HELLO happy blog!

Items on clearance this week

2010-07-17T07:33:00.000-05:00

Everything must go! http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellohappy?section_id=7179763

Today's Clearance

2010-07-12T08:21:00.004-05:00

Original price: $6
Sale price: $4! http://www.etsy.com/listing/21741651/may-flowers-on-sale

Original price: $35
Sale price: $22 http://www.etsy.com/listing/25753232/bunny-girl-dahlia-on-sale

Inventory Sale

2010-07-11T10:25:00.001-05:00

New items added daily to my new shop section and everything's at least 30% off the original price. I really need to clear out my room of all these plushies!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellohappy?section_id=7179763

And sorry folks, but shipping is now back to domestic only.

Today's items:

Original price: $35
Sale price: $20! http://www.etsy.com/listing/18459513/birthday-cake-gift-box-on-sale

Original price: $25
Sale price: $19! http://www.etsy.com/listing/28079382/purple-costume-pup-on-sale

Worldwide shipping is open!

2010-07-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

For this week only, until the 10th, anyone from any country can purchase items from Hello Happy! Any items going out of the USA will be shipped on the 10th. http://www.etsy.com/shop/hellohappy

The next time I'll be opening it up again won't be until the week of Christmas!

Of course, most of my items have expired lol.

Aww, hi blog

2010-06-21T08:46:00.000-05:00

Clearly I'm not able to keep up the blogging while going to school full time, which is pretty disappointing. And my Etsy items just keep expiring-I'm down to like 14 items or something. ):

And I might even try to get a part time job, HAH!

Clearly I have brain problems.

Aveda: week 2 + Mushroom Bros

2010-04-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, Ddung here! I'm just sitting here, surrounded by two giant, delicious cupcakes, trying to decide which one to eat first. Gosh, life can be so difficult sometimes.

DDUNG!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!
ahem.
Anyway.
We learned how to cut hair this week! I can't even believe it! I can totally cut a one-length (like this http://www.hairstyles53.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2009-summer-haircuts-2.jpg) and a graduated (like this http://besenretail.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/victoria-beckham-graduated-bob.jpg) style. Freaking sweeeet. And this upcoming saturday is our first live model (non mannequin) cut!! Omg!! Good thing we're doing it to friends and not random strangers lol.

Also, this past Thursday we had our special shopping day. Normally we get 50% discount on hair/makeup/skin products (super win!), but on that day we got 65% off! So I bought several products and I'll review them over the coming weeks. Today is the Hand Relief lotion:

Sigh, Ddung just can't keep herself out of a single photo. Anyway, I was deciding between the Rosemary Mint Body Lotion or this, and I randomly picked this one. There wasn't really any reasoning behind my choice. Anyway, it smells like an orange cookie so if you're not into that, pick the other one.

Okay so, for a few days I had 3 odd bumps on my middle finger tip and they weren't going away, in fact they started to get bigger, but since I bought the lotion the bumps are almost gone. I don't think it's a coincidence, I believe it's all the plant extracts that did it. Either way, I recommend it for sure. But then, I always get weird finger things. Probably because I'm a crafter. (:

Speaking of crafting...

I made these dudes quite a while ago but didn't feel like taking photos (lol). Made them using the long eared bun pattern actually, though obviously the tall mushroom had some modifications. They're not for sale at this time, but eventually I'll sell them PLUS their pattern. Still haven't put the long eared bun pattern for sale either. Ugh. Maybe I'll do that someday. Maybe I'll do it later today, I dunno.

First Week at Aveda

2010-04-11T14:18:00.003-05:00

Whew! My first week at Aveda Institute was pretty exhausting, even though we barely did anything other than sitting on our butts! Also I think I had an allergic reaction to something yesterday, what with all these bumps on my arm, but whatever~

Okay, so this is what a strand of hair is:
-Medulla: the core, it's...the core. It doesn't do anything really.
-Cortex: the guts, the main attraction. It's also where your hair pigment is, and the shape determines the what kind of hair (curly/wavy/straight) you have.
-Cuticle: the shell, it protects the cortex and it's transparent. It's made of scales that will open shut and close.

I learned some interesting things:
-Volumizing products literally open up the cuticle and put...stuff...into it to make it look bigger, so if you're using it and have your hair dyed, your color can (and probably will) fade faster, because the pigment is literally falling out of the cortex.
-Hair dye you buy in a box from a store is expired or faulty product normally sold to salons and beauty supply shops. Seriously! That's why it never works the same way twice, because it's literally crap. Never knew that.

We learned how to correctly hold ~~scissors~~ shears. And we learned how to part hair into 6 sections...IT'S HARD. You wouldn't think simply parting hair would be so difficult but no one got it perfect. In an hour and a half. Shampooing and conditioning hair in the shampoo bowls was also an interesting experience. Yes...interesting. Especially the hoses; if you turn the water on before you grab them, they act like fire hoses and go everywhere! ...And yeah, a few of us learned that the hard way! Bahahahaha

Also, we learned one of the Aveda rituals, the one we give before a haircut or style. It's a scalp and shoulder massage that takes about 3-5 minutes, of course it took us about 20.

Oh, and my class is really small, 22 students, so we know most of each others' names now. Most classes are like 50+ but it's nice having a small class.

Gosh, Aveda has a lot of really nice products and I wish I could try them all! I'm concerned about the fact that most of them contain wheat though, since gluten and dairy both make me break out. But who knows, it could just be an internal thing, maybe just putting them in my hair/scalp won't be a problem! Wish me luck. (:

Btw these are the products I'm most interested in, especially the madder root system:

No longer shipping internationally

2010-04-02T09:04:00.002-05:00

Eep, you heard it. I start school April 6th (in 4 days omg yay!) and the hours are from 8:30 til 5:00, Tuesday through Saturday, but I'll be out of the house from 7:45 til about 6:00. Guess what, the post office hours are 8am-5pm mon-fri, something like 10am-noon on Saturday. So I have Monday open, but I don't have a car and honestly, I'm not paying $2 to ride the bus there, because then I'd have to add $2 to every product etc etc. Plus I'd have to wait another 2 hours for a return bus. I'm not spending one of my two days off of a 40+ hour week waiting for a bus, you know?

So yeah, unfortunately I'm only shipping domestic for the next...10 months. WELL, there are a handful of whole weeks off, I will offer worldwide shipping then, so I guess it'll be a game of luck lol.

To sum things up: no USA residence, no ship. lol. HOWEVER, if you buy something TODAY, I will ship it tomorrow. But only today! Tomorrow I'll be editing all my listings (ugh).

EDIT:
So there are only a few days in the year I'll be able to offer international shipping, and *drumroll*

Here they are!
Thursday, July 1st - Friday, July 9th
Thursday, December 23rd - Friday, January 1st

Hahaha yep that's all.

Fabric for sale

2010-03-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

This is a post that I update with each new fabric that becomes available. All fabric is available at Spoonflower.

Yellow apples on pink:

Candy Bear and Super Awesome Trade!

2010-03-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

Wuuuut?

It's candy...but it's a bear...I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE!
Haha, she's for sale over at Etsy.

Meanwhile this gal got some new pictures taken, cuz her old ones were crap and I knew it, but I was laaazy

Lastly I did a trade with Etsy shop Miso Dolls and it came in the mail the other day.

GORGEOUS!!! Her shop is empty at the moment, but the second she adds more dolls snatch them up immediately! Seriously all of her kokeshi dolls are so amazingly cute, there were 3 I could choose from and it was SO. HARD. to pick one! I traded my brown totoro squid for her.

And for the record Ddung, you are NOT cuter than that doll!!

While you wait for new dolls to be added, here are some cute kokeshi dolls on amazon you can look at...but save your money for Miso Dolls! Hahaha

Quickie Reviews: The Princess and the Frog, Ninja Assasin, Percy Jackson

2010-03-29T11:24:00.003-05:00

Okay, starting with The Princess and the Frog, it sucked it sucked it sucked. Disney will never be what it once was, and I guess now I have no choice but to accept it. Princess was made for kids with ADD; there was WAY too much going on in the span of 10 minutes and good lord, not every single character should have their own song! The next day I watched half of my Disney collection to get rid of the bad taste Princess left in my mouth. It was still better than the majority of kids movies that have come out in the last couple of years, but compared to the classics it just totally and completely sucks.

