Yay for Artistic Friends

My friend Alex is going to create some skull/derby related pieces of art that I can screen print and maybe put on tote bags and t-shirts in an attempt to make some money. Awesome right!

We also spent some time talking about the possibility of her and Jenni shifting up to Napier at the end of the year. That would be freaking awesome. We will work full time, she will concentrate on her art, and I will do more crafty things, and Sunday mornings we will try an sell our stuff at the markets. We looked at some potential flats on trade me and now I am excited because this might actually happen :)

Now I just need to find a job!

Posting of a Photo:

Photos of the Day

I don't think I will be getting my 365 photography goal done, but I do want to take more pictures.
However, as a treat to myself I paid for a months premium membership on picnik so I may post photos I have edited on there very now and then. Todays is a few of the pics from the zombie wedding last year. I love these pictures and have played around with them on picnik (maybe a little too much) but I still like them.

Heres Kate:



And Jenni:



And A few More:

♥ Learning to Sew! Pt1 ♥

I am finally learning to sew (yay I am getting started on my goals) and although I said I was going to start off on Jennis present, I thought it might be better to start off with something simpler. (Look it's me sewing!!)



So I am screenprinting/sewing a tote bag. I am starting with a picture that I just found online by googling 'cute skull' - (it is by ashzstock at http://ashzstock.deviantart.com/ and is free for personal and commercial use so I am not stealing) but I am planning on designing my own (yup you guessed it - cute skull) design to put on tote bags and maybe t-shirts to give as gifts/sell at markets later on down the track.

I didn't use a pattern for the bag, just cut out two squares (40 by 42cms) and a strip 124ish cm by 15cm, out of calico. Sew around the edges to stop the material from fraying.

Then I screenprinted the image on. First I printed the picture onto an A3 piece of paper three times. I cut out the skull on the first print out with a craft knife, placed it under the frame and put the fabric paint with the first colour on. Then I waited for that to dry, and took another copy of the picture and cut out the bow for the second colour. First I put white paint on for the undercoat, then when that dried I used bright pink. It now looks something like this:



Then I cut out the same sized square and strip with a coloured material to use as the lining. I found some bright pink Satin:



Then I just sewed the strip onto the two squares inside out (the corners took some tricky sewing), then I just turned it in the right way. Now it looks more like this:



Tomorrow I am going to sew together the lining, and place either cardboard or thin mdf in the bottom of the bag for it to keep its shape. Finally I need to put some handles on it and it should be done :)

6 Things I Would Love to Own

6 Things that I would Love to Buy:
(if I had a job/more money)

1. A (Vintage, NOT Electrical) Typewriter:

As mentioned in the previous post, one of my goals is to write more letters. But imagine how much more fun that would be if I could do it on a gorgeous typewriter!
I have always wanted one, since I was a teenager.
I think it was because I always wanted to be a writer and it just seemed so much more authentic to do it on a typewriter. Now I am falling back in love with vintage (I blame the blogosphere) and I am keeping an eye out on trade me and op shops for an affordable (cute!) one.

2. A Record Player:

As with the typewriter, this is another thing that I have wanted for years. My mother’s old one is still in the house, along with her (small, but containing a couple of gems) record collection. Unfortunately the needle on it has been broken for as long as I can remember and apparently it is insanely expensive to replace them. So I am looking for one of my own.

I have my eye on that gorgeous black one that you can buy for a disgusting price from Iko Iko for years now, but if I can find a more affordable (but still adorable) one on trade me or op-shopping then I will definitely snap it up.
Then I will have to make a trip down to Wellington to spend large amounts of money at Slow Boat and Real Groovy to start my collection.

3. Derby Skates:


For obvious reasons I want to get derby skates. Because I can’t practice with the derby girls in mine, and none of the ones there fit my abnormally large feet very well (a month on I still have blisters from spending 3 hours in borrowed skates).
However because they must be shipped here from the states they are very expensive and will probably have to wait until after Christmas.

4. A Polaroid Camera:

I know the film is expensive and hard to get, but these things are just SO COOL! I have always wanted one, and thanks to the online picture editor that I use I can make fake Polaroid pictures, but none of them are as good as the real thing.

