Art & Graphics

Mail Day!

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sweet2Squee! I love love love getting things in the mail! One, I live in a small town and can’t get the special things I like to get – typically anything Japanese. Well . . . okay, so it’s mostly just the one reason. But also packages! It’s like Xmas! ^.^

Firstly, I got my delicious new stationery from Kawaii Depot, an online store with a shop based in Northern California. I bought two letter sets from them, because I just started with a pen pal exchange for Lolitas on LiveJournal. I have three pen pals now, and I thought how great it would be to use special stationery! And it’s SO sweet.

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My husband informed me that I CAN put the stamp on the indicated left side if I wanted to. USPS will take it anyway, so long as the mailing address is legible and in the center. I just LOVE the envelopes being vertical. They’re different, and so so cute. And as we all know, I love being cute and different. :P

For my penpal adventures, I went ahead and got a set of return address labels from VistaPrint.com – all cutified with a cupcake. They were pretty cheap too, on special I suppose. 8 bucks with shipping for 250+ labels. I was also thinking of getting really personal stamps from Zazzle. Support the post office, and artists!

So I got my first letter today from a penpal (whom shall remain nameless in this blog – unless she says otherwise, but yeah – privacy and stuff). I was super excited to get this cute envelope. I love traditional letter writing, and all the cute stationery out there, how could you not??

I was ecstatic with the gift that was included in the package, too.  Blogging 013
I’ve been wearing it since I got it. ^.^ I hope she likes what I sent to her in return! Can’t wait to send out more letters. Such a sweet way to communicate. Yay, Lolita.

 

Experimentation Today

So I’ve reopened my Etsy shop, after figuring out what I really want to do with it. And what I’m really good at. I thought that if I just take it one day at a time, and focus on what I like to do instead of forcing something I have no experience in, I could be successful. And successful doesn’t mean “riches beyond my wildest dreams”, so I’m keeping it real here. So long as I’m happy doin’ what I do, maybe I can do it well.

So I like sewing. And making things with my hands. Mostly sewing. I’ve got a couple skirts that I plan on fixing up nicely to sell. Haven’t decided on prices, but I’m going to be modest to start. My dad insists I should price high. (-_-0) I love my dad. Again, though with the keeping it real – and knowing that most Lolitas are on a budget.

Anyway, here’s some pics of my progress there:

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On the clockwork skirt, I needed to keep that border down. I wore it once and realized the little numeral border kept flipping up because it wasn’t stitched down. Well, it so happens I found some amazing stuff: Heat n Bond!

I’m usually all for stitching the seams. But since there was already a top stitch showing, I didn’t want to mar the numerals any more by sewing another line over it. So I happened to have some Heat n Bond Ultra and sandwiched it between the numerals and the bottom ruffle, iron over it, and magic happens. Yes! It IS Washable and dry cleanable. Yay!

So I played with that stuff a little more. And found that I can attach a beautiful trim this way as well!

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With the trim, I had to put a piece of fabric OVER what I was ironing on, or else my iron got the Heat n Bond on its plate – and then it was a sad iron. :-( But after cleaning my iron and doing the over-fabric thing, it was perfect. We shall see how my dresses come out with this method!

Resin Pieces and other jewelry things

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I never thought I’d get into make jewelry, but I’m really having fun with playing with resin, which led me to investigate wire wrapping, and now possibly even beading. But one thing at a time! I get too excited about too many things and then I lose track! Curbing the enthusiasm a little bit has paid off. I’m focusing on getting the resin thing right this time.

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So here’s my spread of pieces. I’m not showing you ALL of them, because the first ones were such utter failures that I’m embarrassed to show them. These, admittedly, didn’t come out as great, but I think I know why – and that’s the beauty of trial and error. The learning part. Frustrating, yes, but once we move on from being frustrated, we pick up and try again.

Well, I used up all my resin so I’ll need to wait for another shipment before I can try again, but I do intend to.

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So this is what they looked like when I poured the resin in the molds. I waited about two or three hours before I embedded stickers, and topped the backings with glitter. I used some generic glitter from Mal-wart (for practice pieces), but I also have this fine glitter from Doodlebug that I bought special. It’s pretty stuff, and I’ve got quite a bit of it left.

So in experimenting with different mold release agents (home remedy stuff, before buying the “official” bottle from the company), I have so far found that cooking oil is the best. Being clever, or thinking I was being clever, I tried Vaseline on this batch. Don’t use Vaseline… *sigh*

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The pieces came out dulled and I’ll tell you why. First, I thought coating the molds with Vaseline would make the face of the resin piece smooth and mirror-finish shiny. Even better, I thought it’d be a great idea to melt the Vaseline into that mirror finish I wanted so badly to achieve. I used a blow dryer to achieve this. Problem is, you have to use the blow dryer (or an exhale through a straw) to get all the bubbles out of the liquid resin that you just poured. What does this do? Melts the Vaseline INTO the still liquid resin, and then it sets funny. Dull.

