Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Say Hello to Ms. Olivia Octopia!

Okay, so my personal name for her is stupid. I can call her whatever I want to, okay?


You can find both of these 8x10 prints in the shop and order one of your own (sans annoying copyright, of course). Currently there's only one available of each so have at it! On a not-so-unrelated note, I'm going back to doing a bit of crochet a day, since I'm missing it. Expect more in the upcoming weeks of both prints and crochet pieces!

<3 Linda

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Blast from the Past: Advertisements

Check out these ads from the '60s and '70s! It's so interesting to see how style and technology has changed since then...
Western Electric is crossing a telephone with a TV set - 1968 advertisement.
Geoffrey Beene sunglasses advertisement, 19771970s poncho fashions from Sears.1960s Coke advertisement.
If only flight attendant outfits could still be this mod!
I was so tickled by the Western Electric ad, seeing as how we now have things like Skype that combine phone and TV functions!
<3 Linda

Monday, August 29, 2011

I'm a bit of a bookworm...

With one month of summer to go, I suddenly realized that I hadn't read anything at all (other than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at the beginning of the summer!) so I rushed to get some books from the library and have been reading ever since!


>> The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I loved her poetry in school, and my senior-year English teacher (one of the most inspiring teachers I've had) realized that. She let me borrow the book towards the end of the school year, but I was never able to complete it since I had to return it. A couple of years have passed and I checked it out again now in the hopes of finishing what I started.
>> The Wildwater Walking Club by Claire Cook. (Edit: I'm about 50% done with this. It would probably make a good movie, contrary to what I said below. Hypocritical me! The plotline develops realistically and it's all about self-empowerment, so I approve.) To be honest, I'm secretly hoping that this is similar to The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I'm a sucker for the whole friends-growing-together sap of chick novels... not so much movies, though. That's probably why I checked out this next book,
>> Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. It's the only one I've completed so far. I checked it out mainly because of curiosity, since I didn't understand why the author would choose to resurrect the characters after so many years. I have to admit, I liked the series when I was growing up. However, this one was a little too sappy for me. And I felt like my image of the characters were ruined, because I had already imagined a future for them. It was also a little too unrealistic since most of the characters were still with the men they fell in love with at age 16; but that might just be me. I think this one would've been best if I had not read it at all. This one and the last one are pretty good for simple beach reads, though.
>> The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I'm one of the only people to have never read this book, but after hearing almost exclusively positive reviews about it, I chose to check it out. I wish I had more time, but I will probably not get to finish reading this book by the end of the month. :(

This summer, my book-reading theme seems to be all the teen novels I've totally missed out on! What's on your reading list this summer?
<3 Linda

Saturday, August 27, 2011

What I've Been Up To

Warning! This is an extremely old photo due to my camera's temporary death.
On Thursday, my friend Sarah and I did a little bit of thrifting in a new store, came back to my place and had a sleepover. We went through all of my old things that had been packed away, (tried to) DIY, did tarot readings for each other, and even made vegan cupcakes that tasted horrible. We ended up talking through the night, and woke up the next morning super tired. We attempted to read, watched Project Runway wrapped in blankets and went to a lake in our city that we had both never visited before. It was nice getting our feet wet in the burning sun! Today was particularly fierce. Finally we finished it off with a late lunch and a trip through the hills. After that, my other plans got cancelled, so I stayed in and continued to read while drinking tea and enjoying biscuits instead. I'd say that made for a nice day! I like doing things with friends, versus the normal "what's on TV?" funk that a lot of people fall into.

I ended up writing a lot about friendship, actually, but I've cut it into different posts so that it's not too long. Excited for the weekend since I'm visiting a flea market tomorrow!
<3 Linda

Friday, August 26, 2011

DIY: Board Game Piece Shrinky Rings

Hello hello! I was inspired to do a shrinky dink ring after reading this tutorial. Pretty, no? I've actually never used shrink plastic before, even though a lot of people used it when they were kids. I have a lot of board game pieces that go unused because they're leftover from old sets, so I combined them together to make a cute ring!

