miscellany of me..

Make a much prettier magnetic pincushion..

2012-01-11T00:15:00.000-08:00

I love the concept of magnetic pincushions...using them while sewing on the machine, I pull the pins out and throw them in the general direction of that ubiquitous blue donut thing without slowing down, and it grabs them from almost midair and keeps them safe from landing under my feet. I love it. Not so much, the blob of blue plastic in my sewing room.

So, I decided to make my own, using a little porcelain dish I loved. And cause I could, I took pictures while doing it, and you can make your own, too. I promise you, you'll love it SO much more! :D

Needed:

Dish you like, not too thick, otherwise the magnets can't hold well through it

Strong magnets..I got mine from eBay, but you can find similar at any decent craft supply store

Strong glue that will hold both surfaces..I used Gorilla Glue

First, spread your glue on the spot you want the magnet (or on the magnet itself...I had a slight curve to my surface, so I wanted to make sure it was well filled with the glue so it would hold)..

Decide how many magnets you need for your particular dish (I needed three stacked together to be strong enough...other dishes might need more or less...test your one out), gluing together layers if need be..

Attach to the dish (like I said, I needed to stack mine up...if you have a wider, flatter dish, you might need to spread them around a little, to cover the surface to make it workable)..

And if you have a glue like mine that needs to be held firmly together while drying, put a weight on the magnets to keep it together.

And that's it. You now have your gorgeous little magnetic pincushion, ready to hold those pins in place without having to stop and stab them in, or leaving piles next to the machine while you work, and then the next time you rotate the garment to sew another seam, you sweep the whole mess onto the floor. Gah. It's like having a superhero working next to you. Seriously. I am in love. Hope you love yours just as much. :D

Orange and purple and greens..

2012-01-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through my Pinterest folder of colors..I noticed a trend...

Oranges, and purples, and greens...

I feel so predictable right now, lol...

Credits:

1. SunSurfer

2. XenaBitesBack

3. WishFlowers

4. BlackBirdExperience

5. Desert-Dreamer

6. SundayInBed

7. AdorableLife

8. Zsaj

9. Tenneal

Twisted..

2011-09-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

Garnet briolettes and teeny, tiny peridots, all twisted up on silver hoops. Now dd wants me to make HER a pair...gonna have to be different colors, though..I never did get into the matchy-matchy..so not my thing. :p

Playing along at:

Moonrise..

2011-09-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

I took a walk tonight, at moonrise..

Kids of Yesterday..

2011-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Currently extremely obsessed with this song..

Chinoiserie..

2011-09-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

Loving these works by Kathe Fraga...the colors just make me happy..

Credit:

All images found via Kathe Fraga, who I found on Pinterest..

Breathtaking..

2011-08-28T04:31:00.000-07:00

It's insane, her voice..

And if you are like me and can't get enough of it, try her taking on Lady Antebellum (accompanied by Hootie of Blowfish fame, and cheered on by Lady A themselves..)

..or kissing off her ex:

'Scuze me...gotta go hit replay again..

Edit: Good grief...all I see in the Google reader is blank space with ads and some text...is that what you all see, too?? When the heck did they change to that??

That looks...interesting..

2011-08-25T03:34:00.000-07:00

It seems to be fig season here in Hawaii. I know this because I was handed a large bag of ripe right now figs, overflow from their tree that they couldn't keep up with. Since I seem to be the only one in the house who like fresh figs, I am now trying to come up with ways to use them up..which leads me to the next question...who the heck has heard of fig soup? Not as a dessert, either...as a main meal item. The people who gave them to me said they have been making it a lot, and that it was an Asian thing. I dunno...I can be adventurous in my palate, but my mind is boggling about this...has anyone had or heard of that before?

And, what else can I do with these sitting on my counter in dire need of using up??

White Blank Page..

2011-07-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

Still a massive fan of these guys..

(Holy macaroni, my last post was in MARCH!! I totally fell off the wagon!! Sorry, folks! Won't happen (much) again! :D )

Fantasy world..

2011-03-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Nearly died when I first saw Sveta Dorosheva's work over on DudeCraft...I just want to live in her world. Isn't she A-MAZ-ING???? You can find her here. SO worth a click over and seeing her pictures in their entirety...she is illustrating books, and by that I mean, the whole thing, text and all. A-MAZ-ING.

Credit:
Sveta Dorosheva

A learning experience..

2011-03-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

This here is a last glimpse of my most recent learning experience. I learned how to make ball headpins, using sterling wire and a propane torch (AWESOME!!! :D ). I learned to not just wrap at will, and pay attention, or you will end up uneven. I learned a photo will show you that it WASN'T your imagination, and something def was askew. And I learned I need to be more aware of earrings in my ear, even if they are so extremely comfortable, or I will never know when one disappears, and won't even know where to begin to look for it, esp if I went out all day, and then again all evening, wearing them. :(

They sure were pretty, though, weren't they? :)

Sister Sister Sunday

Stylin'..

2011-03-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

It's sooooo lovely to open your inbox and see that someone loves your work enough to give you an award!! :D And I got this one twice!! :happydance:

The first one is from Audrey, at A Day With a Domestic Engineer (love the name...I was a domestic engineer for years, lol!)..She has all kinds of cool projects, furniture remakes, etc. Check it out! :D

The second came from Tru, at Tru Tales Feats. Super talented in many different arts, and very understated about how she seems to be able to just do anything! :D

So, the rules...

1. Thank the givers. DONE.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Pass it on to 15 newly discovered bloggers (who the heck comes up with *15* as a number? Obviously not someone who has had to actually do that. :p We'll see how I go, lol. )
4. Contact them and tell them about it.

So. Seven things. Um.

1. I live in Hawaii. But I was also born here, and spent enough time in early childhood here before beginning my world roaming, to set my preferences. This temperature is what the world should be, imo. :D The water in the ocean should also be like this. When I was growing up, and swimming in various other oceans and lakes, this water is what I would dream about, cause this is "right". :P And I like the food here.

2. I like to dabble. I call myself a Jill of All Trades, cause I know a little bit of everything, but can't call myself an expert on anything. The closest thing I could say would be sewing, but even then, at this point, I am not even close. I need more large chunks of time to just immerse myself in figuring out how the heck to do this or that, and I rarely get that.

3. I am a salty over sweet kind of person. I don't mind sweets, but if I had to choose, I would choose savory over sweet anytime. It's my total downfall every time. The only exception would be cheesecake. Baked. Like my SIL made last night, and I am currently drooling over this morning. Scuze me while I go raid the fridge.

Okay, back. Let's continue. :D

4. I have never been farther east than Michigan. One day I am going to make it to NY. My ds shares that dream, and will murder me if I go without him. :p Of course, Europe is on the cards, and I will go with SIL...we are mutually agreed that we are not taking the Stick In the Mud..aka, dh. He would hate every min of being dragged all over every nook and cranny, and we would hate to have him complaining as we try to fit this and this and this in. :p

5. I like to have tabs open in my browser. A lot of them. Like, I had 73 open at one point. Drives dh, and pretty much everyone else who sees them, bonkers. But it's the only way I remember to ever get back to them and do what I planned on doing with whatever is on that page. God bless whoever invented tabs. Cause it used to be windows. One window open for every site. Talk about driving dh bonkers! :p

6. I like hot drinks. Even on hot days. I always get a hot latte, no matter what the temp is outside.

7. I am a laundry freak. I wash EVERYTHING. All the time. My laundry pile is generally out of control, cause I also line dry, and between limited drying hours, and Hawaii's propensity to rain randomly all the time (even on sunny days....there's a reason this is the Rainbow State), I can't dry fast enough to clear out everything in the pile before I add more. Too bad I loathe folding and putting away, though. THAT pile is also out of control. :p

There ya go. Seven random facts, showing off my weirdness. :D I know, I am a lost cause.

Okay, on to the *15* new to me blogs. Let's see how many I can do. :p

1. DIY Home Sweet Home Projects. Projects, ideas, style. Love it.

2. Attempting Aloha. Cool projects, neat ideas, oh, and she lives on my Island, so she understands the unique position of living in a crafting wasteland, and the shifts you need to go to to make things work. :p

3. The Tattered Tag. Awesome linkie party, and lots of cool ideas and projects. (Anyone notice a theme? I love places that give me ideas. :p I am not one of those people who read many blogs that just talk about life. You gotta be showing me something at the same time. lol )

4. DudeCraft. I have no idea if he would even care about receiving this award, but I found his blog recently, and it is sooo inspiring! :D

5. Amy's Show and Tell. Okay, I only found her last night, via my Sitemeter, which showed a click through from there, but what I found was awesome. Not the least cause she made a bench using my tut, and it is SO CUTE!!! :D

(Oh, man, only up to five, and I have to go out soon!)

6. Keeping It Simple. Tutorials, man. I'm all about the tutorials.

7. Welcome to the Good Life. There are two of them, Hawaii is involved, and she is fearless with her clothes remakes. :D

8. Girl In Air. Not sure there is anything this girl can't do, and luckily for us, she tells *us* how to do it, too.

Well, look at that...I got all the way to eight! :D Way to go me! :D

Okay, I am collapsing at the end of the day, my eyes are closing on me, and my computer is being weird, so I am packing it in. I'll tell all those guys they are here when I get up tomorrow. :P

I hope you all love the people I listed as much as I do! ::D

Where are my links??

