Thrifty to Nifty: How To Make a Record Bowl

These record bowls are becoming more and more popular, so I decided I’d show you guys how to make a bunch of your own to use for, well, whatever you feel they can be used for. I’ll be selling most of mine for about three bucks and using the ones I don’t sell as displays for my goodies.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

A record

An oven-safe bowl (glass or metal)

A baking sheet

Easy to Make Stretch Bracelets

So in my frantic search of easy, inexpensive items to make to sell at the craft shows I’m in, I discovered the wonderful invention known as elastic. Elastic string, elastic bands, elastic straps, you name it. So I bought a roll of elastic string and some elastic band and dug through all my beads and buttons and crimps until I discovered the perfect, simple craft that is easy to make an inexpensive. Thus, this tutorial was born!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Elastic String

Colorful Beads or buttons

Scissors

2 Crimps with Loop on One End

Needle-nose pliers or some other kind of pliers

(Optional) Jump Ring

Epic Fail of Not So Epic Proportions

I'm sure you guys remember my post, An Item For My Closet of Wanting. I promised I would mess around with some fabrics to try and create that Balmain skirt. Well, the good news is that it's possible (obviously). The bad news is that I couldn't get the pieces to stay together. Leather is a pain in the behind to sew! I can't honestly say I have a tutorial because the pieces I used produced something similar to the original picture, not the actual product. Therefore I'd like to say that the key here is LAYERS.

I started with one long layer of mesh from an old skirt, which gave me the shape I needed to build around. I cut away pieces of the mesh and pinned some sequined fabric and chains onto the material to build the bottom layer of the skirt, and for the top layer pinned the leather scraps with more monochrome fabrics. I figured it was just a puzzle, with pieces in need of being put together and pieces that needed to be cut away to reveal another puzzle altogether.

The final product looked kind of silly, but that's essentially how I would have created it had I possessed a working sewing machine capable of sewing leather. I was tempted to punch holes into the leather and sew it with strips of grey yarn or embroidery floss, but seeing as I wouldn't seriously be able to wear the skirt, I didn't do more than keep the pins in place and admire my first and only attempt.

I apologize for not taking any pictures, but if I try this again with a working machine and a smaller model, I will definitely record as much of the new attempt as I can. Have a great day!

What Makes Me Happy

So these past few days I've been miserable for reasons that don't belong on this blog. To cheer myself up and any of you guys who may be feeling down as well, I decided I'd post a bunch of things that make me happy. So let's begin with the following:

Getting letters! I have a few snail mail pen pals I LOVE hearing from. They send the coolest envelopes and we make the oddest letters. One time my Arizona pen pal wrote me a letter on cut up papers she put together to form a single page. Awesome! I always make little gifts for my pen pals, too. One day I'll write an entire letter in a mini notebook charm and send it to someone.

The Song to Self-Improvement

I’m sure many of you have heard “Hook Me Up” by The Veronicas. My boyfriend is the reason why I enjoy their music and because of him, I have the inspiration to start a new chapter in my life and you guys have a new post full of sarcasm and unbridled joy to make your day. Oh, yes, my boyfriend listens to The Veronicas. No, he doesn’t hide that fact. And yes, he listens to Abba, as well. Sigh. People are so picky about men these days…

The meaning of this song can be debated as you wish, but I think this is one of the few songs off the album that isn’t brimming with sexual energy. Although, it can be argued that the music video contains what the lyrics are lacking.

Now, mind you, the first verse is really the only important one to this post, which is about starting over at a point in life when people, possessions, and lifestyle become tiresome and lack the true representation of the person.

I reached this point roughly one week and four days ago. During the past week, I’ve essentially felt like the first verse of the song:

“I’m tired of my life.
I feel so in between.
I’m sick of all my friends.
Girls can be so mean.
I feeling like throwing out
everything I wear.
Starting over new
‘cause I’m not even there.”

Recipe: Waffles

“And in the mornin’, I’m makin’ WAFFLES!”

I love Donkey, don’t you? I’m sure he’s never had this particular waffle recipe before, but he’d love it since it produces up to 24 waffles, all depending on how much you put into your waffle iron and what kind of waffle iron you have (square waffle iron, round waffle iron, little waffle iron, big waffle iron, etc.). My family and friends beg me to make this recipe on the weekends.

The Expected Introduction

Hello all! If you’re reading this, I’d like to give you a massive cyber hug because your support makes my day. Possibly my week. We’ll see. Anyway, on to a brief description of this blog so you know whether or not you’re wasting your time. I’ve provided what I will cover in list format because paragraphs can be so tedious. Sigh. The list:

• movies, including my own productions and reviews of those out in theaters
• fashion, including DIY tips, my own outfits, and trends/items I like
• crafts, from tutorials to things I’d love to learn how to do
• cooking and baking recipes, because I love to share
• the occasional weight loss update, including health tidbits, fun exercises, and my goals
• organizational tips, catered to deal with the messy person in each of us
• alerts for sales at my online store

Fin! I’ve decided it would be more fun to take requests from people, so if you have a question or suggestion for a tutorial, post, recipe, etc., etc. do feel free to leave a comment or ask me. I’ll see what I can scrounge up. In the meantime, I’ll put it out there that if you follow me, I will return the favor. =) Now, this post has served its purpose and thus will conclude in 3…2…