Totally been slacking on this blog thing. I told you I would. I'd be able to keep p with it for awhile then it would slip away from me. It's not like I haven't been crafting either! I have been. Not as much as I'd like but hey money is kind of tight right now and swapping is something I'm trying to hold back on a little. 

   So what have I been crafting when I can and do splurge a little? Well it has to do with kawaii of course! I mean I am better off killing 2 birds with 1 stone after all. I need my kawaii fix as much as I need my crating / swapping fix. LOL

   I hosted a swap on Swap-bot that required everyone to go to their local craft store and try to get a cardboard box as close to 3x3x3 as possible. That way everyone was semi doing the same amount of work. 

   You have to then take kawaii loose items. Like mini memos, 4x6 memos, sticker flakes, and whatever else you liked to decorate the box all up in kawaii. Not just slapping it together. No no no. Try to have some order to it. The whole outside. Not the bottom of course though. Inside was optional as well. Then take some of your goodies and embellish the lid a little if you liked. Again not required. 

   After all the way done or before you can spend time sitting in front of the tv folding origami paper stars and filling your box with them. Yay...so much fun. Let me tell you. That took way longer then I thought it would. Boy was I happy I only made it a 3x3x3 box. Haha.  

   Once your box was all decorated up and filled with stars off to your partner it went. Making sure it was packed well of course. 

   

   ^ There is the box I made for my partner. I had so much fun making it. Didn't take no time at all...for the decorating the box part. The stars on the other hand. Man. LOL But totally worth it. My partner loved it so that is all that matters. I am thinking of doing another on in the future. Maybe a little bigger though and instead of stars maybe some kawaii goodies!? Like a whimsey box instead?  Possible once I can splurge again. 


   That was a swap made well before I got to seriously cutting back on my postage spending. So since then I've been trying to come up with flat creative kawaii swaps. 

   I already had my deco tape covered postcards so what else could I do? :light bulb:

   ^ That is when I remembered once of my very 1st kawaii swaps I ever did. This was also when I had hardly no kawaii so I was limited on to what I could do swap wise as well. Someone had done a public sticker flake postcard swap. I was in. I wasn't too worried about flakers. It was only sticker flakes. 

   I decided heck why not! Something different and easy and quick and cheap to send. I didn't want to make the postcard the same as my 1st one. I had lined the sitckers up all nice and need in rows and what not. Not this time.  Nope. Not this time. I am going to see exactly how many I can get on there without overlapping them too much. 

   Wow! That took a long time. I swear I was working on it for a good 1.5 - 2 hours. LOL I did it though. I got as many on there as I could nicely done and only overlapped a tiny bit towards the end. I was very proud of myself! Partner loved it so another well done job! 


   I needed another swap. Something creative yet flatish. I have to keep the creative part of the group going. I need to do what people like but add different fun things in here and there. What to do? What to do? 

   ATC! I LOVE doing them! Others mentioned they would like to do them too. Yes! 

   ^ Kawaii themed senders choice ATC swap. Simple. Make 1 kawaii themed ATC featuring any character you choose and send to partner. I waited until I assigned partners before doing my ATC. I like to do that sometimes. Make swaps profile based. I just loved the ATC. I actually had a hard  time sending him off. Haha. He sat here done waiting to be mailed for probably 3 days. I am still waiting to be rated. I sure do hope she likes him! 

   It's the end of the month so I need to get ready to throw up some more crafty swaps soon. People seem to like the quick deco tape or sticker flake postcards. I'll keep them going. Think it will be round 4 for deco tape and round 2 for sticker flakes. I can keep going with the kawaii matchboxes. A nice little group has had fun doing them. This will be the 4th round on them. What to do what to do though? Hmmmmm.....somethign to think about. 

   We have a new officer who is happily throwing up tons of swaps right now. I'll have to see when those are going and when they end. Try not to overwhelm the end dates too much for swaps. 

   I should come up with a different type of crafting swap maybe. Or try the ATC again. I'm not quite sure. I tried to switch it up and did a PVC flake swap instead of regular flakes. Not too many joined that one. Poor PVC flakes no love. No love. T-T 

   Well now since thinking about it I have a few ideas roaming around in my head now. Haha. I should get to posting them and what not. More creative chaos to come!
 
 

   Well it's been quite some time since I've been on here. Ugh. I'm finally 100% back to feeling healthy again. I caught a nasty little thing on the 21st of April. Let me tell you that was not fun. My lovely 4 year old son got it. Then he gave it to my 8 year old daughter. Luckily for them and myself they had it for a day and only a tummy bug. I on the other hand had the full blown thing. So not fun. 

   Since  then though once I started to get better I did nothing bu lay around and read. Lots of reading. I think about reading a lot lately. HAHA. Since being sick it was hard to get back into my creative mindset for my swaps. Though I wasn't in any. Good thing to with me getting sick like that. 

   Today it hit me though. I've been in a creative mindset all day. Without even knowing it. Without trying the creative world was talking to me. Haha. 

