Ten Tie-Free Etsy Gifts for a San Diego Dad

One of the beefs I've always had about Father's day is that it is always centered around gifts for the professional dad. Back in elementary school we decorated ties, all the advertising is about golf, fancy briefcases and so on...
What if your dad doesn't even know how to tie a tie?
What if he thinks golf is for sissies?
What if he would use a fancy briefcase to store his sandy fishing supplies?

My dad is a mechanic, an ocean-lover and a native San Diegan.

And I'm sure there are plenty of people out there with a dad like mine, so I made my very own gift list with the things I would get MY dad.

Punny Fish Card


Fish + Puns? Gold! You don't know how many Halibut jokes my dad has cracked over the years...
$3.75 from paperanniversary

Introducing Mel C: My Vintage Peugeot Mixte Bicycle

I admit to being somewhat of an impulse shopper.
I've been working on controlling the urges, but when I saw this vintage bike on craigslist, I couldn't help myself.


At least this time my impulse shopping ended up with a form of transportation!

Galaxy Dresses: Fashion that's Out of this World!

Here one trend I am dying to DIY:

Clockwise from left to right: Leather Fern Necklace Natalie Brown, Turquoise Dip-Dyed Hair via Tumblr, Christopher Kane Dresses, Katy Perry for Opi nail polish, Irregular Choice suede pumps via heels.com, a hunk of turquoise, McQueen leggings, C. Kane tank top (net-a-porter), and Lime Crime Eyedust.

Outerspace!
Maybe my obsession stems from the fact that I have been on a huge Dr. Who kick recently, and as such, have constellations perpetually revolving around my subconscious...
But regardless, I think I just really want the privilege of wearing the universe on my bum (it's big enough!).
I love the look of printed stars and galaxies along with leather, velvet, and of course plenty of glitter. Yet at 200 bucks a pop (just for the tank top!), I don't think I'll get my hands on Christopher Kane's designer duds anytime soon.
After scouring the web, I found some awesome cheaper alternatives to satisfy that cosmic craving:

Blog Reborn!

Imagine my blog bursting through the surface of the sea, gasping for air and spewing salt water.
IT'S ALIVE!
Floating towards an island, clinging to some driftwood, my blog thinks of all the possibilities of the future, a life renewed, released from it's watery prison of neglect.
It launches itself upon the pristine sands of the island's shore and, rolling over to face the radiant sunlight, embraces it's second birth.

10 points for being overly dramatic

Well here it is! I've decided to start blogging again. I'm not sure why I stopped in the first place. Last time I posted, I had pink hair and was on wordpress. Now I have dark hair again (with blueish undertones!) and I have migrated to blogger. (All of my old posts are here too)

I hope to be blogging a lot more regularly because I have decided that:
1. I have too much clutter
2. That clutter is mostly crafting supplies
3. I must therefore use up all of those crafting supplies
4. And document the craftyness upon the interwebs.

I hope to open an etsy shop eventually too! (Sell things I make with my old crafting supplies to afford to indulge myself in new craft supplies. It's a cycle.)

Here's a sneek peek of the projects I'm working on:

My disastrous workspace

Pyrite, studs and feathers!

Extraneous Mexican Sweet Bread Photo

So onward, into blogging success I march! Join me, gentle reader, on a blogventure for the ages!
Huzzah!

<3 Sam

Katy Perry + OPI = Love (and diabetes?)

I love Katy Perry.

I mean, her music is catchy and fun and everything, but the REAL reason I love Katy Perry?

Let the following images demonstrate:

Tentacles on my Living Room Walls?

I. Must. Have. This.

I came across this amazing piece of embroidery by jemimah over at Craftster.org while looking through the Hoopla Swap for inspiration. I have had 3 empty embroidery hoops hanging on my wall for like 13 months now, with no idea what to do with them. Nooooot annnyyy moooore!

I have no idea how I'll attempt to make my own version of this yet, but I'm excited for the challenge...

I can haz business casual?

So this is my random attempt at doing "business casual".


