CANDYPOW

Crafty Lately: Sewing, Crochet & Knit!!

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:01:00 +0000

I am fascinated by the whole process of designing and creating handmade plushies. It looked complicated from a nooblet's point of view. I was too intimidated to even attempt because I'm generally horrible at following written instructions without a visual or keeping positive while frustrated. There should be no excuses since we have a sewing machine. Start simple, right?

I love foxes so much. I have been failing miserably on coming up with a crocheted verison ever since a friend requested it. I wanted to create my own design but I couldn't get the face shape down. Why not sew a fox instead?!

I like the wonkiness of it, the big nose and the legs. I might sew the scarf on it to hide the mistakes. I can't wait to start making another fox. Attempt 2 will probably be in two pieces rather than three! Wish I have picked up red and more white felt now.

This time around it was much easier. Completed this kitty in a couple of hours. Attached the tail in a much better way in comparison to the fox! (Yep, if you didn't notice it. Don't look D:)

NEW!! I wanted to make some bright colored panda octopuses and I started off with my favorite color. It's also finally up in Squittle. I wish there was more a color selection with those felt squares.. I couldn't find a yellow to match my yarn at all :(

The usual one is here. Each time I make a new one it seems to get larger and larger. I'm tempted to buy some huge safety eyes and make a beastie one!

Happy Wednesday! ♥

How to CONTOUR [dodge + burn] in Photoshop.

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000

Hello! Here is a quick on how to contour or dodge & burn in Photoshop. This is how I contour portraits. You can use this method for higher end skin retouching.

Press ALT & New Layer. Choose Mode: Soft Light and check Fill with soft-light netural color (50% gray)

Method 1:
Select the burn or dodge tool and make sure your exposure is 10-30%. Your brush size will vary depending on what you are contouring/highlighting.

Method 2:
Select the brush tool and choose black (darken) or white (brighten). Lower the opacity of the brush to 10-30%.

What should you contour? Do anything that you want to pop! I contour the cheeks, eyeliner, brows, shadows and sometimes the edge for a light vignette. I also do this to make hair more defined.

I make addionital contour layers for seperate things. For example: just the face, body, vignette, etc.

Lower the opacity of each layer if necessary. You can also choose one contour layer and go to Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur to soften it! The higher the radius, the softer it will become.

I choose my dodge layer to be 80% with a Gaussian blur at 3.0. One burn layer at 75% and the other at 80% with a Gaussian blur at 3.0.

Right click and duplicate your background layer. Click on the top contour layer, press SHIFT & choose your background copy to select it all. Right click and merge layers. You can toggle back and forth to your original to see if it's too intense. You can lower the opacity there too.

Hover over the image to see the before and after. I merged all the layers and lowered it down to 75%. Normally I would soften and lower it more but I wanted you to see the difference :)

I turned this into an action for you!

Birthday OOTD// 5 things about me.

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy) — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:23:00 +0000

Might be the eyeliner that gave me such sad eyes in this photo.

TOP: here ♥ // SHORTS: Forever21
I'm not really dressing up today :3 It was brought to my attention that I should probably post more details about myself soon. I'll start off with a five things about me.

Today is my birthday. I am finally 22!
I am a twin.
I've wanted to be an artist when I was six. Graphic designer while I was in middle school. Last couple of years: web & graphic designer, photographer and crochet shop owner.
I am a selective mute. Some people say that I'm rather outgoing even though I'm so quiet.
Crissy is actually my nickname!

Now... what are your five things?

Crochet Elephant Amigurumi Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Here it is! One of my favorite animals... This tiny crochet elephant has been tested and the pattern is ready to go! :D It's in PDF form with a bunch of pictures for assembly.

Materials:

· C or D crochet hook

· Worsted weight yarn

· 9mm safety eyes

· Polyfil stuffing

· Optional: Weaving yarn needle & pins (to hold ears in place)

Stitches:

· Single crochet

· Increase (two single crochet stitches in one)

Decrease (skip a stitch or single crochet 2 stitches together)

HEAD
Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 6 times into the ring. (6)
2.      Increase around. (12)
3.      “Single crochet in the next st, Inc in the next” around. (18)
4.      “Sc in the next 2 sts, Inc” around. (24)
5.      “Sc in the next 3 sts, Inc” around. (30)
6.      Sc around. (30)
7.      Sc around. (30)
8.      Sc around. (30)
9.      Sc around. (30)
10.   “Sc in the next 3 sts, Dec” around. (24)
Start stuffing here.
11.   “Sc in the next 2 sts, Dec” around. (18)
12.    “Dec in the next st, Sc” around. (12)
13.   Sc around. (12)

TRUNK
Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 4 times into the ring. (4)
2.      Increase once. Single crochet in the next sts. (5)
3.      Single crochet around. (5)
4.      Sc around.(5)
5.      Sc around.(5)
6.      Sc around.(5)
7.      Single crochet once. Decrease once. (2)
*Leave the last 2 sts alone.
Leave a short tail and hide it inside the hole.