Rating: 4/10

Next up is Ninja Assassin, a movie starring the puppy-faced Rain, who I prefer to watch in cute Kdramas. Oh man, I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this one! It was basically a blood bath with gallons of blood and limbs flying everywhere. Everything was CG though, so it felt more like I was watching a cartoon rather than a grossly realistic puke fest, which made it really fun. I was laughing through the entire movie at how ridiculous the plot was, then at how epically awesome the fight scenes were. Seriously, just see this movie. Also, I hope that one day an Asian can play more than either a nerd or kung fu master.

Rating: 8/10

And...Percy Jackson?! Yes...I actually saw this in the theater with my mom. We were bored and it was either that or Shutter Island and we weren't in the mood for drama. Actually we were hoping it would be funny, and thankfully it was! A lot funnier than we thought it'd be, too. Surprisingly entertaining. I'm sure if anyone read the book (not me) they would be highly offended at how stupid the movie was (unless the book itself suckS just as much. HELLO TWILIGHT), but if you just wanna see a crappy B movie and laugh, I'd recommend it.

(Whoa, just looked and apparently there are 5 books? YOU MEAN 4 MORE HILARIOUS MOVIES? RIGHT ON!)

Rating: 6/10

Movie Review: Inglorious Basterds

2010-03-27T08:25:00.004-05:00

I give it a solid 7/10

The thing that kept from 8 or maybe even 9 was the editing, or rather lack of editing. Quentin Tarantino is notoriously bad at editing though, and most reviews noted that IB should have been a good 20 minutes shorter. I'm inclined to agree, only more like 40 minutes.

Each scene used uncomfortable silence and was reeeally stretched out. It would have meant more if there were only maybe two scenes like that, rather than...like, every scene.

And don't even get me started on Brad Pitt's ridiculous accent. Why oh why did that have to happen lol.

But overall it was a pretty good movie. Not enough action IMO, but like I said, if they had cut some scenes shorter it would have been fine. The best parts of the movie were about the Jewish theater girl....

SPOILER!

I loved her! I want to be her! The fact that she would burn down her own theater in order to kill tons of high officers was amazing. She had brains and beauty. Her plan with her employee/boyfriend was freaking awesome.

/SPOILER!

Say what you will about Titanic, but that movie has some damn fine editing. And a LOT was edited out too, but sometimes you gotta take stuff out to make a better movie. I'm sure Tarantino will never understand this concept however, and I don't like the majority of his movies anyway, so I don't really care. :P

PEDOBEAR PEDOBEAR WUT

2010-03-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

Just a heads up, if you don't find pedobear amusing you should just stop visiting my blog because we can't be friends.

Oh yeah, I went there.

THERE.
bwahahahaha

You can take him home with you at my etsy shop.

I plan to do other internet meme animals too! I'm already working on long cat and tacgnol. Totes gonna make keyboard cat! Maybe insanity wolf if I can figure out how. And maybe lolrus because I LUV BUKKITZ.

Woo hoo school! And new stuff

2010-03-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

I'm officially a student, yes! I went to my orientation yesterday and the first day is April 6th. I'll be there from 8:30-5:00 Tuesday-Saturday so...obviously there's going to be fewer crafts happening. But I'm going to Aveda Institute so I'll post lots of hair/makeup/nails tips for you guys!

Meanwhile, these are for sale at etsy and 1000 markets:

Weird little guy

2010-03-21T12:25:00.002-05:00

Well he's not actually very little, he's almost 10 inches tall! He's definitely weird though.

Really spontaneous pattern; I actually wanted to use part of an old shirt on it, which is why I made it so tall, but it didn't match any of my fleece (of course), so I went in another direction with it. Turned out pretty interesting I think! I also wanted to use up the last pair of gigantor eyes I had. I think they're 16mm, which used to be the only size I could buy in a real store (versus online w/shipping ugh). SO GLAD Joann remodeled and now carries them in all sizes! <3

Anyway, my mom was really taken with this one so I'm going to give it to her, though she doesn't know that yet. (:

Oh, also wanted to mention that I hand stitched the whole thing! Because I am insane. Actually it's because the sewing machine is in the basement and I can't watch tv or movies or chat online or anything fun down there.

PS, I'm watching The Fox and the Hound, and it just got to that part when the old lady leaves Todd in the forest. ):

Amigurumi Pattern

2010-03-16T10:20:00.002-05:00

Yay amigurumi! I've been on a crochet bender over the past week. I'm actually planning to sell this pattern in my etsy shop soon, I just have to get everything together. Of course the buns will be for sale too. :D Well, the yellow one was just the prototype so he will probably just stay with me.

These two are totally in love btw.

I also made two keychains:

I am totally in love with the purple guy. So fancy! Hahaha
The purple one's at my etsy shop and the yellow one's at my 1000 markets shop.

Lastly...this little guy finally found a home! Hope he likes North Dakota! I can't imagine it'll be all that different from Minnesota except that most people actually have jobs over there. Hah...

30 day challenge...officially over

2010-03-16T09:55:00.000-05:00

No, it hasn't been 30 days yet, but I'm super bored! I started making my own custom workouts and it's a lot more enjoyable and I can work the muscles I want to. If I wanna work my arms I'll work my arms, I won't do 2 sets of lunges and incline skating and then SAY it's an arm workout lol.

So, I'm quitting the game's 30 day challenge, but I'm still exercising.

Oh btw, yesterday I tried that really hard looking one-you squat, then go on your tip toes. It...REALLY HURT OMG! hahahaha after like, the 3rd rep I wanted to die. Of course the 35 second (I think, maybe it was 40) squat and hold also made me want to die, but I DID actually make the whole thing, which surprised me. I really didn't think I'd make it! I know a few weeks ago I wouldn't have.

Btw, anything less than the "hard" levels of dancing doesn't get your heart up at all. Unless you're a completely uncoordinated oaf I guess. And I don't mean slightly awkward, I mean you can't move your arm up when it says up in less than 2 seconds.

Lastly...while eating my breakfast I bit the inside of my lip twice. Owwie ):

Brand new Joanne store

2010-03-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

The Joanne near us closed down a couple of months ago to move into a bigger location...and WOW! It sure is bigger! I think they opened up a week ago. It looks more like Michaels now than Joanne! Tons of paper crafts, and they even have painting and wood stuff! But there's also loads more fabric and fat quarters, including wool felt. Yay! Hancock was the only place that had wool felt before and the colors were seriously limited. Well, the colors Joanne has now are pretty limited too, but they have colors that Hancock doesn't, likewise Hancock has colors that Joanne doesn't. So it's pretty much a full spectrum now. I would love to use wool felt but I just don't have the money for it. Buy more of my stuff everyone! Hahahaha! Also there were a few new colors of acrylic felt and they can all be purchased by the yard now as well.

There's also wool roving in colors people will actually want! Hancock has nice earthy brown/grey/black colors, but hideous primary colors. Now I can buy lovely pinks and greens and yellows!

My mom was excited about the new assortment of bag handles.

Out of all the new stuff, the best one IMO is...safety eyes in all sizes! Before they only had HUGE 16mm ones, but now they have them from 6mm all the way up! 4 pairs...for a buck! YEAH! I could only ever buy them online before but now I can get them whenever I want, for a buck, and no shipping! WOO! Seriously this is gonna make my week. If I ever want colors other than black or brown I'll have to get those online, but seriously, I never want other colors. So I am happy. They're the plastic washer type, and I prefer the metal type, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Neat photography trick

2010-03-12T14:15:00.001-06:00

So after making my 1000 Markets shop, I decided to start with I'd list buttons and mirrors that had long since expired from my Etsy shop. Problem was, the photos were all crap so I wanted to retake them. I'd always had trouble with taking pictures of small things though; the colors would be wrong or the room just wasn't bright enough or there was too much glare...something. Anyway, I was reading all of the beginner tips on 1k markets and it was all stuff I'd read on Etsy before, blahblahblah, but I came across a tip I hadn't seen before. Take your pictures like this:

Get a small bit of very white paper (well, mine wasn't super bright white, but you should get some) and color one part of it super black (I used a sharpie and it wasn't super super black...). This way the camera can be able to tell what's white, what's black, and properly display all of the shades in between.

The colors all came out perfectly. The only editing I did was resize them, then select "auto color" in photoshop and fade it between 30% and 70% depending on the image. Couldn't be faster or simpler. I should have increased the EV by 1/3 while taking the pictures, but it's hard to tell what you should have that at before they're on the computer, am I right?

