Hey look, a craft!

I know, I'm shocked I'm posting, too.

This is on a canvas, but I hesitate to call it ART because I created it mainly to put some color on my bland dining room wall, so there's no artistic theme to it other than "I think vintage french ads are neat-o!" But I struggle with the idea of art vs. craft regardless. I feel like I go through an artistic thought process, and I'm aiming for a pleasing and polished final project. I don't usually have a deeper meaning behind my work, but I'm also still aiming for a particular feel to what I create. So am I an artistic crafter, or a crafty artist? (And the biggest question: How much of a douche do I sound like? ;P)

Anyway, theory, motivation, etc., let's move on to the pretty.
This is the base of the picture, which I actually really liked on its own, haha. Paint, various stamp inks and stamps were used to create it.


Aaaand this is the finished product! I found the vintage images via Flickr user pillpat (agence eureka), then painted the chipboard branch/vine thingies with crackle paint. The little chipboard piece in the lower left corner is edged with Distress Ink (Tea Dye), then stamped on the word "home" and added the little blingie.
This was SO MUCH FUN. Took forever, but had a GREAT time working on it. =D I'm now working on a set of 3 itty-bitty canvases which I'm very much looking forward to... and will post as soon as I'm done with 'em.

Polyvore Addicts Anonymous

Hi, my name is Samantha, and I'm a Polyvore addict.

*waits for fellow addicts to say "Hi"*

It is my new favorite past time. If I don't have anything to do, I will usually try to find a reason to play on it. I mainly play on it for "Glee"-related purposes (two of my new favorite blogs, "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?" and "Glee Dork" both sponsor "Glee"-related fashion challenges regularly, WHEEEE), but I am now going back through the archives of "What Claudia Wore" to find descriptions of the fabulous early-90's fashions of the Baby-Sitters Club members (a book series I read RELIGIOUSLY as a pre-teen) and see if I can translate it to modern fashion. So far, I'm actually making some pretty cute sets! Go fig, Ann M. Martin and her ghostwriters were ahead of their time!

Below are links to two collections I've created, one for "Glee" and one for "BSC". So fun it should be illegal! It feeds that shopping/fashion craving when I'm not feeling so fashionable (nor can I afford to shop), and at the same time it's also helping re-ignite my desire to take better care of myself... I've fallen into an "ugly" slump again, where I don't care about my hair or doing my makeup or looking cute. It usually relates to stress, unfortunately, but I feel the stress alleviating again and I'm noticing that I want to be cute again, too. Yay!

Glee goes to prom!


The Timeless Fashions of the Baby-Sitters Club Series

Wedding Wednesday

When I posted about my sister's wedding a couple Wednesdays ago, I realized that, hey, I've been involved in a lot of weddings, including my own, and there has been DIY elements in most of them. Granted, a fair amount of them I made the jewelry and that's the end of my involvement, but mine was a collaboration of several crafty people to make it happen.

There was a fair amount of DIY in my wedding, so I'm not going to BOMBARD anyone with it all at once. Instead, I'll just focus on a section of DIY projects that were under the same "umbrella" of crafting for that area. So this week: Invites!

I am VERY fortunate in that I have an acquaintance who is a fantastic graphic designer and photographer (Kristin Cofer), so she took our engagement portraits, and then made a lovely Save-The-Date postcard design, which we printed via overnightprints.com on her recommendation.

My ex-stepmom (and mother of my siblings) D'Lin helped my then-18-year-old sister organize my bridal shower, as Sami was my maid-of-honor. They made the invitation for my bridal shower, and it was super-cute:

I love the bride in the middle and the fold-out/cut-out effects. So cute!


Finally, my mom, the scrapbooking/card-making queen, made our wedding invites. All 70+ of them. OY. I tried to help, but this was before I started making cards myself, and at one point my mom just told me to stop and go do something else (nicely). xD She found those adorable circle stickers in the middle of the hearts, they came 12 in a set and each sticker was different, so each invite was different, too! =) The inside was the info printed on decorated vellum.

(Certain parts blurred, obviously, for safety from internet stalkers)

So while I'm not about to put our invite-related goods up against, say, Kenzie Kate, or Hello!Lucky, but considering the invites were NOT an area of the budget we wanted to spend a ton of money on, they beyond served their purpose while looking really cute and meeting the general decorative theme of my wedding (which, yes, was pink and flowers. Not as tacky and young as it sounds, I promise - and will prove later with photographs). Doing it ourselves met our basic needs for a lot less money than if we'd gone through a professional; there's nothing wrong with that, naturally, and if we'd had the money to throw at it, we would have, but it was an easy area to cut the costs and still be happy with the final product. =)

Yay, Weddings! Next time: Favorite wedding websites for cribbing ideas from!

Mother's Day!

