Tag Archive for 'Yellow Cherry'

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Water Dragon Day

It’s Chinese New Year- the year of the Dragon, the most favored zodiac sign!

I spent the afternoon roaming around Chinatown checking out the action and picked up a few souvenirs along the way.

I found this sticker at a calligraphy shop. It was definitely old, judging by the yellow tinge and that the paint was starting to wear off. The woman who sold it to me told me it was a picture of the building across the street, which made it extra special and cool.

I couldn’t resist this little guy. I also figured it couldn’t hurt to have a lucky dragon.

I’d been searching for a pair of jade hoops for quite some time and finally found them. Yay! Jade is a symbol of beauty, protection, good health and strength. Not only are my hoops pretty; they can ward off evil and bad luck. Excellent.

Furoshiki is Fun

Over the years I’ve become more eco conscious about my use of paper goods. This year I was inspired to use a Japanese style of gift-wrapping, furoshiki for my holiday presents.

Furoshiki means “cloth for the bath.” It was initially used in public bathhouses during the Edo period as a bath mat and to carry clothing and toiletries. Nowadays it is used to transport gifts and other goods. Furoshiki are always square and the cloth may have images that reflect the occasion and significance of the gift.

I used these handkerchiefs I found at a Japanese dollar store. They cost less than a roll of wrapping paper and encourage reuse.

In keeping with my Japanese theme of gift-wrapping I crocheted some amigurumi ornaments to make them extra festive.

My New Weave

These days I’ve been wearing my hair much longer and was excited to start braiding it like the styles seen during Fashion Week. My many attempts have been unsuccessful though! I finally gave up and decided to experiment using a different medium, which led to creating this headband.

I used some cord, gold chain, leather, leftover kimono fabric, and some other random things.

It was fun experimenting with weaving the materials together to see how the colors and textures altered the look of the braid. I used chain on the ends to make the closure adjustable for a universal fit. I also stamped a heart shape out of leather to add a little bling.

It’s amazing how many things one can haphazardly cram into one headband.

Mix n Match

I found these pieces at one of my favorite local boutiques Seedstore and they instantly sparked an idea for a pair of earrings.

I’ve always been one for symmetry and simplicity, but for some reason I decided to mix it up. My buddy Charlene who lives in Canada was visiting at the time and I thought it would be fun to split the pieces up so she could have one to wear back home. Instead of friendship necklaces we could have earrings!

Charlene is a great resource when it comes to design. I especially like to consult her on color because she is a color therapist. I think mixing both of our styles into the earrings produced something random, yet fun. It’s boho-chic meets urban bird watcher. Hee hee

Birthday Birdy for my Buddy

For my best pal’s birthday I decided to make her a custom hairpiece. She has always been a great source of inspiration and support to me that I wanted to make her something special.

I found some exotic sticks made of coconut wood. They have a beautiful dark grain and are super smooth and sturdy.  I set a baby bird resting on a nest of feathers. Amongst the plumage I included a dotted feather for a bit of whimsy, along with a train of apricot fringe for a splash of color and movement. I had to make sure the piece also had some sparkle- hammered gold discs. I thought it would be festive and reminded me of confetti. Happy Birthday Rochelle!

Color Crazed

June Gloom seems to prevail this summer in SF. It’s foggy and cold, with an occasional drizzle that seems to linger most of the day. The sun will taunt me with a brief appearance, then retreat back into the fog. I’ve been finding myself drawn to bright colors, daydreaming about being somewhere warm and tropical. Sobral’s striped resin hoops are helping soothe my summer slump and craze for color.

Sobral is a Brazilian designer from Rio de Janeiro known for his beautiful handmade resin jewelry. My favorite pieces are from his “Pop” collection. I love the mix of candy colored translucent and opaque stripes. Everything is so smooth and shiny. It makes me happy!

Not only does Sobral make fun and vibrant works, his entire production process is eco-friendly down to the packaging. He also partners with the Museum of The Republic to educate underprivileged children in the art of making fashion jewelry.

Every time I wear my hoops it feels a few degrees warmer- color therapy never felt so good!

Another Pink Bunny

At the Silly Pink Bunnies convention I met a very inspiring and crafty girl named Shove, aka Croshame. She also loves making amigurumi and passed along her adorable pattern and video tutorial  for a bunny ring! Her pattern is very easy to follow and fun to make. I’d never made a ring out of yarn before- good times.

Silly Pink Bunnies

I spent Easter weekend at the annual Silly Pink Bunnies convention. This year was extra special because they were celebrating 20 years of being a gang. Jeremy Fish is the founder, Don of this skate gang. To commemorate the silly pink bunnies he built a giant statue and installed it in front of a mural in the lower Haight.

My tribute to the SPBs is Bunny. I crocheted it with fuzzy pink alpaca yarn and gave it needle-felted ears and a bushy little tail.

Bunny got to partake in the festivities and made friends with some of the dudes dressed in pink. The gang colors are pink and brown- fancy.

Bunny also cruised around with Jeremy at the dinner. Naked Lunch catered some delicious meatball creations, accompanied by organic mixed greens and gourmet fries with three different tasty sauces.

There’s an award ceremony at every SPB convention. This year Duane, one of the main Dons had a custom trophy made for the representative of the decade.

Pleather Kitty

Pleather Kitty was recently featured in this faux leather themed Etsy treasury.  I didn’t realize that pleather is a slang term for “plastic leather.” Clothing companies used the term as a way to advertise the material without calling it plastic. It is a great alternative to real leather because it more durable, easy to maintain, has a nice glossy finish, and animal cruelty free.

Pleather Kitty is eco-friendly, hypo allergenic, and always smiling!

Year of the Golden Rabbit

Chinese New Year was exceptionally fun this year because 2011 is the Golden Year of the Rabbit, my zodiac sign! This only occurs every 12 years.

The Rabbit is considered a lucky sign. During the Year of the Rabbit, the wish-granting aspect of the Sun and the Moon combined is supposed to be multiplied. Exciting! In Chinese culture the Rabbit is the symbol of the Moon- the Moon is yin and this is the yin of Heaven, signifying magic. On the full moon nights of this year, visualize plenty of Moon dust and Moon glow flowing into you, filling your whole body with bright white light and granting you fearlessness, love and courage.  This will not only strengthen your inner “Chi” energy, it will also bring wisdom into your life. The next full moon is February 18. I will definitely be trying to soak up some of this “magic!”

Every year we have a family celebration and feast at my aunt’s house with an array of traditional dishes. A full belly is the ultimate sign of well-being and affection. One of my favorite dishes is a whole fish wrapped in banana leaves seasoned with green onions, ginger, and cilantro. The fish represent abundance and the green onions wisdom. It’s also important that the fish is served whole, head and tail attached because it symbolizes a good beginning and ending for the coming year.

A celebratory toast with these festive Asian pin-up girl shot glasses. The pretty lady appears when the glass has liquid – Jack Daniels works really well.

For the grand finale, we set off firecrackers to frighten away any evil spirits and make way for a year of good health, prosperity, and happiness. pa, pa-pa-pa pow!