EARS (2)

Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 6 times into the ring. (6)
2.      Increase around. (12)
3.      “Sc in the next st, Inc” around. (18)
4.      “Sc in the next 2 sts, Inc” around. (24)
5.      “Sc in the next 3 sts, Dec” around. Sc in the last st. (20)
6.      “Sc in the next 4 sts, Dec” around. Sc in the last 2 sts. (17)
7.      Single crochet around. (17)
*Leave a long tail so you can weave it shut closed and to attach to the head

BODY
Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 6 times into the ring. (6)
2.      Increase around. (12)
3.      Single crochet around. (12)
4.      Sc. (12)
5.      Sc. (12)
6.      Sc. (12)
Start stuffing.
7.      “Sc in the next, dec in the next st” around. (8)
Stuff more.
Leave a long tail to attach to the head.

ARMS (2)
Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 3 times into the ring. (3)
2.      Increase once. Single crochet in the next sts. (4)
3.      Single crochet around. (4)
4.      Single crochet around. (4)

LEGS (2)
Magic Ring
1.      Single crochet 3 times into the ring. (3)
2.      Increase once. Single crochet in the next sts. (4)
3.      Sc in the next 2 sts, decrease in the last st. (3)

If you make this, please share the pictures with me! I'll love to see :D

Birthday Wishlist //

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:55:00 +0000

GALAXY DRESS // GRACIE, JO TOTES // FUJI INSTAX 210 // HIGH WAIST SHORTS I'll love more camera related things but I'm trying to be realistic haha.

A LARK IN THE PARK // PERFECTLY PASTORAL // POLKA DOT// STRIPED LACE MORE SUMMER DRESSES PLEASE. Which one is your favorite?

LIGHT PURPLE // BRIGHT PURPLE // DARK BROWN I miss the purple hair sometimes so that middle one shall be mine eventually.
I'm pretty content clothing wise but I am always open to new things haha. Hello overflowing dresser. I am years overdo on that spring cleaning. More donating & less hoarding, right? My birthday is this Friday! I don't seem to have any set plans. I'll be good with a little adventure (probably thrifting) and food. But mostly food.

Last year's birthday post
My goals for this summer is to do as many shoots as possible, save up for that Jo Totes bag and own more shirts. We have two cameras with their lenses on & 3 more lenses. Flash, chargers, batteries and anything else that can fit. That's way too much for a tiny shoulder bag. I also MUST get out of my comfort zone and break away from those tank tops. There's certain tops and styles that I like but it's not flattering for my size or there's not enough breathing room or coverage. Why is it so complicated? Booo!

What's on your wishlist?

Jenny by Studio Killers on Grooveshark

Happy Monday!

Thrifting Thursdays

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:20:00 +0000

It's a little surprising to see how much has changed in a week! The shoes that I loved were no longer in that special case. Ever since I saw oxford shoes at a {higher end} thrift store, I wanted my own! I'm extremely picky and wanted a better deal. Somebody pointed these shoes out on the rack and got me all excited when I saw it was marked down half price. Also in a size I could wear. Perfect (!!!) Unfortunately I'm currently waiting days/forever on a few payments and was a few dollars short still which is why I avoided the clothing racks haha. Next time I'll look at clothing. Next Friday is my birthday! :D

The boyfriend bought it. Spoiled.

Can't wait to put an outfit together for these. I already have something in mind.

More photos below.

This is beautiful work! Wish I had space for these. It's probably not a good idea to start collecting things to hang on our walls when it'll be impossible to stop.

I'm curious... Does anyone know what this sort of thing is called?

Pretty cute dolphin.

There's always a new kitty face there.

This was pretty adorable. Super tiny elephant and I didn't buy it because my room would probably eat it.

Monsters! ♥

I LOVED this so much. It was only 6 bucks but I would have preferred it as a rug. At that point: don't wipe your shoes on my owl! haha.

