Day 13: MacGyver Model Making

“Any problem can be solved with a little ingenuity.”

- MacGyver (American TV character played by Richard Dean Anderson)

 Sorry for the delay for this post...I was at a bachelorette party in Northern California wine country :)

My friend was trying to impart some knowledge to her model designer for product packaging, but was having a hard time explaining the concept in words.

This is the model we came up with using a match box, a cellophane bag, scissors, and a piece of gum:

                                      

 

                                       

 

And this was the end result:

My friend said was exactly what she had envisioned! Super fun!

Day 12: Feather Earrings

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

These are the first earrings I've ever made, and I LOVE how they came out.

 The materials: feathers, earring posts, jump rings, silver chain, and the things that clip onto the feathers--blanking on the name.

Two new tools! I dig being a girl with her own tools. 

 I cut the length of silver chain, and later actually made a cut to the longer strands and put one un-feathered chain onto each earring.

 It looked like a feath-tastropy

FINISHED PRODUCT! I'll post a pic of me wearing them later. Super exited (even though they are pretty hipster-ish) ;)

Day 10 (DOUBLE DIGITS!): Hardware Happiness

I work with just about anything: paint, wood, glass, plastic, fabric, etc. 

I use a lot of "found" and "altered-function" objects in my work... By "altered-function," I mean objects that one buys new, let's say, at a hardware store, and uses in a way contrary to its designer's intent. 

--Burnell Yow!

I had fun at the hardware store today, and came out with a buttload of bolts to make bead, er, bolt curtains for Mr. Robot's backdrop.

Excuse the pics...they are not the best.  The light bulb burned out in our living room, which doubles as my craft space.  I thought the environmentally friendly bulbs were supposed to last longer...doesn't seem to be the case, in my experience.  And the ceilings in our old Edwardian apartment are too tall for me to reach, even with my super tall ladder.  Time to call Mr. Roeper. :)

Here are the bolts all tied up.  I think I might make jewelry out of them at some point.

 The inside of Mr. Robot

Hanging Thingamajigs

                                      

My Ikea tool kit (aka My Very First Tool Kit)

I used a nail to make starter holes

And then screwed in picture hooks...

then tied on the bolt stings.  It looks better in person. I need to clean 

up the strings and make some more strands of botls.

A work in progress...

 It just started pouring.

Guess it's time to cuddle with my doggie :)

XOXO,
Kira

Day 9: Doing the Robot

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. (Dale Carnegie)

I have had this shadow box for ever and have been scared to use (ruin) it.  Finally, I thought, "This is stupid. It has too much power. Just go for it and have fun."

  And I did: Mr. Robot has been started.  He is painted on the underside of the glass.

He still needs more of a background.  I'm thinking something with bolts and wrenches! Or perhaps a field of flowers and some glitter on the box itself! Time will tell....

XOXO,

Kira

Day 7: Tying Up Loose Ends

A thing is complete when you can let it be. 

--Gita Bellin

For Day 7 I decided to tie up loose ends and finish a scarf I had started far too long ago.  It is called the Noro Scarf and I used the pattern I found on Brooklyn Tweed's website.

I love how it came out and am infatuated with the turquoise colors.  It took me a while to get the hang of the slip-stitch selvedge, but this video was immensely helpful:

I think I want to make another version with less neutral colors.  What do you think?

XOXO,

Kira

Day 6: Creature Creations

Without the playing with fantasy no creative work 

has ever yet come to birth.The debt we owe to the 

play of imagination is incalculable. 

--Carl Jung

Fun with Legos!

Creativity is about play and a kind of willingness to go with your intuition. It's crucial to an artist. If you know where you are going and what you are going to do, why do it? -Frank Gehry

Day 5: Hearts Abound

If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around.

--Love Actually (one of the best movies ever!)

XOXO,

Kira

Day 4: Haikus for the Blues

Writing... is an act of faith: I believe it's also an act of hope, the hope that things can get better than they are. 

-- Margaret Atwood

Resources related to the 2011 Japan Crisis: http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

and don't forget the animals who've been affected:

http://worldvets.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203

And on top of all else. I am going through a break up and trying to stay positive, while feeling sad.

 Japan is in mind

atrocious devastation 

trying to find sense

***

heartbreak, my old foe

wasn't looking forward to

seeing you again

***

trying to keep hold of

hope in uncertain times is

an important task

***

sunshine and rainbows

out of water, and tears, comes

new growth and beauty

***


These aren't that good
First things that came to mind, yo
Should they come down? no! 

XOXO,

Kira

DAY 2: Curtain Call

Curtain! Fast music! Light! Ready for the last finale! Great! The show looks good, the show looks good!
-- Florenz Ziegfeld

Today's crafty endeavor was making cafe curtains for my kitchen.  Our kitchen faces the windows of a residential hotel, and it was time to cover up.

The fabric I chose is from the "Simply Sweet" line by Barbara Jones.  I actually wound up having to use another fabric from the same line to make the curtains long enough--the window is ginormous.

I absolutely love this fabric.  So early-americana-meets-modern-color-palette.  Seemed perfect for our kitchen that boasts an original Wedgewood stove, that I adore.

I was a good little craftstress and took detailed measurements.  I used this website as a cutting guide to making my own.  I subtracted 1.5" from my desired length, to account for the curtain clips and then added in seam allowances.

My cut pieces.  I'm not the neatest crafstress.

Then I pinned and sewed and made box edges.

AND VOILA:

Cute little cafe curtains.  Tomorrow i will do the top part of the window in the stripe fabric.  I actually really like the look of using the two fabrics...happy accident!

And lastly, not sure if you can see, but that is actually TWO panels and I MIRACULOUSLY got the lines to all match up.  YIPPEE!

Hope the roommates will like it.

'Til Tomorrow.

XOXO,

Kira

DAY 1: Creative Space Cleanup

Creative Accomplishment Day 1:

Cleaning of my craft space so that I can create! :)

Before (YIKES!)

After (aaaaah!)

Night Night, Blogland.

xoxo,
Kira