Hookable Designs

Click Click- The Sound of Sending a Card

2013-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

You know that feeling. That warm magical feeling of getting something in the mail. The rush of feeling loved, thought of, cared about, important to someone else kind of feeling. Yea, its real. I get it, you get it, and the truth is we all should get it. I believe its important to get it, feel it and express it to others. That magical feeling of love.

I was introduced to this card company called Send Out Cards, where you go online to their website to create a physical card and they send it to the recipient. Wait. What? Friends, they actually take out the whole, stamping it, going to the post office, and standing in line part of sending a card. Let all the busy moms, dads, students, business owners, and everyone else in between rejoice! I didn't know how awesome that was until I started using their services. And I confess, I am really bad at writing and sending cards the traditional way. In fact, I'm pretty sure my husband wrote the majority of our wedding gift thank you cards.

But since I've been using Send Out Cards I have sent out about 12 cards in a 2-3 month period.

Cards to say I love you, your important, I'm thinking about you, I see talent in you and I believe in you. But really, you can send cards on any topic available: Baby, Wedding, I love you, Thank You, Holiday's, ect. You can also send gift cards, brownies, caramels, and other items. And the best part is these cards are less expensive then the cards you buy in the store. So I save time and money.

So all this to say, I want to invite you look at this company. Click here if you want to send a free card to someone you love. Watch the short video they have to learn more. You can also became a Send Out Card distributor like myself. I get paid being nice to people. =)

Make beautiful cards from ready to send stock or your own pictures like these.

*Disclaimer: This post was written by me and I was not paid or gifted anything by SendOutCards to write this.

Blog hiatus = pregnancy bliss

2012-11-25T20:52:00.002-08:00

Hi Friends,
I just wanted to update everyone that I've been taking a hiatus from the blog for the past several months, because of pregnancy. Plus, we are getting ready to move. So, with so much good on the horizon I've decided to let the blog "just be" and wait until my life gets back to normal or a baby comes to resume. Which ever one comes first!;)

I still have my shop up and it is active! So check it out. Thanks everyone

Homemade Summer Slushy

2012-06-05T16:06:00.001-07:00

Lately, as the weather permits, L and I have been, on occasion, making little treks to the near by SevenEleven for a icy treat. Instant summer memories are brought back every time I treat my son and I to one. And I can't help but like the instant smiles that comes with it, even though I could do with out the coloring and high fructose corn syrup.

Actually, those two ingredients weigh heavy on my mind as we sip and slurp away at the frozen goodness. Not to mention the constant asking to go out and get one. Like.every.single.day. So I made my own version, with just two ingredients.

Two Servings

Super ripe(almost over-ripe) frozen strawberries- 1 1/2- 2 cups
Strawberry Lemonade (or any lemonade you choose) 2 cups
Blender

Blend until smooth.

I rescued some strawberries that were almost to the point of no return by freezing them. They were so full of juice and colored deep red that I knew I had to do something quick or else in the trash they would go. Turns out that they were perfect for this recipe. I didn't have to add any sugar, and the end product had such a great froth to it. Slurp!

L loved it and it hit the spot. Making it with any fruit you like would be easy and if you need a little sugar I think honey would do the trick.

Happy Summer Slushies everyone!
Danielle

Thinking in Color- Hope

2012-05-26T20:12:00.001-07:00

I will admit I'm a pretty deep thinker at times. I am also highly visual. As a result, I will get these little one liner thoughts through out the day, which a lot of time are companioned with a word picture. But I admit, I am no drawing artist (wahhh!). I thought I would release some thoughts to fly into the virtual air by sharing them via (amateur) graphic design. Because thoughts are better in color.

Some of them might sound silly but will have a twist of truth. Some will be as deep as the ocean (get your floaties!). Some will be from my husband because he is the MASTER OF WIT.

Now on to what I was thinking.

I was thinking about hope is a new way today. After listening to a gal explain the lack of hope she had in one huge area of her life, it dawned on me. Hope is a powerful tool to have when navigating life. If you have no hope it's like you lack a roof over your head. The elements can come in and destroy what belongs to you.

I think we've all had times when it seemed like we had no hope, no roof over our heads. We need to give hope to one another to help them rebuild their house(lives, really) and also to receive hope when some one gives it to us.

