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.