khrome at play

Handmade Jewelry

2010-11-24T22:18:00.000-08:00

Before I go into my topic for this entry, I want to apologize for the lack of posts this year. This has been a very hectic and stressful year, with many changes in my life as well as in my hobbies and interests. I still have a few photography-related blogs I need to post, which was the hobby-of-the-moment in 2009. But this year, I went back to my first love, music. I'm hoping to put together some videos to share soon.

But on to subject of handmade jewelry. I have two online stores to share with you, just in time for the holiday season.

Bernardini Designs
http://www.artfire.com/users/bernardinidesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pbsnaps

Pat Bernardini of Bernardini Designs is a multi-talented artist that enjoys working with different mediums and loves to learn new techniques. From her bio:

Background in fine art and photography. Compulsive crafter including furniture making, fish decoy carving, jewelry design, photoshop, quilting etc. etc. Love to learn new techniques and to create one of a kind jewelry items combining vintage components with contemporary and reproduction findings.

In her store, she sells photography prints as well as jewelry. If you read some of the descriptions of the jewelry, you'll find that she can hold on to a component for years until she finds just the right piece to go with it. The results are timeless fashion pieces with personality and soul. She is inspired by the Victorian and other classic eras, and especially by the jewelry of Frida Kahlo.

LongLocks HairSticks
http://www.longlocks.com

I've actually known of LongLocks since before I started this blog and can't believe I haven't mentioned it yet. If you are tired of trendy hairstyles and want to go for a classy, clean look, hairsticks are the way to go. Susan Maxwell makes some of the best on the 'net. Toppers can be crystals, gemstones, glass, silver, and at one point she was making her own beads out of polymer clay but I don't know if she still does. Her stick finishes almost rival the beauty of the beads. They include foiled, marbled, mineral leaf, one that looks like it's sugar-coated, and others. Most designs are one-of-a-kind and come with a certificate. If you already own a particulat design, it's possible to have it duplicated. Or if you are having them custom made for a bridal party, then they can of course be duplicated.

My hair is no longer long enough for hairsticks so I haven't bought any in a while. But you can see my collection in my gallery as well as different updo styles. (Not all the sticks are by LongLocks, though.)
http://www.loopfree.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=19438

Photos by khrome: (top) Victorian Black Poppy Necklace by Bernardini Designs; (bottom) Strawberry Tea by LongLocks Hairsticks

Nutcracker Greeting Cards - Battle of the Mouse King

2009-12-10T03:29:00.000-08:00

This year, I continued with the Nutcracker theme for my holiday greeting cards, with another scene from the story - the battle of the Mouse King. I had decided last year that I wanted the next character I showcased to be the Mouse King but that was all I really knew. I made a rough sketch but as I started making the card, the design kind of evolved on it's own. The whole process was organic, much different from what I'm used to. In the end, I was happy, and surprised, with the results - surprised because I had so much doubt in the beginning.

So without boring you with my whole thought process of how I got here, here is my card and how I ended up making it. The type of card is called a View Master card, though I didn't know that's what it was called when I made it. Basically, you have a disk with images on it that is attached in the center to another piece that has a window. As you turn the disk, the image in the window changes. On the other side of the disk, I put a quote from the Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman.

Outside and Inside of the card:

The card in motion:

Materials Used:

SU Kraft Card Stock
SU Vanilla Card Stock
SU "Sens du Temps" stamp
SU "Bella Toile" background stamp
SU "To the Nines" DSP
SU Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad
Gold Encore Ink Pad
"Mouse King Battle" original artwork by Me
Holiday sentiment stamp
Gold mini-brads
SU Pop-up Glue Dots
Aileen's craft glue

Tools Used:

Ink Daubers
Fiskars Ultra ShapeExpress with circle and oval templates
EK Success Circle Scissor Plus
Crop-a-Dile II Big Bite Punch
Tablet PC
Injet printer
Photoshop CS2
"Starry Night" font by Laura Ashpole

Creating the Artwork

To create the artwork, I first made a mockup of the card so that I would know where the window would be and what part of the disk would be showing through it. Once I made my mockup, I put a pen through the window and kept it there as I moved the disk. I did this for the top and bottom of the window. From that, I determined my measurements:

Then in Photoshop, I created a file with each of the characters I wanted on the disk - each character in their own layer pairs. This was done at a higher resolution than the finished artwork because it's easier to get rid of data than to create data from thin air, should I make the graphic too small.

I copied the file, and in the copy set up the guides for the disk, merged the pairs of character layers, and placed them around the disk. If you do this and are going to use a background color on your disk, make sure the color extends past the dimensions of the disk. This is called "bleed", and it's to ensure that if you don't cut out the artwork in a perfect circle, that there won't be any white crescent-shaped edges where the color didn't reach.

I then created the back of the disk, which has a quote from the book, shaped in a spiral. I printed the front and back disks on to Vanilla Card Stock, cut them out, and daubed the edges with Chocolate Chip ink to hide the white cross-section of the paper. Then I glued the backs and fronts together. The quote says:

My Philosophy About Digital Artwork

once using the software becomes intuitive

Creating the Card

I first cut my card stock in half, then scored each piece down the center. Using a plain sheet of paper to mask the left side, I stamped the Bella Toile background stamp with Gold ink. I then cut the oval window out.

I used a dauber to sponge gold ink at the corners of the cards, then cut strips of DSP and glued them to the card

I stamped clock faces on Kraft Card Stock, without including the clock hands, then cut ovals in the top half of the clock. In the story, the battle takes place at midnight, and the hands were permanently fixed at 8:17. Making individual hands would have been a pain - that's how I came up with the oval window idea to take up that space.

With a lightly-inked dauber, I used a sort of flicking motion to color the inside of the ovals. I then used a rubbing motion with the dauber to apply color to the outside edges of the clocks. This will give a nice gradient on the inside - it doesn't matter if color goes past the line because it will get covered in the next step (this only works if your next ink is opaque.)

I stamped an extra clock face and cut right along the outside edge of the circle. This circle was used as a mask. I placed the mask over the real clock, and daubed Gold ink around the edges, making sure to extend past the dimensions of where I will cut the outer circle.

I then cut out the clocks. They are looking pretty good at this point but kind of flat.

To add dimension, I used a dauber with Chocolate Chip ink to "flick" more ink along the edge of the clock.

I used Glue Dots to affix the clock faces to the cards.

I punched a 1/8" hole in the center of the disks and secondhand clock, separately, so I could make sure they were centered. And finally, assembled them with a gold brad.

Sewing Project #11: Aprons for Mom

2009-12-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I've sewn, so it was really nice get back into it with this easy apron project. This was actually a request from my mom - she had one particular apron that she really liked so she asked me to copy it but she wanted me to add a cellphone pocket on the chest. Her apron just resembles a large bib on the front and back, that ties on the side. It was so un-inspiring that I procrastinated for 6 months before making it. My friends and I dubbed it "the lead apron" because it resembles the cover they put over you at the dentist to protect you when they take x-rays. :-) I suggested to my mom a nice, vintage-style apron but she liked the practicality of hers. The back 'bib' kept her from getting the chills when she went outdoors.

I took the apron with me and had it for several months. Eventually, my mom needed it back but all I had done was write down the measurements. I had never drafted my own pattern before and thought this one would be easy. But as the end of the year came, more projects piled in and I just wanted to get it done. After searching sewingpatterns.com, I found this versatile apron pattern - Simplicity 4987. View 3 most resembled my mom's apron.

My mom's apron is shorter and has rounded corners, but I liked how the straight bottom made it look less "lead-like". View 3 is also a lot longer than her apron, so I shortened it to right below the pockets. Her apron was also unlined - the ones in this pattern are lined, which I liked. Better to keep the chill out, right? :-)

My mom had given me a cute cotton fabric with yellow print, with jugs of daisies all over. She wanted me to make two aprons but unfortunately she had the fabric cut in two 1yd pieces. Because it wasn't continuous, I could only make one. So I dug around my stash and found enough rose-patterned fabric leftover from the empire-waist dress I made (6th project.)

Aprons finally done!

For the Daisy Apron, I wanted to put lace on the outer edge, which was similar to my mom's current apron. I used a nylon lace since my mom would be in the kitchen most of the time and nicer lace would probably just get limp and ratty. I did not put lace along the bottom because both my mom and I are short, so I wanted to accentuate the vertical, not the horizontal. I used a pale plain yellow cotton for the lining, and Forest Green grosgrain ribbon to match the leaves on the flowers.

One thing I learned from adding lace is that when you get to the part in the pattern where you have to sew the side ties to the front or back, you will need to do the lace first THEN the ties. Otherwise your ties will end up on top of the lace.

My mom, modeling the Daisy Apron:

For the Rose Apron, I didn't have enough fabric for all the pockets so I used a pink fabric with faint swirls - same one I used on the Empire Dress. I thought the pink at the bottom looked too bare so I played around with some Sage satin ribbon. At first, I thought I'd put a horizontal stripe near the top of the pockets. But that whole horizontal-making-short-people-look-shorter thing kept bugging me. I suddenly had the idea to do a trellis-like pattern over the pockets. I really liked how it came out! First, I drew a diagram on graph paper so I would know how to space the ribbon. Then using the grid on the cutting board, marked on the front of my fabric where the ribbon should go. I sewed all the ribbon with the ends going passed the seam line so when I sewed the lining to the front, the ends were neatly tucked inside.

Trellis-like pattern on Rose Apron:

As far as things that can be improved in this pattern - the pattern requires you to sew the back and front seperately, outside-in, then flip it inside-out through the shoulder seam. Then you join the shoulder seam. The inside seam is suppose to be slip-stitched. i thought it was better to stitch through all layers, about a centimeter from the seam, so it has a double-stitched appearance. I thought this made it more durable by having all layers sewn together, rather than just one side machine-stitched. I also double-stitched the pockets.

In the end, I loved how the aprons came out (so not "lead-like") and so did my mom. I'll probably make her a few more, and myself one too - but the more stylish View 5 or 6. :-)

Holiday Shopping

2009-12-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again for holiday shopping! I thought I'd write about a few of my crafty friends, if you are into handmade, self-published, or making gifts yourself. I always find it's nice to give people gifts that are unique and/or handmade, while at the same time you are supporting an individual that you can actually talk to instead of a corporate store.

Steampunk Cuff Links by LilVoodoo's Curios

These beautiful steampunk-inspired cuff links were made by my guildie, Sean. Each one is one-of-a-kind and crafted from salvaged parts. One picture cannot do these little gems justice, as they change color under different light sources and angles, so I've included here a few shots of the set I bought from him.

From his site:

From steampunk jewelry to spiritual talismans, each of our pieces are hand-made and one of a kind.

Looking for something unique and don't see it here, let us know. Whether its a piece of jewelry, gris-gris bag or a little this-and-that in a bottle, we aim to please.

Be sure to click on the "Sold" link to see his past work. They sell fast, so you have to check his store often.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LilVoodoo

Children's Book by Pamela Strange

"The Only Way To Get To The Backyard Is Through The House" is the first, self-published, work by my friend, Pam.

From Goodreads:
Follow the adventures of Buddie the Cocker Spaniel as he learns that there is more than one way to reach the backyard! This book, geared towards 2 to 5 year olds, teaches concepts such as "in", "through", and "around".

I bought this book for my niece, who really enjoyed it. I'm planning to buy another one for my other niece who is soon to be 2 years old.

Pam enjoys doing readings at book stores and public libraries. She loves to engage her listeners and be interactive, rather than straight reading. She periodically does signings, as well.

Pam contracted Anna Measures to do the illustrations for her book. Here are both Pam's and Anna's biographies from Xlibris:

Pamela Strange has a degree in English Literature from University of South Florida. Her career has been in Information Technology. She is currently employed by Fielding Graduate University based in Santa Barbara, CA. Pam loves dogs, and loves that they love unconditionally. She enjoys reading positive fiction, and aspires to write in that genre as well as Mysteries and Picture Books. She has had the privilege to have been inspired by many loving pets – including Buddie! To all who are young-at-heart from 2 to 102 , may Buddie´s story bring you joy and inspire you. As you find your path, it might even teach you a preposition or two along the way!

Anna Measures - Illustrator Anna Measures lives in Oxnard, California. She currently works as a designer of children´s products and is available for freelance llustration work.

You can order "The Only Way To Get To The Backyard Is Through The House" from:
http://www2.xlibris.com/Bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=35568

And you can keep up to date with Pam's news at her website:
http://www.strangewriter.com/

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Make a Cedar-lined Wardrobe Trunk out of a Wine Crate

2009-06-15T00:16:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, I talked about the problems I ran into with the Silkstone Wardrobe Trunk and the ideas I came up with to solve them. This worked pretty well for a while but as my fashion collection grew, I ran into a new problem - the Silkstone wardrobe simply did not have enough hanging space. Not only that, but the width of the space was not enough for my "poofy dresses" and I cringed everytime I closed it, knowing that they were getting squished every which way.

That is when I thought that a wine crate would lend itself nicely to being a wardrobe trunk. Some of them already come with hinges and latches, eliminating half the work. At first I thought to line it with scrapbook paper but then decided to go with cedar veneer for several reasons.

Aromatic cedar gives off a scent that is a natural repellant of moths, silverfish, and other insects that cause damage to fabrics. It is resistant to bacteria and fungus. Wood in general also absorbs moisture yet allows contents to breathe. Given these properties, I thought a cedar-lined trunk would be the perfect place to store my growing vintage fashion collection. BUT, some websites have said that the oils from cedar are acidic and can cause fabric discoloration, so it's recommended that you hang a piece of acid-free tissue on either end of the pole to seperate your garments from the wood (which I haven't done yet. :-/ ) Cedar comes in red and white varieties. From what I understand, the red variety is more aromatic and is the type you'd want to pick if you are interested in it's bug repelling properties.

There are different types of cedar linings available. There are thin planks which are usually used to line a regular closet, and there are veneers. After determining the layout of my trunk, I decided to go with both - veneers for the side of the box and planks for the shelf. (Planks are expensive though - had I not already had some left over from my real closet, I probably would not have done the shelf. You can always go with other wood types for the shelf too.)

Wine crates also come in different shapes and sizes, and made from different woods or particle board. Some have rope handles, some have sliding tops instead of hinges and latches, etc. Most of the time they are inexpensive - I bought mine for $10 from eBay. Avoid shipping charges by trying to find one locally. I chose the particular box I got because of it's depth - it orignally held 6 wine bottles. But there are flatter ones that hold 3 bottles that would make great doll carriers. You might want to choose a box that has inserts oriented a certain way because the grooves can be used for shelves (once again, less work for you to do.)

Finally, choose your finishing touches. Woodworking stores sell decorative and functional hardware such as handles, corners, clamps, knobs, etc. I got my hardware as well as my veneer from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.

Veneer can be applied two different ways - I used the simple method using wood glue to make an adhesive backing and an iron to adhere it. If you'd like to use the traditional method with contact cement, there are many places on the web that explain how to do it - I have not tried it myself. To make a trunk exactly like the one I did, you will need:

Materials:

a wine crate with hinges and a latch
aromatic red cedar veneer
cedar closet liner plank
Titebond II wood glue
3/16" wooden dowel
varnish
eight metal corners (match color with latch and hinges)
handle

Tools:

disposable sponge brush or roller brush to apply glue
ruler
pencil
drill with 3/16" drill bit
screwdriver (for handle)
hammer (for corners)
blade to cut veneer with (I used a drywall blade but I think you can use an X-acto #11 blade too)
saw (to cut plank)
iron (you will most likely get glue on the iron - if you have a really nice iron, you might want to consider getting an old used one for crafts.)
sandpaper

1. Measure inside areas of the box and cut veneer to size. Label the back sides of the veneer so you don't forget where they go.

