Crafting in Wonderland:ThreadBanger update

A few days ago I blogged about Thread Banger and some of their projects I wanted to try out.  I still haven't gotten around to buying resin, so I haven't made any resin jewelry yet.  I didn't get around to the recycled plastic bottle beads either . . . until today!    :)

I noticed that Jessica over at Zakka Life made the recycled bottle beads.  They turned out absolutely wonderful.  She used washi paper to decorate her plastic strips instead of just coloring them in with markers.  The paper gave them a classier look.  They are truly beautiful and environmentally friendly!  Check them out.

So I finally got motivated to make some beads of my own.  I followed Jessica's lead and tried to use paper to decorate my beads, but the ones I used paper for didn't turn out so well.  This is probably due to the fact that I don't have a heat gun and was unable to find my hair dryer - I never use it, the power bill is high enough.  So instead I had to use a candle.  The ones I sharpied up didn't turn out too bad though.  Maybe next time I'll go the boiled water method.  So here they are.  Only four turned out decent enough for me to post. lol.  :P

Want to make some recycled bottle beads of your own?  

Check out the tutorial on Thread Banger!

Cast of Wonderland: Nella, my "sister"

Okay so we didn't share a womb, but we did grow up together. Nella and I met in the 8th grade and despite going to two different high schools we kept in touch. Neither of us have an actual blood sister. We are definitely permanent fixtures in each other's families and lives, though.

She is amazingly creative and super smart. With each semester she is getting closer to completing a bachelor's degree in Human resources, a path she choose because she wants to help the working class man and women. She is a painter and creator, as well as a doodler extraordinaire. She is one of the oldest people I know who still uses crayons for fine art. Isn't she awesome? Yup and she's mine!!! *insert maniacal laugh here.*

But seriously if you want to learn more about her, check out her brand spanking new blog: Nellapathic! She is an awesome writer and even occasionally witty. lol.

Life in Wonderland: pick me upper

I'm having one of those bleh days. I have a lot going through my head, nothing crazy though. :P So that's why I'm blogging in color. Thought it might brighten things up. So instead of just whining I'm going to stick to positive things.

Allan and I are renters. We don't own a home and are faaaaar from ready to buy a home. Also, we don't like the idea of having a mortgage - we are not fans of banks. One thing that does sound somewhat plausible is container homes. If we go this route we can save on our own and invest in one container at a time. My family owns some land, so we have a place to put the containers and a place to eventually set up our home. We've come up with some layout ideas already. The tough part is always going to be saving. The way the economy is right now, it is sooooo hard to save any money, but we have to try. Eventually I'd like to get an extra container to open a little shop in and also start an organic garden. Maybe even open a nursery for exotic, organically grown flowers and plants. :p The best parts? No rent and Viva would have a yard of her own! Merlot might even venture outside. lol.

No matter how bad things may seem there is always something to look forward too.



Care to learn more about alternative housing? Check out these links!

Container City - creates affordable housing for urban enviroments. They should do this in Japan, where space is a serious issue.

Containerhomes.net - info and products

Alternative Housing - a blog that focuses on unconventional homes, including tree houses!

Anxious in Wonderland: Tsarion, Aliens, and 2012

Yesterday while I was cleaning my art room Allan spent 3 hours watching a Tsarion lecture. I kept catching parts of it while I was cleaning and every once in a while I'd take a break and sit down and watch with Allan. From what I gathered Tsarion believes that some time in history we were more advanced thinkers (Atlantians?), but something caused us trauma and instead of thinking with the self part of our minds we went into autopilot or ego thinking. It's known that we only use a small percentage of our brains, so maybe he's right. He also believes that we're coming close to the end of a cycle. You may have already heard theories about 2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar. Supposedly the calendar ends in 2012 and that might suggest that something happens at that time. We've been looking it up and there are a bunch of theories out there, but most are basically saying that the poles will undergo a major shift in 2012. What exactly does that mean? I don't know. There aren't many science based articles or info on it online, that I've been able to find so far.

This all sounds pretty freaky, but maybe we need something freaky to occur in order for us to realize we humans need to make some changes. We need to be better to each other, the other species, and of course our home, Earth. What if this isn't our planet? What if we are just leasing it? I'm just hoping that whatever happens in 2012, it will be for the betterment of humanity and our enviroment.

Along those same lines, we watched "The Day The Earth Stood Still" last night. It was a pretty good movie. I suggest you watch it.