   Saw this on the way home from getting groceries. I couldn't get into my apartment fast enough to get my camera! Everyone was looking at mall crazy standing in the middle of the parking lot of my apartment complex snapping pictures. They changed their minds once they saw what I saw! Isn't that how it happens anyways? Haha. 

   Since then I've been is a music funk. Listening to all sorts of musicians I enjoy. Now that's some creative chaos for you. After all music is art! 

   
    If you've never seen a violinist rock out then you are missing out on something. I love Lindsey Stirling.  She is just EPIC! She even does music game songs. Like Zelda! Yeah dude how awesome is that? Pretty awesome for us gamers! That's some creative mojo going on right there. 

   To think she was on what? America's Got Talent and they told her she would not make anything out of herself? ROFL! Looks like someone was quite wrong. 

   Not really into that stuff? Well fine forget you too! LOL jk jk. How about some awesomeness in another direction? 

   Maybe you are into some Dub Step? Pretty awesome group if I do say so myself. Check out some of the other videos. Oh I would not recommend watching the above video with kids around. the little kid might freak them out some. 

   Or maybe you are a little more old school? That's okay. I've got you on that one too. A song that I just love! Who wouldn't like them some Prince!? 

   Now there is something for the old school people. Now did you know this song was dedicated to his mother? Well now you know! Knowing is half the battle. 

   What's your favorite artist? Favorite song? It's Friday people! Go on and put it on and turn that good stuff up! Get those creative juices going! 

   Mini zine. What comes mind when you hear or read those words? Confusion? What the heck is that? Blank.... You are not the only one. I had no freaking idea what that was at all when I first came across it. The only thing I knew what there was some crafting factor to it since I ran across is via Swap-bot. 

   Wikipedia defines it as:

 A zine (pron.: /ˈziːn/ ZEEN; an abbreviation of fanzine, or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation self-published work of original and/or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier.

   Now what does it mean to you? Still have no freaking idea? That's fine. Until I saw an actual picture of one it didn't click either. Don't feel less intelligent because you have no idea. Some of us learn something by seeing not reading. You're more normal then most people. 

     ^ My first even kawaii zine. This was done in the I LOVE Kawaii group. Thanks to the wonderful hollycopter who did all the hard work. She came up with the template then blogged about it so everyone could click her template, print, and go. 

   The blank template itself is fairly easy to master. It's the theme of the zine itself. Okay so you've come up with a theme. Easy. Now come up with something different to put in each box. Something EVERYONE can answer in a creative fun way. Not so easy is it! If you said yes (whatever and be gone :p lol) good for you. 

   Okay, you've got your zine. Time to get creative. Fill it in! Go on. This is the easy part. Fallow what each page says. 

   I personally like the keep certain aspects blank. That way when I go to photocopy it some parts will be individually unique. Like the stickers section. I kept blank and did that by hand for each on. Also the deco tape parts as well. Let's not forget about the glitter pen parts too. I'm pretty sure glitter doesn't photocopy so well. You don't have to be picky like I am. By all means go right ahead and photocopy the whole thing. It's up to you. It's your zine! 

   Alright, so you've got your mini zines ready to go. Now how to make it into a booklet? I've decided to not fail at explaining this process to you. So I found a YouTube video with great music to entertain you while learning. Cliky.    Tada! You are all done and ready to show the world your new mini zine! 

   Okay now the reason I've made today's blog is for the Kawaii Mini Zine swaps I plan to host. LOL I needed somewhere to link my zine for people to print off. So two birds with one stone! Blog done and Clickable template for my swaps. Ta da! LOL If your not in the group and still want to use the template for your own fun by all means go ahead. I'm not stingy...on somethings. ^.^ Haha. 

   For those in my lovely swaps needing a zine. Click the image. Right click and save. Open and print. Make sure to set it to full screen printout. When I made the zine I made sure it was the exact size of standard size printer paper. So you don't need to make it bigger or smaller.

   Kawaii Mini Zine: 

   ^ Spring Edition.

   So, I've been really trying to figure out what to put on here next. I have covered so much over the shirt time I've had this blog. Which I now realize was a really idiotic idea. I should have spaced everything out intelligently and I would not have this issue. However, growing a pair have allowed me to set up for today's blog! Woots.

   Altered Playing Cards. What fun. I've wanted to do these since I joined Swap-Bot. Though I never did. Hell I even went and got myself two decks of cards to use for this craft and am NOW just deciding to jump in head first! 

   These are just like ATCs. You can go to town with them. The ONLY major rule is the suits at the corner can NOT be covered. That way people can see what card it is. Though I highly doubt anyone uses these to play Poker. LOL 

   Other then that they have the same rules as your ATCs. Use whatever to decorate and ta dah! You are done. I was really nervous about my 1st set. Yes, I joined a swap where we were doing all of the 10s. Very nervous. 

   Shit! It's not just one or two. No, it's four. So if I mess up I really mess up. Though if you fallow the rules how could you mess up? It's not like it's my 1st ever craft either. How hard  could this be? Not hard at all.  Okay, pick your theme. We have to do a theme because we are doing all 4 of the 10s. What to do what to do? Shit! You need to buy printer ink damnit. Okay fine what do we have to work..... :light bulb: 

   OMG! You have vintage black and white along with vintage color Alice in Wonderland printouts from a swap you did a LONG time ago. That's it Alice in Wonderland vintage. Hmmmm? Black and White or Color? Let's see what we have.

