Relay for Life

My Reason to Relay

Honestly, I avoided joining the team last year till the last minute, because it hit a little too close to home at the time. I wanted to live in a state of denial, pretend it wasn't real. But that's how cancer wins: when we pretend that it isn't worth acknowledging and fighting against. And so, in the end, I decided to go, and I'm so glad I did. It helped me cope and find hope. My only regret is that I did not get a chance to raise $100 or more, so let's change that this year! Cancer hits close to home for everyone, and so I hope you will help me out.

Every person who donates, no matter how small the donation, will receive a 1-1.5 inch crocheted heart or awareness ribbon in the color of their choice (colors are listed in the 2nd picture on this event's page) handmade by me to put on their key chains or backpacks as a little thank you gift and reminder that you're doing a great thing. You have two ways to get it from me; either hand-delivery or with a letter in an envelope (send me your address in an e-mail!). For hand delivery: If you live in the Bay, I will get it to you during Spring/Summer Break, and if you live around LA, I'll deliver it sometime during this school year. Just keep in touch and let me know what color/type of thing you want, maybe in an email or FB message (or if you want my number and don't have it yet, message me too)! And if you would rather not have anything at all, tell me. I just really want to be able to raise $100 or more this year, and so I want to use the skills I have to thank you so that it's a win-win situation for everyone!

Donate here: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/LindaF  

Thanks so much! <3 Linda

Questions? Email me at littlewillowart@gmail.com.

If you want to see more of my crochet work, go to littlewillowart.etsy.com.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Once again, my friends and I are planning a party this weekend-- this time, for Valentine's Day! Any excuse to celebrate the end of midterms is fine by me. To prepare for the party, we decided to make goodie bags. My contribution was teeny crocheted hearts.

Aren't they adorable? I wish I had time to photoshop them a bit, but alas, it is four in the morning and I have yet to finish a 7 page paper as well as study for my Italian midterm tomorrow. Sigh!

For those of you who want to make your own cute little hearts, use this tutorial! It's super simple compared to other heart tutorials I've seen out there-- I made one every 6 minutes, and I'm a slow crocheter! The only difference between what I did and what they did was that I used embroidery thread so that the hearts would turn out super tiny compared to the original version! Love the pastel colors, and I can't wait for everyone to see 'em!

Sorry for being MIA, but it looks like school's going to be my first priority, so I'm going to be posting whenever I can, but expect to hear from me sporadically!
<3 Linda

Shout-Out: Happy Birthday!

I hadn't had the chance to hop onto the computer yesterday, which was my roommate's birthday! She was my roommate last year as well. We're so different but we get along, I would say. I am so happy I got to know her. :)

Happy Birthday, Kristina!

Her boyfriend came over and they were being cute together. We went to have a birthday dinner at Noodle World (she loves Asian food...). A bowl of rice and pho later, we emerged with happy hearts. I got her some chocolate dipped strawberries as well, so I hope she liked that! I will be posting up her birthday card soon, for those of you who like printables. I didn't get a chance to print it out, so it's going to be a late birthday card from me... Oops. I finished it on time though! It's the thought that counts!
<3 Linda

Happy Halloween!

Sorry I've been so M.I.A all weekend! I've been struggling to keep up with everything from academics to social responsibilities. I cannot wait until two weeks from now, when it's all over! I'll still have finals, but not as much of anything else.

Since I haven't been able to properly post, I decided to humor you all with this photo of my roommate and I. She's a trophy wife (with no one to be the other half as the husband--- which basically meant she got hit on all night. Hilarious but terrible at the same time... and oh-so awkward for myself!) and I am a mime. I was initially supposed to be The Riddler, and I had my outfit (almost) ready as well. However, my friends and I all had to cancel meeting up and gallivanting around town in villainous costumes because we accidentally put the wrong times on our theatre show flyers. This basically means we ended up sitting and sticking labels on flyers all night instead! It wasn't that bad, really. I find that I'm willing to do almost anything when I care about it, and I'm not stressed either.

Hilights from this weekend:

• Hot weather... I love L.A.!
• Studying for midterms... still.
• Wearing long, bulky over the knee socks! I am so addicted.
• Local concert sessions
• My last-minute mime outfit: A dress (rolled up), my roommate's vest, shorts, long socks (again!), a bowler, and gloves... along with some brilliant and slightly scary makeup! Oh how I love playing dress up. Pretending to be someone other than myself is so fascinating to me.
• Getting closer to people by seeing them more often... On Friday, my friend Ivy and I got together and basically just hung out, talked, and pigged out on Pizookies (what's new? This has turned into our tradition).
• Tech day from 12PM to 10 PM with few breaks. It was tiring but I feel much more prepared to go out there and make myself vulnerable.... It may sound odd, but I've always been more scared of being funny than being emotional-- which is exactly the reason why I auditioned for the role that I did. I still shake behind the scenes but I know it's going to make me a better person, so I'm proud of myself!
• Having people ask me to teach them how to crochet. I'm so excited about this! It makes me feel like I actually know how to do something well.