Okay, so as you can read this was a Ocean's Deep kinda thought.Did ya stay afloat with me?!=) I have to admit I had a good feeling after I made this simple graphic. It was like I finally found a way to connect my visual thought world to virtual land.

I would like to know if you have any thoughts about it yourself, if you do, please share!

Danielle

Simple Earrings-Two Ways

2012-05-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

All the way back in October of last year I had privilege of making a Indian Princess Headband (with feathers and everything) for a gal in New York. As part of the design, she requested a small turquoise bead in the center of some feathers, and I was happy to oblige. In fact I had so much fun being extra creative that when it was all said and done I had a swell of pride in what I created(does anyone else feel that?). But, I was left with a bunch of feathers(because you can never just buy a few) and an almost complete string of turquoise beads. What's a girl to do? Make some awesome earrings(feel free to bust out a karate kick here).

You absolutely need zero jewelry making skills to complete this project. You do however need the following supplies:

2 round flat backed beads(with holes) found at Michael's

2 earring posts(mine are surgical steel size 10) found at jewelry store

2 feathers around the same size(small to medium is best) found at Michael's

Jewelry Glue

Take your posts and smear a good amount of glue on it, make sure you get the edges. Let it tack up a little before putting it on the back of the bead.

Ok, if your bead is slightly round at the edges then a smaller post back will work just as well.

Now place the post back on the center of the bead. Let it sit for a bit to harden.

How cute and simple is that! Seriously, if you just want some cute little post earrings then stop here.

If you want to add a little bohemian bling and your not sick of the feather trend then the next steps are for you. Proceed.

can you see the glue? look closely.

Take your cute little feathers and de-fluff the top of the quill. Leave enough quill to fit nicely into the bead's hole. Add a generous amount of glue all around the quill.

Now pop that baby in the beads hole! Allow to dry and I would highly recommend adding a tiny bit of glue in the hole on the other side of the bead.

20 minutes from start to finish.

Allow to fully cure before wearing. I put mine on after 2 hours.

Now make a pair for every outfit! Ha.

Enjoy,

Danielle

Nature's lip stain

2011-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

Warning! Many pictures of my lips are in this post. Smooch!

Can you tell that one side of my lips is pinker than the other? I was juicing some beets for smoothies and wanted to see what beet lip stain would look like on. I love lip stain. Unfortunately, blogger doesn't capture the true color of the the stain. It's a lot pinker then it looks. Not hot pink, just a pretty rose pink.

Here's another picture of the stain being only one side.

Here it is on both sides with some gloss on top. It really got me thinking about making a lip stain made out of beets. How fun would that be!

Top picture is several layers of fresh beet juice. Bottom picture is one layer of condensed syrup beet juice. Again, blogger doesn't show the true color. Ugh. Does anyone know how to override this?

I froze the beet juice into ice cubes and when I took them out the next day I noticed that there was a condensed syrupy layer of beet juice sitting on top of the frozen part. This really got me thinking about condensing the juice more and seeing if it could be blended into stain/lip balm. I recently whipped up a heavy lip balm for the winter season, so I'm thinking of adapting the recipe to include some beet color.

I read you can make it with dried beet juice, but it has a grainy texture. Need to stay away from grainy.

I'm kinda excited about trying it out, I love this kinda of experimentation. I'll let you know what my results.

Seasonal Giving-Moshi Anyone? Part 1

2011-12-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ah, the season of giving is here. Is Christmas really only a week away? Yikes. I've realized this season I really don't want as much as I thought I might. The "wants" have seemed to have dwindled a little and I happy to have a surprised contentment in that I really don't need all that I want, or could want. Wait! There's a difference between want and need? Yes! Even though I have to remind myself this at times....or more.

Still, I've already been given a surprise gift from my husband this season. It's a gift for me/a little more peace of mind for him kinda gift. This is what it was:

Moshi mean's hello

It's a moshi moshi retro pop handset for my iphone. Pepto pink and all. Beside's being cool and retro and pink, the main reason why I got it is because of this:

Eliminates up to 99 percentage of the radiation absorbed compared to a direct use of mobile phones (taken from amazon's website)

This is my husband's peace of mind in action. I have a tendency to forget to put on my headset.