2. Measure width of box and add 2mm and cut dowel to that size. Varnish the dowel.

3. Cut cedar planks to fit grooves

4. Apply two coats of glue to the inside of the box AND on the back side of the veneer. Allow the first coat to dry fully. The second coat can be dry enough to be tacky to the touch to procede to the next step.

5. Set your iron setting to "Cotton". Align the veneer on the case and iron it until it adheres.

6. Measure and mark where you want the dowel. Drill only partway into the case, not all the way through. Carefully insert dowel into the holes - you may have to bend it slightly. You can apply wood glue if you'd like but I found that mine was pretty snug without it.

7. Sand edges of veneer until they are flush with the box.

8. Apply the rest of the hardware according their instructions.

And there you go! As you can see, I left the inside of the lid uncovered because I thought the text added character. But you can cover it veneer if you'd like, or put hooks to hang hats, belts, and purses, or glue a mirror on it - whatever you'd like!

New Album: Barbie Photography

2009-06-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I have added a new album at My Gallery - it's for my Barbie Photography. Read more about it in the album description. Here is a little sampler of what you'll find there:

Taking photos of Silkstone Barbies was somewhat challenging. With only 6 points of articulation and lack of ball joints, I had to get creative in other ways so the dolls wouldn't look like they were "just there". My goal was to make the dolls look alive, not like inanimate objects. What I found was that this was easier to do with some Silkies than others. With the right facepaint and limb structures, certain dolls lent themselves to a variety of good angles. And especially through facepaint, conveyed personality and attitudes when photographed from certain angles.

Silkstone Wardrobe for the Obsessive Compulsive

2009-04-19T04:18:00.000-07:00

When I first got my Silkstone Wardrobe Case, I ran into a few issues regarding space and organization. In this blog, I list the problems I encountered and the solutions I came up with to fix them. I didn't do an indepth how-to like I usually do for my blogs, partly because it would be too long, and partly because I don't think anyone really wants to know. Of course, if you do have a question, you can leave a comment and I'd be glad to explain something in detail.

None of these ideas require you to make any modifications to the case itself, if you are worried about harming the collectability and value.

EDIT: If you are a BFC Member, I posted detailed instructions on how to make these at barbiecollector.com in the Doll Customization forum. I'll add them here later when I have time.

Lined Jewelry Drawer

Problem:
I didn't like the jewelry scratching against the wood bottom of the drawer, getting mixed up and tangled.

Solution:
The velvet fabric is actually glued to a thin piece of cardboard, cut to the size of the drawer, not glued to the drawer itself. The cardboard keeps the fabric from bunching up.

Sundries Organizer

Problem:
Stockings and gloves would get mismatched and sometimes it was hard to keep things from popping out of the drawer while closing it.

Solution:
I made this organizer out of balsa wood. It's made up of 2 large strips (they form an "X" from corner to corner) and 4 smaller strips which intersect each leg of the "X". I notched the strips so that they all interlock with each other. A Dremel is a good tool to have for this project.

Shoe Rack

This is what the shoe rack looks like out of the drawer

Problem:
I used to keep the shoes just standing in pairs in the drawer but I tended to knock them over when taking them out. When they got mixed up, it was hard to tell which pairs went with what, especially with the black shoes. I ended up having to dump them all out each time.

Solution:
These shoe racks are also made of balsa, and notched to interlock, similar to the sundries organizer. I was kind of experimenting with numbers which is why the drawer on the left holds six pairs of shoes and the one on the right holds eight. As you can see, the heel takes up less room than the front of the shoes, so I should have made these off center to make better use of space.

Extra Garment Rack and Shelf

Problem:
I ran out of space on the original rack, plain and simple.

Solution:
Since I only need one doll slot, I decided to turn the other one into more storage space. I made a structure that would fit the space exactly which would hold the pole, and the top could serve as a shelf. The structure is made of basswood and the pole is a 3/16" wooden dowel. Other tools you will need: a saw, wood glue, paint, drill, paper to line it with.

You can also make a tall structure which could hold two poles, or one with many shelves - whatever configuration you need. If you don't need to carry your doll in the case, you can convert both doll sections to storage. One thing to note is that the depth of that side is not as big as the left side of the case, so that side is not good for poofy dresses or skirts.

Hat Boxes

Babs, holding her hat boxes

Problem:

Like real hats, I wanted a way to store hats so they wouldn't get smashed, and without tossing them into a drawer or out in the open on a shelf

Solution:

I made these hat boxes from round paper mache boxes, eyelets, scrapbooking paper, acrylic paint, and yarn. Measure the circumference of your hat, buy the appropriate size box, and then use a Dremel or saw to cut it down to the right height. The yarn is woven through the eyelets in such a way so that it tightens on the lid when the handle is pulled.

Garment Bag

Can you believe there are four petticoats in this garment bag?

Problem:

Petticoats took up way too much room on the garment rack.

Solution:

After being frustrated with petticoats, I put them in a ziplock and hung them with a clip-style hanger. That worked out so well I decided to design a simple garment bag. It is made of one piece of fabric for the back, two for the front, and a zipper. You do not have to hang the petticoats on the hanger inside of the bag - just simply put them in the bag itself. If I were to do it over, I would make the bag longer (mine is 6.5") because then you can overlap the petticoats all the way down the bag. That will make the bag take up less room, width-wise.

How to Make a Humidifier for Your Ukulele Case

2009-03-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

These are instructions on how to make a tin humidifier for your ukulele (or other wood instrument) case. I designed this metal version after watching a Uke Minutes on Ukulele Underground on how to make a humidifier out of a Pez dispenser. The principles are the same so check out the Uke Minutes for more info, including the ideal humidity levels for your instrument.

NOTE: I don't have a hygrometer yet so I haven't tested how well this humidifier works. Once I get that that info, I will post it here.

My version is made from a 2 inch round tin, metal eyelets, and wet floral foam - all of which you can get at any craft store. Craft tins come in different shapes and sizes. If you are worried about the lid coming off of a round one, I'd recommend the rectangular hinged one, below. Eyelets also come in a variety of colors like silver, bronze, brass, and copper. The eyelets and eyelet setting tools I used are actually for scrapbooking - I bought them from my friend's Stampin' Up catalog.

The exact materials and tools I used here are:

2 inch round tin
13 silver colored eyelets
wet floral foam
drill with 1/8 general purpose drill bit
eyelet setting kit
sharpie or other marker
a quarter coin
cardboard box
cutting mats
knife
water
teaspoon

1. Remove the cover from the container. Use a marker to mark where the holes should be.

2. When I made the prototype, I had a problem with the drill bit slipping. So I added this step - using the eyelet setting tool and a hammer, hammer each marker spot so that the drill bit will have a starting point. Of course, if you are adept at handling a drill you can skip this step.

3. Put the lid on top of a hard cardboard box or other surface you don't mind getting holes in. You don't want to drill holes in your table when the drill bit bursts through the tin. Drill all holes.

4. You no longer need the box. On a flat surface, place an eyelet upside down, turn the lid upside down and align one of the holes over the eyelet. On my particular tin, there was a lip on the outer edge which means the eyelet will just go through when I try to hammer it. So I used a quarter as a sort of mini anvil that can get under that lip. Try finding a flat part of the coin to place the eyelet because patterns on the coin can leave dents in the eyelet.

5. Place the eyelet setting tool into the eyelet

6. Hammer the end of the setting tool until the eyelet mushrooms out.

7. Use the hammer to flatten out the mushroom all the way

8. Using the bottom of the container, mark the wet foam block so that it's slightly smaller than the width of the container. Slice the foam block with a knife.

10. Press the bottom of the container into the sliced foam piece like a cookie-cutter.

11. Remove the scrap foam pieces and press the foam all the way into the container. It should pop in easily.

12. Pour water one teaspoon at a time into the foam until it can't hold anymore water. Make sure to let the excess water drip out. Shake it a little too, if you want. Mine held about 8 teaspoons of water.

13. Cover it and place in your case. That's it!

I haven't done this yet but I would recommend using a piece of velcro to adhere the humidifier to the case.

"The Nutcracker" Handmade Greeting Cards

2009-02-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

I have known of papercrafts such as stamping, cardmaking, and scrapbooking for a while but it wasn't until recently, when my good friend, Erica, became a Stampin' Up demonstrator, that I decided to try it. I'm forever hooked. :-)

For the 2008 holiday season, I made cards that were inspired by The Nutcracker Ballet, candy canes and puppet theaters. The image of Clara, the heroine of The Nutcracker, is my own design that I had made into a stamp. Normally you would hand stamp every card and color each one but I was running out of time in November so I cheated a little - I completed one picture with watercolors and colored pencils, then took a photo of it, printed it out on cotton paper, and sprayed with fixative. The fixative was so that the Crystal Effects glaze, a glue-like substance to give the image a 3D effect, wouldn't soak through the paper.

I used four different types of red paper for the stripes - I picked the pattern depending on who I was giving it to, for example my male friends got the diamond patterned one because it looked more masculine.

The puppet theater frame is made of polymer clay which I will go into more detail, below.

The materials below can be bought at the Stampin' Up website:

Very Vanilla Cardstock *
Red Riding Hood DSP *
Bella Rose DSP *
Bella Toile Background Stamp *
Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad *
Gold Encore! Ink Pad *
Cotton Paper
Matte Fixative
Winsor & Newton Watercolors
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Crystal Effects *
Sculpey Polymer Clay
Dremel with Sanding Bit
Florentine Gold Liquid Leaf
my custom stamp

I really enjoyed this papercraft project and I hope to continue the Nutcracker theme by making a stamp of the other characters each year!

Clara, from Concept to Custom Stamp

Clara was inspired by the super cute, super expensive ball-jointed dolls from Japan that I will never be able to afford. :-) I spent a lot of time on the Volks website for inspiration. Once I had the sketch I wanted, originally on a 8.5"x11" paper, I digitized it, edited it in Photoshop to get it black and white with no gradients, then uploaded it to RubberStamps.net . I was so happy with the results that I had several more stamps made to give to friends. In the second order, someone had tested the stamps and didn't bother to clean it before sending it to me. But RubberStamps.net sent me out replacements stamps at no extra cost.

There are other companies on the web that make rubber stamps. They basically work the same way - you just upload your artwork and place your order. I'm pretty happy with RubberStamps.net - especially the excellent quality of their stamps (I love that they laser engraved the image on the top of the wood block instead of making a clear sticker) but I do want to try other companies. Here are a couple that have caught my eye (remember, I have not tried these companies so use at your own risk)

Tips for Preparing Your Artwork

Your first choice when digitizing should be to use a scanner. If you don't have a scanner, then take a photo in a brightly lit area with no flash
Always take a scan or photo at a high resolution. It's easier to get rid of extra information than to make up information if there is too little.
If you don't have Photoshop, you can use Gimp - it's free
The artwork must be black and white with no gradients. Even if you used black ink on white paper, you might still have gradients especially if you took a photo instead of using a scanner. Every picture is different so I can't tell you exactly how to get rid of the gradients but it will probably be a combination of converting to Grayscale, Levels, and Brightness/Contrast. Just experiment with those settings. It also helps to outline your original drawing with a black pen if you did it in pencil.
Every rubber stamp company is different - be sure to read their requirements for artwork. Keep your first digital copy high rez and use it to make the copy that you will send to each company according to their specs (use a different filename for each one.) That way, you will always have a high rez original to work from and you won't have to redo a lot of work.

Making the Puppet Theater Frame

To make the puppet theater frame, I first made a mockup of my card using regular printer paper. Since the top of the frame is curved, it's harder to gauge whether or not it will completely cover the edges of the paper, so a mockup made things a lot easier. I drew the outline of the frame right on the paper, and laid down a thin foundation layer of polymer clay. On top of the foundation layer, I arranged extruded pieces of clay to form columns and reliefs. I then baked it to create my original frame.

I then used the original frame to create a mold. The mold is used to make more frames at a faster speed, for example the original frame took about an hour to make. Frames made from the mold only took 5 minutes. To make a mold, simply roll out a piece of clay that is larger than your object and press the object into it. Remove the object and bake the mold.

After I made the rest of the frames using the mold, I used a Dremel with a sanding bit to even out the edges and also sanded the back to make the pieces thinner. I then painted them with the gold liquid leaf.

Tips:

When making the original piece, make sure the details are deep, almost exaggerated because when you make a mold you will loose a some detail.
When making something from a mold, powdering the mold with cornstarch first will help it to release the clay easier. I used an old paintbrush to apply the cornstarch.

More pics:

Four different kinds of red paper to suit the personality of the recipient :-)

Closeup of Clara. You can kind of see the Crystal Effects glaze which I only applied in strategic areas to give her a more 3D appearance.

On the top, stack of baked frames. On the left, the original frame and mold. On the tray, frames made from the mold ready to be baked.

Learning to Knit - Inspired by Gothic & Lolita Bible Pattern

2009-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Volume 4 of Gothic & Lolita Bible (US Version) was chock full of super cute stuff for winter and the holiday season. One pattern inspired me to learn how to knit - the Odekake Chocolat-Cat Kitty Muffler. My aunt taught me to crochet when I was little but no one I knew knew how to knit. I tried when I was little to learn from diagrams but either my newbie brain couldn't decipher it or the diagrams were crappy, who knows. So I've always had the belief that "knitting is hard". Nowadays, with the internet and youtube videos, learning to knit is MUCH easier. And turns out it's not hard at all!

This pattern was rated "intermediate" but I'm a beginner and I was able to complete it - here is what you need to know (hint - these are keywords you can search for if you are learning to knit):

How to read a knitting chart (in this case, a Japanese simplified knitting chart)

Japanese needle size conversion

How to knit and purl, the building blocks of knitting stitches

How to combine knit and purl to make do Stockinette Stitch and Rib Stitch

How to cast on, how to cast off

How to increase and decrease

How to join knitted pieces together

Here are a list of videos and sites that helped me put this together:

Reading a Japanese knitting chart
http://www.tata-tatao.to/knit/graphchart/e-index.html#index
Knitting Needle Sizes
http://www.knitting-and.com/wiki/Knitting_Needle_Sizes
Casting On with No Tail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKcPvdDcgxY
Stockinette, Rib, and other stitches
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kjTWHWkJn4
Casting Off / Binding Off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEGsf99ep1k
Four ways to do a Join (see the user's videos for other tutorials)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3rvJx3-9Xs
And this is the best site for hardcore analysis of the mechanics of knitting - things like why certain left-leaning or right-leaning increases and decreases are better than others. This is for people that are very meticulous and want every bump and imperfection out of their knitting.
http://techknitting.blogspot.com/

EDITED 1/15 - I recently found this excellent video on Continental Knitting which is the method of holding the yarn in your left hand instead of your right. It's much faster that way, and also makes more sense to people who are coming from a crochet background
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDY

About My Kitty Scarf

I used Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends in Petal. The yarn in the pattern, as far as I can tell, is not readily available in the US. My yarn called for a US Size 8 needle but I used 10 instead. The pattern said to use a Japanese Size 12 which falls between US 9 and 10. My scarf ended up slightly bigger than the pattern but that was fine with me - I used all the same stitch and row counts except for the length of the body of the cat. I made mine shorter since I'm a small person.

:-)

I made my own eyes from polymer clay, acrylic paint, and glossy varnish. I didn't put all the bling the pattern asked for - just a personal preference. Maybe I would if I dressed in loli more. My scarf is far from perfect - I could use help with finishing techniques -the back looks terrible.

Sorry, but I'm not going to post the pattern here since G&LB vol 4 is still in print. If you are interested in making this scarf pick one up at Amazon - they have the best prices.

