Alternative Crafting

New Swap...Tiny Movie Things.

2011-05-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Just signed up for another swap. Three tiny movie things. Here are my "favorite" five movies.

1. 500 days of summer
2. kill bill vol 1 and 2
3. ghost world
4. lion king
5. magnolia (not steel magnolias, just "magnolia")

DONE!

2011-04-03T19:56:00.001-07:00

I used a few videos on YouTube to refresh on my ole' square knot (for hemp bracelets).

I know it's not perfect but for less than a dollar in materials, I'm happy with it.

Waxed Linen: $2 for a huge spool (used about ~14 feet?), thinner is better. you can experiment with other string options.
Silver square beads: $2 (22 pc, used 12 here), bigger holes are better. The bead will need to go through two carrier strings.
Next round, I'm going to try pink embroidery floss and metal beads. I want a whole stack of 'em.

Instructions:
1. Make a loop by tying a knot in two equal length pieces of waxed linen, about 3-4' each, halved to 18"-2'. Do a square knot to start the bracelet.
2. Then place your first bead on the carrier strings. square knot it to secure it.
3. Leave about 3" empty space (no knots) then make a regular OH knot. This is where your 10 beads will start.
4. Square knot, bead, square knot, bead til you get your 10 beads threaded. Finish the 10 beads with a square knot.
5. Leave another 3" with no knots to match the beginning of the bracelet. This is the end of the bracelet and the beginning of your slider closure.
6. After the 3" blank area, leave another 2-3". This is where your adjustable area will be (it needs to be bigger than your wrist in order to get the bracelet on/off).
7. Thread your final bead into your last square knot. Trim edges.
To make the slider closure, view the Slider Knot closure tutorial. You can use a contrasting color or stick with the same color. Either way! I left the ends a little straggly on the slider closure.

Welp, I'm overdue to start a project...

2011-04-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

I just haven't been feelin' crafty. But I saw something about the Shashi bracelets, along with the simple, woven/beaded look of these bracelets, I thought, "I could make that..."

We'll see how it goes. I've not done much jewelrymaking in a long time and I'm not sure I've done bracelets anytime recently. I'm excited! Why spend $20 on something you could make?

Next projects....

2010-10-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Some things I have going on in the back of my brain.

I saw this AweSoME(!) video from EnKore Makeup on YouTube re: making your own (Hello Kitty) MAC palette so I got some board from Michael's, some pink sparkle foam and some really cute embellishing paper. I have no idea how to cut the board. I thought I could do it with an x-acto knife, but not so much. After cutting the board, it should be all downhill.

I have been thinking about making bath bombs for the holidays to give out and share. I think you make them with Citric Acid and baking soda. And whatever fragrance oil you would like to add. I have been LOVING LUSH. I dropped about $80 there and was dreaming all week about a super soft, super relaxing bath with a Vanilla Fountain. I had the roughest week at work and couldn't wait to get that bag o' goodies home to the tub.
Anyway, it'd be nice to share that joy with others. It made the water feel like liquid velvet. Soooo smooth, sooooo soft. Not sticky or greasy though.

I'm also still wrapping up my Jack's Mannequin swap package. I made a tshirt that says
"big hearts
are for breaking" with a rainbow/gradient(?) piano. It was a new technique for me. I made a bookmark (talked about that already) and a piano bamboo tile bracelet. I've probably made 4 of those for swaps, and counting. I also decoupaged a vintage LA postcard to say, "Fuck Yeah! We could live like this!" with a bunch of other little quotes and colorful additions. I'm thinking of mounting it on a canvas but I'm probably not that motivated.

Tiny Book

2010-10-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

My tiny book made it to it's home. I was sad to see that go. I loved the leafy sea dragon page.

One Tiny Thing: Book Edition....DONE!

2010-09-29T18:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, here's my "final" product. I might do a little more doodling, coloring before I send it out tomorrow.

Weird Sea Creatures

2010-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm hard at work on a "tiny book". It's about strange/adorable sea creatures. "Sea" is used loosely. "Weird" is used loosely. Some creatures are completely normal except for how they ambulate, look, act. I'm not done yet, but I had a big push tonight. I feel like I have a clear idea of where I'm going now, too, so that's helpful.

One Tiny Thing: Book

2010-09-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

I signed up for another swap (because I'm an addict).

It's one tiny thing. This edition is a book. So I'm making a tiny book for my partner. She listed tentacles as one of her interests so I think I might make a little science book of tentacles. Did you know: tentacles are only classifiable if the suckers are only at the tip and on the underside? So an elephants trunk: tentacle. An octopus' arm: not a tentacle, merely an arm.

Jack's Mannequin

2010-09-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Finnnnallllllystarted.

I'm making a JM tshirt inspired by a wist item

With the text

BIG HEARTS
are for breaking
I have found a few cute fonts on dafont.com
harabara, bebas neue

I also made a corner bookmark that says,
so
read
your books
but stay out
late some nights
s o m e n i g h t s

It's corner-shaped so it's cute.

I am probably going to make some wall-art of some kind and maybe stencil some shorts and send the tshirt and shorts as a leisure/pajama set.

Send outs are October 1st so I'll post pictures as I complete things. I am feeling quite crafty today :)

More bookmarks....

2010-08-22T19:31:00.001-07:00

Made a few more today. I have a partner who's interested in "tunnel books" (I never knew they had a specific term until now.) So I made her a tunnel book-"o"-marks. This was what inspired the "book". :)

The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.

The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.

To be loved, be lovable.

Black holes are what happened when God divided by zero.

And this is a fancy magnetic bookmark.

It's pink/green paisley paper, with ribbon laced into it. The magnets are super thin, super strong and super neat! I want to keep this for myself. . .I might. I suppose.

Jack's Mannequin

2010-08-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm also participating in a JM/Something Corporate/Andrew McMahon ("All Things Andrew McMahon") swap.

I'm gonna do something with a California postcard I bought in a vintage shop. And I'm gonna try to make a zipper pouch, I think. And I'll probably stencil a tote or a shirt or something.

Bookmarks

2010-08-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

I've been organizing a bookmark swap that is RUNNING MY LIFE. Ha.

It's got 66 swappers (that's a huge swap, usually they cap at around 25.) and we're about halfway through the crafting period, nearing send-outs, on Sept 5.

Here's what I've made so far.
For a partner who likes vintage, antique stuff (it's elastic and awesome!):

For a partner who listed "sky" as a theme...it's magnetic and buffly so, I tested it on cardstock! Anyway here it is:

For a partner who listed "mice" as a theme:

Note that the blue bead has felt ears glued on to enhance the bead's mouse-like properties :)

For someone who loves robots and listed this on their wist, I went for my own spin, using this robot as my template:

It'll be laminated.

And here's one for someone who also likes vintage/steampunk stuff and yellow/green. I like the simplicity of bookmarks. I don't like a lot of extra stuff or having something that my book won't even close around.

It's elastic and has yellow/green ribbon that leads to a vintage, awesome, old skeleton key that I found in a vintage store.

I'm having a lot of fun doing the bookmarks. I think it's easy for me because I love reading. I want these to be used for years.

I'm swapping with 5 partners (6 in my group) and doing an unofficial swap with about 8 people, so I'll end up with about 13 bookmarks, altogether.

Smallthings Dupe!

2010-06-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was at Michael's today and wanted to share a great deal I found!

I have oogled over Small Things designs for...ever. They're so cute, petite, chic, simple and timeless.

I found a pendant today at Michael's for $3.99.

It's been awhile...

2010-05-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

But I just haven't been crafting or swapping. I signed up on a lark for a swap. This one is all about Cupcakes!

What else is new...I've starting riding lessons (horses) and I'm about to be promoted at work. It's just been a busy stretch of six months or so. I'll keep posting whenever I do crafts.

A Plug.

2010-01-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

So I just discovered this "Craft a Day" blog. It's pretty neat. Anyway, you can check out her projects here.

Inspired to Create.

2010-01-24T07:36:00.001-08:00

I was browsing the Paper Craft section of Craftster and stumbled on the idea of making my own rubber stamps. I saw some Suuuuuuupppppper cute stamps done up in the Image Reproduction Technique section. It's like stenciling but BETTER! Ha.

So I think I'm going to try my hand at stamp-making.

Here are the cute stamps that inspired me.

And here's one flickr tutorial for creating stamps with rubber erasers...it gives a basic idea of how to create a stamp. Of course you could change out the medium, the image, the tools...it's all very personal. You decide what you like!

Next swap.