2011-03-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Anyone having a problem with linkies in Blogger? I have been adding buttons for all these linkie parties I have been joining, but looking down the list, I have all these blank gaps, with nothing in there, and I have been seeing over the last couple of days, a button will go blank, even though the link is still there..now those ones seem to be gone? What is UP??

It's that time of the year again..

2011-02-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

It be my birthday. :D Happy Birthday to me!! lol

Credit: Le Divan Fumoir Bohemian

Build your own bench...

2011-02-26T02:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so not an imaginative title. :p But nonetheless..I promised a tut for this a million years ago, and it's time to make good.. :p

Tools and supplies needed:

Board or boards, the width you want your bench, and enough length to make two legs and the seat...Mine is about two feet high, by three feet across. So, a total of seven feet in length.

A board or a couple boards to make the supports..I used a piece 2" deep, 8" wide, and 12" long. This was large enough to make both supports.

Wood screws x 10

Sandpaper, med grit (100 grit)

Paint

Waterbase varnish (optional)

Drill

Jigsaw

Electric sander (optional)

Measuring tape or ruler

Wood glue

Paintbrush

Kraft paper and pencil

Start with your board...mine was an old, painted shelf we had no need for. Bonus, was already pre-distressed. :D Lay across your sawhorses or whatever you use to hold a board for cutting with a saw.

Measure out your sections, and mark off.

Using your paper...draw out an attractive curve for the sides of the legs. I used the edge of the paper to match up the straight edge of the board so I could do it evenly. Trace it onto the board, and flip and repeat for the other side.

I wanted this decorative detail at the foot of the legs, so I added it in.

Cut out your design details, using the jigsaw. For the side scroll pattern, start at the point, and saw through the curves and off the edge. For bottom, it's a little more tricky. First, cut out the curved bottom. Ignore the little square. Once that is out, move on to the square.

Starting at one bottom corner of the square, start cutting up, and curve through the corner, straightening at the top, and ending at the corner. You should end up with half that square cut at the top. Repeat on the other side.Clean up any uneven-ness across the top by making another pass along with the blade. Ask me what the heck I am talking about if I am unclear. :p

Cut off that section along your previously marked line, and repeat for the next leg.

I totally messed up, and didn't get pics of this part, but you are going to make supports for each side of the seat. You will make them pretty much the same way you made the legs, but only cut on one side, and leave the other side flat, to support the seat. Please refer to the pic six spots down for a better idea. Heh.

At this point, I find it easiest to sand the pieces before assembling. I smoothed the edges, and then rounded the corners, to give a more worn appearance. Yes, I totally sucked at cutting that little square out. Sue me. :D

Using the ruler, find the middle point of the leg, along the top edge.

About an inch or so down, pre-drill in a screw, but don't let it go all the way through. Make another one about 1.5 inches below that.

Take your wood glue,

..and smear it all over the side edge of the support, on the area that will be against the legs.

This part is fiddly, and maybe someone else has a kickass idea on how to do this, but I don't, so, put the glue end against the inner side of the legs, behind where the screws are, brace the board somehow, and complete the screws. Make sure the top edge of the support is flush with the top edge of the leg. Repeat on other side.

On the seat board, predrill three screws, along the outside edge, where the legs will be.

Apply more wood glue along the top edges..

..and put the seat onto the legs, screwing down completely. At this point, if you really care, you can fill in the screw heads with putty, let dry, and sand smooth, ready for painting. I, um, don't, really..

Painting: So, I was using a prepainted shelf, so I already had two coats of paint I had applied at some previous time. If you aren't, you are going to need at least one coat underneath for texture and smoothness on the paint. Let that dry, rub over with a wax candle on the high wear areas, and then paint on your contrast color. I used high gloss china red, cause 1. I loved it, and 2. I had a looot of it. :p

When the paints are all dry, give it a sand...I sanded it all over, to give a smooth and worn appearance, and paid special attention to the high wear areas. The wax you previously smoothed on will help the paint you applied over it to flake off, giving a very vintage, aged look. Beautiful. :D From there, I gave it two coats of varnish, cause it's intended destination is outdoors, and I wanted it to last. You may choose not to, if you want.

Install in your desired location, step back, and don't sprain your elbow trying to pat yourself on the back, cause you did this!! Woohoo!! :D

As usual, let me know about any glaring mistakes, and PLEASE show me if you make one, too!! :D :D

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DIY Thrifty Thursday @ Thrifty 101

UPDATE: If I am joined to your linkie, but you don't see your button here, let me know, so I can manually add the link. For some reason, my blog is rejecting the code for a lot of them. I just tried to add one three times, and not once did the code take, though the gap where I kept placing it kept expanding, with nothing in it. ARGH.

Threads of life..

2011-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Threads sewn on a machine over water soluble stabilizer, and then rinsed to reveal magic. Amanda McCavour is the magician. I wish I had that much talent with just a pen and paper, even, much less cramming all that thread through the machine! :o

Credits:

1. Fashion In Motion

2, 3. Amanda McCavour

4. In the Sky and On the Road

5, 6. Kim Yokota

7. Kat Hyun

8, 9. DudeCraft

Simple..

2011-02-15T00:29:00.000-08:00

Something about her voice, and the tempo, I think. I like it..

If you click through, apparently you can download a free mp3 from the label. I think it's worth it. :)

Vegetarian Japanese dumplings..aka gyoza..aka potstickers..

2011-02-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

I adore Japanese boiled dumplings..I used to buy them in Sydney all the time, though not so much here, cause my budget is smaller here. :p

So when my sister, who was abandoning me and heading to the Mainland to live, gave me her little gadget to make them myself, I was all over it. I can't believe how incredibly simple they are to make, when they charge so much in the shops! I found a fantastic tutorial for making the pleats by hand here, if you don't have access to my handy-dandy gadget, so I'm putting up the recipe I made so you can try their awesomeness yourself. :p (I am not in any way recommending that meat filling she used, though...I am veggie all the way! :D )

Filling:

1 1/2 c shredded wonbok (Napa cabbage or chinese cabbage) or cabbage

1/4 c diced fine onion

1/4 c minced shiitake mushrooms

1/8 c minced waterchestnuts

1 inch piece ginger, fine grated

10 oz block tofu, pressed to drain excess water and mashed

1 small clove garlic minced

splash sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Gyoza wrappers*

Combine all the filling ingredients in a pan, and fry til the cabbage is cooked, and dry rather than soggy.

Adjust seasoning as needed.

Take one wrapper, put 1-1.5 teaspoons of filling in the middle, wet the edges with water, and crimp, either with the tool like I have** or following that tut up above. Press the crimper really hard so the edges are properly sealed, and won't come open in the water while boiling. Very bland and soggy that way.

From here..I like to boil them. So I boil a pot of water to a gentle boil, and slip the dumplings in; boiling for 5 min or so, til they start to look translucent and cooked, like the pic above. Gently scoop out with a slotted spoon, and drain in a colander.

Another way to cook them, though, is by frying in a pan, preferred by a lot of people. The girl in that other tut above actually has pictures of this process, too (actually, her whole tut rocks, minus the meat..just not vegetarian, and she isn't doing boiled like mine..so I'm going ahead with this one. :p )

Serve with your fave dipping sauce. I made one with just soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli flakes, and vinegar. So yum.

My filling makes approx 30 dumplings, and an average serve is 5-6 per person.

* This is a pic of the gyoza wrappers I use...you can also use wonton wrappers if that is all you can find.

**This is my awesome crimper. I find the handles aren't all that strong, and I end up just clamping the edges together by hand...but the whole thing is so worth having, so I don't mind. :p I also have a much larger size, for turnovers, but haven't gotten to try it yet. Can't wait! :D

Would LOVE to hear if you tried these, and let me know if there are any glaring errors in here! :D

Family..

2011-02-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

One of my very favorite pics of my visit to California. Heading out gold panning in Coloma (hey, I was embracing my inner tourist wholeheartedly :p ) with my mom, my sister, three of my nieces, and my boy. Didn't manage to find more than freezing feet while panning in the snowmelt American River, but I did get this awesome shot. :D

Oh...THAT army..

2011-01-12T21:42:00.000-08:00

Meet my Army of Evil Minions.

I had seen Moonstitch's adorable "tutowlrial" a few years ago, and have had it sitting in my bookmark folder ever since. Til I got a request for beanbags in a swap, and knew this was PERFECT for them! :D I filled the top half with fiberfil, and the bottom half with rice...worked perfectly, with a great heft for tossing. All was going well, til I needed to do the eyes..the best material I had was this dark brown sweater I had felted ages ago, and I thought it would be just the thing.

So, made a couple up, sat back a little, and realized I was staring back at an army of evil little owls. Whoops. I hope she is feeling the need for some minions around the house! :D

PS: Her favorite color is orange, and also tiedye, of which I had neither. But I had a yellow based red fabric, so I made reverse tiedye with it, using bleach (you can't see it in the pic, but it looks really cool, and way more orange)...look for the coming tut!!

PPS: I didn't have the printer going, so I just drew my own pattern looking at her pics...result, my owls came out a little more high-and-mighty, versus chubby and cute. Prob contributed in no small part to the evil results.

Lashes and lashes..

2011-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

I think...I want to put on the pair third one down, and go find a party somewhere worthy of them.