   :Wonders to crafting area and finds print outs: COLOR! We are doing this in color I have 4 perfect pictures to use. Now what else? Hmmmm.....Let's just do this! 

   LOL Yes, there was absolutely NO planning to these. I just went with. I LOVE them! 

   There they are. I love how I was also able to find a different ticket for each picture and they match wonderfully with the character! I was also so excited to remember about the gears as well. Can't wait to do more!  

   Okay. Today is kind of different from what I normally talk about. But hey I'm chaotic and this is a creative way to get people active. 

   What comes to mind when you see, read, or hear about a 5k run? Well I know I get sleepy right away. Like OMG! Who would do that? Why? I can run when I want to but I'm not running anywhere. Haha. Maybe in my dreams. 

   What about a Color Run though? Anyone up for a Glow Run? WTH are those? Awesomeness that's what. Someone came up with creative as hell ways to get people on the move. No, you don't have to run. You can jog or walk. It's not timed. So who cares. These are meant to have FUN! 

   Color Run Is one I'm loving right now. Though I've never done one sadly. Though just by looking at it and the pictures and what not OMG! They even have a facebook page. Yes, I know almost everyone and anyone who is reading this right now has a facebook page. So yeah here is there facebook page: Color Run FB  Check it out. LOTS of pictures. They have them ALL over. It's like huge! 

   Glow Run Is another good one. I'm going to actually do this one. OMG!? I know right. Haha. It was either the Color Run or the Glow run. I was more for the Color Run but right now financial wise I can afford the Glow Run. However, I will be back for you Color Run! They also have a facebook page too: Glow Run FB Another must check out. 

   Now the Glow Runs don't seem to be as popular as the Color Runs? They don't have as many sites posted. I don't know. Maybe the just do less bigger ones? Though Color Run does Tours so...I don't know. They both look fun and something to do. You don't have to run. These are not timed events. At the finish line you have more fun! Like a little party. 

   You can go solo or with a friend or two. However if you plan to go have a party with your friends go in packs of 4. You can register as a group and you get a discount when you register. More fun for less! So if you can talk some friends from getting off their bums do it. Steal their game controls, paint brushes, or whatever and tell them they can get them back after the run. 

   Also there is no age requirement for these.  Anyone can go.  Get your kiddo in that walker or roll grandma out of bed and into the wheelchair! Make it a family event if you can. Don't forget to take pictures of your fun times! Then you show all your friends who didn't go what a hell of a time they missed out on! 

   So there ya go. That's my new thing. Haha. I've been working out lately to try and not be as lazy. Haha. So I figured why not have some fun with and do a run. That's what I found. Be chaotic while other are figuring the creative part out. Either way it's still Creative Chaos! 

   Today I feel like going off the path. We've all done it so whatever. I'll find my way back don't worry. I'm going to talk about another addiction I have beside crafting! 

                            ~ KAWAII ~

    If you have no idea what this stuff is then either 1.) You're a guy 2.) You are clueless let me bring you into the light or 3.) you do and don't care.....GET OFF MY BLOG! JK JK not seriously....Heehee

   I sadly had been living under a rock until last year beginning of February. I found out what kawaii was thanks to Swap-bot.  I <3 IT! I can not get enough of it! Total ADDICTION! 

   Kawaii means cute in Japanese. Though there is one thing you need to understand. Not everyone thinks cute the same way. Over in Japan they have Japanese brand kawaii but they also like American cute. Which to them is SpongeBob, MLP, Disney, Care Bears, and all that good stuff. Also Diddle. That's not the kawaii I swap. I swap the Japanese brand kawaii. 

* Mind Wave * Crux * Fortissimo * San -X * Kamio * Q-Lia * Sanrio * Pool Cool * and I'm sure there are new brands I've missed or old ones....

   Still confused? Fine. Then check out some of my favorite kawaii places to shop online. You've got KawaiiYa Then you've got KawaiiGifts  and Kawaii Shop Japan All places I have bought from. Some more then others. Don't forget you can check out Etsy too! 

   I love it all! I can not get enough. As a kid I loved stickers. I collected them.  Sadly I have no idea where my sticker collection is. It's gone missing over a couple moves T-T However, there is kawaii and kawaii stickers! OMG! Win win chicken dinner! You have your sticker flake sacks and your sticker sheets. There are different types of sack. Paper stickers. Just your plain flat paper flakes. Then you have the PVC ones. Which is showed below. Now they also have puffy flakes. 

   Depending on flake type and design you get  anywhere from 35 - 100 flakes.  Same with sheets. Depends on the sheet on how many sticker are on there.

