Don't fret my little crafters!

All is well. I've been working a lot, so things are slow as far as blogging. But know that I'm not just sitting on my fanny during my days off. I'm crafting while sitting on my fanny so that I can finish a plushie tutorial video for you! There will be the video version with templates here on my blog. I hope to write out the directions soon as well. :) My two hints to you about the tutorial are these:

• It is made of felt.
• It is white, yellow, black, and red.

Comment your guesses below and I might just send you a prize if you guess it right first!

Des Colores my lovelies!

Kay

My seed bead creation. You jelly?

But I don't know how I'm going to use it. Attach it to a headband? Brooch back? purse strap? key fob? necklace? What do you guys think?

Excuse the horrible picture, as my own camera has fallen almost completely apart and I'm now resorting to using my laptop's cam.

I used neon pink felt, pink and purple seed beads, pink and purple buttons, and purple thread.

Craft Accessories: Pin cushions

Even though crocheters generally don't use this stuff, most of us have our hands in a variety of different craft areas, such as sewing. So I figured, why not. This segment was mostly inspired by Secretlifeofabionerd's video on her personal channel on youtube. She talked about her pincushions. While I don't really have anything really classy or fun to show you of my own, I will be making some soon to sell now that I have gotten the urge to make them. Etsians really know how to spark a creative spirit in me. I'll show pictures of a few pincushions and such, then I will list links for honorable mentions.

I love nature. Hands down. Also, I love the fact that the mushrooms look like they are from Super Mario.

Tree stump

I love whimsical little fairy things. Not the Disney Tinkerbell kind of fairy, but rather the old school fantasy type. Such as the fairies in Fairytale: A true story.
Gray mushroom

I love the detailed bead and embroidery worked onto this one. You can tell the creator spent some time on this one.

Pink beaded pincushion 

The mixed media on this purple cushion catches the eye of anyone who sees it. It is a pretty feminine piece that any little girl would cherish in her sewing box.
Purple pincushion

This little guy is easily mistaken as an ordinary stuffed animal, which you could honestly use him for anyways. But, I think he'd be a much more charming companion to hold my pins and needles, sitting beside me when I while away my time working on my small projects.

Mr. Elephant

Don't you find this sweet little tarts to be delicious looking? They are also so easy to make, seeing as how there are so many tutorials posted on youtube as to how to make them. I would like to say that, if you feel that it takes too much time or effort to spend on making these, it would be nice if you would support the handmade community this season. Because many of us other crafters cannot.
Mini tarts

Who wouldn't love having this little guy stowed away in their crafting corner? Once you get him all filled up with pins, just imagine how much more handsome he would be! Such a cutey.

Porcupine

This looks like a fantasy come true. They also come in all other sorts of colors. I guess it's supposed to look like a castle on top of a cupcake. All I saw though was the castle part, at first. Oops!
Castle

Finally, there is this little embroidered ring. I love the colors, textures and the fact that it is easy to use. No more of that having to cover my wrist up with sleeves when using that harsh wrist pincushion.

pastel ring

Honorable mentions:
Chickens
Mannequins
White mushroom
Owls
Christmas deer
Vintage mannequin
Antique pincushion
Fox-y puncushion
Your grandma's style

De Colores!
Kay

Craft accessories: Stitch markers

I saw this article today and it inspired me to write a bit about crochet accessories. 

Crochet Spot crochet accessories

I've been wanting to write about this for a while now, but didn't know what exactly to do until today, so here we are!

First off I want to list some of the accessories that I like or think would be especially useful.

Stitch markers:

I love leaves, so this was an easy choice.

Maple Leaf markers

Like most crafters, I have a thing for buttons. I think these would be really cool with some antique post buttons. :) 

Button stitch markers

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I'm a Pikachu fan. Hehehe!
Pikachu!

Owls are really interesting looking creatures to me and seem to be very popular in the past few years.

Great owl family

Everyone I have met that has also heard of the game 'Angry Birds' loves it. But, I just love the comical characters. Haha!

Angry Birdies!

Who doesn't love brain slugs?
Brain Slugs

These have some of my favorite colors together and it has owls. :)

Purple owls

Macarons are just the epitome of cute to me. I love the look of those dainty little treats.

Macarons

Lord of the rings was a very popular series when I was in middle school and the fantasy was quite entertaining to me.

Lord of the rings

I love strawberries. I love the flavor, smell, and look of them. They are just an appealing fruit overall.