Look at what he found! A cute teeny claw machine

...and it actually works!

Have a good day everyone ♥

Floral OOTD + Comics!

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy) — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:27:00 +0000

A couple of months went by and I still haven't worn this dress. Does anyone remember it from this shoot? Now with this weather it seems just perfect. It's the only dress that I own that has such a loose/baggy top! I am so tempted to do some DIY and turn the bottom into a skirt. If only I weren't such a sewing noob. I love those florals, especially the blue/tealy kinds.

My latest sewing project was posted on instagram! It's a baby prototype. I'll use the sewing machine for the whole thing and do the rest by hand.. since Anna (sewing machine :3) was not kind with the crocheted bits. This skirt is on my to do list once I get elastic & fabric.

Dress: Thrifted// Shoes: Thrifted

Selfies in the front yard feel all ~forbidden~. If there's any confrontation then I'm out! I live in this quiet neighborhood and people rarely ever come out anyways. Halfway through these pictures some guy in a truck drove by and stopped RIGHT in front of my house. It was strange. The truck was still running and I kept listening for any doors to open while pretending to look in the viewfinder. Runnnn haha

Last weekend we went to a couple of comic book shops for free comics! Our favorite had too many to choose from PLUS sales on all the dollar comics. Perfect time to get started, right? You can view the pictures below. If you haven't already Cazz from Nerd Burger is a must follow! ♥

This is only HALF of what we got! He got a bunch of Batman ones and a pack of #1's (Hawkeye, Superman, Batman, Green Latern & more.) Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek are for me. I recently found out Hulu has Star Trek. Can I obsess now?! I've never really watched The Original Series. It was only playing at 5/6 in the morning while I was in middle school so it was near impossible to wake up to watch it.

Thrifting Thursdays: OOTD

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:53:00 +0000

I wasn't expecting to spend any money yesterday but I found several things that actually fit me. Our last couple of visits I've walked out empty handed while the boyfriend finds awesome things for himself. I'm so jealous that he finds shirts for under $2 each. He convinced me to buy some shoes since it isn't often that I find anything there anyway.

I was just talking about finding a leather jacket to go with my faux leather clothing. I barely saw it peek through the rack and immediately yanked it down to claim it then saw it was a size S. Ehhhh? Well, I didn't expect to zip it up anyways and for 10 bucks, it was mine!

Bummed I probably won't wear this much until Fall comes around. I just got used to 70°F weather. None of this high 80s and 90s! No thank you. Sprayed myself with sunscreen while I was taking photos because I could feel the burn.

I don't consider myself to be fashionable/stylish. I'm not sure what you'll call that polka dot top. It was labeled as a blazer. Is that it? I'm a noob. All I could think of when I grabbed it was doing a retro shoot with it. I tried it on to see how it'll fit. What sort of bottoms/shoes do you think would look good with it?

And here are the shoes! :D It's been on my list to get brown shoes but I have been scared of brown. Black is my go-to versatile color that I'm too comfortable with.

Read more to look at other goodies. What have you found by thrifting lately?

Made him wear it. teehee

There's always so many things I like but have no use/room for. Can't wait to get our own place and start decorating.

Cookie Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:45:00 +0000

I had to dig up photos of these cookie brownies I made last month! Betty Crocker actually came out with these bars but it has disappeared from stores in my area and I had to grab separate ones instead.

I used to bake regularly but I didn't like eating any of it! I prefer having a spoon full of batter over the finished product. I prefer cookies and brownies to be chewy/moist.

The temperature for each one was different so I must have set the oven at 375ºF or 400ºF. From what I remember from the bars was to pour out the brownie mix first and scoop out balls of the cookie dough on top! The time was tricky. I left it in for 25-35 minutes. The brownie was ready while the dough was still gooey. It was still a hit though!

What have you baked lately? Have you mixed any two together successfully?

OH! Did you know there's going to be a Photos OF You section on Instagram?
Read about it here. So cool!

Ombre Hair & Leather Skirt OOTD

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:59:00 +0000

Sweater: Thrifted, H&M // Skirt: eBay // Belt: Forever21 // Leggings: Thrifted // Bangs: Damnation Hair It's only been four months and I've changed my hair color FIVE times. Why is it impossible to stop? I actually would love to do a red & blonde ombre but I'm steering clear of bleach for as long as possible. I had a nearly full bottle of blue dye leftover so this is my temporary ombre! I'm hoping this settles my impulsiveness haha.