   Sack ↑ Sheet ↓

   I love penpalling. So what better then to write one a lovely kawaii letter set!? Though I would recommend a kawaii letter pad if you have a pen pal where it will take more then 2 sheets to get out whatever you say. Though I've seen people use more then 2 sheets. Nothing wrong with that. Not my cup of tea though. That leaves extra envies with not letter paper to go inside T-T  So I use the letter pads for those moments. Letter sets come with anywhere from 2 - 6 designs. Depending on seller. You might get a bigger letter set. 40 - 50 sheets with envies or you may get a smaller set. 8 - 13 sheets with envies.

   Also You've got the mini memo pads! Who doesn't love mini versions of items? I know I do! I have a mini / tiny thing. If it's mini or tiny OMG! The cute factor just went +100 LOL I'll use those to write a very short note on to someone for a swap. Maybe put someones address on it then stick on an envie. Or just stash away if they are too cute to use. Mini memo pads will have 2 designs in them. 100 sheets 50 of each design is the norm.

   Don't forget the 4x6 memo pads. Those are great for leaving longer notes for people. Making bigger address labels for your mail. Grocery list. I like to use them to make kawaii slams as well. These pads will have anywhere from 6 to 8 designs. The about of memo sheets vary. 100 to 160 pages. 

    Also another love of mine! Deco tape. I have tons of mini rolls! A few large rolls and a hand full of medium roll! I could always use more though! You can use it to decorate so many things. Or to help close an envie. 

Small / Mini rolls ↓  These are like demos. You get a little but enough to want more.

Medium rolls ↓  You get way more then the minis and they last longer

Large rolls ↓ These have less deco tape but are wider. Cover more area.

   Don't forget about all the other kawaii goodies! Plushies, squishies, cell phone charms, key chains, Coin purses, book bags, totes, towels, folders, pens, pencils, erasers, pen cases, rulers, and SO many other things!

   Well Good Morning there! Yeah, yeah. I know it's past 1:30pm but I am just getting up so Good Morning. Now say it back...Thank you. Haha. I'm kind of lazy. I LOVE my sleep. I need like 10 hours minimum to function so yeah. Whatever. 

   Today I've decided I'm going to share of the things I use to craft with. My supplies. Why not. I use a lot that probably most people do. Though who knows I might use something someway you've never thought of. It could happen. 

   So lets get started. I've decided to use lots of pictures. Never know someone might not know what something is. Though I'd feel really sorry for someone if they didn't. YOU NEEDZ TO CRAFT MORE! Okay moving along. 

   

   Buttons! Lots of buttons. Different sizes and different shapes. I love using buttons. They are great. You can just go ahead and glue them on or you can use some ribbon or something and tie them down. Whatever floats your boat. They are a great embellishment since you can get them in any color to match your theme. Must have in my honest opinion. 

   

   Glossy Accents. This is used to add that glossy glass like affect to things. Put some on over top, let it dry, and ta da! Glossy finish. I also use this to fill in my bottle caps once I have everything inside I want. Now for the part most people don't know about. I also use this as a glue! What? Yes, I use it as a glue. It is by far the best glue ever. You only need a little bit too because of how EPIC it is. A little dab and your golden. I use it to glue everything and anything. Minus the magnets on the back of my bottlecaps. Then I use some realyl smelly stuff. Ugh. It's in a blue tube the 9001 Clear stuff.  

   When using Glossy Accents as a glue I would recommend knowing exactly where you want to place something. Because once you have it down and push it down it's stuck. It's not coming back off without taking something with it. 

   Of course I use your basic modgepodge when I need to a lot of something down. Like the backgrounds to an ATC or something. Though I've found that your blue dries clear Elmer's glue stick works WAY better! It keeps your stuff from curling. 

   Also if you do use modgepodge or something and find out your stuff is curling....I have a secret. Take a piece of paper same size and shape. Take your Elmer's Gluestick and put it all over the piece of paper. Nice and good. Then stick it on your ever so curling piece. Then go and stick that under some books. Something heavy to flatten. When you go back later to it you'll find it's perfectly flat AND sturdy as hell! Awesomeness. 

  

   Now these ^^^^^^ I LOVE! I use them a lot as well. You can get them in any color, shade, shape, and size. They don't all look like this either. Some look like other flower species. Very cool. Also who said they had to be a solid color? I love them. Put that down and then take a flat back pearl or bling jewel and you've got a flower. Oh, don't forget a small button even a brad or eyelet will work! These also make great matchbox stuffers as well. Let's not forget extras to send to partners since they are flat they wont bulk your envie unless you send a ton of course. Haha. 

  

       Flat back pearls. These are lovely as well. They come in different sizes and colors as well. I love to use these as well. They give that extra little pop I think. I also like to use these for embellishing my matchboxes because they come in tiny sizes as well. Perfect size. Let's not forget about how perfect the tiny ones are for those inchies you are working on! Something tiny to go on a  tiny piece of artwork! Win win! I also use the regular ones as well. The non pearled ones along with the clearish ones too. 

   

   Don't forget about your chipboard cut outs either. Those are really nice and they add a little chunk to your work. I personally don't like just boring flat artwork. Let's get some dimension to it! Of course this stuff comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and what not. The possibilities are endless on this nifty supply.

