Sweet Earring Tutorial

Here is a sweet earring tutorial for you guys; these earrings are really inexpensive and fast/easy to make, and I think they are perfect as small gifts or chic favors/party craft (like for a shower or birthday) or even to sell at craft fairs... it's all about the presentation! Read on to see for yourself! :D


Here are the basic supplies I used... BIG NOTE: Instead of E6000, I would use an epoxy or a glue specifically formulated for metal and or glass, because you want the strongest bond possible! I have tiny buttons, glass flower beads, and post earrings with backs. All together these supplies probably cost me around $8, and I can make more than 20 earrings with the supplies I bought (not all of them are shown here... I tried to make it pretty for ya!)


Like I said before, presentation is important! So I decided to use a thick cardstock, a pretty paper punch and a stamp with red ink to decorate the earring cards for my earrings. I actually had these lying around so they didn't cost me anything this time (although when I bought them before they probably cost me around $20... but I use coupons and discounts). The point here is to use what you have to display your earrings in a cute and fun way! I used my punch to cut out tags and then stamped them in the corner; play with different inks, designs, textures and saturation when stamping; you could emboss your cards, write on them with sparkly pens, use punches, anything!


Basically all you have to do to make these earrings is glue! Here it helps to put the posts into something that will ensure your earrings dry standing up; I used a thin piece of cork. Put a small bead of glue on the post of the earring, and then place the bead or button on top, applying firm pressure to the earring (so the bead and post stick together). At this stage, patience is a virtue! Let your earrings sit undisturbed for the amount specified by the instructions on your glue (it's best to leave them overnight).




When your earrings are completely dry, take your earring card and poke 2 holes in it before you put your earrings in... it's just safer that way! You can also put these cards into clear little baggies so they look even more professional!

And taa-daa! You have some super cute earrings that will make one of your friend's very happy!

New Job!

Thanks for all the sweetie comments about my fabric and my jellyfish guys... you are all so encouraging! I haven't been able to update my blog in a bit because I just started my new job; I'm a student specialist for the History Department! It's basically office work and its probably only going to be until November or so (until they hire someone permanent), but boy did I need a job; my teaching assistantship expired! Anyway, here's where I'll be for 20 hours a week; its Sakamaki Hall at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa! If you need any undergraduate history student counseling, you know who to see :D

I love smiling faces!

Check out these cute containers I got from Borders while I was in DC... a tin and a water bottle! Who would have thought a book store could be a purveyor of kawaii. I love them so; when I saw them I scooped them up right away! Lucky thing they were on clearance (I think these designs might be a little old so it may be really hard to find now), I probably would have payed full price for them if they hadn't been!


It's actually a coincidence that I found these containers which featured yummy foods with smiling faces; one of my new fabric designs plays off the same idea :D

New Jellie

Greetings all! I love it how when you have previously made something that you that was good, but when you make a new one you find that it is even better than the first! I say this because I managed to improve on my jellyfish; I was actually attempting to make a jellyfish that I could then translate into a pattern (when I'm doing patterns I actually count stitches, so it takes me longer!). Anyway, he came out very cute I think, so the pattern making will be a success! I'm also proud of the fact that not only does he look different than my original jellyfish, but he also looks kinda different than the jellyfish I have seen on etsy. So double yay! He's going up in my etsy shop soon, and the forthcoming pattern will also include a template for his little fish snack... a bit sad (what with the x's for eyes) but what would a jellyfish be without a snack?

Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens

I went to Ho`omaluhia Botanical Gardens the other day; if you're ever in Hawai`i you definitely should go! The garden is located about 45 minutes away from Waikiki, but its definitely worth the drive, especially if you plan ahead and bring your lunch and a camera. Ho`omaluhia is just like a really huge park; there are many exotic and beautiful plants from all over the world and there is even a man-made lake in the middle in the middle of the gardens... its really nice to picnic and walk around here, especially since its free :) I personally take lots of photos of my amigurumi at Ho`omaluhia because there is so much lovely green all around, which is very nice when you are tired of urban O`ahu. If you really plan ahead you can even camp at Ho`omaluhia; there are also certain days when you can fish in the lake!

New pouches!

