concept outfit #1

self-portrait of a recent concept outfit. it didn't *quite* work out. oh well...no guts, no glory.

homemade gifts - coffee sleeves/drink huggies

if you read my post about the snowglobes, you know that all my inspiration for these gifts came from the internet. i was so excited about this one when i found it here. but once i started, i was wondering, "what was i thinking?!" don't worry, it all worked it. i just had to overcome my initial misgivings.

by the way, if you looked at those instructions and thought "um, never", you should check out this alternate one here.

once again, i got myself into trouble when i started to deviate from the instructions. i made the one coffee sleeve based on the instructions but then i started questioning whether all the people i wanted to give them to actually bought their coffee out and whether they would actually use them. so i decided to make straight-across ones that they could possible use on other drinks and i made the velcro go across (like the instructions for the felt one) instead of up-and-down so there was a bit more flexibility. zoiks! oh yeah, and i also didn't use the fusing stuff on the frame after the first one. i didn't like how you could see the white edge. it worked just fine without it.

but then of course the thing was a little too tall but i was too far into it to revise it so i just went with it. um, then i cut some pictures out of magazines to just give them the idea they were supposed to put the pictures in because really i had no pictures to put in there!

God bless the recipients of these! but i do love corduroy so. you could actually just wear it as a wrist wrap.

yay for homemade!

homemade gifts - magnets magnets magnets

well, i was actually going to blog earlier this year about this fun project i did for my car. um... what ever happened to that? anyway, i made magnets out of these sparkly brooches i never wore and stuck them on the back of my car. it's like jewelry for your car. you should try it.

and then along comes christmas. i started with the same concept and found some pretty brooches and earrings at the thrift store. i pulled off the backs using needlenose pliers (dollar store) and superglued (dollar store) on magnets (craft store). ta-dahhhhh!

but that doesn't fly for everyone. then i had this brilliant idea to make some tougher-looking ones using home depot items. i first thought of drawer pulls but they are too expensive so i went with these cap nuts (81 cents - home depot). pretty cool, huh? i got some good appreciation on these!

i made a few others with items i found that fit my gift recipients -- a "world-class bowler" christmas ornament and a plastic dinosaur toy. i mean, you can basically make magnets out of anything, as long as there's a surface to attach the magnet.

tip: make sure the magnets you choose are strong/big enough for the items they will be used on.

homemade gifts - encouragement snowglobes

well, first of all, i know this blog has been dormant for like six months, so i don't know if anyone is still out there! BUT my family did homemade gifts this christmas, so they are worthy of sharing! hehheee

homemade gifts... believe me, i had no idea what to do. actually, my family is quite used to homemade from me, and there are definitely different levels of appreciation. : )

that's where the internet comes in.

i found this great idea for a snowglobe on photojojo. check it out here.

of course i had to make it my own... this is what sometimes gets me in trouble! i wanted to make it with encouraging words instead of a photo. i thought i'd make all the little words and then the person would shake it and it would show them different words that said all these great things about them.

i made a table of words like "beautiful", "smart", "amazing", etc. in microsoft word, and then printed them on card stock. (you can get a ream of card stock at the office supply store for like $5. it really comes in handy.) i cut each of them out and then taped them using mailing tape the way photojojo suggested.

uhhhh... so i did a tester... i cut a bunch of little words out and stuck them in the cute little bottle (aqua pod water bottles from deer park) and the words just all clumped together and floated to the top. ick. what to do? thankfully, i had taped about seven words on each strip of tape, so i just left them on the tape and stuck two whole strips in. i also put in a separate heart-shaped piece that said "[name], you are..." oh, and lots of glitter and sequins. just follow the instrux from photojojo.

yay! success!
i think they liked them. i mean, who wouldn't like something that's telling them how great they are and has lots of sparkles?!

(for more encouragement, visit my "what God says about me" page here.)

fabric poem i wrote

stripe stripe plaid
cotton polyester
puff puff pleat
rayon and chiffon
button button zip
denim fur-trimmed leather
bust waist hips
corduroy and silk.

40% off accessories at chacha-vintage.com

so, i don't know... just thought i'd have a sale. check out my store at www.chacha-vintage.com to see the great deals on sharp ties for guys and glam bags for gals. plus gorgeous jewelry and belts and scarves and hats... all 40% off through may 11. enjoy!

vintage benefits

one of the things i love the most about owning my own vintage store is getting first dibs on the inventory! usually i try on everything when i first get it to see if i want to keep it, but i never tried this dress on for some reason. i was just listing it on my site when i decided to try it on.... and keep it! i believe it is chinese and has some black velvet pants that go with it. not sure if i'll be rocking those ever!

i wore this to perform at an open mic last night. if you want to check out my spoken word, you can listen (and download it) at www.myspace.com/chandraspoken. i am just getting back to writing regularly, so hopefully there will be some brand new stuff up there soon. enjoy!