the unemployed crafter

seventyeight: xmas presents

2009-12-10T21:43:00.007-05:00

below are some new pieces i made recently. i think most of them will be given away for christmas, so beware you may be looking at your christmas present. the pictures are not great. since i have moved i have not been able to figure out the best way of taking photos. i have also been lazy and not wanted to put the time/effort into taking good photos.
i went to a show put on by students at the corcoran college of art and design. i noticed that each of them had websites and business cards. i don't know if this is something that the school encouraged, but i think it is a good idea. as i have mentioned before, i would really like to have a site in which to display all of my work in one place, rather than just a blog. i think i should work on doing this. i was also encouraged after seeing people's works. there were some pieces that i could not make, but there were quite a few that looked like something i could do (and i think i do a better job). that made me feel great. at some point, i might consider doing the jewelry certification program that they have there.
i signed up for a silver smithing class at the torpedo factory in alexandria. it is going to start in february, i am getting pretty excited about it.

seventyseven: worst blogger. ever.

2009-11-02T22:16:00.005-05:00

i think this has been the longest amount of time i have gone without posting since i started this blog over a year ago. as i have vowed in almost all of my recent posting, i will start to update more often! i promise! i have been quite busy though, i moved since my last posting and i have only now been able to take photos of my recent creations. i don't really like these pictures, but i thought i would show what i have been up to recently.
the necklace is below is my favorite of the necklaces i have made. my boss bought some beads for me from new york, i used a lot of them here:
i had two necklaces that i never wore very much, they were long single-strands. i did not take pictures of them before i made the necklace below. i get a ton of compliments on this one when i wear it. i like it a lot. the green, pink, grey, and black make it a really versatile piece.
this is not finished. i can't decide how i feel about it. i go back and forth on whether or not i should finish it.

seventysix: sometimes i fix my mistakes

2009-08-26T21:02:00.003-04:00

my sweater is finished. it looks good. can you tell where the hole was?

seventyfive: sometimes i do stupid things

2009-08-24T22:07:00.004-04:00

while trying to take pills off of my cardigan with a disposable razor i accidentally cut a hole on the side of my sweater. i love my cardigan, so i have been trying to figure out what to do to fix my stupidity. i have started beading over the hole and on the side in order to cover my repair. i will post pictures once i have finished with it.

seventy four: cork + hot glue = happiness

2009-08-24T20:19:00.005-04:00

i keep corks left over from my parents' wild wine nights, i have now saved up several hundred wine corks (over the past couple of years). i am always trying to figure out how i can use the corks as well as the other stuff i have in my crafts room. last week, i decided to cover the inside of a wine box with corks, to make a pseudo cork board for jewelry. it took me a while to cut all the corks and then to glue them, but i think the final product looks pretty good. i didn't like any of the push pins i had available, so i decided to make my own. i grabbed some mismatched beads and some old sewing needles and voila! i can't wait to start using this to keep all my earrings.
i made push pins using needles and leftover beads. i think they look really good. especially in the cork box.

seventythree: time wasters

2009-07-24T21:40:00.002-04:00

so, i don't have much new news to report, i have not taken any new pictures, and i have not read/seen anything interesting. since i have very little to share, here are some of the new places i have found to waste my time on the computer:
***mtv's the real world is currently filming in dc. much of the city is against these newcomers, but i am fascinated by them. i think i have a not-so-secret desire to become a member of a future real world house. of course, i might be too old to be one of them. anyway, one of the neighbors of dc's real world house has started a blog: the anti-real world dc.
***spotted: dc summer interns is another great blog. different people contribute stories (most of them hilarious) about the escapades of young interns around town. i don't find the influx of interns in the summer quite as annoying as many of the posters, but i do appreciate their antics.
***for good celebrity gossip and other girly things i love going to the frisky.
***i heart the office and i super heart mindy kaling. she is really funny and has a really clever sense of humor. i wish she updated her blog things i bought that i love more often, but she doesn't.

seventytwo: new pics

2009-07-13T22:01:00.000-04:00

seventyone: you shall above all things be glad and young

2009-07-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

i love e.e. cummings. here is one of my favorite poems by him:

you shall above all things be glad and young
for if you're young, whatever life you wear

it will become you;and if you are glad
whatever's living will yourself become.
girlboys may nothing more than boygirls need:
i can entirely her only love

whose any mystery makes any man's
flesh put space on;and his mind take off time

that you should ever think,may god forbid
and (in this mercy) your true lover spare:
for that way knowledge lies,the foetal grave
called progress,and negation's dead undoom.

i'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance.

-e.e. cummings

seventy: i have too many beads

2009-07-03T18:17:00.009-04:00

i have not posted in a while, essentially because i have been busy watching 90210 reruns (that is what i am doing right now). i was never allowed to watch it when i was younger, so now i watch it whenever i get the chance. it is a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine.
earlier today i cleaned up my craft room and assessed my collection of beads. i love my beads and i love getting new ones, but i am beginning to think that i should stay away from purchasing any new beads in the near future. it took me quite a while to get everything properly organized (by color and/or size), but now that they are arranged i like to look at my great organizational accomplishment.

sixtynine: who's watching the watchmen?

2009-06-06T21:01:00.003-04:00

i wrote this a while ago, but never got around to posting it:
i have never been much of a comic book fan, in fact, before reading this novel i don't think i have ever read a comic book or even had any interest in reading one. however, after hearing praise for watchmen and noting that it appears in times list of 100 best novels, i decided to give it a try. i enjoyed it for the most part, although it was hard to get into the pace of reading a graphic novel. i often got in the bad habit of reading the dialog and forgetting to look at the pictures, this caused some confusion for me later on. all in all, i am glad i read it, but wouldn't read it again. i do think though, that to truly appreciate this novel you would have to read it several times and actually look closely at the details in the drawings. i am look forward to seeing the movie, when that is released on DVD.

sixtyeight: egghead

2009-05-31T20:30:00.004-04:00

sorry i have not posted in a while. i wrote this posting a couple weeks ago and forgot to publish it:
this weekend i made 4 dozen deviled eggs, which means that i made 96 halves (i think my math is correct). my cousin had a graduation party on saturday and i was asked to make up the eggs by my aunt. somehow, among my family members, i have managed to gain a reputation for my deviled eggs. even though, i am fairly certain none of my relatives (with the exception of my grandmother) have ever had my deviled eggs. anyway, i was happy to do it, although i was questioning my decision when i was piping the yolk mixture into the eggs. unfortunately, in all of the excitement, i forgot to take a picture of the 96 finished products. just know, that they looked and tasted delicious!