So for El Dia De Los Madres, I made cards! SHOCKER. Seriously, though, who doesn't like receiving cards in the mail? ;D

These are the cards I made, from top to bottom: my mom, my paternal grandmother, and my maternal grandmother. My favorite is the one for my mom, and while I like the idea behind the last one, I need to work it out better. Meh. Will continue to play with that one.

My mom loved her card, which made me happy, esp. because she's the one who got me started crafting cards! She does fantastic scrapbook pages, and she shows me all sorts of neat new techniques to try. We couldn't be together this past mother's day, but this upcoming weekend we'll be having a "crafty day" together to make up for it. Can't wait!

WEDDINGS!

My sister Sami, god bless her little heinie, has actually been married for over a year now! BUT she's an Air Force wife, which means her "wedding" was in a courthouse in Montana with a couple of Air Force peeps. SO earlier this month, Ryan and Sami had their "vow recommitment", a.k.a. WEDDING. Ryan is big on family and wanted to have SOME sort of wedding-ish party so the two of them could truly celebrate their love with family, in the traditional sense.
So the challenge was to have a beautiful wedding, but on the cheap-ish. They rented a really nice hall in her town, and luckily for Sami, her mom and her sister are both crafty mf-ers, as well as some of her in-laws!It really was an insanely DIY wedding, but if you didn't know it, I think most people would think it'd been professionally done. I actually didn't get to help with the design part (DAMMIT, that's my favorite part!), but Sami's mom did a fabulous job with it. My contribution was her wedding jewelry. Sami's aunt made their invitations (which I stupidly never took a picture of, it turned out cute), and her MIL handled all the food! It was crazy... and crazy beautiful and crazy DELICIOUS. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.

So here's what I can show you that was DIY from the wedding:FYI, they did the ceiling part. Don't know how, but it's flippin' gorgeous. The chair covers were also made by us (on a looooong Saturday)The centerpieces were also DIY - fake flowers, but it worked. I draped the pearls along the rims and added the butterflies (all Sami's mom design, though!)

The favors: Decoupaged papier-mache boxes that were painted gold, and filled with homemade white chocolate-peppermint candies.
The arch was also designed and decorated by D'Lin, Sami's mom.

My contribution! I didn't come up with this design, I used the very simple tutorial here.

The necklace! It went nicely with my sister's ivory and light brown Maggie Sottero. This was also modified to have less pearls; my sister's neck is very, very tiny (unlike mine), so I removed most of the pearls and added another pair of the small Swarovski flowers, one on each side. =)

I wish I could post a card I made her for her wedding, but I ran out of time 'cuz it was a crazy weekend (we also went to the SF Giants home opener the day before, and saw our newly-pregnant friends the day after - for which I made the card, which I left at home, heh). I felt like a jerk for using a bought card, but time ran out on me. =/ I DID make her a lovely homemade card for her bridal shower, though! Here it is:

So yeah, this is looking to be the only wedding we're involved in, which is kind of nice. Last year we had 3 (one of which we couldn't attend thanks to my back going out on me the day of the 3rd wedding), and almost every year before that we had at least one (including ours, 3 years ago this June!). The Hubs and my first year of dating, we actually attended 5 weddings in a 14-month period! Luckily, I actually enjoy attending them, and I loooove making stuff for them (and doing DIY stuff for my own). My favorite part are just the little personal touches; yes, most weddings are formulaic, but the details is where you can set yours apart, and THAT'S what I love, love, love. So much that I miss buying "Martha Stewart Weddings". ;p

I swear, if I could find someone who loved micro-managing and wanted me to come up with all the great concepts and design the wedding, we would be millionaires. F'Reals.

I've been busy...

SO. I suck at updating, I realize that. It's not for lack of want, it's lack of having anything relevant to share, heh. That, and this blog isn't a "habit" yet. Trying to make it one, though! Just need to find my niche. In the meantime, here's my latest project: a congratulations card for a friend that recently announced his wife is preggers! I need to mail it to them still, so no reactions from the parents-to-be yet. :)


I found the onesies stamp at Michael'a in the dollar bin, and modified the diaper pattern from one on the Martha Stewart website, in the card crafts section. I see flaws, but overall I'm actually pretty proud of it! I think it's super cute. :)

40 ?'s beauty meme (stolen from Messy Carla)

One of my big focuses this year is to find my way back to feeling good about myself. I've let myself go for a long time, and I'm trying to increase my awareness (and desire) to primp myself more.

I'm also a sucker for filling out memes and surveys, esp. ones that ask me questions about myself. xD MessyCarla posted this great one! Wheee!

Link back if you decide to fill this out for yourself! I love hearing/reading other people's beauty recommendations.

How many times do you wash your face daily?
Not as much as I should - I only do it once a day, in the morning. Should probably do it at night, though. =/ (might steal Messy Carla's idea of finding a good face wipe to use instead... better than nothing!)