Backstory: After many hours staring off into oblivion, contemplating the "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIIIIIFFEEE??" question, I decided that I needed to start looking into big-girl jobs for after I graduate (I have 1 year left at my university).

Oh, What providence!

So I was walkin' to the farmer's market with a buddy, mindin' my own business..

When out of nowhere I stop dead in my tracks. *SCREECH*
Sitting on the sidewalk is a gorgeous antique bedframe. "Is it free? Is it free?" I pester my buddy, as if he had otherworldy knowledge  that I did not. Sure enough the makeshift sign taped to the palm tree said FREE!

What providence! I recently got a new roommate and downsized from a queen mattress (that was acres to big for me) to a nice and comfy twin. Yet I had no bed frame. I had been sleeping with my mattress on the floor because I absolutely refuse to spend even forty dollars on a cheap-o ikea bed frame. I knew someone, somewhere had to have one they didn't need, but I assumed it would be someone in my family or friends, and that it would just be a very simple standard one. Who knew that right around the corner, adorable bed frame destiny awaited me!

It is a gold color and super sturdy, regardless of it being pretty old-looking.

Tutorial! Your Friendly Neighborhood Skully Necklace...

July is birthday month in my family.

My Grandma, Dad, Cousin, both my sisters and I are allllll born this month.
And just to spice things up, my parents unconsciously decided to have my sisters and I all within a day of each other.

So what better way to get out of a mid-summer craft funk than with lots of impending birthday parties? (No better way obviously.)

My littlest sister is super-cool and original, (in those early teen years, that's a feat!) has gauged ears (ALREADY!) and wants to be a tattoo artist (a profession my mother actually endorses).

All in all, she's a pretty hep cat.

So I decided to make something that would fit her personality.



A friendly family of felt skulls she can wear around her neck!!

This is a super easy project and the technique could be used to make a felt necklace out of any design IN THE WORLD you can draw, photocopy or find clip art of! ANYTHING!!!!

(Ok now, don't get too excited)

DIY Lazy Susan with Woodburned Fish Design for Father's Day

For Father's Day, I made my daddy a custom "lazy suzan" turntable thingy!

I picked up a really old and faded Ikea-brand lazy susan at the thrift store, drew a fishy design on it (my daddy is quite the fisherman) and set to it with my trusty woodburning tool.

*segue* Have I told you about my trusty woodburning tool? It looks like this and not only does it let me burn designs into wood, but I can solder things and melt plastic and.... MWUAHAHAHAA. I love it and have to sit on my hands to avoid the urge to burn holes in things with it.

Anyway, after carving my fishy design into it:



*Cute dead fishies!*

Pllaannttttss!!!!! And Mini Tutorial.

Wheehoowwheehooowheeehooooo.

(That there was the sound of me hyperventilating)

Macaron Madness

Light Me Up, Up, and Away.

Yesterday I posted about Lucia Holm's photography and made the remark that I wanted an illuminated umbrella like the one in this picture.

Try as I might to restrain the yearning, I am intrigued by the idea.
But Sam, I tell myself, not only does San Diego get less than 12 inches of rain a year, but we are in a DROUGHT! You couldn't even justify getting yourself some wellies during the week that it DID rain!
Well self, just shuddup.

Sockmaster from Instructables has a great tutorial for an LED umbrella.

Teddy Girl Takeover

When you have as short an attention span as I do, and as great an affinity for random knowledge, you spend a lot of time on Wikipedia. You know, you go looking for one thing, then you see an interesting link to another article, and again... and before you know it you've gone from space shuttles to prickly pear cactus. Btw... if you've never played the Wikipedia game, now is the time to start.

Anyway, I was on a tangent and somehow ended up reading a list of subcultures. One of which I was not familiar was the Teddy Girls.

These girls were the bad-a**es of 1950's london. Mostly from working-class families, they put a feisty androgynous spin on Edwardian fashion.

Obsessed.

I resisted the Lady Gaga phenomenon so well.
I really did.
I considered her just a kooky pop singer with a few interesting costuming tricks up her sleeve. I contently went about my way, minding my own business, while friends and family rabidly chanted her lyrics while fashioning their hair into intricate bow shapes.
I was Gaga indifferent, I suppose you might say. I was neither a lover nor a hater, a rarity in the world of Gaga, because her lovers REALLY love her, and her haters REALLY hate her.