sixtyseven: vicky christina barcelona

2009-05-31T20:24:00.001-04:00

i have started noticing a disturbing trend in modern day films. they do not have plots. or at least they don't have a storyline that keeps the viewer's interest. on friday, i saw vicky christina barcelona. i was interested to see it, as I have heard nothing but good things. i was sorely disappointed. the movie chronicles vicky (rebecca hall) and christina (scarlett johansson) and their summer in barcelona. of course, there is a handsome spaniard involved (javier bardem) and a neurotic ex-girlfriend thrown into the mix (penelope cruz). the problem i had with this movie was the same problem i had with rachel getting married - the characters were less than compelling and the plot was somewhat lacking. of course, both movies had great actors that performed well, i just wish they had put their energy into better films.

sixtysix: i'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be owning all the fines

2009-05-28T13:29:00.004-04:00

i am obsessed with bon iver's album for emma, forever ago. obsessed. i have not stopped listening to the album, since i first got it a week ago. according to wikipedia, justin vernon, the band's leader, recorded most of the songs in a remote cabin in wisconsin. he went there after the end of a relationship (i assume that would be with 'emma'?), the break up of his band, and his recovery from mono.
this definitely feels like a breakup album, with most of the songs sounding ghostly and ominious. i don't always understand the meaning behind his lyrics, but i think the overall melody and the layered harmonies are more significant than the words he uses.
i have heard a few songs from his latest release, bloodbank. i think it hits more positive notes than his first album, but still has the same wonderful sound.

skinny love, re: stacks, and blindsided are my favorites. you should check them out.

sixtyfive: bleh

2009-05-15T19:28:00.000-04:00

i have not been blogging in a while, instead i have been spending/wasting my time on the internet looking at several different sites:
fmylife - a message board where people write short notes about embarrassing/awkward/hilarious things that have happened to them. with each post you will either cringe or laugh out loud.
missed connections on craiglist - i am not sure why, but i have become obsessed with checking this (i pretty much do so daily).
rooms to rent on craigslist - i am really ready to move and i have given up on waiting for my friends that are looking for jobs. so, i have started looking at prices of rooms and figure out what is out there.
okcupid - i like to read people's 'self summaries'. stop the judging.
slate.com - i love this site. great articles.

sixtyfour: wired

2009-05-04T21:33:00.001-04:00

as i mentioned in my previous post, i have become quite interested in wire work. since i am new to working with wire, i have only been doing fairly simple designs, but i think they still look quite sophisticated. i love the color of the copper, i think it gives a little quirkiness to a necklace that would otherwise be a bit too serious. all of the necklaces below are one strand and are fairly long.

sixtythree: inspiration

2009-05-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

sometimes when i am bored or watching twilight for the third or fourth time (as i am right now), i like to look at the jewelry that is being sold in different stores (anthropologie, br, etsy...). i found these earrings the other day and was inspired to try something similar. they appealed to me mainly because i am becoming quite interested in wire work at the moment. all of my attempts at making exact copies were failures, but i really liked some of the simpler earrings i ended up creating. i wore three different pairs to work and received a number of compliments, which was a welcome surprise.
please don't judge me too harshly for using silver findings - i did not have any copper ones on hand. the earrings in the last picture are my favorite, they are a great weight, length, and the mother of pearl beads have a nice shimmer.

sixtytwo: little dorrit

2009-05-01T21:35:00.007-04:00

i love bbc period dramas. in general, my standards are pretty low, throw a couple of actors dressed up in 18th/19th century costumes and have them speak in flowery language and i am completely sold. luckily, bbc has incredibly high standards (unlike me) for all of its period pieces. the acting is almost always impeccable, the costumes are beautiful, and the stories are fascinating (thanks in part to dickens, austen, gaskell, the brontes, etc.).
i recently finished watching one of the more recent productions, the 14-episode adaptation of dickens' little dorrit. i had never heard of this novel, so i watched this series with very few expectations. this is not one of my favorite bbc productions, the title character was a little bland among all of the eccentric personalities featured, i found the final episode a little confusing, and i was left with a number of questions that were not addressed by the end. as i said, i am not familiar with the original work, so i do not know if this is the fault of the novel or the adapters. i still did enjoy the series and would recommend it to anyone interested in this genre of film.

sixtyone: dissed by the washingtonian

2009-04-21T21:02:00.003-04:00

well, i have got bad news, the unemployed crafter was overlooked on the washingtonian's list of the best dc blogs. i know you are all in shock, i am having trouble coming to terms with this myself. i am thinking that the main cause of the problem may be the fact that they didn't have a best craft blog category (i would have clearly been on that list). here is my strategy for making next year's list: 1.update my blog more regularly 2.go to different dc social events, tell everyone i am a blogger, and look shocked when they have never heard of my blog 3.increase my following among dc's young & hip 4.meet someone from the washingtonian and get them to take a look at my blog - it is always handy to have someone on the inside.

sixty: let the right one in

2009-04-20T21:51:00.003-04:00

i finally finished let the right one in by john ajvide lindqvist. i had first heard about the novel when the movie adaptation of the same name came out late last year. the novel was originally written in swedish and the movie was done by a swedish director. the rights of the film have now been bought by one of the major hollywood companies. it is set to be directed by the same person who directed cloverfield.
it took me much longer than i expected to actually finish the novel. the story is essentially about the relationship between a young boy and a neighborhood vampire, but beware this is no twilight knock off. on the cover, there are comparisons to stephen king, which i think probably ring true. as i have never read a stephen king novel, i do not know for sure, but it certainly had the dark overtones that i suspect a stephen king novel would contain. this novel dealt with some pretty gritty subjects - pedophilia, violent school yard bullying, revenge, and murder. while there were also some heart warming moments in the novel, most of it raised the hairs on the back of my neck (there was an especially awful moment that involved a number of cats towards the end). i would only recommend this novel to vampire-stephen-king-lovers, the story is just not compelling enough for those of us that do not enjoy a good scare. i still have not seen the film, but i have high expectations (it got rave reviews when it first came out).

fiftynine: thao with the get down stay down

2009-04-19T18:26:00.003-04:00

on friday night, i went to see thao with the get down stay down at black cat (a local dc music venue). her latest album, we brave bee stings and all, was critically acclaimed and she is now starting to make it 'big' in the states. thao, who is now 25, went to thomas jefferson high school (tj, to us northern virginians) and to william & mary for undergrad. it is nice to see a local gal doing well on the national scene, even if she has relocated to san fransisco.
i was a little disappointment by the concert. first of all, the second opening act, sister suvi, was awful. they took themselves far too seriously and just didn't sound very good. i think thao and tgdsd sounded great, but they did not interact with the audience as much as i would have liked. there was great energy in the crowd, so i am not sure why they did not play it up more. even if she didn't do as well as i had hoped, i still highly recommend her music.
the washingtonpost had an article on her yesterday.

fiftyeight: bsg

2009-04-13T19:34:00.005-04:00

what a disappointment. i finally saw the last episode of battlestar galactica and it definitely did not meet my expectations. i was looking forward to a few final plot twists and surprises and i got none. instead, they tied all the knots, but also left gaping holes and inconsistencies. the two-hour long finale felt more like the end of one of my brother's intergalactic video game than a tv show.
i thoroughly enjoyed the series as a whole. it was not just for sci-fi lovers, but for people who enjoy a good story and interesting characters. i hope that the prequel (set to be released on dvd later this month) will make up for the poor series finale.