So – just don’t use Vaseline, is what I say. So far, the cooking oil works well. And I’ll probably just break down and buy the official Mold Release spray from Castin’ Craft anyway. Grr.

I ordered a different kind of resin for my next experiments. I might coat these pieces with it to see how they might look. That’s what experimental batches are for anyway! More experimentation!

I should mention that I’m only using mold release for the hard plastic molds I got (bought them on ResinObsession.com). My prettiest pieces came out of a silcone mold ice tray! It already has a mirror-finish surface. Like so:

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The stickers are just a batch of sticker flakes I bought from Etsy.com. I wondered what sticker flakes were when I saw them listed. They are exactly as they say they are. Flakes of stickers, rather than a sheet of stickers. I searched for “kawaii stickers”, and I’m pretty sure the ones depicted above are San-X – not to be confused with Sanrio and the Hello Kitty et al line of products.

And lastly, some wire wrapping experiments:

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Didn’t follow a pattern really, but I did do a little research on some techniques for wire wrapping. The first piece is just milk glass (fake moonstone, heh). The second wire thingy was my attempt at making a “kawaii” style heart with a wing. Not carefully planned or anything, just sat down in front of the TV next to the husband and messed with the bulk of “Funwire” that I got. Yeah, I get cheap kid’s stuff before going into the Pro supplies. Smart, huh?

So, those are the latest bits and pieces of my happenings. :)

Lace and Petticoats–With video!

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Lolita is as Lolita does. And while I’m at it, I do in my own fashion . . . as a crafty Lolita girl. Also silly. Very very silly. And so here’s a video to illustrate my past time.

At this point, I’ve stopped debating with myself about the true substance of videos on YouTube, questioning myself about making them and why. Instead, I thought I’d give throwing care to the wind a try. I feel wrong if I consider myself someone who can truly teach anything, but I do like sharing the little I DO know how to do.

So when I’m not singing or fixing computers, I’m sewing and crafting. My latest project is a fun Clockwork dress. The print is clocks with pretty turn-of-the-century style women’s faces on it. It was super expensive, from my local quilting fabric shop. I like supporting my local small business, but I don’t think I’m buying any prints there again.

Though I did manage a couple nice skirts out of the 50 bucks I did throw down for five yards of cloth.

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And crocheted baby blue headdresses!

I have no idea if such a thing would be desirable, but I thought of making nice crocheted lace headdresses for sale on Etsy. Experimented with a particular stitch and it came out nice enough. I think I have to dress it up a little more, though. Maybe even sew the crocheted bit onto a wider band.

Thoughts?
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I have too much yarn, and probably too much time on my hands too. And too much ribbon. And too much restlessness! Must. Make. More. Things. o.O

And I’ll be expecting a new batch of resin to come soon. Hopefully this time it won’t be so old that the pieces come out like gummy bears. Ugh, so disappointing. I have no idea what I’ll make with the resin yet, but my idea is to make little kawaii (that’s “cute” in Japanese) pendants like this!

I bought a batch of old watch parts too, to make steampunk themed pendants, like this.

I should be thinking about making stuff like this to sell, but I really don’t have that kind of ambition. I’m the same way about my singing, I realized. I just don’t care to be rich and famous, or make lots of money selling anything. The most important thing to me is experimenting, trying new things, and having a lot of fun doing it. If it makes me a little money on the side, hey, I can’t complain!

So I’ll keep singing in Second Life once in a while for a few dollars here and there. And make cute things that maybe someone else would like and might pay me for eventually.

I’ve heard that success happens to people when they don’t try so hard and just do the things they love. And I’m in no hurry. ^.^

Yay, Toys! And other stuff–with video!

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After making the above video, I played with my toys. I love toys. I swear, I’ll never grow up. I think my husband likes that about me too. Good thing. I ain’t changin’. :P

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So if anyone reading this blog decides to get the same kind of kits I did, don’t make the same mistake – the bottle inside the package is NOT what they’re telling you to mix with the foamy “fuwa fuwa” clay stuff. Haa… It’s totally glue. Watery, but glue nonethless. I actually thought about it after I mixed some watery glue into my clay, and wondered if it may end up being a “happy accident” as Bob Ross would say. As mentioned in the video, a friend on Facebook told me the stuff dries weird. Maybe mixing it with the glue is better? heh – who knows. It was fun to play with, but I don’t think I would sell anything made from the stuff.

I like polymer clay better.

But I played with my toy and followed the pictures in the instructions (since I’m not quite up to reading the Japanese – yet).

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It’s fluffy and mousse-like. But kinda messy on one’s hands when mixed with a couple drops of water. I kept having to rub my fingers together to get the sticky parts off, and I still have a little glitter on them too. Oh, well. They we were fun to play with, and I love the molds! I tried using the polyclay on the mold, though, and it needs something to come off easier. The polyclay is too sticky, it seems. Perhaps cornstarch on the mold before using polyclay?

I had my fun with the first kit – a jewelry making kit – and was all “funned” out when I opened the second kit. So I’ll save that one for another time.