I have wanted a skirt like this for months but only at the right price. I thought I could probably find one for under ten bucks.... AND IT HAPPENED!! Now I just need a leather jacket. Busty ladies can wear those, right? That's what is stopping me from getting one.

There's a bunch of lakes where we live that you can't go swimming in. I'll always prefer lakes. Who wants to be swept away by waves? Not me. Last weekend we finally went to one and I snapped a couple of photos. The only thing we didn't like were those weeds covering most of the sand. It's all prickly weeds with spike things. Plus there's no shade and only a couple of small trees so far away from the actual water :| NEXT!?

Happy Thursday ♥

How to: Photograph Amigurumi & Edit in Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:51:00 +0000

You will need white paper and natural light preferably near a window. :)

I placed paper down on my bed and stacked a couple of sheets against the wall then put the amigurumi in place. I took these photos around noon when the sun hits my window. I am using a 50mm lens at low f-stop and low ISO since it was bright. Bump up the ISO depending on your lighting condition.

If you have a continuous mode, use it!

Canon 7D & 50mm 1.4. Settings: f/2, 1/80, ISO 100

1)    Crop out any distracting edges. If you have any lines you can select the brush tool & hold down CTRL to sample a color to paint over. That doesn't need to be perfect since we'll be brightening up the background next.

2)    Merge down. Duplicate your layer. Go to Image> Adjustments> Brightness/Contrast and bump up the Brightness 50+. There we go!   If your amigurumi is too bright, select a layer mask and use a black brush to paint it back.

3)    If you feel that your amigurumi is too dark now, you can select a white brush and adjust the brush opacity settings to around 50%. Paint over your amigurumi to brighten it up.

OPTIONAL: Sharpening your image.

1)    Go to Filter> Sharpen> Unsharp Mask and find the settings to fit your image.

Now it's complete! I save the high resolutions then afterwards resize at 700px as png's for posting on the web.

Before & After Comparison:

How to remove those random fuzzies or hair for close ups:

1)    Duplicate your layer. Select the healing brush tool at a small size. Select a nearby area by holding down CTRL and clicking.

2)    Paint over it! Usually this works. Sometimes you'll need to use the clone stamp tool.

That's it!

You don't need a super expensive camera to do this. ♥ Just white space and good lighting.

Canon Rebel XS & 15-55mm, Settings: f/5, 1/40, ISO 400

Canon Rebel XS & 50mm 1.8, Settings: f/1.8, 1/200, ISO 400

Samsung Galaxy S3 + Front camera. Settings: f/2.6, 1/68, ISO 80

Happy Wednesday &heats;

Blue Galaxy OOTD

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:59:00 +0000

Little Bit by Lykke Li on Grooveshark

Wig: eBay // Dress: Forever21 // Leggings: GoWithGalaxy // Boots: Doc Martens // Plugs: Plug Club

My newest addition to my slowly growing wig collection. It's shiny but it doesn't matter to me. I missed blue hair and this is so perfect! I'm in love with this color and how soft it is. I thought I couldn't get away with fooling people with this one but it had worked. "Whoa, Crissy! For a second I had thought your hair was blue..."

I never thought of using a foam board as a backdrop. Might be fun to do a couple of lookbook style shoots this way. These are test shoots. I'm surprised how bright these came out to be in such a dim room! I finally ordered a wireless remote the other day. Don't know what took me so long! I'm hoping it arrives this month.

Eevee decided to ~~sit~~ model with me in a couple of shots. Such a cute calm puppy.. for once!

Our three year anniversary is today! I never thought someone could know me so well. To listen and actually remember the random comments I make on commercials like EDIBLE ARRANGMENTS. Who wants roses when you can get an edible bouquet? Yummmmm! I hate chocolate, actually. With strawberries that becomes the exception but what makes this so good is that it's white chocolate.

Surprise visit ✔ Ballooooons✔ Strawberries ✔ WHITE chocolate strawberries ✔

My birthday is in a month! I'm not sure if I want a dinner with friends, usual hang out or adventure. Or all of the above. Or a date night. Hmmm!

Have a good day everyone. ♥ OH! No idea how much longer GFC will stay so let's connect! Follow with Blog Lovin' or G+.

