Beer and a Movie: Vacancy

So, generally once or twice a week, Ash and I try to take a break from screen printing and watch a movie and drink some beer. Luckily, we both prefer horror films, so deciding what kind of film to watch isn't that hard, and since I'm a Blockbuster Online member, I always have three to five horror films of varying quality laying around the house for just such an occasion. So this past Friday, it was Vacancy, staring Luke Wilson and the ever so easy on the eyes Kate Beckinsale of Underworld fame, so we had some higher hopes for this one that we do many of the low budget crapfests we tend to watch. Truth is, I'll put anything from the horror section into my queue which causes much suffering, and an increase int the amount of beer consumption. By the way, the beer of choice was ZiegenBock and Bud Light.

Well, higher expectations were for naught, as the film was very mediocre, and that's being generous to it. It pretty much hit all the cliches. I expected more from a major label release that obviously had more than a dollar fifty spent on it. Even Kate couldn't save it. A more complete review will be coming soon, if I can bring myself to revisit the horror (and not a good horror).

captainzoli
Torchedthreads

PG13

So who thinks Horror movies should never be PG13. Why you ask? Well beacause without the R rating you dont get the best stuff about a good Horror movie. Such as Nudity, over the top gore and great death scenes. Without these a Horror movie it is not, it is just a movie that should have gone straight to the trash, or Walmarts bargain bin. Let us know what you think!!!

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner for a Man

Here is a great recipe that is quick, simple and uses ingredients every man should have. Take a package of you favorite Roman noodles, boil and drain. In a hot frying skillet place the noodels in along with some butter and the flavor packets ingredients to flavor. After letting the noodles fry for a few minutes add 2 or three eggs and scramble everything together. Your done. Throw some bread in the toaster, slather some butter on that and chow down with your favorite beverage. The flavor packet the noodles comes with is optional, not every flavor goes good with eggs. Experiment and find the ones you like best. Greatest of all is if you dont like it, you only wasted about a $1 in food, if even that. So go crazy and try different variations, Roman noodles are incredibly versatile and taste great by themselves as well. Just rememebr each packet has enough soduim to make the Gulf of Mexico dry up.

Peach Upside-Down Cake | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Man, Susan over at Fat Free Vegan has posted a particularly good looking peach upside down cake made in an iron skillet. I'm generally not much of a baker, or a dessert maker in general, but this thing looks good enough that I may very well have to break my long ban on making desserts and give this one a try.

Besides, it's summer, and we are in the South. That's really all the reason we need to make a nice peach dessert anyway. :)

A Night Off

For any of you that run your own businesses, you know there aren't many nights off. There always seems like there is something that has to be done. Last night was one of those few nights off. Ash was off saving our streets from gangs for National Night Off, so I got to relax, and only spend a couple of hours working on improvements to the website, instead of full blown work. Also managed to squeeze in a few games of All Pro Football 2K8 as well. :) You know what they say about all work and no play. Still, it was nice to have a few moments away from the normal grind.

National Night Out

Tonight is National Night Out, so for those of you who are sick of all those damn little gang bangers painting everything they can get their sorry ass hands on, go out and support you local neighborhoods efforts. Or if your one of those little losers stop breathing until tomorrow and do us all a favor. Or better yet paint your bedroom walls with the back of your brains.

At the Worst Possible Moment...

Ok, so not the worst possible moment, but certainly close. Somedays, no matter how much experience you have, things just seem to go wrong. Sometimes it can be very badly wrong, like catching the shop on fire, and sometimes it's just an annoying series of minor issues that combine to be a big pain in the ass. Last night was one of the latter kinds of nights, as we were setting up for a job, it just seemed that other little detail was just a small bit off. It can be frustrating, and can also be time consuming. The most important thing is to keep a cool head and logically think things out. Troubleshooting is a big part of being successful.

Oh, and no, we haven't actually ever set the shop on fire. Yet. Knock on wood. :D

Not Sure on This One

I created this image when messing around with Photoshop, and had originally intended it to be part of the redesign of the webstore in some manner. It appears that the inclusion in the redesign didn't work out, so I'm not sure entirely what to do with this piece. Guess I'll just post it here.

Actually, there will be another redesign at some point in the future, I'm sure, and I'm certain this design might very well see the light of day again at that point. Especially since I'm in charge of such things. :p

...And the Beat Goes On.

So far, we've had some promising results in our experiments with creating unique looks to some test shirts, but there have also been some unexpected setbacks that have caused delays in bringing any of those items to market. Such is life though. Anyway, the work does continue despite the trials and tribulations, and hopefully there will be some tangible results at some point. At least we can hope.