5. New Laptop:

If you have ever seen my laptop then you know it wants to die. It wants to be put out of its misery. It can’t play sound, it can’t download an anti-virus or spyware (so I can’t use it to check my emails or go on facebook or else a guy from China logs in and changes all my details), and it won’t let me use anything like Microsoft word. It’s five years old and all it wants in life is for me to let it die. But I won’t. Not just yet. It must live as a zombie for just a little while longer.

6. My Tattoo:

There are two that I want done (before Christmas if possible). One is the little matching music heart that I am getting with a friend (eventually, when we are both in the same town at the same time) and the one that I was supposed to get done next week (during the last week of August, a year since my Grandfather died). This one is his favourite waiata, and one of the ones we sung at his funeral. Unfortunately it will cost around $300 and I just don’t have the money anymore.

4 Goals

So I saw this over on http://heartandsolcreations.blogspot.com/ and though it was a really great idea. I am stuck in a horrible rut at the moment and it is starting to drive me a little bit insane. So to try and help me get out of it I have created these fun (and achievable) goals to help me make it to Christmas without exploding.

1. Learn to Sew:

It is a bit of a disgrace that, as someone whose mother is a materials tech teacher, at 22 (nearly 23) I still can't even thread a sewing machine. However I have fallen in love with a lot of craft websites, and I would like to be able to do some of that myself. My mother is going to teach me the basics, and I am going to try to set myself a little sewing project to do every fortnight, gradually increasing in difficulty (assuming I am slowly improving :p).
I have already picked my first project and I love LOVE LOVE it! I have the pattern, and am picking up the materials tomorrow, but I can't post details about it for a little while because it is going to be Jennis birthday present!!

2. Learn to Skate:

As you all know I am a huge Derby fan. A while back I purchased some second hand skates (a little worse for wear, and it turns out the axle is a little bit damaged) but I have not really gotten around to using them because I haven’t been skating. The reason I haven’t been skating is because I don’t have any friends up here to practice with, and I feel like a bit of a retard doing it by myself. I decided that before I go back to derby I would like to actually be able to skate, so my goal is to go out at least a few times a week, and practice skating for a little while. Even if it is just up and down the driveway.

3. Meet New People/Try New Things:

I am shy, and insecure so I get uncomfortable meeting new people and trying new things by myself. While in Wellington I had this great circle of friends who liked the same things I liked (therefore I very rarely had to venture out and do anything on my own) and if I didn't want to do something they just let me be. However I don't have a group of friends here. Just a few friends that don't really have anything to do with each other. So I need to try and get out of the house more, and maybe help build my confidence.

So I am going to try and do something new at least once a week. It doesn't have to be anything wild, just something that will help get me out of my shell, and try something that I might have otherwise avoided. This week I went to a pole fitness class, and although I learnt that I shouldn't wear sleeveless tops while exercising (no one wants to have to watch all that jiggling in the mirrors), I did find something new that I actually really enjoyed and would like to do again.

I also signed up with volunteering Hawkes Bay who are going to send me out some information so that I can find somewhere to volunteer and I am going to audition for a Christmas variety show this weekend. It's just a small theatre, and I don't want a solo or anything, but I thought that being in the chorus could introduce me to some new people, and maybe help me to gain back some of the confidence I gained doing drama in high school.

4. Write more Letters/Take more Photos:

This is nice and simple and easy enough to do (even though I have been really slack so far!).

I miss having a pen pal. I used to love getting my letters from Mari when she was living in the states! And I now get occasional letters from my ex-flatties, but I want more. So to get more letters I am going to send more. If you would like a letter (and maybe a semi-consistent pen-pal) then private message me your address and I will send you one.

As for the photos I am going to try and tackle two assignments there: The 365 Project (Idea taken from http://violetbellasworld.blogspot.com/) which is to take or edit a new photo every day for the next year and post it on flicker (which I will somehow link to this blog) and One Object One Hundred Ways, which is pretty self explanatory. I have my object and a few ideas so now I just have to get off my butt and start it. And using a pic from my 1 object 100 ways can totally count as pic of the day for the 365 project (right?).