Homesick rant

Aah the wonders of Skype! I've always loved video chats. They always remind me of the whole concept of 'so close, yet so far'. Yes, I find that intriguing. Most of the time, that is.
I mean it's all perfectly fine when your parents chat away with you while they're sitting in their room, or the hall or where ever else the light doesn't suck. But when they choose to sit in your old bedroom (which btw, has been gleefully taken over by your younger brother), and you can see your cupboard and desk and other stuff, then it's...well, distracting. Especially when your current room isn't exactly great. (My mom says she feels nauseous every time she sees it. But then she's a mom.)
But today, it was just plain annoying. Why? Because there is something in that cupboard that I really need. And with it right in front of my face, it was a little difficult to explain to myself that I couldn't put my hand through the screen and just take the damn thing! Not that I tried to or anything.
All I'm saying is, if apparition isn't possible, then we should be allowed to have magical fireplaces. Or, at the very least, a two-way cupboard (see how things would work out then? Exactly.). :)

So yes, the rest of the exhib photos are still pending, but I assure you, that's not my fault. It's my laptop really. ;) It hangs so much that I tend to put off any extra work like transferring stuff from memory cards or usbs. But next post, you'll see the pictures InshaAllah. :) 

Exhibit A (kind of)

I didn't realise how hectic an exhibition can get! What with the travelling for materials, and the packaging (more on that later), and the sleep deprivation, things can get a bit weird. But it's all been worth it. All the genuine appreciation :) And when a friend buys a whole bunch of your stuff! That's when you know for sure that she had actually meant it when she went all "omg, that's so awesome!". So, thank you Swati :)

Here's a li'l peek into the goodies before I put up the rest of the pictures:

Thread wrapped bangles and a wooden one with a bracelet

A bit of painting (polka dots and yellow beads) in this one

[note to self: wrapping a dozen bangles in fine thread is not a very practical idea.] 

I had left the packaging for the last day, and as usual, I assumed that I would be done in a couple of hours and then to bed it is! My bed and I have a very close relationship you see. It doesn't let go of me until I spend atleast 10 straight hours with it. So you can imagine how I felt about neglecting it for two- yes, TWO- whole days. Anyhoo, due to my compulsive need to make sure that each and every thing is perfecto (aah, I love Spanish, don't you?!), I ended up doing the packaging all through the night and then just having enough time to get ready and shoot out the door. Its just that I didn't simply want to pop the stuff into the packets and be done with it. Oh no, not me! I have to make things more difficult than they already are! And hence the tiny yarn hearts and paper cutting and punching and glitter and ribbons (polka dots! ♥) and...well you get the idea. But who can say no to that kind of cuteness?! Turns out, not many people :). It's been a good couple of days Alhamdulillah

My baby! Everyone seems to have fallen in love with it. Including yours truly. Considering the amount of time that was spent on making it (seriously mind-numbing activity!), I would have to be dumb to not like it, but not everyone's so biased are they? Oh and it's a belt, for those who think it's a necklace; although even that would look nice :) Made it in four colour combinations, although this one's my fave. The best part about making these belts were the trips to the lace shop *wink wink*. I recently discovered this shop near home and its absolutely awesome! While they have an amazing variety of all kinds of laces and embellishments, there's also a whole load of interesting jewellery making material. And their employees know their stuff and are real sweethearts. Need I say more?

A close-up of the dangling thingies. How adorable is the mesh heart?!

More pictures in the next post. Until then, go check out this awesome necklace refashion. And once you're there, you might as well check out the rest of her gorgeous doings. Have fun :)

PS- Don't wonder too much about the choice of the post title. A small part of me always wanted to be a lawyer. Or maybe just Nancy Drew ;)

Time management and Crocheting

It dawned on me recently that I've been neglecting my poor blog shamelessly, and it's time I showered it with some attention (and kept it going). I have been busy with college and a bit of travelling in between, so I do have some excuses for when I'm feeling guilty about it. ;)