Credit: Luna and Curious

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T01:04:00.000-08:00

It's 2011 in an hour exactly...what a surreal number to write! Wishing you all a fantastic new year!! :D

Credit: kkohawaii

Merry, merry Christmas..

2010-12-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Merry, Merry Christmas, everyone. :)

Make a very special ornament..

2010-12-19T01:39:00.001-08:00

These are so simple to make, but look awesome on the tree. You can completely customize them to your own style, personality, whatever. I personalize them by painting a child's name on the back, or adding other special text, and give them as gifts, or just plain choose what images *I* want on my tree. The beauty of them is you can design them how *you* want.

Materials needed:

Ornament blank, either premade, out of paper mache, which already have a loop added; or those wooden shapes that come as is.

Thread/thin string for hanging, if using the wooden blanks

Paint: neutral base and a rich gold (or whatever suits you to border)

Image of your choice (do not use inkjet images from a home printer..they are waterbase, and will smear and bleed, ruining everything. I took images I already owned, and ran them through the color copier at the local printer)

Contrast image, pretty paper, text from a Christmas/greeting card, whatever, for the back

Waterbase varnish and white glue (Technical note: for this tut, I used Mod Podge, which I am not very experienced with. After doing two of them, though, I was really disappointed in the homemade results from it, and went back to my preferred way of doing them, which is the white glue and waterbase varnish.)

Optional: Very small drill bit, and possibly a manual handle to go with it

Paint the blank in your neutral color.

Center over the image, and trace a circle around it. I do this by holding the picture up to the light, and moving the ornament around behind the paper til it looks right, and then laying down and tracing from the back..I find this the easiest way for me. Cut out the circle. (You can do this before or after painting, doesn't matter.) Lay over your circle, and make sure the edges are completely flush, and won't be sticking out, or hanging over.

For the back, cut out another circle, either of another image you want, or a nice, decorative coordinating paper; another idea I have done is use previous Christmas cards to cut out appropriate text, usually in the pretty fonts they use; or else, just hand paint something, like your kid's name, over the previously painted base.

Spread a thin layer of the white glue, evenly over one side of the ornament. You don't want it *too* thick, or it will warp and bubble the paper. Make sure it goes right to the edges, though you want to avoid getting it on the sides, if possible.

Carefully apply the image onto the surface of the glue, and smooth down, wiping any air bubbles to the edge. Run your finger around the very edge, to press down the edge and keep it from sticking out. Dab a tiny bit of glue into cracks with a toothpick if necessary.

Repeat with other side. Let both sides dry completely, so you are not sealing moisture into the ornament, and setting up a disaster waiting to happen.

Paint carefully all around the edge, with your gold or contrast paint. You can keep it strictly on the edge, or you can run it down into a small border around the image, like I have done.

At this point, if you are using the wooden blanks, you will verrrrryyy carrrrrefulllly twist the point of the drill bit into the edge..

..until you have a small hole in the side, about 1/8-1/4 inch down. It's really simple to do this, and pretty quick.

Make a knot in your thread/string, and push it into the hole you just drilled, and fill it with glue. Make sure you pop any air bubbles, and let it dry completely. This method is strong enough to handle average tree-hanging use. It's not, however, strong enough to handle tropical storm winds blowing in at it all night long. Ask me how I know. :p

Brush varnish on one side, let dry, repeat on other side, and the edges, and let dry. Sometimes, at this poinr, I like to tint the varnish with a teeny smidge of brown acrylic paint, and dab it on in a mottled way, giving it an aged patina. Repeat with a second coat of clear varnish. (Note: this pic is the modpodge I used while making the tut...waterbase varnish is generally clear. )

Done!! :D Hang on your tree, and love it for years to come. :p

The City...

2010-12-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Funny how I can have so little actual paying work, and life can still be so frantic. Huh.

Anyway..point of the post. My loving, incredible sister bought my kid and I tickets to Sacramento to visit them in January, which is going to include a dash down to San Francisco to land on the parents and visit the Auntie and Grandma. Anyone have any MUST see shops there I can't miss? I used to live there, years ago, and my mom still lives there, so I already have a million nostalgic places to visit, as well as the Exploratorium, and BRITEX FABRICS! etc, but new, cute shops, I know nada! Who's got tips?? :D

Credit: Art.com

Gentle..

2010-10-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

Life has been insane...I need the softness right now..

Ship ahoy..

2010-08-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Two guesses, me hearties..

Red it...

2010-08-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a pic...I needed a bench for next to the pool (no, that is not the pool area..but the pool area was a mess from visiting kids..the the nearby greenery stood in)...upshot, I made one. Yes, I am very proud. :p

It's bright red, cause 1. I love red. 2. It looks great against the aqua theme happening outside. 3. I had a whole gallon of high shine red paint spare, that someone gave me. I'll leave you to decide which was the deciding factor.

The pitcher holding the lemonade, I got for free. I don't know how old it is, but it's aged, and stained, and crackled, and I LOVE it. I wish more free stuff came like that. :p

I took pics the whole step of the way, so you guys are getting a tut for it, whether you like it or not. :p

I found it...

2010-07-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

I found my next birthday present. Or maybe even Christmas.

I am not sure I have started even breathing after that first gasp.

Cori at Starview Sonnet is a crafting goddess, imo. :p

(If you aren't broke, like me, you can buy her HERE. Just don't tell me about it and break my heart. )

Credit: Starview Sonnet

2010-07-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

I received a lovely, lovely blog award from Polly over on pollyfranceselizabeth! She has a very cute blog, that I find to be a very interesting peek into her world over in England..with a good dash of Japanese love thrown in. :p

Okay, rules are:

Name ten things I like:

The beach

Sewing

A good cup of tea

Making things

The smell of garden flowers in the morning

Jeans that fit

Cheesecake

Jewellery-lots of it-silver

My own space

Glass

And, tag ten other bloggers:

Everyday Tuesday

Flossy-P

Magnolias and Sunshine

Annekata

Arty Lovely

Slightly Obsessed

Toasty Toes

The Weather in the Streets

Alright..I've got eight...and I've run out of time. It'll have to do. :p

It's nice to be liked! :D Same as it's nice to look at my sidebar, and realize 40 whole people like me enough to actually FOLLOW me!! Who'da thunk??? :p

A piece of string..

2010-07-24T03:37:00.001-07:00

How to make a jewellery hanger..

2010-07-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, I told my friend I had made this jewellery hanger, and was planning a tut. Not only did she love it, but she ran out and bought the supplies, and is now sitting there tapping her fingers waiting. Uh. Okay. Better get onto it. (I actually think she is PERFECTLY capable of working it out herself, but what the hey..I already have the pictures taken, right? :p

Supplies needed:

Wood plaque or panel

Paper of your choice

9 cup hooks

picture hanger thingie

paint

spray glue

med grit sandpaper

ruler

a nail and a hammer

First thing, make your wood and your paper match exactly in size. My paper and my plywood square are both exactly 12" x 12".

Sand the edges smooth. If you really want to be picky, you can go over them again with a fine grit paper, for a finer finish. I didn't bother, cause I knew if I didn't get on with it, I would flounder and fail and migrate to the couch before it was done. :p

Paint the edges. I used spray paint, cause that is what I had, but I would have preferred to use a brush on paint...it would have filled the gaps a bit better and looked nicer. It did go a lot faster, though! :p

While you are at it, paint the hooks, too. Let them dry while you finish the rest of the project. If you do use brush on paint with these, don't paint the screw part..it will just get messy when you put them in.

Spray the back of your paper with spray adhesive. Don't overdo it so that it seeps through to the front. Just a good coat on all parts. Make sure you get the corners and the edges, so they don't peel back up with wear and age. Also spray the front side of the wood panel.

CAREFULLY match up the edges of the paper and the wood, and lay the paper down. It will be very hard if not impossible to reposition it, so take this step slow. Smooth it on, making sure to press on the edges and corners, too. My scrapbooking paper had this white edge with their info on it that I had to cut off.

Now you make the grid for where you want to put the hooks. I did nine hooks, so I divided my board into a grid of two inch squares. How I did it was mark an infinitesimal dot at the edges on two opposing sides at each two inch mark. Lay a straight edge of the ruler along the line between a mark on one side, and the opposing mark on the other side, and mark a tiny dot at each two inch mark. You should end up with a grid of nine dots in the middle, spaced every two inches. (Let me know if I got this step wrong. I SUCK at this kind if mental math, and can't remember if I needed to do anything else to make it work.)

At each dot, take your hammer and nail, and tap it in about 1/8-1/4" (.5 cm approx), to make a starter hole. Pull the nail back out carefully so it doesn't twist and mark up the hole. Don't go farther down, cause pulling it back out will make a mess and cause damage.

Screw the hooks into the starter holes til they are flush with the surface. Make them end all facing up.

Attach my professionally named picture hanger thingie (I'm totally brain fritzing and can NOT remember what these are called) to the back...my one, btw, IS straight, no matter what is bizarrely going on in the picture.

Ta da!!! Turn back around to the front, hang on a wall, and drape your favorite jewellery across it. :D

As always, let me know if I have any errors, and show me if you make one!! :D

Playing along at:

Let the moss grow..

