Gay Adventures in Domesticity

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Beefcake Towel #1

Hey Domestigays!

If you are in the United States, I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend and saluted past and present service people for all their sacrifices and courage.

Today I have some quick pictures for you!  Beefcake Towels!  I recently started to work out (for another big gay project) and stitched this towel up a few months ago for inspiration.  Since then, I caught the beefcake bug!  I’ve been stitchin’ beefcakes like they are going out of style. Thank goodness they are timeless bodies and poses.  Later, I’ll post about my next big gay project and more about gay body types.

(pssst! If you are in the knitting group I attend, this is the embroidery I was working on last time I was there!)

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Do you tweet? Follow me! (@domestigay) 

Have an Instagram addiction? See me there, too! (@domestigay) *New Android users, I’m lookin’ at you!*

Just tag your stuff #domestigay on Twitter and Instagram or post it to the Domestigay Facebook page to see your stuff on the Domestigay blog!  It doesn’t have to be embroidery or gay—just domestic! 

Get this Beefcake pattern from Sublime Stitching here!


Super Share Sunday : Nathan Vincent

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Welcome to Super Share Sunday.  The other day I posted about the manly art of knitting, but what about the manly art of crochet?

I recently found an amazing male crochet artist.  Nathan Vincent crochets wonderful work that questions stereotypes and expectations of masculinity and femininity.  The exhibit is an entirely crocheted male’s locker room.  He meticulously (with very specific detail, like woodgrains) crocheted lockers, benches, urinals, and showers.  

I admire this particular exhibit’s meshing of the masculine and feminine.  Locker rooms express a very hard, testosterone-driven atmosphere—at least all the ones I’ve ever been in and the people I talk to have been in.  Vincent’s art, on the other hand, draws on the traditionally feminine position of fiberarts—in this case crochet—to craft a locker room that becomes, literally, softened.  Yet, I don’t think he feminizes the locker room in traditional ways.  We tend to get caught up in binaries—especially masculine and feminine.  This exhibit’s brilliance comes in deconstructing these binaries.  Crochet is not feminine and a male’s locker room is not masculine because of the way that Vincent engages both discourses of gender that subvert this dichotomy.

Check out the detail in those lock and that bench!

Yet, this project is not the only one of Vincent’s I loved.  I found myself spending hours looking and relooking at the work he has posted on his website.  Most of my dear readers know my impulse to embroider beefcakes, this guy crochets them… ON LACE!  And he is a bad-ass beefcake crocheter!

Again, the juxtaposition of the masculine and feminine (whatever that means) really inspires me and creates a very specific critique of the methods of representation.  The “hard” you-can-only-get-these-muscles-through-testosterone physique that traditionally epitomizes the male body gets undermined when crocheted on the delicate lace.  I’m really excited to see what this artist will do next!

If you are in the Bellevue area, be sure to check out the exhibit before June 26th.  Opps! I mean, if you are at Rawlins College this fall, be sure to check it out!  As has recently been happening to me, I have time warped us into 2011.  I blame the Myans.  If you are not, be sure to go over to the artist’s website and check out ALL of the really interesting stuff that he has crocheted and knitted (taxidermy, urinals, tool belts, lawn movers—just to entice you).  Also, check out this really smart interview he did with Dwell.


On Why I Need a Friend with a Disposable Income

Welcome back to Summer Domestigays!  So much has happened in the few months of my rap-act sabbatical.  We have a lot to catch up on in the coming weeks.  I promise we will catch up though.  M’kay? Kay. 

Today, however, I mourn that I do not have a friend with a highly disposable income.  If I did, I would have her or him order me this deliciousness:

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Melanie from Beeswax and Lavender (a great Gertrude and Alice reference for the literature dorks out there),     sent it to me and my mouth immediately dropped!  The Manly Art of Knitting! Need I say more?  From what I’ve gathered, this (now) expensive and sixty-four page book/let by David Fougner.  The book was published in 1972 by Threshold press, which is a British publisher.  

Maybe I’ll try my domestigay hand a prostitution—I hear you could make a lot there to afford this book.

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 Also, you may have noticed I have a little obsession with Instagram.  Want to see what’s happening before anyone else?  Then follow me @domestigay!  

 



Happy New Year…er… Happy New Day!

Well, hello there.  Where have you been?

Here?

You’ve been here, waiting for me to post?

Well, I haven’t been here posting.  I’ve been on adventures that have taken me from the mitten state (Michigan) to West Virginia to Texas and I’ve finally arrived back at Domestigay headquarters.  I’m so sorry, that you’ve been waiting for a post for me for so long.  To make it up, I have tons of great posts coming with free stuff for you for that special love day that’s coming up!  So, grab a latte and let’s catch up.

