Random Goodies =D

Howdy! I just got back from a great wedding up in Boston and relatives from as far as Canada and Seattle came to celebrate! The food was great and we danced the night away. One thing I love about weddings are the little favors and favors boxes etc. Like this one below:

The top is small flower that is translated as "Love (marriage) reaches as far as the sky and is vast as the earth ." A very loose translation but I thought it's very cut and inside were five pieces of Dove chocolate and I can't resist chocolate =D.

I especially like this design on the side which is the Chinese character for "Double happiness" they're altered to look like a man and woman.

Oh and remember the hand carved stamp from the last post well I got these beauties from RusticRainbow as a trade. She also included as a surprise the awesome hairpin above! I adore the color and my sister said it was so cute. I can't wait to wear it when the sun comes out. What's great is it uses a clip that can fasten onto my very fine and soft hair. =D !

I also got this adorable mushroom pin! Look at all the little buttons, beading and details. Plus it sparkles. It's going on my school bag with my other pins. The little bear is one I made from LiPeony and the other buttons says "I buy handmade" and it's from the team I'm in the NewNew Team!

If you're wondering if that's me in the panda head. Yep! I'm planning on wearing a panda suit to Otakon an anime convention this August =D.

Until next time... it's the little things in life that makes one smile

Brr Chilly! Hot Soup!

Shark Fin Soup Surprise @ LiPeony

Brr! It's November and it's getting chilly... it's times like these that I savor the many many different soups my mom boils up. Growing up there was hardly a day that goes by that I don't drink some weird concoction of soup that my grandma or mom makes. Now I'm sure everyone has heard of Hot and Sour Soup or Won ton Soup or Shark Fin soup but there are so many soup recipes that are passed down from family to family and shared among friends. Each one is made for a specific ailment. In fact there's a soup for every ailment. Though it's hard to near impossible to really find any Chinese restaurant that serves these homemade soups as there are far too many and their textures and tastes range from sweet "papaya and fish soup" to the bitterest soup consisting of an herb that makes my tongue want to run away from my mouth.

But there is one soup I love that's great for the winter it's sort of like the Chinese version of beef stew. It's called Oxtail Soup. Basically oxtail bones/meat, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes boiled. The meat is tender and falls right off the bone, the carrots and potatoes are soft but slightly favored by the beef soup base that has the pinch of sour and acidity from the tomatoes. My mom would make it in a huge earthen clay pot we have at home.

Li Family Oxtail Soup

1 large carrot (more if you like carrots/less if you don't like'em)
3 large potatoes (more if you like potatoes/less if you don't)
1 large tomato (adds a nice acidic sour taste but if you don't like it, don't add too much)
1 whole ox tail (usually the butcher will cut into large chunks)
4 quarts of water

Chop the vegetables into large chunks. Bring the water to a boil and put all the ingredients inside. Boil for 1 - 1.5 hours depend on how soft you want the vegetables to be (My mom does 2 hours and everything is very soft but not mushy) The great thing about this recipe is that you can add any substitute for the vegetables though this is the traditional one I have at home. It makes a great soup over rice or just by itself a awesome hot steamy meal. According to my mom it promotes the circulatory system... but who knows? It just tastes awesome to me.

Until next time... stay warm!

Busy Busy Week

Black Cat Felt Pin @ LiPeony

SO I was on ye olde twitter when I found out the NewNewTeam Twitter found that I've been featured in Super Cute Kawaii blog! They have and showcase the cutest things especially kawaii which is Japanese for "cute". So I'm extremely happy with that! SO I'm extremely happy about that =). I think you can submit your shop and items to be blogged for free here in : Submissions. If you think your items fit that genre I suggest you try. If you love to look at awesome kawaii items I suggest you visit their blog.I'm still getting things together for my first craft show of the season. The above is the flyer by them. If you're in the neighborhood, drop on by! I also have my first midterm this Thursday so... sigh... when it rains. It pours! I'm spending all day tomorrow studying like crazy =D

Until next time... bundle up for Fall =)

You Never know Till you try!

