Hard Boiled Megg

My favorite thing to make

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

My favorite Thing to Make will always be free-form-esque necklaces from a unique, limited stash of funky beads.

I had enough left over to throw together a chunky stretch bracelet to match.

I really love clasps not made of metal. I think this one is glass.

Buddha earrings

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Made these earrings the other day. They make me hilariously happy.

Kitty Charm Giveaway

2011-12-05T16:13:00.004-06:00

I'm having a very quick drawing for this cute kitty charm. He would make a fun stocking stuffer:

To enter, visit my etsy shop : http://www.etsy.com/shop/hardboiledmegg
Then, come back and leave a comment on this post of your favorite item. Be sure the profile you use to comment contains a way to contact you, in case you win! I'll pick a name from those comments Wednesday (12/7) at noon!

Hats hats hats!

2011-12-01T09:54:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update today! I've added a new batch of chicken hats AND lots and lots of sale items (MORE hats and some fun accessories).

No Clasp Cuff Bracelet

2011-11-28T21:18:00.001-06:00

This Wednesday, I'll be teaching the basic spiral herringbone/n'debele technique, to produce one of these babies:

Color scheme and dangley do-das are up to the student.

And yes! It will stay on your wrist without a clasp. Super cool.

Call Rare Earth Beads in Durham to sign up! (919) 342-5966.

Green and brown cluster necklace

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

While trying to come up with a fun class idea for basic even-count peyote stitch (other than making the run of the mill bracelet), I made this:

It's many strands of seeds, pearls, garnet and pyrite bundled together in the back with a tube of seeds.

I only had 15's in a color I liked to work with. It took a while and I will modify the project for a class, but I think it would be fun to make something similar with larger seeds for the tube.

I decided to add something decorative to the back as well. It sort of reminds me of a crown. It was a fun experiment!

Using old components

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have a lot of jewelry making components from years ago laying around in little boxes. Once in a while I'll use a few of them in a burst of creativity (and those projects will eventually be cannibalized to make something else).

The other day, I used a ring base I hadn't used in probably 8 years. I like creating unexpected color combinations from using just what I have on hand.

I also turned a short chain necklace into a multi-stranded chain bracelet. I put a charm I've had since middle school on the extender.

It's my name on a grain of rice. Can you see it in there?

Made some baubles

2011-11-14T11:58:00.002-06:00

I made a few odds and ends this weekend while waiting to find out if I made it into a holiday craft show.

A fun and colorful white elephant with "balloons" zipper pull for my bag. Isn't EVERY bead a White Elephant, really?

I've had this rounded kitty charm for some time. I decided to make him a yarn ball to hold onto. I have no idea where mr. kitty charm originally came from. I think it must have been a Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service phone charm in another life.

Embellished Ring Class

2011-11-04T17:01:00.002-05:00

I'll be teaching classes at Rare Earth Beads in Durham, NC starting this coming Monday!

The first class will be the gorgeous Embellished Ring. If you'd like to take the class, please call the store at 919-342-5966.

Penguin Sweater

2011-10-23T15:19:00.001-05:00

Penguin sweater!

Spacey Pattern

2011-10-20T13:57:00.004-05:00

I have this 50's-styled pattern.

It is not the right size for me, so I experimented with editing the pattern to make it fit. Not thinking it actually would fit, I used what I had around: mauve broadcloth and black bias tape. Funky.

But, oh luck! It fits, and the color combo and style of dress makes it FROM THE FAR OFF FUTURE OF THE YEAR 2000!

Just need to add a few details...

So, the next time I need to dress like a retro-futuristic space lady, I am ALL SET.

Pants

2011-10-07T11:05:00.002-05:00

I used a basic elastic waist pants pattern and they turned out okay! I didn't try to alter the pattern at all, but even still they fit okay. There is a little bit of a gap at the very back (what's up with that happening in ladies' pants?), but nothing too bad. I might make another pair at full length out of something like denim or linen.

Apologies for the blurry photos

Sewing a dress

2011-09-30T11:06:00.003-05:00

While settling into our new city (and having spare time on my hands), I decided to break out the sewing machine.

I stopped by The Scrap Exchange (it's a great place, take a look at their website and visit in person if you're ever around), picked up a vintage pattern and some fabric. I was lucky that the pattern was all intact and wasn't cut out!

This is the first proper sewing project I'd done in at least 5 years. I chose a pattern that really made me jump back into sewing head-first!

It was a little difficult, some of the seams are funky and my first attempt at button holes was...a learning experience. BUT I can wear it and it fits (albeit a little boxy).

They had some cute heart-patterned fabric

You can tell by that collar it's an old pattern

90% of this project is from thrifted materials.

My next project will be some stretch-waist pants. If they're successful, I'll share!

Beading loom

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello blog, it's been a while! We finally have internet in our new place.

While waiting for...just about everything we own to arrive, I broke out my beading loom. I hadn't used one since 1998. I managed!

impromptu spots pattern made me think of Yoshi eggs.

Perhaps a few geeky bracelets will happen in the future.

Moving Sale!

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for the hiatus, preparing for the move has kept me rather busy the past month. In the mean time, I share with you the following:

Get 25% off anything in my shop if you use the code MOVING upon checkout! This code will be good through August 26th.

NC, here we come!

A crafting attempt...

2011-07-13T19:58:00.003-05:00

I had a grand idea for a set of bare wooden nesting dolls. I'm out of painting practice, so I wanted them to be simple. After some brainstorming...espresso! A set of nesting dolls illustrating the ingredients of ever more complicated coffee drinks. With a coffee bean in the very tiniest doll.

some sketches

I painted them all first. But writing on them turned out to be messier than I'd hoped :(

The pen kept catching on the slightly sticky texture of the paint. Wah! If I try this again someday, I think I'll use some kind of applique letters or something. Writing was rather difficult.

Oh well! Back to the drawing board!

Green monkey

2011-07-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Made this little guy as a baby shower gift.

