Posts Tagged ‘crafts’

A shelter for Smokey

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Panda’s been wanting to create a little hideaway shelter for Smokey to use whenever she wants to get away from light and noise. She likes to go sit in our closets sometimes when the outside stuff gets to be too much. We decided to cut a hole into a cardboard box we have that she can crawl into. We put shredded packing paper on the bottom to make it more enticing and hopefully she’ll like it!

plated cardboard box with circle marked for cutting

We used an old box and traced a circle where we’d cut a hole.

cat sitting in cardboard box with white tissue paper padding

Smokey waited nearby in one of her many other boxes.

cat sitting watching cardboard box being cut

As the cutting began, she moved closer for a better view.

circular hole cut into side of cardboard box and cat staring at it

All done! Time to set it up.

cat sitting by card board box cat shelter

She was hesitant to try it out.

cat paw and tail hanging out of hole in cardboard box cat shelter

We eventually convinced her to go in for a whirl.

cat squeezing out of hole in cardboard box shelter

But then she came right out. I guess we’ll see if she takes to it.

365great Day 73: foldover elastic

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 73: foldover elasticAwhile ago I decided I wanted to make my own hair ties in the Twistband style since I didn’t want to pay those outrageous prices. For the longest time, I couldn’t seem to find the right product to make them with! I knew they were stretchy and shiny and pretty elastic bands, but none of my searches were yielding the results I wanted. Then I finally came across the term “foldover elastic” and it opened up doors for me. I was able to track down a ton of sellers and buy a couple of rolls in a variety of colors. I’ve since experimented with different ways of tying and cutting, which has been fun. And for the price of one Twistband, I was able to make like a dozen of them. These little suckers are great and I’ve enjoyed using them as hair ties as well as “fashion” bracelets.

365great Day 54: markets

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 54: marketsOutdoor markets, whether farmer’s markets or craft fairs, are always cool to browse! It’s really amazing to wander around from stall to stall, exploring all that people are capable of making and/or growing. Maybe you’ll stumble across some awesome handmade jewelry or homemade jam! There are artisans of all types here and the congregation of them all is truly a sight to see. What a fantastic way to showcase everything that our fellow humans can accomplish with skill using their hands, some tools, and hard work. Perhaps it can even inspire you to plant or craft something of your own. I know I’m always envious of their abilities and it makes me want to work with my hands more. Markets bring together an often eclectic group of tradespeople and it’s beautiful what you’ll find there. It’s all pretty great!

365great Day 23: handmade

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 23: handmadeThere’s something very rewarding about creating something yourself. I always wished I was more crafty and even joined a cross-stitch club in middle school to try to gain some skill. The only other things I’m good at are origami and paper cutting, so when I thought of what I could make, one of the first things I tried was origami earrings. You can see more designs over at Panda Loves! I had a lot of fun with these and I wish I was more skilled with making higher end stuff like Stone Rush Jewelry. Still, it’s really fulfilling to be able to create something.

I admire all those sellers on Etsy making really cool stuff. Whether it’s soap and candles or jewelry and accessories, I love anything handmade. Usually it’s super cute and the personal touch is something you just can’t get from mass-produced items. Craft fairs are a great place to find these kinds of things and I love supporting local artists & artisans! I’m totally envious of their abilities. I wish my creations involved a bit more hands-on activity beyond typing or wielding a pen. If you make your own crafts, I’d love to learn more – please do share. 🙂 The rich stories and hard work behind handmade items are what makes them great.

Origami Etsy

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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A couple of weeks ago, I decided I was going to try selling some things on Etsy. I’d wanted to do this ever since I discovered the site, but didn’t know what I could make. Well, I’ve decided to put my origami skills to use and make some jewelry! After much planning and material-searching, I was finally able to make my first products. 🙂 Soon I’ll be setting up shop and hopefully getting some sales. Better pictures to come!

two pairs of star-shaped origami earrings made with red, white, cream, blue, green, brown, and gold japanese design

The simpler ones were my first pair, and then I got a bit creative with the second, adding spirals into the metal.

close-up picture of simple origami star earrings

Getting ready for an Etsy listing!

Possible themes?

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: ,
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I lay around all night, thinking about what kind of perspective my blog can offer the world.  Through hours of research in the past couple of days, I am slowly beginning to come up with an identity for myself.  At first, I thought about writing career related stuff, especially for college students and fresh college grads.  Then, I also wanted to incorporate a feminist point of view (and for me, that just means exploring how I view things being a female).  After that I started thinking about my interest in marketing and entrepreneurism and perhaps providing tips in those areas, as I learn them.  From there, I explored how my perspective is different as an Asian American and that is what I’m currently reading about.  So, in an effort to merge all these interests, I could create a “female Asian American’s thoughts and experiences in the professional world” type blog.

Of course, I also have a myriad of interests outside of those areas, so I really am struggling to try to keep a certain focus.  I adore traveling and immersing myself into other worlds, but I haven’t done that in a year, though I am about to leave for Singapore.  I love cats (and pretty much all animals), but my last one just died on Christmas.  I have an obsession for the military, especially the Marine Corps, but I don’t really get to interact with them anymore.  I am also fascinated with relationships and reading about all aspects of that kind of advice.  I find arts and crafts to be really cool, though I haven’t really had time to create anything lately (the last thing was my cross stitch).  I am a huge fan of food and I even take pictures of any and every meal that is vaguely interesting or tasty-looking.  Speaking of, I also take LOADS of pictures to document my life and those around me.

I think in the end I am just hoping that because everything I write about will be from my thoughts, there will be a theme or two that emerge from the way I write and what I choose to write about.  Am I just trying too hard to find it right now?

Cross Stitch Project

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: ,
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I have finally managed to finish a cross stitch that I began working on back in high school.  So, 5 or 6 years later, it’s finally completed.


Here’s to good fortune in the New Year.  🙂

Now I just need to find a frame for it so I can preserve it forever.  I opened up the next one to start on, but after looking through it… got a little overwhelmed.  It’s going to take another couple of years before I finish that one, most likely.  Since I’m feeling good about getting this one done, I don’t want to begin another to leave for a few years.  That would downplay the accomplishment of this one, so I think I’ll move on to some other thing before I return to cross-stitching again.  Uh oh, I just noticed a mistake I made that I’m going to need to fix… dang it.

[edit]  Ok, all fixed!

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