2010-01-22T15:46:00.001-08:00

I haven't been feeling too crafty lately. So I joined a supply swap. Maybe this will motivate me to make something, getting out and shopping for supplies and receiving a bucket of supplies. Something's gotta invigorate me. The swap is an altered paper swap. You fill a 8.5"x11"-ish envelope with scraps and whimsies.

Updates...

2010-01-20T07:13:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted in awhile. But I haven't swapped in awhile either. I haven't been doing much of anything except working.

I set a few hefty resolutions so I've been chipping away at those. Did anyone else make resolutions? My two big ones were
1. Read the Bible, cover to cover, in a year.
2. (Keep) training for a half marathon in October and December.

So most days, I work out and read.

I received this awesome Twilight charm bracelet in a swap that uses shrinkydinks, so I've been thinking about trying my hand at that. There are also some cool bead stores I've been wanting to check out, but haven't. So maybe this week(end) will finally be the time I do it. My other craft wishes for learning are metalsmithing and resin casting. I don't see those happening anytime too soon. But they're out there, in my imagination. I do look at Craftster on Facebook and see updates with new projects but I just haven't seen anything that cried out to me.

Looking forward, I will probably be posting for some Valentine's romantic/friendly gift ideas. And my anniversary is in March, so I might try some new stencils. I was *pretty* inspired by some of the stencils I saw on stencilry on other folks' blogs. I believe there was a stencil for Danny Effing Tanner?! Here's John Stamos.

http://www.stencilry.org/stencils/famous%20people/john%20stamos/

I'm also a big fan of the peacock feathers.

http://www.stencilry.org/stencils/nature/feathers/peacock-feathers-2.gif

I see the feathers in a rainbow stencil. It could be awesome. It would take a long time to cut out each quill thingy but it could be awesome. Then you need some funny feather pun. Anyway, that's my craft update. I'm still here. I'm just uninspired.

Bracelets

2009-12-21T09:03:00.001-08:00

I made some friendship bracelets for friends this year for Christmas.

I was inspired by these on etsy.

They took about 45 minutes each. They require about $.10 worth of embroidery floss, which one can purchase at Michael's for $.35. The purchase yields about 2-4 bracelets. Hemp is also an option. I bought my touchstone/words at Michaels for something like $3. There were 6 of them.

One can search YouTube for square knot bracelet tutorials. Or whatever type of knot you'd like to use. Even just "friendship bracelet" will return results.

A simple, understated gift that the recipient will hopefully look at every day.

Hands

2009-11-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Colorful hands after an evening of creating. :)

Craftster Stocking Stuffers 2009

2009-11-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

I spent a little time tonight on my Stocking Stuffer partner's package. She's pretty awesome. Like most of my partners.

So here's what I got done tonight:

There's 2 hedgehog notecards, a small notecard, tea, a tea house thing, three soy candles, a small DIY candle kit (melt the wax and the fragrance, pour it yourself!), a "42" pendant, the Roald Dahl magpo.

I'm still planning a "night owl" pillowcase and a bookmark. I'm also making a small first aid kit and something out of this black cat wooden cutout (maybe a Christmas ornament?). So that's probably it for that swap.

Craftster Secret Santa 2009

2009-11-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

I spent a good portion of tonight crafting...I'm getting excited about sending my packages off to their new homes.

I worked on my secret santa package for a bit. My partner is into Jimmy Buffett so I decided to make a candle set (layered and triple-fragranced with soy wax, color and glitter!) using titles of Jimmy Buffett songs. As you can imagine, the set is very tropical!

We have "Grapefruit Juicy Fruit", "Coconut Telegraph", "Last Mango in Paris" and "Fruitcakes". I think they came out ok but they're still setting. I've never tried glitter before but in the colorless candle, it seems to have a really nice pink, iridescent sheen throughout the candle. Anyway. That's it for my Secret Santa partner!

Friday Afternoon Projects.

2009-11-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

I've been busy today! I have two swaps I've been "participating" in. I haven't done a damn thing til today.

So swap #1: Stocking Stuffer 2009--twenty "small" items.
For today, I've accomplished the following

a holiday candle set (*she* likes baked good smells...not I but it's not for me...)
Roald Dahl magnet poetry using his randomly awesome words that don't factually exist.

Also on the docket:

a "Night Owl" pillowcase--it's gonna be awesome. We're both into owls.
a smattering of tea and a loose leaf tea brewer thing (not crafted)
some hedgehog notecards*
a "42" pendant (hitchhiker's guide)*
a bookmark with some sort of quotation*
a small, purple first aid kid to keep in a bag*

That's about all I know for now.
*=craft in progress, no picture yet.

Altered Puzzle Swap

2009-09-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's what I've crafted thus far. I'm still waiting on two more pieces to arrive.
I've been in this swap for about a month but it took awhile to receive my pieces. First you send out blank pieces to your crafting partners. Then they doll them up and send them back to you. I'm excited to see what I get back. My themes were "cerulean" and "lavender".
The titles of what I've posted are "Vampiric Picnic --bird inset" (came from here), "GlugGlug", "Tetris" and "Firefly".

I know they're not perfect, but they are mine. I had a lot of fun coloring these and I like how bright they are.

Two Swaps.

2009-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a L-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g time since I've posted. I've not been doing much in the crafty way of life.

But. I signed up for two swaps. So I'll be posting about the process here.

Swap #1: PostSecret. I'll be creating 5 postcards with my "secrets" on them. I'll probably post a few but not post a few too. Some of my secrets are really secrets. Some aren't.

Swap #2: It's an ATC swap but instead of "C"s, it's going to be puzzle pieces! You create 3 (or 4?) separate pieces for three different people based on a theme. Then you get back 4 (I think?) pieces that go together based on a theme. All I wrote for my "receive" themes were colors: lavender, cerulean. I think I also wrote "dogs".

I'm really excited because this will give me an excuse to get out and explore the crafty/thrifting side of my new city. I will need to locate an old used puzzle. And I know of some great antique shops in my current city that have awesome vintage postcards. I could have myself a hunt in the new city searching for vintage postcards.

So I know it's been a long time. But I should be posting *some* of my stuff in the next week or so.

Z

2009-06-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I found this great website of 'obscure' "Z" words that I think I'm going to use for my "Z" card for the Alphabet ATC swap. That's my only project that needs to be done. I ended up with like 10 ATCs for the May swap. Pretty good!

Two More Complete!

2009-05-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

The Little Miss Sunshine card is my favorite that I've made. It references a scene where a character learns he is color blind. Check it out here.

I also made a Golden Girls card. It doesn't compare to color blind. But. Oh well!

I made more cards (3) that I didn't snap pictures of: one was a 42 utility towel , one was a rainbow (it was frenzied and very busy.) and one was a "Y" card, which had "You may rely on it." like a Magic 8 Ball. I just sealed up the envelopes without even thinking!

Y, Z ATC Swap

2009-05-22T10:54:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for a "Y,Z ATC Swap". I think I'm going to do "Yes" and "ZOINKS!" for my two cards. I am excited. With all the cards I'm going to be receiving, I should get a binder or some such neat way to display my cards. My favorite so far has been this neat tornado ("Weather") card I received that is a mini-watercolor. I am in love with "mini" things in the first place (mini shampoos, mini cupcakes, mini everything!) and these mini-works of art are right up my alley!

On another note, I have been considering making a new blog to take one photo a day. Not of myself, no way. Just of something significant to me. Keep an eye out for a new link. Photography isn't really a "craft", per se but it is something I really enjoy. And I think the more I practice, the better photos I can take. One photo at a time. I generally gravitate toward landscapes and natural scenes.

Completed ATCs

2009-05-21T09:47:00.001-07:00

Seattle ("A City Near You") and "13" :)

Another ATC, Greek Mythology

2009-05-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

I chose a "Greek Mythology" theme from someone's list. I was very inspired by a HUGE tapestry I saw at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. It depicts a scene from mythology showing Artemis bathing with her maidens at a forest pond. Unwittingly, Actaeon comes upon the ladies. He's out hunting with his dogs. Goddesses nudity is held to be of utmost sacredness. Artemis condemns Actaeon to die: she turns him into a stag who is pursued by his own dogs. The original tapestry is amazingly intricate, completed by several women in the 1700s.

ATC creations

2009-05-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

Giraffes.

2009-05-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I know it's a "busy" ATC, but giraffes mean a lot of things to me. There are a lot of themes I feel need to expressed with the idea of a giraffe.

ATC

2009-05-11T14:20:00.001-07:00

I'm working on my first official ATC. I've toyed with the idea before and made all kinds of papercrafts. I've just never committed myself to creating an ATC.

I have a feeling they will be addictive. The theme I'm currently working with is "giraffe".