What skin type do you have?
Oily-ish. It's changed as I've gotten older. Basically, if I wash my face and DON'T moisturize, I get pretty greasy in my t-zone as my skin's way of giving itself moisturizer... but my cheeks and chin break out more often than my forehead and nose. So I'm not sure anymore. It's probably combination-to-oily.

What is your current facial wash?
Dermalogica special cleansing gel. Friggin' expensive, but the Dermalogica stuff makes my skin feel fantastic (when used regularly).

Do you exfoliate?
Once a week. Might try doing it twice a week, though.

What brand do you use?
Dermalogica Skin Prep Scrub

What moisturizer do you use?
Dermalogica Active Moist

Do you have freckles?
I have moles. Lots and lots of moles. Mostly on my face and arms, as they see more sun than the rest of my body.

Do you use eye cream?
Not currently, but I think I might have to start soon. Starting to get wrinkly up in the creases!

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes. I used Retin-A for a few months in 10th grade. It worked TOO well, as I was also on the swim team at the time, and the Retin-A + chlorine = super-dry skin! Ugh. My face looked like it was snowing.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Nope!

What foundation do you use?
I don't. I like Prescriptives, I've used that before. But I hate the feel of heavy foundation, so I use tinted moisturizer (Lorac)

How about concealer?
No, just try a little extra moisturizer and some powder to set it.

Do you know your undertone colour?
green - I glow olive green under my skin.

What do you think of false eyelashes?
I love them in moderation (unless they're on drag queens, then the more the merrier!). I personally don't wear them, 'cuz I have super-long and thick eyelashes naturally.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but I don't use it as frequently as I should so I usually go for 6 months at a time. Heh.

What brand of mascara do you use?
Maybelline Great Lash. I stick with the classics. xD

Sephora or MAC?
I love MAC, but I like Sephora, too - I like variety!

Do you have a MAC pro-card?
No.

What make-up tools do you use in make up application?
I bought them from E.L.F. Heh. Cheapies! I use a shadow blender eyeliner brush

Do you use make up base/primer for the eyes?
I usually just use a super-light shade of the color I'm using for my eyes at that time.

For the face?
Nah.

What is your favourite eyeshadow (colour or shade)?
Plum! It makes my hazel eyes pop.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
pencil - liquid's too harsh for my style.

How often do you poke your eyes with a pencil eyeliner?
Very, very rarely. It HAS happened, though. OMG does that sting.

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
If I was more adventurous, I'd probably love them. As it is, I like sheerer shades so I can have more control over their intensity.

Do you use mineral make-up?
I tried it as a base, but it sets so damn fast that I couldn't get good coverage. Plus it felt like my skin couldn't breathe with it on. =( I have to amend this to say that I used mineral makeup again for my sister's wedding, with a mix my ex-stepmom made me for my own wedding. Using a big brush REALLY helps, and the coverage is excellent when you have a sunburn. My face looked normal instead of bright red! Still heavy-feeling though, will stick with my tinted moisturizer. =)

What is your favourite lipstick?
My favorite lipstick ever was Cliniques "Sandy Beach", which was a pinky-tan sparklyish lipstick. I don't really wear lipstick, though, it feels icky on my lips and fades too easily.

How about lipgloss?
LOVE lipgloss. I wear cheapies to Stila, I ain't picky, haha. My favorite is Lancome Juicy Tubes in Pink Lemonade.

What is your favourite blush to use?
I have a mineral-based one that I really like, but I use it VERY infrequently. I have very round cheeks that don't really need highlighting. xD

Do you buy your makeup on Ebay?
Never have, and probably never will. Nothing against eBay, just don't need makeup that bad. xD

Do you like drugstore makeup?
I have no problem with drugstore makeup! I buy eyeshadows and lip gloss from drugstores, cheaper and I don't feel so guilty if I don't like the color.

Do you go to CCO's (cosmetic company outlets)?
I have no idea what this is.

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I've thought about it - I do enjoy applying makeup, and I think I'm decent at it. I loved designing stage makeup as a theater major in college.

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Not really; I have steady hands from crafting and watercoloring. =D

Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Tattooed eyebrows. FUG.

Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I'm all about natural makeup. I'm a firm believer in makeup enhancing your natural beauty. I have no issue with people wearing colorful makeup, though, as long as it's well-done. =)

Which celebrity always has great make up?
Anne Hathaway. She's just gorgeous.

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Tinted moisturizer. It evens out my skin tone.

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Do it all the time! I love makeup, but it usually gets left behind if I'm running late or feeling lazy.

Do you think you look good without any make up on?
I think it depends on my skin condition that day. If my skin's rough-looking, then no. If I'm fresh out of the shower, I think I look lovely, though. xD

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I <3 style="font-weight: bold;">What do you think of make up?
I think the last thing it should be is a requirement. It should be fun and make you feel good, but I think people should feel just as comfortable with themselves without it. I mean, if you wear it all the time because you LIKE to wear it, by all means! I also don't think people should use it as a way of hiding themselves, either - I fear that people who wear a ton and/or go for overly-dramatic eyeliner and lipstick are hiding themselves, and should go for a more natural look. It's meant to make what you have look even better, not completely hide your face!