Cute Finds 015

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:13:00 +0000

Cat Face Playsuit

This is pretty cute. Reminds me of those cat face flats that I've been seeing all over the web! Makes me want this dress for summer. Sunglasses, makeup and hair included, please!

Acrylic Fawn Necklace

Adorable. Radiant acrylic reflects pretty colors.

Have you checked out The Perfect Pear Designs yet? Lauren's design and choice of colors/fonts put together such a cute layout. I love the vibrant pop of colors in the background & floral piece in the header.

Mint Bag
Who else admires these teeny bags from afar? My bags need to carry several balls of yarn, camera & pretty much everything else haha. The fact that it's mint makes me want it more!

Vintage Black Velvet dress
I've always loved velvet as a child but I've never worn it since. This would be the exception. It's a beautiful fit and has that lovely lace collar.

Deer Pastel Shirt

Gimme cutesy deer tops! I saw this on tumblr which means too late, sold out :( I do love the skirt she's wearing and her pastel hair.

KnitNicoleKnit

My favorite color! Is it too late for knit beanies? NEVER. Ready for summer beanies!

QuoQuo

ANOTHER DRESS YES. This is my favorite by far. The floral pattern and bottom print are amazing. Who took this picture?

High Standards

I'm close to getting rid of all my jeans but these inspire me for some fun DIY projects.

TOO beautiful.

Nacho Guzman

My friend shared this video with me. I love it!

by Isabella Morawetz, *imorawetz on deviantart

Isn't this insane? There is a super high res available for viewing on deviantart and you can gush over the details from there. Very beautiful work!

What have you found lately? Share with me!

Squittle Amigurumi

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Most of the Squittles were sold out! Isn't that crazy?! :) We started out with many amigurumi in the shop and now barely had anything ready to ship! I've got a couple of custom requests in person that has been slowing my update down.

Squittle

Squittle

Squittle

Squittle

Squittle

There are THREE new designs!! The long squid, octopus with round tentacles & the baby squid. :D I'm really loving the brighter green. Is there any other colors you'll like to see?
If you own a Squittle, then this is for you!

Camille's Pin Up Session Part 2!

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:41:00 +0000

The first image has got to be one of my top favorites. Creamy skin, bright eyes, pretty dress and these colors make me wish I had taken more in this spot! I'm probably going to order a print for it!!

I've been busy sort of ~all over the place~ trying to get things ready. Things are changing. This will probably be my LAST session at Crissy Maciel Photography ♥ It's time to move on towards better things.

I recently got Lightroom again. I have been trying to speed up and simplify my post processing. So conflicted because I love being able to change an image completely but I also love the natural side of editing. I'm focusing on getting images right in camera instead of relying on fixing exposures and things in Photoshop.

The last image I was toying with VSCO film. Very subtle but beautiful colors/tones in those edits! Who wants to magically give me the app for it? ;) I would LOVE VSCO Cam & Afterlight (*Previously known as AfterGlow) but I could never go back to iPhones! Galaxy S3 is amazing.

sponsor love!

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Ello Govna! I'm Lauren, the crazy craft-making, photo-taking, vintage-loving, tea-drinking blogger behind The Perfect Pear! The Perfect Pear is all about doing, making, wearing and eating the things you love, probably not all at once though! :) I also own a blog design business too, so if you're in the market for a new design I'd love to work with you!

BLOG | DESIGN | TWITTER

Bec Brown
Clouds of Colour blog
Sharing photography, crafts, inspiration and art from a small town in New Zealand. Clouds of Colour is my creative outlet and a place to share my love of art and design. Life is being creative and I love every moment of it!

BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN

Please take some time to check out these wonderful talented ladies! ♥

Camille's Bettie Page Inspired Session {Preview}

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

This is probably my FAVORITE session I've done this year. It was last minute and didn't know if there would be enough time to get those beautiful sunset colors/glow/haze but it totally is! I'm excited to be able to shoot more during the week. She was amazing to work with and made the whole experience fun. I'm saving my favorite shots for last, of course! Like my page for upcoming updates in the next few days :)

We went back to our usual spot to find that it's turned into this wonderful overgrown field of grass/weeds. It's practically impossible to find a field like this so close to my house. There were no prickly, stinging plants thankfully! Her floral dress is pretty, can it be mine?

Happy Friday all :3

Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Stripes / Galaxy / Galaxy / High Waist Pants / Faux Leather

Elephant / Skull / Owl (from Giveaway): Adrian Loves Owls/ White Basic / Hi-low Crop

Here's photos of most of the items I got recently :3 You may have already seen some of these on my instagram! I've come to that point of No More Jeans and went a little leggings crazy...