I have to admit I use this a lot. And I have seriously contemplated putting it in my purse so I can use it while I'm out and about. I missed the cradling this handset gives between the chin and shoulder when I use it. Way more comfort. So, thank you Hubby! Though I kinda get warped into the 80's every time I'm on it. And yes, even my husband has used it. I should take a picture for proof. It just proves that peace of mind is colorblind.

Has anyone else seen this handset before? More importantly, does anyone have and use it? What color do you have?

Wait! I have more to say about seasonal giving....but I will say it later.

Winter-ized

2011-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

Winter is finally here in Oregon, and Jack Frost can't do diddly squat while I'm in this hat. It took me three days from start to finish and it is like wearing a down comforter on my head. In fact, I took Linc to the neighborhood communities' Christmas Craft Bazar , and I think I lasted 15 minutes indoors with it on. I had to whip it off, just so I could stop sweating.

Looking at craft bazars is so interesting to me, I long to be in one again, but I feel like I would have to start preparing in spring just so I could have the kind of inventory I would want. Would it be worth it? Did you do or go to a craft show this holiday? What was the best thing you saw there? I saw the cutest little crocheted bunnies, I wish she had made them into ornaments. Who could have resisted having a bunny hanging from one's tree.

BTW, my son did not like the craft bazar at all, except for the marshmallow shooters and sparkly spider magnets he tried to rush me through every room as fast as his legs could go. At one point we walked past a bench full of young boys and dads all playing some sort of game on their phones. Just biding their time until mom was done.=)

Speaking of being done, once I was done with this hat I decided to add braids. Love it! I've always wanted a hat with braids on it. I don't know why but I feel like it completes the hat. By the way, I'm just now realizing that the color's of this hat and my banner are very similar.

I want to say a quick hello to the newest followers. First off, I'm honored to have you at my blog. Second, it will be fun to get to know you and if you have blogs yourself, I will be stoping by yours to check out what your up to.

Here at Hookable Designs I will be sharing my love for crocheting, sewing, and do it yourself health and beauty stuff.

DIY: Dry Shampoo Spray

2011-11-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Dry shampoo. Have you tried it? Its what you use when you need to wash your hair yet don't have time to take a shower. I think everyone has encountered this dilemma once or twice.

Today, I'm going to teach you my rendition with 3 simple ingredients you should already have. If you don't, then they can be found in any grocery store.

This recipe came to my mind a couple days ago when I realized my hair needed a spruce up, yet I didn't have the time for an actual hair washing. It felt like a AHA! moment, as a little lightbulb turned on in my head.

I have to say that this Dry Shampoo isn't dry at all. But like the name says, it's a spray. I kept the dry part in because its a familiar name/product and it gives the same results.

What you need:

1 tbsp of cornstarch

4 tbsp of water

1 tbsp of rubbing alcohol ( I used ethyl, found it at Walgreens)

small measuring glass, cup, bowl...whatever.

a small spray bottle (shown in first picture)

Mix it all together, pour it into your spray bottle and shake it up!

To Use:

Spray in on your scalp, in your hair and anywhere the your hair needs to be de-greased. You do not need to drench your scalp, just dampen it up.

Side note: cover or close your eyes, alcohol in eyes is not fun. Also, if you don't like to the use of alcohol in your hair products( i.e. hairspray) then this DIY might not be for you.

Run a comb or your fingers through your hair to distribute it evenly.

Let it air dry or quickly blast your scalp with a hair dryer, which is my favorite method. We are going for speed here.

Repeat if necessary.

All done. Rejoice! you can go another day without washing your hair, and no one will notice.

Why it works,

Both alcohol and cornstarch are de-greasers. Cornstarch does not dissolve fast so you will notice that after the water has evaporated the cornstarch will still remain. Pretty neat, huh!

I hope you like this. Let me know how this worked out for you.

After-thought: I only recommend using this at max once a week. You know, for the day you really should've taken a shower but didn't. We've all been there.I'm also working on a couple of different versions of that don't include the alcohol, so stay tuned, or come back again.

Trending- Big Flowers on Pillows

2011-11-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

From Bedbugs

I have been seeing these big flowered pillows everywhere. So eye catching its hard not to notice them.

From Buffalovely

They add a little bit of whimsy to the house decor. Every body needs a little whimsy in their house decor, I think.