Disturbed in Wonderland: Police Brutality

Sometimes life is a rollercoaster.  One day you can be feeling optimistic about the way things are turning out and the next you're disappointed or disturbed.  Yesterday I was at work being busy, but pretty happy going through the routine and thinking about what I would do that night.  Then I had a little down time and decided to scan through Yahoo news.  A few articles caught my eye bringing me up a few notches or down a couple, but then I read about the riots in Oakland and the New Year's day shooting of a 22 year old man, Oscar Grant.    I watched the videos on You Tube and couldn't believe it.  But why not?  It happened in Greece not to long ago and it happened here on Guam last year too.  Every time something like this happens I'm in disbelief.  Some people are saying it was a high stress situation.  Are we not training cops to handle high stress situations?  When a family is homeless and starving and a man gets caught stealing to feed his family, can we not say he was in a high stress situation?  No.  He goes to jail.  The cop who is supposedly trained and given instruments that are meant for defense is being investigated after ending someone's life.  He is on leave.  I'm not an expert, but the shooting was recorded from different angles, and from every angle that man was on his stomach, arms behind his back, and shot by a police officer.  What am I missing?

Whether Oscar Grant had a criminal record or not does not matter.  Police officers are not supposed to be judge, jury, and executioner.  I noticed some comments on You Tube about how he was a criminal and why should we care.  Oscar Grant was only 22 years old.  If he hadn't died that day maybe he would have gone on to become a carreer criminal, but who is to say he wouldn't have become a father, a little league coach, a teacher, or a doctor.  We will never know will we?

Life in Wonderland: Chess and Chocolate

Last night I worked on some projects and spent a little time cleaning up our apartment. Allan was hanging out watching some pretty boring stuff on You Tube. When I finally got bored of doing all the stuff I was doing I decided to harass him in to doing something with me. There wasn't much to do so he suggested we play chess. I never really had the patience to learn how to play so he offered to teach me.

So while he set up the area and chess board I made some hot chocolate for us. For christmas, my brother and SIL got us 3 different tins of hot Cocoa and the absolute cutest little mug and saucer set *I'll post pics of it asap*. We decided on the chocolate royale tin. It was really good.

It's a lot easier to understand chess when you're older, I think. I didn't win, but I put up a fight. I managed to take out his bishop without him realizing. :P But while I was off in my own world his rook took my queen and shortly after that my King died of a broken heart. lol.

All in all, considering I started on my craft swap, tidied up a bit, and spent some quality time with Allan, last night was nice. :)

*Oh and the chess set pictured is not ours! That is a chess set featured on Gem Stone King. It has 9900 black and white diamonds, so yeah definately not ours. I wonder if could make a replica in Swarovski crystals. Still be more than I can afford probably. :P

Crafting in Wonderland: ThreadBanger

I'm looking to broaden my crafting knowledge and talents so I've decided to really take some time to collect tutorials and inspiration.  Today I'm concentrating on ThreadBanger!

Allan and I collect our plastic botttles for recycling and they're starting to pile up.  We haven't had the chance to drop them off to the recycling center and I'm kind of glad because I found this tutorial on how to make plastic beads from plastic bottles.  Hmmm...  I think I'm going to try this one out today.  I'll just be sure to do it outside.  The fumes from melting plastic might not be so great in our little apartment.  I'll be sure to post some pics if it turns out well enough.

I also found this awesome episode of ThreadBanger featuring Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club.  In this episode she teaches you how to make resin jewelry.  I've been wanting to try this too.  I just need to find a place that sells resin and the catalyst.  Ugh.  Guam seriously need a really good arts and crafts supply store.  There are so many awesome ideas for resin jewelry floating around in my brain right now.

:)  I'm off to search for more tutorials and hopefully get some swap crafting done!

Wondering in Wonderland: Paint it Green

I'm really trying to live greener.  Both Allan and I have been discussing ways to have a more sustainable lifestyle.  We want to waste less.  It has about as much to do with saving money as it does with saving the earth, to be honest.  We're both fans of the Venus Project and the Zeitgeist Movement.  It's really hard to keep to it though.

I'd like to buy clothes made from organic and sustainable materials but they're really hard to find locally and even on the internet, clothes of this nature are often expensive.  It seems like we are forced to chose between being green or being practical moneywise, alot of the time.  Like today Allan got a new skateboard and we decided to spend more money and buy locally.   We could've saved money and just ordered one online, but then he'd have to wait weeks for it to be shipped and shipping in general isn't very eco friendly.  Getting back to sustainable materials, if they're so sustainable why do they cost so much?  Okay, I understand that at this point it costs more to make because they're producing on a smaller scale, but it still frustrates me.  I'd love to support companies that are taking that step to be more enviromentally friendly, but I can't afford to.  :(  Being eco friendly isn't always budget friendly.

I guess I'll stick to recycling and reusing at home as much as I can for now.  ;)

* Jan. 10, '09 - I recently realized that by buying Allan's skateboard locally we were not being eco-friendly when it comes to shipping.  The skateboard was not made here.  It still had to be shipped. lol.  We did however spend money locally.  Which is usually a positive.

Shopping in Wonderland: The Green Glass Company

I was roaming the web when I found this awesome company that sells glassware made from recycled and rejected bottles.  I know this isn't a new thing or anything, but it's the first time I've seen a company mass producing these.   The Green Glass Company sells sets like the ones above for $32.50.  That's not exactly in my budget, but it's still worth blogging about.  They also do custom etching!  