2010-07-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

I am sooo tempted to find a patch of moss somewhere and make some moss graffiti. :p

Credits:
1, 2, 3: Anna Garforth
4. Bumbumbum

Fleeting fashion..

2010-07-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

I was searching for some stuff in my inspiration folder...found the folder of the work of Zoe Bradley. Seriously...paper??? Love love love. I know I have a thing for paper, but ANYONE has to admit these are INCREDIBLE!!! :D

Credits:
1. Mein-Inspiration
2, 3, 5, 6. If It's Hip It's Here
4. T-Party

Make an upcycled water bottle carrier..

2010-07-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

NOTE: FULL CREDIT FOR MY IDEA CAME FROM THE TUTORIAL BY BETZ WHITE AT PETITE PURLS!

Okay, so...I saw Betz's tut and LOVED the idea. But my family...we are..uh..active. In other words, I needed to make sure it wouldn't fall out, which meant completely changing how to put this together. Oh, and I wanted an adjustable strap, too. Upshot, I ended up making a tutorial of my changes, and you get to try it out! Heheh :D :D

I did this over a period of weeks, since I kept not having this or that, and so missed properly documenting every single step clearly, but I think they are clear enough, and I will elaborate when necessary. (Note: the strap on my model is a touch different to how my tut will show. Don't ask. I messed something up the first time, and when I fixed it and put it back together, I didn't notice til JUST NOW that I forgot to put one of the D rings back on. Sheesh. :p )

MATERIALS:

one leg from a trashed pair of cargo pants, including pocket

lining fabric of choice

1.5-2 yards 1" nylon webbing

2 D-rings

1 slide buckle

1 swivel clip

1 cordstop

12-15" cord for drawstring

Okay, take the pants....split it up the inseam as far as you can go, so you can spread it flat easily.

Figure out the dimensions you want, to fit your bottle; I measured my bottle, and then added an inch all around, plus seam allowances. Center it on the pocket, and cut out your square. Cut a matching lining from your contrast lining fabric. Cut a strip as wide as the square, but only about 3.5-4 inches tall, from the extra leftover pants fabric.

Fold the pants square lengthwise right sides together, and sew across the bottom and up the side.

Repeat for the lining, but only sew a couple inches up the side, and then leave a gap of a couple inches, and then continue on to the top. Backstitch a couple stitches at the end and beginning of those lines to keep them from coming undone when you are flipping the finished back through the hole at the end.

This is one of the steps I didn't get the best pic of, but it's really simple. At the bottoms of the lengthwise sewn lining and outer pieces, pinch up the sewn corners and flatten them so they look like this. Sew straight across the corner, about 1 1/4 inch down from the point. When you open them out, voila, you suddenly have your 3-D bag shape. :p If you need a better pic of this step, let me know, and I'll hook you up. :D

Now, the drawstring casing. Fold the long strip you previously cut, the long way, short end to short end, right sides together. Sew up the side about 1.5 inches, and then backstitch a little to reinforce.

On the open section where you didn't sew, fold back the seam allowance, and press open. Repeat on other side.

Topstitch from top to bottom.

At the top edge, fold over your seam allowance, and press....

...and fold again, matching the folded seam allowance edge with the very end of the backstitched bit of stitching. Press.

Now sew all around, forming your casing.

The strap.

Take a three inch piece of webbing, loop it through a D ring. Sew back and forth across a few times, to reinforce. Repeat for the second D ring.

Loop the length you have chosen for a strap through one of the D rings.

At one of the ends, get out your lighter, and seal the raw end, so it doesn't keep fraying, by holding the end close to the flame til the raw ends melt (CAREFUL! Don't touch the melted plastic, and be aware of the flame!!). Loop it through the slide buckle, and sew back and forth neatly a few times, to reinforce. Weave the other end through the buckle.

Here is supposed to be a picture that I completely spaced. What you are doing here is attaching the swivel clip in the same way as the buckle, including singeing to seal, to the other end of the strap.

Okay, here is where I messed up the strap, cause I SUCK at spatial thinking, and put the whole shebang together backwards, twice. :p I am holding the bag in my hand, and am going to tell you how to do it right, so you don't have to get all comfy with your seam ripper like me. :D

So. Make a sandwich of all your layers, in this order:

Outer layer

D ring strap ends tacked into each side, right side of buckle to right side of outer layer (the rest of the strap should all be assembled, so it's all one piece)

drawstring panel, right side to right side with the outer layer

lining , right side to wrong side with the drawstring panel

Sew all around the circle, going back and forth a few times when you go over the d ring strap ends to reinforce.

Pull everything back out through to hole you left in the lining. Tuck the seam allowances back into the lining, and sew closed.

If you are using a synthetic cord or shoelace for a drawstring, you should singe the ends in the lighter, too.

Pull it through the casing, wrestle it into the cordstop by pinching it open as wide as you can and feed the ends through, and tie the ends together.

Tada. Done!!!

If you have any questions, just ask, and if you make one up, I'd LOVE to see!!!! Please!! :D

Joining in:

Shark's Cove...

2010-07-09T01:18:00.000-07:00

Shark's Cove. So called because white-tipped sharks live around there. I dunno, I've never seen them yet, or heard of someone seeing them. All I know is it is our favorite place to snorkel. :p The fish are incredible, we almost always see sea turtles (honu, in Hawaiian), the water is beautiful, and then there are the caves to dive through, and the cliffs to jump from. Seriously, the best day out ever for the whole family...even the little babies. :p I don't have an underwater camera (yet!), so I can't show you the true beauty of the place; but I can take you on a mini tour of the above water. Ready??

Okay..so, you arrive on the beach, after scrambling down the cliff, either on a red dirt path, or a sharp, sharp coral and volcanic rock path. Ouch. We usually do the latter, and cross our fingers we don't eat it on the way down. Heh.

This is off to the left of the above pic, staring straight ahead of where I was standing, at the base of the big coral rock reef that forms the protected cove. I waded out to get this pic, cause it was low tide, and really shallow. See that whitewash under there? It's a cave that goes through to the deep part on the other side, where waves wash through from at low tide. I'll show that in a second. If you have nerves of steel, and don't panic if you get stuck on the roof under water when you float up, or the current runs the other way, and are also a strong swimmer, you can swim through there at high tide. I don't cause 1. I do panic a little, and 2. I really object to potentially touching something hiding on the rock while that might sting me. :p There are sea urchins in every crevice of every rock under water, so I don't like to touch without examining first. I think I might be in a minority about this, though. Nobody else seems to worry, though, but I am okay with my status as resident wuss. :p

Notice the slippers on his feet?? People in the know don't go anywhere here without sandshoes on their feet. Local people in the know just wear their slippers. :p I even wear mine while snorkeling, cause then I can put my feet down wherever, if I need to adjust a leaky mask or something. Coral is razor sharp, and will slice clean, and slow to heal. I don't like getting cut for trying to stand. :p

If you look at the bottom of the crevice in the middle, there is a little gap there, where water comes spurting through, from the deep part on the other side.

Scrambling to the top of the reef is best done either by coming up the back way like this, or swimming around to the point out front, and scrambling out of the water onto the little ledge there. That's tricky, though, and you have to work with the waves so you don't fall back in, or get beached halfway out. The coral is so sharp, if you get beached, you won't be able to climb to your knees..you will just be stuck there til the next wave comes that you can ride up.

There is a third way up, which I'll tell you about in a second.

So you reached the top, and are looking around..this is what you will see. Though, with more sunlight. Taking a photo on a superbright day, while staring into the sun...not my forte. I don't know how to do it right, lol. Basically, it looks like a miniature version of the asteroid in Armageddon. Sharp, jagged, and barren.

Okay, at the top, and look to the right. Down a 20 foot chasm, to water and rocks at the bottom. Don't slip. Around the corner to the left, is deep water, with various caves and tunnels you can swim through...the one I put up above is there. The third way up is around here, too. The other side of this chasm is actually a large rock, which you can get onto in the same way you would climb up onto the point. If you walk to the top of the rock (with slippers!!) there is a narrow point, relatively, where you can climb across a precarious three foot gap, up to the main reef. And hope you don't slip. Ouch. I don't do that way...I'd be the one who didn't make it. :p

See that crab clinging to the wall near the middle bottom??

There he is...he's about 8 inches across, and he has a lot of friends around, all clinging vertically to the rock. How the HECK do they do that??

Now, aside from the view, this is what people come up here to do. Twenty feet up, you can launch yourself off the rock into the water below. You can do it from a lower point, or you can climb up onto a little arch, and do it from there. I had a pic of it, but the person using it at the time was in a very unflattering position, and I'd rather keep the friendship, lol.

Oh, yeah. I don't jump off. Resident wuss, remember?? Besides, SOMEONE has to hold the camera!! Heheh.

Yes, that is the true color. Thirty feet of crystal clear water. Just bliss. I'm still not jumping off, though. :p

Another part of the alien landscape up top...these isolated salt flats, way above the water level. This one is about 2 feet across..I imagine this whole hollow was once filled with sea water, and this is all that is left..all this salt.

This view is about where I took the pic of the little cave, but looking right, across the open section of the reef, where the deep water is.