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I finished my first semester in graduate school! Yay!  But I couldn’t survive without stitching.  So, late one night in my office I procrastinated by stitching.  Looking around I realized there was nothing to stitch! *collective gasp* Using some ingenuity and creativity, I give you book-stitching (something I want to do for real now).

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Now, remember how I said only one person was getting an embroidered gift this year (cause that’s all I could reasonably do), well here it is!  My friend M is Russian and has two Russian tattoos (one says feminist in Russian, the other are nesting dolls).  So, now she an embroidered tote of her tattoos! (you can get the pattern from Sublime Stitching here)

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And that brings us to the great state of Texas!  J and I went to Texas.  For New Year’s Eve we went to a B-Movie Ball.  It was awful.  The party was not happening—that is, not until we showed up!  Check out our costumes.  Can you guess who we went as? (PS: Is that glitter on my pencil mustache or are you just gay to see me?)

I did some stitching on the plane to and from Texas (but it must remain a secret)!  I joined the stitching mile-high club!

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I am dedicated, now, to organizing my embroidery supplies, too!  I made this cotton/linen bag to tote all my embroidery supplies around with me (see photograph above about not having stitching nearby at office).

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Oh, geesh, look at the time.  I sure did talk about myself a lot!  I’m sorry, mom, I know it is not polite to talk about myself so much.  Now, moving on… give me someone else to talk about!  Please send your craft/art projects to domestigay@gmail.com or find me on Twitter (@domestigay) or on Facebook (facebook.com/domestigay) or on Instagram (domestigay).  I’m becoming an Instagram-addict.  It’s true! Tomorrow I am absolutely talkin’ about someone else—D from Texas (who was in West Virginia while I was in Texas!) sent in a stitched up tote she made for her friend for the holiday!  Stay tuned!

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Coming soon to domestigay: 
  • Valentine’s you won’t be embarrassed to give (cause they’re gay)
  • I resurrect underwear stitching
  • More beefcakes! 
  • Musing on jealousies—complete with stitching. 
  • How I am organizing my floss
  • AND SO MUCH MORE!  STAY TUNED (I promise to write this more)


Have Yourself a Domestigay Christmas

I hope that on this holiday, you and yours have a Merry Domestigay Christmas!  I am grateful to you for all of your continued support and readership.  Enjoy this virtual e-card made just for you!

Now, go eat lots of delicious food and enjoy the extra stitching time!

*As always, you can click on the image to make it bigger and more readable!*


THE DOMESTIGAY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!

The gifting season is here!  The holidays are drawing in upon us and you may be asking yourself what is the perfect gift for the domestigay on your list.  No fear! I am here to provide you with creative domestic, gay, and domestigay gift ideas for any budget!

If you decide you want to buy any of these gifts for the domestigay in your life, the link the title will take you to the appropriate website to purchase the item!  You can also click on the “guide” to make it bigger if you want to see the items in more detail.

1. Sassy Gay Metal (fill-in-the-blank) Case from SweetHeartSinner Creations ($9.99)

I’ll admit I’m jonesing for one of these.  This is the all-around awesome domestic, gay, and domestigay gift.  It is a cigarette case. It’s an id holder. It’s a cash and credit card holder. It’s a business card holder. It’s a case to hold a domestigay’s embroidery scissors, a skein of floss, and some needles.  It is a domestigay embroidery-on-the-go dream. This really is the perfect gift for anyone because it is so versatile, like many gay men!  But wait, should you have a lesbian in your life, there are also tons of lesbian styles of this.  Just browse around SweetHeartSinner’s store.

2. “Homo Sweet Homo” XStitch from Subversive Cross Stitch (Basic Kit -$12.00 / Deluxe Kit $20.00 / Downloadable .pdf Pattern $5.00)

Do you have someone on your list that wants to learn cross stitch?  Then the deluxe kit from Subversive Cross Stitch is perfect!  It comes with easy instructions and everything one needs to complete the project.  You can even change the colors of the hearts on the cross stitch if you want.  Do you know someone who just needs the pattern?  You could buy them the .pdf of the pattern and let them make their own.  Or, you could download the pattern for yourself and make this quick project for a last-minute gift for the gay on your list. This was one of the first cross stitch projects I did!

3. Steve Petrow’s Complete Gay and Lesbian Manners: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Life ($12.21)

I recently purchased this book for a multitude of reasons and it has been invaluable.  Not only is it perfect for any gay or lesbian in your life, it is also perfect for a heterosexual. It covers everything you could ever want to know about GLBT manners.  Topics include: coming out, dating, sex etiquette, moving in together, popping the question and weddings, parenting, bullying & homophobia, entertaining, workplace issues, travel, and much more.  Also, if you are looking to make “get engaged” a New Year’s resolution for 2012, I suggest placing a loving bookmark on the page about popping the question and giving it to your future fiance for the holidays!