Anyway, I hope this works out for you guys as well as it's worked for me!
Btw both of those items are at my 1000 markets shop. (:

I've been a bad girl

2010-03-12T14:03:00.000-06:00

Not proud to admit this, but I skipped my workout today! Ugh, the weather's been nothing but dark and cloudy and rainy and gloomy this week and I just don't feel like it.

Actually I've been reading this all day, it's about puppy raising, specifically the tale of one puppy in particular. I don't own a dog nor have I ever owned a dog, but I would love to have one, so reading through all of the information is really great. Plus hilarious! But wow, puppies must be a hell of a lot more work than kittens! And when we needed a new cat a couple of years ago I was against getting a kitten because of all the energy it'd take. Man. Kittens seem so ridiculously easy by comparison.

Projects projects

2010-03-12T09:54:00.002-06:00

Here's what I did yesterday:

Finished this hat. Actually I started it a long time ago but didn't have the yarn to finish it. Anyway, I ended up unraveling the whole thing and redoing it double stranded instead of single. Turned out nicely, I wore it to the grocery store yesterday and it was nice and comfy.

Started a new amigurumi bun! All that's left now is to make 1 leg, 2 ears and put her together. Only I might decide it's a HE, not a she. Heh heh

And then...this thing...
I had a couple of pairs of giant safety eyes sitting around (since like forever!) so I decided to try this out. Made a quick new pattern just for this guy. It's fleece and kinda big so I'll be machine stitching him. And yes, this one is definitely a boy, he has a bow tie!

Odd Bun for sale & possible wholesale

2010-03-10T12:40:00.000-06:00

"Hello, I am Mr. Starry and I am SERIOUS BUSINESS. Do not be fooled by my pink bow tie and star pattern, I am neither silly nor whimsical."

You can check him out over at my 1000 Markets shop!

In other news...I might have a wholesale order soon...from Shana Logic! How cool would that be! But not for another month so we'll see. (:

EA Sports Active: Day 17&18

2010-03-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

Today's workout? Pretty boring. Where is that increased intensity I was promised? I'm turning the game to medium next time.

Anyway, after today's workout I made my own custom one with boxing, incline skating, dancing and volleyball. I added a baseball one too, but the catching doesn't make sense to me. It says all you have to do is move the wiimote in the direction the ball is coming from, but my little person doesn't move. It's seriously frustrating.

Tomorrow's a rest day but I'll probably do a short "workout" similar to the custom one I did today. It's just too boring when I don't exercise!

EA Sports Active: Day 16

2010-03-09T15:57:00.000-06:00

Today was sports day...and yep, it was as pointless as I thought it'd be. If only they got my heart rate up or built muscle or something...NOPE!

The game said I burned 47 calories today, but I don't believe it.

Odd Buns

2010-03-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

Say hello to the odd buns! All except for the little purple one are machine sewn. It was a fun little experiment. The two small ones were made from the same-size pattern, as were the two big ones. It's interesting how different the two big ones are from each other because of their unique fabric properties! Btw, both fabrics were old tshirts of mine. :D And the moment I saw the musical fabric at the thrift store I snatched it up immediately!

Another project...ami buns! I've never sold any amigurumi ever. Isn't that weird? I do little ami stuff all the time but I've never sold any? The yellow one there was my prototype (he has sharpie features hahaha) but I intend to sell the brown one. Well, I'm gonna make her a dress first. :D Plus I plan to make several more of these and later sell the pattern as well.

Happy Picks

2010-03-07T11:41:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Happy Picks! I pick stuff that makes me happy. :D

Up first for you consideration is Spock! Only he's lookin a little more fly than usual these days. Hahaha I just love this drawing, it makes me laugh every time. You can see the original here, but be sure to check out the rest of this wonderful artist's gallery too!

LOLWUT? A chain chomp bean bag char?! Quite possibly the super awesome-ist bean bag chair ever designed. Ever. Made by Liyo Labs, who has many cute nintendo themed items in her shop!

Next up is this lovely book! I love Japanese craft books, they just do it better over there! And this one looks darling! My mother makes bags and I've always kinda wanted to try, and this book looks really easy to follow along with. This and That from Japan is one of many shops on Etsy with books and craft supplies from Japan, but they have a few things I haven't seen anywhere else. Right now their shop is on vacation, but add them to your favorites now so you don't forget!

If you're looking for cute, look no further! This adorable necklace features a crane grabbing game. Look, you got a bear! I want one of these so bad! ...That's another thing Japan (well, all of Asia really) does better than us: toy grabbers. Most of the ones I've seen have really ugly toys in them, but they have the cuuuutest ones overseas! Oh the jealousy. But anyway, check out Fluffels for all kinds of cute acrylic jewelry and plushies. I think I've seen her stuff on Shana Logic too!

I LOVE THIS PIG OMG! Okay, I know I said not to look any further for cuteness, but I LIED SO HARD. You've got to check out Flufftail; it's filled with unbelievably cute plushies! They're just...so cute...I have no words to properly describe them. They don't exist in the English language.

And lastly we come to this lovely Alice necklace! It's so simple, just some fabric, ribbon and yarn, but it's sooo cute and clever! Las sandalias de ana has lots of sweet necklaces and pins, plus some dolls and plushies, and they're all so simple-yet-amazing! Seriously sweet shop.

Now get shopping! ...Because I can't lol.

EA Sports Active: Day 13-15

2010-03-07T10:59:00.000-06:00

I've now made it to the half-way point, and it shows! After the last two workouts I was barely even out of breath! Each workout ends with a long run, so that's HUGE progress for me.

Lunges and squats have also become no match for me; I don't even start to feel a burn until the last 2 reps! I've even started increasing the length of my steps for the lunges but I still don't burn until I've done 10 of them. That's good really, but kind of boring. It's no fun if I don't feel like killing myself! Hahaha I might be turning into a masochist.

Thankfully after that last workout, a video played, congratulating me on reaching the half-way point, and informing me that my workouts are going to increase in intensity. YAY! I was contemplating turning the difficulty setting to medium but it looks like I can continue on with easy lol. New exercises are going to be introduced also. They only showed me one...but it's definitely intense! You squat down, and while squatting, step up on your tip toes! WHAT?! Haha I tried one and I shook like an earthquake! That'll be fun! :D ...Oh dear, my inner masochist is showing again.

One complaint I have is the sports. Boxing is great and it gets my heart pumping, but the tennis and basketball ones seem really pointless to me. My heart rate drops and there isn't any muscle building. They're supposed to build up reflexes and coordination, but it seems like bs to me. I mean, the real sports certainly would, but holding the wiimote and nunchuck while moving your arms isn't the same thing. Apparently my next workout day (day 16 on Tuesday) is going to be mostly sports. Hate to say it but that just seems like another rest day. Oh well. I haven't done any baseball yet, maybe that one will be worth my time.

Oh, later today I'm going to do a Happy Picks feature! It's been ages since I did one! There are lots of cool stuff from different people I wanna show off.

Shana Logic Contest pt1

2010-03-05T13:00:00.001-06:00

So you may or may not know that Shana Logic is having a contest!
First Place: $100 gift card to ShanaLogic.com
Second Place: $50 gift card to ShanaLogic.com
Third Place: $25 gift card to ShanaLogic.com

Needless to say I had to enter! But you can enter twice, so I'm definitely going to make something else! I just don't know what yet. ;D Plus I have another contest to enter on DeviantArt so I've got a full plate!

I decided to make her happy cloud character, but I felt like he needed a friend, and I thought to myself, "What if he was raining on another cloud? How would that cloud feel?" Apparently the answer to that is "not so happy."

I almost want to tell everyone not to enter, cuz I really want one of those gift cards! Hahaha

New pattern try out

2010-03-05T12:20:00.000-06:00

I decided to try out my new pattern on different fabrics to see how it would turn out! Interestingly, each bun had a completely different shape.

And did I mention I used the machine on all 4? :D
That thing is fun to use. Also decided to use this bright teal color thread that I never use on all of them, cuz, why the heck not?! So here are the progress shots of one of them:

Each bun has a completely different face as well, but you'll have to wait to see them. Not sure exactly when they'll be for sale, but sometime next week they'll go into the shop.

EA Sports Active: Day 11&12

2010-03-04T11:26:00.000-06:00

Not much to report, jumping and incline skating are still hurting me lol. My arms got a great workout today!

One complaint about dancing: the nunchuck is too sensitive to movement, so it thinks you've moved before you have and then you get off of the beat. Getting off the beat has no effect on the game, only your feelings. Hahaha.

Tomorrow's a rest day.

EA Sports Active: Day 10

2010-03-03T12:04:00.000-06:00

Day 10 shall be forever known as lunge day! I did every kind of lunge that exists, and two sets of each!