THIS view, is looking to the left and behind a little. THIS is where the little kids go...it's only knee deep. To the left is a little beach, right between the shallow, and the deep. A family would be smart to set up there, so the big kids can go to the deep, and the little kids can paddle in the shallow, and mom can see it all, pretty much. :p

And THAT is basically Shark's Cove. I hope I didn't bore you to tears...I think I got carried away! :D And, if you are ever thinking of going, remember, I never even got to show you the BEST part...the world *below* the surface. Above water is fun...below water is magic.

Oh..one more pic...

So, back in December, when we went to see the big surf at the Eddie Aikau memorial big surf comp, we biked past Shark's Cove. This is standing up on the cliff, way back by the road...and it STILL looks that big. The edge of the reef on the right? That's the twenty foot cliff they jump off. The splashing waves behind were going twice as high; I just couldn't snap at the right moment to capture them.

Yeah, winter is NOT the time to go snorkeling here. :D

Joining in over on:

Wordless.

2010-07-08T02:43:00.000-07:00

Keltainen Talo Rannalla is a Finnish blog, written entirely in Finnish, and I can't understand a word of it. Google gives me the little handy Translate button up at the top, but really, some things don't even need words, do they??

What blogs do you read that you can't actually READ?? :p

Credits:
All pics from Keltainen talo rannalla

Happy 4th..

2010-07-04T03:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth, peoples. I was going to make a post about lucky we live in a country that is basically free, no matter how much people like to complain about it; but after pages and pages of nasty, meanspirited stuff, on both sides, while looking for some images, Calvin is about all I feel like right now. Lucky he's a cute lil guy, huh? :p

Credit: Vanelsas

Plastic fantastic..

2010-07-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

My dinky little local store actually got in a bunch of really nice feeling laminates..I *had* to try them. Combine that with dd's b-day, and her previously documented love of all things Japanese, and I had a project. And then a friend of hers had a b-day, too, so I doubled it. :p

I used this tutorial on Crafster, by QueenofDiy, who also has a blog here. I used some of it, and then when I got tired of walking back and forth to the computer from the sewing machine, I made the rest up. :p

So, tip...if you are going to work with laminate, invest in a walking foot. Absolutely. One hundred percent. I have heard a teflon foot also works well, but I have only used the walking foot, and I don't think I will every use anything else. If you are DESPERATE, and I have been before, you can do laminate/vinyl sandwiched between tissue paper, and then just tear it away when done. But honestly, just buy the walking foot. You will NEVER regret it. :D

Between the walking foot, and the simple instructions on the tut, this worked up VERY fast the second time around. The first time, I was still working out kinks, figuring things out, and also filling in gaps in information on the tutorial. (If anyone ever uses one of mine, and notices gaps that I don't cover, TELL me so I can rectify it!) The second time, I did it in like half or less of the time. :p

This is a blurry, very average picture of the lining. The polka dots are super cute. The looseness is totally not. I have to work out how to not have these loose linings all the time. I haven't seen it addressed in various tuts, etc, I have seen, but the info must be out there. Anyone know a place I should look? Please tell!

It's a small, small world..

2010-06-24T04:20:00.000-07:00

We went out to Shark's Cove again. Such an amazing place. More pics to come. :)

Bottled up..

2010-06-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Somewhere, I can't remember where, I saw this tut over on Petite Purls for making a bottle carrier out of an existing pants leg. Since I am sick of being the one to carry all the water bottles when we go on hikes, and it's dumb for everyone to carry a backpack for one little bottle; and since dd just irreparably ripped her Marc Jacobs pants on the trampoline, I decide to RECYCLE! :p

The other tutorial, though, was just basically a small carry bag with a strap, and I wanted more, so I completely changed up the instructions, and did it my own way. I added the closure, with a drawstring cordstop, and an adjustable strap, rather than a fixed one.

The cool part of the cargo pocket, is it's just big enough for ds to pack along his diabetic sweets, and glucose meter and lancet clicker, rather than having to sling his other bag along with this one, too. Perfect.

In the sun..

2010-06-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Zooey Deschanel is so cute. Ya gotta admit.

Blacklight..

2010-05-23T00:24:00.000-07:00

The possibilities are ENDLESS!! Finding pictures that do justice to the dreamlike fantasy it could be, not so much.

If you don't know, or haven't figured it out, these are blacklight tattoos; invisible in normal light, surreal in black light. I am trying to figure out the likelihood that I will ever be hanging around blacklight enough to make it worthwhile. Sadly, I really doubt it. :p

Sweet..

2010-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

The mangoes have come back in season. Bliss.

Sadly, both our trees are alternate bearing, so the season is going to be very short, since only half of one tree (the smaller one) is fruiting. Wah.

But it's nice while it's lasting. :D

Who says..

2010-05-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

Bubbly..

2010-05-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

In the summer, a young(ish) man's thoughts turn to...really cold drinks.

Dh decided now was the time to try making ginger beer. Coincidentally, about ten minutes earlier, I had seen Aran from Cannelle et Vanille's post about her feature on Design*Sponge, all about making ginger beer. Obviously, it was meant to be.

So, results:

First bottle-Ew.

Second bottle-Not too bad; has potential; relatively drinkable.

Onward and upwards, my friends. :p

Surreal...

2010-05-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Tim Burton for Harper's Bazaar. Nice.

Credits: Harpers Bazaar

Periwinkle..

2010-05-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, periwinkle was one of my favorite colors, with the best name. It gave me the same feeling that I got when reading Anne of Green Gables.

Then I grew up, and discovered periwinkles were those same flowers I knew by the name of vinca, that I hated, cause they were scraggly and smelled yucky. Damn.

But now I have one growing in my backyard, in the middle of the lawn (rather, off to the side, under the shade of a mandarin tree), and I defend it with extreme vigor. Dh would love to mow it down; polls of random friends show they agree with him, ds is constantly eying it with hedge trimmers, or samurai sword, depending, in hand; I have to literally put a barricade around it out of sawhorses mowing time, to save it.

I dunno why..for some reason, that spot of color in the middle of the lawn, growing against all odds, makes me happy. I've almost forgiven it for not being the periwinkle of my dreams.

Hangups..

2010-04-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a display for my necklaces for awhile, and finally got around to making one. It's a piece of plywood, painted white on the sides, and a sheet of scrapbooking paper on the front. I wish I could have found better hooks, but I'll live, for now. :p I love the paper I used for the background (which, btw, is actually red, and the big flourish on the right is celadon, but it all got washed out, and now looks the dreaded pink), and have been hoarding it for a couple of years, while I figured out what to do with it. I think it worked out well, don't you? :D

(Oh, I figured I might as well take pictures while making it, so look for a tutorial on it in the future, when I get myself organized. :p )

Have jumped in and joined Today's Creative Blog's Get Your Craft On link party...you should jump over and have a peek...there are 318 links before me...that's a lot of crafting to see!

My Creative Space..

2010-04-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've never joined in this one before, but today I decided what the heck.

In my space today, I have the beginnings of an experiment, and possible tut if it works the way it's supposed to. :p I'll let you know how it turns out. Hope it actually does, and I didn't just waste all that plaster! lol

Head on over to Kootoyoo to have a peek at what else is happening around blogland. :p

I need more exercise..

2010-04-05T02:20:00.000-07:00

We were bored yesterday (collective we), so we all headed up Diamond Head.

Check our..er...lush Hawaiian flora??

The view off the first lookout...looking Windward, aka, toward the Windward side, aka, East.

After the first lookout, we walk a little further, up a set of stairs, through a small tunnel, and then have a small heart attack when we come out of it, huffing and puffing, and realize THIS is the REAL set of stairs.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I had to snap proof of the torture. :p

Cautionary note for the claustrophobes thinking they might like this hike: this blurry shot is half way through the 580 foot tunnel, before the bend, and that shadow at the end is a lady having a panic attack at the thought of having to walk through the mountain to continue the hike. I think she was on the verge of barfing.

After the tunnel, we are inside a bunker system, squeezing up this spiral staircase one by one (keep in mind, Diamond Head used to be a major defense fort, with cannons and all!)

Of course, this makes it worth the trouble...what a view, huh? You can even see the horizon curving by now.

And it's even better when there are four whales down there, breaching, tail slapping, blowing, etc..if you squint, and peer at my flashy star, you can see one flipper sticking out. :p Those other white smears of whitewash are from a couple of the other ones, but they weren't being quite as crazily active as the one I managed to snap.

Finally making it all the way to the lookout at the top..if you look leeward, to the right, to the West, you can see the famous Waikiki beach. Which the tourists love. And any right thinking local avoids like the plague. It's also what it looks like when it is RAINING. Which it kept doing, and ruining my shots of Beautiful, Sunny Hawaii. Though it sure was a relief over having burning afternoon sun, I tell ya.

What the tourbooks don't usually show in that view is the military bunkers just over a little, a remnant from Pearl Harbor. This Island has a lot of reminders scattered around like that. Slightly creepy, imo.

After we practically ran down the mountain again, we were going to go swimming on the beach. It wasn't very nice, though (okay, maybe we are spoiled, with the awesome beaches we are used to), so we headed off and got some cold treats, instead. :p The pic came out nice, though.

We are busy plotting our next adventure. I am hoping it's far off enough to get in a little better shape. Cause I was PUFFED!! :p

(Love the new Blogger option of burning through my pic allowance faster and reach paying status sooner, with X-Large pics!! :D )

(Update: Dangit, my template isn't even WIDE enough to handle the big pics. If you are really interested, you can click to see them in their proper size and shape, without random cropping. And don't be surprised if my blog is gone or a jumbled mess tomorrow..I am off to play with template settings..always a bad idea. :p )

(Update 2: Whoop! I did it! I think! Let me know if everything looks truly bizarre! :D )

Wild Jasmine..