So my significant other took a wood carving class and gave me his carving kit as he will never use it again. That was months and months ago. After putting it off for a long while I finally used them! I made my first rubber stamp of a little robot alien head and body with antennas. I went to experiment with them and made the above little card and I love it =D. The thing about the stamp is that I could replicate the same picture but also have the flexibility to alter it to do many things.Here's a picture of what I used. It's really not much. The 1st is just a gel ink stamp pad I got from Staples ($5). The 2nd is a 12 piece carving kit by X-Acto ($26). The 3rd is a 2" x 4" Speedy-Cut thick rubber sheet ($2). The 4th is just my design ($creativity). Though I see many people use Speedball products since they seem to specialize in printing technology.

Then I found youtube videos on how to make one. Though there are more videos about how to make stamps using other technology like photoshop, cricut etc but I really wanted to actually carve my own. I stumbled onto this video made a fellow etsian UniquelyFun and here's the link to the video. The video and instructions are very clear and simple to follow. Here's the final product that I used to make the above card. I might carve out some more later but it requires a lot of patience because one wrong move and you nicked the picture. Also making the details requires you to be steady. It took me about an hour and a half to get be happy with the stamped outline I got.

Until next time.. happy stamping! =D

Pin o This

This August is turning out to be a great month for my little shop which is surprising to me since people say summer is the slowest sale time. I had a great buyer that wanted my art on 2.25 inch pin back buttons. Although I've always wanted to make them I was too lazy to justify the work and cost that went into them... until recently. I ordered 25 just for a start from the wonderful Ali at Buttonhead.etsy. She is my go-to for mirrors, buttons and other knick knacks. I highly recommend her. When they arrived I was thrilled with how they look! I especially like this one because it really rings a chord with me and I think this one will go on my school bag. =)

I'm pondering the idea of doing a craft show during the fall. This year I have school, work and volunteer work at the hospital planned. It's going to be a jammed pack year. There is one cosponsored by the NewNewTeam (proud member of) on October 17th in Manhattan close to where I live called Crafts in Chelsea. What's great is that part of the vendor fee goes to the PTA of the local public school and growing up within the great public school system of NYC they're always cutting the school budget. It was though the PTA and fund-raising that so many programs and clubs have been maintained.

I recently learned my own elementary school P.S. 130 held a fundraiser and now has several music, art, sports and literary programs that were not available to us when I was young. Though these programs I hope kids foster interests outside the school curriculum and promote creativity. Personally I feel kids have been growing up too fast and pressured to focus solely on education. I think about that when I'm on my tablet in Photoshop and my little 9 year old brother is sitting next me as I draw that dragon he loves so much from Yu-Gi-Oh. I love the questions and glitter in his eyes as he listens intently when I teach him a bit about Photoshop and art.

Until next time.. cherish and relish childhood for it's far to short sometimes.

Market Wrap Up!

This has been one busy busy weekend. On Saturday I was vending at the Brooklyn Indie Market. One of the things I had trouble with was how to make simple, cost efficient but unique packaging. I had brought various brown paper bags and large envelopes to put my prints and other items in. I just had a great idea. Not too long ago I brought some custom stamps with my logo and name on them from an awesome etsy shop Drumchick99. The communication was great and it came to me in no time. I've been using them to mark my envelopes when I mail them out. So... I decided to do the same to the other envelopes and brown paper bags. I admit that paper bags aren't the biggest jazz thing around but they're recyclable, simple, holds your stuff and basically does what it does. By stamping both sides with my logo it added a bit of that personal touch. Above are on the envelopes. I like doing it on the corner.This is on the brown paper bags. Simple and unique to my shops. When I was selling people noticed my logo on the bags. I remember one that said in delight "oh so cute the bags even have your logo." Usually if I see someone sort of look unsatisfied when I pulled the paper bag to put their stuff in I'd say "I prefer paper over plastic... it's recyclable and great for the environment!" Now no one can think it's bad because heck it's for the environment. =D Traveling to the market was a hassle because on the weekends the trains run all kooky in New York City. We went to the F train to wait as it "supposedly" goes to the stop we need to go to. My wonderful sister Anita pictured above was with me and she's awesome but shh don't tell her I said that! The little wagon I brought from Daffy's also had a chair with a back that you can unfold. So when you're tired wa la! Chair! We had quite a few people curious about where I got this chair and we did some unexpected advertising for Daffy's. It's a good investment at $30 and it's actually made of metal rods not plastic ones.

