASilentAuction [at]wp.pl

By bidding I will assume that you understand the procedure and rules of the auction and have agreed to them.

I hope everyone enjoys the  auction and see you back here Friday 9am GMT 🙂

Richard Armitage Silent Auction Coming Soon!

Dear Friends,

There’s been something I’ve been mulling over, seeking advice about, and trying to figure out the logistics of in the past few weeks and today I can finally share the news with you.

I’ve decided to organise a Richard Armitage Silent Auction from the 29th of November till December 1st.

What’s this mysterious being, you may ask…

Well, the  auction will feature a number of goodies (many, but not all are RA related) that you can bid on via email (hence the silent part).

I will be posting the rules and guidelines shortly, but let me just outline the basic idea.

A bunch of items will appear in a post on the 29th of November.

if you wish to bid on a specific one, you are asked to send me an email with your bid, with the closing date being Sunday Dec. 1st.

The person who bids the highest wins.

Here’s the best part: ALL of the money raised goes to an RA charity that will be chosen by Armitage Admirers based on the results of a poll that shall be up throughout the auction.

The RA Silent Auction means that you will not only be able to get your hands on some pretty amazing items, but you’ll also be contributing towards a worthy cause.

I will be writing more about the auction closer to the date, but today I’m looking for generous and kind-hearted people to contribute items that can be auctioned off.

And when I say items, your imagination is the limit 🙂

If you would like to donate anything, or help in any way, please email me at RASilentAuction [at] wp.pl or at my usual email address.

You can also leave a comment and I will get in touch with you shortly.

And a HUGE thank you to those who have already answered my  plea and have pledged awesome stuff for the auction or have offered their advice, assistance and wisdom 🙂

So, get your thinking caps on, start rummaging through your stuff, pull out the old DIY/ arts & crafts box,  and put aside a few pennies for the auction!

King Richard Competiton: The Good, The Bad and The Right Darn Ugly

The comments on Day 6 of the King Richard Competition are now closed, I’ll be drawing the last name and congratulating the winner shortly.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated!

It’s you (yes, YOU!) who makes it fun, so thank you for helping me celebrate Armitage Day!

As I’ve written in previous post, not everything (nothing more like…) has gone according to plan.

I had two types of jewellery: some that sealed the image with a cabochon and some that were covered in resin.

Let me tell you, both proved to be tricky!

Let me illustrate what “things going horribly wrong” looks like.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, so see the horror of:

The man spouting brown blobs!

Oh this one was a disappointment!

It all looked relatively good the day I made it, perhaps a few smudges that I insist aren’t a mistake, but give it an antique look.

Imagine my horror when a brown blob appeared centre of the image!

Oh, but that’s antiqued peanuts in comparison to:

Richard caught in a whirlpool!

Only the barrel is missing…

OK, this one may have been my fault.

After applying the resin, it dried all ripple and I though it a good solution to salvage the piece was too…. drumroll… pour more resin on it.

FYI, NOT the way to go…

I shall hang on to these and scare children come Halloween!

Not one piece of jewellery has really turned out perfect, but I really do hope the competition winners focus on the fact that it’s the thought that counts, my heart was in the right place etc.

Anyway, if you’d like to give this a go (and I am sooooo not giving up on making the perfect piece of jewellery, so look out resin, here I come!), here’s a great guide on how to apply the cabochon (with more success than me).

I’ve spent more of the post writing about what not to do, but let me tell you about someone who gets her projects right every freakin’ time!

Some of you make know Jen from Cake Wrecks, possibly one of the funniest websites around, but she laso has a site called Epbot which caters for her geeky, nerdy steampunky interests.

Last year she wowed us all with her Lady Vadore costume.

This year she has unveiled her White Rabbit project just in time for a ComicCon cosplay.

The whole costume is hand-made and Jen talks her readers through the process as you try to pick your jaw off the floor!

I literally spend hours reading through her posts and green with envy at her skills.

Anyway, thanks again to all who came out and played!

As always, you were so much fun.

I hope the next post will be on The Forsyte Saga, because that is loooong overdue!