Yet another obsession

WWEPW - Hairography "What Emma WOULD wear" by dlishly-girly featuring Ted Baker shoes

I'm obsessed with dressing "Emma Pillsbury". I blame "What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?", which I discovered through Tom and Lorenzo when they posted an interview they did with WWEPW. (Pretty common how I discover other blogs, I find them through clicking from a link in a favorite blog to another blog, and then I see an interesting link in THAT blog, and so on... it's like a Rube Goldberg of clicking to get from one site to the newly loved site. xD)

WWEPW has fashion challenges where you re-dress Emma with an item from a previous outfit, and they use the site called Polyvore to create the collages. OMG I HAVE ALREADY MADE 4 COLLAGES, THEY'RE SO MUCH FUN. It's like shopping and being a personal stylist, as well as invoking my love of paper dolls from when I was a kid! LOVE IT. SO MUCH FUN.

AND playing with Polyvore via WWEBW's group has led me to a NEW glee blog to love, Glee Dork. It's the Ciiiircle of Liiiiiife, and it rules us allll...

On my back and unable to craft!

I'm so sad to say I haven't touched anything crafty in so long... last Friday morning, my last day of school vacation, I strained my lower back. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time, and just as annoyingly it happened under relatively mundane circumstances. I won't go into a long diatribe of why it probably happened, other than to say that I'm now damned determined to not let it happen EVER AGAIN. Why? Aside from being all "hurty" (to quote Ralph Wiggum), It's SO BORING TO LAY ON YOUR BACK ALL WEEKEND AND WEEK. I can't walk my dog farther than the complex pool (which is maybe 50 feet from our apartment), and she's going NUTS, poor baby. I can't craft, can't shop, can't do anything, really.

I'm getting close to being 100% again, but this was probably the worst I've ever strained it so it's taking longer to heal, sadly. I'm at the point where I can walk around a little more, but I'm still not standing up straight. It's gone from really painful to really uncomfortable. I probably could have crocheted all this time on my back, but I'm more feeling card-making, haha. That's the craft I can't really do right now, though! Argh! I actually NEED to make a card or two now! xD

So instead I'll share a couple of blogs that are majorly inspiring to me right now! Fair enough, right?

The Sew Weekly - I actually found her via CRAFT Magazine's blog when she blogged her journey to prepping herself and her friends for "A Gatsby Afternoon" (which I WILL go to one day, oh yes...). CRAFT linked her up again as she started this blog, and her love of vintage + her Bay Area references (I'm from the area as well, and miss it terribly) = I LOVE THIS BLOG. It makes me want to get my sewing machine fixed so I can start sewing again, more than any other inspiration - and I studied costume design in college, for chrissakes!

Vickie Howell blog - I have to admit, I know how to knit but I've never been a fervent knitter like other people are, so Vickie was always kind of a "meh" for me. Nothing against her, I just wasn't that into what I thought was her main craft or most of her patterns. =) BUT I discovered her blog today, and it's not all knitting! It's actually full of great craft projects.

Heart of Light - She is life-living inspiration. Not only is she a very talented crafter (I love her rosebuds and wish I'd thought of it first, dammit!), but her postings about the little things she does to make her life beautiful simply fill me with awe and wonderment. She reminds me that life is for LIVING, not existing. At the very least, I'm copying her "Friday flowers" idea... but mine will be Saturdays 'cuz that's when I can get to the Farmer's Market. ;D

V-Day 2010

V-Day 2010
Originally uploaded by mantequilla81

Ahhhh, god bless holidays that give me an excuse to make cards!

Actually, it was last year's V-day that made me interested in card-making in the first place. I was inspired by an online friend's decoupaging of tissue papers on card stock to make Xmas cards, and since I do love to decoupage, I thought it'd be fun to make V-day postcards for my friends and family. I ended up making a few actual cards, too. Here's some of the postcards I made. Crazy how I've been doing this for a year and now I'm totally hooked.

The funny thing is, I still kind of turn my nose up at scrapbooking, which is basically CARD-MAKING on a bigger scale! It's not that I don't like pictures, I just think that most scrapbooking I see tends to be a bit cutesy and cloying, even when done well. I know, I'm a snob. I still like to look at it, but make it? Meh. Maybe I'll change my tune when I have kids, although having a totally cute dog hasn't inspired me to change my tune. O__o

Regardless, I less than 3 (<3) Valentine's day. Not just because I have a Valentine (although yes, I do), but because I love love. I try to act all cool and cynical, but dammit, I'm a big gushy lovebug at heart. Not romantic love, though, just the act of love. I love my family, I love my friends, I love The Hubs, I love my dog (she's so cute OMG, you readers are so lucky I don't turn this into a dog-blog), and I love having a day to shower them with gushy affection. I do hate how this holiday makes people feel lonely, though, but I LOVE having the excuse to make pretty cards for them to cheer them up!