   Since that chipboard looks like a high quality sticker I'm going to talk about those too. I LOVE stickers. Always have since I was a kid. So I use stickers too at times for my projects. However, I use the higher quality stickers. You know  the kind. They are the sticker that are like $2-$3 for a semi tiny sheet of stickers. The stickers people use for scrapbooking and what not. Yes, those stickers. Don't get me wrong some of the cheaper regular stickers work too. Though with high quality work you need high quality supplies, duh. 

   

   Acrylic Jewels. These are what add the bling to your crafts. So many colors, sizes, shapes, and they add that "Oh, shiny!" factor. Haha. Don't forget the round ones can be used as  the middle to those Prima Got paper flowers. Now these either come self adhesive or they don't. I'm lazy so I personally like the self adhesive ones but that wont stop me from buying what I want. Haha. This is where the glossy accents comes in real handy. It'll glue it down and make sure it's not moving. 

   

   BRADS! Lots of shapes, sizes, and colors. Again you use these as the centers of the Prima Got paper flowers. I like to also use them as  the handle for the matchboxes as well. These you can use just like buttons. Find a good place they fit and ta da. You've got some embellishment going. 

   Scrapbooking papers. Lots of colors and designs. Great to use for backgrounds or whatever. I also really love making my own envies out of these. Any size and shape. Really great for making some cute handmade envies. Who doesn't like something different then plain white envies in their mailbox!? 

   

   Ribbon! Lots and lots of ribbon. Again repeating myself. Different colors, designs, styles, and thickness. Love the stuff. Also don't forget about using that string people use for felting projects. That works great too. I love to take that and put it through a needle and sew around the edge of an ATC. Ah makes it look great. You know like in the image below......

  
    Now that idea of sewing around the edge was a fly of the moment idea. I wanted to do something different. I got tired of doing the same things. I wanted something different. So I thought hey I wonder if I could sew and ATC! So, I did it and love the technique. So have a lot of other people too. Oh by the way the theme to those ATCs were Altered Text. Make some kind of phrase or what not out of a bookpage. Those are fun! 

   Eyelets. These are fun to play with. Though I still have trouble getting them to go on nice and smooth. Ugh. Sometimes they come out craptastic. Grr.... Of course they come in different color and what not. Also you can use them to give that dangle factor to a charm or something. Sting the charm, wrap the string around the eyelet, then punch the eyelet into place, and ta da! Movement. It's great. Or you can string yarn or something through them. Whatever tickles your fancy. 

   Glimmer mist! This stuff is great. I love things that glimmer and sparkle. Also no one said you had to buy the kind that has the glimmer affect to it. They do make just plain boring ones. I love this stuff because it gives that spray affect to your artwork. Also it makes it shimmer. Win win. You can also make your own instead of buying them. Just check out YouTube and you'll see how. WAY cheaper. 
   
   Now of course there are TONS of other things to use for crafting. I'm just talking about my favorite things. If I keep going I'll be working on this forever. I mean hell in 15 minutes I will have been working on this for an HOUR already. Haha. 

   I'm pretty sure this is a good start to get your crafting supplies up to par and a lot of it is cheap. I mean buttons and ribbons are not hard to find nor will kill the bank. You can get scrapbooking paper by the  sheet if you want. Which is really cheap like only 59 cents or something for this big ones.  Of course make sure to always watch for the deals your local hobby lobby and Micheals is having. Don't buy it if you can wait for a discount. Also hitting some friends or family up for their extra doesn't hurt. Haha. That's how my button collection started. 

   So get creative and cause some chaos. You have to get into some trouble to have some fun! 

   

 

   Alright time for more secrets. Who doesn't like 'em? One of the new techniques I've learned and fell in love with is very fun to do. Heck even your kids will have fun doing this.

  

      Painting with watercolors, glue, and salt! I love doing this and using it as a background for something. Handmade postcards, ATCs, and rolos. So much fun. Want to learn how to do it? Stop on over @Sweet Happy Life and see how to do it step by step. It's pretty easy to get done.

   Or you can keep reading I'll give ya the gist of it. You can use canvas, paper, watercolor paper, whatever, I use watercolor paper. Since you will be using  A LOT of watercolor for this project. 

   Pick out a few colors and go to town. All over. Get it nice and coated. Who cares if it runs and mushes altogether. It's part of the process. Do not be afraid. Get in there and get you some! ... Okay that might have been a little much but you get the point! 

   Once you are done and satisfied take some CLEAR Elmer's Glue and go to town again! Yes! Do as little or as much as you like. There is no right or wrong way to do this project at all. You can not mess it up. I mean it. 

   All done with the glue? Great! Take some slat and sprinkle it around. The salt will give it that starburts affect. Also it SPARKLES! Who doesn't like some extra bling and sparkle? 

   Do not worry if it does not come out exactly like that is shown. They are using canvas. It will look a little different. I like using watercolor paper because everything see,s to dry flat. Glue and all. So it makes it great for my ATC backs and all that. 

   Simple, easy, fun, and can totally be messy! I got into real good one night and was messing with my paint brushes. Hitting my finger to give it that splattered affect. Total fun. Next day I woke up and realized "OH, shit!" orange paint all over everything. Lap top, wall, craft supplies, and everything. LOL Oh well. It was fun and worth it! 