Florist Bow Tree Toppers, Take 2

2008-12-23T01:42:00.000-08:00

This entry comes a little late but I figure I'd post it anyway. Last year I posted a blog about How to Make Florist Bow Tree Toppers. This year is my first year since I've gotten my own place that I've had anything bigger than a 3-foot tree. I now have a pre-lit, hypoallergenic (read "fake") 6-foot tree. I mentioned in my original post that I didn't have the measurements of the ribbon for a big tree, and now I do. So here it is (see original post for the complete instructions):

6-foot Tree Instruction Mods:

One spool of 30 ft wired ribbon, 6 inches wide, makes one bow with two tails
Measure 6 to 7 ft of ribbon, then start making your loops. I made 16 loops total on mine. You should then have 6 to 7 ft of ribbon left over for the other tail. You can trim the excess and make them even now or after tying the ribbon to your tree,
Instead of an empty toilet paper roll to shape, use an empty paper towel roll
Since the ribbon is so heavy, it doesn't keep it's shape as well as the 3-inch wide variety. After I made the waves I wanted by curling the ribbon under the roll, I also used the open end of the roll to push the waves into the branches. The branches act like barbs to help hold the ribbon's shape. It takes patience!

You can also use 3-inch wide ribbon. I just decided to do something different this year and make only one bow that was really wide because I like things big and gaudy like that. :-) But you can also make 2 3-inch wide ribbon bows with 4 tails just like I did on my smaller tree.

I should also mention that I'm not a ribbon-making pro. There are people who have been doing this for years, and for a living, that say you don't need multiple ribbons to have the same effect. There is a woman on ebay who makes beautiful, gorgeous handmade bows so you can do a search for "bow topper" there if you don't want to make your own. They will run you about 40 bucks though.

As far as my old bows from the 3-foot tree - they didn't go to waste. I used them to decorate wreaths I got on sale last year.

Pics: Difference Engine; CA Academy of Sciences; Computer History Museum

2008-10-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

I have posted three new albums at my gallery from my mini-vacation. They are of the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences, the Computer History Museum, and Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2.

http://www.loopfree.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=18349

LifeFlash Mod for the PalmOne LifeDrive

2008-08-30T03:51:00.001-07:00

In 2005, Palm introduced the next evolution to their PDA line, calling it the PalmOne LifeDrive Mobile Manager. It was a bit more than a PDA, touting WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, a 4GB hard drive, as well as the organization applications that Palm has been known for. To the regular user, the large hard drive was suitable for music and video, making this one of early portable multimedia devices. To the power user, the LifeDrive offers almost the same amount of capabilities as a laptop to do work on the road, and is still small enough to fit in a purse.

However, the LifeDrive was not without it's drawbacks - the main one being that having a physical drive made access times slower. Since it was developed in 2005, that was understandable, and somewhat forgiven, by the LD community. Afterall, it only made sense that Palm's next version would be a slimmer, lighter, faster version with a Compact Flash drive and more disk space, right? To the community's dismay, Palm pulled the plug on the LD line. That left the community to fend for themselves, but also brought out the best in collaborative homebrew solutions. Today I implemented one of those solutions - the LifeFlash mod.

The LifeFlash mod is to basically replace the internal hard drive of the LifeDrive with a Compact Flash memory card. This makes access times faster, it makes the LD lighter, and since there are no moving parts consumes less battery power. The only drawback is that due to the constraints of the operating system, you can only use 4GB of memory regardless if you use a larger card. :/ (UPDATE - this is no longer true! See this thread for details. I have not tried this yet. PowerDrive thread at 1src.com)

Research into this mod can be traced back to 2006 (all references are at the end of this entry.) Because of all the collaboration between LD community members, the process has been simplified. Before, you had to format a blank CF card. But now you could buy a pre-formatted card at UsedPDAParts.com. Even though I didn't have to go through all the hoops that they did, I must give credit where credit is due, and I tip my hat to all the brilliant hacks that helped to figured this out. :-D These steps cover using a pre-formatted card. If you want to format your own card, see the links in the Reference section.

You will need: a LifeDrive, a pre-formatted Compact Flash card, and a T5 torx wrench. You could get a PDA tool kit at UsedPDAParts which has the wrench you need, plus a prying tool for the case. Not pictured here, you will also need a sharp knife.

1. Backup all your data to your PC.

2. Turn off the LD and put the power slider in the Locked position.

3. Pry off the two rubber feet near the top of the LD.

4. Remove the two torx screws which were under the feet. Remove the outer shell (shown)

5. The inner shell is attached by 6 tabs - 2 along the right and left sides and the bottom. Use a credit card or the prying tool to ease open the shell.

6. Remove the two torx screws that are holding down the inner plastic frame. The inner shell is attached to the motherboard by the piezo speaker wire. Use your fingernail to carefully unplug it. (shown)

7. Unplug and remove the battery

8. This is the Point of No Return - you need to cut through the Warning label that will void your warranty. If you have any apprehensions, just remember that your warranty has probably expired anyway. :-) Also, think of the symbolic statement you will be making to Palm for leaving it's customers in the dust.

9. Anyway, carefully cut through the label with the point of the sharp knife.

10. Remove the hard drive (shown)

11. Remove the blue rubber bumpers from the corners of the drive.

12. Plug the CF card into the interface. Put the blue rubber bumpers on the corners of the CF card. The CF card is thinner than the drive, so the bumpers will be loose, but they will be held firmly in place when you put the inner plastic frame back on.

13. Plug the battery back in. (shown)

14. Replace the inner plastic frame - first, plug the piezo speaker back in, then replace the torx screws.

15. Replace the inner shell by snapping it shut along the sides and bottom.

16. Replace the outer shell, torx screws and feet.

17. Set your HotSync Manager to "Synchronize" or "Desktop overwrites handheld" for all items. Sync your LifeDrive.

Troubleshooting:
The only problem I had during syncing was a non-descript error number 1611 and 1609. I noticed that it kept happening on one of the applications it was trying to restore. So I went to my backup directory, usually C:\Program Files\palmOne\\Backup , and moved that application out of the directory. I synced again and it worked fine. I had to install that application seperately later, using it's original installshield. I'm guessing that this happened because of licensing..?

References:

How to disassemble a Palm LifeDrive
Used PDA Parts - online store where you can buy a pre-formatted CF card
Brighthand Forum thread - "Replacement CompactFlash Card Greatly Improves the LifeDrive"

If you decide not to go with a pre-formatted card, in which case you'll have to format a CF card yourself:

How to replace microdrive with compact flash in Palm LifeDrive - great wiki articles that lays it all out
My LifeFlash (formally known as LifeDrive) - a forum post by Furball, with pics
1Src Forum thread - earliest discussion I can find on the web regarding the mod. A good source if you need troubleshooting help
1Src Forum thread - "Windows users guide to editing LD ROM"

Ganna Walska Lotusland

2008-08-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just added some photos I took of Ganna Walska Lotusland to my photo gallery. From the Lotusland website:

Lotusland is a unique 37-acre estate and botanic garden situated in the foothills of Montecito to the east of the city of Santa Barbara. The gardens now covering the estate were created by Madame Ganna Walska, who owned the property from 1941 until her death in 1984. Before her death, Madame Walska established the nonprofit Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, which now preserves this unrivaled botanical treasure.

Even though Lotusland is one of the smaller botanic gardens I've been to, it's currently my favorite. Since it used to be Madame Walska's home, and is in a residential area, admission is by reservations only, as not to disturb the surrounding neighbors. Because of that, the garden is never packed and has a more intimate feel rather than touristy. When taking photos, you don't have to worry about people being in the shot.

Adding to the intimate feel is Madame Walska's unconventional garden design. She liked to incorporate elements to surprise and delight the visitor, such as paths that lead off the main path that you almost might not see if you are not looking closely. Following those paths seem to bring you into a different world. Or hedges that serve as walls until they open up into a fantastic view. Or sometimes a passage way may lead to a secluded corner - a quiet niche, I like to call them. Her garden design is conducive to exploration and it's fun to just do without a map and try to discover all it's secrets.

One of my favorite areas in Lotusland is the Garden Theater. Made of three tiers of grass and stone, it seats 100 and is decorated with statues called "Grotesques" which used to be in Madame Walska's chateau in Galluis. Several rows of hedges serve as the stage's backdrop and stage entrance, and what even looks to me like a dressing room. The stage, the whimsical expressions of the Grotesques, and the mushrooms growing naturally on the theater steps brings to mind "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

panoramic view of the Garden Theater
Another part of the garden I like is the 25 foot working clock, which forms a small hill of flowers. Instead of numbers are signs from the zodiac. Around the clock is the topiary garden - my favorite forms being the chess pieces. One feels as if they've fallen down the rabbit hole. Or was it through the looking glass??

Aside from the amazing garden design is the variety of botanicals Lotusland has. Unforunately, I don't know much about botany to get into it, but this page on their website has a lot of good information. I'm hoping to learn more about the Lotusland collections, and take more photos of the plants next time.

Here is a slideshow of some of the latest photos. You can also go to my gallery to see more pics, or to see these in higher rez:

Quest for the Perfect Dress Form, Part 1

2008-07-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I hit a plateau as far as learning to sew. Fit was giving me some trouble because I have scoliosis and my back is not symetrical. Rather than waste any more fabric on making clothes that didn't fit properly, I decided to get a dress form. It took me 3 more months before placing an order, but I learned a lot on the way.

My first solution was to try to make one myself out of paper tape. But the glue seeped through my clothes and irritated my skin before it had a chance to dry, so that was out. But it's still a valid method, and I know many people were successful, so if you want to try making one yourself check out this article for four different types you can make at home - http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002.asp

Next, I searched every auction and online store I could find. I started noticing differences in forms, features, and types. I made a list of everything I would want in a "dream form", which was:

half legs (or a 3/4 form) because I plan to do swimwear and lingerie later on and I don't want to buy a seperate swimwear form. (Swimwear forms have a crotch, unlike a regular dress form.)
must be a Girls size 14 because I have a short waist. I found display forms that came close, but the proportions were kind of weird. (Display forms are a little different from dressmaker forms - their purpose is for displaying clothing, although you can still use them for dressmaking. But their proportions tend to be a little exaggerated, IMO, probably to accentuate the clothing.)
collapsible shoulders (not mandatory but would be nice) This makes dressing the form easier.
arm attachment (not mandatory but would be nice) Most people don't need arms, but I have trouble with sleeves, so I think it might help.

There were very few forms that fit all these criteria, mainly because 14G size forms don't usually come with half legs. Companies like PGM and Wolf have full-body forms, but having a headless body hanging in my home would really freak me out.

At this point, I scratched "half-legs" off the list, and just started looking for a regular dress form. Somewhere along my searches, I came across the Ronis Bros. website. When I wrote to Josh Ronisky about a regular form, he happened to mention that they can make me a form with half legs even if it wasn't listed on their site. I told him all my other criterias, and he was very accomodating.

I now have my "dream form". :-D It arrived in two seperate boxes. The stand is iron and steel, and is very sturdy. The form is paper mache covered in padding and linen. I'm very happy with the quality and workmanship. I would highly recommend their form, but expect a 6 week lead time for custom forms.

You might be wondering about the asymetry in my back. I did not have them take that into account because it would have been difficult to give them measurements - I'd probably have to fly over there and get a custom mold done. Instead, I got the Fabulous Fit Fitting System to pad out those areas (I will be reviewing that in Part 2, after I have a chance to play with it.)

All the parts

Assembled

Side details

Front details

Arm and shoulder connector

DIY: Renaissance Treasure Chest Favor Boxes

2008-06-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

I made these boxes six years ago but didn't have a good digital camera back then. But I've dug them out of storage, so I figure I'd write a how-to. I simply embelished cardboard Treasure Chest Favor Boxes with fabric and trims to give it a regal look. You can choose your own fabric and trims in the color of your choice to match your theme. Some theme ideas are at the end.

You can get the cardboard boxes in packs as low as 25 count at a craft or party supply store. They come in various sizes and colors, from foiled gold or silver, embossed pattern, plain white or cream, and others. (I used 2 3/4" X 2 1/8" X 1 7/8" boxes, in cream with an embossed pattern, for mine.) Choose a box that will best compliment your color scheme.

You will also need the following:

Fabric for the top and sides of boxes. You will need to calculate how much. I found it was easier to plan ahead by buying the boxes first, making the templates (see below), then calculating how many yards of fabric I would need based on the template. Remember when calculating, that you need two side pieces per box. For my boxes, I used a burgundy velveteen, not velvet, as velvet is too plush for this size box, and also too expensive.
Decorative Trim or Lace for the edge of the lid. Also calculate yardage after purchasing the boxes. The best way to do this is to measure all four sides of the lid, then the two curved sides that go over the lid. Add all those numbers together, and then multiply it by the number of boxes that you have. Add a few inches just in case you need extra. Here's a, hopefully, helpful pic:

Beaded Trim for the latch. The latch is actually more decorative than functional. Beaded trim is just a ribbon trim with beads hanging from them (see pic below.) For one box, you will just need to cut the ribbon between each strand of beads. Make sure the strands are not longer than the height of the bottom of the box, otherwise it will drag. The length of trim will depend on how many boxes you have - merely count the number of strands and purchase the length it comes out to.

Craft glue. I like using Aileen's Craft Glue, but you can use whatever you like as long as it adheres to fabric and dries clear. It's not necessary to use a glue gun, and I personally find them to be a pain in the butt, but if that's your preference then by all means - use it.
Scissors and/or fabric shears.
Fabric marker or chalk

Making the Templates

The easiest way I've found to make the templates is to just cut one of the boxes as shown in the following pic:

Your box may not exactly look like this when flattened since different companies have their own way of assembling these. Just adjust these instructions as you see fit to whatever design box you have. You need to cut slightly above the crease so the fabric will not block it. If it does, it makes the lid difficult to open. It's okay if you think you've made it too short because the trim will be covering the edge. You just have to place the trim lower.

How to Assemble

I apologize that I don't have pics for each step, but I have a couple of reference pics after the instructions. You should be able to make it out, but if you need help feel free to leave a comment.

Assemble the box according to the manufacturer's instructions.
On the wrong side of the fabric, trace two side pieces and one top piece using your templates.
Cut the pieces out on the inside of the traced lines (if you cut it on the line or outside the line, it will be too big.)
Glue the side pieces to the box while the lid is open. Glue the top piece to the box, while the lid is closed (if you glue it while the box is open, the fabric may not have enough ease to allow the box to be closed.)
Cut the beaded trim so that you have one strand of beads on a slip of ribbon. Open the lid. Glue the ribbon to the center of the lid so that the bottom edge is flush with the bottom of the fabric. (When doing your first box, you might want to close the lid and make sure the beads don't get caught on the edge of the box, causing them to pop out. If they do, just move the ribbon up a little. Make note of this adjustment for your other boxes.)
Cut the decorative trim for the curved part of the box first. The ends should reach all the way to ends of the fabric. Glue these on.
Cut the decorative trim for the front and back. Note that it does not extend to the ends of the box - it only goes up to the trim on the curved part. Glue these on. (as an alternative, you can do mitered edges, but I would only do that on larger boxes as it is time consuming.)
Cut the decorative trim for the sides. Glue them on.

Reference pics: Front open; Side open, Back and side closed

Streamlining Your Work

I suggest starting off making batches of five boxes at first, so that you can widdle out the bugs with your templates, placements, and process. But no matter how many boxes you do in a batch, you should divide the tasks so the glue has time to dry. It should go something like this:

Cut and glue the fabric to the top and sides. Do this for all boxes in the batch.
Go back to the the first box. Cut and glue the latch (beaded trim) to the box. Do this for all the boxes in the batch.
Go back to the first box. Cut and glue the decorative trim around the edges.
Start a new batch!

Theme Ideas

Sweet Lolita - White box, light pink or blue fabric, lacy poofy trim. Might also want to add lace bows, fabric roses, or strings of faux pearls.

Gothic Lolita - Black box, black velveteen, lacy poofy trim. Might also want to add lace bows, crosses, or strings of faux pearls.

Shabby Chic -White or cream box, striped floral fabric, lace trim. Might also want to add a tiny bouquet of fabric or dried flowers on the top.