This year, though, I admittedly got a leetle lazy with it and only made intricate cards for certain family members and out-of-state friends. My local friends are getting kitschy school-style valentines when I see them, and The Hubs is getting candy and a printed-out card of a TV character he likes 'cuz I think it'd be funny and he won't expect it. ;D

Actually, now that the cards are made and shipped off, I'm planning on making more love-themed crafts, but they won't be card-related. I've been wanting to try my hand at pocket shrines and altered books for a while, and now I'm going to work on that. One will be for a grandma who has a bday coming up (pocket shrine), I think, along with an order from my mom to make her another neck-scarflette like the one I made Grandma for xmas - apparently Grandma really likes it and wears it all the time, haha. I can't wait to play with them, though, and show you my results!

Happy Valentine's Day! Don't make it about romance, make it about showing everyone you care about that you think they're lovely.

New cards

Bday card for my Grandmama
Originally uploaded by mantequilla81

So, I said I'd post once a MONTH, right? Not once a week? Just wanted to clear that up. ;D

How do you find motivation to craft at the end of a long day? I'm having trouble finding it. I can look at craft stuff all day on blogs (if work is being particularly slow - usually I don't get much of a chance to go on the 'net) and be SO INSPIRED, and then I come home, walk the dog, do any chores, start dinner, and before I know it it's 7:30pm and I have no desire to do anything other than watch the boob tube or surf the net.

I think my other issue is that my craft area is very small and only conducive to certain crafts. For example, I've been wanting to sew, but my desk won't support it and my sewing machine needs to be looked at but we don't have the funds. I've been crafting on our dining table because my desk (which nicely holds all my craft supplies) doesn't have a ton of room for actual crafting, esp. with my laptop on it. Plus my desk and dining table are in the general front room of our 1-bedroom apartment, so I have no privacy and am easily distracted.

Either way, I go through phases where I can't stop crafting, and then I go through weeks where I have no inspiration or motivation. I miss it right now, but I did craft up a storm at my mom's this weekend. Made 4 cards, including the one pictured, which was my favorite of the bunch. She admitted she doesn't always craft when she gets home, too, which made me feel better. Hopefully when The Hubs and I can afford to move into a bigger home, I'll feel more inspired since we've agreed that we'll get at least a 2-bedroom that I can use one of the rooms for crafting, which means I could spread around and have everything I need in one room.

In the meantime, I will just continue to gather links to cool stuff I want to make. My dream is to start an after-school monthly crafting club for whatever school I work at long-term, so I actually have lots of those links saved and ready to go. I also have the desire to make Valentine's for my friends again this year, so I think I'll work on that as my motivating project for this month. Hopefully when I post next month, I can show you what I ended up doing! xD

I'm not dead!

Retro Card 1
Originally uploaded by mantequilla81

I know, I know, I've been dreadful about updating this blog.

Part of it was lack of time - I was busy cranking out Xmas gifts.

Then it was lack of inspiration. There are so many blogs out there centered around crafting, I don't quite know how to make mine interesting, let alone relevant.

THEN it was actually getting a long-term sub gig that kept me tired and busy.

FINALLY it was due to adding a new member to the family. I blame this devil:

Don't be fooled by her adorableness, she's... well, she's not evil, she's just distracting. xD

I do want to make this a regularly updated blog. Maybe not daily, but at least weekly. For now, it might just be a "Look what I made!" blog, and that's fine, as I find my niche. I won't say that there won't occasionally be a blathering about other creative things, though, like theory or people I admire that are what I deem "creative". I also might blog about style as it relates to me, as I'm trying to pull myself out of a self-imposed duldrums when it comes to self-expression.

In the meantime, I wanted to start the new year on the right track and say "Hello!" I am re-committing to this blog, there's no point in having it and not using it, and I really do want to show what I make more often.

If you'd like more info on the card featured above, please click on the picture to go to the Flickr page with description. =)

Happy 2010! Let's make this an awesome one, eh?

Homemade Xmas gifts - yay or nay?

Sorry for the radio silence; my current project was also my biggest project, and I've kind of been focusing my time to that. It's done now, though, and I can share.

Here's the thing, though - it's for a friend who is internet savvy, so rather than just go BLAM and post a picture, I'm going to link the pictures, and you can choose to look if you want. I will only say that it is crochet and it is wearable.