Strawberry cupcakes

Sushi is so vibrant. It all looks so delicious too. Too bad I can't stand the taste of it. :/
Sushi

I have been mesmerized by this little stuffed creature since 'Mr. Magorium's wonder emporium' showed this little guy. He broke my heart and won me over in the show. :)
Sock monkey

I love intricate looking metal work. That's why I'm always found wearing metal jewelry that is so intricately made rather than having jewelry with a lot of stones and such.
metal beads

Who doesn't love Mario? I mean seriously. He's one of the most memorable and adaptable characters in video gaming, as of yet.

Pirahana plants

When I saw these, I didn't realize they were supposed to be World of Warcraft themed. I'm just in love with anything that looks fantasy like. Such as traditional fantasy, when vampires wouldn't go out during the day because they would die or be weakened.

I'll talk more about the accessories in my next article. For now, I will bid thee farewell.

De Colores,

Kay

Wow.

Not really related at all to my blog... but I'm just amazed. Too amazed for words to describe.

Alex Queral's phonebook art

White Christmas Drawing! -Closed!-

I'm going to be sending out a shoe box filled with random crafting goodies. If you wanna get in on this, here are the rules.

1. You will need to send me a message including your name, age, gender, and address. This is so I can send it to the right person and send the right kind of items to the said winner. I'm sure men don't want to get earrings or bridal themed items. XD
2. You must live in the U.S. This is just because this is my first giveaway. Maybe in the future, I will open it up to anyone.
3. You must EMAIL me by December 1st, 2011 at 11:59 pm. Any entries sent in after that will not be included.
4. You have to tell me a bit about yourself. Things you like such as colors, textures, or tv shows. Something to give me an idea about what I should send in your box.
5. To enter, you DO NOT have to pay any money whatsoever. I'm just doing this to brighten up someones holiday. :)
6. Rules subject to change as I see fit at any time.

Email to send your information to will be: craftyoridango@hotmail.com

The random drawing generator I will be using is this....http://www.random.org/lists/

What I've been making in the past year...

I have definitely veered from my plan for this year. I wanted to and still plan on making the furabura zodiac animals. But so that you can see a small portion of what I've been spending my time on making, you'll maybe forgive me for not following through on it as of yet.

First, I want to show you what I've made with my new wood burning tool. It's not a very good quality of a tool, but with patience, perseverance, and burnt fingers; this is what I've accomplished.

I crocheted a tiny rooster door hanger when I stumbled upon a picture of one on either ravelry or google. It was a very simple pattern, (which I didn't read or even look at... >.> ) and only took about 3 minutes to make, since I was watching a Korean show at the time.

Since I've had these two yarns that I despise for over a year now and because I absolutely hate the look of them, I decided to use them to make potholders. Ugly, circular, 2 sided (tan) and (blue striped white yarn) potholders.

I made this doily by accident. I was wanting to make a really feminine looking, slouchy beanie. (Or is it called a tam? I'm not really sure.) I was just wanting a light one that I could wear on chilly summer nights. But as I kept trying to make the decreases so that it would start to form into the hat shape, the less pretty it looked. So I tossed out that idea and just snipped and hid my ends. And funny thing is, everyone loves the look of it. Even the teenage boys I hang out with on Monday nights. I was a bit surprised by that.

Since my pretty silky pillow sham and comforter, which I adore, are falling apart and the trim was ripped halfway off, thanks to my class ring getting caught on it, I decided to upcycle the trim that I snipped off the rest of the way to make a lovely fabric flower brooch/pin. I love it and it looks a lot better in person than in the pictures.

Because I had always heard of people finishing small projects on their way to work, I decided that I would try to do something like that, just between classes and appointments. Needless to say, this thing took forever to finish. It did turn out somewhat pretty but honestly, I don't know who in their right mind would do this on a daily basis. Not me, for sure.

I always make little flowers and yoyos out of the small scraps from my crafts. I've started a organizer full of these little beauties so that whenever I need something to finish a project off, it's already there and has been saved from filling a landfill to make something the world even more beautiful.

I have wanted to make one of these for the longest time, but never had the right type of yarn. Its called a tawashi. Its used in kitchens usually to scrub dishes and counters. If I understand correctly, it is also more environmentally friendly. I've also heard that it works better than sponges and dishcloths because it needs less water, less soap if any at all, and less elbow grease to do any job. I was sold. Lets just hope that these things I've heard were right. 

Here is another doily I made, which I started yesterday and finished today. It is by far the smallest thread I have ever worked with but also the best quality, in my opinion, because I didn't have to ever worry about it felting or unraveling while I was in the middle of making this thing. Plus, I love the striping. Its in kiddy crayon box colors. Its really cool.

So that's it for the time being. Are you ready to forgive me yet?

De Colores.

Kay

What inspires you?