4. Beefcake Beach Embroidery by Sublime Stitching (iron-on transfer $5.00 / .pdf pattern $3.00)

It is no surprise to anyone that reads this blog regularly that I LOVE SUBLIME STITCHING.  This is perfect for the gay embroiderer on your list.  Who doesn’t want to embroider sexy beefcakes on their shirts, bags, towels, and gym rags?  This pattern is the one that I embroidered on my beefcake shirt!  And let’s not forget our lesbian embroiderers, they might like the Pin-Up Grrls I made, which also came from Sublime Stitching or these beach babes.  Again, this is a project you can do for the gays in your life, or you could purchase the pattern and kit to introduce embroidery to the domestigays in your life.  I also recommend this embroidery kit (where you can get the beefcakes and pin-ups included) if you want to give the gift of embroidery this holiday season.  This is how I first taught myself embroidery.

5. “I’m so gay I qualify as a housewife” Magnet by PicardCreative ($5.25)

I saw this and immediately thought it is the perfect magnet to grace any domestigay’s fridge, filing cabinet, or other metal space.  This quotation is also like a domestigay mantra, the gayer we get the closer to housewife status we get.  If this one doesn’t fit your fancy (or it is sold), look at the other equally funny and lovely magnets from PicardCreative.

6. Gay Accent Breath Spray from BlueQ ($4.99)

I adore BlueQ.  They have subversive vintage-inspired items that will make anyone with wit laugh.  I put this on the holiday list because if you are questioning if someone is gay or not this holiday season, then buy them something off this list and this breath spray.  They will like your gift no matter what, because they will soon be speaking with a “sizzle” in their s’s.  This item may be the ultimate stocking stuffer this holiday season.

7. “TOP GAY” Apron from LGBabyT ($20.00)

I will take one of these in black, please.  For the baking gay in your life (or just the top gay in your life), I present to you this amazing domestigay-approved apron with wordplay from the hit television show Top Chef (or arguably from one of the gayest not-gay films, Top Gun).  I recently wore an apron to cook Thanksgiving.  At $20.00 an apron, how can you pass up this great kitchen wear for the gay in your life?  I’m just curious though, what happens if one is a “bottom gay” or a “versatile gay”?  This will work perfect for barbeques, entertaining, baking, cooking, or just hanging out in the house.  If I had one of these, I’d totally wear it all the time, even when I wasn’t baking!

8. Men-Up Calendar by Rion Sabean ($15.00)

I already bought one three of these.  I got one for me, one for my boyfriend (which he got at Thanksgiving), and one for a friend.  Rion Sabean took men and “typical” men activities and photographed them in pin-up girl poses.  You must get this for the gay guy or straight woman in your life for 2012.  It is a perfect holiday gift since one week after the holidays, a new year means a new calendar!  I’m in love with this calendar and already have mine hung up to January.  And guess what, too!  These come signed by the photographer.  So not only are they amazing calendars, but they are also autographed on the cover.  I’ve already explained to Mr. Sabean on Twitter that he should watch out for my 2012 campaign to be a model in the 2013 calendar.  His response, “You never know it could happen.”  My response, “Let’s change that could to will.”

9. Swish and Gay Haiku by Joel Derfner ($12.29 / $11.99 for Kindle)

I read Gay Haiku back when I first started dating my boyfriend.  He had it on his shelf, recommended it to me, and then, one day while he was out doing his big gay theatre thing, I read it.  It is hysterical.  Anyone who has a love of gay culture, poetry, and haiku will love this book.  It is perfect for the reading gay on your list.  Unfortunately, it is only available “new” on Kindle, but you can get it used from $1.92.

Derfner’s second book, Swish, is subtitled, “My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever and What Ended Up Happening Instead.” I’m currently reading this a little each night before bed.  This is put on the list for the domestigay knitters in your life.  The first chapter, “On Knitting” is a lovely look at knitting and how it came to provide insight for Derfner into the tense relationships gay men sometimes have with their mothers.  So far so good.  A must read for all domestigays.  Should I start a domestigay reading list?  If so, this is toward the top.

10. A Thank You Note to Your Domestigay by You (Free)

Holidays are a time of goodwill, gratitude, and love.  Sometimes the best gifts are the most simple ones. That’s why I’m ending the 2011 Domestigay Gift Guide with a handwritten note thanking the domestigay in your life for being who s/he is and being a part of your life.  Queer people need to be told that they are appreciated and loved—often more than their straight counterparts.  With families disowning gay people, tons of homophobia in the world, bullying directed at homosexuals, and all the ways the lgbt community is ostracized in the world, just telling a queer person that you love him/er, are grateful s/he is in your life can be more powerful than any of the other gifts on this list.  And, since times are tough, it is also the cheapest, most meaningful, and best gift any domestigay could ask for.