Anyways turns out the F does not go to our stop so we had to switch to the G. It sounds simple but me and my sister had to lug two of those wagons up and down stairs. Boy were there quite a number of them. Once we got out the red and white tent was right there! It was small but yet very roomy because there was about 12 vendors. The great thing was that it had two openings to get in, there was a linked fence that allowed people to look in to see what was the commotion about. Another was that there was great music and lights and electricity. This was my set up and I found for prints when I put them in a binder for people to flip though, people liked that. I can also put in many different prints that wasn't displayed. on my large frame. All the little things like the pocket mirrors, felt pins and cards were onto one side as I noticed people liked to go to that side to rummage at the little things I had. The foot traffic was good with it's ebbs and flows. The people were mostly into kind of laid back, down to earth people. It was good mix of families, shopping gals and tourists. I made back my table fee and a bit of profit that I used to treat my sister to lunch. There's an awesome taco place a block or two down.

My sister was great at talking to people as she works in a boutique in SOHO so she's got those great skills. I on the other hand was either too quiet or when people asked about my process and why, when I started I would just go on and on. I meet a lot of great people! Many asked me about what I do, how and why and when. Very friendly! Many people from the NewNew team where there too! Of course I am always not the friendliest person >_>. SIGH!

I'm thinking of doing this in the fall maybe October or Early November but that all depends on y work and school schedule.

Until next time ta ta!

Oh the Darn Trial and Error Process

SO it's a little more then two weeks before Otakon (the largest anime convention on the East Coast) and I've created some new works inspired by it. Above is my to be released tonight Ninja Love card... I thought it was a funny idea and the concept was simple enough but the process to make the card was much harder. I had brought some very nice recycled blank cards and envelopes and thought it would be a simple task to just print on it. Alas... it turned out much harder and I tried every which way to center the image... and the way the ink showed up on the card paper did not satisfy my standards. So... I brought out my matte photo paper printed it out... cut them by hand and ran them though my beloved Xyron create-a-sticker machine. I swear this machine has saved my butt more then once. Seriously though if you want to try a hand at stickers the Xyron is very good... I got the 1.5" sticker maker and with all those coupons for Micheal's and AC Moore the machine and refills are relatively cheap.

The reason is that the regular glue I used warped the paper and I did not want to use glue stick or double sticky tape as I feel from my own personal experience is that they flake off quite quickly or didn't even adhere to the paper. By making the images as a permanent sticker it made the sticky quality cleaner, permanent and it allowed me to adjust the image right on the spot instead of on the computer. They turned out very nice! I'm planning to whip up some more to sell on July 25th at the Brooklyn Indie Market. Come check it out. =D

I also made some biology inspired cards that I had the outlines kept in my folder for a while but it was only now I got off my lazy caboose to do it.This one is taking a note from Blood types... there are three common types A, B and O with AB being the universal recipient and Type O being the universal donor. This shows the two types and the line "Universal Recipient of my Love." Yes a bit lame but I think it's quite funny and people know know may get a hoot out of it especially those in the medical and biology field. And I've tested my blood and I'm Type O meaning I'm a universal donor... so whoever needs a blood transfusion my blood is A-Ok for YOU unless your Rhesus negative but that's a whole other story. (no germies or any bugs at the moment).

Until next time... what drives you?

Ahh Rain again?

Rain again? Ugh! I'm all for rain but it's June and it's been raining 6 out of 7 days a week for the past month. Well at least that keeps me indoors where I can work on my crafting. I just posted my newest little felt pouch! You can click on the picture to go to the shop. I'm surprised how nice the moustache came out since felt can be hard to cut. Oh yeah and it's very hard to glue. I did some research and came up with "Beacon's Felt Glue" and it works like a charm. The consistency looked like regular Elmer's glue so I was less then impressed. But it dried to be clear and it really did stick on quite firmly to the felt so woot! Actually there's a site dedicated to determining what glue is best for sticking what to what called ThistoThat. A very fitting name. So if you ever need advice for glue look up that website. It's easy to use and they actually have explanations on how the glue works.

BTW with Otakon within the next month I really have to start working on my cosplay costume. I'm planning to cosplay as Mahoromatic. I'm planning to share my progress on this lil blog. =D

Until next time.. rain rain go away... come again another day...

