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