Happy Panda Mother's Day!

Happy Mothers Day!! Thank you mom for teaching me to crochet, knit, sew, and craft. And for letting me buy all the things and tools that go with them! hehe 

Happy 1st Mother's Day to all the new moms....Nirali and Winnie. :)

I hope all your Mother's Days are going awesome. My mom wanted to go see a movie, Oblivion. Then I bought her some cacti for her garden. And finished with a cake from 85c and McDonalds. It's really hot here and my mom didn't want to wait at a restaurant so she wanted McD's. hehe Whatever the woman wants, she gets...today at least. hehe

Happy Mother's Day!

Spring Package for my friend, Bunny

You guys saw the great package from my friend, Rachel from AL, aka The Wandering Bunny. Well, here is a little hint as to what I sent her. :p

Click HERE to see what was inside the egg. :p

I also sent a little something to our friend, Kristina. Don't you just love this little bunny note? Want to fold one yourself? Of course you do. hehe Click HERE to see the video tutorial on how to fold one yourself. :)

That's not even half of the goodies in her package. Are you curious? hehe Yes, yes you are. So go hop on over to her blog to check out all the goodies she got!

I will be posting more details of some of the handmade goodies I sent so stay tuned! :)
Have a great weekend!

Paper Bunnies

Hi Ya'll!!!

Easter is around the corner...ahh!! hehe Yes, I am behind but my friends are very patient with me. :)

Here are some Free Origami Bunnies / Rabbits to decorate with. :)

Origami Spirit has a good video (link) to show you how to fold this bunny. I suggest you watch it all the way through first so that you sort of know what is coming next. She goes pretty fast but there's always the pause and rewind buttons. :)

I've made a bunch, filled them with kisses and will donate them to a bake sale to help raise funds for charity. My friends are going down to El Salvador to help build homes and pass out items to the poor.

Here's another Free Paper Bunny Goodie Bag Tutorial (Link). You start with a paper bag and just cut out the ears using the template provided. It's pretty quick and simple. :)

The Sunday Baker shows you how to fold this cute origami paper napkin for your Easter table (link). I think it has so much character! :) It would be really cute in different colors too. :) I can see them now, hopping down the middle of my table. :)

And lastly, here is the Free tutorial on how to fold this classic bunny. You can fold it with paper or fabric napkins. Link 1 has picture tutorial and Link 2, from Chinet, has a video tutorial.

Chinet has other napkin folding tutorials for you to check out and add to your dinning table. :)

I hope your Easter preparation is going well.. :)

Bluango Bracelet, First Beading of the New Year

This is the first beading I’ve done in the new year.

Blue and gold is a classic color combination. But this dark blue and shinny gold combination in this bracelet just evokes Cleopatra to me. hehe I think it’s a beautiful contrast.

I decided to leave the back unadorned so that you would have 2 styles in one. If you are wearing a more casual outfit, you could wear the back. If you are wearing a something more dressy, you could wear it front side out. :) 2 bracelets in one! 

Created Jan 24, 2013 (2hrs of Labor) while watching Bones (I hate Pelant) and NCIS.

Design inspired by a bracelet made by NiteDreamerDsgn (funny enough, her name is Mandy). I’ve made the base numerous times for different bracelets but I loved the overlay look so I added it this time. 

Stitch: Right Angle Weave (RAW)

Materials: Nylon thread, 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones in Dark Sapphire, 6mm Swarovski Pearls in Night Blue, Size 11 gold seed beads, Size 11 silver lined gold seed beads.

I packaged it in the fun origami envelope. You can make one too, just followTHIS video tutorial from Rosemarie995. :)

Goodies from Bunny

I got a very lovely package for Valentines from my bestie, Rachel. I squealed with joy after seeing all the lovely goodies! :) 

I love the Panda amigurumis!!! If you want to read about the two pandas, please click Here for the little one and Here for the big one. :) I think they will be very happy with their new panda family. :)

I also got chocolate covered fortune cookies which my mom promptly stole one. :) An earring kit, which I can't wait to try. :) Stamps and assorted lovely paper pads. :) I got the Beautiful Creatures book and a Year of the Snake Starbucks card! Yea!

I squealed in delight when I saw these!!! I think she heard it in Alabama. hehe I cannot find them here, which I lamented to her over and over again. To my surprise she sent me such a variety!!! :)

Isn't this puppy eyed Panda so adorable?! I love the panda sticker as well!!! Thank you!!!

I forgot to take a picture of the cute amigurumi kitty she had made for my mom. Please click Here to see the kitty and Here to read about where all these goodies came from! :)

Year of the Snake Amigurumi and Crafts

Here are some cute amigurumi and crafts to help celebrate the Year of the Snake! :)

Stephanie from All About Ami, has come up with another adorable amigurumi for the New Year. I can't wait to make this cute snake. And you can too! Her FREE pattern can be found here. She has also posted about her design process so you can see a little behind the scenes action. (the link is on the post) It's so cool to see how this little snake was born. :)

Little Muggles has also come out with a very cute snake pattern for the New Year. The FREE pattern can be found here. I hope you will check out her other kawaii amigurumis. :)
 
And Tokidoki has made a very cute red envelope Snake pattern for your parents to give you money in. :) Or your friends to give you gifts in. hehe You can download it for FREE, here.