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Well, that’s it folks.  Now, I must ask you, what are YOU getting the domestigays in your life this holiday season?

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Knitting Soap on a Rope

Hey, there!  Remember when I told you I went to the Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat?  Well, one of the great things about this retreat was all of the wonderful knitting goodies everyone got in their bag.  From my local yarn shop, I got a kit for a knitted soap bag.  I wanted to knit it up to see if it would be practical for a small Christmas gift.  I think it is.  I realize in saying this some people will miss the “surprise” of it, but I don’t think many people actually read this blog—so it is a risk.

Anyway, I knitted what I consider to be the best gift one could ever give a prisoner.  It is even better than soap on a rope!  It is soap, in a knitted bag, closed with a crocheted rope, made to be held ever so tightly to keep you from dropping your soap.  Some people may want to drop their soap.  I say go for it.  One can still “drop” one’s soap if that’s what one desires.  So, check out today’s knitted domestigay project!

OH! Did you know that MOvember is over tomorrow?  You can still donate by going to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson!  To help get you in the MO-spirit, enjoy this video about public prostate exams.


Embroidered iPhone!

Hey, there.  Guess what I did.  I embroidered my iPhone!

 

I have been enviously looking at blogs where people have embroidered their iPhone for weeks now.  In fact, I was thinking of the idea before I even saw it on any blog, and then it appeared on a lot of craft blogs.  After a quick search on Google, I found a cheap website to order from.  I ordered a couple (because they were so cheap).  After a week of hearing nothing other than PayPal releasing my money to a Chinese company, I thought I’d get in contact with them.  Using a type of instant messaging service, I spoke with a customer sales representative who had very broken English (which made me thankful for the instant messaging because I could diagram the sentences in my head when they were really bad—dork!).  This representative said that the products I ordered were, “on order behind.”  This means backordered.  They did not know when/if the product would be received, ever, so then they refunded my money.

So then, I followed a link from a blog that swore quick shipping by both the American writer and many of the commenters.  I ordered it, and in one short week, I received a package from Korea.  Inside was my shiny new cross stitch iPhone case.  I’ve had this case since September and have been anxiously wanting to stitch it.  I could not figure out what to put on it.  A whale perhaps?  “Domestigay,” maybe?  One of the included patterns of Superman?  The traditional, “Jason,” you know to make sure everyone knew who I was.  No.  Then last week, Boyfriend and I went to the bookstore and I got to page through two books I’ve been dying to get my hands on—Push Stitchery and Hoopla.  I was so inspired I decided I needed to have embroidery in my daily life.  I decided I’d tackle on the iPhone case.  Even though my canvas is for cross stitch, I used an embroidery stitch to design the cover.  The herringbone stitch is one of my favorites. So, without plotting I just took off stitching.  I started with a light grey, then moved onto a darker grey and a d

arker grey, ending the row early.  At the end, I thought the stitched sides needed to be (mildly) connected, so I embroidered Xs (aka large and spaced out cross stitches) down the center.  I am quite happy with the results.  For my next techno stitch, I want to get this MacBook case and embroider it!  Where will the madness stop!?

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There are only THREE days left of MOvember!  Have you donated yet?  There is still time! Go to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson to help me change the face of men’s health!  So far, I’ve raised $135.00!  I’d love to make it an even $200!  Thank you to all of you who have already donated. Every contribution helps—no matter how big or how small.  In fact, if everyone who viewed my YouTube video donated just one dollar (less than a cup of coffee), I would have raised over $400.00 for prostate and testicular cancer!

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The Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat, Or My Big Gay Summer Camp

A few weeks ago I went to the Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat.

It all started with the first snowfall for this winter in Kalamazoo.  We went to a local yarn store, Stitching Memories, in Kalamazoo for homemade lasagne, drinks, shopping, fellowship, and, of course, knitting.  While not everyone was here, we kicked off the weekend with a knitted bang.  We talked about untold stories of the ER and what to do for fun in rural West Virginia.  Needless to say these stories carried over throughout the weekend.

I hosted a fellow knitter Thursday night.  On Friday morning he invited me to take a little road trip with him to Howell, Michigan to see his friend from The Spinning Loft.  This was a great trip, but a problem arose.  I-now-need-to-learn-to-spin.  I became fascinated with this process.  After some good chinese food, we drove to Circle Pines in Delton, Michigan for a weekend of knitting.

Circle Pines is a community-based retreat facility.  We helped set the table, clean up, and do dishes for every meal.  The food was all organic and local.  It was amazing.  At times during the weekend, I wondered if I was there for the food or for the knitting.

Even though this was a knitting retreat, I did a lot of embroidery on this trip.  Although I cannot share with you, loyal reader, because it is a Christmas gift.