Materials:
Board game piece (I used an old checkers piece)
Shrink Film (I used clear, but any type is fine)
Sharpies or acrylic paint (many colors)
Newspaper
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Measuring tape/ ruler
Mandrel (or something cylindrical that fits the size of your finger)
Parchment paper, wax paper, or thick cardboard
Oven

Board game piece (The perfect size for a ring!):


1. Decorate it how you want to. Be as creative as you want! I free-handed it with a bunch of sharpie pens and did a cute floral! You can use paint too. If you're not the type to draw something, you can print an image and scale it down to size. I like the idea of an optical illusion ring with this pattern. If you want a floral print like mine, draw light lilac dots and surround them with fine-point sharpie lines to create teeny roses. Use a light green outlined in dark green for the leaves, and color in the background with light blue and pink stripes.

2. Surround the button with newspaper. Measure out the circumference of the board game piece and cut a rectangular strip of similar size. You can even pleat the paper so that more words are on the sides. Hot glue the newspaper strip to the button. Where the ends come together, you can cut a small section of newspaper, pleat it, and glue it on top to hide the ends.

Ring (You could always follow the tutorial posted above instead):


1. Measure the size of your finger on the shrinky dink sheet and double it. Approximate the width of the future ring you want and double that as well. For mine, I cut a 4.5 inch by 1 inch piece because I wanted a 2.25 by .5 inch piece.
2. Cut and curve the ends with a scissor so that they aren't all jagged and pointy.
3. Decorate the strip however you want to. Once again, I used sharpies, but paint works too. Test out different colors and see which ones you like.
4. Preheat the oven to 300. Pop that shrinky dink on a sheet of parchment paper or cardboard and throw it in the oven. 


5. Watch it; it will curl and then straighten. When this happens, pull it out and mold it to your mandrel after 5 seconds (since it'll be hot!). I messed up the first couple of times and put it back in to reheat and tried again. Don't let the ends touch! Once you succeed at getting a nice round shape to your ring, let it cool completely. I love the little air bubbles, although I'm not completely sure if that's supposed to happen...

Putting it together: 


1. Hot glue the board game piece to your ring piece, making sure that it's on the opposite side of where the ring ends.
2. Let it cool completely and you're done! (Sadly I don't have pictures at this step yet, my camera died during this DIY! Sigh!)

Tell me how it works out for you!
<3 Linda

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Bamboozled: This is a Sketch

This was drawn on my tablet on 8/23, actually, but I didn't get a chance to upload it to Blogger. I started out trying to draw myself and ended up drawing someone who looks uncannily like one of my old classmates. Since I was going for a sketch-y feel (har har. I'm not funny), I set my paintbrush on a thin setting and just tried to sketch it out. I was going for a flying or dancing feel, but I don't know if I achieved that.

And a little of the in-progress lemur!
I'm half contemplating not finishing him because he looks a little too weird! I've grown attached to him though, oddly enough. So far this one's been fun and I like the clean lines that I can create.

<3 Linda

PS. Quick notes: The site is under construction so the DIY button and L'Histoire de L'Art button on the left are just placeholders for future categories; All the other buttons work but I might be getting rid a couple. I'm thinking of scrapping all the buttons altogether and redoing them to match the banner, since they're a little vibrant. / Perfectionist speaking. :(

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Things I Love Tuesday: Pastels

"TiLT" and "Craving For..." are extremely similar, so I decided to get rid of "Craving For..." altogether. I love love love pastel shades. Something about them makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. The only time that we really get to see these lovely colors are during wedding events and on Easter, which is a shame.


My favorite pastel finds on Etsy:
1. Pastel Colors Oxford Flats by GoldenPonies. These shoes, as well as the rest of the items in their shop, are amazing. They have really good reviews too, and aren't even that expensive for handmade!
2. Spring Unicorn- Pastel Rainbow by DragonsandBeasties. This is my absolute favorite out of all of them by miles! This little unicorn made out of polymer clay is too adorable for words.
3. 7 Box Baby Cameras by GirliePains. First of all, these are under five dollars. Second of all, they're partially DIY, because they're printables! Gotta love it. I really admire people who paper craft, and want to try it as soon as I get the time.
4. Pastel Blue and Purple Striped Skirt by Pinkiepiexo. This girl's shop is pretty much the culmination of all my childhood dreams come to life. It's perfect for anyone who loves over-the-top cutesy things! This skirt seems easy to wear too.
5. Vintage Toy Photographs Vintage Stacked Suitcases Pastel by Wavyshell. It is part of a set of five photographs. This print is nice for someone looking for a pop of color. I wish I had those suitcases in real life, they would look lovely as home decor!
6. Travel Art, New York Watercolor, Chrysler Building by SketchAway. There's something about sketches that really gets me. It's almost like you can see the artist's process and imagine them standing there, sketching away as they glance at the cityscape. And, of course (as you can tell from my last post) I'm crazy about watercolor right now. Perfection.