After Xmas, I'll post the pattern and such - I don't know where the pattern is from, because I saw a similar piece on a student while subbing, fell in love with it, and figured out the pattern myself from looking at how the piece was made. It's very simple, though, and I really like how it turned out; I just can't claim credit for it OR give proper credit - the original piece was a gift to the student! xD

Picture one

Picture two

Here's my fear, though - I love my friends and family, and I know they love me. But I worry that what I give them is crap. No matter how well it's made, I really fear that they'll think it's crap. Now, I'll admit part of this fear came about from an offhand crack someone I deeply care about made about a gift I made them last year (no specific pronouns to protect the innocence), calling it a "yarmulke" (apparently I made it too small - but the person is a tiny person and I wasn't sure!). To the point where I haven't made any of the gift I made last year for this year's round.

I like making the gifts, though, because I'm trying to make a gift that the person will love and want to wear/use on site. It's an extension of my joy of gift-giving in general; it's my goal to find something unique to the recipient that they'll also like AND be able to use. So I'm already disappointed if they don't like what I buy; it's even more heartbreaking if they don't like what I made just for them.

At the same time, I don't want to be treated like a charity case, either - feedback is helpful, always, but the joke hurt. I doubt the person meant to hurt, but it still hurt a LOT. (Not that I ever told the person... not to mention how lame am I that an offhand joke made A YEAR AGO is lingering over my head still?)

I guess this is where I am at a standstill - I still love to make things with my hands, but at the same time I don't want to bother if it's not going to be useful or appreciated by the person. If they aren't liking their gifts, then it becomes, to be blunt, creative masturbation - I'm making things for me but claiming they're "gifts". Meh.

Not that this ultimately matters - I mean, for Pete's sake, I've already made the majority of gifts this year, and this is one of the few years where it's been a NECESSITY due to financial issues. Ultimately I think the people I love take it as my slightly-better macaroni picture of love for them, like I did when I proudly gave my parents my class "artwork". So whether it's actually a good gift depends on the recipient, but ultimately it's received with the intention that I made it for them because I love them. =)

Aaaand on that note it just occurred to me yet another damn gift I'd like to make for people. God dammit. I'M ADDICTED TO GIFT MAKING, I CAN'T STOP.

Sami turns 21!

My younger sister, Sami*, has officially turned 21. Ignoring the fact that all my years of pushing on the top of their heads a la Lucy from "Peanuts" didn't work, I'm very excited for her. Now we can go drinking!

Not that I'm some huge drunk, or that she hasn't already been drinking for years. Just... it's a milestone that I get to help someone else celebrate! I'm usually the younger of my crowd; the only other person I've helped celebrate their 21st is my husband (who is 1.5 years younger).

So I'm excited! To celebrate, I made my sister a card AND jewelry for myself to wear tonight so I feel a little younger and more hip. (Not that I'm SO much older, but I'm a good 7 years older than my fellow revelers... and probably the only one who is dorky enough to use the word "reveler". ;p)

First, my sister's card:
I wanted to convey a sense of drinking. Was I successful? ;p I made the martini "paper" with some clear stamps, then colored and stamped the large martini glass.

Aaand these are for me! I'm treating my sister to dinner (and if she really likes this set, I'll just give it to her - I have enough materials to make another xD) for her gift, but I wanted a good necklace to go with my low-cut sweater top. I want to look cute, too! Even if I AM the old lady of the group! Hahahaha.

*If you look to the right, you will notice that I am named Samantha. Yes, Sami is short for "Samantha" and my sister and I have the same name. Just to explain, 'cuz EVERYONE asks: My sister and I share a brother, but are not blood relatives ourselves. Basically, bro and I share a dad, bro and Sami share a mom. Sami is my sister through LOVE, which is even stronger than blood IMHO - I don't have to love her, but she is my sister no matter what you say. The names are merely coincidence - we met when she was 1 and I was 8.

Hallowe'en Craftiness

So, as I've mentioned before, I'm an unemployed teacher. Nothing I did, just the way the chips fell with the economy and the budget cuts statewide. Ugh.

I am working as a substitute teacher, and unemployment makes up the difference, so we're not broke, but we're trying to be cheap and frugal when need be.

One of those frugal choices was Halloween - we wanted to have fun costumes, but not spend a lot of money. We thrift-store hunted and modified as needed. I went as a Roller Derby girl, and I made my own shirt:

I was lucky - the trims were on sale for 50% off, so I spent about $3 for the trims. Paint cost about $3, and the shirt itself was a whole $2.

I found the stencils at Michaels in a set for $5. I painted the fire first, then layered the skull on top once the painted fire was dry.

My "derby name" and number - hey, if I'm hell on wheels, I should have an appropriately demonic number! (The derby name is a play on our last name, hence the double n.)

Aaaand me in full costume. Helmet is thrifted, found the skirt at a thrift store and cut it WAAAY short (esp. in back - oops), and found the knee socks at a thrift store, too. The fishnets are tights that I cut the crotch out of and cut the feet - the "crotch hole" went around my shoulders, and I owned the black tights already. So basically I made my costume for about $25! I had skates, too, but I didn't get a chance to practice in them before we went to my cousin's house - and I didn't want to get an RUI, or fall on my butt, frankly. Hehe.