2010-04-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there are more than a dozen varieties of Jasmine (Pikake) growing in Hawaii. I didn't know that, but I can believe it. I found this variety growing on top of a hill in the wild..I've never seen it before, and the petals are all curled up and wonky, but the scent is just as sweet as a jasmine is supposed to be.

27 Ducklings on a Sunday morning..

2010-03-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am not hugely about teh cute, but I don't think many people can be immune to 27 ducklings (and 1 mother!) in their backyard when they wake up. :p

How to make a crossfront tut, Pt 2..

2010-03-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so let's put your new pattern to use! You've drafted it, and cut it out...let's put it together. :D

Maybe I better tell you what to cut out, first. Heh. Important. :p

You are going to want to cut out:

1 back piece

2 front pieces (If the fabric is not the same on front and back, make sure you have two pieces facing opposite to each other.)

enough bias binding to: bind the armholes; wrap from the edge of one front piece, around the neck, and down the other front piece; with enough to swing freely off one side as a tie, and another strip for a tie at the side. Prob around 4 feet, for a smaller outfit (this one was size 5.) I made my own, about 1 1/4" wide unfolded, but you can buy premade bias tape. When the top is finished, the ties and binding from my homemade bias are about 1/3" (1cm) wide..not super wide. Premade bias will most likely give you a 1/2" (1.5cm) width. You can do however you want, though, of course.

You will also need one button, for the inner closure.

1. First thing to do, reinforce and sew the front and back shoulders together. You can use whatever you prefer for the stabilizer; I used a 1/4" ribbon here, cause it matched, and it was the right size, but I know some people use a small strip of selvage, or twill tape, etc. You want it to be firm, so it helps the shoulder hold it's shape through repeated wears and washes, and doesn't stretch out on the bias, which the shoulder is usually cut on.

2. Apologies, I didn't get a pic of this first part. But cut a strip of bias tape, long enough to be the tie at the side, press both edges inwards, fold in half edge to edge, and sew down one side to make a strip like the picture below. Once that is made, find the spot you wanted the tie to be, and pin it in a sandwich between the front and back pieces, at the side mark. You want the tie to be INSIDE the sandwich, inside the top.

3. Sew down the side seams, with the strip sandwiched in (sew up and down a few times right across where the tie is, to reinforce it), so that when you flip it right side out, it looks like this. Maybe a little straighter, though. I am shocking about getting things to stick in a straight line when I sew, lol. Repeat on the other side, minus the tie. We are doing something different over there. :p By now, you should have something resembling a top, with armholes and everything.

4. This is a totally dumb pic, and I have no clue what I was thinking, but it is supposed to show the next step. You want to fold over and hem the edges of the front panels, and the bottom hem, so they meet up at the corners like this.

5. A couple things going on here. First, take your bias strip, pin it to the INSIDE of the front panel that is going to cross UNDER the front, RIGHT SIDE of bias to WRONG SIDE of front panel. Got that?? Important! You are going to leave about three inches sticking off the end of the side that is crossing UNDER the front. Don't forget that, either.

Now, sew it all around the neckline, attaching it. The remainder of the tape, just let hang off the end that crosses OVER the front, as the tie that will meet up to the other one you previously tucked into the side. If they don't meet up, and are on opposite sides, don't freak out; just undo the strip and redo it the other way, so it DOES meet up. Simple. Once it's all sewn on properly, trim the long end to the right length for a tie, plus a couple extra inches, and set aside the extra for the armholes (MAKE SURE YOU SAVE ENOUGH FOR BOTH ARMHOLES!)

Now, trim off the bulk of the seam allowance, as shown on the top section. You don't want a chunky, bulky stiff neckline, right?

6. Another dumb pic. What you are supposed to be doing here, is flip the bias tape up, and press, including the little bit hanging off. You want a nice fold. Now, fold the top of the strip down, to the halfway mark, like in the pic, and press this. Now you have this super easy strip to just complete folding over to enclose the raw edge of the neckline, binding it. So, fold over, and sew along the edge of the strip, all along the neckline, enclosing it, continuing off and making that remaining bit of strip into a tie of itself. Got it? Is that understandable? I might be totally off my rocker here..you gotta tell me! :p

7. This is what is happening on the other end..you have made this super easy self tie to tie at the side.

8. So, this is how you make the inside closure. Take that little strip hanging off that you made before, that little three inch bit, and fold it back on itself, to the inside, making a loop big enough for the button you are going to use. Sew back and forth across it, to make a secure loop. Trim off any excess strip once you've sized it to the button, and sewn it.

Now, go to the other side, where you made that long tie, all nice and neatly bound. Be sneaky, and snip off about 1.5 inches off the end. Go back to where you are making the inner closure, fold your purloined strip in half, and sew the ends securely TO THE SEAM ALLOWANCE, not the garment itself. That could end up funny if you did that. And not in a good way. Once you have your little tab there, sew on a little button to it, to match the loop you already made on the front panel.

9. Okay, here...you are going to be binding the armholes. So, as before, match the RIGHT SIDE of the tape to the WRONG SIDE of the garment. Fold the beginning bit back about 1/4 inch, and pin in place. Sew it all around the armhole, ending just past where you started. Trim off any excess. The previously folded back bit makes an automatically finished end when you flip it over and sew all along the edge of the strip, like shown below.

10. Trim off all loose threads, and give the curved armholes a heavy steaming (that means, hold your iron on full steam just ABOVE the bias binding, NOT put it down on top of it, or slide back and forth) to help pull it back in shape from being stretched while sewing.

11. Wa La. You are done. If you want the cute shorts, too, you might need to find another pattern. I can't remember what I altered to get these. :p

As usual, PLEASE let me know if I messed something up, so I can fix it, and PLEASE show me if you make something from this! I would LOVE to see! :D

If you are coming in late to the party, you can find part one here:

How to make a crossfront swing top from a tee pattern, Pt 1..

2010-03-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so about ten and a half squillion years ago, I promised a tut to alter a basic tee pattern into a crossfront top. Looking at that old post, I had been preparing it ages before that, too. Oy.

Well, I'm doing it now. Heh. Let's get going, yeah? (BTW...if you need a better look at any of the pictures, just click on one for a larger version. )

1. Find your tee pattern. You want it to be the size you want to make, so things like the shoulder dimensions and armhole depth will work. Trace out the back piece, so you have the back neckline done already. My pattern was a half pattern, as most tee patterns will be..so trace the one half..

2. ...and then flip and trace it again on the other side, so you have a complete tee shape.

3. Okay, this step is one a lot of people don't think of, but is crucial for a nice, smooth fit. Take a ruler, or any straight edge, and right at the corner of the inner shoulder, make a straight line about 1/2" down (1.5cm), at right angles to the shoulder line.

The reason you do this, is so the join to the back piece will make a nice smooth curve over your shoulder, rather than meeting in a point, as two angled lines meet, which is what would happen if you just drew down from the shoulder across the front. (If that makes absolutely no sense, try drawing it out, and look at it, or else ask me, and I will elucidate some more. :p )

4. On the other side, where you want to cross to, make a mark at the point you want the cross to meet at the side. Don't go too far down, unless you are really daring, and have some good doublesided tape, or a nice undershirt. :p

5. Now, here, I use a French curve, one of the greatest inventions known to man, but you can just eyeball it, and make a smooth, curved line across the front. You want it to drop smoothly off the little line you drew at the shoulder, and then curve gently across the front to meet up with the mark at the side. A gentle curve will hug the curve of the body better, resulting in a nicer fit, and a better look.

6. On the other side of the shoulder, where the sleeve would usually go, make a mark like you made at the shoulder neck, about 1/2" in, and redraw the armscye down to the original underarm. This step simultaneously removes that extra little fabric that kind of sticks off the shoulder when you just drop the sleeves from a pattern, and also increases the size of the armscye, which you will need, since a tee shirt is usually knit, and we are making a woven, which could be too tight without the extra space added, or a knit fabric used.

If you are keeping the sleeves in your own pattern, ignore this step, of course. :p

7. At the bottom corner, make a mark out from the side, the distance you want your swing top to swing out to. I did about 2 inches here.

8. Using a ruler or a straight edge, draw a line down from the underarm to the bottom edge of the mark. I don't have a picture, but you will repeat on the other side exactly the same for the back, and drop it down to where the crossfront meets for the front.

9. Mark exactly the middle of your pattern, and then draw a smooth, curved line up to the line you drew at the side. This is going to be your hemline. Don't do it too deep, otherwise you are going to end up with a shirttail hem, lol. The reason you do this, if you don't know (and a lot of people don't know!) is so you don't end up with points at the sides, where two straight corners would meet up on your hem.