I used this pattern (ravelry page there only, I'm afraid). I opted out of the banana and plastic eyes, for safety's sake.

BBC's Human Planet

2011-06-21T10:44:00.002-05:00

I just saw this trailer for the BBC's new special Human Planet:

Human Planet is an awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping landmark series that marvels at mankind's incredible relationship with nature in the world today.

Uniquely in the animal kingdom, humans have managed to adapt and thrive in every environment on Earth. Each episode takes you to the extremes of our planet: the arctic, mountains, oceans, jungles, grasslands, deserts, rivers and even the urban jungle. Here you will meet people who survive by building complex, exciting and often mutually beneficial relationships with their animal neighbours and the hostile elements of the natural world.

Human Planet crews have filmed in around 80 locations, bringing you many stories that have never been told on television before. The team has trekked with HD cameras and state of the art gear to film from the air, from the ground and underwater. The result: a "cinematic experience" created by world-class natural history and documentary camera crews and programme makers.

I love love love the artistry and visual richness of BBC's Planet Earth. This looks to be even better, I must see it ASAP!...at an Imax would be fantastic.

Finally making recipe cards

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have tons of recipes bookmarked, and I add to them every week. I often forget about them when it comes time to actually cook a meal (I'm not one to use a digital anything while cooking, I would drop it into something or get goo all over it).

I finally started printing out all these recipes onto 5x8 index cards that fit into a really nice recipe card box we got from a family friend for our wedding. I made hand written cards for a while, but that was terribly time consuming.

Once I'm "finished", I'll have a huge catalog of delicious dishes to choose from!

Embellished Ring class

2011-06-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

The classes I've been teaching lately at The Spiral have gone so well! I love having such great attendees who come back again and again to learn something different. We had a double-booked Beginners' Beading class last weekend (literally twice as many as I usually teach), and it was the best class I've taught in many months!

Next Saturday, I'll teach the Embellished Ring class for the first time in about a year.

There is still room for 1 or 2 more if you are comfortable with a needle and thread and want to dive into seed beading in a big way.

I'll miss teaching classes there. It's just now starting to hit me that we'll be leaving soon! My teaching schedule will have to taper off after July :(

Carolina Chocolate Drops

2011-06-16T09:53:00.002-05:00

Last night, we saw the Carolina Chocolate Drops as part of the OK Mozart Festival in OKC.

It was a great performance! I'm excited that the folks at OK Mozart know to bring in a group that is as fresh, talented, smart, laidback and fun as the Chocolate Drops to an annual Mozart Festival. We swarmed the merch table and bought one of everything.

I sure hope they were able to check out the Banjo Museum here in Bricktown before they left!

Ye Olde Shoe Dance

2011-06-13T10:47:00.003-05:00

In internet years, 7 is ANCIENT.

I found this video I made in 2004, buried on an old hard drive. I had totally forgotten about it. I remember pulling this song from a promo video for some touch-screen technology.

I had my first lowfi video recorder with me when the song came on my iPod. I was probably in the art building after hours on a weekend, working on something or other in a studio. I sat the camera down at the end of a hallway and recorded a dorky dance. Then, I edited it with the low-rent software that came with the camera.

VOILA! A stupid dance video that goes in and out of focus and is pretty darn grainy. OH, and remember when we all had Myspace pages? *yells at kids to get off the lawn*

Golden Globes! (and more chickens)

2011-06-08T08:57:00.003-05:00

I found these lovely gold tone globes in Seattle last year. I think they make fun little hoop earrings:

I also have some new swirly grey/brown chicken earrings:

I made the colored copper french hoops for those earrings. The french hoop is my favorite style of ear wire (they fit just about every ear shape, I have difficult ears for most ear wires). I plan on making a lot more in the future! It's pretty liberating to make a supply that for years I had to buy premade.

Food poisoning!

2011-06-06T23:10:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness, blog readers! I'm just now wrapping up my worst ever battle with food poisoning. I'm talking, like, Final Boss bad. The Ganon of food poisoning.

Daniel and I are 99% sure it was a tuna steak sandwich that did me in. The past 4 days have not been pleasant.

BUT! I will be adding more fun goodies to my shop very soon, and will try to update this blog more frequently with new creations :)

Trophies are a permanent fixture at the First Edition Cafe

2011-06-02T10:57:00.003-05:00

My Trophy Produce has been hanging at the First Edition Cafe in the downtown OKC public library for about a year now.

I sold a handful of pieces throughout the year from that location, replacing those sold with new fun fruits and vegetables.

Recently, the cafe purchased all 14 remaining Trophies! They now have a permanent home there :)

Stop by and grab some deliciously healthy lunch there, won't you? It's a nice surprise to find a salad like this downtown (where everything seems to be fried or buttered):

They make the dressing there, which is super tasty, too!

A video to make your Apocalypse better

2011-05-20T16:56:00.003-05:00

Watermelon Trophy and some earrings on a whim

2011-05-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I finished my finest Watermelon Trophy yet:

Also, some fun and simple vintage button cluster earrings:

New I heart Robot necklace

2011-05-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

New in the shop, the "I heart Robot" necklace!

It's asymmetrical, with fun bright acrylic, black onyx and white stone beads.

Check out the cute little robot...He loves you!

Jewelry making tip

2011-04-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

-Jewelry making tip: out of headpins-

If you need to make a drop, but are out of headpins, here's how you can improvise if you have some spare wire laying around. You'll need the piece of wire to be at least twice as long as the beads you're using for your drop.

Make a wire wrap at one end of the wire as usual. String the bead(s) from the other end and fold the wire up parallel with them, so about 1 in sticks up above the top of the last bead you want to wrap around.
Wrap this open end once or twice around underneath a bead. You can wrap between beads, or at the top near the loop.

Use tapered cutters to cut the excess as close as you can, and tuck whatever's left in with chain nose plyers.