Galaxy leggings are USUALLY expensive but I found GowithGalaxy on Storenvy that have a couple of $10 free shipping listings. My favorite leggings so far! The stripe ones come in second due to it being a cotton blend. SO soft and comfortable.

I'm planning to get rid of most of my jeans and replace them with those black high waist pants. Perfect size for petite shorties!

I've bought a couple of tops over the last few months. Th elephant, skull and white crop top were from eBay, of course :3. I actually won that amazing owl shirt from Adrian Loves Owls. Best material ever. It's hard to come across decent white tops that aren't sheer!

NEW PLUGS! I finally got galaxy ones. I am clearly obsessed haha. Doctor Who has returned. EXCITED. Now I must get ready for a shoot. Have a good day :)

This is my blog

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 22:06:00 +0000

Mykonos by Fleet Foxes on Grooveshark

I have wondered about changing my blog name before. CANDYPOW definitely doesn't give you hints on what my blog is about. I've tried having two blogs before and it's a pain in the butt. Two different subjects, blogs, layouts, followings, comments, emails and...why can't it make more sense to have it all in one? Awhile back someone had featured me as a beauty blogger. I didn't know haha. At the time I was blogging crafts, patterns and photography. I may have done a post or two about makeup.

Honestly I'm conflicted sometimes. Some of my patterns get featured, bring in crazy amounts of traffic and then it makes me think I'm suddenly a crafts only blog to others. I don't mean to disappoint, really. It works for some people but my vote will ALWAYS go towards variety. It personally keeps me reading the blogs I do. There's just too many interests to limit myself just to one or two. I'm not enough to be a fashion blogger, beauty, crafts, personal, etc. This is my blog! I'm tired of these rules of what I should be doing as a blogger. This year is for more posts about my interests, hobbies and preferably personal thrown in as well. It's strange that it's difficult for me to open up to you all when most of you I've never met! Should be that much easier to tell you all of my secrets >:)

Doing what I want! Here's Sarah from S.F. Effects for a last minute test shoot yesterday.

When I'm Small by Phantogram on Grooveshark

Cute Finds 014

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:50:00 +0000

© Alexandra Wallace 2013.

Isn't this beautiful? I'm in love with it all! The lighting, colors, pose and the placement of the flowers.
introvert's introduction
I've had an idea lingering in my head for a shoot and I think this would be the perfect accessory. Looks cute & simple :D

pinpinfinds I actually don't like moths but wooden jewelry of it? Yes please.
Nerd Burger Jewelry Who wouldn't want a ring?! I love Adventure time!

Adrian Loves Owls
One of my favorite blogger's style is Adrian's! I wish I could put together outfits like these. The layering, color combinations, want want want!

LittleSweetDreams I first saw this on tumblr: "It looks real!" Teeny cute pizza earrings. It's currently sold out though.

Another find on Tumblr! I liked the bats but LOVE the jellyfish even more. Can there be a squid one?! I don't think I'm using the right keywords because I can't find the shop! Who knows it?

I'm so glad I came across Sophie's tumblr. I'm such a sucker for cutesy art. GO BUY ART!
Happy Friday!
What are your cute finds?

Sleepy Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:42:00 +0000

The Sleepy Fox pattern was released today! I already had orange but it wasn't bright enough for me and made it in blue instead.

I'm sure some of you recognize this fox! Designed by Anda of Adorably Kawaii~

I stock up on supplies and find out later that it's still not enough. I'm always wanting new colors but I should use up what I already have. My list so far: backup C hook, E hook, brighter yarnies, matching thread, larger needles, backup weaving needle, felt & large saftey eyes. SO MANY WANTS.

Floral Headband Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:19:00 +0000

The pattern is available for download as a PDF here. Pictures to help guide you.

Flower: (crochet 5)

1. Chain 35. Skip the first chain. Single crochet in the next 3 chs.
Repeat { “Chain 3, skip next chain, single crochet in the next 3 chs” } til the end.

2. Chain 3. “Double crochet 3 times, slip stitch, double crochet 4 times” in the hole and sc in the next st.
Repeat {Dc 3x, sl st, Dc 4x" in next hole, sc in next }
Sc in the last two sts.

Read the PDF to see pictures on how to curl it.

