Boom.

Remember this post? And this one?

Or this smart little number?

Well, I made a commitment to donate 60% of the sale price of this bow tie to Not for Sale Campaign. (That percentage allows me to continue making these ties once the ones online have been sold)

Guess what? I've sold THREE of these Glasses Help You See ties. Huzzah!

So, being true to my word, I have gone and made a donation.

Let's run the numbers.

Each bow tie is priced at $30.

60% of $30 is $18.

$18 x 3 = $54








First, I went to the Not for Sale Campaign home page (found here), and the first little tab link at the top says "Donate". I clicked on that and selected the option to make a one time donation. That brought me to this page:








After I filled in all the information (billing address, money, DOB... just kidding about the DOB), I hit "donate" and voila! donated. Brilliant.

Seconds after, I received this nice little email:

So the donation has been submitted.

To all who purchased this bow tie-- THANK YOU. I hope that you enjoy your tie and that you can spread awareness about human trafficking every time you wear it.

As Not For Sale said, "Your partnership empowers us to fight modern-day slavery in the United States and across the globe."

Keep shining that light.

dressed

I made a list of things to do before I turn 25. As I learned all through my middle and high school careers (This is for you Mr.'s Johnson, Tovar, Luedtke, Frerking(s), Ms.' Gertz, Chandler, Henderson, Smith and so many more!), that goal setting was the thing to do. Because goals give us something to work toward. Now that I don't have someone setting an outline of those goals for me, and less tangible milestones (ie. passing an AP exam), I can see the benefit of having goals.

Now, coming back to my little list. I thought I had relatively few things crossed off (translation: one), but it turns out, I had actually begun work on a few and finished them!

So without further ado, my self-made dress.

There are many tutorials online about how to do this. I didn't really follow any of them. I kind of read a few and just winged it. Except for when it came to pockets. I used a guide for that.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the process because I wasn't even sure this was something that was going to work. All I knew was that I had some beautiful batik fabric that I hustled sweetly asked for and received from my aunt. And I had a green top that I didn't wear very often because it shrank and was too short to really be decent/modest/attractive/flattering. But I didn't want to give it away because I'd only worn it twice.

Here are my attempts to show you the elements that I was working with after the finished product.


There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to make dresses out of old t-shirts and tanks and other things. I improvised a little, blending a few. My shirt had an elastic bottom, so that had to be worked in. I learned how to place a gathered fabric onto something with a set length and pinned away. Then I sewed away.


Then I tried it on. And it sagged. The little green shirt that was meant to have some flow was pulled out. Not so attractive. Essentially the elastic in the shirt was too weak to hold up the weight of the batik fabric. My solution? Buy heavier elastic and just sew that sucker on.

It kind of worked. The dress fell in the right places and all that was left was to add pockets. I followed this tutorial, but I altered the shape of the pockets to be deeper.

Then I was done!

On to wear my little dress and check that item off the list! :)

What do you think? What items can you rework? Ever made a dress?

P.S. The first time I wore it out and about, I noticed that the skirt it a little wonky. Meaning off centered. Not obviously, but the pockets are a little... locationally asymmetrical. Oh well. Something to work on next time I get a hankering to recycle my clothing. :)

a good feeling

Do you remember that list I wrote a while back? Do you remember how many things I've checked off that list?

None. I started part of one.

And guess what? I got to cross that one off the list! Weeeee!

How, you ask?

Well, one night I came home to a sweet little email, who's important contents I've screen-shot and included below.

Needless to say, I was enjoying that good feeling.

This is not the first bow tie I've sold, but it is the first I've sold to a complete stranger! Huzzah!

Who else gets a good feeling from crossing things off a To-Do list? *raises hand earnestly.  

That is pretty much all I wanted to share with you today. I know it's shorter than normal, but it's a nice change, no? :)

P.S. There are some new things in the store, so if you'd like to check them out, they're right here.

Stored

I know it’s been ages since I’ve posted. Chalk it up to not very much to talk about. That and after writing for days on Singapore and India, I might have been out of words. You wouldn’t know it from reading this blog, but usually I’m a woman of fewer words. I guess they flow more easily when I write. There’s less pressure to have coherent thought.

Back to this post. Remember when I posted a list of things that I’d like to do before I turn 25? Well I haven’t gotten very far on it. Meaning I’ve crossed a grand total of none of them off the list.

Well, here is the first step in my attempt to cross one of them off the list.

I opened an Etsy store! Eep! 

Photo is courtesy of Grace; Abraham and Lucky, the duck.