fiftyseven: out of the oven

2009-04-12T19:49:00.004-04:00

yesterday was day 10 for my amish friendship bread, that means it was baking day! the bag had been unrefrigerated & fermenting since i received it. so, when i opened it, the dough smelt a lot like glue - not very appetizing. i didn't actually read the recipe before i started putting everything together, i assumed that since the recipe is from the amish there would be no surprise ingredients. of course, i was wrong. apparently, the amish use vanilla/chocolate powdered pudding (who knew?). luckily, i managed to find a box in the cupboard. it expired october '07, but i still used it. it tasted and looked perfectly fine. after adding a ton of sugar and and chocolate chips it was ready to bake. one of the loaves is already finished and i plan on bringing the other one with me to work.

fiftysix: broken ceramics

2009-04-12T19:28:00.005-04:00

not sure what my obsession with broken ceramics is, but i am really into using them in my photos. i have been keeping bits of broken ceramic mugs/cups/pots for a while now in the hopes that i will do some mosaics. i tried to incorporate a few shards in my jewelry (a la broken plate), but was not successful.
below are some of the better pictures i took today:

fiftyfive: friendship bread

2009-04-04T08:59:00.000-04:00

on friday i was given an amish friendship bread starter. according to the pamphlet that came along with the starter, it originated with the amish and only they know the recipe. of course, i managed to find starter recipes all over the internet.
there is a ten day process before baking the bread. the first five days consist of 'mushing' the bag, on the sixth day i add several ingredients. i then continue 'mushing' the bag until day ten when i add more ingredients and throw it into the oven. before i add the final lot of ingredients i need to take four cups of the batter out and put each into a separate gallon bag. i am then suppose to give away each bag to a friend and they continue the cycle. i am only on day two, so i still have a bit of time to contemplate who my lucky four friends will be...

fiftythree: robert frank

2009-03-30T09:09:00.000-04:00

two weeks ago, i was lucky enough to have my friend jenn visit me for several days. while she was here, we visited the holocaust museum, torpedo factory (an old torpedo factory converted into dozens of art studios), and walked around old town alexandria. by far, the most interesting thing we did was visit the robert frank exhibit at the national gallery. i am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to ground-breaking photographers, so i had never heard of robert frank until this exhibit. i did, however, recognize several of his photographs. i found his photos riveting. i found most his photos timeless and relatable, especially in this time of economic crisis, as i see sad undertones with a number of his subjects.

fiftyfour: never let me go

2009-03-29T21:27:00.000-04:00

on thursday, i finished my latest novel for my book club. the book, never let me go by kazuo ishiguro, was excellent and i am really looking forward to discussing it. it took place in a world almost exactly like today, with one exception (which i will not reveal). i found the story somewhat reminiscent of margaret atwood's the handmaid's tale, but more entertaining. don't be turned off by the fact that the novel is considered 'sci-fi', it is certainly not your traditional sci-fi novel.
after wiki-ing the novel, i found that the movie is in pre-production with some great actors. i am most looking forward to seeing andrew garfield in the role of tommy. andrew garfield was in the movie boy a last year - a movie that will stay with you a long time after it is over. keira knightly is set to play kath and carey mulligan of the bbc's bleak house production will be ruth.

fiftytwo: velma? really?

2009-03-28T14:38:00.004-04:00

so, i have had something on my mind for the past couple of days. on wednesday, i was told by several of my coworkers that i look like velma from the scooby doo cartoons. apparently, this has been something that has been going around the office in the past few weeks. i must say, this hurts my ego a little bit, but i suppose there are worse cartoon characters i could look like...shrek, for instance.

fiftyone: newspaper + broken plate + necklaces

2009-02-15T21:22:00.009-05:00

fifty: newspaper + white bowl + colored hoops

2009-02-14T21:09:00.006-05:00

fortynine: it is not the power of the curse, it is the power you give the curse

2009-02-14T19:18:00.002-05:00

i saw the movie penelope today for the second or third time. the few times i have seen it, i really enjoyed it. james mcavoy speaks with an american accent, which is a little irritating, but besides that the movie is a high quality fairytale/fantasy, beauty and beast-esque romance. a perfect movie for valentine's day.
on wednesday, i went to ira glass' book signing at a border's in town. ira glass is currently promoting the release of the second season of this american life on dvd. i have only seen part of an episode of the tv show, but i am a great fan of the radio program. i am always a little worried that i am setting myself up for disappoint when i go to see authors/musicians/artists that i love. luckily, ira glass was no disappointment. he was entertaining and down to earth. he spoke for a short time about what he learnt about television from his show and then took questions from the audience. i was interested to find out that a number of radio fans are unhappy with the very idea of the tv show. i must admit, i am not sure how i feel about the transition to tv, but after hearing him speak, i am eager to see the show. to those of you who have never listened to this american life, i highly recommend it. below is a list of some of my favorite episodes:
middle of nowhere
testosterone
break-up
what i learned from television
the audacity of government
the ghost of bobby dunbar
special ed

fortyeight: tangled

2009-02-05T20:19:00.001-05:00

before.
after.

fortyseven: exploring

2009-02-02T19:32:00.001-05:00

sometimes i like to explore the blogging world. today i found:
an italian blog called "football against the enemy". i am not sure what it is about, but i love the name
a blog called "not plain jane" written by a knitter who is also battling cancer
one blog that gave me a few travel pangs
amy stein's blog ( it was noted on the blogger dashboard today)
and this one which has a number of photos of spain, i believe. after looking at these photos, i am longing for my days there.

fortysix: collage

2009-02-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

i used to collage a lot when i was younger. when i lived in spain, for my last two years of high school, i collaged a large wall in my room. and while in middle school, i essentially covered all the wall space in my room with photos, drawings, and other objects. i have now graduated from collaging walls to objects. in the summer of '07 i decorated this set of drawers from ikea. i keep the drawers on my desk and enjoy looking at them.
i made this last summer from a chinese newspaper i got at a local restaurant. i spray painted the corks in the middle to create greater contrast with the newspaper. this frame was a bit of an experiment. i have found that newpaper and liquid polyurathane do not mix well (the polyurathane causes the back image of the newspaper to come through the front). to avoid the back images bleeding through i sprayed several light layers of spray polyurathane over the frame first and voila the problem was fixed. i stilled used the liquid poly to get the nice yellow finish and gloss. when the weather gets warmer i think i may make a few more frames - i picked up some arabic newspapers that i am planning to use.

fortyfive: i'm a milliner

2009-01-23T19:45:00.011-05:00

in the past three weeks i have crocheted three hats. one for each of my parents and one for myself. i was inspired by a hat my mom made me a few years ago (i did not take a picture or it, because i lost it somewhere in my room) and a hat my friend jenn was wearing during the inauguration. jenn has been after a knitted beret ever since we saw the movie elizabethtown (note the red hat kirsten dunst is wearing) and she was finally able to find a similar one this winter. i was unsure how my version of the beret would turn out (the top two pictures), because i did not use a pattern, but i think it looks surprisingly good.