Tada! A fun wrap, and you didn't even need a headpin.

Read Unfamiliary Fishes by Sarah Vowell

2011-04-27T10:33:00.003-05:00

It was serindipitious that the day I arrived back from Hawaii, I picked up my copy of Unfamiliary Fishes by Sarah Vowell, on reserve at the library.

I'm a big fan of her books, but I hadn't looked up the topic of her newest:

Hawaii photos

2011-04-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, Daniel and I spent a few days in Oahu. He got to travel for work, so I tagged along! It was a fun few days, and I want to go back sometime to do and see all the things on my list we just didn't have time for.

See the slideshow of all our photos here (the post below features highlights):

View from the plane

We stayed the first 3 nights at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. We were upgraded to a mini suite (SWEET!) at no extra cost due to booking errors, with 2 lanai (I still called them balconies) overlooking Waikiki beach. Super awesome! The hotel provides a little lunchbox you can fill up with complimentary breakfast foods and take down to the beach. It was neat to eat Japanese style breakfast (which they offered alongside Cheerios and bagels). Miso soup and musubi!

Here's the view at night. Hawaiian sunset was beautiful, but there is NO twilight. After 7:00, it was instantly dark.

At night, there are hula performances on the beach near the hotel.

To give you an idea of how beautiful almost every "view" is in Oahu, this is around th corner from the ice machine on our floor. I watched the sun come up there!
I took so many photos of landscape, I started to forget where they were from...I started labeling photos like, "view19".

Here we are, tired after 10 hours of plane rides, eating a good little Mexican place (I know, right? But it was recommended and really good) called Cha Cha Cha. We ate on a budget the whole trip, and were never disappointed.

And here I am, attempting to eat that bomb of a burrito. I was successful, don't worry.

This is the statue of Duke Kahanamoku. Read about this guy, he was pretty flippin amazing.

And here's King Kamehameha I! He's downtown near the Iolani Palace.

All of these people and places have great and intriguing history behind them. I highly recommend a stroll through Wikipedia if your interest is piqued.

Another great restaurant we found was The Olive Tree Cafe. It's Greek, and really really good. We didn't eat much traditional Hawaiian food on this trip, I admit. Poi is nutritious and spam is popular, but it didn't suit our stomachs well.

You can grab a free trolley from Waikiki to Hilo Hattie's (THE Hawaiian shirt company). On the ride, you get to see views like this. Awesome.

I was insanely jealous of the climate which allowed for GORGEOUS orchids to grow in all the lobbies of shops and hotels, all year round.

We went on a hiking tour with Discover Hawaii Tours. We stopped at the Pali lookout on the way to the trail head.

...where, hundreds of years ago, a battle forced hundreds of people off the edge of the cliffs there. Yikes. The highway below this area is apparently still an issue of contention among natives, and some refuse to drive on it.

Our guide claimed the water cistern for the golf course below was used as part of the filming of Lost for outer shots of the Swan Station. Neat! Can you see it?

Here it is from below (our hike took us by it). We found Lost! Har har.

Wild roosters and chickens can be found in those areas.

Sleeping Grass was fun to see.

Here we are, about 1/3 of the way along the hike. We learned a lot! Hawaii has no snakes, very few poisonous anythings, and rarely do plants have defenses like thorns. Holly grows wild there and it won't poke ya! The trees grow fast and constantly (no seasons), so they have no rings and the wood is very weak. Koa is the only hawaiian hardwood to be found, and it is EXPENSIVE.

Here you can crack open some Kukui nuts and try to coax a chicken out. We saw one, but it was leery. The guide here talks about a tour with a group who did not speak English, and one of the members was eating Kukui nuts all along the trail. Apparently, that is a big no no as they really mess up your stomach. Ouch.

Impatiens were growing wild too! I thought that was too funny. I'd never seen them outside of a flower bed or green house.

The hike culminated at Likeke falls. It was surprisingly dry while we were there, so we were thankful to see a spring-fed falls that was running despite the lack of rain.

Here's the view looking out from the falls.

Back at Waikiki, we moved into a tiny hotel down the street for our last night. It was..very tiny. And dated. A lot of Oahu was built in the 1970's and a lot of it hasn't changed.

The elevator was pink and gilded with carpet on the walls. Score!

That night, there was a "Celebrate of Youth Parade #1" by the beach. I think Hawaii has the most holidays of any US state.
The Japanese high school in the video there was amazing! I missed filming their really great dance performance from the front, but you can see it again from the back a little bit.

There are a lot of stairs leading up to the top of Diamond Head Crater, but it's worth it.

I swam a couple of days, but it's not the best swimming on Waikiki if you like relaxation and quiet. It is excellent people watching. If we get to go back, I want to make time for snorkeling, kayaking and maybe parasailing! There are temples we'd like to visit as well.

I recommend a guide book for sights and food. We were able to find quite a few tasty hidden-away places that didn't cost a fortune. One thing that made me sad was the fact that most of the pineapple served there is no longer grown in Hawaii. It comes from south America. BUT, the papaya was local and it was SO GOOD.
The bus system there was great, and I wished we'd bought day passes (many people recommended against it, saying it wasn't worth the value but we used the bus several times a day and highly recommend it).

We saw weddings, tourists from every corner of the globe, great street performers, beautiful vistas, and had a great time. Hawaii, I want to go back again some day!

Jewelry making tip

2011-04-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

-Jewelry making tip: large hole beads and cones-

If you use beads with holes much larger than your stringing material, or you use cones on the ends of a piece, this tip will make the beads/cones lay better on the stringing material and make it last longer.

To keep large hole beads and cones from "knocking" back and forth on stringing material, string a few seed beads that are just small enough to fit INTO the hole of the large bead after you have strung that large bead. These seed beads will fall inside of the large hole and stop the large beads from moving around on the string/wire so much. You'll need to have a bigger bead on either side of the big-hole bead to keep the seeds hidden inside.