I found a funny quote from Eddie Izzard that I'm incorporating.
"I am an evil giraffe and I shall eat more leaves from this tree then perhaps I should, so that other giraffes may die."

ATC

2009-05-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

I signed up to do an artist trading card swap. My first "claim" (the first themed card that I get to design) is "giraffes". It should be interesting. I will start working on that this weekend.

It's been awhile.

2009-05-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a long time. I got a little overwhelmed with the crafting process and just stopped documenting. Hopefully I'll get back into it, slowly but surely.

Favorite Quotes

2009-03-25T16:58:00.002-07:00

A neat wooden box from the craft store. I decked it out with craft paint and glossy ModPodge. She selected the quote. It's from a Vitamin C song.

Click to see it bigger. The dark behind the words is my cardboard. I love the rainbow effect of the text. I hope my partner does too! Those rainbow stars were a BITCH. They are VERY temperamental. Iron just so, iron from the reverse...many steps. But it came out cute, I think! I'm really pleased with it.

So that's what she's receiving. I also made a few small bookmarks. They didn't take much time so I didn't photograph them but I think they came out cute too. Bookmarks are an easy project!

Been a long time.

2009-03-25T16:58:00.001-07:00

I haven't been posting but I have been crafting! I'm just crappy at taking pictures.

My current swaps (I just shipped out today) were:
Flight of the Conchords
Favorite Quotes
I Want to Learn _______

Magellan. So far...

2009-02-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

The basic form for any of the Mini-Wheat. Tan and white felt, striped with sharpie to simulate the grainy texture. I want him to be snuggly when all is said and done. (Michael's has felt for $0.29/each)

His pipe cleaner expression. I need to get some large black buttons for his eyes. That will make all the difference.

The basic sketches for his little outfit. I haven't decided if he will end up as Magellan or Columbus. I think Columbus' hat will be easier. I need to collect some gold trim for his hat and coat. I'm going to make his coat and hat out of felt too. He's going to be a bed throw pillow, I think. Or maybe a couch pillow, so I want him to be soft and touchable. Nothing hard or pokey or stiff.

Getting ready to stitch up his outside. I think I'm going to stuff it with quilting batting, making him pretty soft and durable. I don't want him too thick, probably just about 3" or so. The thread is a champagne color (it's just what I already had on hand).

So that's where I'm at so far! I need a break.

Magellan MiniWheat

2009-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

First attempt will be this little Magellan guy. I collected felt today. I am going to use pipe cleaner for the eyebrows and mouth. I have red felt for his little jacket. I need some gold trim. I have no idea how I'm going to make his little hat. He will be the size of a notebook paper, 8.5x11.

Also pictured, Lewis/Clark-style expolorer (I'm calling him Davy Crockett)

This guy is Christopher Columbus, but you can see he's basically the same as Magellan (save the hat)!

WANT!

2009-02-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

I want to make these.

I love the astronaut one, Davy Crockett-mini-wheat...all of them. I don't know how I'd do it. I think I could use cotton for the frosting and maybe felt? I think I'd make them big enough to double as little pillows. I am going to look at Michael's today for some supplies. At least they're not too incredibly detailed. The eyes are just black dots.

It *might* be enough to get me to drag out my sewing machine (which hasn't happened in years).

Soap.

2009-02-21T16:16:00.001-08:00

Might be learning soapmaking for a swap. Could be exciting...

Decemberists Received!!

2009-02-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

I got my Decemberists package. Srsly. Best package yet.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=292597.0

I don't want to post all the pics again. Just follow the link.

Video of Aesop (my kitten-cat) playing with her Mariner's Revenge cat toy. She has destroyed him, by the way. She's so flipping precious when she plays.

http://v5.tinypic.com/player.swf?file=s4umie&s=5

Not really craft related but...

2009-02-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

It's my blog and I'm in charge. So you have to listen to everything I say!

1. I am ready for another tattoo. I just gotta get the specifics. I have a word, a font and a place. I need a size, a color and a price/artist/shop.

2. I think I am going to get a completely unrelated tattoo when my sister and I travel to CT at the end of March to visit relatives. I want a little kawaii apple. Green, with a smile. But I don't know if we'll get matching ones or just matching themes. The idea was an apple to commemorate NYC(!) and a trip together.

Next weekend, I think I am going to be learning the timeless craft of soapmaking. I'm not sure of how I feel about it. Kinda excited, kinda meh.

Flight of the Conchords

2009-02-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

I've been watching season 1 all day brainstorming. No pics yet.

I am thinking:

a little fork guitar
something with an orca
a funky funky eyepatch
a mirror with "you're so beautiful"-phrases all over it ("you could be a part time model", "you could be an air hostess from the 60s", "you could be a waitress"...)
"the tape of love"--something creative there. paper dolls, retractable pencils, tape, brown paper, white paper. . .

That's all I got so far. I am pretty jazzed about this swap. I should probably look at the requirements again; I'm not sure I'm prepared to make a bunch of "large" items. I would like to design some stationary. That would be fun!

Coraline

2009-02-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

So I saw the movie last night. It was pretty scary!

Generally, my partner and I hate seeing movies at the theatre. The seats are really uncomfy, people are distracting and noisy... generally not a fun time. I haven't had any restlessness in my legs since I quit drinking caffeine but last night I had an attack.

I think I want to try using clay. I want to make a praying mantis photo holder like she had in the film. The photo sat in a simple frame on the forearms of the mantis. It was really neat!

It appears it would only be one color. She had it on her nightstand at her real parents' house. I think it might have had yellow eyes and/or black accents.

Next swaps...

2009-02-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have signed up for the Flight of the Conchords swap (round 2)!
I am going to sign up for the Favorite Quotes swap...but I need to solidify my quotes. My favorite one so far is "))<>((" from Me and You and Everyone We Know. Such a good movie!!
I don't think I'm signing up for the Arrested Development swap because I'm trying not to overdo it right now.

I also signed up for a "I want to learn _____" swap. You put together a kit to make something and send it to a curious partner.

So that's what's on the docket.

Sorry for no pics.

Decemberists!

2009-02-12T07:29:00.001-08:00

Bookmarks (an added bonus), the cosmetic case, the sweatshirt.

The sweatshirt (back), nothing on the front. Just white.

Another shot.

Another shot.

The Olde English script (took SO. LONG. At least an hour.)

The whale stencil also took forever because it involved some layering and I'd never done anything like that before. The blue whale spout didn't come out quite right/crisp enough for my standards because the turquoise paint was a little watery. If I could re-do it, that would be my priority for fixing.

I got the stencil by googling "cute whale graphic", I think. The powerlines on the cosmetic zipper pouch came from googling "powerlines". I think I talked about them in a previous post.

So I should finally ship out today.

Decemberists II

2009-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

Bracelet. May or may not finish it. It's nautical.
Cell phone charm with a seahorse, a seashell and other oceanic items. I couldn't find a mermaid at my bead store. Then I found out iPhones don't have charm hooks. So I don't know if I'll send this or not.
This is going to be fun! It's a white Decemberists hoodie. It's going to say the Decemberists across the top (on the back) in old english and then there will be a short lyric, "the captain quailed & before us grew the angry jaws of a giant whale" with a cute non-threatening whale graphic. I googled for it. It would be copyright infringement if I intended to profit off it. I do not. The font is Old English Text MT and I think the size is 150pt.
My stencil for my makeup bag. From the Engine Driver, "there are powerlines in our bloodlines" (font: Christopherhand @ dafont.com), size 100?

Decemberists

2009-01-26T13:48:00.001-08:00

Here's a little makeup pouch (it's Clinique, green, graphic) that I found at the thrift store. It was a dollar!! My partner said she likes kiwi green. I like it too!

The lyrics are from a song called The Engine Driver by the Decemberists.
It's a lovely song.

Here's where I got my powerlines idea (I was going to stencil but it's too complicated).

Remember: you can always click on a pic to make it bigger!

Altoid Tin

2009-01-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

I shipped out my tin earlier this week.

I am going to start on my Decemberists projects this weekend. I'm thinking a Decemberists hoodie (grey) with a huge stencil on the back and mermaid zipper pull (I'll be hitting the bead store today).

The goal is one medium and two smalls. I think the hoodie will be a "large" and I have no clue for my smalls. Maybe a set of a few glasses, etched.

My other swap is a cookie swap. I'm making just chocolate chip, I think, for one of the dozens and I'm not sure on the other. We have to craft a small item and my partner is into zines too, so I might construct another small zine.

Vday

2009-01-19T07:07:00.001-08:00

I think I might make Greg some stuff for Vday. Another tshirt, a bookmark.