From UrbanFringe

I love how the flower gets reinvented all the time. I predict its going to be wall art next! *working on it*;)

On a side note. I changed my comment format to a different one, because I have been getting complaints that people weren't able to leave comments. In doing this, the new format has apparently erased all my previous comments. Does anyone know how to get them back?

2011-11-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

I have finally been able to do a decent photo shoot of my niece in her newest hat that i've made for her. It originally was suppose to be the lamby hat, But I loved the vintage vibe I was getting from the design that I just left it as is.

I bought her a prop (aka the soft spiky ball) and she LOVED it. It was mostly in her mouth the whole time she had it, I finally had to take it away so I could get some decent photo's in. I honestly think I could only get maybe 15-20 minutes in with trying to take good pictures. She was wiggly, distracted and cared more about touching grass and putting bark chips in here mouth.

Can you tell she loves to swing?

I love the fact that you can easily dress up the hat with a clip on flower. Instant Glam. I'm going to be working on the crochet pattern for the hat soon, I'm making a big girl one too (for myself of course!) You can find the pattern for the flower in my shop here.

In the month of October

2011-11-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

I've been:

Baking, cooking, eating, cleaning

I made 6 batches of play dough. Gifted some to a friend and her kids only to find out she made play dough the very same day I did.
She liked mine because I made it with Kool aid. Smells great, tastes bad...as it should. There are so many recipe's for playdough. Here's the one I used.

I finally logged on to Pinterest ....and haven't left since.

I was super busy in my shop for Halloween. It was quite a rush.

Speaking of Halloween, hubby and I went to a dress up party for his work. I was a sushi. It was epic, in a sushi kind of way.

And that is what I've been up to lately.

Outfitted: Camouflage and plaid make me happy

2011-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

I might be the only one on this boat but I love this combo of camouflage jacket and plaid scarf. I've been trying to find outfits that are casual cool and yet interesting...a little bit of my personality peaking through. I'm at a place in my life where I want to be a little more thoughtful about what I wear. I thought I would blog about the ones I felt make the cut..cool outfit you are hired!

I did feel pretty cool as I pranced around the library that day.

BTW, I made the scarf! I'm so happy about it and I've worn it a lot already. Its warm and the colors are right up my alley. Plus, its made out of a old skirt. Thats right. It predates my dating Hubby years. It was a Forever 21 skirt I wore in high school, which is a decade old. Its so old its new again.=)

As I'm typing this I'm realizing that 3 out of the 4 pieces I'm wearing is Forever 21! How can this be, I rarely shop at Forever 21! The pants are wide legged, super long, and gifted. They are brushed linen and soooo comfy. Boots found here.

I'm trying to decided on whether I should write a tutorial for the scarf , write a pattern for my etsy shop or try to submit it to a magazine. Help me decide! Commit below.

The Perfect Setting. Learning lessons in taking better pictures Part 1

2011-10-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

One thing about being a small online business owner is that I've had to try on and wear many hats. Two of these "hats" have been photography and modeling. I've been slowly learning this for the past 3 years, and I've had growing pains around this skill of point and shoot. Because a good photo is beyond point and shoot.
I've finally gotten to the place of not complaining about it and just embracing it. So what if you are your own model and have to rely on other people to take your photos? What do you do? What if you have to take your own picture?

Here's what I'm talking about:

After many attempts of trying to take a picture of myself in the scarf I made, I finally caved in and asked one my neighbors, who had been walking by, to take a picture. This picture. Its not the guys fault. I could tell he didn't know much about camera's by the way he was holding the camera. His finger was over the flash( good thing my flash wasn't on). Lesson learned. Don't ask random neighbors (or strangers) to take a picture of you. Unless you are at Disneyland.

Here I am trying to take a picture of myself in a crocheted headband I made. Its pretty hit or miss for me when it comes to taking my own picture. I personally don't like it because I have to overcome certain obstacles like outstretched arms, awkward posing and little boys playing in the background. I could ask my husband, but I know he doesn't like to do it, so I just let it be. Note to self: buy a tall tripod.

Here's what I do

Luckily I have a couple of family members that know how to work a camera, but I still try my hardest to make the picture as best as possible from the modeling side of the camera. I have to be knowledgeable in both photography and modeling in order to set the stage for a picture I want to display in my shop. Here are some pictures of a recent photo shoot at the beach. Amazingly perfect weather for picture taking. Over cast yet very bright because we were on the sand.