Morrocan - Gold box, deep purple or maroon satin, gold trim. Instead of regular gold trim around the bottom of the lid, try beaded trim all the way around. That means you won't have a latch, but you could substitute a metallic or jewelled button for the front-center.

Victorian - Embossed pattern box, subdued peach satin, antique colored lace. Might also want to add a tiny bouquet of fabric or dried flowers on the top. Another option is velveteen in jewel tones and lace.

Rococo - White box, blue satin (not too dark), gold trim. Instead of regular gold trim around the bottom of the lid, try gold tulle, gently twisted to form waves.

Book List

2008-06-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

This post is for tracking the books I've read. Everytime I update it, I bump up the date to the current date.

As of 2009, I will use Goodreads to track my books.

Completed in 2008:

"365 Tao: Daily Meditations" by Deng Ming Dao (daily)
"Soulforge" by Margaret Weis

"The Lady's Guide to Perfect Gentility" by Emily Thornwell

"Gothic & Lolita Bible Volume 1" by Various Authors

"Book of Hours: Illuminations by Simon Marmion" Simon Marmion and James Thorpe

"Brothers in Arms" by Margaret Weis

"Gothic & Lolita Bible Volume 2" by Various Authors

"Seven Taoist Masters: A Folk Novel of China" by Eva Wong
"Gothic & Lolita Bible Volume 3" by Various Authors
"Ganna Walska Lotusland: The Garden and its Creators" by Sharon Crawford
"Nutcracker" by E.T.A. Hoffman
"Gothic & Lolita Bible Volume 4" by Various Authors

Completed in 2007:

"A Wind in the Door" by Madeleine L'Engle
"Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
"Inside the Robot Kingdom: Japan, Mechatronics, and the Coming Robotopia" by Frederik L. Schodt
"The New Sewing Essentials" by the Editors of Creative Publishing International
"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
"The Golden Compass" by Phillip Pullman
"The Subtle Knife" by Phillip Pullman
"The Amber Spyglass" by Phillip Pullman

Completed in 2006:

"The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende
"Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China that Never Was" by Barry Hughart
"Dragonsong" by Anne McCaffrey
"Dragonsinger" by Anne McCaffrey
"Dragondrums" by Anne McCaffrey
"Godel: A Life of Logic" by John L. Casti
"V for Vendetta" by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden
"Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
"Paper Biscuit: Froggs's Lament" by Ronnie Del Carmen
"Paper Biscuit: Half Life" by Ronnie Del Carmen
"Healing Eczema" by Christina Sands
"365 Tao: Daily Meditations" by Deng Ming Dao (daily)

In Progress and Misc:

"Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen (in progress)

"Catch 22: Dress Forms & Fitting Secrets Revealed" by Massimo Barra & Jill Ralston

Didn't finish - may revisit later:

"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche (not in the right frame of mind)
"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown (got bored)
"Society of Mind" by Marvin Minsky (outdated so hard to get into)

------

Post changes:

July 11, 2006- Changed subject from "Reading List" to "2006 Book List" because this now includes audio books.

Feb 28, 2007 - Removed "2006" from subject line because this will now contain all years.

Pics: The Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Garden

2008-05-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

I have added a new album to my gallery - it's of photos that were taken at the re-opening of the newly renovated Huntington Art Gallery, which also used to be home of Henry Huntington, railroad mogul, and his wife Arabella. Tripods and flash were not allowed, so indoor shots may be fuzzy (but I think I'm getting better at them.) :-)

Mr. Huntington was a collector of rare books, and Mrs. Huntington was a collector of fine art. When they passed away, they transferred their property and collections to a non-profit educational trust. The library is now used for academia research, and the art galleries and botanical garden are open to the public. Please see http://www.huntington.org for more info.

It's impossible to get pics of everything at The Huntington in one day, so this album just covers:

The Huntington Art Gallery (period furnished rooms only)
parts of the botanical garden
select manuscripts from the library
tasty treats at the Rose Garden Tea Room

More pics next time! :-) Go to Album

DIY: DDR Patterns for Crystal T's

2008-05-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

I recently installed a closet organizer, and as I was putting away my clothes I noticed I had a t-shirt project I never finished. I figured since I had gotten back into DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) I should probably finish it. And I'm also sharing the pattern! I actually have two.

For detailed instructions on how to use these patterns, please see my blog How to Make Your Own Custom Rhinestone Pattern. You will only need to follow the instructions past the section marked Apply Crystals to Transfer Film. That blog also has useful links of where to find shirts, crystals, and other materials.

A note for people that use the BeJeweler or similar stone setting tool - you can still use these patterns, but you may have to invert them back to the original orientation. Right now, they are mirror images of what the real arrows should look like because of the method I use for transferring the pattern.

THESE PATTERNS ARE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. They may not be used for profit, lest you risk copyright infringement with the makers of the game.

DDR Butterfly

Some of you hardcore players will recognize this series of steps - the Butterfly Turn. Here's what you need:

230 2mm crystals or less. You can use different combinations of colors - for mine, I used light pink Swarovski crystals for the top row, and rose pink nailheads for the other arrows. Swarovski's are sparklier, thus give the illusion of movement, so if I were to do it over again I would use them on the bottom instead, and use nailheads for the top row. It's completely up to you!
Blank T-shirt. See the link above for some places to buy blank t's. American Apparel is very popular, but their sizes tend to run skinny. I like to have some room in my shirts. The v-neck I'm wearing in the photo is by Anvil andit's very comfy.
Silicon Transfer Film. See link above for where to buy.
Standard Iron. Ask your mom - I'm sure she has one. ;-)
The Pattern. Click this link, save the image to your computer, and print it. This is already a mirror-image so you do not have to modify it. I made the dots a little small, so you do not have to put as many crystals as it shows - just make sure the arrows have the same number of crystals on every side.

DDR Arrows

This was my first DDR shirt and it is a simpler design. The crystals were 4mm which seem small, but it's pretty blinding when you are out in the sun. I prefer my new design with the 2mm crystals, but some people like things big, so here's what you'll need:

110 4mm crystals. I used light pink Swarovski crystals to match the shirt but it's completely up to you!
Blank T-shirt. See the link above for some places to buy blank t's. The one I'm wearing is by Anvil and it runs small.
Silicon Transfer Film. See link above for where to buy.
Standard Iron. Ask your mom - I'm sure she has one. ;-)
The Pattern. Click this link, save the image to your computer, and print it. This is already a mirror-image so you do not have to modify it.

"New" Artwork - "Avatar"

2008-03-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

I completed recreating this piece of digital art, which I call "Avatar", and will be uploading it to my lulu store tomorrow. The original, in all it's 300x500 pixel glory, is way to small to be printed. But back in 1996 when I created it, that was a lot of pixels. ;-) I took the liberty of changing it a little. I think I like both versions equally. /shrug. The original was once used as the background of a rave flyer.

"Avatar" was inspired by cyberpunk novels such as Neuormancer and Snow Crash. In fact, the title "Avatar" was directly taken from Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. Did you know that he was the first to use that term as a pictoral representation of a user on the 'net? However, in the books avatars walk freely in 3D space and are not just profile icons. And did you know that "cyberspace" was coined by William Gibson in Neuromancer? AND, did you know that movies like the Matrix were directly influenced by these books?

But I digress. Oh yes, artistically "Avatar" was influenced by the movie TRON. Simple, vibrant, and clean. Art today has so much going on in it. Sometimes it's nice to look at a barren landscape and see the possibilities.

Reflection on Art; and Lulu Store Opens

2008-03-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

I have always had a knack for art ever since I was a kid, so my teachers have said. I love making art, so it might be a wonder to some why I became a programmer when I grew up. But I was actually a graphic designer for four years before I had absolutely enough of doing other people's art. I would come up with a concept, create a piece, and then have everyone from every department telling me what to change to make it "better". "That line there should be red." Well... if the line was really meant to be red, I would have made it red, wouldn't I. :-) There is a tao to art, and when something is right, it's just right.

I don't do fine art for a living either because my art is such a personal thing. So much thought, heart, and soul goes into every piece that I can't bear to part with it when I'm done. It's almost like an inkblot of where my mind was at the time - how can one give up a piece of themselves like that.

I don't normally talk about things at such a personal level on my blog but I feel I had to mention this in order to explain the brilliance of lulu.com. Lulu was originally a site for people to self-publish their books. You upload a digital copy, and they don't actually print it until someone orders it. They have recently expanded their services to include art prints, calendars, brochures, manuals, and other printed material. I uploaded a book and an art piece as a test, and both were great quality. I verified with customer service that the paper they use is archival quality.

So I've opened a Lulu store. I don't intend to make bank - in fact, I've only set my markup at $5 over the production costs. Lulu makes a commission, so I am actually making only $4 for every sale. But it doesn't really matter - I just love knowing that people out there like my work. I remember my employers had an art show for the employees, and my co-worker's granddaughters loved my pieces. It's kind of funny but out of all the compliments that day, those meant the most. I think it's because it let me know that I hadn't lost my inner child. The art show also made me realize that I wanted to share my art with more people. Lulu let's me do that, while still holding on to the originals.

Right now, I only have my graphite drawings uploaded. I will be adding select photos from my gallery, digital art, and later, books. I have to get most of the photos and digital art print-ready, which takes time.

My Lulu Store

Lulu Homepage

Space-Saving Solution for your Sewing Room: Hide-Away Ironing Board

2008-03-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

For those of you who aren't familiar with sewing a garment, you use an ironing board A LOT. I don't have very much space for a proper sewing room - it's more of a "sewing corner". For ironing, I had a half-sized table-top ironing board which I put on top of my dining table. My dining table is also where I cut patterns and fabric, so I didn't like that it took up space on it. So I decided to look for ironing board alternatives.

What I ended up getting is a ironing board cabinet by Hide-Away. They have a variety of ironing board cabinets, both surface-mounted and recessed, with different wood finishes. You have the option of getting an electrical unit which has a lamp and outlet built into a timer, a sleeve board, or other accessories.

Customer service said it would be here in 3 weeks, but it got here in 1. :-D There was a slight mix-up with the sleeve board and they sent me one with a dowel that was too short. Also, the sleeve board didn't come with installation instructions so I actually didin't know the dowel was short until I got the instructions. When I finally showed them a picture of what was wrong, they sent out a new sleeve board right away. I didn't even have to send the other one back, so that made up for the month that it took to resolve the issue.

I am extremely pleased with the product. The full-size ironing board stores away neatly and compactly, instead of taking up room in a closet. One part of the shelf is shielded so you can store your hot iron right after you are done using it instead of waiting for it to cool. The light and timer are good for saving electricity if you tend to leave your iron on while sewing (like I do), or even if you don't sew, you can be assured that you won't leave the iron on while rushing to get to work in the morning. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who is low on space, or if you just like things neat and tidy.

Now for the pics:

The cabinet, hidden behind the door

Door closed, cabinet closed

Cabinet open

Board down, lamp on

Board swivels for easy access to both sides

Sleeve board dowel is too short (see gap on left side?)

After I sent the photo of the short sleeve board dowel to Hideaway, they were very accomodating and sent a new one right away. I got it about a week later.

Sleeve board, up

Sleeve board attaches to the cabinet with screws, staples, or nails. The wet spot is lubricant because it squeaks

As you lower the sleeve board, the metal stand swings forward

The main board has a railing (?) it travels along when you put it up and down. This shows it as it's being lowered

I put the iron on the board as a visual reference so you can see how big everything is

"Flower and Stripe Bun Cover" crochet pattern

2008-02-23T16:14:00.001-08:00

In my blog entry lüm Bun Covers are Out the Door! I mentioned my intention to sell my handmade bun covers on the web. I was creating a .NET website which would have interactive images so you can design the color of your bun cover, and a shopping cart feature, but my Crafter's ADD took over and I never finished that project. One of the problems, and this was a little self-discovery, is that I enjoy the process of learning and creating, and once I created the pattern, I lost interest in cranking out more bun covers. So, in order to let go and give closure to this project, I am releasing the pattern to the public. This pattern may only be used for personal or charitable purposes.

Flower and Stripe Bun Cover

Materials Needed
Patons Grace Yarn (http://www.patonsyarns.com/product.php?LGC=grace)
Medium size hair-friendly elastic (Goody, Scunci, etc. w/ no metal ends)
Size 5 Steel crochet hook
Gauge First rnd is 1/2" diameter.
Finished Size 3.5"diameter.

RND 1: Ch10. Join w/slst to first ch to form ring. Slst into ring. Ch4. * Sc around ring. Ch 2. Rep from * 8 more times. Join w/slst to top of first sc

RND 2: Ch 10. Dc in next Sc. Ch7. * Dc in next Sc. Ch 7. Rep from * 8 more times. Dc in next Sc. Ch 4. Trc in top of first Dc.

RND 3: Ch 7. Slst into ch 4. Ch 7. * Slst into Ch 8. Ch 7. Rep from * 8 more times. Slst in ch 8. Ch 4. Trc in ch 8.

RND 4: Ch 6. Slst into ch 4. Ch 6. * Slst into Ch 8. Ch 6. Rep from * 8 more times.

RND 5: Turn work over. Ch 3. * Dc in next Ch. Rep from * until ends meet. Slst into top of first Dc.

RND 6: Turn work over. * Ch 7. Slst into dc 6 Rep from * 10 more times Ch 4. Trc into dc 6.

RND 7: Ch7. Slst into ch 4. Ch7. * Slst into ch 8. Ch7. Rep from * 9 more times Ch 4. Trc into ch 8.

RND 8: Ch 11. Slst into ch 4. * Ch 11. Slst into ch 8. Rep from * 9 more times Ch 6. Trc into Ch 8.

RND 9: Ch 7. Slst into Ch 6. Ch 7. Slst into Ch 12. Rep from * 10 more times Slst into Ch 1

RND 10: Ch 5. Hold elastic behind work. * Sc into Ch 4, behind the elastic. Ch 3. Sc into Ch 4 in front of the elastic. Ch 4 Rep from * until ends meet. Slst into Ch 1, tie off work, and weave ends into work.

Elastic ties, ribbon, or yarn can be used in lieu of hair elastic.

PS You don't have to use that yarn, but I didn't know what size it was, so I figure I'd just link to it. It's bigger than size 10 - about 2mm in width, 100% mercanized cotton.. If you use smaller yarn, your cover will be smaller, but I'm not sure by how much.

This what the back of work looks like before and after elastic is added:

Diagrams (added 12-23-2009)

I know there is a "real" way to do diagrams, using symbols to represent the various stitches but I'm not familiar with it. So please excuse my crude diagrams. The design is very simple to do and I think the written instructions above might make it more complicated than it really is. Hopefully the diagrams will clarify the beginning of the written instructions.

Review: Embroidery Hoop and Online Store

2008-02-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was working on a cross-stitch project and couldn't stand the embroidery hoop I was using. Just the week before, I had bought a wooden hoop at Michaels to replace the crappy plastic hoop I bought a long time ago when they were all out of wooden ones. I wouldn't even call it real wood – it's made of several layers of pressed "wood" that is prone to splitting and splintering. You get what you pay for - $2 for this Made in China piece-of-shit (which I'll refer to hereafter as MICPOS.)

So I started thinking… What is with the options we have for needlecraft and sewing tools? People used to be able to hand down quality heirloom tools from generation to generation. Nowadays, everything is cheap, mass-produced, throw-away plastic/"wood"/metal that I wouldn't even see fit to donate to a thrift store. What happened to the handmade, lovingly crafted or carved tools of old? Thus began my search for a quality embroidery hoop.

After some webbing around, I came up with two good contenders – Elbesee from the UK, and Hardwicke Manor from Germany. Both have hoops that are hand-carved from solid hardwood. Both have rounded edges so they do not mark your fabric. And both have quality brass screws and fittings. I decided to go with Hardwicke Manor since a review said that the Elbesee didn't feel as sturdy and wasn't sanded as well as the HM. (But I think I will order one in the future just so I can see for myself.)