We're staying low, supposedly nothing more expensive than a dvd or cd. SO the more I can handmake, the better! I've been perusing etsy for vday popup cards and there are so many great ones. My favorite is

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_15&listing_id=19891639

I also really like this one.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_17&listing_id=19671625

I think this one is really novel and adorable. I love minis in almost any situation.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_16&listing_id=19432257

I think I might find him a cute little pouch for his phone to be kept in. He wouldn't use a charm but he might use a lovey/cute japanese print phone zipper/drawstring pouch.

MY ZINE!!!! PDF AND WORD DOCS FREE!

2009-01-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

Free PDF of my first zine!!
MegaUpload Link
It's legit. I have used it for uploading albums to share with friends.

Free Word (2003) of my first zine!!
MegaUpload Link for Word Doc

Of course, this is an original work so don't copy anything without permission. Believe it or not, I spent a lot of time on this.

You are welcome to offer critique, laudings (ha!) or general thoughts on the pieces. I appreciate all comments. I tried to keep it pretty light but some things terrify/horrify me and I get kind of pissy.

Penguins!

2009-01-12T10:18:00.001-08:00

I received another bookmark in the mail today. This one is from New Hampshire and it's a penguin with a little quote that says, "It's practically impossible to look at a penguin and feel angry"

Here are the three I've received. My penguin, my sweets and my giraffe/birds. Yay! I love them all!

Altoid Tin Swap

2009-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

The inside bottom. There are fairies, vintagey paper, a LOVE magnet...there's some ribbon. . .
The outside. The purple paper says, "Believe in fairies" and there is a mystical, Pan's Labyrinth tree. I might add more beads to the edges to cover the red altoid tin still showing. I might add a few small clouds.
The inside. I'm happy with how texturized it came out. The top looks really good, IMO. I love my little b e l i e v e glitter banner. I used a lot of pink because it's a valentine's day swap.
Another view of the inside.
Another view of the outside.

My Altoid Tin To Send Out, Bookmarks Received

2009-01-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

I had some time this afternoon and worked on my Altoid tin a little. I'm pretty satisfied with how it's coming along so far. I'm working off the premise that my partner loves fairies. It's going to be whimsical and somehow love-y too. Lots of pink as you can tell!!

Inside the tin. I made little glitter letters that say, "believe". That is what's running diagonal. Those two magnets are a purple beaded heart and a red LOVE. The bottom of the tin has paper and some die cuts and fabric stuff. There's a ton more to go in the tin.
The outside. It's a Pan's Labyrinth-esque tree. It says, "believe in fairies" and there is a bunch of beaded stuff, grass, a purple flower/balloon, button fruits on the tree, etc etc. There's ribbon along the edge. I'm pretty proud that I thought to cut the ribbon shorter in height so that the tin will still close with ease. I'm going to draw a fairy of some sort on the tin somewhere.

Also! I received two bookmarks so far! One has a giraffe and birds (love both of those) and the other has all sweets with a pastel plaid background. The one on the bottom is a Blackberry inspired Dilbert comic from quite awhile ago that I made with packing tape and lots of love!

First Bookmark Rec'd

2009-01-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

My first bookmark is a sugary girly themed one! It's really cute!

Altoid Tin

2009-01-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

I got my partner tonight. So here goes the brainstorming.
She likes magnets, the Smurfs, charms. She doesn't have a wist, so I'm doing the Craftster stalking. Bowling, fairies, scrapbooking (meh), animals. Hmm. Sounds pretty vague...

I will start decorating my tin, possibly tonight, probably tomorrow. Work zonked me today. I'm going to work out in a bit.

My bookmarks are sent out.

My zine is about half done.

And, because I am a true addict: I signed up for another swap. That makes four at once, a new record. The new swap is due Feb 3rd--it's a Vday cookie swap. You make two dozen, craft a small item and purchase a small item and ship it off. The good thing about the cookies is you get a dozen and your SO gets a dozen.

Altoid Tin Ideas.

2009-01-04T12:06:00.000-08:00

Just brainstorming items I could put into my valentine's day tin:
-bookmark*
-koolaid/crystal lite/etc
-cell phone charm*
-stitch markers
-candy, lip balm
-single sticky letters L O V E from michael's *
-small mirror
-magpo, marble magnets *
-buttons
-zipper *
-flowers
-die cuts *
-small embossed papers (gift tags, atc backgrounds) *

* = stuff i have/could make, in my stash already

As for the outside of the tin:
painting
paper/mod-podge
beading

Bookmarks Completed--with Pictures!!

2009-01-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

(click to make them bigger--much much bigger!)
Bookmarks are done! Yay! This was a great swap to sign up for and I'm so glad I did. From left to right: vintage/dog/music/polka dots, natural/fantasy, zombies and Jane Austen/romantic.
Zombies (again) and my Jane Austen bookmark. It's vintage pink paper with swirly flourishes and then was embossed (using the Cuttlebug) with more swirls. I wrote the quotation out and added some beads to the string (it's upholstery thread). The beads are a nice touch, I think.
The back of the Jane Austen bookmark has my first die-cut cutouts (paisley, naturally) in pink and purple. It's all so romantic and periodic! I'm not an Austen fan but I think the marker came out pretty swell. This one was heavily mod-podged before it was laminated. It looks a bit shiny, I suppose. I like it.
One of the group members likes "dogs, music, polka dots, vintage patterns and things that are funny." I couldn't think of anything funny to write (people's senses of humor are quite different) so I just drew a goofy looking dog. The vintage paper is paisley. Both sides of this marker are the same, more or less (I did freehand the dog). All the bookmarks are laminated with heatless laminate--though I should've just used clear contac-paper or shelf liner. Next time...

Pictures of Bookmarks!

2009-01-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

Finished my Zombies Bookmark!
It says, "Reading makes your brains taste yummier!" with a picture of a brain. It looks nearly identical on the back. Turned out very cute, IMO. The recipient for this is Samantha, as you can see by my gift tag.

book mark making

2009-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

I made a few bookmarks tonight. I am nearly done with this swap and I just got my partners. The themes I chose to work with are:

-zombies
-jane austen
-music/polka dots/dogs
-fantasy/nature

Zombies is all the way done. I bought some heatless laminate @ michael's and I'm laminating the marks when they're complete. I think zombies turned out great!

3 swaps at once!

2009-01-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

I just can't stop myself!

I signed up for (yet) another swap.

So now I'm in the Zine Swap (send out Jan 14th), the Bookmark Swap (send out Jan 5th) and the Altoid Tin-Valentine's Day Swap. They're all pretty small.

1. Bookmark Swap is 4 bookmarks (I'm using paper, I don't care what my partners ask for). I haven't started because I want to see what my partners like for patterns and 'feels', textures, etc.

2. Zine Swap. I'm moving along nicely. I have about 10-15 pages in my zine and I have about 10 to go. I'm going to write a review for the movie "Doubt", a little recommendation section for books and cds (Dewey the Small Town Library Cat!!) and maybe 1-2 short articles about a current topic in feminism/GLBT rights. I might talk about derogatory language (f--, g--) and why it's harmful. I want to put my beliefs out there a little bit. I did a Post Secret and I've included poetry but I don't really have any "this is my belief" pieces. Oh. I'm making my zine into a PDF so that everyone can see. I've got the 10-15 pages done and scanned and ready to be published on teh interwebz. I just gotta hustle up and finish my last pages. My zine is very small, about 4x6" but has about 30 pages. Note to self: GET A GEL PEN! I need to be able to write on black paper.

3. Altoid Tin Swap. I've never done one of these before. It looks fun and easy. I'll probably tuck in a cheesy card, some die-cut/punches, some candy and some fun valentine's paper. I looked through the Altoid Tin First Aid Kit gallery and the tins came out PRECIOUS! One said, "Kiss My Boo Boo!" on the front and the things people thought to include were awesome (condoms, tweezers, lip balm, instructions for the Heimlich...)

Swap Update.

2008-12-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

It's a flipping addiction. I am nearly done with my little zine, "zineswap" and I signed up for another swap: book marks. You craft 4-5 book marks and send them out. You receive 4-5 book marks back. I figure it will be a good chance to do some embossing!

I can't decide how I want to upload my little zine. So far, it's all original writing (poetry, short essay) plus an easy sudoku from websudoku.com. I think I'm going to include a little mix cd too (I wrote my 2008 anthem playlist up in my zine) but not sure how that plays into copyright laws.

Yeah, so the writing is good. I went back as far as when I started college. I have my high school journals that I might be able to salvage some good pieces. I also want to do a few etymological pieces. "did you know that ______ came from _____?" I love etymology.