Super Trades and Awesome Buys!

So... I did some trades on etsy and one of them was with this little shop called Kwan! We meet in one of the virtual labs and hit it off and cross promote each other. I also completely fell in love with the above earrings because I think they're perfect... feminine, girly, fun and a bit of dangle but not too much! We decided to trade and I created a custom artwork for her adorable adorable oh so darn cute little boy (really really uber want to pinch his lil cheeks cute). I can't wait to get the earrings and show them around. It's kind of strange to me (as I am not a fashionable person) but at the college I work when people see something they like that I wear they won't hesitate to say that's wonderful and where I got it from.
Oh I have meaning to but haven't gotten around to review one of my recent buys of soap at LostRiverRags. I've seen her quite a bit on forums... well I usually buy from stores I find on the forums especially if they post a lot because I get a feeling of how they are from what they write there therefore I feel more comfortable. I brought 15 samples of the goat's milk soap because I'm one of those indecisive people!

Anyways for some reason I had a terrible horrible itchy allergic reaction to all the soaps I have brought from the store from Dove, Irish Spring, Ivory... you name it. Turns out I have sensitive skin allergies (my doctor says it's completely common) so... I decided to try handmade soap... just plain readable ingredients. I must say I was very impressed. My significant other who is never gung ho about handmade items loved how the soaps smell... well he had his favorite. My sister and I had ours (Juniper). I've never tried it before especially not goat's milk... in fact everyone was skeptical.. "goat's milk?" was what they said.

Surprising it lathered up very smoothly it had this very silky texture that I have never felt on soap and when i washed with it (good for one/two good showers) my skin felt a bit tight but once dried it was silky smooth and I smelled lightly of the soap. And no itch or redness now that's awesome. For me this soap was surprisingly good and I'm planning to get more when I have the funds to spare since I'm paying for a lot this summer and not working either =_=!

I did leave like a huge descriptive feedback because I think it's only fair... I like giving out detailed thoughts and experiences because I'm very sure the owners and shoppers would like a review. I also like reading reviews from people's blogs because I know they're not being paid to review things and there is a reason why they brought what they brought. That's just my honest review... no itchy red skin = good to me. Though make sure you're not allergic to any of the ingredients to anything before you buy it. There's a very simple test that can determine or at least try to determine what you are allergic to so you can avoid it.

Until next time... tally ho!

Mirrors for you, me and dupree

The second one I put up of my wonderful pocket mirrors! I swear the more I look at them the more I want to keep another one. I suppose that's good as I think I'm my own target audience. My sister took one Dandelion Float mirror for herself and now her friend wants one too. Mind you they're all college students... one thing is that they wished the mirror could open and close but I've tried to find similar custom ones that do but they're very pricey and I know my target audience would more likely not buy it. I've put my own mirror with my keys and so far it hasn't been scratched one bit so I'm so very pleased. =D

I got these wonderful mirrors made by buttonhead@etsy.com. She was a fantastic person, prompt, informative and very nice. She also makes a host of custom things and also her own awesome buttons. I will definitely order from her again! So if you ever need little knick knacks or promo items... I tell you pins are very popular with tweens - college students... I regularly go to huge anime convention where one of the most popular items are pin back buttons esp. of cute things or sayings like. I have several pins myself and many people ask where I get them. I tell them at Otakon.

Until next time.... buttons are all the ragez!

Beads n Stuffz

This is my newest little print in my shop LiPeony. I actually had the sketch done a while ago but I only recently colored it in. I looked at various pictures of beads and tried to capture the shininess. This one I worked more on the shadow to give it more dimension. I also think it's great to make art of art and crafts. Like my Big Pencil Little Chibi Girl, My Sewing Chibi Girl and In a Knit Chibi Girl. This got me to think of all the wonderful colors, designs and medium that beads come in. Here are some of my favorite beaded things on Etsy.
AMIdesigns is a wonderful jewelry store. Actually i noticed Alison's little store when she asked for help on colors on the forums. I was floored by not only the colors but by the beautiful photographs. One of my favorite is this Gold Wraparound Bracelet. I'm usually not a gold wearer but this one got me sold because the gold is not overpowering and really retains a very elegant feel. It would be perfect for a night out or to jazz up any outfit.