I guess it's time to start breaking out the pastels, because they need to become more popular!
<3 Linda

Monday, August 22, 2011

Watercolor Fantasies: A Sneak Peek

The title of this post is a little phrase that's been stuck in my head for ages; it might make for a good band name or something, but I have no idea where it came from! 

A little bit of the watercolor work I've been doing as of recent. Some of them are likely going to make it into the shop, but they're all still in their first raw edits and are going to have other drawing elements added, as well as text! I can't decide on whether I want them to be stickers, prints, or tags yet. The only one near being done is the cupcake one, but I decided to cut it to show a little peek of it for now!

It was my first time(s) using watercolor and I loved it! It's cool that you can always change it by adding water, and how the colors bleed into each other, creating a dreamy vibe. It's definitely a medium that I want to use more of in the future.

Hope you all had a good weekend!
<3 Linda

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Shout-Out: Happy Birthday!

I'd like to say a quick shout-out today to my sister Jean, who just recently moved to another state for the first time to pursue glass working and design and all that good stuff.

She's a master of disguise.
I made her wear this once when driving home. It got some weird looks from people in nearby cars.

Have a great day and don't kill me for secretly posting this!
<3 Linda

Weekly Postivity!

Think of the little things.

 
And if you can't come up with anything, go here and be reminded of all of them in a simple picture format. Or...


If you like a blogging format instead of pictures, you can also read about all the little things that happen that you take for granted here. I've read this blog for years, and I really don't realize how amazing some of these things are until I read about them! One of my favorites is a classic, but some of the others are not quite the usual cliches. I mean,  "#815 When you nudge the person snoring next to you and it makes them stop"? Awesome.


Some of my favorite "little things" as of recent?
x Seeing one of your favorite bands on TV after a long time. Or hearing them on the radio. (RHCP, I will always love you.)
x Shaving your legs and reveling in the silky smoothness.
x Sleeping on just-washed sheets and a cold pillow. Oh yeah, two in one!
x Thinking about your best friend and then hearing from them the next day.
x Waking up at an early hour feeling rested, without need of an alarm clock.
x Finding out that someone has landed safely after a long flight.
x Seeing people you haven't seen in ages, and it's as though no time has passed.
x Finding out that a band you really want to see is heading to your city.
x Reading old emails and realizing the amazing leaps your grammar has taken over the years.
x Enjoying gifts that people bring back from their travels. (Has anyone tried Soan Papdi? It is an Indian sweet and it is brilliant.)


I wasn't having such a great day yesterday, but thinking about this makes today feel a little brighter. Make your own lists, and link it to me in the comments if you do!
<3 Linda

Friday, August 19, 2011

Bamboozled: Take 1

Guess what?! My dear mum bought me a Wacom tablet and pretty much made my dreams come true! I'm ecstatic and seriously cannot believe it! And so I would like to introduce yet another new feature: "Bamboozled"! It's named after my tablet (Bamboo). I'm thinking of naming her but I don't want to get too attached. Oh who am I kidding, I spent all of yesterday doodling!

Here is my very first drawing:
Yeah yeah, I know. It's not that great. but at least I figured out how to draw lines that connect! Does anyone know how to turn on the pressure sensitivity thing on a drawing tablet? (I sound really clueless. Hence the confused look on my drawing counterpart...heh.) Also, is there a way to change colors in the middle of a stroke? Alas, it seems I have much to learn. Can't wait to start coloring too!

This new feature's goal: To help me get better at using this thing. I'll update whenever, wherever. Each will be dated and uploaded to Flickr, and hopefully after a year or so, I can say that I've finally kind of gotten the hang of it and see the progress I've made!

<3 Linda
PS. Even more updates: The blog is slowly coming together, note the button on the left and the widget on the right. Now I just have to add some more buttons of tagged posts and links, slap an "About Me" button on that sucker, and I will finally be done with it!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Things I Love Thursday: Glasses

Seeing as how I have to go get my eyes checked out today, I figured today's TiLT should be dedicated to all of my four-eyed friends (I mean that in a good way! After all, I am one of you).