What is Etsy, you may ask? Well it’s like an online mall of storefronts that sell handmade, vintage and supply items. (You can read all about it on their website-- this is a description in my own words) It is a global site, and you can post your own creations on the site and sell them.

What am I selling? Well, I would love for you to stop by and check it out for yourself. Basically I am going to sell stuff that I like to make. That’s pretty much it.

I’ve had great support from family and friends. Abraham is always brimming with ideas of what I can make and sell; he was the original reason I made my first bow tie, and my friend Grace from Quote Life Photography (check out her awesome work here) blew me away with the first round of photos that you’ll see on the Etsy site (seriously, some beautiful photos).


So, without further ado, here is my shop! Hybridized Bamboo on Etsy.

hair and beads

Not together. Well not technically. What I mean to say is, I don't have beads in my hair. And I don't have beads made of hair. Just so we're perfectly clear.

Warning: There are several pictures of myself on this page. I apologize for the self-centered-ness of these images.

Item 1 on the agenda: Hair.

Hair is a fickle thing. It comes in many shapes, colors, thicknesses and textures. It can make or break an outfit/look.

Sometimes I think mine has a mind of its own. I also like to think that my hair is evidence of my heritage. I have a lot of it (mom) but its texture is relatively fine (dad). It's kind of a medium brown (mixed) but has some blondish natural highlights (dad). It's kinda wavy on the top (dad) but the bottom layers, near the nape of my neck won't hold a curl more than 5 mins (mom). Ok, if I use a whole can liberal amounts of hair spray, the curls will hold through the evening.

No matter where I go, the first thing the hairdresser tells me (in either Chinese or English) is "Wow, you have a lot of hair." I reply with a laugh "Yes, I know," but in the back of my mind I'm thinking "Really? Who do you think washes it every day? Is this supposed to be news to me?" But to say that out loud would be borderline rude and make things awkward. Not to mention I don't want my hairdresser to harbor ill will towards me as she/he brandishes scissors and has total control over my hair.

My hair the last time it was cut. Right
around graduation

Any way. Moving onward. The reason I am bringing up my hair is because I haven't cut it in ages. And when I say ages, I mean it's almost been a year since my follicles have seen a clipper. Sad, and grungy, I know. So I thought it was about time. The last time I got it cut, it was this cute just past shoulder length do and was just perfect for the onset of graduation and summer.

Before hair cut.

Since then I've pretty much been growing out my bangs and not doing anything spectacular with my hair. So when I made a hair appointment for last Friday, I had somewhat low expectations because pretty much anything would be an improvement.

When I went in, my requirements to this cut were:
1) Must be able to pull into a ponytail. I would go insane if I couldn't get my hair out of my face when I wanted to. Or had to use a million and four bobby pins when I played sports.
2.) Low Maintenance. I'm the kind of girl who only pulls out the hairdryer when I want to curl my hair. Hooray for air drying!

The first thing my new hairdresser suggested after talking was a sort of longish bob. Not the most appealing to me. My hair length is kind of like a security blanket. So she suggested a compromise. A bob-ish look but keeping the length and having lots of layers. And she was going to do some major cutting in the back to give my hair volume and take out weight. Which she could do with no problem because I have a wealth of hair (Thank you Jesus).

New haircut. After I've washed and
air dried it myself.

So. What do you think? Impressions?

It's definitely different than anything I've had before. I like it. And it allows me to see what a bob-ish cut would look like on me when I just tie up the longer lengths. It's also a lot lighter. I have heavy hair so cutting some underneath the top layers really lightens the load. And now, my ponytail doesn't offer a force of momentum when I change directions. I am kind of still adjusting to it, so sometimes I think it looks like a glorified mullet, but I try not to think about that. The first time my mom saw it on Skype, she asked me "Why is your hair so poofy?" This was evidence realized of my fear of a short haircut making me resemble a Q-tip. Oh well. I guess it's not too poofy for the most part. Plus she said this cut "grows out very gracefully," so to me, that just means I can go for a while without another cut. Hooray!

Grey and white crystals

Item 2 on the agenda: Beads.

I went to the salon right after work, so I was still in my work attire. That day, I happened to be wearing two crystal string necklaces tied in a knot. The second I get my jacket off, my hairdresser latches on to them. Complimenting and gushing over them. Once she found out I made them, she was uber ecstatic. She asked to try mine on and said things like "Oooh, next time you come you have to bring a couple of these; I'm serious!" and "Different colors?! I would have to get a couple!" and "If you sell them at all." We talked about them a little more, discussing all the possibilities of how you could wear them or what you could wear them with because they would compliment almost any outfit.