When I received the hoop, I was amazed at the quality and beauty of it. The weight is heavier than the MICPOS which is fine – at least it doesn't feel like a balsa airplane. :-) Here are some comparison pics with the MICPOS:

On top is the MICPOS. Notice the huge crack - I haven't used it more than a week!

The larger screw is the HM. Note the better metal quality. See the pieces of pressed wood on the MICPOS? :-(

HM hoop has screwdriver notch so you can tighten the hoop easier while it is lying flat on a table. (Look at the piece of "wood" peeling off of the MICPOS in the background.)

Although the HM tag said to wrap the inner hoop with bias or twill tape to prevent marking, a reviewer said she never had to do that with its rounded corners

The Hardwicke Manor hoops come in sizes from 4 to 12 inches in various shapes and widths. Depending on your fabric, you will want a thin hoop (5/16") for delicate linens and silks, medium (5/8") for muslin and aida, and thick (7/8") for canvas and other heavy fabrics. Prices range from $6.50 to $20.50 for circle hoops. Expect to pay more for oval and square shapes.

Both Elbesee and Hardwicke Manor are brands that are hard to find in the US. I tried ordering the HM hoop the first time from Criss Cross Row and I DO NOT recommend them. After placing my order online, I got the automated confirmation but no other replies. I wrote them email twice, called them twice (the number they posted as their voice phone was a modem or FAX), and I FAXed them a letter. No response.

Needle in a Haystack on the other hand, was an EXCELLENT company to order from. Most of their staff was away at a trade-show, and they still made it a point to write me and let me know what was going on. Now THAT is great customer service. Once shipped, my hoop got here in a short two days.

Crocheted oversized beret

2008-01-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

I have completed a Crafter's ADD project! What that is is a project that distracted you from another one you were trying to finish. I was trying to do a cross-stitch kit last weekend when I got a sudden urge to crochet a hat. Gotta keep that noggin warm, right - so it can get distracted faster and more efficiently. ;-)

Anyway, I wanted to crochet an oversized beret - these are poplular in Japan this season, and I found it is also popular here.

The Pattern

I found a very easy free pattern at Lion Brand's website.
http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/70053A.html?noImages=

The pattern calls for a much thicker yarn - 6 weight. I had 3 weight, and didn't want to buy new yarn. So some modifications had to be made. I also didn't like their ribbing. The first thing I did was double my yarn. Using a K/10.5 crochet needle, I got 11 hdc equal to 4", and did the rest of the calculations from there. If you want to try my version, here are my notes - I'm not going to write out instructions, so you should probably try a couple rounds of the original instructions just to get an idea of what it's suppose to be like (the numbers are the row number):

Basically, the hat is made up of 8 panels - my notes show one panel. The panels are seperated by 1 ch except around the band (rows 19-21).

To get the vertical ribbing on the band, I'm alternating 1 front post stitch and 2 hdc's. It's not a true rib (meaning, it doesn't have a lot of stretch) so you want to make sure the hole fits your head. On row 21, turn the piece over and do a row of sc's for a clean finished edge.

Once completed, there is a little hole at the top where the ring is:

I opted to cover it with a fluffy pom pom. See this site for instructions on how to make pom poms:
http://nabell1.tripod.com/nppp/howtomake.html

Another option is to add a brim to your hat - it would end up looking similar to the Newsboy Hat I made in the previous blog. Some tips on how to make a brim are over here:
http://mycrochetstuff.blogspot.com/2006/01/beret-cap-with-brim.html

Here is the finished hat:

How to Wear

Berets are very versatile hats. You can wear it low on the forehead, like what I"m doing in the picture, or high up like where you would put a head band. You could wear it flopped over towards the front, back, or one side, or pull the whole thing down over your ears so it looks like the little things they put on turkey legs when they bake them.

Conclusion

In all honesty, this hat was more trouble than it was worth. I like it, but it was time consuming because I didn't have the exact instructions for my yarn size and needle, and had to figure it out by trial and error. Even when I did the math ahead of time, the finished product didn't look right, and I had to take half of it apart.

I would recommend this pattern only if you have the exact materials required (so you don't have to modify the pattern), or want a specific color, or you just want to get rid of some stash. Otherwise, they sell similar hats at Forever 21 for very reasonable prices - under $10. Even if you got paid minimum wage to make a hat, it still wouldn't come under $10.

Sewing Project 10 - Newsboy hat

2008-01-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

I've decided I've got too much fabric and I want to use it up before getting anything new. I used the pink flannel from my last project for this cute hat from Simplicity 3942, which has a great set of accessories. I used this pattern before for my shawl back in project 1.

I did View A which is a sort of newsboy hat but with 6 panels instead of 8. I already did a review of it on patternreview.com, so I'll just cut and paste some sections here:

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I made two - the first one didn't come out right at all, but that was my fault. I missed the part about a 1/2" seam allowance. I was doing 5/8". I also didn't measure my head and assumed I was a small, but I was really a medium. The medium hat did come out like the picture.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I don't like that the hat is unlined. And with 6 panels, that's a lot of seams cluttering the inside, even when I used self-encased seams. Also has an unsightly elastic around the inside.

What it looks like if you just do the printed instructions

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I lined the hat with the same fabric. The elastic and brim allowance are all neatly hidden between the two layers. To add a lining, make the hat following all the instructions but don't do the last step which is to press the elastic inwards.
- Cut 6 additional panels and assemble the same way you did the hat.
- Turn the hat inside out. The brim should be lying flat against the hat, not downwards
- Pin lining inside hat with right sides of fabric facing each other
- Sew through all layers except across the panel in the back so that you are left with an opening.
- Turn the hat inside out through the opening.
- Slipstitch the last panel shut

What it looks like lined

The pattern also requires you to use cardboard for the brim padding. I used Dritz InnerFuse (double-sided stiff fusible interfacing.)

You can also line the inside and brim with another fabric and make a reversible hat.

Conclusion:
Very good pattern for trendy hat. After I made it, I looked up similar hats at Nordstrom's site, and they run around $55. I don't think mine cost more than $5. You can also embelish with embroidery, applique, rhinestones, etc

More pics:

This is the top. I did a better job of matching plaids based on what I learned from my Winter Outfit project.

Me, wearing the hat

Monarch Butterflies at Sperling Preserve

2008-01-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Every winter, the Monarch Butterflies migrate to warmer climates, usually in Mexico. But there is a premier overwintering site near where I live in California - Sperling Preserve on Ellwood Mesa. Nestled in the preserve is a grove of eucalyptus trees, where the Monarch's hang like leaves for most of the winter. Beyond the preserve is a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Our butterflies definitely have good taste. ;-)

These photos were taken in November and January. To see all the pics, come visit my gallery at http://www.loopfree.net/gallery/main.php/v/khrome/

Memorial site for Winda (Tellers) Miller

2008-01-10T22:21:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know that I've created a memorial site for Winda Tellers Miller, who passed away a few years ago. On there, I have posted pics, a list of her favorite things, and music, and I hope to grow the site with your input! If you have any pics, stories, or factoids you'd like to share about Winda - or just want to leave a comment - please come by the site.

http://www.myspace.com/mistisa9memorial

In particular, I'm looking for a more current photo to use as her profile pic since mine is such bad quality. And I'm also looking for Las Aztecas Drill Team pictures (I left my year book in San Diego!!! grr.) If you have any to share, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Feel free to forward this message to people who might know Winda - she attended Silver Wing Elementary School, Montgomery Junior High, and Montgomery High School.

Thanks!
Cynde Callera

cynde dot callera at gmail dot com

Beaded Bookmarkers by Jenny

2008-01-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am very lucky to know so many crafty people! I just discovered another friend of mine, Jenny, is very talented at bead craft. I wanted to share with you a beaded bookmarker that she made that is equally functional and beautiful! They would make an excellent gift for any reader. If you don't read much, Jenny also makes cell phone charms and eyeglass holders. You can check out her items for sale at:

http://beadafulthings.com/

9th Sewing Project - Winter Outfit

2007-12-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since my last sewing project! It was good to get back into it. This one is an outfit that I will be wearing to our family get-together next week. It's actually made up of two pieces - a jumper dress with empire waist, and a hooded capelet. I already had an idea in mind about what I wanted - this is definitely Loli inspired.

The pattern I used for the jumper is New Look 6726

I used a pink plaid cotton flannel with faux fur trim. As far as learning new things - I learned to use the button foot for this one.

The jumper dress

Closeup of fabrics

I love the top-stitching detail

The capelet is a self-drafted pattern. Instead of rehashing it, I'm going to paste my review from patternreviews.com here - it includes instructions for the capelet construction, and how to make fur pom-pom balls. But first the pics:

Hood is lined with same fabric

With the hood on

Hood off, side view

----------------------------------

(from my review at patternreview.com)

Pattern Description:
The pattern instructions are actually for an opera cloak. I drafted it to my measurements, and shortened the length to above the elbow. Here are the original instructions:
http://home.clara.net/arianrhod/Aldebaran/DoItYourself/Cloak03.html

Pattern Sizing:
Whatever you want it to be!

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
It looked how I intended, but the shoulders are too broad. Maybe I shouldn't have made the curve as curvy.

Fabrics used
Pink Plaid Cotton Flannel, Faux Fur trim. Handmade fur pom-poms

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, but I wrote up my own instructions before I started because I wanted to remember to do things that the site didn't mention. My instructions are:

1. Sew hood pieces together
2. Sew hood lining together
3. Sew hood and hood lining together
4. Pin cape pieces together. Check that the neck of the hood and neck of the cape are the same measurements. If cape is larger, adjust pinning down the center seam. Sew cape pieces together
5. Finish seams and hem cape.
6. On hood lining, press under 5/8"
7. Sew hood to cape by joining hood piece to cape, NOT the lining.
8. Pin hood lining so that it covers the hood/cape seam. Top-stich to join hood, cape, and lining pieces together.
9. Baste drawstring into place on outside of cape where the hood joins the cape
10. Pin trim around edge of cape and hood, over the drawstring. Sew into place.

In hindsight, I should have used 4 inch trim instead of 2 inch, and wrapped it around the edge like a binding. If you do that, you can skip the hemming part.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I changed the shoulder width and neck measurements. I left the entire width, 45cm, the changed the angle from shoulder to hem accordingly. I made the hood larger because I have a lot of hair and plan to wear it up, so I wanted room in the hood.

This is important - the bottom edge is tricky when you shorten it. If you leave it as-is, the cape will be longer on the sides of your arms instead of going straight across from the center. So I recommend making a prototype with muslin (or whatever is handy), try it on, pin the sides up where they should be, then re-adjust our pattern.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes, if I had need for another furry capelet!

Instructions for pom-poms
You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find instructions for making pom-poms on the web. There are plenty for yarn ones, but not fur ones. I made this up after examining the ones on my store-bought boots.

1. Cut a 4" x 4" square of fur fabric. In my case, I sewed two pieces of 2"x4" together to make a square.
2. Fold fabric in half. Cut a half-circle using the fold as the straight side. It doesn't have to be perfect.
3. Open the circle and place end of drawstring at the center, going out to the edge (like a radius line.) Sew it to the circle. Backstitch a couple of times - you don't want the string to slip out.
4. Sew a gathering stitch around the edge of the circle.
5. Gather the edge together. When it's a bowl shape, add stuffing material.
6. Gather together all the way until edges are tight around the string coming out. Sew the excess fabric that sticks out flat against the ball.
7. While you were sewing, you might have sewed the fur flat on parts. Simply pick the fur out with your fingers, and fluff to cover the stitches.

How to Make Florist Bow Tree Toppers

2007-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Florist bow tree toppers can make your tree appear whimsical and dynamic! I've been making florist bow tree toppers for several years now, and thought I'd write a how-to. I first saw these toppers on department store trees that were a floor and a half tall! They were quite dramatic. My tree is only 3 feet tall, so you will have to do some math to calculate how much ribbon you will need - I used 15ft for mine. (Hitting the after-Christmas sales is a good time to get lots of ribbon for next year.) EDITED 2/23/08 - I have posted ribbon measurements for a 6-foot tree.

You will need:

wired ribbon - getting the wired kind is important for shaping, unless you just want your streamers to hang straight down. Make sure you select a ribbon with a width that is proportional to your tree.

florist wire to hold the bow together.

an empty paper towel roll or other cylindrical object to form the waves

Make 2 florist bows - Make sure you make the tails a little longer than what you would like them to be on the tree (after you mold the ribbon, they get a little shorter.) This page has some good instructions on how to make the bow:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/howtomakperb.html
Making bows take some practice, so be patient if you don't get it the first time!

Now attach the bows to the top of the tree with the florist wire. One bow should face the front of the tree, one should face the back. I usually put the bows on after the lights are put on, but before all the other ornaments. Using the paper towel roll, form waves by putting the roll under the ribbon, and smoothing the rest of the tail under it.

Continue making more waves down the ribbon. After the one strand is done, finger-mold it more into the shape you want, using smooth movements - do not press or pinch as this will put unwanted ripples in your ribbon.

Experiment with wave-spacing - closer waves at the top and wider waves at the bottom give an illusion of movement:

(my tree from 2004)

Happy decorating!

Perfect Gift for Readers or Laptop Users

2007-12-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

If you are having trouble looking for a gift for someone that likes to read or who uses a laptop, check this out - the BookBuddy II by Amanda Crawford Designs. I first saw this product at a local book fair several years ago. It's a pillow that you can strap hardcover books into and read with ease in bed, or anywhere. The pillow keep you from having to balance both sides of the book, making the book feel weightless! You can actually move the book around with just one hand.

But what actually drew my interest to the BookBuddy was it's ability to be used as a lap desk. At the time, my work had issued me a laptop. I found that bottom of the laptop got really hot - the BookBuddy helps to insulate that heat. All you have to do is attach the included plexiglass top to the pillow and you have an instant desk. Nowadays there are lap desks specifically made for laptops, but none come in different choices of decorator fabrics to match your home!

(this is a pic of mine, with the plexiglass top attached.)

Myrna Alpern designed the first BookBuddy for her grandmother, and soon her invention took off. She says that the BookBuddy is great for people with arthritis or carpal tunnels syndrome. She has sold at book fairs and local stores and advertised by word-of-mouth, but now her products are widely available on her website:

Amanda Crawford Designs

She is very sweet, and will work with you if you are looking for a particular color fabric to match your decor.

8th Sewing Project - Swimdress

2007-09-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is my 8th sewing project - Kwik Sew 2690 swimdress. This is part of my Hawaii vacation wardrobe, as are projects 3 through 7. Making swimwear is a lot different from the other things I've made because it is a stretch fabric - stretch fabrics are more difficult to sew. It also requires different needles, stitch types, and thread. Before I began, I did a ton of research (the best links can be found at the bottom of this post) and here are a list of tips that you can use if are sewing swimwear for the first time:

Tips

- use size 9 to 11 ballpoint, teflon-coated needles. These slide between the knit of fabric without breaking the fibers.
- use polyester or poly blend thread. It has more stretch than cotton, therefore won't break as easily.
- wind your bobbin slowly. Poly thread stretches if you wind it too fast. It can cause your fabric to pucker later on when it relaxes.
- when looking for fabric, note that Lycra is a name brand of spandex (I used to think they were different things.) Swimwear is approximately 85% nylon and 15% Lycra spandex
- use a melt-away stabilizer to keep your fabric from stretching while you sew. I used a brand called Wonder Tape.

Along with my typical alterations to the pattern, I opted to use molded bra cups instead of the recommended sew-in or pin-in types. (The instructions for sewing molded bra cups are at the bottom of this post.) The instructions only show you how to sew around the edge of the cup. I went a step further and zig-zagged across the contures of the cup, sewing the lining against it.