   
Now enjoy some Funny Creative Egg Art! 

   Well, thanks to holidays and wonderful husbands who take over your computer to play their MMOs because their computers are crap, I've missed quite a bit of blogging. So it looks like I'll have to make this one semi worth it. Huh. I'm pretty sure I can fail at that but let's see what happens shall we? 

   First, hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. You all stuffed yourself off food and slipped into food comas. I know I did. Sadly I failed at getting my kids to slip into candy comas. Instead they just ran around like heathens outside for a couple of hours. Which worked well. All I had to do was sit there and watch them tire themselves out. Win win. 

   I didn't do anything really crafting wise...WHAT! Haha. Who am I trying to kid here? I did do crafting. Awesome epic crafting! What I set out to do came out pretty nicely done. I am so proud of myself for it as well. 

   I made my very first ever felted plushie! Most sewing I've done in my whole life! Haha. I had so much fun. It wasn't perfect but damnit, it was pretty good first 1st time! 

   

   Isn't he so cute! I love him. As do my kids and I have to keep him safe and away from them. Haha. I have never done anything like this so YouTube helped me a lot. Haha. I was sitting there bored Friday night thinking what can I do? I was really caught up on swaps at the time before I signed up for me. I didn't want to work farther ahead of myself. So I figured lets try something new. I went to YouTube and typed Kawaii felt plushi tutorial and this little guy was on top. Why not? Looks simple enough I can't screw this up right? Ta da! I did it! I was so happy with myself. I can't believe how good he came out! I want to do a whole rainbow set now! 

   Next I thought okay I could easily do that again. Let's see if I can accomplish something else. So I checked out the side bar. You know the one with videos that match what video you are watching. I found this little guy:

   Isn't he the cutest too! However, I am all out of white felt now T-T I need to go and buy more before I can make a different version of tofu. Which I am super excited for since I seem to be doing so well with this. I wish I would have picked this up sooner!  Who needs to buy all those expensive plushies when you can just make some! Too cute too cute! I am thinking a pink dango is next! I've always wanted one of them! 

   I didn't know how to do the stitches these called for. So again I looked to YouTube to look up tutorials on how to do the stitches. The main sticked I used for everything is...some...crap what's it called....Bed stitch or something. If I was on my laptop I could just look up the history for all this. However, I am on my much better computer now. Which I have missed oh so much. 

   Other then that I really did nothing else. Not crafting wise. However, Friday night I did spend quite a bit of time coming up with easy paper crafts to convert into Kawaii themes for the one group I am in on Swap-Bot. Ugh, did my bbrain melt a few times during that process. I succeeded though. Came up with a good 20+ ideas. Everyone seems to like them and letting me know which ones. Almost every single one has a fun. Some more then others but brain melting was well worth it.

   I didn't make a new craft but I am happy to have interest in a swap I've only done once so far. A deco covered postcard. It was quite successful the 1st time I hosted it. Easy and hardly no work. A major plus is cheap postage! So I am hosting it again. Hopefully more people join then last time but as long as people join it's a success. They are super to make as well. You just need some sturdy cardstock, Kawaii deco tape, then some packing tape to go over the finished product. 

  

   ^ That's pretty much the gist. Cover it top to bottom side to side with deco tape. You don't need to go up and down. You can do it anyway you want. Just cover it. Then take some packing tape over it when you are done. Say a little something on the back and send it. Easy as can be quick swap. Who doesn't like some kawaii mail art to show up and brighten their day? 

   Oh another fun swap to do with little crafting is something called a Whimsey Jar. I recently hosted on for my kawaii group. I made it small though people were more then welcome to go bigger if they liked. I just made it small to help people stick to low postage. It's an all USA group so we're saving as is since no International shipping. Which is crazy stupid now by the way -.- 

   So, the point of this swap is to find a jar and fill it with kawaii goodies. Sender's choice. You fill it up all the way! As much as you can get in there get it in there. Make it a nice variety too. No one like to get a million sticker flakes, and some cabochons. I mean they will make out like bandits in those  themes but that's really depressing. You can put mini deco rolls in there. bento picks, cell phone charms, key chains, sticker flakes, pvc stickers, kawaii ribbon, squishies, candy, and so much more if you can fit it. 

   ^ This was the jar I made for my partner. I wanted to do something a little different then just a plain jar. So I lucked out after checking out a few stores and found this adorable paint can! I was so happy to find this too! Did a little decorating and filled it up with goodies! Then shipped it off. My partner loved it and I'm so glad because I really did not want to send it off. I couldn't even cheat and stick sticker flakes in there! However after I took everything out to take a picture off the goodies inside and repacked it I was able to fit like 3-4 pvc stickers in there. Haha.

   I can't wait to host another swap like the mini whimsey jar but I will wait. It's not expensive to do but some people like to buy goodies for their partners to put in the jar. So I'll wait until summertime to host another one of these I think. That way I get a lot more people to sign up again. It was so much fun to do. 