Which got me thinking. Why not? I could totally make more, but I wanted to get a feel for whether or not people would buy them. What do you think? Would you buy this? They would probably cost around $20-$25/strand because of the high volume of crystals.

Any good/bad experiences with haircuts? Anxieties? Joys?
Would you buy some deliciously sparkly crystals to go with a new do? Or a tried and true do?

craft: Decoupage Box

According to Merriam-Webster,

Decoupage = "the art of decorating surfaces by applying cutouts (as of paper) and then coating with usually several layers of finish (as lacquer or varnish)".

I included this definition because for a long time, I was slightly puzzled by this word. See, I've read several craft-related blogs, and many of them discuss decoupaging this or decoupaging that. And in my head, after reading the tutorial and step by step instructions, decoupaging just seemed like a fancy word for gluing. Because very few of the tutorials used laquer. Or varnish. Most used Mod Podge. But I guess Mod Podge counts as a finish. Right? I'll just go with it. Decoupage sounds cooler than gluing anyway.


Over the last week I have done a couple of crafty activities, two of them involving my trusty Mod Podge and decoupage (tehee- they rhyme), and others involving a rather aged sewing machine that my aunt gave me because she "hasn't touched in 14 years, so you can go ahead and have it". Stories about that later.

Back to decoupage (how many times can I say it in one post?)

Actually, let me back up. And give a short short background piece of information. Room was a mess. Why? I had crafty articles strewn all over the floor. It was making me crazy. Solution? Shelf. Boxes. Organizing. My zen has returned. Yin Yang has been balanced in my room. Ok that might be a bit much, but seriously, I feel much more calm when I walk into my room. And I know where to go find things. Call me crazy, but labeled boxes give me a sense of satisfaction.

I have no 'before' pictures because I was too frazzled. And just wanted to make it go away. Actually, I have very few 'before' pictures for this craft session. Sorry, I'll try to do better.

Ok NOW back to decoupage.

My 'before' picture. Thanks to the lighting, the brown smudge
isn't really visible. Can you find it?

Since I was organizing, I decided to put my box of stationary in an easily accessible place. I love snail mail, and I like sending it every now and then so I have a large boot box of envelopes, cards (a dangerous store aisle for me), stickers and stamps. It was formally in my closet. Where I reached for it only out of necessity. So I decided to move it out onto my new shelf so that it was easy to get to. But. It was a boot box. No offense to the box, but not it was not the most attactive thing. And there was a mysterious brown mark on it (insert uncertain umm). I have to admit, I like attractive things. Helps my zen.

So my solution was... you guessed it. Decoupage. Hooray!

My ingredients. Slightly misleading
because I decided to use regular glue
after I took this picture. Sorry.

I got some scrapbook paper from a pad of it I got on sale before Christmas, and picked out two sheets. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, so I only did the cover of the box. I didn't really measure anything, just sort of eyeballed it. I probably should have planned ahead more, but hey, where's the adventure in that? (ok, but planning really would be better)

I didn't use Mod Podge because I wanted to try a glue mixture I had read about. Ready for this complex recipe? Glue + Water. You can mix to your dream consistency. I just used Elmer's glue and mixed it with some water. I think it was a little too watery, but it ended up working out alright.

Basically, I brushed glue onto both the lid and the paper and then put them together (is it weird that the song from the old version of Parent Trap just came to mind? Just think of paper and box singing this tune).

Air Dry!

So after gluing and pasting and gluing and pasting and wiping up drips, I set it on a cardboard box to dry. Then? Voila. New. Pretty. I like.

Ta-Dah!

Now, all I have to do is decoupage the bottom to match top. Because there is still a logo on the side of the box. I'll get there. At least the cover is looking swell. What would you like to decoupage? Would you like to have a decoupage party? Let me know and we can set one up! Nothing like bonding over glue (haha, get it?)!

craft: headband

Tis the season to be crafting! Falalalala Lalalala

I'm not entirely sure what's gotten into me, but I suppose I am in a crafting frenzy. I have been browsing different websites and little lightbulbs of inspiration have been going off in my head (enter: Gru from Despicable Me saying "liiightbulb", and yes, in exactly that voice).

So, after browsing, I came across the inspiration for my headband. I hardly wear headbands, yes, but I decided to give this a try since it looks kid-friendly/comfortable so I should be able to deal with it. Plus, I wanted something festive yet re-wearable. Meaning, I wanted not only to be able to wear it to a Christmas party but wear it at another time of year as well.