Cuttlebug.

2008-12-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

I received a Cuttlebug for Xmas! Yay!

My good friend is getting married soon and we might work on invites with this little wonder. I see a lot of plates I would use for embossing or die-cuts. They're all pretty reasonable (under $5) until you get into the alphabets ($50+).

Having the Cuttlebug has made me seriously question whether or not I could/would use a Cricut. I looked up some reviews and projects and I think I would totally use it but the best part would be the add-on, "Sure Cuts A Lot" ($75-90 retail) where you can use True Type fonts (stencils?!) and cut out them perfectly with the Cricut, instead of using a boring X-Acto knife. Though I sure do love cutting out stencils. I also got a self-healing mat, two rotary cutters, some tiger-eye beads and a Michael's gift card! Eee! Craftyness!

That would save SO much time. I am going to start hunting on eBay and Craigslist.

Completed Xmas Gifts!! Obvi spoilers!

2008-12-24T07:49:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited! I am giving so much homemade stuff this year! Greg, my mom, Greg's mom, my sister and her bf. . .yay! Onto the photos!

Greg's Camp Anawanna (oh you know you loved it too) shirt. This was my first stovetop Rit dye job. I like how the yellow came out. And I had to make my own brown paint, so forgive it if it's not exact.

One of Ing's candles: Morning in the Moonlight.

Her set, all pretty-fied.

Completed solid fragrances

II

Ingrid's Jesse and the Rippers shirt. Took me about an hour or so to do both of them.
Shaun's, in Seahawks colors. :o)

Together. Completed. I wanted to get them some sort of matching thing so this was it. They are both Full House watchers. This was my first time cutting two stencils at the same time. I glued them together at the edges and cut them both using an x-acto knife. This method would not work for small, intricate designs but worked ok for big letters. If I'd scrounged around for used tshirts at Value Village, I probably could've done this gift for like $.50/each.

Coming Soon...

2008-12-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

I'm starting on Greg's shirts. Additionally, I'm making a shirt for him a la Crackdown that says, "Skills for Kills, Agent."

I am probably going to make 3-4 Jesse and the Rippers shirts. I mean, really, who doesn't love Full House?? Awesome.

zineswap #1

2008-12-14T10:43:00.001-08:00

The cover and a smattering of the papers I will be using. Nothing is done at this point, just a rough idea of how the sizing and papers will look together.

My 1st Zine!

2008-12-14T10:37:00.001-08:00

Because Rachel is a scrapbooker, I went over yesterday to use her papercutters and nifty tools to start my zine. I have a few ideas for the contents, but so far I've just been working on getting my paper ready. Then I will type up (or handwrite) my short essays, lists, etc and print (via compy or hand) on the fun paper. The whole idea for me is to look very DIY, very unfinished, raw and kind of sloppy. But Fun! I will post some pics later of my zine. I have a really cute type-set stamp set that really made the cover look cute, it says "zineswap" in a funky broken typewriter/"Problem Secretary" font.

XMAS SPOILER! RACHEL!

2008-12-14T10:30:00.001-08:00

I finished a project for my good friend Rachel who told me she likes "fruity" fragrances. This definitely qualifies. It's uber-sweet, thick and def DEF fruity. She also is going to be receiving a solid fragrance from me (all natural but not vegan friendly d/t beeswax). It might be the most richly scented candle I've created so far. It has a good cold throw and obvi I don't know about the hot throw. It's in a repurposed old POM tea jar. And it's an awful photograph. I have two really nice cameras: one is on non-rechargable batteries and my other needs some autofocus repairs. So I've been using my camera phone for all my pics. Not such a great idea but you can get the jist.

XMAS SPOILER! INGRID!

2008-12-14T10:15:00.001-08:00

"Do You Know What I Love The Most?" (She loves turquoise and brown, as I do)
(excuse the crappy phone pictures without adequate lighting)

The set has four candles. Two 10 oz candles and two 8 oz candles.
We have:

Rocks Tonic Juice Magic (lemon and palm trees)
Coconut (strawberry, coconut, palm trees, ocean breeze)
Morning in the Moonlight (jasmine and ocean breeze)
She (melon, breeze, lemon)

Morning in the Moonlight (Jasmine and Ocean Breeze)

"Coconut"

A little explanation of the scent using the lyrics of the song. Each candle has one of these.

She and Rocks Tonic Juice Magic

Sewing Kit

2008-12-13T20:21:00.001-08:00

altogether. the Quinn is a needle holder. maria laguerta has dismembered hands and forearms. i used a TON of mod-podge so the mirror doesn't fit snugly anymore. the backside of the printed dexter (no spatters) is the mirror, the underside of the painted dexter (bloodspattered) is the "when you want something sharp".

i'm not sure about the mirror. the text says, "when you want something sharp"

outside. i freehanded that logo!

I finished my sewing kit!

the card i sent along. it's a crimescene.

my favorite is "it's your wet dream in there" (that's a quote from the show).

Dexter Sendouts....

2008-12-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

Are fast approaching! I'm *supposed* to send out on Friday. I'm hoping to get there.

Here's what I've got. Excuse the crappy phone pics.

There's a blood-spatter necklace on a bamboo tile, a bamboo tile bracelet filled with (foul-mouthed) Debra quotes (my favorite is "Got laid. Big time." I made this awesome Dexter-ous clock but I messed up the super glue so it's forever 11:19. It won't move. It was a horrible screw-up. But you live and learn.

Also on the list. Some fun notecards (early Valetine's day cards) filled with awesomely creepy lines like, "I want your DNA" or "You're my favorite slice of life." A lot of them only make sense for people who are "in the know" of the show.

Also included:

"hey, wanna play?"
I would bleed for you.
one blank
I keep bleeding love.
My DNA wants to party with yours.

The only thing I have left to do is a little sewing kit that I'm going to make out of a PURE mints container, like this.

You open it up and not only is it a slider tin (which I love) but there's a little mirror and a hole for the mints. I'm going to make a tab to pull up the mirror easily and place a little sewing kit under there. I'm going to paint the whole jabba red/black/white like everything else and maybe stencil DEXTER/the logo on the mirror. Nothing too special but I think it's going to come out cute. I love repurposing things.

Xmas Presents

2008-12-07T11:56:00.001-08:00

I love buying things when it includes a free gift. Because lately I'm only buying for others, so the free gift is a way for me to get a little something for myself. It's also important to be able to sample the gift before I give it, if it's a company I've never dealt with before. I have gotten a few little freebies lately. If you suspect you're getting something from me for Christmas and you'd like to be surprised, don't read anything else.

I would def DEF recommend Ten Digit Creations on etsy. She makes fragrance items (lotion, spray, roll-ons, etc). The one I bought for myself is Be Delicious (a yummy green apple floral made by DKNY). It's probably not perfect but my nose can't tell the difference. I also bought a thick "body frosting" (just a thick cream) from a seller named Savvii. I'm not such a fan of the cream because I feel like it needs more fragrance. I smell the lotion base more than I smell the apple but maybe that's just me. I bought those two to sample before I decided to give gifts. I don't want to give the cream to anyone since it's so light. But it was a good buy and I'll def use the rest of it. I might give it for someone who liked a little bit lighter fragrance in their items.

So I bought Ten Digit's take on Heavenly (Victoria's Secret) for my sister (and got Island Fresh Gain[?!?]...yum!) for myself. I bought a "Buy 2, Get One" from a seller named Sassyfraz of "dry oil" perfume roll-ons. I got those two for my friend Rachel who likes fruity smells.

Then I went to good ole' CandleScience (where I bought all my beginner supplies) to restock on wicks. I looked on eBay but the only wicks they had were auctions and I don't have the patience for auctions anymore. So I bought wicks and got a free 1 oz (enough for a lb of wax) fragrance oil.

I also spent about $30 on fragrance oils at Scentimental Gifts, etc. I got a few for me and a few for others.

I went Xmas shopping yesterday and got my boyfriend's mom a few things. My sister is done, I think. Rachel is done. I need to get my mom something. I'm thinking jewelry. I'm going to make her a few candles.

And! I made my solid fragrances. I used beeswax, olive oil, shea butter and fragrance. They came out cute, I just need to get some paper and dec them out.

I'm going to make a bunch of candles. I'll probably need to reorder wax after I'm done. I ordered enough fragrance to make my sister's Saves the Day set but one of the glasses broke. So I'm at an impasse there. I might just make a set of 3. She wouldn't know.

First Etsy Purchase. . .50/50, Etc Etc.