In other news, we hope to be expanding this blog to encompass some of our other interests as well in the not too distant future. Again, more announcements on this should be forthcoming shortly. Always something going on.

The Experiment Continues...

Ah, and what would that be, you may ask? Truth is, we aren't telling just yet. Yes, I know. I hate it when folks do that to me as well, so I'll give you a little bit of a hint. We are working on a proprietary dye/staining process for a new line of t-shirts. Right now, we have an idea of where we would like to end up, and how to get there, but whether it will work out or not is anyone's guess. Half of the fun in anything is trying new things, and we are certainly not afraid to do that.

So far, we have been working on the new process for a few days, but we won't really know if it's promising or not until the very end, which will be either today or tomorrow, depending on how long we can hold our curiosity at bay. I'm pushing for today.

And the Designs keep Coming.

For those that haven't checked the webstore recently, there have been a large amount of new designs that have found their way out of the art department and onto t-shirts. Or at least eight or so. Yes, many a new design for your viewing pleasure, or wearing pleasure as the case may be. It's all very exciting, especially since there are more on the way, just over the horizon, trying to claw their way onto a tee for the website. I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the yet to be seen designs end up looking.

Finally...A Shirt Inspired by The Transformers Arrives.

Well, we've been working on this one for a while, and I have been promising its arrival for a while as well, but now it's here. The love child of nostalgia and humor has brought forth this multi color printed tee as a tribute to the old transformers/go-bots cartoons of the eighties, with a twist of humor for us all. We like this one and we think you will too.

As always, buy this cool and colorful design at Torched Threads or on Ebay.

More Than Meets the Eye?

So, raining all day and night, that's how it's been. But on a positive note, one of the long awaited new designs that I speak of so often should be making its debut sometime soon. I'm guessing it will be tonight. The prototype shirt is done, and it looks great (if I do say so myself). Two color print on a white shirt, inspired by our childhoods, as so many things are, more specifically, all those transforming robot toys, like The Transformers and Go-Bots, etc. Ah, to grow up in the seventies and eighties. Anyway, stay tuned for more soon. Very soon.

Texas Flood

First off, Happy Belated Fourth of July to everyone. It's been a very wet fourth in these parts. Nothing but rain all week, well rain and flash flood warnings. Not what one would hope for on a holiday known for fireworks and barbecues. Work has been kinda slow around the shop, hampered by the extreme humidity which has made work not only hot and sticky, but also a bit off. Humidity just makes everything harder and take longer than it should. Guess that's just its way, but it's enough to drive a hard working screen printer crazy some days.

This is the Recipe I was Talking About

So I couldn't help myself. I went ahead and searched Susan's blog for the recipe. I didn't use the yellow split-peas, and added a bit more spice than called for (I like it hot) but it came out great. Very enjoyable. This is one that I will make again come fall, which is my main soup season. See the link for the recipe.

Yellow Split-Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Mini Doughnut Muffins | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with t-shirts, except of course possibly the size shirt you may end up wearing, but I just wanted to mention this recipe I saw on one of my favorite vegan food blogs, Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I haven't tried it, but I do so love doughnuts that it won't be long before I give it a go. I've tried other recipes from Susan's blog before and they have always turned out spectacularly. Good stuff. I would recommend combing through her blog, for it is jam packed with interesting recipe ideas, including the last one I tried, her split pea and sweet potato soup. That came out really well. I love food as much as I love t-shirts, and Susan's recipes are great for vegans and non-vegans, alike.

Mini Doughnut Muffins | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Working, Working, Working

Well, it has been a day or two since I last posted, but things have been busy. Mainly working with the new designs. Out of the five or so that are really on the edge of being ready to go, I think we should see two finalized by the end of the weekend: One with robots and one with Jesus. Go figure. Should be followed shortly with the other three, and maybe a couple more dark horse designs that just sort of materialized out of nowhere but have captured our imaginations to an extent. Really looking forward to working on some of those.

Anyway, thought I would leave you today with one of our better selling t-shirts, perfect for men or women. Our "Arg, I Be Here For Ye Booty" tee is a black t-shirt with a screened red front print. I really like the way this one came out. Pictures don't really do it justice, but I'm posting one anyway. We were experimenting with some printing techniques and really got a nice, aged look/texture on the lettering. One of my personal favorites. If you find yourself interested in grabbing one of these beauties for yourself, you can get one from our webstore, torchedthreads.com, or from our ebay store, Torched Threads T-Shirts, whichever you prefer.