fortyfour: i went to the inauguration

2009-01-23T17:40:00.006-05:00

i went to obama's inauguration on tuesday. it was a pretty amazing.
i went to the inauguration with three other friends. we met up at my house and were aiming to leave around 7:30, but didn't get out of the house until around 8. we were suppose to take a bus into the city, but after talking to a number of people that didn't know anything about the bus we decided to brave the crowds on the metro. after seeing several trains go by without taking any passengers (because they were totally full) we decided to take an outward bound train and stay on it until it went towards the city. it took about 15 minutes to get to the last stop on the line, but then another 1 1/2 hours to get into dc (a ride that would usually take about 20 minutes). everyone was excited and towards the end of the ride people were singing patriotic songs.
we got on the mall at around 10:30 and were able to find some space with a good view of one of the jumbotrons. the crowd was pretty partisan (there were boos when bush came out and cheers when the clintons & obama (obviously) were introduced). once the swearing-in was over, there was a mass exodus out of the mall. my friends and i decided to leave after bush's helicopter left.
the crowd outside of the mall was pretty crazy. everyone was basically trapped into a little car park with no exit, except between a couple bushes. the crowd was so thick i couldn't see anything but people and could not negotiate my way around the group. luckily, the current of the crowd was going in the direction we needed to go (towards the lincoln memorial and out of dc). we decided to walk out of the city via memorial bridge. the entire time we were walking i felt like i was a refugee, because the streets were lined with police and soldiers. before the inauguration someone told me that there were more members of the military in dc for the inauguration than in iraq. i am not sure if that is right, but i believe it.
we decided to watch the inauguration parade at my house which turned out to be a good idea, since the parade started a couple hours late.

below are some pictures from inauguration. i found a photo editing site called poladroid, which is why all of the pictures look like polaroids. here are some pictures from the inauguration that i edited with poladroid (be prepared to see a lot more polaroids posted):
people at the bottom of the washington monument
the crowd after the swearing-in ceremony
outside the white house a few days before the inauguration

fortythree: more earrings.

2008-12-24T20:32:00.008-05:00

i am pretty pleased with myself, i can't get over how good these photos look. i have been really enjoying making earrings, i can finish them quickly and it is easier to experiment with them than with larger pieces (like necklaces). the pair at the top are my fave, but i must admit i like them all.
i read an article today about how the recession is helping crafters. too bad i didn't do more on etsy, i suppose i have missed the christmas rush. one of my coworkers found this site today, which looks like it follows the same model as etsy. i can't decide whether or not i even want to sell my stuff. one of my neighbors asked if i was selling anything yesterday and i told her no, even though i have about 20 necklaces i have been saving. one problem is i don't want to part with anything and have the new owner not appreciate the piece as much as i do.

fortytwo: the fema house

2008-12-23T18:09:00.006-05:00

i made my first attempt at making a gingerbread house on saturday. i found a great site that included a template for the walls and roof of the house. i cut out the different pieces after work one day and was not paying too much attention to what i was doing. the result was lopsided walls and a roof with a gap of half an inch in some places.
for a while, it looked like the house was going to turn out well. the walls were standing up and the roof was not collapsing. we even started to place vanilla wafers on the roof to mimic shingles (this may have been our fatal mistake). sadly, we were not able to finish the roof. the wafers slowly fell down and eventually half of the roof came down. to prevent the walls from separating we tied a piece of string around the house. my mom thinks the house is hilarious and is introducing it to everyone as the 'FEMA house' (not a very pc name).
if i ever make another house, i think i will try to make it themed. i was thinking of a sweeney todd themed gingerbread house, because my favorite gingerbread people to decorate are the dismembered ones (see the picture below).
BEFORE:
AFTER:
COLLATERAL DAMAGE (from the falling shingles):

fortyone: written in the stars

2008-12-22T19:12:00.008-05:00

so, apparently a number of my coworkers are really into astrology. i have never been one to care much about the alignment of the planets, but i have become more interested in all that nonsense recently. one of my coworkers showed me this site. i input the time, date, and location of my birth and then it told me everything i could possibly want to know about myself. a lot of the information was dead on, even silly things like the fact that i walk quickly.
here are some of the necklaces i plan on giving away for xmas:

forty: christmas gifts

2008-12-17T22:02:00.005-05:00

after a fairly late start, i have finally finished most of my xmas shopping and crafting. below is a picture of some of the earrings and necklaces that i will be giving away on the 25th.

thirtynine: experimenting with colors

2008-12-14T10:20:00.007-05:00

i am playing with backgrounds and color to make more interesting photos. here are some of the results. i think the least successful pictures are the bottom two (the red and wood backgrounds). i noticed a lot of people on etsy use stone or slate in their photos, but i don't really like that look. i am also looking for interesting accessories to dangle my earrings on. i am getting bored with my terracotta bowl.

thirtyeight: t minus 16 days

2008-12-09T19:46:00.003-05:00

so, because i have been lazy the past couple of weeks i am madly making earrings and necklaces to give away from christmas. i have now set up 'shop' in my living room in front my tv. in the past, i have had my beading supplies in a guest bedroom on another floor (sans tv), but i am finding i am much more productive in the company of my friends from law & order or whatever else i may be watching.
i have not taken anymore flashy photos of my jewelery, but i am going to have to do some photography before i give everything away. once i have done it, i will be posting some on here and on my picasa web album.
last weekend i was in new york visiting my friend maria with another friend caroline. we did quite a bit in the 40 hours we were there - explored central park, braved the crowds on fifth avenue and around rockefeller center, walked around the village, and wandered around the upper west side. we went to a bar in the village that will forever be my absolute favorite bar in the world. we call it the 'bar-that-shall-not-be-named' in reference to you-know-who from you-know-what (wink wink). i honestly felt like i was in the middle of a harry potter book, which pretty much made it the highlight of the weekend. it felt like a little hole in the wall, but i think it may be quite well known to the locals hipsters.
in a previous post, i mentioned that i was going to make a website. well, i started to do it and got frustrated with the host server. i still have not taken anymore steps towards doing a website, but i will try to in the new year (my first resolution!). i am also going to try to start a flickr album with more or less the same things i have on my picasa album.

thirtyseven: a month and a half later...