Here are some glasses that I've been loving recently... oh, and a face shape chart as well! Remember, balance is the key to scoring a great pair of glasses that suit your face. 




What does it all equal? One happy lady!
1. Ray-Bans RX5242. How cute are these? I'm leaning towards this style the most.
2. DViations D22014. Classy with a hint of classic.
3. Anne Klein NY AK9108. Perfect for today's intelligent woman.
4. Essential EN3674. Large frames to open up the face, in a funky shape! Love.

Why do none of these glasses have proper names? Lame!
<3 Linda

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Finally!

So my internet came back last night, and I'm now ready to post... expect to see these babies in the shop by 5PM EST!

Little bow blue skinny waist belt (mainly because I needed one at the time so I decided to make another for the shop)

Bunting three-chain headband... ooh, shiny!
Most excited about this one. Custom scallop brooches, choose your own colors!
Bone Hair Clip. For those who don't take life too seriously.
Note the beehive in the last photo... pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Although my hair still needs a bit of growing out before it looks nice and full!

And now, I feel like this time calls for self-evaluation (or I just like talking to myself, one or the other!). I'm slowly starting to figure out what direction I want my shop to go in, so that's good. I initally wanted to build inventory so I've been crocheting like a mad (fun?) woman these days. I think I should probably begin editing soon; being a bit more picky about what I put in the shop and experimenting more!

On a kind-of related note, I'm testing out prints today, so fingers crossed that it works out! The reason why I'm so excited about it is because I can bring a bit more personality to my prints than to my crochet (but I still love both).

Alright. Enough rambling about the shop, I've just been a very excited little lady these past couple of days! I love simply doing what I love.
<3 Linda

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Fonts Galore!

I've been on a font search these past couple of days, because I want to make some cute buttons and banners for my blog and store. Trouble is, I've found so many that I like, and I downloaded them all! I made them into a cute little chart below...


Help me decide? I'm looking for one cursive-y one and one basic one.
<3 Linda
PS. Teeny update on the blog-- A new button and header! Yay! I love it.
PPS. Quick update-- My internet's been in and out all day! I just popped in to say that listings will be up whenever it fully comes back. So sorry for the delay :(

Monday, August 15, 2011

Hi guys!

A sneak peek of something I've been working on is in the corner!

I'm taking a little break in the blogging world this morning to finish off a couple of listings, which should be up by the end of today or tomorrow! How exciting! I'll be back later with pictures of the new products so that you can snag 'em if you're interested :)

<3 Linda
PS. A quick warning-- I'm in the early stages of prepping a slightly new look for my blog, so if anything looks a bit wonky, well, you're not imagining things!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Weekly Positivity!

Take a breather and enjoy some positivity.

If you haven't watched these three related videos by Rick Mereki yet, you're missing out! I personally enjoyed "Learn" (shown above) best, but the other two are beautiful as well. It reminds us that there's so much of the world we haven't even explored yet.


For those of you who also are a part of the Tumblr community, my new favorite Tumblr blog has popped up! It's called The Rules to Be Happy, and after each simple photo set against a white backdrop is a paragraph filled with positive and fulfilling words. Just reading those captions makes me feel happier, I kid you not!


Photo: Jim Richardson 
Don't be too quick to judge others.
From the photographer: "Hardly had a chance to pop my head over the camera to see if what I was seeing in the viewfinder was, in fact, real when he pulled out a loaf of white bread and started feeding Rusty and Tufty, who seemed to be well acquainted with the drill. Recovering swiftly (I try to do that when good fortune rescues me from my general incompetence), I hit the motor drive and let it run."


Have a laugh about a not-so-funny situation. Or just listen to some of your favorite comedians. I love Demetri Martin's break up lines, and here are some of my favorites from that routine:
"Hey baby, are you being followed?…Because I’ve been seeing people behind your back."
"Is it hot in here, or are you just suffocating me in this relationship?"
"Hey I was just wondering. Are you doing push ups with your knees down? Because I’m not sure if this is working out."