Things I Learned

- sewing a stretch fabric with a 3-point zig-zag stitch and overcast stitch
- sewing elastic onto a garment
- using molded bra cups in a garment
- using melt-away stabilizer
- tension control for stretch fabrics (finally noticed that it's actually opposite of what you would do for woven fabrics.)

The fabric I chose was a 4-way stretch 80% nylon and 20% lycra from eBay. It's a really pretty floral and scrolly pattern on dark chocolate brown. The lining is a nude tone from Denver Fabrics.

Here are the pics:

The swimdress, lying flat

The dress consists of a regular suit underneath made of swim lining and the dress sewn over the top. This is a pic of the body turned inside out. This was the first part of the project, and as you can see, I'm a noob at controlling my zig-zags at this point. Later I got better. My tension is also not set correctly here.

This is the body and dress sewn together - you can see how the pattern has you make faux panties. Even though that saves on fabric, I think next time I will make a whole suit instead of faux panties.

Pics of me wearing the swimdress

Links:

Pattern School - this is a site that will teach you how to make your own swimwear pattern block. Although I didn't have to make my own pattern, this site has TONS of valuable information that can be used when altering a commercial pattern in order to get the best fit. The most useful info I got for this particular project is under "Start Here | Intro to Stretch"
http://www.patternschool.com/

About swim fabric, by Kwik Sew
http://www.kwiksew.com/DealerSite/Books/Swim/SwimFabric.htm

How to Sew Swimwear
http://blog.denverfabrics.com/how-to-sew-swimwear/

More about stabilizers
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00128.asp

How to add molded bra cups to a dress lining
http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/2007/04/19/adding-bra-cups-to-a-halter-top-or-dress/

Fun links about the history of the bathing suit
http://www.victoriana.com/library/Beach/FashionableBathingSuits.htm
http://www.fashion-era.com/swimwear.htm

7th Sewing Proj. - Puffed Sleeves Blouse

2007-08-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

This pattern is Butterick 4985, otherwise known as the pain-in-my-ass-shirt. Everything that could possibly go wrong, did, with this one. But I made it through - I'm still trying to decide if it was worth all the trouble. The other things I've made were much cuter, and took less time and work!

Foot attachments used:

Overcast Stitch Foot
Buttonhole Foot

Finishing techniques - all seams are either French seams or overcast stitch. Alterations to the pattern - narrow shoulders, wider waist. The fabric is 100% cotton, strawberries over yellow check, from Joann's. Strawberry buttons, also from Joann's.

The finished shirt

Closeup of buttons, buttonholes, front gathers and seams

French seams and overcast stiches

Puffed sleeves

Me, wearing. I've been watching a lot of "I Love Lucy" lately, and the puffed sleeves and strawberry print reminded me of the 50's. So I thought it would be fun to do a 50's looking pic. Don't worry, I didn't cut my bangs - they are faux bangs made of my own hair. Maybe I'll write a how-to blog on how to make them. :-)

6th Sewing Project - Empire Dress

2007-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Simplicity 3777 -

Wow, this was a tough project! This is the first pattern I've done that didn't have "Easy" stamped on the cover. The view that I made required 12 pattern pieces which yielded 15 fabric pieces. The most any of the other patterns I've done was 7. This was also the first time making a fully lined bodice. This can be confusing because basically you are putting together all these layers inside out, and you are suppose to be able to flip it and all the seams will be nice and tidy. Easy in theory, hard in practice. Several times, I ended up sewing the pieces the wrong side up. I made good use of my seam ripper in this project, yup.

After much patience, in the end I was happy with the results. There is not one raw edge on this sucker. I even used French seams on the skirt. Of course, there are imperfections here and there, but small ones (I can't stand the big ones, so I end up taking it apart and doing it until it's right.)

Things learned:

How to fully line a bodice and sleeves
How to make French seams
How to make gathers
How to make darts

Foot attachments used - overcast stitch, narrow hem, zipper, and standard.

I love the floral fabric I got from Joann's. It's reminiscent of the classical loli dresses in my previous blog. When I got home with it, I realized that it was made in Japan so I can't help but think it was made for the lolita fashion market. For the contrast band, I used a fabric from a local craft store. It's pink with s subtle scroll design. Both are 100% cotton. For the lining, I didn't want to use polyester - it's too scratchy. I used a cotton fabric with a white-on-white design that I got from Joann's.

Here, you can see the lining, hanger loops, and zipper. The bodice lining is darted.

French seams, and overcast stitch between the two fabrics, and the French Seams.

The front of the dress which has gathers on the bodice, skirt, and sleeves. These are not elastic gathers - these were harder to make.

Me, wearing the dress

5th Sewing Project - Peasant Top

2007-08-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

This project was McCall's 5050 -

This pattern was super easy, that I think it would make a good first or second pattern for beginners. There are no facings or linings, and it wears like a sack so you don't have to deal with fitting. It can be worn on or off the shoulder.

The instructions call for a ribbon to be sewn at the neckline, but I wanted it to be interchangable, so I sewed a loop of thread there instead. I can tie whatever ribbon I'd like on the loop. This is nice because I don't have to put my ribbons through the laundry. :-D I also sewed hanger loops at the underarm seam.

Pics:

I love the print on this fabric. I got it from Joann's.

This is the thread loop right before tying a ribbon to it

Here is the same shirt with three different ribbons

The hanger loop

Wearing the top

Fourth Sewing Project - Trapeze Mini-Dress

2007-07-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well... I had this big entry written up and myspace puked when I tried to submit it. I lost everything I wrote. So now I'm tired, and mad, so I'm just posting the pics. I might update this later. Might. :-)

Pattern - Simplicity 3739

Things learned:

how to make pleats
how to use rolled hem foot
how to make hanger loops
how to install hidden zipper

I used 100% cotton with cherries over subtle pink/white grid print, and satin ribbon trim in Antique White.

The finished dress

Front and back of blind hem

Puff sleeve; bodice lining in same fabric

Pleats under front bodice

Hidden zipper

Satin ribbon hanger loop attached to underarm seam

Me, wearing dress

Some useful sites:

PatternReview.com
How to wear Trapeze Shapes and Silhouttes

Third Sewing Project - Hello Kitty top

2007-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

My third sewing project was Simplicity 4223. I was trying to pick patterns in the order that I thought were difficult, and in hindsight I probably should have picked a dress pattern instead of a shirt. What made this project difficult was that it's a semi-fitted shirt, and I have odd measurements. I made two practice shirts out of muslin in different sizes before I finally figured out I needed to customize the pattern. I am undoubtedly shaped like a pear. Another problem were sleeves - they are a lot more difficult than they seem. I had to rip the seams out several times before I finally figured out how to do them. But in the end, I was pretty happy with how it turned out, and also discovered why store-bought clothes always never look right. It was because of my non-standard measurements. And when your clothes don't fit right, YOU look out of proportion when in actuality it is the CLOTHES that are out of proportion. As you will see from the pics, with a shirt made to my measurements, I hardly resemble the pear that I am.

I used Hello Kitty printed cotton fabric and burgundy satin ribbon. Using the ribbon as a trim on the sleeves and hem were my idea - it was not part of the pattern.

New things learned:

Modifying a pattern to my measurements
Using a staystitch
Using fusable interfacing
How to make frog closures
Making a turned and stitched finish
Easing a sleeve
Using a bias binder foot

My finished shirt

Closeup of frog closures. These are faux Chinese knots - the pattern called for a shortcut. Real Chinese knots take a lot more fabric to make.

Overedge stitching where the sleeve joins the body.

The vertical seam is finished with a turned and stitched finish. The satin hem was applied with a bias binder foot.

Happy Feet! My ever growing foot collection. In this project I used three of them.

Me, wearing the shirt

Second Sewing Project; Self-teaching Technique

2007-05-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

For my second sewing project, I chose drawstring jammie pants - Simplicity pattern 4429

I did the trial version in muslin and made some changes to the pattern. I took 3 inches off the rise so that it sits at my hips instead of my waist, and used different stitches than what the pattern instructions called for. I also sewed the casing with the drawstring inside instead of threading it through at the end (much more efficient), and made two pockets instead of one. The final version was made from 100% cotton flannel, an exclusive JoAnn's print.

The pattern called for all straight stitches, which didn't have a finished look when you were done. So I examined some of the store-bought clothes I have and used the opportunity to try out different stitches on my machine. I learned more of the technical aspects of my machine, and how to use the different foot attachments (in this project I used three.) And now I'm nuts over feet (foot's?) I'm planning to add more to my inventory!

Things I learned how to do:

Buttonholes
Overcast stitch hem
Blind stitch hem
Bar Tack Stitch

Here are the pics -

Side view

Closeup of buttonholes and drawstring

Closeup of overcast stitching

Back of blind stitch hem

Front of blind stitch hem (can't see it? That's the point! ;-) )

Bar tack stitches - reinforces the corners of the pockets

Two views of me wearing them. The pockets are huge, but that's what I intended. I like big cargo-y pockets!

My Self-Teaching Technique

In case you want to teach yourself how to sew, here are some tips on how I am going about it.

pick up a good book that covers all the basics of sewing, preferably one that has step-by-step photographs of techniques - I got The New Sewing Essentials .
Read your sewing machine manual at least one time through. I actually refer back to the manual a lot - it has a lot of info about what stitches to use with certain fabric types and such
Start with a simple pattern. Make something you'd be motivated to finish, like something you'd wear yourself. My cousin started on baby outfits because they didn't use up as much fabric.
Read your pattern instructions all the way through before starting. If you do not understand a terminology, look it up in the glossary of your book. Make sure you understand what they want you to do. The glossary is your friend - use it often
If you have a newer machine, it might have an easy way of doing something built in. Always check your manual just in case.
Sometimes the patterns want you to take short cuts, or they simplify things too much. Always ask yourself, "how can I make it better?" Look at the construction of the clothes that are in your closet for ideas.. This is a good chance to try out different features of your sewing machine.
Set goals for yourself - for each project, make a point to learn something new - it could be a stitch type, or a technique like "easing", or even how to sew around a curve.

Classical Loli Fashion

2007-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

I put together a slideshow of my favorite loli genre, Classical Loli. I collected these images in 2007, but I'm not sure what seasons they came out.

Lolita fashion is a style and subculture that originated in Japan. I first heard about it from my friend, who sent me a link to gothic lolita styles (we were both very into Victorian fashion since junior high, so this was right up our alley!) Since then, I researched all the various subgenres, and was naturally drawn to Classical Loli. Sweet Loli came in a close second. Unfortunately, it's very hard to get these dresses in the US. It's easier to get Gothic and Sweet Lolita dresses because they are more popular. So one of these days, I hope to get good enough at sewing to make my own.

Now on to my inspirations! You can click to pause the pics and see what label makes it. Enjoy

First Sewing Project - Shawl

2007-05-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

First the idea - I was in need of a dressy coverup for evening wear. I hate shopping for clothes, especially if I'm only going to wear it a few times, so this was a perfect opportunity to use my new sewing machine I got back in October. I was in Nordy's and saw this lucious shawl, and then I saw the price tag - $99 for cashmiere - shyah! I went to Walmart and bought a plush light pink flannel, and black beaded trim for $13 and went at it.

I don't have a designated work area, so the dinner table will have to do!

Here, I have the trim, front, and back pieces partially basted. Lots of measuring and rechecking my work to make sure it ends up perfectly rectangular. It would be nice to get one of those mats with the ruler lines to make this go faster.

This is after all my seams were sewn. I think I did pretty good for my first try - there's only puckering in one little spot, and I had to rip the seam out only once because it as all crooked.

I drew my rhinestone pattern in Photoshop by hand. In this pic, I'm about halfway done with applying the hot-fix rhinestones to the transfer sheet. For details on how to make your own rhinestone patterns, check out my other blog entry.

Here is the rhinestone pattern, after ironing it on. I used a Bejeweler for a few stones that didn't stick. For my initials, I used Curlz MT font so that is would match my custom purse by Mimi.

Materials used:2mm Rose, 3mm Light Rose, 4mm Light Rose Swarovski Crystals; 3mm hot-fix Metal Rhinestuds; faux pearl fixed with fabric glue.

Voila! (pay no mind to the unfashionable plaid jammie shorts.) :) Since there are two layers, it's nice and warm, and plushy soft on both sides! Depending on how I drape the shawl over, the design can be on the right or left side.

My first sewing project was a positive one, so I'm looking forward to tackling a more complicated project soon!

ACWW Tea Rooms, Boutique, & Greenhouse

2007-04-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Update

It's been a while since my last AC:WW update, but not much has happened. I got the Golden Axe and did some interior design on my house, since I am all done with pleasing the HRA. The only landscaping since last update was changing that darned garden in front of the shops that I can't seem to figure out what to do with. I pulled everything out, and planted a bunch of Jacob's Ladders along with a few hybrids. I think I like it except that they wilt a lot faster than regular flowers.

In my house are now five little shops. Three are dedicated to a passion of mine - tea! One room is a greenhouse nursery for hybrid flowers. The last room is a boutique. Although most of the rooms use AC:WW carpet and wallpaper, I did have to create some of my own. I had to make a fourth character to hold the seven new patterns.

The seven new patterns I'm using for the interior of the house. Closeups of the patterns
appear in the sections below. Like usual, feel free to copy them.

The Chinese Tea Room

The Chinese Tea Room is the main room of the house. It is inspired by my favorite tea house in San Francisco, California called the Imperial Tea Court. The Exotic and Classical furniture sets worked perfectly for this room, with it's deep rich colors. Hidden behind two screens is a little kitchen where the food is prepared. I didn't like any of the wall options, so I created a pattern that looks like a Chinese rosewood screen.

At a Chinese tea room, you can expect to have the finest selection of loose-leaf teas in green, white, oolong, and black. There is also a type of tea called Pu-erh that is caked and usually used for medicinal purposes. (I haven't acquired a taste for that one.) Tea is served in a gaiwan or covered cup, or ceremony style. Water temperature makes all the difference in making a perfect cup of tea. Most people in the west boil their water way too hot. For green tea, you should be able to put a drop of water in the palm of hand without it hurting you. For black tea, the water should be slightly warmer than that.


Overhead view of room	The kitchen, hidden be- hind two screens	Close-up view

Rosewood wall pattern	The Imperial Tea Court (1)	The Imperial Tea Court (2)

The English Tea Room

If you want to enjoy a European cup of tea, then visit my English Tea Room on the right side of the house. This room was inspired by another real-life teahouse, Lisa's Tea Treasures in San Jose, California. It is decorated in Victorian furniture (the closest I found is from the Regal set) and there is also a cozy fireplace and a phonograph. Maybe if I am not busy serving tea, I will play the harp for you. :)

English Tea Rooms are open for Afternoon Tea and High Tea, as is traditionally done in Europe. You can expect a hot cup of Darjeeling (an Indian tea) with sugar and cream - all served on delicate floral china. Crumpets, scones, jams, and tea sandwiches are also served. Mmm, I just made myself hungry.


Overhead view	Close-up view	Lisa's Tea Treasures (3)

The Japanese Tea Room

For a more formal but intimate tea ceremony, visit my Japanese Tea Room on the left side of the house. For this room, I needed a shoji screen and tatami mats, both of which you can get from Sahara, but she has not yet offered them to me. So I made my own patterns instead. I've seen pics on the web of Sahara's shoji screen, butI rather like how mine came out better. So I will keep it. But the tatami mats have got to go as soon as I get the real ones. There are only two ways to tile patterns, an neither produces the correct way that tatami mats should be laid out.

In the diagram below, you will see how a typical Japanese tearoom is laid out. The tokonoma is a recessed area to display a wall scroll and flowers. Since I can't place just one tile on the wall, I put my wall scroll on a display stand instead. The area called the mizuya is used for storage and food preparation. It is usually covered by a screen. That is why I have some items behind a screen behind the hearth. The tsukubai and lantern should also be outside the house, but once again, limitations of the game.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony would be way too long to go into details here. You can check out the link at the bottom of this blog that goes to the Wikipedia entry on it.