After meeting everyone on Friday, we took a field trip! That’s right.  We went to Circle R Ranch and met some lovely alpacas.  There were baby alpacas, too.  I looked around at the other men and it was quite hysterical.  All of their eyes glazed over and popped out of their heads.  In each of their eyes, you could see sweaters, scarfs, and socks as a stream of drool fell to the ground.

I want an alpaca, too.

We also took a trip to Briar Rose, a hand-painted yarn supplier.  I wanted to buy everything there, but I think my needles and talents are too inferior to the beautiful yarn Briar Rose makes.

Finally we returned to the camp and settled in for a night of knitting and fun.  This retreat really was like gay summer camp.  There were really fun guys and the only thing you had to do was arts and crafts.  You did not have to go to the lake.  You did not have to go on nature walks.  It was arts and crafts time all the time.

I’m so glad that I went and can’t wait for next year.  I am really looking forward to hanging out with these men again.  If I was not a poor graduate student, I would certainly go to the “big one” in New York—where it all began.   But I’m okay looking forward to next November.

I met some great men that I consider near and dear friends now.  I’m amazed at their knitting and thankful for their fellowship.  I had a blast learning about their histories and knitting-lives.  I loved getting to know these (mostly gay) men of different generations and tastes that have helped me to gain an appreciation of the gay men that have come before me.  It truly was a magical weekend.  As the weekend came to a close and we said good-bye until next time. It really did feel like gay summer camp—the part where you hold back tears and realize that the magical weekend is ending but the magic continues…


A Domestigay Thanksgiving

Dearest Domestigays,

It has been awhile.  I have been quite busy with many domestigay projects—including the Midwest Men’s Knitting Retreat! (expect post on this soon)

So let’s work our ways back to the post on the knitting retreat.  Let’s begin with this past week and the first domestigay adventures in the kitchen.  Yes, that’s right.  I made Thanksgiving dinner—Turkey and all.

So what was on the menu?  I’m glad you asked!

  • Lil’ Smokey Cheeseball (cause everyone needs a cheeseball)
  • Turkey
  • Turkey Gravy
  • Stuffing (not cooked in the turkey)
  • Homemade Mashed Potatoes 
  • Cranberry Relish
  • Green Beans (fried and with bacon)
  • Pumpkin Pie

Because I actually had a few extra hands from my boyfriend (who got to spend an entire week with me!) There are actually pictures of domestigay baking in progress!
There’s also a picture of him chopping apples for the cranberry relish!
Yup, that’s right, domestigays, I had a great Thanksgiving and gave thanks for a lot!  Some of the things I am grateful are:
  • You! My loyal domestigay reader. 
  • My family
  • My boyfriend 
  • My friends near and far
  • My ability to craft and cook
  • My community (in the various forms it takes)
  • My health
  • My Thanksgiving
Your turn.  What were you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
I was thankful for my ability to take my shirt off while cooking too.  It’s amazing how much heat comes from such a small kitchen.  Speaking of heat… did you notice the moustache in these pictures? That’s right, MOvember is well underway.  My stache is there.  Have you occupied my face, yet?  If not, there is still time!  Go to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson and donate!  You can also share this YouTube video I made here.  
More posts to come, very soon, too!  

The Complete Cocktails

I finished (some time ago) the last of the cocktail napkins.  Today, I got them photographed and ready to unveil the whole set.

The last one that I had to stitch up was a delicious strawberry daiquiri (that at first I thought could be a watermelon daiquiri).  See?

Strawberry - not Watermelon

 

Now, I have a complete set of alcoholic cocktail napkins.  I have at least one drink that will appeal to you should you want/need a cocktail napkin when visiting.

Cocktail napkin?

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It is MOvember!

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It is MOvember 4th and the moustache is coming along!  I think I could pass as French, or an artist.  Not a French artist though.   Have you taken a look at my video on YouTube?  Have you shared my video on YouTube?  Have you donated to my stashe and MOvember?  NO?!?!

Well first you should watch and share this video.  Then, you should go to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson and donate!

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My video is almost up to 400 views! (396 at this writing!)  Thank you to everyone who shared this video and have already showed your support by donating to my face.  I am so grateful for all you do!

Related articles


MOvember 2: The Shadow Stache

It is MOvember 2nd! And, guess what!  I have a shadow stache!

I got a comment from the lovely administrative assistant at school today and an odd look from the cafe-man at Panera.  It’s happening!

Have you shared my YouTube video yet?  On Facebook?  On Twitter?  On Google+? On your blog?  On e-mail?  On snail mail?  On an owl? No, then go here and share! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HebcoB7ldjc (I’ve had 234 views so far!)