I feel silly in saying this because I'm not a professional in any of the arenas of photography or modeling, but I do take posing seriously. So I think that counts for something. I know that I look good in some angles and better in others. It all about making the picture as visually interesting as possible without taking away from what I am trying to show off, which is, my crocheted headband. This is the beach setting on my Cannon, edited by iPhoto.

Find a interesting background. Now when I say interesting I mean "not distracting".You don't want your backdrop to steel your thunder, good or bad. Something that has texture is nice. I chose this green foliage because I knew that it would really complement my hair, eyes, and sweater shrug. I used my foliage setting on Cannon and edited it on iphoto.

Can you tell the difference between the Beach setting and the Foliage setting in these pictures?

Links to help and learn

Being photogenic

Taking better outdoor photos

Pose a little better

If you know of a good link on posing or photo shooting. Please share! via comments.

Playing with bugs

2011-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Bug brooches that is. When it comes to brooches, I have a thing for bugs. Not just any kind of bugs though, mostly beetles. Something that would most likely be considered as tiny, yucky, pesky and well, buggy in real life is now brilliantly gold encrusted, rhinestone adorned and has a new life as a brooch. Me likey.

Miss Priss Ladybug on her very own fern leaf.

I crocheted this fern leaf a while back. I wanted to experiment with making a leaf that had some detail. I like how well these two go together. A pretty ladybug on a leaf is what you would find in real life. I've been playing around with concepts of what I can make it into. Like:

Now it can become a pretty headband. It gives just a touch of whimsy, which is perfect for the hair.

Its was the most windy day of the season in these pictures. It was literally raining dried pine needles. And yet I remain calm and collected ( pat me on the back someone).

Or sew it to your shirt collar for a pretty faux necklace.

I really like the concept of using crochet to accessorize ready to wear clothes. A little extra detail here and there doesn't hurt. Plus it means I can use crochet in a fashionable way.

How would you wear this little leafy accessory?

Danielle

This Little Lamby Hat

2011-09-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

This little lamby does not like to eat grass, or be in it much less.

I tried my hand at attempting a lambs hat for my good friend Jules and her newest edition to her flock. In my mind I had envisioned bouncy, soft, curly lambs wool for the bod, with cute little lambs ears. I think I can pretty close to what I was thinking of.

This is my niece trying it on for size. I made it for a 3-6 month's old head. Which, apparently, also fits a 8 month old premie head (aka my niece).

This little lamby prefer's playgrounds as her source of nourishment.

Can I just say this hat is sooooooooo soft. Nothing hard and scratchy going on here. I used Bamboo yarn for the lamby part and corn silk yarn for the border. Have you ever played with cornsilk yarn? Its silky soft and feels like a mix between bamboo and cotton. Very nice, and a little expensive, so I'm using it carefully.

Little Lamby with Shepard Boy

Putting on the ears seemed to take more time then the actual crocheting of the hat. It was the only part of the hat that wanted to take advantage of its cuteness. The smallest part became the hardest part. Go figure. Fickle ears, its not like I was trying to tag you. In the end I won by covering my knee with the hat and sewing them in place, so maybe it was like tagging ears, in a crochet kind of way.

Soak in the softness via the computer screen.

I will be writing the pattern soon for this. It will look a little different than this one. Here are the stat's for now.

Stats

Yarn: Bamboo and Corn Silk

Technique: crochet, puff stitch,dc and sc stitch

Hook: 6mm and 3.75 mm

Completed time: two days (easy peasy)

Danielle

Simple crochet goes a long way.

2011-08-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you how I transformed this cute but shrunken and felted sweater into a super cute cap sleeve bolero, with crochet edging to give it a sweet detailing.

I was given this sweater a while ago from my sister with the request to cut it up and make it new. It belongs to her eldest daughter and because it is so cute they wanted to extend the life of it some more. So who am I to say no, especially when there is no sewing involved. That's right, no sewing.Oh the beauty of felt!

So I capped the sleeves saving the rest thinking we were going to make chic gloves or leg warmers or something striped and fashionable, but alas, we lost those left over sleeves and they have not made their re-appearance.

I also cut the sweater at the waist and shaped the edges. Then cut right down the middle.Easy peasy. I could have left it as it was, but I felt like it needed a extra more detailing to make it look more complete. So I crocheted a simple edging all the way around and around the capped sleeves too.