2008-11-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

well, it has been quite a while since i last update, sorry about that. here are a few things that have been on my mind recently:
1.frozen mangoes: i love trader joe's frozen mangoes. they are a perfect dessert for all occasions.
2.amy macdonald: her music is my latest obsession. i can't stop listening to her album. my favorite song by her is L.A. it reminds me of my budding relationship with rpats.
3.twilight: i read the 4 books in the twilight series a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. i went to see the movie on the opening weekend and have now been inspired to reread at least the first few books (i was not a fan of the last one). the movie was about what i expected. rpats did a great job as edward, but i was a little disappointed in bella. of course, the guy who played jasper gets the prize for being the worst actor in the movie, he reminded me of a constipated edward scissorhands.
4.laziness: i have a confession to make, i have not been crafting lately. in my defense, i was quite sick and was away on business for a week, so i have not had that much time on my hands. now that i realize christmas is quickly approaching, i am trying to be more productive. i promise i will be updating my blog with some pictures very soon.
5.mind the blox: i hate/love this game. for a while it was all i would think about. now, i think i am finally managing to control my addiction.

thirtyfour: badge holders

2008-10-11T20:43:00.006-04:00

i don't really like these pictures of lanyards i made, but caroline was curious to see what they look like.

thirtyfive: a new look

2008-10-07T20:36:00.017-04:00

after reading my friend emily's 'secret' blog, i was inspired to revamp the look of my blog. i loved the banner and the brightness of emily's, so that is basically why i changed my header and background color. i am pretty impressed with my banner and my photo editing skills, to be honest.
i spent most of the morning taking new pictures. the photo below is my favorite of all the new pictures. the beads remind me of mini & mickey mouse's noses.
i tried experimenting with a different background but i think the plain one worked the best. here are some of the other pictures i have taken:
i really need to doing something about the exposure of these photos. the lighting and the background material are the same in almost all of these pictures, but they still look different. too bad i am no longer living with someone getting their masters in photojournalism. sigh. i will have to figure this out on my own.
i going to delaware tomorrow for a going away party for my cousin, who is moving to new zealand on tuesday. while i am visiting with my family i am going to try to think about what i could make for them for christmas. i have been making a lot of jewelry lately, but not with anyone (except myself) in mind. a lot of what i have been making i am probably going to keep for myself, which i feel bad about. i will definitely be keeping the necklace below, i made it using beads from my grandma.

thirtyfour: clean up

2008-09-29T15:37:00.003-04:00

so, last weekend the plan was to spend most of sunday being productive (taking pictures for the website, making stuff, etc), but that did not happen. instead, i walked into my work room and stepped on a headpin (a little metal thing used in jewelry) and bled all over the carpet. i had been thinking about cleaning up my work space and this was just another sign that my room had been neglected for too long. so, i don't have anything new to post, but i do have a nice tidy room to work in. of course, it is already thursday, so i will hopefully be doing something this weekend.
i have been trying to do a website, as i mentioned before, but i don't really like the host site i have been using (weebly) so i think i am going to look around for something else (i am open to suggestions if anyone has anything to recommend to me). this evening i started to upload my new pictures on to my picasa web album. so, i may not have a website yet, but you can peruse my new photos if you are interested.

thirtythree: new photos

2008-09-22T18:49:00.006-04:00

i am so excited! i love the new pictures i have just taken! i have been using my dad's new super duper camera and i think it makes a huge difference in the quality of the photos.
here are some of the new photos i am using for my website. i haven't photo-shopped them yet, but they still look pretty good.
one big thing i have to do, is make sure that the brightness and the background color are the same in all the pictures. i am not sure how to do that without flipping back and forth between photos, but according to my dad you can do that pretty easily.

thirtytwo: expanding my empire

2008-09-21T18:53:00.005-04:00

right now i am working on several different ideas:
1. i am making a new website with a new name. i am not sure what my name is going to be, the top two candidates are vpm designs and Vee.Pee.eM., if anyone has anything better i am happy to hear it. i want my website to look more professional than my blog, so i am retaking pictures of all my necklaces and earrings and creating descriptions of each of them. i am going to continue to have a blog, but have this website as more of a gallery for my various creations.
2. i am working on presentation. i want people to take my jewlery and designs seriously, so i think i need to have them presented in a sleaker way. i am currently looking for some nice boxes or little bags to put my stuff in when i give them away or sell them. i bought some stickers to put on a tag or box when i have decided what my name is going to be.
3. i have a new product... badge holders! actually, they aren't that new, but i am going to make more of them. i made some for my mom last year and i have spoken to a lot of people who seem to be interested in getting some prettier ones.
i think those are all the new developments for right now. i will be posting more about my website as it progresses and i will show some sample pictures of what i will be posting on the web.

thirtyone: unfinished projects

2008-09-07T11:36:00.009-04:00

in my last post i mentioned that i have a lot of projects that i have started and have finished. well, i thought i would post some examples of my many ongoing embroidery projects.
this is a quote from a ee cummings poem that i like. it looks like i got the quote slightly wrong. oops. i finished this last night, so here is the finished product:

thirty: the offce & cross-stitching & my job

2008-09-03T20:52:00.008-04:00

i have started doing some more cross-stitching projects in the past couple of weeks. i have a problem with starting a lot of different patterns and then i eventually stick to one and finish it. the pattern below is the one that i have been making progress on. it is a little traditional for my taste, but i think i am going give it to a family friend for christmas (she has more old-fashioned taste). my goal for this holiday season is to make all my presents for friends and family. i already have a pretty good stockpile of jewelry and frames, so i think i will be fine for my female friends and relatives. i am not sure what i am going to do for the men in my life, but i am sure i will think of something.
in the past few weeks i discovered the show the office (the american version). jenn used to tell me how good it was all the time and i never quite believed her. now, however, i am sold. i love it. i am not one to laugh out loud while watching tv, but with the office i do all the time. i kinda wish my office was like the show. maybe once i have gotten to know everyone, i will discover my own version of phylis, pam, jim, michael, stanley, etc. in my own office. i do know that on monday i am going to be brainstorming different office sports i can play with my coworkers.
i have now completed two weeks at my new job. i am enjoying it for the most part, but am still trying to get everyone's name down and figuring out what i am going to be doing. i think this biggest adjustment for me is waking up at 6:30 every morning. i am not a morning person, so i have become even more dependent on coffee to get through the day.

twentynine: sewing up a storm!

2008-09-02T20:53:00.006-04:00

just as i predicted, i have not been able to do that many crafts. i did get some time to whip up a few things this weekend, though. i made this pillow for my room.
i also made a purse. this was inspired by some that i saw at urban outfitters a few weeks ago. i think it turned out well, but i will try to make one that is a bit bigger next time. i made this purse from an old scarf that someone was getting rid of.

twentyeight: last day of freedom

2008-08-24T17:23:00.009-04:00

i saw some necklaces at south moon under that i really liked. a lot of the jewelry incorporated different types of chains, stones, and rings. i tried to come up with my own interpretation of this style, making a few asymmetrical necklaces and using some big silver rings i had, but they don't really work for me. i think i like the looks of wooden rings and big beads (like this one), so next time i go bead shopping i will get some chunkier pieces.

i have some ugly throw pillows in my room, so yesterday i recovered one of them.

twentyseven: hurray biden!