10. Repeat on the other side. Now, you are done drafting, it's time to make your working pattern pieces.

11. Take more tracing paper, and trace off a front and a back piece off your master pattern. The back is outlined in light blue, the front is outlined in dark blue. The front piece will work for both sides, so you only need one. I forgot to do it on both pictures, but if you enlarge this one, you can see on the first pic the different lines I drew for the front and back sides where the crossfront is. (Yes, yes, I know, my mouse skills stink. )

Ta-da! A working crossfront pattern! (Okay, I forgot to take pictures of the other piece, and I ditched it in the move, so you are just going to have to imagine a back piece sitting here, too. :p )

Coming soon (way, way sooner than last time): Pt 2: Sewing up. :D

Can people let me know if I really messed up anything here, or if it is wildly unclear? And I would LOVE LOVE to see anything you make from it! :D

UPDATE: Find part 2 HERE:

How to make a crossfront tut, Pt 2..

BTW..

2010-03-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

If anyone's noticed, I dropped a couple lil items into the Etsy...it was looking pretty empty. :p

I love these little skirts. I think they are so cute. :p I just have no little girl left to dress in them. Such a shame. lol

The first two are vintage prints and polkadots, the second is all new fabric. I actually still have to add the last one in yet.

Little Lion Man..

2010-03-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

Des introduced me to this...OMG I love it so much.

For Gabby..

2010-03-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine is currently in Ethiopia...meeting her brand new daughter for the very first time. It's been an amazing journey to follow. I am so happy for the both of them, and rest of her family (three boys and a girl already), and wish them luck in the coming days of adjustment. :)

I decided I needed to make my friend a baby outfit, for her new baby. I picked out my favorite Ottobre outfit, Ottobre 2/2005 design 11, as usual (I know, it's getting boring how often I make it, but it's SO CUTE! lol), and then altered and adjusted, as usual. The pants are from Girly Style Wardrobe, I think, somewhere, and then I altered them to work for what I wanted. (The pic is not spectacular, sorry...I forgot to take it before I gave it to her, and then had to quickly toss it down and snap one before I forgot, and she took it home with her.)

I had a bunch of different girly prints strewn around my sewing room, trying to find the perfect print for the perfect gift, and then finally, I had this lightweight, crinkly solid white fabric, that I couldn't stop picturing against beautiful Ethiopian skin. I had to do it.

My favorite part, though...I got this grab bag ages ago, that included all these scrapbooking ribbons...I found one I just had to use. I tested it out for durability and color wear, and it seems to hold up. I certainly hope it will. But, you can see why I just thought it was absolutely perfect for her:

Happy life together, Heather and Gabby and family. :)

Crystals..

2010-03-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

In honor of all the snow I am missing in the rest of the United States. :p

Credits:

1, 2. Hummingbird44

3. WorldWar_Tori

4. KornKid4U

5. Foodshelf

6. BillyUnderscoreBwa

7. Zeitwolf

8. JulieMelissa

9. SveltePhoto

10. EliseEnchanted

11. Jonacyrus

Shadows..

2010-03-08T09:41:00.001-08:00

Mmm...papercuts. :p

found via Ullabenulla

Ok, GO!

2010-03-04T01:56:00.000-08:00

Those OK GO guys sure know how to make a fun video. :p

Found over on Altering Thoughts.

Link Love..

2010-03-01T01:37:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to getting my blog list up again, but I am going kind of slowly, if you are wondering why it suddenly stops in the "C's". In the meantime, have a look at the pretty picture to distract you. :p

Credit: Blespharopsis

Well, THAT was some birthday..

2010-02-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

It was my birthday yesterday. Started by waking before 6 to get the trash out before the truck comes, and get the laundry in from the rain. Halfway through that, get a call from my sister that a tsunami is coming. Halfway through that, the sirens go off. Next 3.5 hours, load the car with essentials to possibly survive a week of disaster and no home. Camp at my sister's for a couple hours. Go home when nothing happens. Pass out on the bed from the stress. Whee.

Oh, yeah, and on top of it, it was a very special day for us in celebration of God, which involves juice fasting, just adding to it all, and then the party/celebration for it got cancelled cause of the tsunami.

Today is do over day. :p

The pic? How I had PLANNED for my day to go. :D

Hope you all had a better day of it! :p

Credit: Alicia Bock via the Kindred Site

Dancing coconuts..

2010-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Architecture in Helsinki - Like It Or Not from helsinkids on Vimeo.

This is one of my favorite songs, and then I saw the vid, and it's even better. :p

So..I'm studying it, to work out how it's made. My theory is the individual elements were embroidered, and then someone skilled in Flash animation strung them all together. Any thoughts on that? (I am terrible about dissecting things like that, lol.)

Sad eyed zombies..

2010-02-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

I saw the paintings of Jaime Best ages and ages ago, and am only just now getting around to posting them..

I adore the colors, and the curvy lines..

I love the bleeding red trees, and the sad zombie denizens of her worlds..

I love the random details that make no sense, like the octopus a couple above, and the flying paper cranes scattered through out.

She shares her Etsy, under the name BestArtStudios2, with her husband, Mike Best. I think I would love a small print, to put in my own space in the house, my sewing room. Wouldn't YOU feel inspired looking at one? :p

Credits: Jaime Best

Change me..

2010-02-19T22:34:00.001-08:00

So I have a wallet. I like my wallet. It works perfectly for me. But, the change zipper pocket just broke recently, and I am over fishing up a handful of change combined with lint, old receipts, and stray cookie crumbs from the cookie one of the kids stuck in my purse and didn't tell me about, when I need to pay for something.

So, I decided I needed a cute change purse. I saw a tutorial in one of the emails Craft Stylish sends out (not sure why I am subscribed to it..I am sure I had a reason at some point!), for a coin purse, and remembered I had a coin purse frame in my stuff that I hauled over from Australia. Obviously, it was a sign. :p

The outside is a Kona Cotton print (I think), a stylized Asian parasol pattern, and the inside is an Amy Butler Lotus print that a friend gifted me at one point, for doing up my house. So far, the colors of it aren't working in the house, but it sure looks cute inside my coin purse, don't it?? :D

I basically followed the directions of the tut, which works up really quickly, drawing my own shape that I wanted rather than what they showed, but I am not 100% sure I am going to leave it at that. The frame I have is not one that you sew into, and the tut has you just glue the fabric in in those kinds; but I have also seen instructions where you crimp the frame around the fabric, with some kind of special tool. I don't have the special tool, of course, but I think I am going to give it a go with a well padded pair of pliers, and a little verrry gentle pressure. Wish me luck! :P

PS Never mind my crap photog skills...this is the second batch I have taken, on different days, and they still suck. I refuse to wait til more daylight to try again.

Bring the story to life..

2010-02-05T20:13:00.001-08:00

My SIL sent me to Indie Quarter, where I saw this. Cooooool....

Fire rainbow...

2010-01-30T03:00:00.001-08:00

Fire rainbows....how could I resist?

The proper, scientific name, circumhorizontal arc, just doesn't carry quite the same ring, does it? :p

Credits:
1. Rudy Malmquist
2. Ratestogo
3. Hubpages

Fireflies..

2010-01-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't lived in a place with fireflies in over 20 years..I miss them. There's nothing else like that magic in the air.

Credit: Le Divan Fumoir Bohemian

J-pop..

2010-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

My dd has become Japan-obsessed. She loves all things Japanese...she is teaching herself Japanese, both speaking and reading and writing.. is perfecting her Origami shurikens.. is trying to convince me that Hakuna Matata, in Japanese, is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the original (When hell freezes over!!)..etc etc.

So when she desperately needed a new carry bag, anime inspired print was the obvious choice. :p

She is also cow obsessed, so the lining, while seeming bizarrely unrelated, was actually perfect. And seeing as we are in Hawaii, and she has a whacked sense of humor (no idea where she gets that from), the MooMoo was perfectly acceptable. :p

The whole shebang went over VERY well. :D

Pattern, my own; a magnetic snap closure, lined with very stiff interfacing, and self made piping bordering the edges.

Big surf..

2010-01-02T22:11:00.001-08:00

The best part? They were 30 feet. We were standing on a 40-50 foot cliff, and were practically staring them in the face on their way past. If you feel like playing eye-spy, and maybe straining your eyes a little, you can click and enlarge the third pic, and try to spot the surfers on the other side of Waimea Bay.

(The Quiksilver tent was there for the Eddie Aikau memorial big surf comp. You can click through for more professional pics, and a better perspective of just how stomach-dropping those waves were. I recommend it.)

Happy New Year..

2010-01-01T00:43:00.001-08:00

Well. Apparently, it's been almost exactly two months since I last posted. How the heck did THAT happen?

Here's hoping 2010 is a bit better!! :D

Good news is, since I wasn't blogging, I was actually MAKING stuff..when I wasn't collapsed facedown on the bed from all the madness in my life nowadays. So I actually have a few posts backed up...they should hold me for at least a LITTLE while, lol.

Happy New Year to everyone!! Make it a good one!!

(The images are of a totally random family I sat down next to on the beach last month..they just seemed appropriate for this moment, for some reason. I think maybe the New Year's firework smoke is getting to me. *cough*)

Tap tap tap..

2009-11-02T03:37:00.000-08:00

I can play guitar. A little. All the basic chords, and few of the more exotic ones. But all the practice in the world, and I still don't think I would ever sound like this guy. :p

Jeremy..

2009-10-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

My friend wrote and sang the song..her 16yo son shot the vid..her nephew played the music. I love it.

Insanity..

2009-10-19T00:28:00.001-07:00

I had a special occasion to go to, and needed something special to make, but super easy.