This will prevent the large beads from "biting" into the string/wire, the seed beads acting like a little covering.

Jewelry making tip

2011-04-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

-Jewelry making tip: Crimping for strength-

A question I am often asked during beginner beading class is if thick beading wire is needed for a heavy or chunky piece of jewelry.

In my opinion, using medium, heavy or extra heavy beading wire isn't as important as how you attach the clasp to the wire. That's where the most tension lies and that's also where most breakage happens.

To securely attach the clasp to the wire, use 2 strong crimps (crimped with a properly sized crimping tool). The second crimp acts as a kind of fail-safe if the other one breaks.
You can also pass an inch or so of the beading wire back through the beads in the piece once it's been crimped, if possible.
If your piece should break or the crimps slip, you'll have a bit of wire to hopefully save all your beads!

This technique does put a bit more space where the clasp attaches, but if you're worried about security it is a good thing to do!

Jewelry making tip

2011-04-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

While brainstorming new regular content for my blog between shop updates, I figured I'd provide a few tips about the crafts I'm most familiar with. The majority will relate to beaded jewelry making.

-Jewelry making tip: Remembering wire gauge-

via emckinstry on flickr

If you're new at working with wire, or have been doing it for years, it can be difficult to remember if the number associated with a wire's gauge means it's thinner or thicker than another.

The larger the number, the thinner the wire.

To remember this, think of it this way: Wire starts as a thick, small piece of malleable metal. If it's pulled to be 20 feet long, it gets thinner. If it's pulled to 25 feet, it gets even thinner!

Picture that in your mind the next time you wonder, "Is this 24 gauge headpin thinner or thicker than that 22 gauge headpin?"

Funky wooden earrings and necklace

2011-04-13T11:04:00.004-05:00

New to my Etsy shop are a new pair of earrings and a necklace:

Bamboo makes for a light weight pair of chunky-funky geometric earrings. $15.

And a necklace make from real peach pits and tiny wooden skulls. $20. It's the pits!

I'm having a Spring sale! 15% off!

2011-04-06T18:07:00.003-05:00

Use the code SPRING during checkout at my Etsy shop to save 15% on anything!

If you're filling an Easter basket, you might find something unique to include. Carrot, anyone? Or maybe a Spring Chicken...

April Fool's Day Sale

2011-04-01T10:25:00.001-05:00

The internet may be full of farse today (I love that Google embraces it big time every year), but my 1-day sale ain't no joke!

Buy a Trophy Fruit or Vegetable from my etsy store today and save 25% using the coupon code TROPHYFOOL upon check out.

See them all in my shop!

An excellent yarn bomb

2011-03-30T21:30:00.003-05:00

While in Durham, NC last week, Daniel and I witnessed a freshly yarn bombed bull statue.

It was lovely!

I loved the daisies. It made me think of Ferdinand.

Springy Sale!

2011-03-21T08:43:00.005-05:00

Happy (officially) Spring, everyone!

It's my Birthday month. For the next week and a half, save 20% on anything in my shop using the coupon code BIRTHDAY when you check out.

Visit here!

Another Irish Drinking Song

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

My favorite (tongue-in-cheek) stereotypical Irish song. Somebody's always dead in those songs, right? Everybody's dead in this one.

"Another Irish Drinking Song" by Da Vinci's Notebook

Rainbow neckalce and bracelet for Spring

2011-03-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Let me shake the dust out of my blog for this post...it feels like I haven't posted in ages!

I finally finished the planned piece mentioned in this post. I had no luck finding an umbrella charm I really liked, so I went without. I think it looks much better than putting one on I wasn't in love with.

I custom ordered the ADORABLE cloud beads from ShuffleStudio on etsy. She got them right on the nose, I love them!

The set is made with crocheted beaded rope. I found some fantastic variegated thread to make the rainbow effect. It is way too fun to work with. I think I want to try some tatted earrings with it in the future!

If you're interested in purchasing, please stop by my etsy shop here. Thanks for looking!

Discount code

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Use the discount code NECKLACE10 during checkout to get 10% off any NECKLACE in my shop!

Click here for the jewelry section. Thanks for lookin'!

Long leggy chicken hat

2011-03-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

I think I made an improvement to my basic chicken hat.

Someone requested legs...

When I finished it and held it up, I literally BAH-HAH-HAH'd. It's way too funny.

New jewelry for sale!

2011-02-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

I love this bracelet and would hate to see it go...but someone out there will love it as much as meee

Some citrine and agate!

and a bracelet to match

And who can forget the chicken rings?

Soft Friends stuffed giant pre-packaged food

2011-02-18T22:29:00.003-06:00

Love this SO much:

More here, by Dawn Tan

Photo featured on Offbeat Bride

2011-02-14T15:33:00.003-06:00

This photo from our wedding ceremony was featured on today's Offbeat Bride!

by Haley Luna

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! :)

Happy (vintage) Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

Click here to see some high-resolution vintage Valentines from one of my great aunts. Super cute. They are marked as attribution, noncommercial sharealike Creative Commons, so use them for something fun if you like :)

Snow day bread

2011-02-09T16:43:00.002-06:00

Today, I made my first attempt in a long time at leavened bread.

I used this video as a guideline:

And it made one big loaf and 3 tiny ones!

I think my water was not the proper temperature to start with, but things still rose a bit and the warm slices we tried were pretty good!

Loving what you do

2011-02-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

I just finished an order for a custom chicken hat for a 12 year old girl who's in 4-H and loves chickens.

Orders like that are what make me really enjoy my hobby :) It's exactly why I do what I do! My perfect customer right there.

http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_570xN.214837780.jpg

Week 5 of "The Challenge"

2011-02-07T21:37:00.003-06:00

About a week ago I posted about working my way through the 100 push ups challenge. I'm trying to go through the routine once doing on-my-knees style push ups, and if I can finish the 100 challenge, I want to go through the whole program again doing full push ups.