Diagram of the layout of a Japanese tea house (4)	The tsukubai and lantern by the door	Close-up of tokonoma area

Shoji screen pattern	Tatami mat pattern	"Ume" painting on scroll

A real Japanese tea room (5)

The Greenhouse

Since I started playing AC:WW, I knew I wanted the back room to be a nursery. At first I used the Ivy Wall to give it that outdoor effect. But at the last minute, I decided I wanted a greenhouse instead. I think it makes the room look light and airy. So far, I have a few hybrids, dandelions, Jacob's Ladder, and my bonsai collection in there. But none of the collections are complete yet, and I've already maxed out on how many itemsI can put in the room. I'm going to have to start thinking about what I want to keep in there, and what to put in storage.


Overhead view	Close-up view	Greenhouse Glass Pattern

A real greenhouse (6)

The Boutique

The last room - the upstairs room - is the boutique. In there, I display all my custom parasols that match the Japanese lolita fashions I made a few months ago. I also display in-game items that go with the loli dresses, such as bonnets, hats, and hair pins. My town is a one-stop shop for all your loli / garden party / tea party needs!

As far as wallpaper and carpet, I originally had the Lovely set in there but it was a little too loud. So I made my own. The wallpaper was actually inspired by a fabric used on my custom-made purse. The carpet was just some free-form scrolls.


Close-up view	Close-up view	Boutique wallpaper pattern

Boutique floor pattern	My purse that inspired the wallpaper (7)

Credits

Photo from The Imperial Tea Court website
Photo from The Imperial Tea Court website
Photo from Lisa's Tea Treasures website
Diagram from wikipedia.org's entry on "Japanese Tea Ceremony"
Photo from Japanese Guesthouses website
Photo from "Dave builds a greenhouse" gallery
Photo of my purse made by Mimi's Sewing Boutique

ACWW: 15 Week Update

2007-02-13T02:31:00.000-08:00

This is my 15 week update playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on DS. 15 in-game weeks, that is. Although the game is in real-time, I've been resetting the date because there's just not enough to do in one day. I used to play in real-time, but I can pretty much only play after 5 on weekdays. So I couldn't do the time-sensitive content that happened in the daytime.

ETA: I guess I have to stop time travelling. Apparently, it's effecting my red turnip availability. /sigh

Latest Achievements
- Paid off mansion mortgage
- Got Perfect Town Status
- Got gold watering can
- Got green feather

How I got Perfect Town Status
I'm sharing this because I know some people have a hard time getting Perfect Town status. I got it completely by accident, and the way I got it was not documented anywhere (that I can find anyway.) So maybe it will help some people.

In my original design, my fruit orchards were in the NW and South on the map. The orchards were dense - the trees were 3 spaces from each other. Everywhere else was kind of sparse. There were flower gardens in the center and NE of town. As you can see from the map, there's not much going on in the East. Around each house were random flowers.

When I finished laying out my town, I had medium status. One day I decided maximize my chances of growing hybrids, so I replanted all the flowers so that there was the same type around each house. All of a sudden my town status changed! And I didn't have to plant more trees.

So if Pelly tells you you need more green, it doesn't hurt to try rearranging your flowers before planting more trees.

Landscaping Changes

Cedars and and hybrids in front of stores

Benches can be used for events, plays, or ceremonies. Red carpet with rose petals can be used for weddings or fashion shows!

Pools and hedge in front of museum

In the map above, my hybrid garden was suppose to be in the NE, in front of the stores. The hybrids wilted so much that I decided to store them in the house instead because half the time my garden looked like poo. Instead, I planted regular roses and tulips. When I get enough Jacob's Ladders, I will see how that looks as a Jacob's Ladder garden.

I also swapped my apple and cherry orchards because I found out that cherry blossoms are going to bloom in April!! So I wanted the cherry blossoms to be up near the entrance and around the plaza.

The blank area in front of the museum is an iffy area. I originally wanted to do an outdoor garden ampitheater (like my inspiration, Lotusland) but to get a proper looking arc, it would take up a lot of pattern slots. So instead I made benches, and used the museum as a backdrop that can be used for plays, shows or ceremonies. I made a red carpet with rose petals that can be used for weddings or whatever. But I wasn't really happy with the design, so I just re-used my pool and hedge patterns. Maybe I'll break out the benches when I have an actual event to host!

Feng Shui and the Happy Room Academy
If you are trying to go for HRA points, Feng Shui makes a BIG difference. These were my HRA points just one week apart from each other. I gained almost 20,000 more points just by rearranging the same items according to the rules of Feng Shui.

ACWW: Spring Lolita Fashion

2007-02-13T02:27:00.000-08:00

I created five new lolita outfits for spring! Feel free to copy the patterns.

Sweet Berry
Light pink with berry print, white lace trim, with three small pink bows. Unfortunately, the dress pic does not do it justice.

Heart Jumper
Jumper with white top and lacy heart detail. Great for Valentines!

Yellow & Blooms
Soft pale yellow dress, high waist with white bow, scalloped edge with pastel flowers embroidered around the bottom.

Raspberry Decadence
A deeper shade for those spring evenings (and Valentines date /winkwink) Raspberry dress with gold flower print and red lace, over burgundy underdress.

Garden Party
White layered skirt with red roses around hem, and soft pink sweater.

Warcraft fan-art at CafePress (updated)

2007-02-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

2-12-07

I'm reposting this because I just got this pic of MMTT Supermodel, Adam, sporting moomoo taur-taur at Fashion Week (in Iraq)

Woot! Bring on the horns!

10-9-06

I just checked my CafePress account that I put up last month and I've already had some sales! The pic I put up is of a World of Warcraft tauren, done in cute Hello Kitty style. This is what a tauren usually looks like (it's a bipedal cow or bull, basically. ie "centaur")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauren

And this is my cute-ified character, moomoo taur-taur

It is meant as a sort of joke because people that will pick a horde character are not into anything fluffy or cute. So to cute-ify a tauren would make them reel in disgust. teeheeeheeeheee (I eveel.)

Anyway, moomoo actually started off as Hello Tauren with a red bow, but that was too close to copyright infringing Hello Kitty that CafePress wanted nothing to do with it. So I made some changes, and this passed inspection. I never intended to market moomoo products. The logo was actually a very small portion of a fan-art piece I did -

I never finished coloring the pic, and shelved it. But I did show it to my guild and someone said "I'd wear that shirt" and I thought well why not get it printed on a shirt! Thus, the moomoo taur-taur CafePress site was born -

http://www.cafepress.com/moomootaurtaur

It says base price for limited time, but I doubt I'll ever increase it. Not unless there's a rediculous amount of sales. It's cool just having people walking around wearing your logo!

Oh, and if you're interested - this is the part I did color. I sketched it on paper first, and did the inking and coloring in Photoshop. I was trying to do it comic book style. I usually do either fine art OR graphic design, but this was kind of in the middle and new territory. I learned a lot, and it was fun. Maybe one day I'll complete the picture.

ETA: The fan-art piece was suppose to be a beach scene which I was going to send to Blizzard in the summer. In the background was going to be the water, and the murloc and gnome. Murlocs are pesky little beachside critters that you would normally kill. But here, the murloc thinks the gnome is SEXAY. The character on the left is a human. Other than the Hello Tauren logo, her outfit was inspired by Victoria's Secret PINK! collection. The night elf, in the foreground is the hawt race in WoW. So when I drew her, I had Victoria's Secret hawt Brazillian model, Adriana Lima, pose. ... in the catalog, not in real life. :)

What's on my LifeDrive

2007-01-29T02:39:00.000-08:00

This is a list of software that I run on my LifeDrive. Ever since the Handspring Visor, I've been turning these PDA's into mobile computers comparable to UMPC's at a fraction of the cost, just by extensively testing and choosing the right software to run on them. UMPC's have come a long way but still have issues with battery life and usability. I would love to test a Sony Vaio UX, but judging from the reviews I've read it may have a ways to go - too much to warrent the $2000 price tag!

So I'm posting my software here for you Palm OS users. For each software type, I've tested several software demos from different companies, but I am only listing my recommendations. If you want to know what software I tested for a specific category, feel free to send me a message. Most of the demos I got were from Handango, Palm Store, PalmGear, and Tucows.

Office Software
Database - SmartList to Go (used to be ThinkDB and was bought by Dataviz)
Documents - Documents to Go by DataViz - supports MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Adobe PDF (although PDF support needs work)
Projects - Project@Hand supports MS Project

Connectivity
VPN client - Mergic VPN
Remote Desktop client - RemotePlus
Remote File Access - WiFileLT
FTP client - mFTP (I actually did the beta testing for the LifeDrive port. It works great!)
SSH client - pssh
Web Browser - Blazer (I chose this browser back on the Visor, and today it is still the best. Now comes with the LifeDrive.)
IM client - Still looking! VeriChat used to be the IM of choice, supporting AOL, ICQ, and Yahoo, but now they are out of business.. If anyone has a recommendation, please write me.

Multimedia
Video Player - TCPMP
DVD Compression - Pocket DVD Wizard (this is run on your computer, not your PDA. If you download it, check the name because there is another software out there with a similar name. I bought it by accident and was lucky I was able to return it.)
Music Player - pTunes
Audio Books - Audible
Album - TCPMP or Media (Media comes with the LifeDrive)

Hardware
Keyboard - Palm Universal Folding Keyboard

And now, here are some pics of my LifeDrive doing neat stuff!

Here is the keyboard and PDA size compared to a quarter. The keyboard folds to half it's own size:

Using remote desktop to view my laptop screen on my PDA:

Using SSH to connect to a UNIX server:

Using VPN to access network drives:

Using VPN and remote desktop to control a Windows server at work

Using TCPMP to watch Spirited Away:

Nintendo DS Web Browser Review

2007-01-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

This is not out in the states yet but it is in the UK, but I was lucky to get one as a gift for Christmas. :D It's a version of Opera specially made for the DS.

I'm very impressed with how they made use of the dual screens. There are different modes your screen can be in - you can have the dual screens act as one screen, so as you scroll down the top partof the page continues onto the top screen. Or, you can have one screen in full page mode - you cannot see any text unless you have super eagle eye vision, but you can see the general outline of the page. There is a rectangle that you can drag around on this area. Whatever is within the rectangle will be displayed on the other screen in zoom mode.

I'm also impressed with the handwriting recognition. I've had Pocket PC's and Palm, and I have to say this is actually a smarter design. You have two writing areas that can be used for lower case, upper case, or symbols. The character type is toggled by 3 buttons above the writing areas. (this differs from PDAs in that PDAs usually have a seperate writing area per character type.) When you write your character, the software processes it and then displays the character in Arial as a verification. But the purpose of the two writing areas is that you don't have to wait for the processing time - you can continue writing the next character, it's put in a buffer, and by then your other writing area has been processed and cleared. So yeah, you have to switch back and forth, but there is no pausing, even if it's a second, like on a PDA.

The browser comes with an memory cartridge that fits in your GBA slot for, I'm assuming, bookmarks and cache. There doesn't seem to be a way to access the cartridge directly to see what's on it (unless you have a dev tool or something.) If you play another DS game, you do not have to remove the GBA cartridge - it will run just fine.

Limitations - there are limits to what kinds of things you can view on web pages. Most Java or client-side code will not run. More than likely, Flash will not work but I haven't tested it. Speed is another limitation. It's as fast as a PDA web browser, but don't expect anything more. Like PDA browsers, you can set it to enable or disable pictures to increase speed.

All in all, it's fun to have if you are into gadgety things.

Freehand data entry mode

Keyboard entry mode:

Single Screen Mode - both screens are combined to make one long screen

Overview Mode - the full page is displayed on the bottom with a blue box. Area in the blue box is magnified in the top screen. These two screens can be reversed so the magnified one is on the bottom. In which case, you can drag the page around similar to dragging a page in MS Word.

ACWW: Masquerade Party by Meryl of New York

2007-01-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun at the masquerade party today, although I couldn't stay long because I lagged out! I got a Meryl Couture custom costume made - I was a Dreamgirl from the movie "Dreamgirls".

Meryl gave all of us our costumes early. When it was party time, I put on my mask and headed for the gate When I arrived I was amazed by the landscaping I saw! A wide brick road, flanked on either side by a waterway, flowers, and cherry trees. A fashionista flag flew above (reminding me a lot of a Nagel painting), and the festive music and sounds of fireworks filled the air!

I explored the surrounding areas which had more brick pathways lined with colorful flowers. My pics came out fuzzy, but trust me - it looked awsome!

And we got together on the bridge to take a group shot

We played a couple of round of hide and seek, party favors were given out, and a good time was had by all. Then I lagged out!!

Thanks for the good time, Meryl!

ACWW 7 week update

2007-01-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's been 7 weeks since I've started playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on Nintendo DS, and thought I'd post an update.

House

After working the first couple weeks on stocking the museum with winter bugs and fish, I started concentrating on my HRA rating. I'm now at 109k, and I'm working on getting the three-story house model. I have 4 rooms (not including the bedroom) but only one complete furniture set - the Snowman set.

Main room with Snowman set, Ivory Piano, Big Festive Tree, 3 models, hamster, and friend pics. The Snowman set is my least favorite set, but it gets me HRA points.. I can't wait to get rid of it!

Room with mostly Classic furniture and bonsai collection

Room with mostly Exotic furniture. I try to Feng Shui my rooms, but this one has the most "balance". I use the screen to conveniently hide my unsightly turnips. I keep them on the table to keep them from going bad.

This is my newest room, and as you can see is quite sloppy. It's mostly Regal and Lovely furniture.

Landscaping

My landscaping was inspired by Ganna Walska Lotusland in Santa Barbara. It's a beautiful garden that was part of the estate of a silent film actress. When she died, it was preserved and opened to the public. Anyway, my town is nowhere NEAR Lotusland - like I said, it was "inspired by".

This is the main flower garden, where I hope my strategic placement of flowers will yield hybrids! It is surrounded by a hedge and has cobblestone paths

This is my maze garden. At the four corners and the center will be money trees. Right now, I have fruit trees as placeholders. I won't plant money trees until I meet with Katrina to wipe out my bad luck. I'm just superstitious like that!

This is the hybrid garden. My hybrids are currently in storage until the cedar trees are fully grown. I wanted to plant trees around this garden to prevent people from running over my flowers! In the center is a little lilly pond.

I also used the pool pattern in front of the museum. It's still a work in progress. I still have to draw ripples, and draw an alternate top piece with no lillypad.

Dresses

I figured out the right settings for my camera to take better pics of the game, so I re-did the shots from my last post. Since then, I also created another dress called "Tiered Navy". Oh, and Cynde got a new 'do when Shampoodle opened.

The Winter Coat and Santa Hat will be going away soon to make way for my new spring collection so come and get it if you want it!

Patterns

These are my patterns. Although the landscaping ones look similar to other patterns out there, I made them myself from scratch. Some are still works in progress.

Dress patterns

Landscaping Patterns

Visiting "home"

Yes, my town is called "home" because I was dumb and told the the cabbie that's where I wanted to go when he asked. But apparently, a lot of people named their town "home" so I guess I don't feel too bad! Anyway, when visitng, here are the rules:

Please do not run over or pick flowers in the Hybrid Garden or Flower Garden (see my pic of the map). Other flowers around town are free for the picking/destroying

Please do not dig up any cracks.

Please do not step on the crack in the northwest corner because it is my mandatory Pitfall Seed.

Feel free to purchase from the stores

Feel free to take patterns. I have patterns on different characters, so if you want something specific, let me know so I can get it ready for you.

Feel free to take fruit to complete your own town. Please do not take fruit if you are trying to make fast cash

Feel free to fish or catch bugs

If you accidentily pick up a pattern, let me know. I won't get mad - it happens to me all the time. I just want to know so I can replace it quickly.