Amazingly enough...it wasn't that difficult! My thighs are a lot tighter now, though there's still plenty of room for improvement.

20 more days to go! Can't wait to see my results. (:

1000 Markets

2010-03-02T09:10:00.001-06:00

My shop has been approved and my shop is now live! http://www.1000markets.com/users/hellohappy I looove the look of 1000 Markets, and like Artfire, there aren't any fees until the item sells. I hope it works out, I didn't really like Artfire. They have a lot of nice features but I couldn't get any item views in my shop! On Etsy that's pretty easy.

Just to give a heads up, 1000 Markets currently only takes US based shops. International buyers are welcome, however! It's because they use Amazon Payments and that only exists here right now. They hope to open up in other countries in the future though!

Oooh my shop looks so nice, I love how they do categories! GORGEOUS!

So pretty~~~ My mother was saying that her photos look so much nicer at 1000 markets than at etsy...and I gotta say she was right.

Also, Violetchi is in the Etsy shop now!

Tamagotchis and a New Bunny

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-06:00

Say hello to Mametchi and Violetchi! I thought they'd make adorable pets for any BJD owners out there. (:
Oh man I wish I had a BJD! ONE DAY I WILL HAVE AN ARMY OF BALL JOINTED DOLLS!

Yeah anyway. You can find Mametchi in my shop right now, but Violetchi won't be posted until tomorrow.

Yesterday I also made a new pattern.

I like it. :D Think I might make it a teensy bit bigger. I hand stitched this one (took forever), but I plan to machine stitch them.

I'll probably make some felt ones too, because well, I love felt! But I have so. much. fabric that I never do anything with.

Oh, so my mom tried making marshmallows yesterday. They tasted good while they were mushy, but when they firmed up...for some reason the taste is just off. I tried one earlier today and after two bites I felt really sick lol.

But they look good! Haha

EA Sports Active: Day 8&9

2010-03-01T11:02:00.000-06:00

Today was fun! Way better than super-duper-ooper boring yesterday.

Big news: I got all 9 jumps during inline skating! On BOTH sets! I hurt like hell but I did it! And it only took 8 days! Gosh, we young people are so lucky hahahaha. Maybe in 20 days it won't hurt so much. :P

Two new exercises were introduced today: fast high kicks and basketball. I've done slow high kicks during run/walks before, but never a fast one! Woo it was exhausting. It's that run where you essentially kick your butt, lifting your feet high up. Definitely felt the burn! And the basketball was kinda fun, you move your hands to the left to pick up a ball, then jump and shoot to dunk it!

Besides the run/walks, which are essential to my muscle warm ups (and kind of fun!), I find I'm really enjoying the boxing exercises. It's fun to just punch away at targets and the bag. RAWR!

I think there's a little muscle growth all around, but not noticeable to anyone except me yet. YET. :D

Tomorrow is a rest day! I get bored on rest days.

EA Sports Active: Day 7

2010-02-28T12:33:00.002-06:00

The game said today would give my legs a rest and be mostly arms.

SAYWUT?

Then why did I have to do TWO sets of reverse lunges AND inline skating; two of the hardest exercises?! Screw you, game.

Oddly enough the workout didn't start with a run, so my legs didn't get properly warmed up before said lunges, so I hurt in a place that's not supposed to hurt. Thanks genius game, really. =/ There aren't any instructions telling you to stretch before working out so I assume the game is supposed to warm you up. And it usually does, with the running. But not today. Next time if there isn't running in the beginning I'll just do it myself before I start, to avoid hurting myself later. Ugh stupid game.

Haha I complain too much, but today's workout was super boring. Tomorrow is supposed to be full body so hopefully it'll push me!

Easter 2010: Walmart vs Target

2010-02-28T10:28:00.001-06:00

Walmart and Target are essentially the same store. Target is usually thought of as the more attractive, upscale version of Walmart, and sure, most of the time their stuff looks a little better, but for the most part they're of the same quality. In my opinion, Target usually completely obliterates Walmart in terms of design, although the whole mod thing is getting kind of old.

With that said, who do you think will come out on top for Easter 2010? [Cue Tyra Banks]

Let's start with color schemes!

In the first corner, we have Walmart:

They have a nice showing of bright, happy colors! Now let's check out Target:

Ouch, that's not so good. That pink with that green? Really Target?

Walmart: 1 Target: 0

Alright, let's see some items! Walmart, what are you offering?

Squirrels and owls? And they're absolutely adorable?! Well done, you deserve a point for each item! Now what does Target have to show us?

That plate! Ugh! The colors! And those egg holders most certainly have a future lining thrift store shelves. The easter baskets are fantastic though! Points for those!

Walmart: 5 Target: 2

But wait, there's more! Walmart wants to show us two more items!

Why, those are simply the sweetest things I've ever seen! Points all around! Target?

That sheep is hilariously awesome! Point! Those bunnies however...they seem to be wearing colorful straight jackets! What were you thinking?!

FINAL SCORE
Walmart: 7
Target: 3

Walmart had a lovely color scheme and adorable animals that all fit nicely together whereas Target had a horribly clashing color scheme and no real theme. For once, Walmart has defeted Target designs! Walmart also had far fewer items that would be discarded after Easter, not just because they were cuter, but because they were almost all edible! Target had too many dust collectors and not enough adorable candy.

[Btw we bought those blue marshmallows...and they tasted terrible lolol
But they're so cute!]

Thrift Store Finds

2010-02-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

I actually got this last week but hadn't gotten around to taking pictures. I love, love the style. This spring and summer I want to wear nothing but flowy, floral dresses and skirts with pretty little cardigans. They're so feminine and pretty while being extremely comfortable and casual. I want to live like that from now until it gets too cold. Except it's too cold now. ...So when it's warm enough til it's no longer warm enough.

Right.

Ahh so pretty. But guess what!

That's right! New York and Co! This skirt probably originally cost like $50! It's 100% thin, flimsy cotton and it makes me sad that someone actually paid that much for it. People really need to understand what kind of clothing is okay to spend that much on and what's not. SUCH a waste of money for thin cotton. But hey, I got it for $10 so I'm happy. :P

I will take my camera with me next time I go thrifting so I can show you guys all the cool stuff I like, but can't buy!

EA Sports Active: Day 5&6

2010-02-26T13:55:00.000-06:00

...LUNGE JUMPING.

Repeat that over in your head a few times.

Lunge jumping.

It really is as bad as it sounds.

Although the overall workout wasn't really that bad. I'm getting stronger every day and it's only day 5! Tomorrow is a rest day. Might go thrift shopping later today or this weekend. (:

EA Sports Active: Day 4

2010-02-25T13:28:00.001-06:00

Woo, day 4! Still lovin' it and feeling motivated to continue! Today was more arms than legs so I didn't get too exhausted. Now they've started to combine different arm moves together: bicep curl + lateral raise; bicep curl + bent over row. I definitely prefer them combined, it takes less time. Also introduced was "dancing;" basically you just move your arms in the direction it tells you. You can kind of make it like dancing if you go with the beat...but eh. I'm not big on dancing anyway.

Today's worst award goes to...jumping! Squat, jump, squat, jump...oww! And right after a set of those I had to do incline skating! Which is like, the exact same thing except you have to time your jumps correctly to do "tricks." Haha oh well. Hurt like a mofo.

Side lunges are a lot easier for me now, even though it's only day 4! I had no problems whatsoever. Very promising.

Unfortunately for me, tomorrow will be more jumping. Oh joy~

EA Sports Active: Day 2&3

2010-02-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

For the first couple of weeks, every 3rd day is a rest day, which is good, because I don't want to die.

Day 2 will be forever known as "reverse lunge day," aka "kill me now day." Lunges are bad enough, but reverse lunges are like the devil! It's essentially the same move, but instead of moving your leg forward and bending it into a 90 degree angle, you take the leg back and make the angle with the other leg. It doesn't seem like it'd be any different...but it is. IT REALLY IS. I had to do 3 sets of them!! Plus 2 sets of regular lunges...omg. I really need this rest day today! I am sooo sore.

EA Sports Active: Day 1

2010-02-23T10:08:00.001-06:00

My game arrived yesterday and I started my 30 day challenge! After 20 minutes yesterday on low intensity, which was really 50 minutes due to all of the how-to videos you have to watch, I can proudly say that yes, I am sore. Interestingly enough, my left thigh and my right calf are the most affected. But was it fun?

Oh yes.