Just like anyone other diy crafter, I can see a color or something with an odd texture and start to think "I know what I could do with that." But I'm inspired to make the things I do greatly by the things that I spend my time doing. Since I am mostly online, this means I'm reading blogs, websites, watching videos, and just doing general web surfing. Here's what inspires me most:

I'm inspired by magazines, shows, and other media that is aimed towards the 40's and Victorian times. I love the fabrics, the styles and how they manipulated their resources to make such amazing things. Sites such as the Victorian Trading Company inspire me greatly.

I'm also inspired a lot by the manga and anime I watch. Its been a huge part of who I am since I was little, but I didn't know what it actually was until I was in middle school. The amazingness of this media is why I created a anime/manga themed crafting blog.

I'm inspired greatly by other cultures, most of which being Asian cultures. I get a lot of broad ideas from the Japanese, a lot of ideas for how to fine tune it by the Koreans, and the glittery amazingly awesomeness actually comes from my love of India. India isn't unnecessarily an Asian culture, but it is a part of Asia. So Asia haters be hating, but its Asian, as far as placement. I know what I'm talking about cause I looked it up. Teehee.

Lastly, I get a lot of my inspiration from my family, specifically my mother. She's a diy decorator. She's amazing at what she does and awes everyone with her new ideas. She decorates a lot with ladies hats and purses. When I say hats and purses, I mean the fancy hats with netting and feathers that white and black women wore back in the day and the purses are hand beaded for the most part. They are all real works of art.

Now that you know a bit more about my craftiness, why don't you comment so that I can learn about yours?

De Colores!
Kay

What's on your hook this fine day?

It is a lovely day here. I'm sitting at school getting ready to go to my next class. But I'm very curious. What are you all making on this lovely day? Hooking or otherwise? And what's the weather like where you are? I'm making a simple purse. I'll post a picture a little later today if I have the time.

De Colores my lovelies!
Kay

CrazySocks Crochet drawing tonight!

CrazySocks crochet is doing a drawing tonight and is offering 11 patterns to the winner. All you need to do is give your name in a comment on her blog post that is detailing the event. Check it out here:

http://crazysockscrochet.blogspot.com/2011/09/ginormous-pattern-giveaway.html

Shoulder flap purse -free crochet pattern-

In the end, your bag will look somewhat like this one. This close example (which is knitted, not crocheted)  was found on Craftjuice.com

To start out with, know that my hook is a Boye I/9 5.5 mm and that when I make double crochet stitches, they turn out to be 1/2" in height.

Supplies:

5.5 mm crochet hook

1 skein red heart super saver yarn or other bulky yarn

scissors

button(s)

embroidery needle

embellishments (optional)

Instructions:

Ch 25. Turn and in second ch from the hook, start your first dc and dc in each stitch from there on.

Turn and ch 2 and dc in all 25 dc. Keep repeating until you have roughly 40 rows of double crochet. This piece should measure 20 inches. Fold the piece in half with the top 3 inches apart from the bottom. Sew together the bottom half and leave the three inch piece alone. The bottom half, once sewn together, should be about 8 1/2" long.

For the handles, make 3 separate pieces that are chained to desired length. I would say that 3 feet of chain stitches for the three separate pieces would be long enough for most. Take those three pieces and braid them together. Tie on both ends of the strap and tie to the top of the side seam. Sew on the button.

Enjoy your brand new shoulder bag. Any questions, just comment on the post.

De Colores all.

~Kay~

Korean drama review! Numero 3, I believe...Pasta

Pasta is about a woman who dreams of becoming a chef, specifically, the chef of the restaurant that she is working for, La Sfera. La Sfera is an Italian restaurant that only makes the finest Italian cuisine in Korea. It is a very popular and well known store. Our main character is only a kitchen aid. She only gets plates, restocks food and wine for the cooks and do menial tasks such as making pickles and such for the waiting staff to put on the tables. Not very impressive stuff seeing as how all she has wanted to do for the past 3 years is hold a frying pan.

Now, as a new employee comes in and takes her place as kitchen aid, she finally has her chance to show her worth as a pasta cook. The only problem is that as soon as she gets her chance, a new chef takes place of the one she worked under before and because of that, she is given many problems. This new chef doesn't let women work in his kitchen and says that love between anyone in his kitchen is unacceptable. 

Now that all of the women have been thrown out of the kitchen because of their romantic involvement with the male cooks, she has to figure out what to do to pay her rent! Should she go work for her father in his restaurant or should she try once again at La Sfera even though the chef is obviously against females cooking with him?

I am a few episodes away from finishing this series. So far, I like it. It is a very traditional Korean cooking drama. There’s the love interest who has no real interest in the main character, the unexpected helper to the main character, and some supposedly major reason that blocks those two from finding love or showing it between them.