With me constantly eating at my desk and I have this lovely wooden desk so coasters are a must. I found these really hand beaded ones from Craftnique. It's a shop of unique odd and ends like decorative flower pots to notebooks. These were special as I love the spiral look and also the beads since they reflect different colors in the sun so it's never the same look. They come in sets of four. Neat-o!


I was browsing though the search of "beads" and these totally took me by surprise. These are cute little bead dolls from Variation. Made of vintage beads they are so so so darn cute! The photos are wonderful. I have a lot of little things on my desk like those Precious Moments and tiny versions of teacups and saucers and wine glasses made of glass and plastic. These would be so cute to put anywhere. I always need a bit of art or creative things around me.

Just some of the wonderful things one can make with beads! I have many beads but they're all stored away. One of these days I got to get them out and do something with it.

Until next time... one tiny thing... a million different possibilities...

Float Away...

It's a pretty crappy rainy and grey day today. I'm glad I put up my newest print called Dandelion Float. You know those little fuzzy flowers that when you blow on them the seeds just float away? There's not too many around where I live in NYC. Actually not too much flora around here at all but the restaurant a block down has these beautiful cherry blossom trees that look gorgeous with pink flowers in the Spring. I look forward when they bloom because when the wind blows it looks like in those movies where the air is filled with light pink petals.
This is a picture of Washington D.C when the Cherry Blossom Trees are in full bloom. There's an annual festival and right now it's predicted that April would be the best day to see the blossoms. You can click on the picture and it will bring you to the official site of the cherry blossom festival. D.C is about 3 hours away from NYC so I've had the luxury to see this event and I tell you, words cannot describe it.
Anyways I just got back from my first meeting with the NewNewTeam at Etsy labs in Brooklyn. It's definitely hidden and if I hadn't bumped into some people going there I'd probably blow right past it. The people were cool and me being the extremely shy one mostly listened as plans were made to continue the Spring and Summer fleas and shows in NYC. Which reminds me about the Spring Handmade Cavalcade and the last one was a big success! I'm hoping to participate more in the team but between my school work and job and family and friends and boyfriend... I have to schedule things far in advance. I was lucky that I got to meet the team and go to the Etsy. Heck maybe I'll show up for those Monday night craft nights. If you see a tiny girl with big ol glasses or hear a high pitched kiddy voice that would be moi. As if!

Until next time... don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone... =D

I hope it "Gives You Hell"!

In my line of work it's very very quiet almost so quiet that it will make your head implode. I put on a single earphone and browse the top 10 songs on VH1 and this song from the All American Rejects pop up as number one called "Give You Hell." Click on it to go to the music video on youtube. Anyway it's pretty darn funny and you really have to see it to believe it. It reminds me of my dear crappy neighbors that live in the building across from me.

Living in NYC the streets are only so wide and I have a very good hunch the people across from us are some type of professional photographers because they have those umbrellas and stuff set up. For some reason they only photograph at night. The light is blinding and they work till god knows when. That flash just lights up my whole room.That's fine... I can just get some curtains like these fantastic ones from creativeneurosis. I don't want just some boring curtains and I like the simple look of flying birds and come on you know you secretly wish you could fly too like Superman. Or you know what works maybe some of those sleeping masks like this one from BiBon. Yes it is a superhero mask because I secretly am a superhero and superheros need sleep too. If the super hero look just ain't for you the shop has a huge variety of them so you're bound to find something that suits your needs. I have nothing against photographers except when they blind me but once a year they throw this huge party from night to the next morning and I can hear the actually clinking of the wine glasses and music rocking the streets. Last year they had 50 cent's "In Da Club" playing on repeat. Well now that I have something for the wonderful disco party lights I have the remedy for the noise.
Those are fancy ear plugs because well I like a bit of fancy in my life. These little guys are from redrumroses. They're inspired from a movie called Breakfast at Tiffany's. Which I am ashamed to say have never seen it. Oh they also come in other luxe colors. They are great on those long rides in the car, bus or planes and you just need some peace and quiet.

I'm sure everyone has had a bad or annoying neighbor in their lives or was a bad or annoying neighbor I am glad etsy has the remedies to deal with all of them humanely. Oh and to brighten up your day...

Poptart Kitty Says Hi!