On my niece, the proud owner of this cute piece. Great for fall and spring.

Have you tried crochet? It is a craft that I truly love to create things with. Even if you know the basics you can still do so many things with it. Like, ahem, cutting up a sweater and making a cute bolero.

Cheers,

Danielle

Summertime equals vacation time

2011-06-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Which is were I will be this week. Then I'll spend a week in sunny Florida shortly after that. So I'll probably be blogging easy for a while. I hope all your summers are fun and sun filled with hints of tans.

Danielle

Heres a sneak peak at my new Boho braided headwraps. They can be found in my shop when I get back from Vaca.

moonlight

sugar rush

coffeehouse

Ugly shirt- The final cut

2011-06-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

I finally tamed the beast. Heres a little glimpse of what it use to be.

Here is what it is now

I made it into a Kimono bolero. It's completely different from was I had envisioned in the beginning. The last time I blogged about this I still felt like I couldn't make right what was wrong...wrong in being the whole shirt. Note to self: stay away from ugly prints!

Anyways... I put the shirt away while I was trying to figure out what to do. By this time, I had already cut the sleeves off and realized I may have cut too much off. I was going to have to wear a tank top under it to even wear it. Thats when I happened upon this ugly shirt refashion from the blog refashionista. Yay! I was back in business for my re-fashion venture.

So I cut it in half. Then took the bottom part and cut it in half again. Those two bottom halves became the new sleeves. I hemmed it all around and felt mostly pleased about the outcome. I say mostly pleased because there are still some adjustments to be done. A buttom, double hemming, and maybe even a dye job?

BAWHAHAHAHA. Thats right, I'm going to tone down the print some more.

Still, it has already received a compliment...and it was from someone several years younger then me. whoohoo.

I like the Kimono style of it, which came about purely by accident and clever problem solving. Its super airy, so it is really only good for hot summery days, which hasn't happened in Oregon yet.=(

Friends, let me know what you think of it. Love to here your thoughts.

Getting the perfect berry kissed lip

2011-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Summer always makes me long for the lips that look like they've been stain by me eating too many berries. Its not a lipstick or a lip gloss, its a flush of color to the lips that give a slight impression of looking like your lips are naturally that red. My niece's lips are like that.

I've been wanting to make some for a while, so I experiemented with finding the perfect shade until I found one that fit the color I had in mind.

Heres how I did it:

See this colored lip balm, well it doesn't really tint your lips. Its decieving in that way. Its from burt's bee's and besides it being colorless everything else about it is great.

I had all the ingriendents to whip up some lipbalm from stratch, but I decided to make use of what I've already had. Go me for reuseing!

Here is my perfect blend. Some light plum and crimson. This gives a rasberry hue. I tested this combo several times, compared it to other ones, and liked it the best overall. There is sightly a little bit more of crimson then there is plum.

OOPS! I got so into the process I forgot to take pictures of the process. I basically put the entire tube of chapstick ,with the colored powder, into a microwaveable measuring cup. I heated it for 40 seconds in two 20 second time periods. It needs to be fully melted and blended before you start to pour. If you have to repeat microwaveing it to make sure you get every last drop you possibly can, do so!

Here it is being poured into the tube. I might as well say that melting this in a double boiler is another great option. Of course let it cool completly! Don't burn your smackers with your impatience to try it out.=)

Here I am, bare lips and all.

Are you ready for the results?

KAZAM! Holy Berry Kissed Lips Batman!

See how matte it is? I can leave it like it is or put some high gloss on for dramatic effect. I personally like it how it is. Also, each layer adds more color. Beewax stays on your lips for along time too!

If you like this, try it! Its so easy. Also if you try this and blog about it let me know so I can check it out.

Makeing trends without breaking the bank,

Danielle

Tatertots and Jello

Reinvent

2011-05-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

What is this? Before I tell you ( in case you can't tell) I'm going to show you what it once was.

A long long time ago, I created this little crown. It was beautiful with crocheted gold wire and iridescent grey beads that shimmered anyway you turned it. It reminded of the Princess in The Never Ending Story. So I put it in my Etsy shop were it sat, and sat, and sat. It never sold, and thats ok, because I don't think I was ready to tap into The Never Ending Story niche ( and I know you guys are out there.... somewhere).