Saw the List

I can't believe how many designs are currently in queue for development or are in development. The list has to be over two hundred ideas long and growing. I know that there are five designs, at least, that have reached the actual final composition and polishing stages. That pretty much means if everything goes well, the webstore will be seeing three to five new designs over the next five to ten days. Provided all goes as planned, of course. Also, after the shipment we received from our supplier yesterday, there is a very good chance that the previously postponed debut of the women's baby doll style fitted shirt will finally get to make its long awaited appearance. Can't wait to see that up on the site!

First One Out the Door

We sold our first "I Whacked Tony" shirt today. It's nice to see someone else appreciate a design that we worked so hard on. Hard work and a little bit of luck to get the perfect look. It's always exciting when the first order for a new design comes in. Can't wait to see the next design on an actual t-shirt. That's one of the best parts, seeing our designs on actual t-shirts for the first time. Hard to say whether the first prototype or the first sale is better from an excitement standpoint.

Back to the Drawing Board

After the nice way our "I Whacked Tony" shirt came out, we have gone back to the drawing board again to work on some new designs. Last night was spent working out some of the minutia of running a business. We also worked on setting up for a small, local business order that will be going out shortly. After all that, there was a great deal of time spent on a couple of designs that should see the light of day shortly. Here first, of course. One may be a bit over the top for most folks and the other is more in the vein of our "I Whacked Tony" shirt. Not gangster/mafia inspired, but, well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see for yourself. Both designs look like they are shaping up nicely though. Can't wait to see how they look on a t-shirt.

Here it is!

Well, it is finally finished, and all ready for its close up, or rather just a quick picture, but enough for you to see what's going on. Our latest design to come crashing out of the Torched Threads art studio and sear itself to a t-shirt. Our "I Whacked Tony" tee.

We think that the red really stands out nicely against the black tee and the textured edges capture the feel and spirit of the classic gangster/mafia/mob movies that we love so much. The Godfather movies may end, and The Sopranos may be over, but with this shirt, the good times never have to. If you are interested in getting one of these of your very own, you can. Just click "Here" to buy from torchedthreads.com or "Here" to grab one off of ebay. Either way you can't go wrong with this high quality shirt. More to come.

A Good Night

Last night was a good night for us. A design idea that we had been concentrating on and spending alot of time with since Friday finally came to fruition, along with an unforeseen happening that added to the look of the final design as well. It's funny how something that looks like a complete disaster on a Saturday can turn around and end up being the best thing in the world on a Monday night. Guess that's just how things go sometimes. We were really excited to finish up the final printing on the prototype shirt and get the design into production because we thing you guys and gals will really like it. Especially if you are fans of all the great mob/gangster/mafia movies and shows like we are. You know, the greats like Goodfellas, Untouchables, The Sopranos, Casino, etc. The list goes on and on, and we are big fans of the genre.

Anyway, we don't have any pictures of the new design yet, so I'm not going to give any more information away on it until we do, but stick around because that should happen sometime later today. We are really happy with the way this one came out, and we hope you will like it as well.

Brainstorming for Fun and Profit.

Well, I'm not sure how much profit there is in it, but when the Torched Threads crew gets together for a brainstorming session, there is always fun. Did I mention there is always beer as well? Probably explains the high level of fun that is had, as well as the surprisingly high level of productivity that results. Literally hundreds of ideas have sprung from these sessions, sitting around in the warm, humid South Texas evening, enjoying a few beers and everyone spitting out whatever comes to mind. Good times to be sure, now that summer is here. Although, to be truthful these things are going to have to go inside once July hits, I would guess. Just gets too damn hot and humid down here. Unless we can get a breeze. Guess we will find out about the profit thing down the road.

Kicking it Off

So what happens when two friends finally come in from the beach and decide it's time to drink a little less and do something interesting and creative? Well, in our case it is Torched Threads, and the torchedthreads.com website, not to mention this blog. So having said that, what can you expect? Well, from the shop and website, you can expect to have on offer the best quality original designs to be custom printed on T-Shirts, babydoll tees, and other apparel. Pretty much anything we can find that will stand still long enough to be printed on. :p

Out of the blog, you can expect to get an inside view of what goes on in our lives, our business, and the creative process that ends up in what you will be seeing on the website. As a matter of fact, it is even possible that you, the reader will have an opportunity to influence product design as we move forward and comments come in to the blog. Ah, the fun that will be had. Be sure to stick around.