Until next time... I hope it "gives you hell" ... j/k =D!

All for Art!

Woot! I just got my first sale in my art shop LiPeony and it's the lovely little piece up there in a 5" x 7". As a bonus I also added a free choice of another 5"x7" print or my origami in Meekiyua. I think is a lovely freebie. I looked up on making good art prints and I really wanted to do it at home. One of the best professional printing online would be iprintfromhome and their prices are very good along with the quality and I went all over NYC and online to try to find more bang for my buck. That place is good not only for the price and quality but that it's more convenient since they just send you the images by mail and their customer service is very nice. Most of the archival printing places are very out of the way even with the fantastic NYC subway.

I wanted at home printing and I found a great etsy post about it HERE. Most if not all the recommended printers that have archival inks which are special inks that last for like 200 years or something and you also need really good paper. I brought some photo paper nothing really special just some Epson Matte and printed it on my old trusty Canon bubble jet. You know what it came out very very nice. I was actually surprised. The colors are as soft as I imagined them to be and also the image was true to what I did. I didn't want to give anyone some faulty print that would just fade away.

SO... I did some sleuthing and jumped upon this SITE (erfs I will have to find it tomorrow). It listed all the research done by an independent company on fading and lifetime of inks and papers. The old Canon printer I had was estimated to not fade after at least 25 years and would last long if the picture is taken care of. Epson was first with 30 years, Hp was 20-25 years and Lexmark was a sad last. As for paper the photo paper I brought is guaranteed to hold onto the ink for 70+ years. The problem with the super duper archival inks that's proven not to fade after 86-200 years is that well no one is really going to be around to fade and complain about it.
I taped two prints to my bookcase that always gets the morning and afternoon full blown sunshine on it and is always in the light. It's been about a month and it looks the same. I'll be sticking to my trusty printer and it's 25 years. If it starts to fade before 25 years I will the first one to tell you.

Another important part is the paper. There really isn't any "archival" ink jet paper easily accessible like at staples though I heard of a Kodak paper that's suppose to be akin to a everlasting gobstopper. It just keep trucking. One thing I've learned is that if you want good lasting paper it usually has the tags "archival" "museum grade" and "acid-free." There's also about weight of paper. Yeps... paper weight is how much 500 sheets would weigh. The higher the weight the thicker it is. To give a perspective most computer/copy office paper is 20lbs and its fairly thin. I really don't like flimsy paper for a print so I went heavy duty and got new paper that was 47lbs. It's as thick as card stock and I loved how the prints came out. Colors true. Paper sturdy. Image perfect!

The more professional art prints require special paper and inks, methods, time and research and one day I'll be able to get those really awesome printers with like 10 different archival inks and special textured archival paper. For now this poor college student is happy with her old Canon bubble ink jet and 47lb paper that supposedly doesn't fade for at least 25 years.

Until next time... I am Art and Art is me. =D

Welcome!

Welcome my first Meekiyu charm! I really love how this one picture came out. It was entirely by coincidence that the blackberry phone is an awesome red color just like my charm. The phone is my boyfriend's old phone. I also love how the sparkles came out on the charm so it had just enough twinkle and all the gold details of the paper glows and so does the little bell. I took several pictures and tweaked the in my photo manager to make it brighter and contrast higher.

Frankly to get really good pictures you need a good with macro setting camera, good background that compliments your work without overpowering it and that perfect amount of natural light or pseudo natural light bulbs. Get level ground to place your camera and take several pictures. By the way some cell phones are incredible cameras also but those are usually very expensive might as well buy a good regular camera. I usually take at least three so there is always one really good picture that comes out of it. Next is really having a simple program like Photoshop or Picture manager to play around with the settings to really make your pictures pop.

Here is a very useful collection of articles in Etsy on Photography from how-to props to how - to play with picture settings:

Etsy Photography How- to's : all the articles on etsy pertaining to photographing including tips on how to make one fit for the Front Page
EtsyWiki Photo How - to's : great place for all etsy and has answers to all those little questions like "how do I get rid of that yellow in my photo?"
How to make a cheap light tent/box : brought to you by the Digital Photography School
Product Photography: A great site to look up specific tips on photographing your items according to what it is and what is is made of like... glass jewelry or clothing etc.