In other news, I’m using my new serger! Yay!

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Working on modifying this dress that used to be way too long for me. I’m only 5’1” so I don’t I look good in full length maxi dresses. Lolita style works much better, methinks. Now all I need is a ruffler foot (already ordered!) to make ruffles and petticoats that are poofy! Milanoo.com doesn’t have very poofy options, sadly. So I guess if you want something done right, do it yourself!

Still with the serger though – I can do things. Like this quick little project of recycling my old high school gym clothes.

Projects 020Projects 018Projects 017Projects 024 Yay, I made a pillow!

I had this horrible pink neck pillow that I got somewhere at the Dallas airport. I got it because it was pink . . . and later I noticed it had the Texas Bullhorn symbol on it. Eugh… Sorry, peeps in Texas, I’m really not fond of the state (or it’s politics … >_>).

So I did something clever! I took the stuffing out of the pillow I didn’t like, and put it into the one that I did! Yay, recycling. I’m not sure I even liked my high school experience that much, but the colors are pleasant, I like the shield with the knight and lancer thing. And I can definitely say I like that MUCH better than Texas-anything.

Red Velvet Cake necklace w/earrings

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happiness2Well I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t having fun. I think I already mentioned that in an earlier post, though, so now I’m just being redundant and likely annoying. Moving forward.

I went to Etsy.com last night and ordered a few supplies from a couple sellers. I gave myself a budget of 40 dollars and I think I did very well. I spent $35.45 on some cameo molds and cabochons, and other decorative stuff. I’m into this cake making thing right now. I saw one tutorial of how to make a red velvet cake out of poly-clay, and decided to try it.

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I used my little cake as a starting point for a little deco-den practice. I’m sure there’s tutorials somewhere for that too. I’m also expecting some acrylic rhinestones to come, and I’m still looking for a good source to buy those. At the Hobby Lobby, I found them for nearly $4 for what didn’t seem like a lot of rhinestones. So I didn’t buy them there. Instead, I found them at Etsy (I love that website) for a $1 for the same amount of stones as in the package in the store.

Maybe Fire Mountain Gems? Or perhaps another online source I have yet to discover?

Anyway, I’m thinking of doing some deco on my Sony camera I keep using to take all these pictures. It’s already a boring Navy blue, so I want that to change. :) Let’s get crazy creative!

 

One Last Thing

Delphos Dress copyRandomness at the end of a post about clay stuff, I just wanted to share my recent drawing. I haven’t drawn anything in a while, constantly feeling discouraged about it. I guess at one time I was okay at fashion sketching. This was the one piece of homework I did for that class that I dropped.

The assignment was to choose a designer of the period we were studying. In this case, La Belle Epoque. I chose Mariano Fortuny, the guy who did costumes for theater. I really just wanted to try to draw this famous dress of his, called a Delphos gown. He was inspired by ancient Greece. And he invented the pleating process for the fabric (he was an inventor too – yay, science!).

School is overrated . . . having more fun now

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art2So life never ceases to amaze me. Wow, that’s such a cliché. You know why? ‘Cause it happens all the freakin’ time! To everyone. Everyone says it at one point or another, and so I’m saying it now.

I dropped that stupid fashion history class. The good news in that is that I got all my money back – just got the check in the mail today for the full amount. Good school, Santa Fe Community College. But terrible class. I suppose not so much in that the class sucked, just that it wasn’t a right fit for me. In this adventure of trying to find “myself” (omg another horrible cliché – sorry), I’m constantly realizing that I should be taking different approaches to things that befit my personality and tastes.

Artwork: Selene In Wonderland

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Something always came up whenever I tried playing in Photoshop again, constantly telling myself that I was no good at it anyway. Well, I may not be a professional graphic artist, but I think this came out pretty good! Brushes are helpful, I will admit.

Since my sister has arrived, we’ve been spending a lot of fun time together – admittedly getting us both lost in the many wonders that is Second Life. For two girls who grew up with not just Barbie dolls, but a desire to create and be artistic with Barbie dolls and anything else we could find . . . well, it’s a match made in heaven.

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Anyway, hooray for photoshop, and now I have a new profile pic for Second Life. Was thinking of maybe marketing myself to do profile pics for people like this. I quite enjoy making things looks painterly. :love:

Toys 4 Tots fundraiser–Show @ 2:30pm PST

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Today I’m performing a half-hour set for a Toys 4 Tots fundraiser, as the heading specifies. ^.^ It’s definitely a good thing to give all them little chillins a chance to get a toy for Xmas when their circumstances may not allow for it. I believe in Toys… and fairies.

If you’re a Second Lifer, do consider coming out to the Fruit Island Winterland sim where performances are taking place all day to raise money for children’s toys. If you are not in Second Life, you can still hear the show at 2:30pm PST (SLT). Feel a little love in your heart and consider donating for the cause at your nearest participating department store.

My Xmas Costume ^.^

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I love Second Life. <3