Have you pledged to change the face of men’s health yet?  Have you donated to my face?  NO?   Then go to my mo-space and get supportin’!  Every dollar helps!  I’m also giving exclusive pictures and information there! 


Happy (ho)MOvember!

Recovered from Halloween?  Good.  Moving on.

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Happy MOvember first!

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Wait, you haven’t heard? These guys replaced the N with an M and made Movember?  Whaaa?!?!?

Check out this video I made for a full explanation of Movember and the horrors that will follow (on my face!). (Ps: watch it til the end.  There are some bonus features just for you!)

Now that you know the what, the who, the why—why not support me by going to http://mobro.co/jvanfosson!

Then, PLEASE share this on your blog, with your family, with your friends, and on all your social networking sites.

Keep your eyes posted here for more behind-the-scenes moustache-related pictures and stitching! 


Happy Halloween, Domestigays!

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Happy Halloween!

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Hi, there!  Today is Halloween!  I hope that you have a fabulous, safe, and sane Halloween day!  Now tell me, dear domestigay reader, what are you dressing up as this year?  Send me pictures of your wonderful costumes and your celebrations!

Here at domestigay headquarters we are both tricking and treating! So we’ll start with the treat.

Now for the trick.  If you turn out the lights, this piece glows in the dark!  But it only says…

One cross stitch, two messages!

*note: because glow-in-the-dark thread does not photograph, I took this while it was a wip so you can “see” the trick!

 


The Eve of Halloween (proper)

What is the gayest holiday on the calendar?  HALLOWEEN!  Many people associate Halloween with gore, monsters, zombies, witches, ghouls, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, the Great Pumpkin, kids dressed as vegetables or princesses (okay, maybe I am the only one who has ever gone trick-or-treating as a pea in a pod, but I was like four).  Gay Halloween, however, is not these things.  Gay Halloween is bat shit insane.  Drag queens become super drag queens.  Sequence shops go from red to black in one week.  Glitter hangs over gay bars like smog in the city.  This.  This is Gay Halloween.

But since moving and starting to get my Ph.D., I have missed Gay Halloween this year.  It is also difficult to celebrate Gay Halloween when your partner lives eight driving hours away.  We have yet to fully celebrate Halloween together.  When we do, though, watch out.  I have already made our costumes and they are under-wraps in my closet (unlike my sex-oo-al-itay).  So, as the most fabulous-gay-friendly-happiest-most-wonderful-amazing holiday approaches, I plead to my domestigays to, please, be safe and sane.

And guess what!  That ol’ bat glows in the dark!

 


Cock-Tail Napkin #5

This cocktail series is getting annoying, huh?  There is only one napkin left after this one.  Did I mention that I actually had a dream last night that I found more cocktail napkins ready to be stitched?  That is how I know my domestigay cock-tail napkins are getting out of hand!  So without further ado… The Big Gay Umbrella Drink!

 

 

The pattern for this napkin comes from Sublime Stitching’s Embroidered Effects.

Don’t forget to submit your domestigay projects to domestigay@gmail.com, on facebook, on twitter, by owl, by post, by pony express!  


Gayzpacho

Hey, there, domestigayers!  It’s time for the first-ever domestigay recipe.

Meet Dana.  Dana is a graduate student in Texas.  Graduate students have a special place in my domestigay heart.  Dana made this delicious-looking gazpacho soup, or as I like to call it, gayzpacho soup!

Doesn’t it just look deeeelicious?  Guess what!  Dana from Texas also shared the recipe so you, too, can have gayzpacho soup!  You domestigayers in the warmer climates will need to try this cold soup.

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GAYZPACHO SOUP

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Chop: 

     1 onion

     2 bell peppers  (Dana did one green pepper and one yellow pepper)

      1 fennel bulb and stems

      3 cucumbers (peeled and seeded)

      2 avocados mixed with the juice of 3 limtes

      Basil & Mint to taste

Combine in a food processor and chop until smooth. 

Add red wine vinegar to taste.  Add water if needed. 

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 Why haven’t YOU submitted your craft, cooking, knitting, cross stitch, embroidery, needlework, jewelry making, bedazzling, crochet, stitching, baking to domestigay yet?  You can do it on Facebook, on twitter (@domestigay), or by e-mailing domestigay@gmail.com.


FUNKIN PUMPKIN SKULL

Oh, hi, there.  You scared me.  I’ve been so busy I forgot that I forgot that I had a blog to update, stitching to do, knitting circles to attend, and people who are anxiously awaiting for the next domestigay installment.  Okay, so maybe that last one is a stretch, but you get the idea.  So welcome back to domestigay-goodness.

It is October!  Halloween is only a week away!  So what is a domestigay to do when Halloween is a week a way?  Stitch a pumpkin, of course.  Okay, so I didn’t stitch a pumpkin, but I did stitch a funkin (a fake pumpkin).  I used a free and spooky pattern from Sublime Stitching.  Okay, so take a look.