What makes this game better than just some exercise video is just that: it's a game. You want to do well! Not only that, but if you're doing something wrong the game will correct you. For instance, I was doing these...things. Okay so you sort of bend at like 45 degrees and you bring your arms up using your shoulder blades...something like that. Anyway I wasn't doing it right and I knew it, but the game told me I needed my hands to be facing down before the lift and then it all clicked!

The 30 day challenge is great cuz you won't be doing the same stuff every day; that prevents boredom and lets those muscle groups rest. Yesterday was almost all SQUATS AHHHHHH so thankfully I think today will be more arms. The game actually tells you what's on tomorrow's agenda, which is cool. It lets you un-select exercises too, but I'll just force myself to do all of them.

Oh gosh, the worst was the incline skating! So you're on roller blades and you have to squat to go fast. Okay, fine, I hurt, but okay. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! You have to JUMP!!!! off of ramps to perform "tricks!" Good lord are you kidding?! I had to do that one twice yesterday and both times after the 2nd jump I just wanted to die. Hahaha my legs are so weak right now. I have faith that in 30 days I'll be able to get all 9 jumps! Check out the video below, skip to 2:50 for the skating!

It'll definitely be interesting to see how my fitness improves in a month. Just to note, I'm not doing this to lose weight; I'm 4'11" and weigh around 104lbs so there's no problem there, but my problem is that I'm super skinny-fat. I am way too flabby for someone this small hahaha. I need less jiggle and more firmness. So hopefully I'll be tight and strong and WOO! when this is over. And by then it'll almost be time for me to start school!

Btw, don't forget to check out my ebay auction!

Ebay & Facebook

2010-02-22T10:24:00.001-06:00

He's now up for auction! I DO enjoy Ebay, I only wish I could use it more. :D

Now about facebook, Hello Happy's got a page, but I don't just post new items and blog entries, I post webcam pics of in-progress designs! Yesterday I posted 2 (crappy, low quality) photos of a new headband I made.

Lastly, I'm gonna try out 1000markets. My mom made a shop there and she likes it. A lot. Like, a lot. So I might as well give it a go. You have to have 6 products ready to go and all of your shop images up before they'll approve you, and of course they might not approve you, but I'm sure I won't have a problem. ;P Anyone reading out there have a 1000markets shop? Do you like it?

Thrift Store Finds

2010-02-20T10:19:00.000-06:00

I've pretty much gone thrift store shopping every weekend for the last 3 weeks, I just love it! Actually for a long time I've had a dream to open an Ebay shop and sell my magnificent finds, but I always thought of it as a far off dream, since I don't really have any storage availability. However, I decided I could start that dream now if I wanted to, but I can only buy little teeny things, and only one at a time. This little guy is first in line:

But he won't be put up until Monday, it's just foolish to list anything on weekends. (:

I also found this adorable sweater! It's aaaalll mine. ;D See, when I start school in April it's an all-black dress code, so I try to find something black whenever I go, be it shirts or shoes.

It's in perfect condition; no loose threads and even the buttons are still strongly attached.

Sadly a lovely bag escaped me...I didn't have a camera with me so unfortunately there are no pictures, but there was the most amazing little bag/lunch box with hand painted girls and what I think were paper mache strawberries...IT WAS SO ADORABLE OMGGG. But it had too much wear and tear, and one of the strawberries was broken so I left it. But it was so lovely. And the inside fabric was so cute! UGH! I'm gonna be thinking about that little bag for weeks.

Free photo prints at kodak

2010-02-19T11:33:00.000-06:00

If you create a new account on kodak (do they check IP addresses? haha) you can get 50 photo prints for free! Although looking at their prices they are pretty gosh darn cheap anyway. Anyway, you just have to pay shipping, which ends up being $1.99. Two bucks for 50 photos? Sign me up! Well I signed myself up. Golly I'm so funny.

Anyway, I did like 11 different photos, if you wanted to you could to 50 different ones or 50 prints of just 1 photo. Totally up to you. :D

Yeah I totally plan on selling them in my etsy shop. XD

Seed Stitch Love

2010-02-19T10:45:00.002-06:00

I love the seed stitch, I don't use it enough. Anyway, this is pretty much the exact same hat as the other two, but instead of the whole thing being 2x2 rib, I just ribbed the edge and am seed (aka moss) stitching the rest of it.

I would have double stranded it, but this was more of an experiment so I was using a leftover skein, and it's pretty much run out already. I like it a lot anyway, I'll keep this one for myself. I'll definitely make one for sale though! Hopefully I can find this yarn at michaels, hancock or walmart because joann moved to a new, bigger location and isn't opening back up until MAY! Geez, Lost will probably end before that store is open. But I think it was Vanna's Choice, in which case yes, I will be able to get it at one of those stores.

I wonder if the new joann will have wool felt! Hancock has some but it's only in like black, grey, goldenrod and purple. They have some neat patterned poly felt though, in checks, houndstooth and some animal prints.

Ugh I wish joann would hurry up and open nowwwww!

Knitting makes me lazy

2010-02-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

I half hate knitting, not gonna lie. Just because it's soooo repetitive, though the end result is always awesome. :P

I slacked off and it took a WEEK before I finished this hat. Yes, 3 hours over the course of a week LOL. Seriously I have problems.

But anyway, I'm still excited to sell hats. Also still can't believe the first one sold in an hour. If that happened again I would die from shock.

Here's the listing, I totally already twittered and facebooked it. And as of this second it's already got 27 views. :D

I wanna try a different pattern. Like, ribbed for a couple of inches and then seed stitched. That would look nice. We'll see. :P

Narwhals Narwhals Swimming in the Ocean

2010-02-16T09:58:00.002-06:00

...Causing a commotion cuz they are so awesome!
(if you haven't heard the narwhal song you're seriously missing out http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/Narwhals/)

So anyway, my friend asked me to make him a purple narwhal. I found a great pattern http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=328302.0 but I was out of purple felt so I did a trial run with a green one (and I made it smaller). It came out pretty well. The purple one is at his apartment now, making everyone jealous. ;D

He bought me a blue icee in return.
...Yeah I think I'm gonna need another one before we're even.

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T08:43:00.003-06:00

I hate being a grown up

2010-02-13T15:04:00.000-06:00

No, actually I hate people who aren't grown ups. Sigh, the problem with being college aged is that your friends don't wake up until noon or later, then they text you at 6pm asking if you want to hang out.

NO, I am already changed into my pajamas ready to watch tv and/or movies. I was ready to go at 10am thank you very much! Not to mention the endless amounts of fast food they consume; they don't call it the freshman 15 for nothing. Ugh.

And that's my personal rant of the day.

Discount and free shipping

2010-02-10T09:26:00.001-06:00

These are only available by buying me a premium account on deviantart.com. A simple one month is $4.95, and for that price you can get any 1 of the pins/clips in the photo. A 3 month is $7.95 and you can have 2 pins/clips. If you want to go all the way and buy a year, it's $29.95, and you can have 3 pins/clips and a custom plushie, or you can have all 8 pins/clips plus I'll make you a bow clip (or pin if you prefer) in your chosen colors. This last one is worth over $50 so you're getting $20 off plus free shipping! You can click here if you already have a dA account and purchase right away, otherwise you can create a free account in minutes and then click the link. (;

Oh, I finished the little rabbit badges and they should be up in my shop later today! Just gotta take pictures.

I'm currently trying to get a new copy of EA sports active on ebay for at least $10 off the retail price, wish me luck on my bidding!

Attention graphic artists/designers

2010-02-09T16:40:00.000-06:00

Cafepress is having a Lost tshirt design contest, if you win you could go to Hawaii! Click here to check it out, and click here to see my entries (so far). You can enter as many times as you want so feel free to make 235823958 designs.

Surprise!

2010-02-08T16:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, so I listed the very first knit hat in my shop today, and literally an hour later it sold! I was really shocked. At the time I was on craftcult checking my item views and I didn't see the hat, so I opened up a new tab, thinking I edited it and forgot to click finish. But just as I did, I noticed the sold items number went up by one, and I just stopped breathing for a second. "No. Way. It can't possibly be. (clicks on sold items) OMGWTFBBQ?!?! AWESOME!"

So looks like I'll be making more hats! Hopefully it wasn't just a fluke. ;D

Also, wanted to let people know about my valentine's boxes printable pdf that's in my shop, I've already sold one set.

But as special offer here on my blog and at deviantart, I'm giving the pattern for the sweethearts-themed one for free! Click here for the big ole' png image. Use it well!