Bottom Line:

I give this a 3/5. It isn’t too surprising in any way but it has a good enough plot and moves along well enough that you will be willing to watch and possibly a good one to re-watch.

Korean drama review 2! Boys over flowers

Boys before Flowers is a Cinderella story of sorts. It tells of a poor girl, Geum Jan Di, who ends up going to a rich man's high society school. It is a school that is meant to educate the most elite of the elite Koreans. This school was set up by Goo Jun Pyo's parents who made an agreement within the Blue House that this school would be an elite private school to educate the future leaders of Korea. Geum Jan Di only gets to enter this school because of her fame of saving a student of the school from committing suicide and the people of Korea proclaiming that the school was a bad thing that needed to be abolished immediately.

So under the disguise of being a swimming scholarship holder at the school, and being the only scholarship student at that, Jan Di has to just make it though school without being noticed by others who might try to make her life difficult. Because Jan Di has a great sense of justice about her, she has to butt in when one of her friends gets in trouble with the F4, the 4 top elites of the school, and she ends up getting a red card due to this action. Her friend leaves school in a fright because she fears for her life while Jan Di goes through the pain of this punishment alone.

As the whole school revolts against her, she finds solace in the most unlikely places...Will Jan Di be able to graduate? Will her friend ever come back to school?

Bottom Line:
This is amazing! I loved this one the best out of all the drama interpretations. Japan and, I believe, Taiwan did versions of this anime/manga too. This version, though, seemed the most realistic to me and the way that Jan Di never backs down makes her a great influence to others who've ever been in her kind of situation at school. Add in the F4, and this is a stellar comedic romance to watch.

This drama gets a 5 out of 5. Awesome playback value and leaves you wishing there was more.

Korean Drama Review- Mischievous Kiss

Mischievous Kiss is about the lowest ranking girl in high school, Oh Ha Ni, who has fallen in love with the highest ranking boy, Baek Seung Jo. Ha Ni gives Seung Jo a letter professing her love for him, only to be rejected. After being rejected, she ends up moving into her newly built home with her father and while they are celebrating this with Ha Ni's friends, an earthquake brings her home crashing down.

Now that she has no home to go back to, she and her father are living in a hotel. Due to the news coverage on the destruction of their home, Ha Ni's father is contacted by a long lost friend of his who wants the both of them to live with his family! This sounds amazing and Ha Ni is so excited until she realizes that she is moving into the same home as Beak Seung Jo.

Now that Ha Ni is living with Seung Jo, she has to keep their living situation a secret and act like nothing has changed. The truth about this living situation will turn disastrous, though, once Bong Joon Gu, who loves Ha Ni, finds out that his lovely maiden is living with the guy who has already publicly humiliated her.

Bottom Line:

I really liked this drama. It has a really great playback value for me. I watch it whenever I have free time and no internet. I have one thing to note though. The manga was never finished because as Kaoru Tada was moving into a new home, she had an unfortunate accident which led to her having a cerebral hemorrhage and after falling into a coma, she died a short while after.

I give this show 4 out of 5 stars. It didn't quite earn five because it felt like it took forever for Seung Jo to warm up to Ha Ni.

Anime review! Numéro deux!

Tokyo Mew Mew/Mew Mew Power

I personally loved this anime. It was very interesting watching it in the English Dub and the English Sub versions. I preferred the voices of the English cast, but at the same time, I really liked the sub version because it finished out both seasons while the first only finish up to about the 26th episode in the first season.

According to the info from the English Dub, this series is about a girl named Zoey Hanson who is in love with the most popular boy in school. He is part of the kendo club and his name is Mark. Mark is supremely concerned about the environment and wants to help conserve it in any way possible. Zoey and Mark end up going out on a date to the local exhibition about all of the "Red Data" animal species. Red Data animals are animals that are nearing extinction. Through a series of events, Zoey is chosen as a candidate, without her knowing, and gets her DNA infused with that of a Iriomote cat. After she realizes this, she is met by an alien named Dren who is trying to overtake the world for his own race because their planet's resources ran out.

Now Zoey has to fight to protect the world from the invading aliens and chimera animas (the jellyfish like aliens that possess living creatures) and at the same time work as a waitress at the Mew Mew Cafe, maintain her school work and relationship with Mark. She is eventually joined by her friends Corina (blue lorikeet), Bridget (finless porpoise), Kikki (golden lion tamarin), and Renee (gray wolf).

Bottom Line:

I give this anime a 4 out of 5 stars. It is cute and quite interesting at times. It definately has some replay value if you watch the rest of the series (the sub versions) because it makes it a lot easier to understand the story. By the time it gets to Tokyo Mew Mew a la mode, it gets an interesting twist. So I suggest you watch it if you are into magical girl anime.

De Colores!