The original called for satin fabric but I didn't have any, so I got some black satin ribbon because I figured I could use the ribbon for other things. It wasn't as wide as the original, but I disregarded this. I also got some red tulle-like ribbon. There's probably an accurate name for it, but I can't recall it at the moment. I wanted to get red satin ribbon, but what do you know, it's Christmas time and ALL the red wide ribbon was gone. So this would have to do. The important thing is that the ribbon edges can be melted so that fraying is prevented.

So, Ingredients:
Satin/tulle-like ribbon (colors of your choosing. I used red and black)
Crystal beading
Needle and thread (helpful to have the colors of your ribbon)
Scissors
Candle (and a method to light it)
Felt
Hot glue gun (and glue)
Head band (I used a scunci elastic one that was recommended from the website above)

Ready, Set, Create!



Most of my ingredients. See the hidden smiley?
 Totally unplanned.

First, I cut out concentric circles from the black ribbon. They really don't have to be exact (it'll be prettier if they're not), but they do need to be progressively smaller. The red ribbon was quite a bit smaller than the black (read: less wide), so I had an idea to just leave them in squares. I cut out six squares, two of each size (also progressively smaller). You can cut as many circles and squares as you like, I cut as many as the width of the black ribbon would allow (5) and an even number of shrinking squares.

Next. Fire. Please be careful. If you decide to try this, I am not responsible for burned fingers (or anything else, for that matter.) I used a candle because I didn't want to constantly hold a lighter. But you can use a lighter if you prefer. Take your squares and circles and carefully melt the edges. It will prevent fraying and cause the fabric to turn upwards a little bit.

The back. Supa exciting.

Next, I chose how many crystals I wanted and in what fashion and then I sewed them on to the ribbons which were laid over each other with the largest piece on the bottom.

I got a bit of red felt and cut a leaf shape because my two flowers were looking a trifle lonely. I also melted its edges to give it a bit of an aged look. I used a small strip of felt as the base and hot glued the flowers and the leaf to the felt.

To finish, I turned my flowers over so that the felt base was facing up, then I put hot glue on and laid the headband over the glue. I put more glue over top of the headband to seal it in. This hotglue doesn't need to be covered over with anything because a) it won't be seen and b) the hardened glue actually helps hold it in place in your hair.

Rocking it in my bathroom mirror. Before Bed.

Let it dry. Put it on. Rock it. :)



What do you think? Good evening project?

Any way. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas weekend!

craft: Nativity

I love decorating for seasons. I love creating and crafting and making things beautiful. In college, I made wreaths and hung anything from leaves to snowflakes to hearts from the ceiling of my dorm room.

I like having a reason to celebrate, and all the better if I can make something in the process!

When I was little, most of our neighbors didn't celebrate Christmas, or rather, few knew what it was. Our Christmas tree was little, but I didn't care. After all, I had nothing to compare it to, so I was unaware that it should or could have been anything other than that what it was. I don't think my parents ever talked about Santa Claus, so I can't say that he was a significant part of my Christmas memories. Indeed, I can't even say a particular Christmas present stands out in my mind.

My favorite part of Christmas was always setting up the nativity scene. I remember one year, my mom and I collected sticks and twigs and made our own stable with our handy dandy glue gun and copious amounts of glue. I always relished taking out the pieces from the paper they were wrapped in and setting them in their place. We had a plastic nativity set with three wise men, an angel, Mary, Joseph, two shepherds, some animals, a manger and a baby Jesus.

My Christmas corner :)

Last year, I was home and dug out the box and went about setting up the Nativity. By now, the paint has faded some, and the back of the angel has a burned and melted spot where I must have hung her over a candle (live and learn, right?), but I still think it's wonderful. I also found a box with a Chinese hand carved wooden set. It's absolutely beautiful and I set it up too (don't worry I didn't put any candles near it).

This year, I won't be home for Christmas. So I needed a little Christmas in my apartment for myself. I found a little tree and cheap ornaments, but I was stuck when it came to the Nativity scene. All the ones that I liked were out of my price range. What to do?

I was browsing other blogs online, and saw that many people made their own! They used wooden blocks and printed out images and adhered them to the blocks.

So, I hit the craft store. I saw blocks, but wasn't completely inspired. So take a look at what I went with instead. It took me way longer than if I had printed out pictures, and it probably would have looked better too, but that's ok.

I have a Nativity set! Under $8! Look, see the beard? Baller.

I have to admit I think my rendition of baby Jesus could use some major work. But, it'll do for now, and the Bible says he wasn't super attractive by our standards any way. That'll be my reasoning for now.

What do you think?