 

This is not my usual cup of tea in terms of crafts but it's so cute! This easy paper snake tutorial can be found here.

Happy Chinese Near Years! And welcome the Year of the Snake! :)

Goodies from Taiwan

My mom just came back and picked up some goodies for me. :)

This gummy candy is so cute! It was wrapped like a present. When you open it up, it actually has a little box! hehe It is pretty yummy too.

It kinda looks like baby corn on a stick. This is gummy candy too.

The bank sold out of coins quick but my mom found this cool one for the year of the dragon. :)

Bento supplies!!! This cute cinnamoroll bento box has two layers to it. Look at this cute smiling Panda Bento box! Adorable! She even got me a utensil set with chopsticks, fork, and spoon. :)

I know, socks? O.o These are suppose to be for good luck. You wear a pair each day for 7 days in a row. I haven't started yet but I will soon. :)

Nylon string in lots of different sizes and some stretchy cord too! Yea! I doubt I will ever run out, but I am running out of my fireline. :p

My mom saw these beautiful papers and had to get some for me. They are too pretty to use. Maybe I will frame them and make them art or something. They are more like regular paper than card stock in thickness.

Findings Galore! She said she spent like $100. This is not the shop I usually go to but it's great! There are some close up pics below.

The store's business card, cute!

Please help. I don't know what to do with these. Am I suppose to bend them? Are they like picks or something? If you have any idea what these are supposed to be used for especially, please comment below. Thanks. :)

Shopping for and receiving beading or crafting supplies are always so much fun! hehe 

Surprise Xmas Gifts

Here are some last minute Xmas gifts that I just got. :P

Glee made this for me!!! Isn't it adorable! :) It was hidden in her husband's book bag because he hadn't unpacked yet. He still isn't unpacked. :P It looks so difficult but she says the yarn does all the work and it's really easy. :) It is wonderful!! Thanks!

Glee and RC's wedding favors. Her mom made these out of paper and ribbon!! Can you believe it? Incredible!!! :)

My Xmas card from her. It is so beautiful; so Thailand. :)

A couple of late gifts from my friend, Rachel. Aren't they wonderful!! Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales and  Hans Christian Anderson Complete Fairy Tales for my library so I can reference the stories while watching "Once Upon a Time". hehe Thanks Bunny!!

I need to get beading and sending out my own late gifts. :P

Hope you guys are having a great year so far!

Very Very Last Min Gift and wrapping, + an experiement

So, a very down to the wire, simple yet elegant Christmas present for my Aunt. I literally finished it with 10 min to put on a little makeup before we left to meet up with her and her friends for Dim Sum.

Silver Bells Bracelet

In the center is a cute cluster of jingle bells. She wore it during the meal so I am glad to say, it doesn't constantly jingle and drive you crazy. You only hear it during big or sharp hand gestures. I strung an interesting combination of Swarovski crystals in different finishes (Matt vs AB) and sizes (3mm, 4mm, 6mm). I added a few silver ball beads to add a little more sparkle and so I could use my crimp bead covers at the back and to tie in the silver bells. The pattern is a simple cluster of A-B-A. I think to make something so simple, interesting especially since it is monochromatic, is to vary the finishes and sizes. It's just like interior decorating, you want to vary texture. I finished it by adding an 1 inch extender chain and a few more crystals at the end of that.

My mom really liked it so she made me teach her how to make it. I gave her the beads in the order of the pattern and she strung it on. I tried to show her how to add the clasp and finish it but she got a phone call so I finished it for her. :P She was going to give it away but decided that she wanted to wear it to her work Christmas Buffet. :)

The perfect quick last min gift for an unexpected female guest. :P

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While she was out, I was tasked with wrapping 2 cute bento boxes she got for her friends' sons.

One was this cute frog and the other was a cute smiling raccoon. Due to the rounded edges, I had to figure out a way to wrap these without a box to put them in and no gift bags (I ran out). I decided to make my own gift bags from wrapping paper.

Simple and cute for little boys to tear into. :)

Box 1 was made with a leftover piece of wrapping paper. It was long and just wide enough. 

I folded the base first to fit the bento boxes.

Then I folded the corners in and taped up the sides.

I folded down the top like a brown paper lunch bag...speaking of which, I should always have some on hand to decorate for last minute gift bags. :p

Box 2 was made in using the envelop method. There are tutorials all over the web on how to make an envelope into a bag. I first taped a piece of wrapping paper into a tube.

Then I made the creases for the 4 sides.

I folded the bottom like I would when I wrap an actual box and are finishing the ends.

Folded down the top and added curling ribbon. Done. :)

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I had a great idea for a bracelet for my Aunt the night before that turned out to be not so great as a bracelet.

I thought I could jazz up the beaded tennis bracelet design. Luckily I made a sample for myself and hated it for a bracelet. I got to this (above pic) and stopped. Now, what do I do with this? It would be a cute hair clip but then I thought maybe I could make it into a brooch.

I added loops to the top and sides. Then fringe to the bottom. I will never make this again because I used nylon and that was a pain to get through the seed beads. And the fringe won't stay right.

Just got to add the pin back. What do you think? I might go back to it being a hair clip, I don't know.... :p

Christmas Eve Day is Tomorrow!!! Good luck everyone!!!
And Happy Holiday to you and your loved ones! :)