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.