I don't have a huge catalog, but if you need to catalog something just let me know so I can get those ready for you.

That's pretty much it! I usually play after 5pm PST. If you'd like to visit, send me a message with your Friend Code.

Fashion Design in Virtual Worlds

2006-11-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

I've recently started playing two simulation games that allow you to create image maps for clothes. Yay I can fashion design!

So the first game is Animal Crossing: Wild World for Nintendo DS. I decided to do a line of Japanese gothic lolita fashion (since I love that style but don't buy them in real life cuz I have nowhere to wear them to.) These pics are heavily magnified so they look kind of pixelated (kind of hard to take pics of a screen so small!) I show the pattern, the pattern on a dress, and the pattern on a parasol. To design patterns for Animal Crossing, you do it in-game with a very basic editor, pixel by pixel!

Girly Pink
Basic pink dress, white eyelet trim, white apron

Lace N Bow
Satin pink dress with white lace trim and white satin bow at waist.

EGL
Black velvet dress with corset top and white petticoat

Velvet Lolita
Burgundy velvet (looks red in pic) with lace trim, satin bow at collar, and white petticoat

Winter Coat and Santa Hat
Red coat with white poofy trim and white puff ball tie. Matching santa hat. Special outfit for winter! I might work on a boy version too.

If anyone wants these designs, send me a message with your FC and I will contact you when I open my gates. I don't have my FC set up yet, but will soon.

Second Life

The other outfit I designed was for Second Life. To design for SL, you need a image editor like Photoshop and some basic knowledge of 3D wireframe mapping. After creating your maps, you upload them to the site. But it costs in-game money to upload, so I probably will not be designing many things - I don't intend to pay for membership to the site. I do like how they allow you to be creative though.

This is a Pink and Black Colorblock top and skirt with Hello Kitty screen print. Faux leather belt and flared leg warmers. ETA - I also made the black platform shoes with pink stars.

How to Make Your Own Custom Rhinestone Pattern

2006-09-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Rhinestones aren't for line dancing anymore! They've become popular with hip clothing labels like Bebe and Baby Phat. But if you are like me and are not willing to pay high prices for name brands (especially brands you are not even into), I offer you this alternative. DIY – Do It Yourself.

Hot-fix rhinestones have made it easier to work with rhinestones. These are stones with a little glob of dried glue on the back. After placing the rhinestone on your garment or item, you heat it up with a BeJeweler tool or with transfer film and a standard iron. A BeJeweler looks like a soldering iron, and has interchangeable tips for different sized stone. It's a bit costly, and requires that you be good at freehand art to place your stones in the right place. Or, you can mark your garment with erasable pen (which I decided against since I was using a black shirt). So the transfer method suited my needs best, and that is what I will describe here.

This is breakdown of the various steps I will go into detail on.

Make your pattern
1. You will need a computer, a digital picture of what you want your pattern to be of, and photo editing software such as Photoshop (I use Photoshop in this tutorial.) ADDED 9-19 - you can get a free imaging program here http://www.gimp.org/ . I hear it's the best of the free software. I have never tried it, so I won't be able to offer any help
Buy your supplies
1. If you do not have supplies already, wait to do this AFTER you have a pattern. That way you will know how much of each color crystals you will need.
Apply crystals to transfer film.
Iron design onto garment or item

Make Your Pattern

Open your image in your photo editor. Set your ruler to display inches. Create a new layer – this will be the layer for your dot pattern.

Select your brush tool. Change the tip so that it is the same size as the crystal you want to use. The most commonly used size is 3mm, but they range from 2mm to 7mm.

Start laying down dots equidistant apart, in the new layer. Since I knew I was going to be using quite a lot of crystals, I created new layers with 25 dots on each. This allowed me to easily count them later.

After you are done, hide the original graphic layer so that the dots are on a white background. Then invert the canvas horizontally (in Photoshop, this is under Image / Rotate Canvas / Flip Canvas Horizontally.)

Now, print out your pattern.

Buy your supplies

Now it's time to buy your supplies. To save money – unless you plan on making tons of rhinestone shirts – you should count the number of studs you will need based on the pattern you made.

Another cost-saving factor is deciding whether you want real Swarovski crystals, or just nailheads or rhinestuds. Swarovski's are the most brilliant of studs – they reflect and refract light like a prism. Rhinestuds emulate the cut of a crystal, but are painted with a metallic paint. Nailheads are smooth and dome shaped on top. Here is a comparison photo I took of a 4mm and 2mm Swarovski crystal, and a 3mm rhinestud

Although rhinestuds are not as vibrant as crystals, they can pass very nicely and is a cheap alternative for projects that require a lot of studs.

You will also need to buy, if you don't have these already:

- Silicone transfer film

- Honey Pot with Crystal Stick. This is a little pot of wax and a tapered stick used for picking up and placing studs. It's a lot easier than using tweezers, but you can try tweezers too.

- Optional – protective PTFE sheets that go between your design and your iron, but I found that a clean pillowcase works just as well.

- Item you want to stick the rhinestones on, like t-shirt or jeans.

Here are some recommended sites I have actually bought from, and can vouch for their good service:

http://www.creativecrystals.com/ - for Swarovski crystals, rhinestuds, nailheads, silicone transfer sheets, Honey Pot

http://www.blankshirtstore.com/ - for blank shirts (thanks to Ed for the link!) They also have hats, bags, and misc. household items

http://www.stitch-by-design.com/ – for blank shirts, jackets, hats, bags, blankets, aprons, towels

http://www.americanapparel.net/ – for their own branded blank apparel. However, it's a little pricy if you do not have a wholesaler's license.

Apply crystals to transfer film

Once you have all your supplies, you can start the fun part. Cut a piece of transfer film about half an inch larger than your design. Peel the white backing off. Place it over your design, sticky side UP. Tape it to your paper.

Place studs one by one, onto the transfer paper, with the glue side UP.

Carefully remove the transfer paper and check your design. Make any adjustments if needed – placement, wrong colors, etc.

Iron design onto garment or item

Preheat your iron to approximately 280-300 degrees (on my iron, I don't have degrees labeled. So I used Cotton with no steam.)

Place the transfer on your garment where you want it, sticky side DOWN.

Place a PTFE sheet or clean pillowcase over the transfer.

Heat the transfer evenly with the iron for about 30 seconds (if using a pillowcase). If you are using PTFE sheets, 12-15 seconds for 3mm and 4mm studs. Longer for larger studs.

Allow garment to cool, and carefully peel back the transfer sheet. If any rhinestones are loose, replace the transfer sheet and iron again. You can use the tip of the iron for a more precise placement, or this is where a BeJeweller would be handy.

Voila!

You now have a shirt that cost half, even less, than those name brands, that looks just as good AND has your own personal graphic on it. Woot!

lüm Bun Covers are Out the Door!

2006-09-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

Last year I had planned to make bun covers and sell them online (yes, people do actually buy this stuff!) But I got sidetracked by other projects when I was in the middle of developing the eCommerce site. A friend of mine knew I was making them, and asked me last week if she can buy some for her church craft bizarre. I already had 8 made and cranked out two more. Tonight I packaged them and will give them to her tomorrow.

Here are some pics. If you don't know what a bun cover is, it looks like this:

Here are two pics of the construction. This was when I first came up with the pattern:

Here are the finished bun covers, solids and multicolors:

Wrapped and packed and out the door:

Quarterly Hair Pic and Hair Care Routine

2006-08-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

Length is 33"

Wash hair every 2 to 3 days so not to strip of natural oils
Rotate the following products each wash to prevent buildup
- Avalon Organics Ylang-Ylang and Mica Shampoo/Conditioner
- Collective Wellbeing Moisturizer Shamoo and Quick-Fix Conditioner
- (third product to be determined)
follow wash with camellia oil on ends to prevent dryness and split ends
ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse every 1 to 2 weeks to restore ph balance
Dry with Aquis Lisse Crepe microfiber towel and turban. Microfiber is gentler on hair, and is super absorbant. Cuts down drying time.

Styling / Color

Straight down, braids, or buns using hair sticks, Amish hairpins, or scrunchies
Control baby hairs with Nature's Life Aloe Vera Gel with Lavender. Works as well as any hair gel, and good for your skin too.
Combs - I use a plastic wide- tooth when hair is wet, and for spreading conditioner. I use boxwood combs on dry hair because wood is less prone to cause static. Static creates dryness and splits!
Color touch-up every few months with Redken Color Fusion, Double Lights (for use on dark hair. For light hair, use Double Blonde. Double Fusion lightens your hair up to four natural levels.)

Recommendation: Mimi's Sewing Boutique

2006-07-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a gadget freak, and I've always had a problem finding bags with enough pockets to keep everything from jumbling around in it. I don't buy a new purse that often, but when I do the ritual is a pain. The bag must be under a certain size, must contain X amount of pockets of Y and Z size, and must somewhat nice looking. I would buy a bag, use it for about a week and find out it doesn't work for me. Then it goes into the closet to wait for someone to liberate them from me (usually my mom or Salvation Army.) This ritual has earned me the title of "bag lady" by my close friend.

I started my quest on eBay, searching for "pink black bag". After sifting through tons of bags, I saw these really nice custom diaper and knitting totes made by Mimi's Sewing Boutique. I went to her website and found out she made purses too. I started conversing with Mimi (Melda) who was very responsive, professional, and accomodating. I gave her the dimensions of my gadgets, and she worked those sizes into her purse design. I got to pick my purse style, fabrics, monogram, handle type, and closure type. Melda quoted me 3 weeks but she actually finished it under a week.

Today I received my purse! I was immediately impressed by the craftsmanship and attention to detail. Melda uses decorator fabrics, so the bag is very sturdy. Best of all, my gadgets fit perfectly, with plenty of room to spare in the middle.. The design is such a nice change from urban messenger bags or padded electronics bags - even lunch pails - that I've used as purses in the past. Melda's nitch are mom's and crafters, but I think she can add a new one - the office girl.

I'm pleased with the results, as well as the entire process working with Melda. I would definitely recommend her, and would buy from her again. And now for the pics -

Here are Melda's links:

Mimi's Sewing Boutique eBay store
Mimi's Sewing Boutique Website

Recommendation: Kodak EasyShare Gallery

2006-06-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

If you haven't discovered Kodak's EasyShare Gallery - it's great. In the digital age when people are printing pics at home, photo developing places need to come up with a way to stay in the game. Kodak, IMO has made a really good move by providing printing services on items you can't print at home, like books, canvas, mugs, shirts, etc.

I can't vouche for shirts as I think they can only print on white, therefore you can get the same service at cafepress. But I can vouche for their 20"x30" posters, photo books, and calendars.

Turnaround time was a week for my photo book. Photo books are a great way to preserve your digital pics in print. Here was the results of my Hearst Castle photo book:

Cover is leather (you have your choice of linen, leather, and faux leather) with a window cut-out. There is a sheet of vellum between the cover and first page:

http://www.eccentricus.net/khrome/images/hearstphotobook/cover.jpg

Different pre-defined layouts incorporate text and pics

http://www.eccentricus.net/khrome/images/hearstphotobook/dedicationpage.jpg

http://www.eccentricus.net/khrome/images/hearstphotobook/fullbleed.jpg

http://www.eccentricus.net/khrome/images/hearstphotobook/largehorz.jpg

http://www.eccentricus.net/khrome/images/hearstphotobook/vertbleed.jpg

I also had a calendar made from family pics. The paper is good quality but my only beef is that it's not standard calendar size - it's 8.5"x10" when folded. I also wish it were stapled instead of spiral bound. Nevertheless it still came out really nice (sorry, no pics.)

EasyShare's main purpose is to share pics with other people and allowing them to order prints for themselves. Ever have a family function and everyone asks you for reprints of photos? Now you can tell them "go to the website!" :) When you or your friends order prints, it comes on thick photo-quality Kodak stock rather than the thin stuff you can get for your printer.

Here is the link

http://www.kodakgallery.com

Remember, it is always better to take your pics in the highest resolution possible if you want them printed at any size larger than 4"x6". So check your camera manual on how to set your resolution.

How to get a Brazillian Butt Lift on a Budget

2006-03-18T02:24:00.000-08:00

I was watching Dr. 90210 the other day, and this woman wanted a Brazillian Butt Lift. It's like a boob job for your behind, usually done by liposuctioning fat from some other part of you and inserting it in your butt cheeks. Anyway, this woman talked about how she's tried all sort of things before resorting to surgery, like doing squats a million times a day. Well no wonder why it wasn't working for her! Squats strengthen the back of your thighs, and if you are doing it correctly (by tilting your pelvis slightly inward to avoid lower back injury) then you will actually succeed in making your bum FLATTER.

Rather, you should be doing this exercise instead. It kind of looks like a ballet move. Stand straight, and while trying to not move your upper body, lift one leg behind and away from your body. Do not bend your knee. Do you feel it in your butt cheek? Good! Now you can isolate that muscle. Squeeze it and hold! Rinse and repeat. Do both sides equally, or you'll end up with an ASSymetrical butt.

Also you can round out your butt and hips even more by doing the same thing, but lifting your leg straight out to the side. Now the muscle that you will isolate is in the hip area.
When you do these exercises for the first time, don't worry that you can't lift your leg off the ground much. You will be able to lift higher over time, but it actually doesn't really matter how high your leg is.

You can do these exercises anytime you are standing around, like while washing dishes or something. Follow my instructions, and you'll be sporting a booty like JLO's in no time. I offer these tips from the kindness of my heart, but I do take donations - please send your money to my PayPal account. Thank you and come again!

current hair care routine

2005-10-29T01:25:00.000-07:00

My hair type, according to Fia's rating system is 1bM/Ciii. Straight, with very slight wave, medium to coarse texture, thickness greater than 3 inches.

After experimenting a few months, I've settled on this routine.

shampoo/condition every other day with Avalon Organics Nourishing Shampoo and Avalon Organics Nourishing Conditioner. These contain no harsh ingredients or silicones.
Followed by a pea-sized amount of Now Refined Shea Butter on the ends of hair. Helps to moisurize, and retain moisture, thus preventing splits.
ACV and honey rinse once a week. It's done between shampooing and conditioning. ACV (apple cider vinegar) removes buildup, restores pH balance, and makes your cuticles lie flat (so your hair appears shinier.) Honey adds volume. My recipe is: 2 cups water, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey.
Drying and combing - allow hair to air dry. I use a wide tooth comb when wet and a wide tooth Chinese boxwood comb when my hair is dry. Wood combs cause less static, also preventing dryness and splits.
weekly S&D - search and destroy. snip all bad ends

buyer beware - DDR dance pad

2005-10-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago or less, I bought a Dance Dance Revolution 2-in-1 Deluxe dance pad made by some no-name brand. I have been using the original vinyl Konami pad for over 2 years, consistently at least 3 times a week, so I felt I deserved an upgrade. The new pad had a foam insert, which is easier on your joints, and doesn't slip across the floor. Anway, the stupid thing broke after a few weeks of having it, for no apparent reason. I was pretty mad because Fry's, where I got it, was kind of far to go just for an exchange. We went anyway, and they exchanged it with no problems.

So now, I've had the new one for less time as the first one, and it broke again! Once again for no apparent reason. I haven't even used it more than 5 times. Coincidentally, the headset that my boyfriend also bought at Fry's broke this week. I'm starting to think Fry's is cursed. So this weekend we're making a special trek just to get our crap replaced. In my case, I'm asking for a refund - it's obviously faulty workmanship.

So buyer beware - don't get the DDR 2-in-1 Deluxe game pad that comes in a bright green box with an anime-girl on it. I think the brand is A3 but I'm not sure. I know it's crappy workmanship because we opened the case and tested the circuit board. We also opened my original plain vinyl Konami pad to compare the innards. The Konami board was nicely labeled and professionally soldered. The generic brand look like it was falling apart.

Hopefully I'll get a refund, and I'm sticking with a well-known brand like Konami or Ignition.