Headband Piece:

Foundation- Chain 100. Cut.

1. Attach yarn by a single crochet in the 16th chain from one end. Single crochet across. Leave the last 16 chains untouched.

2. Turn. Chain 2. Skip first stitch, half double crochet across.

Sew on each flower onto the band piece or you could weave in ends to attach it!

If you like this, check out my other free patterns, bow headband & shop. ♥

{st pattys dress}

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:09:00 +0000

Remember Me as a Time of Day by Explosions in the Sky on Grooveshark

Decided to go ahead and start my final hair project. I wasn't a fan of the pink. It looks adorable on everyone else! I went to a salon (for the first time in 8 years ahhhh!) and had a friend do it. It's still so softies, can I never wash it again?! I love the feeling of freshly dyed hair.

A party is coming up this weekend that I needed a new dress for! Who wants to be pinched for not wearing green? Not me! >:( There wasn't much of a selection of dresses at the thrift store but with some digging, I manged to find this one in the shirts rack. The color really popped out to me. Not too green that it would make me feel Christmasy. I love wearing certain purples, greens and blues. Makes me feel like a mermaid!

It's my longest dress so far. I generally don't even consider wearing longer lengths to avoid looking much smaller than I already am. The boyfriend jokingly implied that I should've worn another dress in the store. I don't know if it was even a maxi dress but it was so long that it would drag and I would probably trip haha.

I'm such a liar, guys! I'll be posting up my ~~~secret~~~ floral headband pattern up tomorrow. I've been busy with an unexpected social life and photoshoot. Please head on over to see updates on my page. Here's one peek. ♥ I am WAY too excited now that there's more sunlight and more opportunities for sunset shoots!

Happy Tuesday all! :)
Cold Cold Water by Mirah on Grooveshark

{avatar ootd}

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Let me tell you a story... Last weekend we had this perfect sunny day. I decided that this was a chance to dress up and get pictures done. We went out to this dirt open space area we drove by a couple of times. It was was covered with these tall yellow flowers. We walked through trying to find a good spot and I'm there wearing shorts (unfortunately) not aware of the surrounding prickly plants. I felt these plants hit against my legs and I believe I must have had a delayed reaction to it. We kept walking until suddenly my legs were on fire and broke out in hives. The worst of it all is that I was basically stranded haha. Those plants were tall as well and had to take my second shirt to wear on my legs. First experience with stinging nettle. Tingling to stinging THEN teeny balls of fire. Horrible.
This place was a potential photo area. At least I didn't take a model out there! It's almost funny I experienced this so close to home and not once at ANY of our weekend hikes.

Top: eBay // Skirt: eBay // Necklace: eBay

I bought my first two crop tops recently. I have ALWAYS loved the look of it but wasn't sure if it was for me since I haven't seen it so much on busty ladies. Some look very small in length and I was worried that it may not cover me properly. Plus I've never really had my stomach exposed before. Scary stuff. The other top is a batwing style. YEP. Unusual for me since every time that I see batwing tops I am: WHY. NO. WHAT IS THIS? Haha.

Way overdo for a new layout. I came across a commissions post on tumblr and fell in love with Sophie's art! I chose a colored sketch because the style is amazingggg. I based my layout around the colors and tried to keep it simple. Fixed up some pages and finally switched over to Passionfruit ads. Much easier.

The header images and social media icons are from Anda!

I have been trying to do everything all at once and it's obviously not working. I have tons of things I'll like to do but first I must write it down and choose 1-3 at a time. I can't just focus on one project. I'm going to try to get my floral headband pattern up tonight or tomorrow. I just need to finish the PDF and get some photos taken before sunset.

I finally had time to go through some pictures from San Francisco. It's crazy to see that this was taken back in February. Hello Twin Peaks! I'm not a fan of heights so this view made me feel uneasy.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Monthly Crochet Along: March

noreply@blogger.com (Crissy Candypow) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 18:31:00 +0000

I have started a monthly crochet along for my group Amigurumi Club ^_^
I'll be posting a few patterns and you would have a month to complete just one or more if you like! I may dig up some knit patterns but it's probably going to be crochet. The two choices for March are these: Pig and Duck.

I'll love to see what your versions come out to be!

You could join the group on Deviantart and submit your finished works to our new folder. Post your links on the journal post as well :)

If you would prefer to use Instagram, Tumblr or your blog... use #AmigurumiClub and link up! ♥