That was then.

I had the incredible misfortune to be shown the video for "Telephone" at work last week, and it has changed my life.

Okay, maybe I can be a bit overdramatic at times.
But if you haven't already, go take a look at the plethora of great (and often crazy) outfits, awesome makeup, all with a delicious neo-retro feel. (Warning: Video contains lots of semi-nudity, chick-fights, sandwich-making, breakfast poisonings and unbleeped words, if that is not your kind of thing. It is also dang catchy, and I am not responsible for any earworms you may catch.)

There is just so much great material to talk about, I can't do it all.
Here's one of my favorite Lady Gaga looks:



But aside from her (approximately) 10 different outfits I could describe, the one that really changed my life... *dramatic swoon*
was on Beyonce:

SWEET FREEDOM!

I had my last final today...

SPRING BREAK!

woohoo!

Thiiis time around I am going to make the best of it.
LOTTSA crafting.
aaand..
I'm going to LA for the first time ever!
Can you believe that I live in San Diego and have never been to L.A.?
I really, really don't get out much.
I'm going on Monday with one of my oldest and most fabulous friend.
Our destination is the garment district and all the goodies it will behold.
I am going to try to load up on some fabric so I can get my sewin' on!

BY THE WAY...

I had entered a contest on Instructables.com a while back with my ruffle scarf tutorial (which is the first post I ever did on this blog). Grand prize is this great serger/embroidering/everything machine and 1st prize is a dress form.

Well... I am a finalist! Go read my instructable here.



The contest is in the judging stage now, and the results will be in Monday.
Now, take a moment to imagine me standing in the middle of the L.A. garment district, and finding out that I won a serger or dress form.
What fate!
What providence!
What a great excuse to spend monies on fabric!

Regardless, I am happy just to be a finalist, and either way I am really starting to up my sewing anty.  If I don't have the good luck of winning a serger, I am going to start trying to save up money to get one myself.
I just have this huge itch to sew knit fabrics.
My own hoodies and rib-knit tank tops (my favvvvorite) and and and....
**droooool**

Anyway, I feel like I am going to be on a posting roll for at least the next week. I'm going to hammer out pictures of all those projects I've done but haven't mentioned (you mean you didn't know?) and all those tutorials I have backed up, as well as some great pictures from L.A. on Monday coming up!
Yay!

DIY Spoke Lights!

I made some great spoke lights for my bicycle today.
I almost can't wait go go ride in the dark to try them out.
Saftey+pretty things =  AWESOME!

I have finals next week and the spring break! YAY!

I am thinking about revamping my blog layout and also doing a video tutorial for these lights.
OMGVIDEO.

I'm a little giddy. When I am stressed I craft out.

Craft-out (verb)-
A psychological response to stressful situations in which one finds comfort in glueing/crocheting/sewing/soldering things together as a mechanism to deal with pressure.

You learned a new word today.
Congratulations!

New Favorite Person.

Dear Zooey Deschanel,

I see you prancing around in vintage bathing suits.

Stop making me love you.

This post is the fruit of my directionless internet browsing.

Case Study in Cute

Sometimes I come across something that just makes me go... YES!!!

Case Study #1:

Super Thriftingbowl Sunday!

You can have your football, I'll take my pre-loved clothing stores.

Today I visited a thrift store chock full of goodies in search of my Epic Valentine's Day outfit.

Yet I bought more than I expected (though I should always expect that to happen).

Here is a sampling of what I obtained:

I was running out of daylight so there is more I have yet to photograph including some purple flats, white and gold wedges and something that will make you go "MIDDLE SCHOOL!" all over again. They were super trendy back then and seeing a whole box of them just brought back all kinds of memories. What could it be? I'll post them up tomorrow. :)

Sooo...

VALENTINE'S DAY!

I swear I am becoming a housewife before my time, because every little holiday makes me really excited and ready to break out the cookies and Jello molds.