2008-12-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

I bought two products from two different sellers. One product is perfect, awesome, I love it. The only hitch was that it arrived a little banged up from shipping.

The second product I'm not that impressed with--it's like the materials the seller used weren't right for the task. I like it, I mean, I can tell what it's supposed to be, but it's not something I would get again or buy as a gift.

I also placed my first order with ScentimentalGifts, for a bunch of fragrance oils for Christmas presents. This was the holdup on a batch of presents. I spent a lot but I think it will take care of 3-4 people. Maybe as many as 5-6. I would like to send out a few little things as small gifts to friends.

I am excited to receive these as they are the last piece of my gifting puzzle. I'm still working on the shirts for Greg. I am also going to make him an awesome Camp Anawana shirt in addition to his "Skills for Kills, Agent." shirt.

AND! I signed up for my next swap. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time but never really had a reason to do. I'm going to be participating in a zine swap! You make 5-10 copies of your zine and distribute it to your craftswap partners. Yay! I'm thinking of a very small book, like 3x3 inches with 10-15 pages that will include a few short poems, a short essay, a few drawings, maybe a short tutorial on something, a few recommendations (books, websites, cds) and that will be it!

etsy. dexter.

2008-11-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

I made my first purchase there today! I thought I would try a "type" fragrance (a proximal imitation). If it went well, I might order some gifts. I'm testing a few scents and if I like them I will present them to others.

Other than that. I haven't made ANY progress on my Dexter clock. I'm in need of some different red thread. Something like embroidery floss. Red and thick, but not yarn. I need to get my butt in gear. We're supposed to do 7 points. That means like 7 hours of crafting time. I've spent 2 hours or so on the clock already. I want to make a needle roll for her (she knits/crochets/whatever) that says "Tools of the Trade" and maybe do a bamboo tile bracelet that has a bunch of Deb quotes.

I got my tins from Specialty Bottle Co. Guess what? The Co is based out of Seattle so it only took a day or two to get my order. The tins are perfect. I'm brainstorming fragrance ideas.

I may have found a local supplier for fragrance oils and soy wax. That would be awesome: No outrageous shipping charges. I looked at Michael's and I'm going to say, straight out, their stuff looked like ghetto trash. The fragrance oils smelled bad. The wax was some no-name brand (I've been doing my homework on the "good" brands). I'd like to go check it out tomorrow or Monday before work.
---------------------------------------------------
And here's a little smidgen of life that has nothing to do with crafts but I still want to blog it out.

I gathered my Secret Santa items today. I'm not crafting anything for my partner since I know nothing about her. She's pregnant. And she wears red nail polish. That's all I'm working with. I also got a Shaker Gift for Greg's parents.

If you don't know, Shaker Gifts are the Shizz!! You wrap something up on December 1st. Then the recipient can shake it and try to guess what's in it. It's definitely fairplay to place misleading items like rocks or candies in the box with the gift to lead the others astray. If the person guesses it, they can open it. If they don't guess by Christmas, they can open it then. Greg's parents introduced me to it. It might be unique to their family, but I doubt it. Greg and I do Shaker Gifts and we also do it with his parents. Last year, I guessed BOTH my gifts in the first few days. Shhh. I got his parents dishtowels. They're Christmas themed. I'm throwing in some loose Tic-Tacs for diversion.

XMAS SPOILER for Greg

2008-11-23T10:34:00.001-08:00

I think I'm going to end up making him a bunch of white tshirts that I've decorated.

The next one I'm going to make is "Skills for kills, Agent." It's from Crackdown. I watch him play a lot of video games but I don't really play them. I think I'll probably end up making him a lot of "inside joke" shirts. The only shirts I've ever made him had the Reservoir Dogs movie cover (took forever!) and "Sucks to your ass-mar!"

Ordered Some Supplies! XMAS SPOILER

2008-11-23T10:21:00.001-08:00

I just bought ten small tins online. I think I may just do all my Xmas shopping online this year. I don't feel up to dealing with crowds and fighting for deals.

I am going to make some solid fragrances for some friends. I am thinking the tins can be decked out to be super cute. I've also just thought I could use the same recipe but substitute flavors for scents and give out lip balm. I bought ten tins for now.

So now I will need to stock up on beeswax and probably buy another small tub of shea. I wonder how much (if I can get it) cheaper online? It would save me the trip to the store.

I also found out that Michael's sells soy wax but 4 lbs costs $22!! That's really pricy. Somewhere I heard that Michael's does 25% coupons every week(?!) and that their soy wax counts. But I'm kind of leery of the store brand that I've never heard of--I smelled some of their fragrances (they had oils and small wax concentrated blocks) and they did not smell good at all. So I'm thinking at least for now I'm going to stick with my supplier online.

Greg's XMAS

2008-11-20T21:00:00.001-08:00

I finished his shirt tonight. It came out ok. I think he'll like it. I feel ok about it. I'll take a picture later.

Xmas Ideas SPOILERS (Specifically Ingrid/Rachel).

2008-11-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

I was just brainstorming some ideas for my sister for Xmas and I thought I'd make a record in case I need to come back to it later.

I'm thinking I'm going to make her 4-5 candles in a set that are themed. The theme will be Saves the Day, one of her favorite bands. I was googling their lyrics and found a few songs I thought could translate into fragrances. I also thought I might create her one or two solid fragrances in some kind of cool little alternative looking tin that would echo these fragrances. I thought a good tag for outside of the box would be "Do You Know What I Love the Most?" as a nice little teaser.

So here's what I came up with so far:

"Hollyhox, Forget Me Nots" (obvi a strong floral)

"Monkey" (banana)

"Morning in the Moonlight" (sandy beach smell + night blooming flower)

"Rocks Tonic Juice Magic" (sounds like a fruity smell to me. the lyrics reference anger so maybe something angry and spicy like cinnamon or ... and it also references lemonade)

"My Sweet Fracture" (fall: pumpkin, earthy, warm, caramel, something spicy again)

Obvi the packaging could be super cute and tailored to her style (polka dots, pinstripes, whatever kind of scrapbook paper I wanted to use). Smells I know she likes are tuberose and basil/sage.

I haven't looked at all for any kind of tins but I am betting I could find some really cute ones. And I really liked the recipe I used for solid fragrance. I could make it look pretty professional, I think. She might not even know it was homemade until she tried to reorder some. Here are some tins that are cute. $.42 each. I can get the shea and beeswax for cheapz0rz.

I'm sure I could theme this stuff out to anyone I know. I know what sort of music my friends like and it would be a fun, sneaky way to surprise them with my skillz.

I'm still working on my Gob shirt for Greg. It's got Gob silhouetted on a Segway and the back will say "A trick is something a whore does for money...or candy!" I've got about half the stencil for the words cut out. . .I've been slacking. I've just been busy.

I don't know what else to make him. He wants some homemade stuff from me. I already know what I'm going to do for his storebought stuff.

XMAS SPOILERS! Don't LOOK!

2008-11-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

I got home tonight and saw I had a package. I have been waiting for my CandleScience order for about a week. I was pretty fired up to try my hand at making soy candles for all the reasons people speak of.

So let's get to it.

I didn't really have anything on hand to make candles out of but I was super excited to try so I decided to go for the ole blank pint glasses. We have a zillion of them and I knew the glass would be thick enough to use for a candle.

I got 5 scents in the order (one of which was FREE!) and they all smelled great. I picked well, I think. That was my favorite part...I can't wait to order more scents, especially now that I own 5+ lbs of wax (which constitutes the majority of the shipping cost).

So I don't have a scale or anything (or a thermometer or whatever) I had to guesstimate a lot of this work which may or may not work out for me. I found out that the ratio of flaked wax to melted wax is about 2:1. So if you melt down 2 cups of wax, you're going to end up with 1 cup of liquid pourable wax. This worked out pretty great. And, if you're making a pint glass, you are making less than a pound of wax so use less than an ounce of fragrance oil. I used a table that said 3/4 oz = 1 1/2 tablespoons (which IS something I had on hand). So I made up my 5 pint candles and they're in various stages of drying now. I want to burn one to see how the throw is but I also just want to give them all as gifts. So I guess I'll have to sacrifice one to see how important it is to measure perfectly and if the temperature was too scaldy to pour fragrance in. Also! I ordered colored wax bits to color the candles and those were really neat. The color during the liquid stage is SO much darker than the set wax. The lavender bits looked *super super* dark purple, like almost black, but now that they're almost set up, the color is a very modest lavender.