These are just tips on how to get great photos but it really is also about experience and what works for others may not work for you but hopefully with some advice, practice and that special corner of your home that happens to have the perfect amount of natural light you can take some awesome pictures. =D

Until next time... Happy clicking! =D

Feature Feature =D

Yeps I was asked if my Red Lover's Knot Origami Ornament could be featured on this totally cool site dedicated to young adults and teens SweetDesignsMagazine this February. It's geared towards girls with great articles about fashion and beauty, health and all these concerns and topics that young people face today. It reminds me of all those magazines geared for girls like Cosmo Girl, Seventeen Magazine or Teen Vogue. It's a great place that also concentrates on handcraft and eco friendly finds. What's great is that the founder of this site and also part of the
Graphic Gurus, TeamEtsyMentors, TeamZine, Teens and Young Adults Teams
Stephanie owner of the graphic shop Sweet2685 promotes handcrafts in YA and teens. Which is fantastic! I'm always impressed and amazed at what some teens and young adults have accomplished... those are always the people and stories I love to read and aspire to!

until then... Live to inspire

I'm a Nerd and I'm darn proud!

Yes since I got my glasses I've looked like the typical "nerd" but I'm no way ashamed of it. To celebrate that I created the "I'm not a Nerd" little guy above! I really enjoyed making his swirly eyes and the book. The book actually has little squiggles on the inside so it looks like it's an actual book! I'm going to make a girl one but since my sister took the camera to school (Cries big tears) I won't be able to get any new pics up! I have items ready to post so no worries! Alright this is dedicated to chic geek finds on etsy. The best way to search was not really using the word "geek, nerd etc" but more so a combo of that and something else more specific. Here's a taste of some of the ones I love.

Okay every person needs something warm to drink to get those brain muscles awake, be it tea, coffee or some nutritious concoction created solely to giving your brains a good shake awake. The ones above are these awesome chic cups and platters with nerd and dork on them. They look so stylish and perfect for those morning beverages and rise and shine kicker. These are brought to you by trixiedelicious. Remember these? These wonderful floppy disks? I grew up in the age of computers and I went from the original bendable floppy discs to those cds we use now. Heavensentcrafts brings back the wonderful usefulness of these floppy disks as notepads! Isn't that awesome? They're actual notebooks with covers of real floppy disks and great to write on since floppy discs are pretty hard and sturdy.

When i saw scientificculture in a virtual lab on etsy I fell in love with the whole store. Not only does it have little Issac Newton and Einstein finger puppets they have these cute little bacteria plushies! I know we don't like E. coli in our food but come on that plushie is so adorable! I'm a big fan because well I love studying microbiology so I was floored by the wonderful bacteria and they look so innocent don't they?

There are so many fantastic little finds for everyone that you are bound to find something you'll fall in love with! I'm already browsing and getting ready to let loose with my mouse.

BTW for those in the New York City there is going to be a craft fair called the Handmade Cavalcade where some of the New New York etsy team will be selling their wares. I'm going to check it out too =D. Click the link for more info!

This is Meek wishing you a super duper day!

Magnetic Personality?

Howdy from NYC! I was walking to my fridge to do my usual raiding when I saw all the little magnets my family has collected over the years. Most are the flat ones that double as business cards and what. I also have a magnetic board in my room that came with magnets that holds all my schedules and important notes. Well I made some magnets of my own which are the ones above! My Dizzy Busy Mom magnets, they have a good magnet on the back and sprayed with protective coating of acrylic. The biggest problem was finding good magnets. The ones I found were called "craft magnets" which are decent and I found them in Pearl Paint. Don't use the magnetic tape... I brought some and they don't work. I decided to do a bit of research on magnets for crafting. There are mainly three that I see... one is the craft magnets they're usually light and thin and only good for light items like paper and foam. They are the ones that usually come with self adhesive on the back (not guaranteed to work), next are ceramic magnets that are thicker and stronger versions of the craft magnets and those are the ones I use. They're also slightly heavier and you have to stick them on yourself with glue. I use Elmer's and it's held up fine on my board. The next are neodymium or (super) magnets, these are light, not that much more expensive then the other magnets requires you to stick them on and is very strong. The only ones I've used were ceramic and they hold a good 2-3 sheets of paper that's fine. I got my info from this Craft Store Online. By the way suppliers on etsy also sell these. Here are some of the great magnets I found on etsy. Above is from Mooremagnets. I see her a lot in forums and I love her magnets. She's specializes in magnetic boards that also include magnets in punchy colors and designs. What I like about the one above are that they are magnetic boxes that you can slip pencils/ pens and markers in them. Perfect to use on any magnetic board and you can always switch off the pen if you like or if it runs out of ink. Check it out!.