Step 1: Transfer pattern to pumpkin using thumbtacks

Step 2: Using the pre-made holes from step one, embroider pumpkin

Step 3: DO NOT PUT FLAME IN PUMPKIN, and then sit back and enjoy your embroidered pumpkin.

Yup.  That’s it.  Enjoy this pumpkin, now.  I really am happy with the way it turned out.  Now, I am working on some amazing cross-stitch for Halloween.  I’ve determined that cross-stitch and embroidery will be the way to decorate my apartment since I am only here for five years.

Okay, now to the next cocktail napkin!  This time it is champagne!

Cheers!


There are only two more cocktail napkins to stitch up!  But I must do it after Halloween.

So, now you must tell me, loyal reader.  What are you craftin’ up these days?

Tomorrow, I will be bringing you a great new recipe from a Texan domestigay!! 

Happy Saturday!



Cocktail Napkin #3: The Margarita

Hola! It’s time for another cocktail napkin to show up! This time it’s got a Mexican flavor.  I sure do love going to Mexican restaurants for their delicious margaritas.  Some like them frozen.  Some like them on the rocks.  I like margaritas cold and moving from the glass to my mouth.

 

For this I focused on greens and decided to use a split-stitch for the glass to mix it up.  Now, the picture does not nearly capture the awesomeness of the metallic thread.  What?! You don’t see any metallic thread?  That’s cause my lil camera phone instagram camera-phone couldn’t capture the brilliant white metallic thread I used at the top to “salt” the glass.  Margarita’s are great, but I sure do love the salt at the top.  The pattern for this comes from Sublime Stitching.  There’s a link to the post where I first discuss that book below.

It is officially the weekend!  Now go get yourself a margarita!


Cocktail Napkin #2: Martini!

What is this? TWO domestigay posts in ONE day?  How can it be?  Procrastination is the key!

I love martinis.  I almost had a martini last night called “Sexy Bartender,” but decided a gin and tonic was in order.  Martinis are delicious.  They can be even more delicious when consumed with a hand-stitched cocktail napkin.  Check it out.

Can you tell I was stressed when I stitched the bottom half?  Look at how small those stitches are compared to the rest!  I used a split stitch for the olive.  I don’t like the split stitch very much because it never looks how I think it should look in my head.  This is much closer to how I think it should look though.

This pattern comes from the Sublime Stitching book.  I tell ya, that Jenny Hart makes cool stuff.

Cheers!


Extreme Domestigay Makeover: Round One

I decided it was time to make domestigay gayer.  This blog needed to be prettier.  So, I made it prettier.

This means that if you subscribe to the blog via an rss feed or e-mail, you should actually visit the site!

 
This is the first step of many in which I hope to create a coherent domestigay look.  I wanted something that would remind my lovely readers of a late 1950s or early 1960s house.  Think Bewitched.  Think Laverne and Shirley.  And if you are one of the few people who read this blog that are not familiar with such shows, think Mad Men So drawing on inspiration from Anne Taintor, advertisements, and cartoons, the designer created this magnificence.  

Natalie from Moxie Tonic designed this banner and the button below for me.  She is a miracle worker.  She took my mind, read it, and then designed this awesomeness.  Natalie also designs amazingly beautiful social networking icons, custom signatures, and other blogging essentials.  She also has an amazing website (linked above) in which she gives super secret information about Etsy success.  I highly recommend working with her if you own a blog and want some custom designs.  You can purchase her products at her Etsy store.

This is only the first step for domestigay.  I am now looking for amazing backgrounds, new layouts, inspirational logos, blog-business cards, and more!  If you have any suggestions, I’m more than happy to take them!

What domestigay projects are you working on this weekend?

 



I Need a Drink

Is this week almost over?  This week has certainly been one of the most difficult, trying, stressful, and questionable weeks since the great migration to the Midwest.  It’s time for a drink!

So what does a good domestigay do when he has a stressful week?  Embroider, of course!

I am currently embroidering six cocktail napkins.  Each cocktail napkin features a different drink.  So, without further ado, I present the first of this series.

This is my vodka-on-the-rocks glass.  I call it this as opposed to an old-fashioned glass because the colors really remind me of the Absolut vodka bottle—silver, grey, blue.  I hope you like it—the vodka, not the embroidery.

The first picture in this post shows the napkin itself.  I got the napkins, of course, from Sublime Stitching.  You cannot get these napkins anymore.  BUT, there are a whole set of new cocktail napkins at Sublime Stitching you can get.  I want to get them in blue and black.  If you want to embroider your own cocktail napkins, you can order them here and get a free pattern for them from here.  Did I mention how much I love Jenny Hart?  I think she saved my life.  The pattern that I used for this comes from Jenny Hart’s first book, Sublime Stitching.  I like the simple patterns in it, but I prefer her second book (to come in a later cocktail post) for directives and projects.