   Well hopefully this makes up for not posting the last couple of days. I tried to add some goodies and a little variety in different directions. Some a little crafting some more then the rest but simple enough most people can do it. Simple kawaii crafting fun!

 

   You know what? I said today would be Dotee Dolls. I changed my mind. I don't want to really talk about then right now. Why? It's my blog and I'll blog how I want to. So yeah. Onto better subjects. If you really want me to talk about Dotee Dolls. Feel free to leave a comment telling me how i missed your favorite part.

   Moving on. The fun mess making parts! WOOTS! 

   Acrylic paint and gesso are my choice in poisons. You can't have too much or too many different kinds. Okay well you know what gesso is gesso. Whatever. 

   One fun way I like to make background for ATCs is taking some pretty white paper. Any kind of pretty white paper will do. Hell you can use any kind of paper really. It doesn't really matter. I don't care what kind of paper you use. Just make sure it can take a good beating.

   You take that whatever type of paper and cover it in a nice little coat of gesso. Get it all over it. You can let it dry if you want. I usually do. Or you can go and add some color to it. Either way you like to do it go ahead and have some fun. 

   Take some acrylic paint and add it on there. Swirl is here and there. Dab a little over there. Smooth it out over here. Whatever tickles your fancy. Let that dry. Then more gesso! Yes, more. It's all about layers here people. Then let that dry. 

   Got some cool looking rubber stamps? Get to stamping. However you like it. Make it all nice and random now. Have some fun with it. Got any kind of stencil you like? Use it. I like to take bubble wrap and run some color over it with a paint brush and use that to make some bubbles on my papers. Nice cheap homemade stamp. Couldn't ask for anything better. 

   Let that all dry. Add some more gesso. Now when you are adding gesso layers feel free to add as much as you like. However, I like to go thin. That way nothing get's too over covered but just enough to blend it altogether. 

   You can do that as much or as little as you like it. I do about maybe...6-8 layers. Depends on my mood or how fast I want to get this background done. Haha. 

   ^ That's abou what you could end up with when you are all done. Then you have some ready to go backgrounds custom made ready to be made into a nicely done ATC. I had much a bunch different colors. That way I had a little something for everything. I'll need to get to making some more though soon. 

   Another fun thing to do is take your acrylic paint and put it on some wax paper. Add some different colors. At least 2-3 colors. I wouldn't say any more or any less then that. You don't want too many because it'll just get to muddled. Too few and it wont look cool enough.

   Take your colors you've decided to add together. Put a decent amount on the wax paper. Then take something...I like using a finger and mix it together. Now not too much! Make it look like the colors are trying to mix but failing horribly. Haha. You want that swirled marble effect. 

  Take your pre-cut plain ATCs and put one right onto of the color. Lightly push on it so you get enough on it and then peel it up off the paint. If you've added enough paint you should be able to do this a few times. You don't need to cover the whole ATC. You wont get it wrong if you don't. More or less. Have some fun with it. See what you like. I prefer them either way honestly. 

   ^ There I just took red and blue and had some fun. Now once you are done if you'd like to add even better effect. Take some of you glimmer mist and spray it a few times. Then you've got some extra shimmer and shine to them. Let them dry and you've got another awesome premade ATC background. 

   Like I said it's all about the mess you make. Usually the bigger and messier the more fun you are having and the better your crafts will look in the end. Usually. Don't quote me on this. Haha. Is all part of the creative chaos theory.
   

 


  

   Well isn't today a great day. Sunday! Back to work tomorrow Yay!....WTH am I talking about? Monday's are the worst even if I don't work. Haha! 

   It's a Z kind of night. Zines and Zentangles! Zines are fun little things. Little paper books. You make them using 1 piece of paper. Anything you'd like and you can pout anything in them. Though it's best to keep them nice and flat. That way they close up all nice and neat. 

.

   ^ The zine I made for my GROUP: Kawaii Minizine Swap #3 *SUMMER EDITION*
 swap. My first one ever! It was so much fun too. The template was pre-made by the wonderful hollycopter who hosted the swap. Then we got to fill it all out for our partners. We had to make 3. So, I made 1 and photocopied the other 2. However, for the sticker flake part and things to do this summer part I did them all separately. I think I might have even done the glitter outline on my name part separately as well.

   If you looked at the zone carefully you can see the slit in the middle. Along with the fold. That slit allows the paper to fold up into a mini booklet. Thus making it a zine. I've seen all kinds of themes for zines. They are another endless craft to do. No you don't have to be an artist either. There were no rules stating you have to hand draw anything. I just thought it would have been more fun to do so. That's why I did. You can use images, stamps, rub ons, and whatever else. Crafting is meant to have fun so have fun. If you are not having fun then you aren't doing that right kind of crafts!

   Zentangles are addicting and calming. I can do zentangles all day and get lost in them. For lack of better terms they are just lines, curves, dots, circles, and everything else in between. Yeah there are a lot of zentangles that have names and what not and are done a certain way but it doesn't mean you can only do them. Heck no. Tangle Patterns.com is a great site to check out to get the gist of everything. I've found some really great zentangles on there I really like.