There is an exhaustion test at the end of week 4. I did....48! 48 knee push ups until I just couldn't anymore. I think I managed 8 for the initial test before starting the program.

Week 5 looks tough. I might have to do this one a couple of times...we shall see!

New jewelry!

2011-02-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

During the last couple of snow days, I finished a few fun things for your viewing/purchasing pleasure:

Everything necklace

hand knotted Pear(l) necklace

Lemon-lime earrings. Spritely!

Cluster button necklace

can't leave out the Rayguns...pew pew pew!

Give your Valentine a healthy treat

2011-02-03T06:11:00.000-06:00

I think these Valentine fruit stickers are BRILLIANT! Give your Valentine a piece of healthy fruit instead of candy.

by Twig & Thistle

Snowed in Day 1: thinking about rain storms

2011-02-01T21:51:00.002-06:00

While snowed in today, I thought a little bit about this hunk of crocheted tube I've had sitting around for months. It was all one big experiment: see what multicolored/variegated thread would do with clear beads, plus trying to find bead caps for the ends that fit well but aren't hideous (I have yet to find any that aren't hideous).

After staring at it for a minute, my mind went to Mixko and their rainbow/rain cloud jewelry. It's lovely!

I thought up my own busy way to make something inspired by my rainbow colored piece. Now...to actually do it.

OH sNOOOw

2011-02-01T08:31:00.003-06:00

An Oklahoma "blizzard" (snow + 35mph wind gusts) meets an 80 year old, slightly drafty home. Daniel took that video at about 730 this morning.

"I'm sorry, I can't make it to work...I'm snowed in. Literally."

I heart typography

2011-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

I welcoming February with a hearty (har har) hello:

A lovely little fringed bracelet covered in letters and one tiny red heart

A post about exercise

2011-01-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

I have been working through the 100 pushups challenge during the month of January.

I'm doing half-pushups (that's what I call those pushups-on-your-knees). I did a whole 8 half-pushups when I took the initial exhaustion test before I started the challenge. I've always had wimpy upper body strength, and that test verified that.

Now, I'm about to start week 4 of the program and I can't believe how much more strength I apparently have in my arms! It's pretty crazy. Every other day now I'm performing multiple sets of 15 or 20 half-pushups.

At the end of week 4 there is another exhaustion test before moving on to week 5. If I can make it through the next week, I'll update with my exhaustion test results!

If I can power through the whole program doing half-pushups, I want to try it again from the start doing full form pushups. Then, I'll go back in time to those President's physical fitness tests in gradeschool and show all the cool kids who else can do the flexed arm hang for 30 seconds!

Caterpillar Bracelet class

2011-01-26T11:00:00.001-06:00

Learn to make a caterpillar bracelet this Saturday in OKC!

It's a good class for those just learning to stitch with seed beads, or any other intermediate - advanced beader. A great way to use up odds and ends of beads in your collection!

If you'd like to take the class, please call 405-525-5454. It lasts from 12:00 to about 3:00 (or later if you'd like to stay and work longer).

Super helpful website for choosing adhesives

2011-01-24T20:56:00.003-06:00

I have terrible luck with adhesives. Ever since my freshman year in art school, glues of all kinds like to fail miserably when I use them.

To stave that off a little bit, I use this site: This To That.

Try it! Super duper handy.

What's new: Potato, Carrot and Grapefruit Trophies

2011-01-24T05:00:00.001-06:00

New!

Russet Potato

Finally have another Carrot in stock (everyone loves the carrot)

Unrelated...a Grapefruit

Etsy update

2011-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Fun new stuff slowly added to my shop!

Chicken hats...toaster/bread jewelry...vintage german fruity earrings...

Fruit: An Illustrated History

2011-01-19T20:37:00.002-06:00

I am currently flipping my way through this at-least-20-lb monster of a book:

Fruit: An Illustrated History

Yes, I am nerdy enough to want to ready a whole chapter about stone fruits.

What's new: mah jong tile necklace

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

It's all done! Kinda fun, I think:

I finally got to use these brass parts I paired together to make a cool toggle closure.

And I really enjoy the authentic tile in the middle (it's easy now to buy replica tiles that are made just to be beads).

What's new: Moo!

2011-01-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

I got my Moo cards!

I love 'em :D

Necklace idea?

2011-01-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hmm, this might turn out interesting!

What's new: pyrite necklace

2011-01-12T20:29:00.003-06:00

I really want to have a "line" of jewelry I can call ZOMBIES. Stuff that has been junk for a while, otherwise dead, that I put together in a different way to raise from the dead! I don't think I'll call them this in my shop, but that's how I'll think of them...zombies. ANYWAY!

Some gunmetal colored chain with little chunks of pyrite -

two strands that look pretty good when they're a little tangled:

I don't have a great way to model necklaces yet, so bear with my funky purple dress form for now, please.

What's new: caterpillar bracelet

2011-01-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

I finished this caterpillar bracelet recently. It's bright and springy, during some of the coldest days of the year.

The flowers are dyed coral. I don't like buying coral anymore, as it's not very environmentally friendly (but what is these days??), but these were a gift so I didn't feel as guilty using it.

I will probably add it to my new etsy shop soon once I have a couple more pieces of jewelry to list at the same time. If you're interested in purchasing it before that time, though, please let me know!

It fits a large wrist comfortably.

What's new: sock

2011-01-08T10:55:00.002-06:00

I finished my second attempt at a sock this week:

It's H-U-G-E. This is the product of the small size instructions on the pattern I used. I swear I used the proper size needles.

I can wear it, but it's big and saggy. I think it'd make a nice second layer sock for the winter...or maybe just a stocking for the fireplace.

I really can't decide if I want to make a second one (this one took many many hours).

But, it would help me finally eliminate my last nagging areas of laddering and gaps.

My first sock had some real issues:

But I have none of that this time around!

For those curious, I used some "self striping" yarn, to make it look all fair isle and impressive (but not really!).