<3 Linda

LCC: The Audition Story

Hey guys! I don't know if anyone will care for this, but since I talked about joining a theater group recently in a post, and I have posted once before about LCC Theatre Co., I want to take some time to talk about my audition.

I almost always take a long, more scenic route back from class when walking, but on that day, I took a path through the most crowded walkway on campus. On this walkway, a lot of clubs often hand you flyers for events while you're trying to get to class. As I was walking, a tiny voice called, "Improv! Comedy! Drama!" and I immediately stopped. Having not had any drama department in my high school, I've always wanted to participate in theater but never had the chance. I talked to the girl who had been flyering, which I will admit, is something that I normally do not do because I am terrified of talking to strangers, especially spontaneously. This girl told me that auditions were coming up and that I should try out, so I took a flyer and soon forgot about it. It seems that I put it in a textbook, because midterms were coming up and the flyer fell out when I was looking through my book. I absentmindedly browsed their website and thought they seemed like cool people, this "LCC". I signed up for an audition and hoped for the best.

For once, I did not feel anxious. For once, I felt empowered; like I could actually have a chance. And so when they asked me to do improv (something I've never done before) I actually managed to do something funny! I will not go into complete detail, but I do remember being so excited about all of it, and hoping for the best. After callbacks, which were the next week, I felt terrible though. I honestly thought it was over for me, after seeing all the talented people out there who actually were funny. I see now that it was more of an isolation tactic of mine, a "me versus them" philosophy that I create all too often in my head. Long story short, I found out I had been one of two freshmen who made it in. The girl that had initially talked me into trying out is now a Producer (one of two head honchos) in the group!

I really just feel like everything fell into place at the right time, and I have never been happier. Each quarter gives me another opportunity to play an even deeper or comfort-stretching role: This year I'm serving as comic relief in a dramedy as a drama teacher who is 1 part creepy, 1 part war veteran, and 1 part crazily British. In the process I've been finding out so much more about myself. I've been in LCC for about a year now, and if anything has given me the chance to push my comfort zone even further, it's this group. Our show is in two weeks, so we're down to crunch time. Can't wait to share some pictures with you all!

<3 Linda

Just Popping in to Say...

That I made my first sale! The bone clip is now gone and I will probably be making another one soon with different thread because I just love it a lot. I definitely wasn't expecting to sell anything within 2 months, so yay for little accomplishments! This is my first dollar... ever. (I never had a job before this, sad I know). But it's cool to think that my first dollar was an online one!

I wish this could be a longer and more picture-filled post, but alas, the time has come for homework. I'm already behind in reading even though the quarter's just begun. Oh college...
<3 Linda

Cramped Living Quarters

The full view

My favorite painting by Van Gogh, "Cafe Terrace at Night" and an L-shaped paperclip.

Gala Darling's self-love manifesto. Told you I printed it out! I changed the color to match everything else, though.

Go check out this artist's site at Arcane-Arts.com!

And lastly, my own scallops. I'm planning on making more for the shop, but I had to have them for myself too! Mine's a brighter mint green than the pictures show.

And there you have it. I'm living here full-time so my desk is pretty darn messy from all the things I have, but you can see a few snippets of my personality here and there! 

<3 Linda

Things I've Learned About College So Far

1. School pictures still don't turn out the way you want them to.
2. No matter how good dorm food is, you will get tired of it after you eat it everyday.
3. Everything's a short distance away, but you have to travel up and down millions of flights of stairs just to get anywhere.
4. No matter what a school's reputation is, you will always find a variety of people there. As in, if your school's known for partying and you're not much of a partier, you're sure to find other people who are the same. Or vice versa.
5. Learning to hone your napping skills is absolutely necessary. Learning to nap in-between classes, wherever you can, and at the drop of a hat are all abilities that you need to have to survive school.
6. TV is no longer important in your life. Coffee is the most important thing in your life.
7.  It's hard to make and keep friends unless you join a student group to find people with similar interests. (This is particularly true at large universities.)
8. TAs will often provide more knowledge and insight than professors can.
9. Student discounts: A college student's blessing.
10. The difference between a triple and a double is vast. Get used to living in cramped spaces, friends, because no matter how hard you try, your desk will always look like a tornado blew through it.

Yeah. I think that just about sums it up.
<3 Linda