Oh, and though it's past Christmas, I actually made Xmas boxes back when they were usable, you can find them on my deviantart page should you want them.

Lastly, I also added this bow to the shop today:

I actually machine stitched it! Lacks character IMO, I'll probably stick exclusively to hand stitching in terms of hair clips.

Most super awesome-ist trade ever

2010-02-08T10:53:00.003-06:00

Not long ago I had an amazing trade with Tina (etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/thequaintbrew) and I really want to shaaaare! She wanted a double sided plush (like my multiple personality bun) featuring a couple of tokidoki cows. Thankfully she sent me links of the toys and even sketched out what she wanted so it was totally brainless, hehe. In the end, I ended up with this:

Not to toot my own horn, but damnit I'm gonna toot my own horn! I think it came out absolutely amazing! But of course, this was a trade, so you're probably wondering what I got...

Adorable little cakes with INSANE amounts of detail! My photos really suck cuz my camera has a real crappy macro mode, but you can go to her deviantart account and see gorgeous photos of them. And even though her photos are amazing, in person they are even more so. Just...jaw droppingly perfect! I have to think of a photo shoot idea with my little Ddung doll. :D

24 Valentines

2010-02-08T10:45:00.002-06:00

Since I was 12 I wanted 24 valentines. 24 isn't so kid friendly so obviously they don't exist (that I know of), so this year I made some myself! :D

It's 9"x14" so unless you have big paper (and a printer that allows it) you'll have to crop to print.

Click here to get the big version!

Little Animal Pins

2010-02-08T00:10:00.002-06:00

Well also hairclips, but the ones pictured are all pins.

I've never made anything in large quantities before so I thought I'd give it a shot! I'm currently working on bunnies, and next are puppies. These little guys are pretty quick so they're gonna go for $6.

Speaking of cheap pins, on my deviantart account I'm giving out pins/clips for 1 month subscriptions, which are $4.95. So if you pay that, you get a pin, worth at the very least $6 + $1.8 shipping. If you're interested check it out, I'll have more pins/clips there soon: http://soupcomplex.deviantart.com/journal/30109487/

Okay. So what have I been doing since November? Not a whole lot. Picked out a cosmetology school I wanted to go to, but I ended up not liking the location, so I picked another one, Aveda, which really, is much better, and I was going to attend in Feb (this week actually), but my financial aid didn't finish in time. So unfortunately it's off til April. But that just means more time for crafts right?? SIGHSIGH. SIGH. siiiigh.

Maybe this is how my blog is gonna go, to keep me going. I think I gotta have some personal bits in or I'll just lose interest. Hopefully my life won't be too boring for you guys. Also, I'd like to note my surprise in my average of 8 visitors per day, since I haven't even updated in months lol. My halloween boxes get a lot of attention. (:

I don't know how to blog

2010-02-07T23:53:00.001-06:00

How do people have the energy to keep up a blog? I don't know how. I left in November and haven't had any real want to come back.

Back in high school I had a personal blog and I updated it almost every day; I even had several fans! But I dunno, I spend all my time crafting, watching movies and trying to go to school (don't even get me started on that disaster lol) that I don't really have the drive to blog.

I think I'll try to start again, but it's gonna be difficult to motivate myself.

On a short break

2009-11-08T08:58:00.002-06:00

Due to my somewhat annoying life at the moment I'm on a bit of a break from crafting and blogging. Should be back later this week or next week.

Doll Hobby

2009-10-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

I love making clothes for, and taking pictures of my cute little Ddung doll!

Most of the time the lighting is no good, so the photos come out a little grainy, but I really don't know how to do good lighting. I mean, it just doesn't work. Ever. I think I would need like 8 lamps haha.

Anyway, I bought mine off of ebay (for maybe $15 including shipping), but the offical site is here. They don't have that many though. Beware of ebay though, cuz there ARE some fakes, and btw, they are really ugly. :P Actually if you find your way over to the Korean site (the dolls are Korean) you'll see they have like every kind up for sale, which is so not fair! I should also mention I have the mini version, not the full size, she's about 4" tall.

Omg they have cakes in the Korean shop! HOW CUTE! ...Yeah.

Halloween Box Collective Post

2009-10-23T14:09:00.001-05:00

Fill em with candy and give them to your friends, or even to trick-or-treaters! They. will. LOVE. them!

Click the links to get the hi-res images. Download, print, cut, fold, glue, and fold more!
1-Pumpkin 2-Ghost 3-Candy Corn 4-Skull 5-Bat 6-Jack-o-lanturn 7-Frankenstein

My only rule is no selling! Otherwise use them for whatever purposes you would like.

Candy Corn Candy Box

2009-10-19T12:55:00.001-05:00

Yeahhhhh the candy corn box is here! I searched around for a good triangle template, and I kinda hated them all. There was one similar to what I wanted, so I designed one like it, but with better dimensions. It was way too flat. So anyway. I actually remade this one twice cuz it just wasn't working for me, but this one is the winner!

You can download the hi-res jpg here, and as an added bonus, I made a faceless candy corn too, just in case someone wants it!

If anyone uses any of my boxes, send me a photo! I'd love to see what you do with them.

Bat Box, also I got new boots!

2009-10-18T16:13:00.003-05:00

Here's a companion to the bunny box, the bat box!

Personally I think it would make an amazing candy box! Super cute! I plan on making a Frankenstein's monster, zombie, triangle candy corn...maybe others. Not sure, I just know it's really fun. :D You can grab the hi-res jpg here.

Next up...shoes! I'm 20 now and I've never fully embraced the boot. So I decided to go out and get myself a pair of ankle boots! I went online to look first, saw a few cute pairs on the payless site, so I went to the brick and mortar store and...they didn't have any of them! What the heck! So I went to Target after and ended up buying these cuties:

I loooove them. I feel like a grown up when I wear them! Hahaha. Actually there was a really cute pair of calf boots there too, and they were really comfy, but these were $30 so I wasn't going to put down another $20. Maybe next time.

Oh, hello there Mr. Pink Bunny Box!

2009-10-16T09:29:00.003-05:00

Look, me make box! Me make cute bunny box! Anyway. I downloaded a free box template (sssh I'm not telling, but it was like the first result on google lol) and, as Paula Abdul would say, I made it my own.

Click here to get the large resolution file. Print it out on paper if you're putting it on your shelf to look at, or print it out on card stock if you're going to use it as a giftbox! I think it goes without saying you're not allowed to sell this box...dur. Btw, if you DO use it, post the pictures!

Copycat scarf

2009-10-16T08:13:00.001-05:00

So I got lazy and took forever making my copycat scarf (this post), but I finally did finish it a couple of weeks ago!

It's not quite as long, but all that length would just get in the way! Personally I think it needs more fuzzy hearts. (:

Learn to knit

2009-10-15T09:56:00.005-05:00

Haven't you always wanted to learn how to knit? It's so rewarding to make your own scarves, hats and blankets; you can choose whatever colors, textures and patterns YOU want! I knit and crochet, but I definitely prefer the look and feel of knit. Here are some scarves I did last winter, of course it's not all of them:

You can literally have a scarf/hat/pair of gloves to match each outfit. And it's a great way to kill some time if you're bored.

So how did I learn to knit? Why, I learned it from the interwebs! Gotta love youtube. Anyway, the best videos are from Mrs. Moskowitz Knits. She uses giant needles and yarn to make it easy to see exactly what you're supposed to do. So grab a couple of wooden pencils and whatever string you've got laying around and start learning!

Just a little SQUAM

2009-10-12T12:15:00.002-05:00

"Oh hey, what's up? I'm just chillin here in mah basket. Got any chocolate marshmallows by any chance? PLZ?"

Here's my cute little creation, Mary Jane. She's part squid and part Lamb. Not really sure which was the mom/dad. Actually I made her a year ago.

Whaaaaat.

Yeah, at the time my camera was horrible. I honestly spent like 2 weeks trying to get some decent pictures but I totally failed and eventually just forgot about her. Then a few days ago, while rearranging my book/movie shelves (which have turned into plushie shelves haha), I found her and got all excited. And so now she's over at my shop, waiting to be adopted~

Happy Picks 2009-10-10

2009-10-10T23:02:00.002-05:00

Okay, this has to be one of the coolest items (and shop) ever! The "soda" is actually mountain dew sented shampoo, And the NES controller is a bar of glycerin soap! Not only would this make a great gift for yourself, but anyone who receives this will love you like a thousand times more.