Most people got it immediately, and I was told the shirt was the best part. It's my favorite part, too - I'm glad I found those stencils to make the "logo" of the team!

Just 'cuz I can crochet doesn't mean I should, probably... ;D

Xmas '09 gift for Joey 2
Originally uploaded by mantequilla81

WUT UP.

Ok, I love this photo, hahaha. But that's because I'm a dork.

So the sad thing about this project is that the gloves are for my friend Joey... who is very much a dude. Yet you can see that these fingerless gloves fit me well. *sigh* I have man hands. I'm a 5'10" Amazonian woman that desperately wishes I was 5'2" and dainty. It's like a St. Bernard trying to be a lap dog. xD

BUT I like how the gloves turned out. I think Joey will, too. They're simple and WARM, and they'll go with a cool leather jacket or a pea coat (as Joey is a fashionable sort). And if he doesn't like them, well... then hopefully he'll lie and tell me he does. Good thing I'm working on a stationary set for him, too. Speaking of, I'll have to show that set when it's done - it's probably one of the cooler card sets I've ever made. Which reminds me, I need to get back to work on those, I still have 4-6 of those to make...

Anyway, this is the second to last crochet project for the holidays, but the last one will be a looooong one. It's a scarf, and it's a scarf I'm trying to figure out from only looking at it. Oy. We'll see how it goes!

Wannabe: Luxirare

Luxirare keeps sneaking up on me, and I've finally given myself over to it completely.

The funny thing is, I'm not so much interested in her fashion posts as I am her food posts. She makes some of the most exquisite food posts I've ever seen - even when she's not the one making the food. Her photos are works of art, and her write-ups are hoity-toity foodie talk with a touch of wit and the occasional pop culture reference thrown in (she freakin' reference Wu-Tang Clan, she had me at "C.R.E.A.M."). Some examples: Pie Pops Bento Box

Rather than make this a complete ass-kissing post, I'll simply write here what I just commented on her Steak n' Sides post (which isn't even my favorite post!):

"My GOD. I'd go gay for you."

I mean every word.

(The Hubs won't mind, as long as I help her cook a good meal for him before we ride off into the sunset. Something tells me he'll be too drunk on good eats to notice.)

See? I make stuff.

I do make things, I don't just point out other people's awesome stuff.

The only problem is I don't make anything mind-blowingly original. I'm aware that there's nothing new under the sun, but man I sure wish I could come up with something awesome that takes off and everyone wants to make themselves... like marble magnets. (Not that I don't make marble magnets, haha, I freakin' LOVE making marble magnets!)

One area where I'm not that creative but I'm capable is crochet. I enjoy the simple patterns, as I'm still new at it, plus the repetition is soothing to me (same with knitting, but knitting takes longer so I tend to fall back to crochet). I accept that I'm not making anything mind-blowing, but I really wish I had the brain to create patterns. Too much math for my simple literature-minded brain; it's a miracle I've trained enough in sewing to look at a sewing pattern and (mostly) figure it out! They used to look like complicated 1000+ piece puzzles when I glanced at them. xD

Anyway. Xmas is coming, and it's my favorite time of year. Unfortunately, this year is going to have to be thriftier than previous years due to my technical "unemployment", so I'm starting early and crafting the hell out of everything. xD The first two completed projects: Neckwarmers! My grandmas are both in Chicago, which gets fa-REEZING in January and February, and as they're not as young and spry as they used to be, I'm afraid they're always going to freeze outside. Last year was hats and pocket-warmers (ceramic pie weights in a nice blue fabric), this year is neckwarmers and hot cocoa mixes! (I haven't tried the recipe yet for m'self - if I try it and like it, I'll definitely share!)
The pattern is by Stephanie Gage, and can be found here on Crochet Me. The idea is that they wrap around the neck, and can fold over or stay up as the wearer sees fit.

I'm crocheting 2-3 more gifts this year. After that... actually, I'm not sure! Hahaha. Gotta review my xmas list again. I LOOOOVE xmas, and I'm very fortunate that I have friends and family that humor me and pretend to like their homemade gifts. =)

Sunday Comics #1 - intro post/ Keith Knight

So while I fantasize that people might actually read this bizzatch, I'm thinking it'll be fun to focus a Sunday post every other Sunday (or maybe every Sunday, depends on how many I can think of that are worth celebrating), on comics.