On another note, I’m really excited about the coming week for domestigay!  Domestigay will be getting a great face-lift and I can’t wait to revamp the website.  That means that if you are reading this in a RSS feeder or in your e-mail, you MUST come visit when I say so.

In the meantime, tell me, what projects are you currently working on?  Submit some pictures! I’d love to hear from you!


Beefcakes and Cruising

I embroidered a domestigay shirt.  Actually it is just a shirt with a domestigay-friendly embroidery on it.  Take a look.

I like this shirt a lot.  Oh, you want to know more about the stitching?  Okay. As the beefcake says, “Alright, Mr. Domestigay, I’m ready for my close-up.”

I don’t know if you can tell through this picture, but the water is made out of metallic thread.  I like to look at the metallic thread.  I do not like to stitch with it.  It is very specific.

It is a summer shirt, I know.  The weather has been cold here, I know. This shirt is now a winter shirt.  Because I said so.  It is hopeful for the days of beefcakes on the beach.  I have not been to the gym in a very l-o-n-g time.  Maybe this shirt can give me the kick I need to go back to the gym.  Last night I had dinner with a gay friend.  At one point we talked about the gym.  Breeders don’t understand the gym like homosexuals do.  Homosexuals have notoriously used the gym (especially the locker room) as a cruising* ground.  The inherent homosociality of the locker rooms add a heightened awareness to homosexuals in the gym.  My dinner friend and I thought it is interesting that both of us refuse to use (on campus) gyms where we may see students or colleagues.  We wondered why.  Could it be because the connotations of the gym in gay life?  Could it be because of the way the gym functions as a type of temple for gay men?  After all, gays go regularly in an attempt to better themselves—not unlike religious breeders who go to church regularly to better themselves.

I remember the first time when I was “cruised” in a gym locker room.  It was in West Virginia.  *insert collective gasp here* I was, in addition to being gay, young and drunk at the time.  A rather beefy bear-like man asked innocently enough, “Are you a swimmer?”  I simply replied, “No.”  I paused a moment.  I was quite confused.  Not only was I not a swimmer, I could not swim (despite a two month stint on my high school swim team).  Hesitantly I asked, “Why?”  The grizzly bear responded, “Oh you have the body of a swimmer.”  “Really?” I paused still confused. “Well I run, but I think that might produce a completely different body type.”  “Oh!” said the bear.  “Runner and swimmer bodies look the same to me.  Either way it is a great body.  I’m a photographer and work at a salon, or rather spalon. Get it? Spa and salon?  I’d love to take some photographs of you sometime if you’d like to.  We could shoot some with you running. You know, action shots.  We could do some with you in running clothes—or not.”  My young and naive mind did not realize that this last statement (especially the “or not”) meant with running clothes on or no clothes on at all.  “I’m running late and have to get to work.  But here’s my card, please call me and we can get together and I can shoot you.  Nice speaking with you.”

Luckily, I was not wearing these when I was being cruised. Although I think if people wanted cruised, these could be quite helpful.

To the average breeder and the young, naive homosexual this may seem like a good conversation between men in a locker room.  Oh, and did I mention throughout this conversation I was either naked, in my boxer briefs, or shirtless?  After discussing with my boyfriend (at a later date) this event, he shed some light on it and explained that I was getting cruised.  My mouth dropped.  “He was trying to pick me up?  Like to have sex?”  In retrospect (and after learning more about cruising culture), I realize that this was indeed the case.  This summer I actually threw his business card away.  I kept it in my gym bag (which sat idle for quite awhile before getting moved to Kalamazoo) in case I ever decided I needed pictures taken for something.

But this experience is not nearly unique and certainly speaks to one of many types of cruising that happens in locker rooms.  They are inherently sexualized places.  A place of forbidden desire.  A place of permitted desire.  At the same time.  But these are things that mostly gay men understand and see in the locker room.  So, yes, I will never use the gym at my school.  I would rather pay the fees and drive out of my way to go to a gym that is not easily available to students and colleagues.  As a graduate student and instructor this gets more muddled.  I have students, professors, and colleagues.  I think these wonderful people I see daily are wonderful when they are clothed, and it is a good look for them.**  Why should we ruin this?

Time to scout out gyms, now.

* This does not mean they drive their muscle car in the gym with their music playing loudly.

** I include myself in this.  I think I can look mighty good in clothes and am quite sure that none of my students, colleagues, or professors would like to see my naked or boxer-brief clad body.  I would prefer for them not to see it.

The pattern for the beefcake comes from Sublime Stitching’s Beefcake Beach pattern.