Every once in a while I would get it out and play with its shape. I like the original design but I felt like it needed to change. I continued to play with it for 9 months making it into a necklace, brooch, or bracelet. But nothing seemed to fit. Until recently when I decided to coil it around itself.

Can you guess what it is?

Sea Urchin Cocktail Ring

The reason I ask is because I feel like the photos are not doing it justice in showing the actual drama this ring contains. I will post a action shot later.

It reminded me of a sea urchin as I was coiling and sewing gold wire through it to keep it in place. I'm probably not going to put it in my etsy shop because I'm curious to explore what this design process will look like with different types of beads. I'm going to decide if I'm going to make a tutorial of it later.

{A Deeper Thought}

You know, we all reinvent something in our life whether we recognize it or not. Sometimes it is a physical thing, like the ring. Sometimes its ourselves. Have you reinvented something and loved the result?

Danielle

Seriously Wondering....

2011-05-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

If Blogger will repost the post that I just posted the day before everything crashed.

Funny Quotes for Mother's Day

2011-05-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

I thought instead of just wishing everyone a wonderful Mothers Day, I would round up some funny, make you crack a smile, mother quotes. Because every mom out there needs a good laugh once in a while, especially when it comes to raising children. Heres some silly and funny quotes for all you fine mommies out there. I hope you are truly celebrated on this day.

"I'm a mother with two small children, so I don't take as much crap as I used to."

— Pamela Anderson

"There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it."

— Chinese Proverbs

"I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them."

— Phyllis Diller

"I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on."

~Roseanne Barr

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."

— Mark Twain

"The phrase 'working mother' is redundant."

— Jane Sellman

"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it."

— Buddy Hackett

"The hand that rocks the cradle usually is attached to someone who isn't getting enough sleep."

~ John Fiebig

"I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids."

~Unknown

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new."

~Rajneesh

"You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back."

~William D. Tammelus

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

~Elizabeth Stone

Do you have a favorite? I would love to hear it!My personal favorite was Pamela Andersons. I laughed out loud when I read it. There's nothing like children to toughen you up and melt your heart.

If you had a good laugh, chuckle, or even cracked a smile while reading you can find more funny mother quotes at Nanny Deprived.

Danielle

Redesigning a Ugly Shirt Part 1

2011-05-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

In a past post I showed a picture of this 80's shirt I said I was going to re-make into something fabulous for me to wear. In honesty, I actually don't know if it is from the 80's or 90's...maybe you can tell...all I do know that it caught my eye in the resale shop.

Ugly shirt $3.99

I started the process of sketching out my design ideas to see which one would look best. And I have to admit, I started to get scared. The longer my eyes lingered over the shirt's bright, bold pattern and lack of detail in shape I really started to wonder if I bit off more than I could chew. Never the less I have forged on with the remake.

I looked for inspiration on the net, hoping that something would catch my eye.

like this!

There were some details I fancied, but in trying to gain added inspiration, there were some things I had to consider:

Respect the limitations. There are things I can and can't do while working with a already made shirt.
Moderation is key with busy prints. I don't want to overwhelm anyone with crazy floral while they are forced to look at me walking by them. Nor do I wan't to overwhelm myself while looking at me. I must take away to gain.

Here are my design sketches. Please do not be intimidated by my awesome drawing skills.

Actually I should say don't let my novice drawing skills distract you from the designs. No your eyes are not tricking you, its just that I can't seem to draw the shape of the shirt the same three times in a row.

I wanted to do a wide open sided tank. I like the idea of the sleeves becoming pockets, but that means I actually have to lengthen the shirt so the pockets don't hang out at the bottom of the shirt. My answer to that is is crocheting a border. At first I decided to crochet it in dark navy, but as I was drawing I had the thought that maybe dark grey would look better.

Which one do you like best?

I would love to hear your thoughts about this. What do you like and what don't you like. At this point I'm obeying the rule of measuring twice, cutting once. Even though I'm not measuring, I am planning this out as much as possible because I would like to wear it for more than one year.

Danielle

Something fantastic is coming your way...

2011-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am deep in designing something functional and fantastic for my craft room and I can't wait to show you all. But because I'm so excited I'll give you a hint: it will include this amazing paper.

Danielle