I've been quite busy making pouches out of the various new fabrics I've accumulated over the couple end months of school... so fun! It seems whenever I sew anything, I make a ton at a time because it's such a hassle for me to pull the sewing machine out from my closet (all my clothes and amigurumi yarn gets in the way!) The pouches are mostly cute Japanese prints of course (which you can always find all over etsy anyway) but I've also put my own special spin on a few of them; they are accented with felt applique! These turned out to be so kawaii... I think my favorite has to be the little grey cat on the black polka dots.




I've also made some seal and bear face pouches; these turned out really cute too! I just need to finish ironing them, but of course I couldn't wait to show you all :D

Octopus Juice anyone?

We went shopping to Ala Moana the other day, and we stopped in at one of my favorite stores; Shirokiya! I didn't buy much, but I saw this super cute juicer on clearance, and I just had to share it with you- its shaped like an octopus! If only I had a need for some fresh squeezed octopus juice :D


My favorite are the directions on the box, which warn you against juicing durian fruit, or trying to juice food, hahaha!

Just for you Anime fans :D

I will be the first to admit that my favorite genre of movies/television is cartoons; whether it is South Park, Futurama, Family Guy or... Anime! I am very particular about my anime though; for example I really hate anime that features boobalicious girls just for the guys (you know the ones I'm talking about). Its not that I'm a prude, but I really feel like we women have more to contribute to plot and character development than what's attached to our chests! So you might say I am rather selective about which anime I watch.


For those of you out there who are like me (or who just want to watch a really well written, well drawn and hilarious anime), tune in to Skip Beat, which is available for free on crunchyroll.com. It has become *in the span of two weeks* one of my top two favorite anime of all time (the only one beating Skip Beat is Full Metal Alchemist).

The series follows a 16 year old girl, Kyōko Mogami, who is dumped by her superstar boyfriend, Shō Fuwa, after she had given up going to highschool and worked two jobs just to support him. Instead of crying about the breakup, Kyōko vows to get revenge on Shō by breaking into Showbiz. In the process, Kyōko finds that she really has a natural talent for acting, and the amount of heart and hard work she puts into everything she does impresses those around her.


As the main character/ heroine of the series, Kyōko is hilarious; her emotions are often so strong that they can affect the aura of those around her (in one episode where she is feeling particularly venomous after hearing some girls talking badly about her, she turns the room icy!). Kyōko is also really quirky; having grown up with not a lot of possessions, certain things are really dear to her, such as a blue stone given to her by her friend Corn. She also has a penchant for crafting (I wonder why I would like that...), though she mostly she makes little voodoo dolls whom she talks to... hilarious!

If possible, watch the Japanese version of this anime; the voice acting is superb! Be forewarned about watching Skip Beat, though; once you watch one you will not be able to stop!

August Desktop Calendar!

I bet you guys are saying, "Finally!" Don't worry, that's how I feel too :D

Here is August's feature amigurumi-made-into-a-calendar, available for download through my flickr (photobucket is currently doing site maintenance). Rummy took me a while to complete; mostly because I was still recovering from DC. Incidentally, Rummy is made from yarn I bought while I was in DC! His shorts and pouch are handsewn and patched, he has a "rope" drawstring in keeping with the latest shipwreck fashions. He also took me a bit because I had to get some sparkles for his treasure pouch! He'll be in shop shortly, once I can bear to part with him!

"Rummy the pirate cat is certainly very fierce looking to his pirate cat compatriots; he walks with a swagger and grunts things like "Aye, my hearty." But when he's all alone he likes to take off his eyepatch (which normally messes with his depth perception) and talk to his most loyal parrot chicken; he's quite a softy actually. In fact, if you saw Rummy without his pirate gear you might not know about his savvy alter ego... your only hint that Rummy is truly a pirate at heart would be the mischievous glint in his eye when he spots sparkly treasure!"

Facebook!

Quickie post: Still working diligently on August's ami and calendar... he's going to be one special little guy!

In other news, I've joined facebook! Yep, that means I have a twitter, blogspot and facebook (whew!) I've found another online venue for networking to obsessively check! This picture is from SIMA, but it's my new profile pic (you guys may have noticed there aren't many pictures of me floating around out there... I hate taking pictures!).


Here it is: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=19507573&ref=pymk#/profile.php?id=100000072706992&ref=profile

Be my friend! I am also highly addicted to Farm Town, so if you have a farm too, let's be neighbors... I'll send you a puppy! (you can tell I'm a total newbie) :)