2008-08-22T23:03:00.012-04:00

i have spent the past forty-eight hours doing two things: reading the last books of the twilight series and watching the first season of damages. i just finished damages last night and i am still thinking about how it ended. i loved the fact that everyone is so bad and you never really know what is going on. thankfully, all of the loose ends were tied by the end and they did a good job of setting it up for the next season.
as of tomorrow, my blog name will be outdated. i have been thinking about new names for my blog like, 'the employed crafter' (doesn't really roll off the tongue) or 'the soon-to-be unemployed crafter' (that sounds a little pessimistic and depressing). i think for now, i will stick to my current name.
i am beginning to feel a little nervous about starting work. i have been unemployed for so long, it is hard for me to believe that i finally have a job and will no longer have an endless supply of time to do whatever i want. i feel the same way i did before starting a new school, unsure of what is expected of me, anxious about meeting people, and and worried that i will be able to do everything.
on another note, i am so pleased that obama chose biden for his vp! i like the fact that biden fills in most of the holes that i wanted obama to fill (more foreign policy experience and more time in the government). as someone who wasn't very excited about obama (i wanted hilrod to get the nomination), i am much happier and much more enthusiastic about the obama biden ticket!
here are three necklaces i made before gorging myself on tv and books.
the clasp doesn't look too bad in this picture, but i didn't a pretty messy job on it. the necklace falls really nicely and looks good, but i am actually pretty embarassed by my poor craftsmanship.
i had some pieces of amber left over from some necklaces i restrung. i think this necklace was a real success, it has taken me awhile to find a non-tacky way of combining cloudy and clear amber chips.
i don't like this necklace much, but it took me quite a long time to make, so i am not going to cut it up. the colors are a little too muted for my taste, but it falls nicely and

twentysix: more earrings...

2008-08-16T20:05:00.007-04:00

twentyfive: the weasley blanket

2008-08-14T19:46:00.009-04:00

i have been trying to force myself to like this afghan. it is not my typical aesthetic, but i have found a way to like it. i decided that it would be a perfect fit with the weasley family - you know from the harry potter books. i am now embracing the left-over, patched look of the quilt, and am more forgiving of its ugliness. i know this sounds silly, but when i work on it i imagine mrs.weasley sitting in the the burrow, crocheting and talking to harry potter. now that there are no more upcoming harry potter books and the movie has been postponed, this is helping me to keep my harry potter fantasies alive.
i love mario kart and the earlier mario brothers games, so when i found a website dedicated to nintendo themed crafts i had to try to do something myself. i decided to make my brother, who is an avid gamer, a mario brothers pillow. i never expected my brother to like it very much, but seems to enjoy showing it to people and is even taking it back to college with him.

twentyfour: big news!

2008-08-13T15:04:00.002-04:00

i am no longer unemployed! yess! after my long and fruitless search i have finally manage to snag a job and it happens to be a fairly good one. i am not exactly sure what i will be doing, but who cares! i have a little under two weeks before i start work, so i am taking advantage of my free time before i start my life of drudgery.
i haven't been doing much crafting lately, instead i have been reading. i blame jhair for my new obsession with the twilight series . the best way i can describe it is that it's a teen-vampire-romance (it's a lot better than it sounds). i have read the first two books and am now waiting for amazon to send me the last two books. i am not really sure what to do with myself while i wait, i am constantly thinking about what will happen in the next two novels and what did happen in the first two. i suppose it is healthier for me to take a break from this vampire saga, but i am finding it almost painful!
in-between reading and crafting i am trying to become a more rounded, more intellectual person. in order to achieve the lofty goal of improving myself i have been trying to perfect my crossword skills and i have been reading more poetry. i am not really sure if a knowledge of poetry and crossword solutions makes one more rounded or intellectual but it seems to make sense to me. i usually only read works by e.e. cummings, but i am learning to appreciate a larger spectrum of poets. one of my new favorite poems is the love song by j. alfred prufrock by t.s. eliot. i am not sure i totally understand it, but that kind of makes me enjoy it more. it is quite long, but i think it is worth a read.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
-T.S. Eliot

LET us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question…

Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair—
[They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”]
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”]
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all:—
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]
It is perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?
. . . . .
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
. . . . .
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep … tired … or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head [grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say: “That is not what I meant at all.
That is not it, at all.”

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
“That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.”
. . . . .
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old … I grow old …
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

twentythree: earrings

2008-07-30T16:51:00.010-04:00

my hands are sore. i have been making earrings all day and could have made more if i could still grip a pair of pliers. despite the fact i have been working most of the day, i only made 7 pairs of earrings. i ran out 'normal' earring hooks, so i used some over-sized ones i bought a while back. the over-sized hooks look a bit weird, but i think it makes them more funky.
job update: i got a call this morning from a company i submitted a resume to several months ago. so, before my interview i will have to search the internet in hopes that i can find a job description for the position. i really don't understand what takes people so long to start interviewing job candidates.

twentytwo: pearls!

2008-07-29T18:15:00.005-04:00

i have been working on making more sophisticated jewelry lately. these are my first two classier pieces. i think my favorite of the two is the one made with the funny-shaped pearls (i am not sure what their proper name is). i tried to make the necklace very simple, in order to feature the shapes of the pearls more.
i made this other necklace with a piece of paua shell that a friend from new zealand gave me a few years ago. my mom bought the grey pearls in Tennessee for me a few years ago.
i am going to make miriam's sister a pair of earrings as a wedding present, so i have been trying to look at earrings in magazines, on tv, etc. miriam's sister has just spent the past few years in new york, so i feel like the earrings have to be new york funky. i think i am going to make a few different kinds and then give farrah (miriam's sister) or miriam the task of choosing which pair is best.
job update: starting another temp job on thursday and am having awkward informational phone conversations with people i don't know.

twentyone: a whole lot of nothing

2008-07-10T21:54:00.006-04:00

so, unfortunately i have not been keeping up with my blogging or my crafting. i just finished my second temp job yesterday and am hoping that i will have a few days to catch up with my crafting before the next job comes along.
i heard a really interesting story this morning on npr. it was a review on a jewelry exhibit by the artist alexander calder. he made a lot of different wire jewelry without soldering and using different 'every-day' objects (telephone wire, for example). i really like the look of a lot of the pieces he made and the fact that he used relatively inexpensive materials (like the wire that wire hangers are made from). exhibit is in phili until november, so i think i might take a trip up there before it ends. i think i might try bending some old wire hangers i have laying around, but i am not sure i have enough talent/strength to make anything remotely similar to what he did.
i am in the middle of sewing some of my granny squares together for my afghan, i will take some pictures of my progress for my next post.

twenty:

2008-07-01T20:49:00.014-04:00

i have a confession to make, i am obsessed with the wii game link's crossbow training. all i think about is hitting targets and how many points i can get. i have never been addicted to a game like this before, so i am not sure how to go about overcoming my urge to forgo all human contact in favor of a video game. i blame this all on my brother, who had to inflict this horrible (but so wonderful) game on me for the summer. i have the high score for all but two levels, so it is now my mission in life to beat my brother's scores on each level. i think he finds it amusing that of all the games to become addicted to, i chose the simplest and dorkiest of his collection. i am hoping that once i have beaten his high scores i will be able to kick my game-playing habit.
during my forced breaks from target practice i have made a few pieces of jewelry, but have not been as inspired to create as i am to play. i am, however, quite impressed with my recent projects. i made some jewelry to match a dress that i am wearing to miriam's sister's wedding. i used some beads from an old necklace that belonged to my grandma and some pearls that my mom bought at a bead shop in tennessee.
i have a feeling that these earrings might be a little bit heavy on my poor ears, so i think i will only use one loop.
here are a few other necklaces that i made with no particular event or purpose in mind:
job update: after a week and a half without work i am going to start another temping job tomorrow. fortunately, this one has an end date, so if it is not my cup of tea, i won't have to awkwardly refuse to work there any longer.
musicness: i have recently become a fan of the band travis, i cannot get enough of the songs sing or driftwood.

nineteen: squares!