And now, I will leave you with a lengthy but insightful quote from Milan Kundera's book, The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
We all need someone to look at us. We can be divided into four categories according to the kind of look we wish to live under. The first category longs for the look of an infinite number of anonymous eyes, in other words, for the look of the public. The second category is made up of people who have a vital need to be looked at by many known eyes. They are the tireless hosts of cocktail parties and dinners. They are happier than the people in the first category, who, when they lose their public, have the feeling that the lights have gone out in the room of their lives. This happens to nearly all of them sooner or later. People in the second category, on the other hand, can always come up with the eyes they need. Then there is the third category, the category of people who need to be constantly before the eyes of the person they love. Their situation is as dangerous as the situation of people in the first category. One day the eyes of their beloved will close, and the room will go dark. And finally there is the fourth category, the rarest, the category of people who live in the imaginary eyes of those who are not present. They are the dreamers.
Hope this starts off your week well!
<3 Linda

Saturday, August 13, 2011

At the Airport

Last week, my sister and her boyfriend officially moved. We sent them off at the airport, and on the way there I took the opportunity to try out my camera's night setting. It's not terrible considering I was in a moving car, but... I'm not pleased. Here are some of the results:

(Slapped a filter on this one.)

However, I have some good news! I'm planning on buying a new camera. I have a point-and-shoot right now, but I want to get a DSLR, one that's good enough to take closeups and portraits. Any suggestions on good models?

<3 Linda

Friday, August 12, 2011

Ocelot, Take 2

I attempted to color my ocelot sketch on the computer for the first time. I don't think it's a complete flop, but I don't think it's a complete success either. I really want to learn how to do digital prints properly, though. I think using a clear marker and avoiding shading would help me get a cleaner line on my next drawings, if I do try to draw something to color using Photoshop again.

Does anyone have any advice for digital coloring?
<3 Linda

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Things I Love Thursday: Animal Videos!

One of the best things on the internet: Cute animals doing cute things. Here are my top 5 this week:

5. Everyone loves cute little dogs, right? Well, here's a video of a mini dachshund puppy. That's like three times the tiny-ness! I love how the little thing jumps about. Too cute.

4. This chihuahua is hilarious. Mainly for his teeny legs, his sporadic neck movements, and the fact that he looks exactly like my best friend's dog.

3. Last one for the dog lovers. This is probably the video that made everyone go crazy over French bulldogs (including myself).

2. Maybe our fascination with these animals is because they're just so little that you can squish them! Baby bunnies are so cute... it makes me think about Niblet, my friend's secret bunny. :(

1. If you haven't watched this video yet, shame on you. And of course my top one would be a cat! I'm a little bit partial, even though I play the fence most of the time.

Happy squeeing!
<3 Linda 

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Wedding Wednesday

Time for me to try something new this week! I tend to look at wedding sites simply because they have a really clean, finished look. And I love Etsy too, which makes for a time-consuming (but oh-so-entertaining) combination!

The Dress:
If you're planning on a summer wedding, a short and light dress would be cute. Especially if it's outdoors! I like this look because it's a simple cut with a lot of little detail. And it's vintage! That dress has already been loved by someone on their special day, and now it'll be a part of the day of whoever's lucky enough to buy this dress.

The Headpiece:
A lighter solution to the veil is a headpiece. This one is sweet looking and unique.

The Bouquet:
Keeping with the vintage theme, this bouquet is just a little different from the rest.

For the Man:
Twigs. Not too girly, and ties in the color/ natural theme.

The Colors/ Bridesmaids' Dresses:
I'm liking the way neutrals look when set against a lush landscape. Perfect for an outdoor wedding, because they're not too flashy! And these dresses come in different styles, which is refreshing for bridesmaids' dresses. 

The Cake Toppers:

These little love birds would look adorable atop any wedding cake!

Apparently, I have too much time on my hands (And yet I'm so busy!)... You can see some more from this set in my treasury list.
<3 Linda

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Shop Update!

I will soon be adding these lovelies to the shop:
This headband is peachy keen!
Muffs are good for people who always have cold hands (like me!). This one has white faux fur on the inside!
Stripes are always in. Especially when paired with a cowl/ shawl thing.
Goodness. I feel like I still haven't reached my store's maximum potential, but it's only been a week since it's been open. I still have several products that are about 99% done (just have to add a button!) but I haven't finished them up yet because I've been working on new ones. Sigh. Hope you like these, though! :) I am pushing my crochet and knitting skills every day, so I am feeling satisfied.

I feel like a lot of people who create have this urge-- the urge to miraculously turn all your ideas into finished products at the blink of an eye-- but just remember, it has to take time! I need to remind myself sometimes too.
<3 Linda