I had flour. Butter. All I needed was a can of condensed milk, and wa-la...caramel tarts. They are so freaking yummy...but it's insane to eat more than one. Maybe one and a half. But not two. Ask me how I know. :p

If you want to try these yourself, here ya go:

Caramel Tarts

1.5 c flour
1/2 c butter
a couple tablespoons water
generous pinch fine sea salt

1 can condensed milk

Take a medium pot, fill it to the top with water, and put it to boil. Remove the label off the condensed milk, lay it on it's side UNOPENED in the water, and bring it all to a boil. (DISCLAIMER: This is the way I do it. But it's been known to pop, so I've heard, so I do it when I am not planning on being in the kitchen while it cooks, and with a lid. I have no idea what is supposed to happen if it pops, cause I've never seen it happen, any of the times I've done it, or any of the times any of my friends have done it. Proceed at your own risk.)

Once it boils, turn it to a simmer, and let it simmer for a couple hours. Add more water as it boils down, to keep the can covered. Turn off, take out of the water, and let it cool. Or, do this all the night before, and just turn the burner off and let it call cool itself without having to ever touch it, like I like to do. When you open it, you will have thick, creamy caramel. This stuff is unreal to dip apple slices in.

Crust:

Rub the butter into the flour and salt, til all rubbed in and greasy. Sprinkle in a couple tablespoons water in, and just mix JUST enough to get it mixed, and the dough pulls together. Add a little smidge more if you need.

Preheat the oven to moderate (350* F or 180* C). Press a 1 inch ball of dough into the bottom of the cups of a muffin tin, and press it all on the bottom and up the sides by about a 1/2 inch. Or else use those little patty pans, and go all the way to the top. Bake approx 10 min or so, til lightly golden. Pull out and cool. Pop the little pastry shells out of the pans, scoop a dollop of caramel into each one, and restrain yourself from eating way too many cause they look like little harmless mouthfuls.

Sunset..

2009-10-18T04:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, it is nice to stand in the middle of a travel poster...

Messy, messy housekeeping..

2009-10-03T02:16:00.000-07:00

Ok..so, in my quest for the elusive 3-column template, I have managed to wipe..well, pretty much everything except the actual post content. So bear with me, folks...things are gonna be strange around here for a bit! :p

Oh, BTW, I managed to wipe my blogroll. Anyone want to remind me who is supposed to be on it?

Credit: Plan59

Superhero dreams..

2009-09-26T05:36:00.001-07:00

My dh showed me this vid, and I couldn't stop thinking, this person is as good as Julian Beever! And then I looked it up...:p

Post-it love...

2009-09-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

SO. CUTE. :p

Found via ..I love love.

Hot hot hot...

2009-09-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

It's hot and steamy and just generally slightly uncomfortable here...

I think these breezy, light, cool clothes by PlumPrettySugar are just what I need.

Credits:
PlumPrettySugar

The Butterfly Circus..

2009-09-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

Completely, totally worth the twenty minutes spent.

ETA If for some reason, it's not working for you, try click here: The Butterfly Circus

Blue and Green..

2009-08-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

I was sitting there, staring up, and the tree above was practically glowing against the aqua sky, backlit by the sinking sun. It was MAGIC.

Unfortunately, my crapola camera couldn't quite capture it. That's it...I am going to make the trek to pick up my FIXED CAMERA tomorrow. I can't take any more of this!

Invisibility..

2009-08-24T01:35:00.000-07:00

Alright...who is going to try out Schlieren photography (which you can actually do yourself at home!), and report back to me??? Just cool would it be, to photograph the invisible like this??? :D Apparently, it is completely able to be done by the average shmoe with a decent camera and a $50 piece of equipment off eBay. Come on! You know you want to know what your sneeze looks like! You know you do! :p

Credits:
1. Light Reading
2. USC
3. Gary Settles via NY Times
4. Ianorg
5. Clouds Hill Imaging

Color personality..

2009-08-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

GREEN: Because of its association with nature and foliage, green in design can be used almost like a neutral colour: greens never clash with red or pink roses, yellow sunflowers, lilacs or bluebells.

RED: With its aggressive, stimulating and sexy nature, assertive attention and provoking action, the red is impossible to ignore.

ORANGE: Inheriting some of the drama of red, orange is tempered by the friendly humour of yellow. It’s the colour that stimulates the appetite and radiates with warmth and vitality.

PURPLE: It’s perhaps the most enigmatic and complex colour, with the range of meanings – from royal to elegant to spiritual to mysterious. Purple is often favoured by very creative and eccentric people who are not afraid of appearing daring.

BLACK: People see black as the most dramatic, heavy, powerful, classic colour with an up-scale look. Because of its extreme contrast to white, black and white is the quintessential combination of depth and clarity, power and innocence.

____________________________________________________________________

Okay...I wear those colors, especially green, red and black, almost exclusively. I am not sure who is laughing louder..me, or the people who know me. :p

Credits:

All color descriptions pulled from a very cool post on color over on InspirationBit.

Pics:
1. Kris' Color Stripes (very cool blog..recommend it)
2. Not sure..if yours, let me know. :)
3. Lisa Ann via Absolutely Beautiful Things
4. Ali Loves Curtis
5. Bill Henson

Originality..

2009-08-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

Makes me feel a bit better about my complete inability to be truly original. :p

Credit: Sonia Luna

Coming home..

2009-08-09T01:56:00.001-07:00

It's good to be home.

Still call Australia home..

2009-07-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really. In fact, too die hard American to ever do that. But this is still one of my favorite ever ad campaigns to watch..just beautiful to watch. :p

Oh, yeah, the point...so I'm down here for a week or so, in Sydney. Anyone want to meet up? :D

This Woman's Work..

2009-07-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

You have to watch the judging, too. I dare you not to cry.

EDIT: Well, sheesh. Boo on the spoilsports at Dick Clark whatever. They took the vid down. Going to have to find another version somewhere!

Be Ok..

2009-07-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

In the country..

2009-07-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

My sister came over for a fortnight with her kids, to visit us other two sisters+kiddos...right near the end, we took a trip out to the North Shore, aka, the country. Thanks to a crappy camera, and a migraine, I didn't get nearly the shots I should have, but here are a couple...

Snorkeling at Shark's Cove...Schools of rainbow fish, crystal blue water, a sea turtle, warm, warm water....

Some of the best shave ice on the island..I am extremely fond of the li hing mui powder option you can get here (a mix of sugar, salt, plum, and licorice..and here, a heck of a lot of red food coloring. :p ) Not everybody agrees with me on that one, though. The philistines.

A random cloud, found on the camera after I lent it to my sister...don't really know who took that one. :p One thing you will find about Hawaii, is there is no such thing as a cloudless sky. Some days, you might think you have seen one, but then you look low on the horizan, and there will be some tiny smudge of a cloud, a little tiny dot, still in the sky.

You can't really see it, but there are horses in that thar picture. :p It really is the country. Though, developers are moving in, which has spawned a campaign to Keep the Country Country. Money being a driving force behind everything, I am just hoping someone retains enough sense to not let it be completely wiped out, and turned into a glossy, fake version of Hawaii, like tourists see when they go to these places :p :

Little boats...

2009-07-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

When I was very little, 4 or so, my family lived in a little shack on the side of the mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was primitive (our water source/shower was a rain barrel on the side of the slope out front), but in the backyard, where my parents were digging a garden, they dug up a little square pond of some sort. One of my favorite memories is walking into the jungle out behind the garden and picking up banana flower petals off the jungle floor, and floating them in that pond like little boats.

These ones, all these years later, are growing in my backyard. I don't float the petals any more, but I still love to see them.

Pictures and Words...

2009-07-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Decided to play along over at Meet Me at Mike's, for the Words and Pictures theme-along, since green just happens to be my lodestone. :p

Palm trees are, predictably, a central part of Hawaii living. I was standing under this one, waiting to cross the street, randomly holding a camera in my hand, when I looked up. Loved the graphic lines against the sky, so snapped. :p

Hop on over to Meet Me at Mike's to see all the rest of the Green Party with Mr. Linky! :D

How'd I miss this???

2009-07-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

How the heck did I miss hearing about this movie before?????????

Guilty treat..

2009-07-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

I won't be recommending The Secret of Moonacre, the next time someone asks for a movie rec. I won't even be rushing to watch it again myself.

But, have to say...since I *did* end up watching it, at least once, my virtue was rewarded....the costumes, at least for Maria Merryweather, the heroine, were enough to catch my breath.

Even the undies looked really cool. :p

The rest of the characters, not as much. The male counterpart, sorry, looks like a cross between The Artful Dodger, and that guy in A Clockwork Orange. Except when he was wearing a stripe across his nose, for no discernible reason.

Some of the sets were pretty amazing, too..(You can click all these pics for a much larger version to see the details properly..I really recommend it)

And the gates, I loved the gates! How neat are they??

So, yeah...if you have an hour or two to kill, and want to see some pretty eye candy (better than my lousy screencaps here), you MIGHT wander over to the kiddie aisle at Blockbuster. Just don't say I didn't warn you. :p

Credits:

1. World Culture Pictorial
10. Allocine

Forever..

2009-07-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Moby isn't usually my thing. In fact, he usually bores the heck out of me. But this one I found over on Luyi's Some Required, I really, really like. Keep looping it, in fact.