2008-06-24T20:27:00.006-04:00

i have been slowly crocheting an afghan (i know it doesn't really look like the right time of the year to be making a blanket). anyway, i thought i was almost finished with it, but it turns out i might only have a 1/3 or 1/4 finished.
each square is different and most of them have very different color combinations (since the purpose of this project was to use up my old yarn). in order to create some sort of cohesion i am going to make a navy blue border around each of them and perhaps have a wider frame around the entire blanket.
i am not sure how i am going to put all the squares together, since there are 4 or 5 different sizes and there are so many different colors, but i was thinking that i might start from the center with larger squares and work my way outward.
it looks like i might have a bit of time before my next temp job starts, so i am contemplating refinishing some furniture that is in disrepair. i also want to try making some paper while the weather is warm. i hear that it is a bet messy, but is generally pretty easy to do. after my long week and a half of working, i now feel that i can cherish my time in-between jobs more and am more motivated to be productive while i am free. let's see if this newfound appreciation for my free time is going to actually translate in being more crafty, writing more blog posts, and (maybe) bring my etsy shop up to scratch.
music note: miriam and i saw the band harry and the potters yesterday and they were AMAZING. they even played my favorite song!

eighteen: unfinished business

2008-06-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

i have had two songs stuck in my head for the past week. one is by kate nash called mouthwash and the other is ghosts by laura marling. coincidentally, kate nash just wrote a blog post about laura marling's album. i suppose that means i have good taste in music...
i have been feeling quite lazy recently and have not been in a crafting mood. i think the summer heat and the violent storms have been getting to me. i made a few necklaces, but haven't pushed myself to finish them off. i managed to use some beads from some necklaces that my cousin was tossing out (my attempt at being green & saving money).
the thin disks are made from coconuts, they were part of one of my cousin's old necklaces.
this is a jade and amber necklace. all the beads are salvaged from old necklaces that have broken over the years.
this was an experiment that wasn't quite as successful as i hoped it would be. i was inspired by some jewelry i saw on the broken plate blog. i have a lot of broken ceramics that i would like to do something with, but i don't think this recent foray into the world of broken plates/pots/mugs/glasses was very successful. i think i might try making a simply mosaic outside before the summer is over.
job update: started temping last week and have now discovered that the life of a temp is a very lonely one. i am hoping that i will be able to find something soonish so i won't be stuck being 'the temp' forever. unfortunately, this also eats up my crafting time, so i am not sure if i am going to be very productive now that i have joined the ranks of the working women.

seventeen: interesting article

2008-06-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

miriam pointed me in the direction of an interesting article that was in express today. it is about a few crafters in the dc area and the growing popularity of handmade items.

sixteen

2008-06-09T19:54:00.010-04:00

we celebrated my friend hana's birthday this past weekend. we got some cooking themed presents for her (measuring cups & spoons, recipe book), so i decided to make her a pot holder to go along with the rest of what she was getting. i thought the project would be quite easy, but i actually found it a bit of a challenge. i quilted the border with machine and hand sewed the dark blue ribbon around. even though i measured out the border, it looks very uneven and not that great. i didn't notice the odd border until it was too late and since it is just a pot holder i decided that hana could forgive me.
last time i went to the craft store they were selling spools of metal wire for $1 each, so i got some to play with. i made a few napkin rings with some beads. i think they look pretty good and whimsical.
i also wound some of the wire around some old bangles i found. the wire adds some interest to them and the beads give it more color.
job update: still looking & getting very sick of constantly writing cover letters. fingers crossed that i find something soon!

fifteen: to my biggest fan...

2008-06-05T10:48:00.014-04:00

this blog post is dedicated to caroline, who was pestering me to update my blog. so, i hope this makes you happy caroline!
i have finally created an etsy shop, but have only posted three items so far. i read an interview with someone who has been really successful on etsy and she said that the most important thing to do is to have great pictures. so, i have been focusing on making sure my photos are crisp and stylized. besides madly taking pictures, i have not been very productive during my blogging hiatus. rather than crafting i have been cleaning and sorting through my different supplies. it is so nice to have a work room that is organized and relatively clean.
here are some pictures of a few things that i have managed to do in the midst of my spring cleaning. i am going through a beading and cross-stitching phase right now. i will post some pictures of my cross stitch projects next time.
the necklace above is one of my favorite recent creations. i it using beads from an old amber necklace that my mom had. i knotted in-between each bead and used a magnetic clasp.
i made the necklace above for a friend of ours who is working in iraq. i used some little shell beads in-between the larger ones, the three oval beads are some that my mom got overseas for me. i am still really enjoying my knotting tool, so of course i made this is also knotted necklace.
this one is made using amazonite and jade beads.
in the future, i will do my best not to have such a long gap between posts and will try to do some more interesting projects!

fourteen

2008-05-17T09:52:00.003-04:00

i am finally putting together an etsy shop! i have taken quite a few pictures and am now writing up a few descriptions and pondering prices for the pieces that i will try selling. hopefully i will have my shop online in a day or two. i haven't been up to much recently, but did finish a little pin the other day. it is quite small, but falls nicely.
i have been having trouble deciding on a color combination for this blog, so don't worry if it seems to be a different color every other day. i am sure i will eventually settle on something.

thirteen: in need of inspiration

2008-05-09T17:56:00.003-04:00

my mom asked me to make a couple of pillowcases as a present for a friend, but i am having the hardest time thinking of what to make. the one parameter i was given was that it should be white or cream colored, since we aren't sure what the person's house is like. i think my biggest problem is that i am over thinking what i should be doing rather than just going with the flow (which is what i usually do). i have start to embroider some little designs that i think i will incorporate into the cases once i decide what i am doing. fortunately, i am have until july or so to make the cases, so i will keep on thinking about what i should do...