I am a huge comics nerd. HUGE. My dad used to mention it as a point of pride that I was the only girl he knew who ever read newspaper comic strips - he'd read the paper after work and automatically hand off the comics section to me when he was done, ever since I could read. I love comics and cartoons, the combination of story-telling (English nerd WUT) and art is just wonderful to me. Even though I wasn't into the superheroes when I was younger, I still liked hanging out in comic book shops, even if all I bought were the Archie Digests (and KATY KEENE! OMG I loved Katy Keene, probably because I loved drawing/designing clothes when I was young als0). The joy of comics has grown to include superheroes on occasion, with Daredevil being my favorite title, but mostly centers around graphic novels and webcomics. Not too much in the fantasy arena, either - I really love people who illustrate human stories, autobiographical or not.

On that note, I want to share a dude who I don't share with people enough. You may have heard of him, and even may have confused him with the guy who draws "Boondocks" (Aaron McGruder), as he often likes to joke.

Keith Knight, author of "The K Chronicles", "(th)Ink", and "The Knight Life", is the bomb in bomb diggity. I've been reading him since the early days of college, so that would be about, oh... 7 years? At least? Unfortunately, I don't remember how I discovered him, but all that matters is that I DID, and I've been getting weekly giggles ever since. I even bought his "Complete K Chronicles" collection to catch up on the older strips that I missed out on, and I giggled my way through it - and frequently re-read it as well! Now he's delivering daily giggles in his syndicated comic strip, "The Knight Life".

So why, exactly, do I adore this comic strip so much? Mainly his sense of humor. For one, his drawing style conveys a casual sense of fun to me - he's not trying to make cartoons look human, he's making humans look like cartoons. He makes clever little puns, hilarious little jokes, and sight gags as well. He's just FUNNY. Whether a witty one-liner or a well-told story, I almost always laugh at his newest comic. He makes his everyday semi-bohemian life seem full of amusing anecdotes, and his reflections on his family and his past are also entertaining and identifiable. He's also a new(ish) father, and his comics about raising his son are also funny and warm.

Here's a cute example: (Clicking the comic itself takes you to his Buzzle page, where you can look through a good chunk of his archive)
As this comic also displays, he leans similarly to the left, politics-wise. Which is something I also agree with, I will admit, so if you're not really into political comics, I'll admit that not every one of his comics will appeal to you. Not every comic is an anti-right-wing political reeming - if anything, I'd say his comics are 33% political, 67% his own life experiences/funny stories, depending on the hot-button issues, in The K Chronicles. (th)Ink, his one-panel a la "The Far Side" weekly comic, is much more political, though, and might not be to everyone's tastes. On the opposite side of that, his daily syndicated comic, "The Knight Life", is much less political than his weeklies, due to needing to "play in Peoria", so to speak, but still retains a great deal of humor and fun.



I'll admit I have a personal bias towards him, as a lot of his early comics focused around living in SF (a city I have much affection for). He just seems like the kind of guy I could enjoy a few beers with (well, I'd be drinking cider or wine, I hate the taste of beer) and I'd leave with sore cheeks from laughing. Since to find him would equal stalking (and I still haven't been able to go meet him, sadly, as I chickened out the one time I could have, and the other times I've been busy with other engagements), I'll happily settle for reading his weeklies and dailies, and feeling like he's telling me a really funny story - and drew it instead of writing it just to give me a little extra happy.

Check him out!

Doodles by me - 1st post

So I will never claim to be an artist. Any artistic capabilities I have are thanks to my mom, who I DO consider an artist, but she would probably take a similar position to myself. Basically, we have a knack for it, but we're not what you'd probably consider "serious" artists. If I took classes, I could probably be more technically skilled, but I haven't so I'm not. I'm a great appreciator, but a technically-challenged creator.

Semantics, really, because I'm sure there are some people who would consider some of what I do "art". In fact, I have a few ideas of "art" that I'm hoping to work on this weekend (and yes, I will consequently post said art).

All this "art" talk aside, I really do enjoy the occasional doodle. Sometimes I even like them so much that I want to share them. I'm not a constant doodler, and what I usually tend to draw are pictures of people. I esp. love to draw clothes - I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was younger and drew clothes all the time, and I studied costume design in college, where rendering the costumes in watercolors was one of my favorite parts!

While working as a substitute, I am usually bored when the teachers just give me the very basic plan of "watch a movie". That's when it's basically expensive baby-sitting - I appreciate the money, but YAWN. So I decided to illustrate this feeling:
Yes, this would be me. Feeling very, very bored. This particular sub day, I arrived to find out my only instructions were "Have students continue working on projects." That's it. No information on the project other than what was on the board, and no info to do with students if they finished early, if they weren't working, class policies, etc. VERY ANNOYING. And boring.

That was a crappy day. The Hubs heard how frustrated I was that day, so he decided to be a wonderful husband and pick up some dinner for us. Specifically tri-tip that was already cooked at Raley's. Lo and behold, he also stopped and picked up a box of my new cookie obsession: Maple cookies from Trader Joe's.
That's right, my husband doesn't bring me flowers, he brings me meat and cookies. Which is exactly why I married him. xD

So like I said, I'm not an artist by any stretch, but occasionally my doodles are amusing.