I don't think these will be gifts in and of themselves but I think they'll make a pleasantly surprisingly gift-on-the-side. Like a large stocking stuffer. I plan to have fun making custom labels. I don't want to say too much in case someone is reading who might be receiving but one of them is very cute and clever, if I do say so myself.

I can say without worry that Greg's mom, Joanne, is going to be getting a Lavender Vanilla candle that smells SO yummy. I thought this would be my least favorite (since I'm not a lavender fan) but it smells really good. It's mostly vanilla but a sweet floral version that doesn't smell like candy. I hate the frosting/cupcake/candy vanilla smell. Sickeningly-cavity-sweet vanilla. This isn't like that at all. It's a fresh vanilla with an extra something (that doesn't smell like lavender to me). I also like the Yankee candle that is "Lavender Lemon," so go fig. Maybe I do like lavender.

Clock

2008-11-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

I've spent part of tonight working on my Dexter clock. I'm going to try to use the yarn blood spatter trackers as the theme of the clock. I painted my numbers and the hands tonight. I glued my background to my backing. I'm just not sure how to create a dynamic piece. I could just do a pinwheel looking randomized pizza type looking thing with the red yarn but I'd like to create some height and some 3-d to the piece to echo the origin more clearly. So I'm stuck at that point.

I have my yarn cut but I'm just not sure how to create pyramidal shape without it looking too bigtop. I just want it to be clear that the yarn spatter analysis was my inspiration, not just, "oh, red yarn. thanks?"

Hmmmmmm....

I received!

2008-11-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

I got my undies back from my partner. She chose pandas and zombies. Someone pointed out that I had a "cute" and a "scary" theme. The zombies were kind of adorable. The butt of the one pair say, "BRAINS!" and the panda set (we sent out two tops and two bottoms, new of course) had the WWF panda model. On the butt it says, "save the pandas!"

So cute.

Solid Fragrance

2008-11-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

I didn't take pictures but I did have an awesome time experimenting with that recipe. I used some sample oils that I got from haydria perfumery (google it) and they turned out great!

In the future, I would use a little less beeswax to make the solid a little less so. It came out pretty hard which I should have surmised from the name but I hoped it would be a little less than "solid" and a little more like a congealed mass. Something like a thick oatmeal.

Anyway, my favorite one was actually a surprise one. I had a leftover/75% full bottle of papaya mango fragrance oil from the old Lotions and Potions that used to be downtown. I held onto it knowing someday I'd figure out a better use for it. It smells SO good. But. I used too much oil thinking "more oil equals more fragrance." No. The wax concoction has a saturation point so don't use more than the recipe calls for--you will end up with an ooze of extra oil along your solid's walls. When you press down, you will get a little splooge of oil. Not sexy.

My second favorite is "tainted love" (Haydria's). It smells fruity. The description says, "A flirtatious and feminine bouquet of violets, berries and light amber drizzled with honey. The scent to take you back to simpler times." It's really yummy. The fragrance had no trouble covering up the wax/shea smell I thought might be present. Somehow, I think more oil might have made the solid more solid because the ones that I correctly measured gave me a (slightly) softer product. Could be a lot of variables but this might be the reason. I also have the mango lidded and the other ones are in double shot glasses. I might end up taking a pic of the products. It sure makes the post more interesting.

Updates. . .

2008-11-08T23:45:00.001-08:00

I am about to venture into new territory. I'm going to try my hand at candlemaking. I just bought ten pounds of soy wax chips, fragrance, dye and wicks. The cool part was whatever you bought you got a free fragrance "sample" (1 oz. is what you get and that's enough for a pound of wax). So I got to get some stuff for others (Xmas) and got a "sample" for myself.

I also collected my clock parts today and a piece of black felt and red yarn for my dexter creepy blood clock. That's all.

I'm still considering the Craft Fair in town in a month. I don't know if I can have enough inventory ready in time. But. I will attend either way. I will probably do some Xmas shopping there.

Oh! And I also want to try making solid fragrance. I found this *super* easy "recipe" on Craftster. Shea, beeswax, fragrance and olive oil. That's it! I am now going to be hunting for the perfect containers for solid fragrances and candles.

I talked to Greg about making gifts, if he was ok with that. He liked the idea. I'm def going to buy him some stuff but I like making things and I like that I can make things that are "inside jokes" for us or stuff that I know he'd like but you can't really buy. I started making him a "Gob" shirt from Arrested Development...the front has Gob on a segway and the back will say, "A trick is something a whore does for money or candy!" I even got the arrested development font (Antique Olive).

so that's it :)

I'm really excited to start on some new projects!

Completed.

2008-10-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am done with the undies swap. I'm glad to be done with that package. I probably won't undertake any more swaps besides the Dexter one since Xmas is coming. It's a little sad because they're so fun--I never really know what I'm going to end up with--but I need to focus on redirecting my finances.

I also am in need of a camera repair on an autofocus lens which (I surmise) will not be inexpensive. It should be under warranty but I don't have a receipt (it was a gift).

The Dexter swap will be 7 points (3=large, 2=medium, 1=small). That's my biggest swap recently. I'll have to collect materials. I'll need to ValVil for barbie parts (legs, arms, head) and collect some red yarn.

Clock

2008-10-27T10:24:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try my hand at clockmaking. I am going to buy the pieces that make it tick in a kit @ a craft store and I think I'm going to make the clock look like the geometric blood representation with red string/yarn. I don't know anymore than that right now but I think I could look really cool.

Undies Swap--Completed

2008-10-26T15:56:00.001-07:00

I finished up my project today, so now I'm ready to mail out the "My Favorite Themes" package I undertook. The two themes are owls and anchors.

I made a fun little card that shows teasers of what the package holds.
She got pretty spoiled, I'm thinking.

Undies Swap--Top #1

2008-10-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

I finished my top #1 (Anchors Aweigh) tonight. It turned out G-R-E-A-T, especially for me, but really for anybody. I'm really happy with it.

I tried a new method (that's the idea with the swaps for me, trying new things) that involved multiple layers of stencils. I started with the pink as a background then added the blue (the hardest layer; it involved a lot of hand-painting to fill in small spaces.
The anchor came from Microsoft Word's clip art. I just searched "anchor" until I found one that looked feasible. I tried to match the turquoise to the undies, but I sort of failed.

My partner said she likes turquoise and red but I didn't have any red paint. To make red, do I mix pink with black? That wouldn't make red. Yeah, I don't know much about color.

Then I added the black Old English on top. It was "LAMB"-inspired. I just love those Old English letters. Maybe I'll monogram part of her package in some way. Just love it! But I am not sure if I like those A's or not. . .they kinda freak me out. I make them like this-- 'a' -- with the upside down looking g type a, not just an o with a hook. But at any rate, I feel really good about this send out.

All I have left to do is make a cute "owl" top. I think I'm gonna stencil "ORLY" or maybe stencil a super cute owl on the front and do ORLY on the back. Idk.

But I feel super proud of this!

My own undies!

2008-10-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I bought a three pack of undies to send to my partner. But we're only crafting two themes, so I only sent two pair. I kept a pair of weird lime green for myself and sent off two blues to be decorated.

Here's what I did with my green pair.

It's a pair of rhinestone wings. On my butt. That was fun and a new technique to master. In the future, if I do it, I might throw down some epoxy or mod-podge to create a sturdier bond between the rhinestones and the fabric. Maybe spray adhesive. Something that won't wash off, though. There's also a detail of a wing.

It was fun and totally worth the $1 I paid for the rhinestones (sale @ Michaels, score!)...

Undies In Progress....

2008-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

These are my extras I bought. We have a Grow Your Own Pirate Ship, some alphabet letter stamps and a royal skull iron-on crystal applique.

Now, onto the show.
It's owls and anchors aweigh!

Back of the owl pair. It's a lolcat/interwebz reference. ORLY?
I think the letters are not the best (bought them on sale) so I'm planning to stencil ORLY on the shirt (she sent two, identical, simple, white camis) and maybe add a little flair. I like the simplicity of ORLY by itself though.

The front of the owl pair. I like the simplicity of the two hip owls. I got the appliques in black too, but they look sideways and I didn't like that they both looked right instead of one left, one right to have them looking "in"/inward.

Front of the anchors aweigh pair. Two simple gold anchors.

Back of the anchors pair. Giant anchor has a bit of rope coming up close to the lace trim for those peepshows that are bound to happen with the way jeans are made "nowadays." I sound old. Nautical mismatched stars on the sides.
The anchors shirt is a simple white cami that will have, in old english, "ahoy matey."

Power Saw to the People

2008-10-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be participating in a Dexter swap in the next few weeks.

I'm brainstorming what I might like to make.