twelve: my love affair with shrink plastic continues

2008-05-04T10:11:00.007-04:00

i still can't get enough of shrink plastic! every thing i scribble on plastic sheets look so good once they have shrunk, which is great since i am not a very good artist. i like using colored pencil rather than permanent markers, the colors in the pencils become much more vibrant once they are shrunk. the other day, i tried to print something on one of the plastic sheets, but they were not compatible together because the sheet melted a little in the printer. oops. luckily, i didn't break it.
the earrings above are studs that i made. i used a spray polyurathane over them so that the color pencil would not fade or rub off.

eleven: i hate measuring

2008-05-04T10:02:00.013-04:00

i really hate to measuring out my fabrics and materials when i am sewing, but i think i need to start doing it. i have been getting around measuring out fabrics, by making my different projects obviously asymmetrical or completely different sizes. however, i think it is now time that i bite the bullet and force myself to make things more uniform. i tried to make the two pillows below the same size, without measuring and i unfortunately failed. so, in the future, i am going to measure everything!
with these two pillowcases i tried to experiment with weaving. the woven center gives it an interesting dimension and i don't have to worry about sewing everything together, which is always a good thing.

i made this pillow as a showcase for a piece of embroidery i made a few months ago. i did all the colored embroidery on the patch by hand and then used the machine to sew around it. i think it looks pretty good, almost like it is fused together.

ten: corks & frames

2008-04-23T17:11:00.007-04:00

for years i have been trying to come up with a way to use old wine corks and over the weekend i finally came up with a design and idea that i really like! i got some old frames that i wasn't using, spray-painted them and then glued some cork cuttings to the back. it makes quite a nice pin board for papers or for jewelery or for whatever else you want to use it for. i think this is a great project for earth day since i am reusing frames and old cork. the one thing that is not-so-eco-friendly is the spray paint i used, but that is easy to replace.
the pictures on the frame above were taken by the very talented jhair.

nine

2008-04-17T21:28:00.009-04:00

i finished my favorite pillow case (so far) yesterday. with this one i decided to have a monochromatic look and to do a lot more quilting. I quilted a little design on each of the patches and then I sewed a border around it. i was a little worried that it would look too busy with all of the patches and quilting, but i think it looks great and really ties together well. i am going to try to make a matching blue case, but i am not sure when i will start/finish it. my sewing station is not great, so i have been suffering from a sore back for the past day or two from being hunched over the machine. i am going to try to find a new spot, which should be good news for my back and may allow me to work a bit faster.

as i mentioned in my last post, i have also been playing with some shrinking plastic i had lying around. i am not really sure what i am going to do with it, but i enjoyed making the pieces and watching them shrink in the toaster oven. these earrings are some of the few items i have made with the plastic. i wrote a poem by e.e. cummings (my favorite poet) on the plastic circles before i cooked them. i think this gives an interesting look and texture to the piece. the writing is very small, but you can still read it and from far away it looks look like it has little blue stripes.

eight: bits n' pieces

2008-04-15T10:50:00.011-04:00

i found these necklaces that i made while i was in austin. i strung several strands of beads and then braided them together. the darker necklaces has a very loose look to it, while the colored one is much tighter. i haven't done beading in awhile, but these pieces inspire me to do some more. right now, i am in the middle of making another patchwork pillow and am rediscovering the wonders of shrink plastic.

seven: feeling knotty

2008-04-11T15:01:00.002-04:00

i just bought a knotting tool, so for the past few days i have been feeling very knotty. i have done these three pieces as well as restringing two pearl necklaces for my mom. now that i have gotten the technique down and am no longer poking my self with the tool, I am a lot faster and enjoying it more. i am also attempting to take better pictures of my projects.

i went to a great exhibition on avant-garde jewelry yesterday at the renwick gallery in downtown dc. people made some amazing jewelry out of a number of different materials (plastic, silver, gold, cardboard, shells...).

six: pillow case

2008-04-09T11:32:00.005-04:00

the entire time i was making this pillow case i was listening to music by the band vampire weekend. they really inspired me and put me in a springy mood. i did a little bit of experimentation while i was making this. i got ideas from two different sources: a posting on the blog what if and some nepalese pillow cases my parents have. the pillow cases from nepal have a quilted front which makes it a bit softer and sturdier.

my first step was to sew several different fabric squares together, i then safety pinned batting to the bag and another piece of cloth and then did free hand machine quilting over the patches.

after i did that i made a teal border and used the same material for the back. for the border i folded the fabric and then sewed along the fold.
here is the finished product:

when i was trimming the access fabric, i got a little scissor-happy and made a whole in the pillow case. you can see it on the left-hand corner of the back. i managed to mend it, but it doesn't look that good.

five: earrings

2008-04-06T16:16:00.004-04:00

i just finished making some new stud earrings. They are fairly easy to make, use inexpensive material (cloth & wood), and look good! the plaid set are made with a thicker cloth, that didn't work as well as the two others. once I have perfected the look and technique i think i will try selling some on etsy.

four: pillows part ii

2008-04-02T15:46:00.006-04:00

the obsession continues...
i am beginning to feel a little bit like drew barrymore in 'never been kissed'. i finished two more pillows a few days ago and already have another idea for one. i think these two pillows turned out quite well, but i have noticed some of the seams are coming loose. one way i could prevent that is by sewing the scraps of material to a larger piece of fabric. i might try doing that on my next project, even though i like the idea of creating a material out of little scraps.

the photo on the left is a picture of one of the pillows before i started constructing it.

three: ipod cover

2008-03-25T10:23:00.006-04:00

i have been trying to come up with a clever way of using little bits of cloth that i have lying around. yesterday, i decided to make an ipod cover. i sewed all the pieces i had and then cut it to the size that i wanted. the one problem that i have with it is that i sewed the clip off-center. since i can't be bothered changing it and i made it for myself it is going to remain off-center.i really like the way this case looks, so i think i might make another improved one and make a glasses case using the same method.

two: pillows

2008-03-20T10:17:00.002-04:00

recently, i have been obsessed with making pillows.

i made the pillow on the right from an old cardigan i had that was falling apart.

one

2008-03-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

i have been an avid crafter for a few years now. when it comes to crafting i need to have a number of projects going on at one time. i am constantly trying out new techniques and starting new projects, without finishing anything! i am hoping that keeping a record of everything i make will help me to actually finish some of the projects i have going on.

i recently started to learn cross-stitching and crocheting. about a week ago i finished my second cross-stitch project. i put it in a frame that i made a few years ago and i think the pair look really good together. i am surprised by the amount of time it takes to cross-stitch. i was expecting it to be really easy, but i am pleased to learn that it does take a bit of skill to be able to do it well. i never liked the look of anything cross-stitched before, but now that i have i know what goes into cross-stitching i appreciate the geometric look much more.

for the next couple of weeks, i am going to take a break from cross-stitching for awhile and try to hone my crocheting skills by making an afghan. i have never done much crocheting before (i use to think of it as a lesser craft than knitting and not worth my time), but i have now decided to give crocheting a second chance. i am going to use up some old bits of yarn and make squares of varying sizes and colors. i am hoping that it won't look like a rainbow threw up all over it...