PANTHERVISION!!

2011-01-05T19:44:00.003-06:00

In lieu of buying a pricey crafting light to work by, I decided to get something portable. I thought a head lamp (think old fashioned miner) might work, but the styles within my price range are fairly weighty.

As a good substitute, I wear this while working at home after sundown:

PANTHERVISION!!

It is very helpful, and isn't another cord to fuss with around the house.

Yes, I do in fact have the camo version. It was the only one that fit my huge head.

Blogs you might like

2011-01-03T14:47:00.001-06:00

Please do click through this short list of some of my new favorite blogs from 2010:

The Big Picture
Journalistic photos on a theme featured regularly here, via the Boston Globe. Often times, I hear about an international event at this blog before anywhere else. I think its a great exposure outlet for things that might otherwise fly under the radar.

Blogshank
Illustrator Mike Smith uses a 2-page spread from a weekly planner to highlight a week at a time. Love it.

Shorpy
"Always Something Interesting", so says the header, and it's true! Old US photos (mostly pre-1940s) are featured daily.

Cooking with Dog
Contrary to what you might think, this is a GREAT youtube channel with delicious recipes. Watching this chef use a knife is inspiring!

Gallery 1988
Less a blog and more of a teaser for a fantasticly nerdy/pop-culturey gallery in San Fransisco, this blog reeeally makes me want to visit one day.

Cake Wrecks
Ugly cakes with lol-inducing write-ups. This blog is not so new to me, but I have to mention it because the writing has been hilarious this past year.

Got the quills to pay the bills

2011-01-01T22:40:00.002-06:00

Casually looking up porcupine quills in jewelry making, I came across THIS!!!:

WHOA

How awesome is that thing?!

Yarn organizing tip

2011-01-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

Knitters and crocheters, get organized for the new year!

If you need to keep track of your yarn stash, here's a trick I use:

Use an exacto knife to cut angled notches into a strip of cardboard. Leave enough room for whatever sort of labeling you need above each notch.

Wrap a couple of feet of yarn around it and tie off (I prefer this way over creating a swatch).

Then, you can write it all down and stow in a drawer. It'll have everything you need to know when you need to buy that exact yarn again in the future!

Lentil patties

2010-12-30T09:18:00.003-06:00

I modified my own recipe based on a similar one by Judy Brown in the really handy book, Vegan Lunch Box.

Add 6 cups water to 2 cups lentils and bring to a boil (I use brown lentils since they're easy to find). Add 2 tsp each of coriander, cumin, and curry powder along with a couple dashes of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are thoroughly cooked.

I turn off the heat and leave the lid off the pot once they're done to let the excess heat cook off some of the extra water. If the lentils are REALLY watery, you can drain them and put them back in the pot.

In some olive oil, chop and sautee a couple of white or yellow onions and a large carrot until everything is soft. About a minute before they're done, I add 4 cloves of minced garlic.

Add the sauteed veggies to the cooked lentils. Mix it all together and then mash it all. I like to use an immersion blender for this part. It doesn't have to be completely pureed, just so long as a majority of the lentils turn into a paste. Some of the onions and carrot pieces might not all mash, and that's okay.

Mix together 4 tbsp of tomato paste with 2 tbsp light miso. Mix this into the lentil mash.

Add 4 tbsp of cornstarch and mix well.

The last addition is 3 cups of whole wheat bread crumbs. You can used boxed crumbs, but it's pretty easy to rip apart some old bread for the toaster/oven and toast until it's all dried out. Put the cooled toast pieces in the food processor and spin until its the consistency of course flour.

Once the bread crumbs are stirred into the mash, preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet WELL (a good layer of butter is great for crispy patties. If you use vegetable oil, they'll be a little softer).

Make patties about 4 in around and 1/2 in thick and place on the cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake them for about 20 minutes and flip. Bake for another 20 - 30 minutes or until they are to your liking.

I usually get about 20 patties this way, but if you make them smaller you could make a few more.

These are tasty on a bun, but I love them in a good wrap. Yummmmm!

Custom Watermelon

2010-12-27T20:54:00.003-06:00

I must share photos of a custom order for the holidays:

Yes, it's a Trophy Watermelon...with a vanity plate for a Fruit Ninja Champeeeeen!

Find a trophy of your own in my etsy shop (or request something custom made!).

NEW Etsy shop for the new year

2010-12-21T09:28:00.003-06:00

Click for my new Etsy shop for 2011!

Trophy Produce abounds. I plan to add hats soon!

Great inexpensive gift tip

2010-12-14T20:39:00.004-06:00

If you need to "gift" several (adult) people for the holidays and don't want to spend more than a couple dollars per person, do what I do:

Quarter bottle of Cook's champagne ($1.85)

Little bottle of OJ ($.50)

Tie together with some ribbon and voila! The gift of mini-mosa.

Test booth

2010-12-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

In case you missed it, here are a couple of views of my test booth at this year's Deluxe:

Trophies!

The Chicken Hats were a big hit. I think next show...90% hats.

Beginner Beading this Saturday

2010-12-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Learn to make a necklace with earrings to match this Saturday at the Spiral Beadery in OKC! This would make a great holiday gift (for yourself, or someone else :)

The cost for the class is $25, which includes instruction, use of tools, stringing materials, and findings (clasps, earrings, etc). The cost of beads is extra. Call 525-5454 to sign up!

Deluxe 2010

2010-12-11T20:08:00.002-06:00

Thank you to all of you who came out to see me at the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar this year!

If you're visiting this page to request a custom order, please feel free to reply to this post with your email address and I will certainly contact you. You can also find me on twitter @ana_ng.

"TREE"

2010-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

While getting all the show prep done, cooking meals, working a day job, and teaching beading classes, who has time to trim a tree?! Not I.

Our home's substitute:

"Non-denominational, lighted, seasonally decorated, tree-like structure", aka camera tripod. (Our pre-lit artificial tree got wet in our garage between seasons. I don't trust wet electrical, so out it went!)

