BAZAAR BIZARRE and wool smells like sheep.

Whooo! Support local artists!!  Man, art people are SO NICE! It's not some crazy elite group where you need to prove yourself.  It's an open and supportive environment.  People are always willing to tell you how much love they put into their product.  I got the chance to make a felted animal which I have never had the opportunity to do. Definitely need to pay attention as those felting needles are sharp!  Here is my new friend.  I would like to thank Jackie at Wool Buddy who taught me how to make such a cute creature.  It is now sitting on the Christmas tree. :)

Name: Hoot, Birthday: 12/12/10

DIY: Fabric Flower Ring

The surge of DIY projects is ENORMOUS online.  I just attended San Francisco's Bazaar Bizarre this afternoon and got inspired to actually finish some of my craft projects.  Big problem I always have is actually following through to the end of the project in a decent amount of time.  I get it done, it's just a matter of when. lol. Economic hard times means making gifts as opposed to buying gifts.  I really hate buying gifts.  It gets impersonal sometimes and for me is usually a last resort type purchase.  The artwork presented at this Bazaar was inspiring and most were so easy to do.  It just makes you wonder that you could really sell anything.  I always love the laser cut wooden earrings and pendants.  Of course, I'm not about to shell out $50 for a pair of earrings when I could possibly design my own and send it out to be cut.  But they are very impressive.  I just don't have a paying job to spend that kind of money at the moment.  Maybe when that job comes around...hopefully around the new year. haha. ANYWAYS! Time for a snappy DIY.  I literally just did this one a few minutes ago and took no time at all.

D.I.Y: Fabric Flower Ring
Inspiration: Aunt's very bling-y flower ring and Bazaar Bizarre
Materials: Cheap adjustable ring, synthetic fabric (I used fake satin), needle and matching thread, hot glue gun, small pliers for ring adjusting (optional)
Cost: $0
Most items I had lying around or just randomly found while cleaning my room. You can always get what you need from a craft store like Michael's. Make sure to use their coupons!

Ze materials

1. Make fabric flower
>Cut or tear a strip of fabric about 1" wide and 1ft long, Fold in half the long way
>Melt edges so the fabric does run. Use a candle and just hold it over the heat. DON'T PUT IT IN! IT WILL CATCH FIRE! In that case, blow it out and trim off the black portions. lol. Be safe kids.
>Loop fabric around a finger or pencil loosely
>Gather it on one side and then just sew randomly until it holds it's shape. Try to make a flat base

I like frayed edges but you can do whatever you like.

 2. Find a ring. Not as hard as you think. I used one of those cheap rings you get at the children dentist office. Now you can upcycle it! So collect them if you can. haha. And yes, I still go to the kid's dental office despite being over the legal age. Did you know adult dentists drill clean your teeth?!? THE HORROR. Worst nightmare I ever experienced. Sorry for the sidetrack. Back to the ring! Adjust it to your size, your recipient's size without them realizing it PRIOR to gluing the flower.

3. Heat up the glue gun and get ready to stick it! Find out how you would like to have your ring then holding it in place, squeeze glue where the gem will be and push it in. You want the flat bottom you made of the flower to level with the ring. Not sticking up and flopping around all weird. lol. Add more glue on the sides if necessary. It was necessary.

And the tacky gem is sucked into the flower. Yay!

4. You are DONE! Check it out. You're fabulous. :) Enjoy!

What a baller!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Good Luck!!

Cue soundtrack

Slightly obsessed with this song:
Ratatat- Loud Pipes

If I were to have a fashion show, I would use this song.  I ended my night with a television show called Fashion Forward: Making it.  I'm not cued in on the current fashion trends as I like to rub up against the grain and set my own trend.  The show was describing what it took to make it in the fashion industry.  I think the creativity part is what always gets me.  I'm still trying to figure out what industry I belong in still.  I love creating new things.  I like having a challenge to be innovative and experimental.  And I ALWAYS like working with my hands.  That is probably the biggest thing.  It's not just about creating something.  It's also about creating the new.  I think I want a career that does that.  But it seems like I would have to be my own boss then. Weird. What industry would give you that much leniency and freedom?  Not many corporate ones I'm sure.

I always wanted to design shoes...hmm... Did I study the wrong thing in school?  Why can't I be creative in the corporate food industry?  *sigh*  LET FREEDOM REIGN!  Let CREATIVITY RULE!

Basil Planting

Alrighty!  This is my first attempt in my life of being a gardener.  I always wanted an herb garden but living in a city means raccoons and other scary creatures touching it in the backyard.  Gross. lol.

So I had these basil stems from a box of Trader Joe's basil deciding against buying an already living plant.  Plus, the TJ's I was at did not have any basil plants available.  Anyways, I learned from a friend that you can grow seedlings/stems in a glass of water and it will root.  She was doing it with mint.  I was in a crazy, let's make everything with basil mood.  It took about one week to see any change in the stems.  Plus, you actually need to keep an eye on the water level because the plants drink it up so fast.  All five that I watered grew roots which was so exciting!  I just planted 2 of them outside in a pot to see how they will hold in the winter cold.  The rest I will keep inside for safe-keeping.  I don't think my family ever tried growing herbs in our soil so I'm crossing my fingers and hope this goes well.  I had a failed attempt with my friend's boysenberry seedling so maybe green herbs are more my style.  Next step, grab mint from a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant and grow it for mojitos! YAY!

Thank you Hoegaarden. It's a miracle!

Solicitations at my door.

Tonight my house got solicited by this girl aspiring to be a chef at the cordon bleu in SF.  My mother who answered the door doesn't do well in understanding fast english.  I hear La Cordon Bleu, pay $20, SF Chronicle. Of course my mother can't pass up a good deal so she gives in and decides to purchase the gimmick. Lovely.

I'm in my sexy Cal Poly sweats and gorgeous Lowell High School sweatshirt deciding to check out this girl for a quick evaluation.  It is your typical poor unfortunate soul from the 'hood hoping to make her life better.  So I told her outright that she was dumb.  Dumb for deciding to go into culinary school without any sturdy background in a quality education.  That culinary school is basically a money sucking industry where in the end, you probably will do better just trying to get a cook job now without that expensive schooling.  Told her that she should pursue something with better prospects like..nutrition or hospitality.  Even standing here with a B.S. degree from a well-known state university won't get you a job.  Good luck and good night.