But I have been making stuff, if for no other reason than to complete my portfolio for Accessory design. Now, here's the problem with all those crafty blogs online (the only problem, coz they're awesome otherwise!): you don't realise how much time you end up spending glued to the screen, ooh-ing and  aah-ing over all the yummy stuff around. And since there's only 24 hours in a day (sigh!), blog-stalking days (for lack of a nicer term) tend to translate into otherwise sadly unproductive ones. Speaking of time, here's a watch/necklace I made a few days ago :) (will put up a proper picture soon)

See? I don't always waste time (pun totally intended) ;)

So here's my newest resolution (yes, I make one every few weeks, then trash it)- finish all assignments asap, then get back to blogging big-time! InshaAllah ;) Which also includes doing some design changes to it, including the ugly header.

And I'll leave you guys with this clever picture of a teeny-weeny dress I crocheted yesterday. Why clever? Because it looks good that's why. not because I've managed to hide the loopholes ofcourse.

Except for the few holes that are still visible. I learned to crochet just a couple of days ago (and I'm hooked!), so I'm going to ignore my mom's sad smile and all you expert crocheters' grimaces and just feel proud of myself! =) Although any tips would be welcome ofcourse.

Paper Beads!

Yep I know, doesn't sound too glamorous, but paper beads can be so cute! It's a great way to recycle old paper and doesn't need too much of an investment. Like these beads I made from a magazine page :) I just love the purple and yellow on it! The other side of the page had a yellow and red theme, and that was what I had been aiming for. But my mind was wandering (as usual!) when I started rolling, so I ended up with this:

Which wasn't so bad after all ;)


I was trying paper beads for the first time, but I ended up rolling so many, that I didn't know what to do with them. Until I remembered the bronze hearts I had found in a bead store. Got a whole pack of 'em [yes, I have a thing for hearts :) ]. Anyway, so I threaded the beads onto a chain, added a heart, and a couple of glass beads and voila!

What you'll need:

• Sheets of paper (newspaper, scraps, notebook sheets, designer paper, anything you like)
• Scissors or exacto knife
• Long ruler
• Craft glue (or any white paper glue)
• Toothpicks
• Varnishing medium & paint brush
• Styrofoam block (or make one yourself)
• Most important- lots of patience!

Tip- The longer you cut your strip, the thicker (bigger) the bead will be when finished.


Here's a link for those who want to try it out for themselves.

Piece of advice: try to use pages from magazines or books. Plain sheets will give you pretty simple beads (unless that's what you want ofcourse!). And don't worry about the text or images showing on the finished beads- they hardly do, and sometimes, it adds to the charm! :) And last- protect your work! I applied 3-4 coats of varnish on each bead. It also helps to harden them.

There are sooo many shapes that you can make! You just need to know how to cut 'em and roll 'em, so here's a picture showing the patterns I follow:

 

You can ofcourse make alterations as you go. Some of the patterns (the ones with the 'branches') produce different beads if rolled differently. For example, for the last pattern, you can roll the whole thing normally, or you could choose to stop after the first 5cms, and then roll the triangles backwards. Many other variations, will try to put up pics of 'em soon!

The measurements are just a guideline, once you're confident enough you can simply cut and roll away!

PS- Here are some really great ideas for paper beads! Happy rolling :)

Baby steps!

Books, jewelry making, baking, scrapbooking, sketching, stitching...yep, it's a long & crazy list! It's probably a genetic thing, but I've this 'I can make that' streak in me, which means that I tend to pick things up in shops and put 'em back, 'coz well, I CAN MAKE THAT ! :)

And it also means that I have a huge to-do list (did I mention my lazy streak?) of all kinds of stuff. I intend to start posting about all the awesomeness that handmade things are, and at the same time keep track of my projects ;)

I'm hoping this blog keeps me on my toes and off my bed. 'Coz there's so much to do (and so less time)!!

PS- I've spent so much time reading blogs and webpages by crafters, and it's amazing what all these ladies come up with (esp. since most have had no formal training in their crafts). Inspiring and exciting!

PPS- Still new to this blog thing, so please overlook any mess-ups :) Comments are always welcome! x