With the now-traditional llama topper.

A couple of craft show tips

2010-12-06T15:16:00.002-06:00

Wow...I am terrible this year at consistent blogging. I can write off quite a bit of my guilt on how busy I've been getting everything ready for my little booth space at the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar THIS SATURDAY at the OKC fairgrounds.

I'll have 3 little tables of food-themed wall art, fun food jewelry, chicken shaped knitwear, and a few other odds and ends.

If you're a (very) part-time crafter like me, you can't invest a lot of money into booth display that you might use once or twice a year. Here are a couple of practically free tips I've encountered this year for making a nice looking display for a booth:

If you like hand-lettered signs and tags (and have sloppy handwriting like me), you can make them more crisp by tracing a handsome font with a fine tipped pen over some medium weight drawing paper. Don't have a handsome font on your home PC, or don't want to purchase one? Look at different type foundry websites for a space to enter preview/sample text (Google Adobe or Emigre to start). You can then print that sample. No worries about low-resolution, because you're just gonna trace it anyway!

For a homey, worn, or "smart" look for a display table, check out several big, charmingly bound books from your local library. If your booth has a theme, you can get witty with the book titles, too. Stacks of books make a great tiered display for small items. Just be nice to those books and return them all in a timely manner!

Philodendron berries

2010-11-22T21:04:00.001-06:00

I never thought an office-dwelling philodendron would make berries! I'm so proud *sniff*...

Fooducate iphone app

2010-11-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

Smart looking app for iphone that requires only a photo of a bar code from a food container to to provide you the essential info in terms of nutrition:

I liked this bit from their blog:

Fooducate has absolutely no relationship with the food, drug, diet or supplement industries.

Nor does Fooducate sell, peddle, distribute or otherwise offer magic pills, secret celebrity diets, and/or exotic supplements.

We’re here to help you.

App store link!

Purple mush that is actually REALLY DELICIOUS

2010-11-15T20:24:00.003-06:00

I concocted a really delicious recipe from leftovers tonight. Step 1 is to make the original dish:

*Trim the greens from a couple of large red beets (or 3 medium/smallish ones)
*Wrap them in foil and roast until you can easily poke with a toothpick (cooked through)
*Let them cool, them rub the foil around to skin the beets
*Dice them into about 1/4" pieces and put them in a bowl
*To the beet pieces, add a simple vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar)
*Put the beet/vinaigrette mixture into a bowl of cooked quinoa (1-2 cups dry to start, depending on how much beet you want to your quinoa)
*Throw in some salt and pepper, and adjust the vinaigrette and S&P to taste

This Purple Stuff is EXCELLENT on its own as a side dish.

Tonight, I had a little leftover in the fridge. It was cold, and I added about a half cup of plain greek yogurt, a handful of walnut pieces, and about as much crumbled feta. All this Purple Mush was really tasty inside half of roasted acorn squash. MMMMMM.

Local artist Sarah Atlee

2010-11-13T09:17:00.000-06:00

I went to this year's Girlie Show and had a great time! It was packed, the food was gooooood, and there were a handful of artists that I thought were stand-out great.

Sarah Atlee is, I think, my favorite local visual artist I've encountered so far in OKC. Check out her blog there to see examples of her work. I love her figurative work and color choices.

Miki Mae Maluso, patron saint of Multitasking

She had a brilliant idea to sell 1-minute portraits at her booth during the show. OF COURSE I had to get one.

Other portraits.

I think I will comission some work from her next year!

Mushrooms and chickens

2010-11-12T09:15:00.001-06:00

I'm terrible about taking photos MYSELF and showing what I've been doing lately. Finally, an update! While I've been knitting and crocheting my hands off, I took a break to put together some small, fun, tiny things. (I'm a big supporter of awesome little gifts for $10 or less.)

Delicious mushroom zipper bobbles:

Perfect if you love lawn gnomes...or Mario...or the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie...

Chicken and egg earrings:

I'll have these little ladies in about 6 different colors. Yellow chickens, blue chickens, green chickens...

Prototype chicken-in-a-nest ring:

I really want to make some funny rings with the non-matching chickens I have sitting around. Would you wear a chicken-in-a-nest ring?? (They would not be purple, it's what I had around to test a nest with.)

Pretty chickens

2010-11-10T09:53:00.000-06:00

I liked this behind the scenes clip from a photo shoot for an upscale brand of eggs in the UK:

pretty chickens!

Robbery attempt squashed

2010-11-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

A good reason to keep seasonal produce handy: personal defense!

FREE SHOW

2010-11-04T09:51:00.001-05:00

Robert Picardo (ala Broadway/The Wonder Years/Star Trek) will perform, "The Doctor Is In" this Saturday with Q&A to follow during a fund raiser for Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre.

There are shows at 2pm and 8pm Saturday, November 6th. If you would like to go FOR FREE, let me know!

November beading classes

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Click HERE to see the schedule of this month's beading classes at the Spiral Beadery in OKC (and how to sign up for 'em).

Beginners' Beading by Yours Truly this coming Saturday the 6th.

Christmas Earrings by Betty (cute! Great gift for Mom/Grandma/Aunt/Teacher/Etc.)

Cluster drop earrings by Madeline (elegant! Really good way to make yourself learn good wire wrap technique, too. You have to do it a bajillion times before you finish both earrings. Totally worth the effort, though.)

VOTE VOTE VOTE

2010-11-02T10:28:00.004-05:00

IF YOU'RE REGISTERED, VOTE TODAY!

Amazing mural for a great cause

2010-11-01T09:36:00.001-05:00

Please take a look at these fantastic Calvin and Hobbes scenes painted by artist S. Rivas:

(I would display here, but you'll have to click to see! Trust me, it's worth a click.)

Here are some thumbnails

So good!

More good!