Be sure to check out Digital Soups over at Etsy! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6721867

Happy Picks 2009-9-24

2009-09-24T12:21:00.002-05:00

To celebrate the new squid I posted in my shop today, here are a few more squids I found! They're all super awesome. :D

1. iPod Cozy by SockStar 2. Digital Print by CritterShop 3. Original Illustration by Fauna Finds Flora 4. Original Painting by HoseShoeCrab 5. Tea Towels by Squid Ink Kollective 6. Original Painting by Jimbot's Junkyard 7. Plush by I felt that 8. Print by Squids' Ink 9. Plush by Handmade by Angela 10. Plush by Hello Happy 11. Cufflinks by The Clay Collection 12. Miniature Painting by Small Time Shopping

Treasury Tuesday 9/22/09

2009-09-22T22:12:00.002-05:00

It's time for a new feature-Treasury Tuesday! Sure it's 10pm here and Tuesday's almost over, but who cares! Today's treasury was curated by craftydill, who sells many adorable vintage items. Really guys, feel free to buy me anything from her shop! lol

Anyway, be sure to check out the treasury, it's got some very nice items in it! And yeah, okay, Etsy has grey/mustard stuff on the FP all the time...but you know what, I love grey/mustard so shut up! :P

Tutorial-Simple image editing

2009-09-20T11:45:00.003-05:00

EDIT: I've also added a video so you can see in real time what I did! How cool!
---
So you've taken a photo that looks okay, but it's a little dark and doesn't POP! the way you want it to. There's a really easy and quick way to fix this. Obviously it won't work for every photo and there's a certain amount of tweaking involved, but once you try it you'll realize how easy it is.

As you can see, the first photo...well it's pretty dark and dull, but the second one is much brighter, colorful, and eye-catching!

Read on to find out how!

For this tutorial I'll be using Photoshop 7, the only program I have. ;P Earlier and later versions probably have the same things, but they might be in different locations, so look around your program and find out where.

First step of course, is to open up your image. I always re-size mine to 800x800px for etsy, big enough to see detail, but still a small file size.

Layer modes are probably my favorite feature of PS. They do a lot of work for you! hehe
Anyway, next step-duplicate your image layer and set it to soft light. I usually keep mine somewhere around 50%, but it really depends on your image. Try different percentages and see what looks best!

If you don't know how to duplicate a layer, click and drag your layer to the icon that looks like a page-that's it.

For the next step, duplicate that layer, and change the mode to screen.

Here I set it to about 30%, but again, do what looks best for you!

Finally...do a little more tweaking and you're done! I actually increased the screen layer by another 10% afterward before I was happy.

NOW WATCH THE VIDEO!!

Really, really simply way of editing photos, even a dummy can do it! Sometimes when you put a layer on screen, your whites get nice and bright, but your blacks get grainy and start to fade away; never fear, level adjustments are here! But that's a tutorial for another time. (:

What did y'all think of my first tutorial? Any questions? Feel free to ask.

Happy Picks 9/19/09

2009-09-19T13:27:00.009-05:00

I'm going to start a weekly (possibly biweekly if I feel like it!) Happy Picks feature, where I'll feature items and sellers that make me happy!

The first feature is going to Kristi McMurry and her darling photographs. I mean, I think they pretty much speak for themselves. A group of teeny, tiny deer facing the big, bad world all by themselves? WIN! Super duper cute amazing happy win!!

Be sure to visit her shop!

And just to let y'all know, I posted a short video of my crafting on the Hello Happy Facebook page!

New Animal Species: SQUID!

2009-09-17T09:01:00.002-05:00

To be honest, I can't believe the octopus/squid trend is still strong, but hey, as long as it's still going I might as well jump in, right?

I've already finished one, so look forward to that in the coming days. (:
I keep trying to make other animals but it usually doesn't work out. I have a mouse ready but meh, mice aren't that exciting to me. Tried out a giraffe too! But that neck just doesn't agree with me. Was thinking about an owl, which might require a bit of work to figure out, but I think I could do it. Any animals anyone's thinking might be good?

But moving on to hair...I've tried 2 other different things and they both failed too, haha. Eventually I will find a method that works on my head. I think. And that's it. :P

Soft Rollers pt 4 & New Product Type

2009-09-15T10:07:00.006-05:00

Okay, screw the soft rollers, they just aren't giving me the curls I want. I think they're just too skinny, I need some nice fat ones.

So I remembered as a kid I used braid my hair and make it crimped. Not that into crimping but I thought it would be fun for a day. :D

So there's the result. It's okay...for a hideously ugly style anyway lol.

But moving on, I've decided to start selling a sort of choose-your-own-adventure type of product.

They're all unfinished because the customer gets to decide what they want it to be! The price on the listing will be the price for a pin, hair clip, keychain or hanging ornament, but for a little extra you can get a necklace, ring, or pretty much anything once could think of...not too sure what else they could be, but I know some people out there want something else! haha

Actually I have a new necklace to post...but due to some circumstances (my mother!!) our mannequin bust is gone. It is way too difficult for me to take pictures of my own bust. I just fail so hard at getting into the right lighting for some reason. So that'll have to wait. Either that or I'll get myself a cute little model. :D I have so many headbands too...yeah, I need a model.

Next time...dunno. More hair posts. Hey, this is supposed to be a craft blog! Oh well, whatever.

Knitting and Earrings and Going Bliiiiind

2009-09-06T10:28:00.004-05:00

I've been spending soooo much time on the computer lately, or knitting, or doing something that's right in front of my eyes I feel like I'm going to be legally blind by 30...
haha.

Knitting is really fun, it's actually made me hate winter less! Last winter I enjoyed wearing my many scarves and having everyone be jealous. :P Might have to start taking the bus, so I'm making a super warm, tube (double thickness oh yeahhh) neck warmer. But it's not one of those sissy ones you see a lot of on etsy, it's actually functional, lol. Anyway, it's taking a lot of yarn and I already had to go out and buy more once, but it looks like I'll have to go again! I'm double stranding it also. It's really...tall.

Also started a Jan Di inspired scarf. Jan Di (also known as Makino Tsukushi!) is a character in the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango in Japan) and she wears many cute scarves and hats in the show, but this one in particular is so adorable!

I'm not doing a direct copy, it's green, and instead of colorful blobs it'll have fuzzy hearts, but I do plan on making one in the future.

Well, that's all for today, I'll update on my soft roller experiment next time!

Adventures with Soft Rollers Parts 1&2

2009-08-31T23:04:00.007-05:00

A short break away from crafts...let's talk hair!
My hair is wavy, it looks very blehhh on its own. I used to straighten it, but for the last couple of years I've been into the curly look. Luckily my hair holds curls pretty well so after about half an hour with the curling iron I'm good to go. But curling irons can be damaging, and 30 minutes is something I would rather spend doing something fun, am I right? So, soft rollers. Put them in while I sleep and I wake up with curls with no effort!

Not quite...

The first time I used them it was morning and I had showered the previous night, so I wet my hair, put them in and used the hair dryer.

I was a little impatient and didn't dry it 100%...big mistake. The curls didn't take at all and I just had a mess on my head.

But that didn't stop me from trying again! That very night, after I took a shower I put them in and was pretty confident. Well...the curls certainly took. But they were a little off.

SIGH. But wait, with a little styling...

I could be a cute little flapper girl! All I did was gather the non curly hair into a high ponytail and pin the fringe against my head with bobby pins. Obviously with some hairspray it would look better.

Now, flapper hair is cute and all, but it's not really my thing. I'm trying again tonight and hopefully it'll come out more how I want it to!

PLEASE PLEASE!!

One last shot from the nonflapper.

See you soon for part 3!

Who likes cheap fabric??

2009-08-24T11:36:00.003-05:00

How about fabric that normally costs something like $15-$25 a yard for $5-$15 a yard? Yeahhh.

Well, look no further; behold my new etsy shop: Discount Fabric!

I posted my first listing today. I plan to post 2 or 3 every day so check back often and tell your friends!

Btw, can you believe discount fabric wasn't taken already? :D

Hello Facebook!

2009-08-22T09:31:00.001-05:00

Hello Happy now has a facebook fan page. I'll update it when I add new products! That's all for today. (:

Winter Blanket

2009-08-21T12:44:00.005-05:00

Oh, hi blog. Sorry I abandoned you for a little while even though I said I wasn't going to. SIGH.