I think I'm going to take this image

and turn it into a reusable tote. Just a simple stencil in multi colors. I might invest in some spray stencil paint (or just regular spray paint?) and do iron-on letters in a nice shadow block like that. IDK, maybe even just do a straight transfer from computer paper. I like the newsprint headlines so maybe I can do a transfer of that and then stencil over the top. It'll be a little different but cool nonetheless. If you've never watched Dexter, I'd advise you ignore the current season (it sorta sucks) and start at the beginning. 1st and 2nd seasons were good (really good) but this season not so good, ackshully. Oh, and it's about a serial killer so obvi don't watch if you're squeamish around blood.

On that note, check out this Supermarket Craft winner for the September Craftster swap challenge. It's amazing!
Of course, this is my inspiration for the Dexter bag. But I won't be using grocery store beans. I can't believe how good it looks. She said in her post that she spent a lot of time watching movies and gluing beans in place. I love the little white/pink beans that act as highlights (corner of his eye, nose, chin). It's a perfect representation of Obama in beans. Not that I'm declaring who I voted for or anything, I'm just awed by the talent!
Congrats, boogaloo and your "Barack Bean-Bama" (I would have called it Barack Obama Rama).

Other than the Dexter swap, I'm done with swapping for awhile so I can prepare (financially) for Xmas.

I think I know what I'm getting my sister but other than that, my family is up in the air for gifts. I will probably make Greg a few items. We've been having some good laughs lately, I could translate them into tshirts pretty easily. Books are always good. This year, I am planning on getting my sister's boyfriend something. Maybe I'll get them something they can use together. Yeah, I don't know at all.

On the Dexter swap, I would like to put together a little clip art bonanza here to inspire me.

Undies Template-Brainstorm

2008-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm planning my underwear swap...

I think I'm going to do anchors and owls for my partner.

The anchors underwear will look like this.

The owl pair will look like this.

I got some awesome little "extras": an alphabet stamp set ($1 @ Michaels), an iron-on crystal skull wearing a crown (very biker, very Ed Hardy), a "Grow Your Own" Pirate Treasure (to go with the Ahoy/Anchor theme). . .I did good.

Undies

2008-10-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Bookmarking for later:

http://www.irononcrystals.com/products.asp?category_id=303

That's it for now :)

Undies Theme Swap

2008-10-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I have sent and received both my Chuck Palahniuk package and my LOLs swap package. My next swap will be a themed underwear set swap. I sent 2 blue bikinis, a white and a black camisole for my two sets. You send 2 sets of sleepwear (boxies, boyshorts, any type of "bottom" and any type of "top") and 5 themes to craft upon. The themes I threw out to the universe were:

zombies
golden girls
pandas
donnie darko
...i don't remember the last theme i picked. but there are 4/5.

the themes i have to work with are:
umbrellas
anchors
owls
skulls
hedgehogs

My partner sent her clean, new undies to me but I haven't received yet. I'm thinking iron on crystals and/or sparkly letters along with some stenciling.

I will probably pick owls because I myself love owls (almost picked owls for one of my own themes but picked pandas instead) and maybe umbrellas. Anyway, pics to come after I craft up a storm on these.

Got my package for the LOLswap!

2008-10-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. It put my package to shame! I questioned the swap guidelines after I opened this up, seriously, she spoiled me and the kitties.

Check out my package here

steve madden knit mules/clogs

2008-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

not craft related at all but:

does anyone know where they sell these shoes?

i'm dying. i want them. i found an ebay seller who has my size but in only one color. i want them all. white black brown. . .whatever. famous footwear has steve madden knit shoes but they're not chunky knit and they don't have the flowers.

please let me know if you know!

LOLSwap

2008-10-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

I got a crafty itch today that I can't scratch.

I think it's the anticipation that my deadlines are coming up. . .hmmmmm...

So here's what we got.

I have to complete my Chuck P swap pretty quick here. So I made the Graphic Traffic T, it came out ok. Not my best. I used watercolors with the fabric medium which I shouldn't have done. I didn't want to go out in the rain and buy more acrylic paint, so I mixed up watercolors and paint medium. This pic is after the washing. I also tried a technique to plan for aging: painting one color "underneath" (white) and then painting one color on "top" of it. That way, when the tshirt starts to fade, you will start to see the white coming thru. Just a test run.

Then I made a Book of Very Common Prayer and a Mr. 600 T (which is still in progress). The only thing left to do is to create another lyric journal. But I'm not sure what I can decoupage/stick on front that will be interesting or entertaining or Chuck P related. I thought of finding/creating a graphic of a sitting cow to represent the Judas Cow (great story from Lullaby) but really that something that I would use, not make for someone else. I think she gave me a quote he liked. I can just write that on the front.

For LOLSwap I've only completed 2 items. I have one left to make. We're supposed to do two smalls and one medium. The shirt is my medium. But maybe it won't be. I have collected my materials but I have not started at all. Well. That's not entirely true but. I'm making luggage tags. They're going to be cat-shaped and contain a vinyl pocket to hold address info. Should be good but probably going to turn into a large or at least a medium before the day is over.

So here's my LOLspeak magnets. You can buy them somewhere (thinkgeek, I believe) for something like $20. Or make them for $0.77. You could/can personalize them however you wanted. My favorite is "lolpox".

So her package will have these magnets, the "Do Not Want." tshirt and some luggage tags. It should be good. I also threw in some gummy candy for a tasty package cushion.

LOLSwap

2008-09-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

So...I've been thinking about what to make my LOLswap partner all week. I came up with (what I think are) a few good ideas.

First off, I'm gonna make LOLspeak magnets. Like MagPo but for LOLz0rz. Words like "Hai!" "Moar" "Evar" "Wif" "Wuz" "Wat" "Sum". . .you get the idea. They'll be cute and simple. I already have the magnet strips. I just need to write the words on. Cute!

Second, she expressed desire for luggage tags. So I'm going to make some from those 25 cent wooden cutouts you can get @ craft shops. I got a few different shapes (cat and square) and I'm planning to cover them in fabric (with tons of glue to make more durable) and then write words on them like, "I can has vacayshun?" and "OHAI!" "Upgraded ur lugegge!"

Then, she has (on her wist) a shirt that says, "DO NOT WANT!" so that's easy. Simple stencil letters. I got more paint tonight.

Off I go!

Katamari Shirt: I like to watch

2008-09-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here it is. Just the front so far,

Chuck Palahniuk Swap

2008-09-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to brainstorm for the swap but I seem to be having a little trouble. My projects have to be mailed by the 15th of October. I might be one of the last ones to ship at this rate.

I know I'm going to stencil a few tshirts (I think the swap has to be 2 medium items [1-2hrs each] and two smalls [>1 hour each] which gives me a starting point but still...). I think I'm going to do something with the Party Crashing theme from Rant. Check that out here.

I'm thinking a Graphic Traffic Radio shirt, made to look like a cheezy radio free giveaway shirt with crazy colors and a cheezy graphic. I will have to brainstorm on that. Maybe come up with a stupid catchphrase of my own. I don't think Graphic Traffic had a frequency or catchphrase listed in the book.

I will probably do another tshirt for the other medium. Maybe a shirt commemorating the opening of the Tender Branson Sensitive Materials Sanitary Landfill (read about Survivor here).

I will dress up (collage, decoupage, modpodge to death) a journal to look like the Very Common Book of Prayer from Tender Branson. And probably another notebook for my other small. Though I'm not sure which novel I shall reference. Maybe just something simple and basic like "Cassie Wright's 600 Man Gangbang!" (snuff

I'm crafting for my partner's boyfriend and he's a musician who write lyrics, so I'm thinking notebooks can't be a bad choice. He also likes hats, I guess. I don't know if I could find a blank hat with much ease. I might be able to find a simple knit hat and applique something on to it. Hmmm...I haven't sewed in a looooong time. But that wouldn't be too hard.

As for me, I enjoy the more obscure references in literature. Something a little less surfacey and little more hidden in the shirts. I like for people to not understand what the shirt means. I made Greg a shirt a few years ago that says, "Sucks To Your Ass-Mar!" which he's worn the bejesus out of. One guy at the mall was a high school english teacher and he was seriously going to stencil himself a shirt. He was totally inquisitive about the method (freezer paper, fabric medium, x-acto knife) and it was a totally cool moment. It's a secret club--wearing these underground kind of shirts. So for me, I'd prefer a less popular thing. I wouldn't wear a shirt that just said "SNUFF BY CHUCK P." It's gotta be something like, "I banged Cassie Wright" or "Mr. 137." Hmmm that's another idea right there.

Jeez! This has been a great brainstorming session!