The artist says, "Working on this mural, staring at every minute detail of wattersons work, i gained a greater appreciation for [Bill Watterson’s] beautiful creations. i tried to respect the original works as much as possible, giving my full attention to even the smallest detail and trying to get the colors just right. attempting to recreate the look of watercolors using only latex paint proved to be quite difficult. i hope i did ‘em justice."

These can be found inside Reynolds Home in Texas, a shelter for homeless women and children.

This is all around fantastic in several ways. Looooove it.

Drabblecast spooky time

2010-10-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

For some spooky entertainment this weekend, I highly recommend this story from an old episode of Drabblecast:

Link to the MP3...spoooOooooOOoky!

Food wall art

2010-10-27T08:54:00.001-05:00

Feeling inspired recently by some food-themed-art:

Click for etsy

I predictably love the scientific/anatomical approach.

Click for more

And Ricki's Food Blog (which seems to be gone now :[ so I linked to his flickr) where he draws what he eats:

Tiny Food

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Miniscule versions of everyday foods is a hot thang right now. I remember having tiny faux-food keychains in High School that I think came from Japan...now the stuff is everywhere! I love it.

This artist (her blog is here) makes weirdly realistic teensy tiny food. The photos of the fake stuff alongside real kitchen utensils or A BLUEBERRY belong in a collection of surrealist art.

Funky.

Find photos of her pieces available for purchase on Etsy. Whee!

Ghouls Gone Wild 2010

2010-10-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

This year, I was lucky enough to be in Oklahoma City's Ghouls Gone Wild halloween parade. It was a blast; I gotta say, I like scaring groups of children. "EEEE!!!" (Not in a mean way!)

Check out our pre-parade photos here:

CLICKY

The Flickr pool of photos has some great shots, too.

I was with a group of Corporate Sharks out to attack some innocent swimmers for their extra cash! It was all part of the Buck the Norm campaign.

We were #4 of 75 parade entries, so I hopped into the crowd near the end of the parade route and shot a little bit of video:

This is just a TINY sample of the awesomeness of the parade.

The zombie walk was GREAT! I loved the guy with the brain-on-a-stick taped to his head to keep him going. We spotted a zombie with a traffic cone on his head, a la Plants vs. Zombies. So smart. It gave me big ideas for next year's costumes...

Chicken hats, ya'll

2010-10-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Hopefully without wearing myself out, I plan to have a few knit and/or crocheted items at my booth as well. Can I make enough stock without my hands falling off before the show? Time will tell!

Fake food brooch pins! Pear shaped soap savers! Exclamation points included!

Crocheted Fruits

I have this thing for knitted chicken shaped anything. Midwest and rural America has a thing for chicken decor, and I really don't fall into that category at all. I just like me a nice chicken hat once in a while.

Chicken Hat!

And maybe a chicken shaped catch-all bag...

Chicken Bag!

Food jewelry

2010-10-19T10:23:00.001-05:00

I've made custom beaded jewerly since 2000. After 10 years of beading, it feels like I've tried just about every technique imaginable and seen just about every type of bead around. After 10 years, it's time I make weird stuff that can't be found at a kiosk in the mall, that makes people ask why the hell I'm wearing pineapple earrings in Oklahoma in the middle of winter.

Vintage German Lucite Pineapple Earrings

If you are excited by the idea of stupid-funny food jewelry, come see me at the OKC Fairgrounds on December 11th! I'm fairly certain you'll be the only one this holiday giving the gift of a toaster necklace with matching sliced bread earrings:

Toaster Necklace with Bread Earrings

Or maybe veggies are more your style:

Vegetable Stud Earrings

I'll have quite a potpourri of food-themed baubles in different styles, matierals, and colors.

Know your food

2010-10-18T11:25:00.001-05:00

This year, I've focused my projects exclusively around the theme: Know your food!

The seeds (ha) of this series are my Fruit and Vegetable Trophies.

Trophy Cucumber

I dreamed these up about 3 years ago after reading a report that elementary age children in the UK weren't sure where basic foods originate. That article regrattable reminded me of the Regan-era
ketchup-is-a-vegetable proposal. Eating more wholesome food is now a hot-button issue in the United States, for sure. Reports, statistics, movies, TV shows, and books about agriculture and diet in the 21st century abound.
When I consider the corporate ownership and copywrite of seeds for crops, and that some U.S. doctors now write perscriptions for vegetables (essentially a farmers' market coupon) that maybe it's time to put fresh produce under glass at the natural history museum alongside a photo of the extinct Green Grocer.

Okay, that's some snide humor showing.

But in all seriousness, I feel like I preach to the choir when my trophies are featured in art shows or sales. I'd love to know if one makes its way on the wall of a classroom or cafeteria - a place where children or parents might look twice at the fact that a carrot has green leaves on top and a funny sounding latin name. (One of my favorite moments at a show in 2009 was when a couple of ladies got into a argument over whether or not my Endive Trophy really depicted an endive. Maybe I was trying to deceive them with bok choy!)
I hope that at least one of my trophies starts a conversation about food or science or politics...or what's for dinner!

I'll have about 20 Trophies available at the Deluxe
Indie Craft Bazaar on December 11, 2010.

Tomorrow, I get off my soap box and give a sneak peek of the fun food-themed jewelry I'll also have on hand!

Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar

2010-10-15T20:47:00.004-05:00

I haven't updated much lately, as I've waited to hear if I would be featured in this year's Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar in OKC:

I'll be there!! Look out for more frequent updates between now and the day of the event for sneak peeks on what I'll have to offer :)

Bananas for trolls

2010-10-03T20:36:00.002-05:00

I originally wanted to link to this story about a contest over new sticker designs to be included on Chiquita Bananas.

CLICKY

But then I read the comments...the internet allows people to be real jerks over the silliest things! Man. I really hope most people wouldn't say things like that and in such tones face to face. They're just stickers on bananas, people.

Anyway, I voted for #6 :D