 

   ^ Zentangles! These were made for my GROUP: Zentangle ATC swap I was in. We had to make 2 zentangle ATCs. Send 1 to both of our 2 partners.  2 partners 1 ATC each. These were fun. I'd have to say my favorite is the left one! I love both of those zentangles. Now they have fancy names to them and everything but I can't remember them. You check out that website I linked above and you'll find the name for both of them. 

   Like I said before though. Just because it isn't on that website don't think it doesn't count as a zentangle. Think of how most kids learn to draw grass. They draw lines across the paper right? Not everyone is the same length. Some are longer and some are shorter. Though there is a "pattern" of lines going across the bottom of the paper. Zentangle! Now as an adult you can make those lines straight up and down then you have a true zentangle. Also make every other one the same length and TA DA! Also who said they have to be straight up and down? You can make them wavy, zig zag, look like stairs, and anything else. You are still making a zentangle. 

   Easy, fun, addicting, and very relaxing. You will lost track of time doing them. So make sure you don't have anything important you need to do anytime soon without setting an alarm. Haha. Take it from experience. I know! 

   Dotee Dolls tomorrow! The onto the fun parts! Making the mess to create the work of art!
 

   Well sadly today I'm not starting my post off as happy as I thought I was going to...I was all excited and hyped up for the Anime Convention they have here every year around this time. Got already and headed out. Arrived and paid the new $3 admissions fee. Fine whatever. It's worth it. Get inside....disappointed. Talking about major let down.

   At first I was trying to be glass is half full not half empty type of person you know. "They moved stuff around." I told myself. Then I walked around. ALL around. Talking about crap! They have more Panels then anything! If I want to watch and talk Anime I'll jump on the Funimation Community forums and throw down there with like minded people. They had about half the amount of vendors they had last year. They didn't even have the nom nom vendors. No candy! Nowhere! WTH! 

   Of course I knew I would find nothing worth wild. I never do. No one ever have Vincent, Nanaki, or Fushigi Yugi stuff. NEVER! I did though happen to find a Fairy Tail Happy 2" pin for $2.50 not bad. That was my big haul for the day. One pin...oh goodie. 

   Though we decided to make up our convention disappointment up at the Hookah Bar! Now that was well worth  the day right there! Ahhh.....love that place! 

   Now onto the CRAFTING! 

   ^ Those are Twinchies. They are 2x2 pieces of art. 2 inchies x 2 inchies. I will have to say they were a lot easier to work with for the first time then the inchies. You get a little more room with them. These were made for my 3 Valentine Twinchies (USA) swap. They were fun and quick. I used paper flowers, Alphabet glitter stickers, Stickles, ribbon, some book pages, spray inks, a picture printed offline of a cherry blossom tree, Valentine's stickers, and some of the foam thingies you find in kids crafting areas. Like I said so much you can use to craft with in such a limited space.

   One of my more favorite fun crafts! ^ Altered Bottle Caps! These are made for my What can you make #20? swap. The group this swap was from is a group that uses other items to make something. Recycle and reuse kind of group you know. The object for #20 was bottle caps. I made some bottle cap magnets.

   Took some sharpie markers in different colors and colored the edge of the bottle cap. Found different things to put on my bottle caps. First though, I took a 1" hold punch and found backgrounds  that worked well with my objects and colors of the bottle cap and punched them out. Then I took my all time favorite adhesive! GLOSSY ACCENTS! Yes, you read that right. Glossy Accents. It makes the best glue ever! Put a little bit of that down and then put the 1"punch out on top. Ta da! You have a background. Then I took the glossy accents again and filled the bottle cap, stuck the object onto and now we wait. Wait, wait, wait, and wait some more. I usually let these dry over night. So I do them before going to bed so it doesn't seem like it's taken that long. Haha. By then next day they should be 100% dry. Then I took some flat magnets, added a bit of my Surebonder Clear 9001 High-Strength Adhesive glue. Now this stuff glues metal to metal and what not. So be CAREFUL! Imagine what could happen if you glue your finger to something...... Anywho, took a dab of that on the back and stuck the magnets on the back. Another night of waiting and WOOTS! Bottle Cap Magnets are good to go! 

   I also like to take those little metal hoop things people use for jewelry...hoop rings or something and punch a hole into the bottle cap somewhere with a nail and add charms to them that way. Makes for something even more fun. You can also do that and make charms for bracelets and necklaces. Lots of fun things to do with bottle caps besides count how many beers you've just drank. 

   Besides Zentangles, Zines, and Dotee Dolls I'm almost done talking about the crafts themselves. Then I can get into the fun part of some techniques I use for making something look a certain way. Oh and we can't forget about carving your stamps. Ugh, though that's tricky all on it's own. I've only done it a few times and it seems to take me forever to get a small one done. Haha. Though they are still really fun and help pass time quickly. Oh! Hand warmers! I love to make those too. It's about the only thing I know how to crochet. Haha. So seems I still have quiet a bit to talk about before I can go on and on about KAWAII! Sigh. Oh well. In all due time I guess.