It's about time! I thoroughly understand why it took as long as it did, it is perfectly executed. There is a different take to this album that I enjoy very much. I'm not a professional when it comes to music but there is something very unique from this one compared to their first, and it's brilliant! In my opinion there are hints of Depeche Mode, Placebo with and while listening Deconstructing Gods it brought faint memories of t.A.T.u to mind. There is amazing assembly in the tempos of each of the songs that work very fluidly into one another. The wait was well over worth it. Eager to see what the future holds. I'm hungry for more.
9.19.2012
DIY: Ear Cuff w. Charm
I bumped into this awesome and creative YouTube channel yesterday, alive4fashion! Click here for the link. Her page was in my
" Suggested Channels " column, which I never check only because I enjoy searching and discovering but this was spot on. Thank you YouTube!
I came across a DIY (Do It Yourself) tutorial on how to make an ear cuff. She had 3 different demonstrations of cuffs you can make and I chose the first one, which seemed most basic and easy to re-create. She is from Berlin so her videos are in German but they're very self explanatory and easy to follow as she films herself step by step.
I changed up her original design of the cuff only just a little bit, so the inspiration is there but with my own personal twist! Let's get started!
Things you will need:
- Ruler
- Pen
- 2.5 cm. String, for measuring
- Wire cutters
- Needle nose pliers
- Filer (I used an emery board)
- 15 cm. Craft wire (The only wire I had laying around was from the floral section of my local craft store, it's thin but still practical for something this delicate)
- 2 jumprings
- Chain, of your desired length
- Charm, of your choice (Preferably with a loop but you can also wrap wire around your charm i.e. if you use a stone or gem)
After you have all your materials and your wire is cut, you are going to file down the ends of the wire to a smooth blunt edge, that is not sharp.
Take your needle nose plier, place at the end of the wire and create an "eye"
Bend the finished eye slightly backward to align with the wire
Use your string to measure 2.5 cm. down from the end of the eye. Again take your needle nose pliers and place where the end of the string was and bend wire towards eye.
Create another eye and cut + file excess
You should end up with something that looks like this
Once you have this finished shape take a pen and mold your shape around it to create a circle shape. Now you have just the cuff. Feel free to adjust to your own comfort!
Now to add a charm...
Open your 2 jumprings and put one on either end of your chain.
Close one jumpring around the cuff and the other with your charm.. I got my teeth denture charm from a local flea market for a quarter! I love it!
If you prefer to just stick with the cuff and no charm you can paint it with acrylics and set it with a clear coat of nail polish, add glitter or even hot glue a rhinestone to it. Play around with the basic shape or add to the design to make it your own!
9.17.2012
DIY: Naturally Dye Your Own Fabric
My boyfriend and I are new residents to the urban area of Philadelphia. For weeks I have been conjuring up different ideas on how we would update our room.
First order of business: Cotton pillow cases
Okay.. this sounds very minute in the process of altering a room but for me and in my case, this needed to be done.
They are (or were at one point) a solid tan in color. Over time the center of them became a darker shade of tan, from dirt and oil. Even after blanching them in boiling water and soaking them overnight, the discoloration would not lift. For awhile I was thinking to just go pick up a couple yards of fabric and make new ones and then I remembered that awhile back I wanted to try naturally dyeing something with fruits/vegetables. Since my boyfriend is a raw live foodist and I am vegan, fruits and vegetables are plentiful in our home!
The first thing that came to mind was - beets. I love the rich maroon red they stain your hands.. unfortunately it didn't work out as well with the fabric the way it does to skin.
I used the salt method which is, 8 cups water : 1/2 cup salt
The salt fixates the naturally released colors to your fabric.
I chose to dye my pillow cases with beets but I think because the fabric wasn't light enough or perhaps I didn't use enough of the beet that the color didn't stick. I quickly improvised and remembered that I could use spices too! I went with a mixture of paprika and turmeric and the results were almost instantaneous. Much better than the beets! My pillowcases are now a lovely deep shade of mustard yellow.
Here is a great link to the different natural things you can use for your dye:
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-basics/naturaldyes.html
As mentioned I used turmeric and this will give a bright deep shade of yellow to your piece, I also added paprika which also added a warmness to it.
Things you will need:
- 8 c. water
- 1/2 c. salt
- Peels of fruit/vegetables or spices of your choice
- Pot
- Large wooden spoon (that you don't mind getting colored)
- Fabric
1. Have your fruit, vegetable or spice ready
2. Bring the water to a boil and pour salt in
3. Lower the temperature just below boiling and place the item in which you are dyeing into the fix for 1 hour
4. After you have let it sit for about one hour, remove your fabric from the pot and wring out completely.
5. Start a new pot of cold water enough to cover your fabric, bring to a light simmer. Add your peeled/chopped fruits, veggies or spices. Let it simmer for another hour.
How long you leave your fabric in the dye will determine the resulting color. You can turn the heat off and leave your fabric in the dye overnight to achieve a vibrant color.
First order of business: Cotton pillow cases
Okay.. this sounds very minute in the process of altering a room but for me and in my case, this needed to be done.
They are (or were at one point) a solid tan in color. Over time the center of them became a darker shade of tan, from dirt and oil. Even after blanching them in boiling water and soaking them overnight, the discoloration would not lift. For awhile I was thinking to just go pick up a couple yards of fabric and make new ones and then I remembered that awhile back I wanted to try naturally dyeing something with fruits/vegetables. Since my boyfriend is a raw live foodist and I am vegan, fruits and vegetables are plentiful in our home!
The first thing that came to mind was - beets. I love the rich maroon red they stain your hands.. unfortunately it didn't work out as well with the fabric the way it does to skin.
I used the salt method which is, 8 cups water : 1/2 cup salt
The salt fixates the naturally released colors to your fabric.
I chose to dye my pillow cases with beets but I think because the fabric wasn't light enough or perhaps I didn't use enough of the beet that the color didn't stick. I quickly improvised and remembered that I could use spices too! I went with a mixture of paprika and turmeric and the results were almost instantaneous. Much better than the beets! My pillowcases are now a lovely deep shade of mustard yellow.
Here is a great link to the different natural things you can use for your dye:
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-basics/naturaldyes.html
As mentioned I used turmeric and this will give a bright deep shade of yellow to your piece, I also added paprika which also added a warmness to it.
Things you will need:
- 8 c. water
- 1/2 c. salt
- Peels of fruit/vegetables or spices of your choice
- Pot
- Large wooden spoon (that you don't mind getting colored)
- Fabric
1. Have your fruit, vegetable or spice ready
2. Bring the water to a boil and pour salt in
3. Lower the temperature just below boiling and place the item in which you are dyeing into the fix for 1 hour
4. After you have let it sit for about one hour, remove your fabric from the pot and wring out completely.
5. Start a new pot of cold water enough to cover your fabric, bring to a light simmer. Add your peeled/chopped fruits, veggies or spices. Let it simmer for another hour.
How long you leave your fabric in the dye will determine the resulting color. You can turn the heat off and leave your fabric in the dye overnight to achieve a vibrant color.
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