I've been working on a blanket/afghan for the upcoming winter season. Decided not to rush, just to crochet when I feel like it and hope it's finished by Christmas. I'm using that thick and soft Lion Brand yarn that's like $7 full price. You know the stuff, everyone uses it. Coupons are mandatory.

Anyway, I've never done anything other than scarves (for personal use) and stuffed animals, so I was like "hey, let's do a blanket!"

OMG I WAS CRAZY PLEASE LET ME GO BACK IN TIME AND FORGET THE WHOLE THING EVER HAPPENED.

I feel as though I've made a million squares and yet it's still not even enough for half a blanket. Here's what I've got so far:

So you can mostly tell the look I'm going for. After all of the vertical connections are done, I'm doing the same thing on the horizontals. It's a double crochet stitch-I like the 3D effect.

Changing gears to my etsy shop now. All of the plushies posted last time are up, the elephant seems to be the most popular! I was definitely expecting the zombun to steal the show though.

Recently I bought this adorable ddung yearly planner and it just has oodles and oodles of adorable pictures, so I'm turning them all into buttons! Earlier today I made three sets: royalty, food and love. Listed the royalty set today, so check it out, cuz it's absolutely adorable.

I'm also going to have a sale on older plushies starting today (just have to edit some listings) so stop on by the shop if you're interested in a discounted felt friend. (:

New Animals

2009-08-08T15:31:00.003-05:00

It's a bear and an elephant! Whoop. I love my fat little plushie pattern. I spent so many months making plushies I wasn't satisfied with, I can't even tell you! And then finally I created this weird little roly poly rabbit and it just took off from there. Sometimes I find myself making 3 plushies at once, lol. And of course, after several rabbits I figured I should start making different animals, cuz you know, not everyone loves rabbits. I guess. But I love all of them, especially the cat and bear.

These two are actually finished now, and will go into my shop this week. I stopped uploading on weekends because I've found my views are usually a lot lower on new items on sat/sun vs mon-fri. Also made a zombun! Yeah, zombie bunny! It's AWESOME. Flesh sewn together, a heart falling out of its body, a chunk bitten off an ear...
Oh, I can't help myself, here's a photo!

Just a sneak-peak. It'll be in my shop soon!

New Start

2009-08-07T13:03:00.006-05:00

Okay.
I'm really gonna do this blog thing! Here we go!

Just discovered CraftyPod, it's fantastic. Specifically I clicked to this podcast: http://www.craftypod.com/2009/07/04/craftypod-95-crafting-for-money-vs-passion-with-paul-overton/

It's all about making crafts for fun and also selling them vs. making crafts to sell. Definitely all information I've (and hopefully everyone else who sells online) heard before, but it's always good to be reminded. And I do want to continue enjoying what I'm doing, and I want to add more personality to my crafts, and I want people to get to know me, hopefully through my blog.

So here's step one of getting to know me.

To Feebay I go!

2009-03-14T14:47:00.005-05:00

I read recently that most cosplayers buy their stuff from Ebay, so I set up shop! For those of you unfamiliar with cosplay, it's nerdlets and geeklets dressing up as their favorite anime characters and such.

Actually I already had an ebay username so I just used that one. I tried unsuccessfully to sell a vintage book there once...and well, it was unsuccessful.

But this might do better:

Or so I hope. Anyway, here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170311315272

Btw, yes, I finished my cube bunny. I'll upload him to etsy another day. (:

Tired, sick, ugh

2009-03-11T21:55:00.003-05:00

I've been sick on and off over the last few weeks and haven't really been in the mood to make anything. I did add some cutesy stuff to my shop, but so many things have been expiring that I don't have the heart to add anything else right now. Which is stupid; if I have less items I should be adding more, right? But ugh, I just don't wanna!

Read something interesting...seems all the cosplay nerdies and geeklets buy their costume stuff off of ebay, so I'm gonna do one auction there and see what happens. Just a small, inexpensive thing so if it doesn't go as high as I want it's not a problem. Also read that it's best to start the bid at 99 cents. For some reason people just don't go for stuff that starts at $5. Makes no sense to me, but I'll try it!

Lastly, I spent the last few days making a new stuffed animal and finished it today! It's made of fleece~ Didn't take any pictures, so here's a little scribble:

Should take some pics soon and list it on etsy.

My Studio

2009-02-21T11:26:00.008-06:00

...I do a lot of sewing on my bed.
Probably not the best area, but it's the most comfortable place, so I do it anyway.

My new (finished!) project is this little pink bunny with removable clothes and 2 outfits. She came out pretty cute; I have yet to take any pictures. I don't really have any intention of selling though, I was just in the mood to sew something. Working with acrylic felt again reminded me how inferior it really is to wool felt. Wool felt is amazingly sturdy without being very thick, and it's a total dream to hand-stitch with. Not to mention it comes in 80 bazillion colors! Too bad it's not available in any stores around here, I have to buy it online. I hate paying for shipping...

In other news, I also made two hats! Both are knitted while the blue one has a crochet trim. I'm not the type of cutesy girl who wears animal hats, but I see so many of them online and they always make me go "aww!" so I had to make one...not sure what I'll do with it at this point. The blue one is for me though! And I'm already making another one in a different color. (:

Lastly, I was featured in Treasury West by 12 Midnight Oils, who has some very nice paintings in her shop. My little dysfunctional hamster Lucy was chosen along with a bunch of other cute plushies. Yay :D

HELLO happy sale!

2009-02-17T08:45:00.005-06:00

My sale section at hello happy seems to be growing bigger every day...I've got 9 products up already! 4 pocket mirrors, 3 handmade brooches, 1 set of 4 mini buttons, and there's one little plush bunny. Check it out! I should probably mention these are all going to expire in a few weeks and once they do it's not likely I'll renew, so get 'em while you can!

My other passion

2009-02-13T22:43:00.005-06:00

I love crafts, but I certainly have other passions. The title is a bit incorrect because I have so many hobbies, but one of them is graphic design, so I decided to open up a new etsy shop: Happy Make Over! The only sorts of graphics I could sell in my HELLO happy! shop are cutesy stuff, but I like making other kinds of designs too, so a new shop it is! Only 2 "shop sets" are available at the moment, but I'll add more soon. If you or anyone else you know is in need of a new shop look, check out Happy Make Over!

A new bunny

2009-02-12T17:13:00.009-06:00

There's a new friend in my Etsy Shop today, say hello to Choco Cherry Bun! He's the bunny who loves to love. CCB is made from a sweater I picked up at a local thrift store with the intention of unraveling so I could use the yarn to crochet/knit with, but after I made that cute Amethyst Bun I had to cut off a sleeve and make another one! I still plan to unravel it, but it's a really, reeeally slow process because the yarn is super thin, so I won't be finishing any time soon.

Who likes lacy hearts?

2009-02-09T19:14:00.004-06:00

I do! And if you do, these new products might be right up your alley. (:

This design has more of a gothic lolita/punk feel, but I've also got pink and blue versions available at my cafepress shop, zazzle shop and spreadshirt shop.

Personally I'm a big fan of the Japanese lolita style, but full on is a little extreme; I like small elements mixed in with casual clothing. Just a touch of cuteness goes a long way!

First post, many crafts

2009-02-08T14:15:00.009-06:00

This is my first post to HELLO happy blog!, but typical first-posts are just.so.boring, so I've decided to pretend like I've had this blog forever and post normally.

Mushrooms!
A few days ago I was hit by the sewing bug and hand stitched these little felt mushrooms. At the moment they're just flat art pieces; I haven't decided what to do with them. I might glue some pin-backs on them, and maybe make pendants/charms out of some. I'm sure there are a bunch of other things I could do with them, but I can't seem to think of any! Oh well.

I've also decided to make another "go happy" pendant, this time it's a bear! Since yesterday my RIP Bunny has gotten 40 page views and 1 heart, and that's a lot better than most of my items get after only one day, so here's hoping it sells soon! And let's hope my RIP Bear will be a hit as well.

Of course, I baked it in my awesome 90's Easi-Art Maker by Curiosity Kits. My mom and I found it at a dick blick...apparently it had been in the basement for a long time and they just brought it up. I seem to recall it being about $20. It's basically an easy back oven for crafts-it's really great for small clay pieces, they cook up in 30 minutes or less. Nowadays companies are too afraid to make potentially dangerous toys for kids, but this little oven is totally kid safe! You can't open it unless it's cooled down, which is a really great safety feature. ...Although that same feature makes it worthless for shrinky dinks, because it really helps if you smash them down with a heavy book to get them super flat, but you can't do it unless they're still warm. So I still use the good ole fashion oven for those.