When I was browsing under magnets this little critter above just shot to me. It's this awesomely cute felted magnet! I love the texture, the simple designs and the colors! This is brought to you by the little new store MarcieMayFibers. I think they are just the cutest little things.
Okay I'm a little bias to origami paper and design so I really loved the ones from Gamiworks. These are chiyogami paper of tiny goldfish in clear tiles. It's like having a koi fish or goldfish pond on your fridge. What can be better then that? Plus it comes in that super convenient box!

Magnets are fun and can be dangerous if you don't use them correctly or swallow them. How can magnets be dangerous? Well for one eating one is highly NOT recommended. You laugh but there have been toy recalls because the magnets of toys came off so easily and kids ate them resulting in surgery. Here's a pretty darn important list for all you people with kiddies.

Toy safety tips for the holiday season:

For children under age eight, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.

For children under age six, avoid sets with small magnets, which could cause serious injury or death if swallowed.

For children under age three, avoid toys with small parts, which could cause choking.

Helmets and safety gear should fit properly and be worn by children using riding toys, such as skateboards or in-line skates.

Improper use of projectile toys, such as rockets or darts, could result in serious eye injuries. The toys are for older children.

Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger children.

Battery chargers and adapters can pose a burn hazard for children. Adults should supervise charging batteries and pay attention to warnings on the chargers.

Look to toy labels for age guidelines and safety recommendations.

Choose toys that suit the child's age, abilities and skills.

Select toys with a sturdy construction.

Discard all plastic wrap after gifts are opened.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Anyhos this post became much longer then I expected. LOLOL..
This is Meek signing off!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

I admit I put off seeing this movie for a very long time. I saw it last year along with Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and I must say they are fantastic! I really love the characters and just the whole setting. If you haven't seen either movie before please do! Nightmare before Christmas is this wonderful story about Jack the pumpkin head and the denizens of Halloween town. It has adventure, a moral, song and dance, unforgettable characters, brilliant voices and Christmas all rolled up in one great package! Btw above is this pendant inspired by one of the scenes of Nightmare before Christmas made by http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5603276. I know a lot of girls that love this movie and this would be a great present for them. I have a Nightmare Before Christmas cotton tote bag that I use at college and many people commented on how much they loved the movie... even my Histology teacher told me how much his daughters loved the movie. Now that is kind of strange. Tim Burton has always been known for his quirky Gothic like style that range from the beloved Edward Scissor hands to the claymation works of Corpse Bride and I'm sure he did one of those Batman movies lolol. What is claymation? Claymation is a stop motion based animation. Basically you create a character out of clay, record a second, move the clay character a little bit and record another second. It keeps going and going until all the seconds are played and it seems like the clay character is moving. For more info click on Claymation and it leads to a wikipedia article. I have great respect for claymation movies because I've done claymation myself and trust me it takes a lot of time and patience to make a movie. My 2 minute animation took 6 months to complete. Not only do you have to move them in tiny amounts and record it, you have to make sure the clay character doesn't melt underneath the bright lights and your own warm touch. Also afterwards you have to do massive amounts of editing to zip out things you accidentally recorded like your hand or movements that don't seem to flow. Above picture is a felted Jack that is completely adorable! This little guy was made by http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6011251. Felting I heard is just as detailed as claymation.Speaking of Halloween and Christmas. It's getting chilly! I found this perfect little hoodie for your little ones to wear by http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5709381. I love hoodies because they're so comfortable and warm! They're also great for those days you just want to throw something on and not look like a mess. I think the skeleton Jack face on this one is great to be walking around the city with, in this fall weather. So if you haven't seen either movies please do so! Also they are great places to roam around in the video games Kingdom Hearts Series. They bring the world of Disney and Halloween town to life so you can interact, fight alongside and also wear costumes and such!

Have a great Halloween!