Allan and I have been wanting to upcycle our old bottles for a while.  We have a lot of bottles just lying around collecting dust, if you've been to our place you know what I mean.  This year I'd like to eventually get a bottle cutting kit.  But where on Guam am I going to find one???  hmmm....

Crafting in Wonderland: A little stressed

Okay so I have all these awesome ideas for things to make my swap partner, but very few supplies to work with at the moment.  I have a room full of crafting goodness just most of it doesn't meet the girly quota for the swap.  Most of the delightful pinkness in our home is reserved for Viva and Merlot.  I'm going to have to get extra creative with this if I don't want to spend an arm and a leg.  Thank you Nella for the coffin full of girly buttons.  ;P

*I just had to pull what was left of a giant candy cane rawhide out of Viva's mouth before she swallowed it whole*

Anyways I'm off to see if I can find some inspiration on the internet.

Celebrate in Wonderland: pictures from our home made present party!

From Tess!  They have the same birthday!

Viva in the dress I reconed.  Merlot has a matching one.  :P

Santa Drea's head elf, Viva!

Our black tree!  ;)

My tiger eye earrings made by Michele!

The magnetic Tes Puzzle.  Vector by Zhan!

Tes with her Voodoo doll bag!

Swapping gifts!

With the shirt designer AND painter!

Rubix Master!

Ribbons!

She likes her bag!

What's inside . . . NOTHING!

Nel's laundry line.

Thanks Colleen.

I told you she had a matching dress!

I made her a passport sleeve.

Happy Birthday, Love!

Nella's awesome wrapping.

There's a zebra in my mug!

Colleen's gift jars.

She looks so cute.  Allan picked out the fabric.

Nel MADE the coffin box!

I love BUTTONS!

Bags by Drea & Coasters by Michele

All in all, it was an awesome night!  I think we were all stoked on our home made and heart felt loot.  Can't wait for next year!!!

Plagued in Wonderland: I'm sick!

It's been so long since I've had a cold. Yesterday I felt one coming on, but thought It would just be mild sniffles. I'm now at work with intense sniffles, mild body aches, and I'm sneezing every 5 minutes. I'm drinking so much 7-up and O.J. I have to pee once atleast every other hour. AAAaaagh! Allan brought me some chicken noodle soup for lunch and O.J. refills. Sweetest guy ever! :P

On a positive note, I've been brainstorming ideas for my swap projects. Hopefully by Sunday I'll have definite plans for which projects to follow through with. Hey if I can find the time and supplies maybe I'll do it all. I wish. I got a couple craft/sewing magazines to help the process along, too.

Nella, my sister, is sick too. We're hoping we'll be well enough to go to the beach on Wednesday though. Wish us luck!

Hope everyone is having an awesome New Year so far.

Celebrating in Wonderland: Update

Yesterday was Allan's Birthday and New Year's Eve. It started out great. We slept in and enjoyed the rest of the day together. I got my swap partner for my Craftster swap. I'm so excited about that. We went and got lunch at the mall and ate with my dad. Then we went to pick up my mom's bamboo plant, a Japanese New Year's tradition, and went to Al's parent's house. We hung out with the kids for a while then Allan's mom came home. Allan's parents got him a glass chess set and Allan's older brother and SIL got him some GCs for the book store and the movie theatre. We're both excited about that. :P

Then we got home. All day I wasn't feeling like going out. I'm not big on New Year's Eve. Which is cool because for me New Year's Eve becomes more about Allan's birthday. I had the hardest time deciding what to wear and literally changed atleast 5 times. Finally I had a break down and asked Allan if he'd mind if I stayed home. He left and I had several other breakdowns. I called my friend to let her know I was staying home. I didn't want anyone to worry or think Allan and I were fighting. She sounded upset. I called her back to tell her I'd go if she wanted me to. I ended up staying and feeling even more crappy. Viva and Merlot kept me company though. We watched Princess Bride. :) and I sat on the carpet playing with Viva while petting Merlot. They were both feeling needy. I guess the holidays finally got to me. I needed down time for myself maybe. The night before we had our gift exchange party and I think it was the best yet. Home made gifts are soooo special. --- but that's a whole other post I'll get to when I have pictures.

Allan called at around 11:20. I was almost sleeping and not so friendly. He got home about 10 minutes till midnight. I got my New Year's kiss! He turned my bleh night into one of the best year starter's ever. He said he knew he had to give me some time to myself, but was planning on coming home to kiss me. Then he played Auld Lang Syne on his harmonica for me. Earlier that day I told him it was my favorite holiday song. On his way to the party he learned to play it. He's amazing. So we spent the rest of the evening together with our crazy girls talking, laughing, and trying to figure out why I've been so off. I don't know if it's that time of the month or just that time of the year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!