Monday, January 26, 2009

New Kanzashi



Something more simple for everyday use :)

For the next one, I wanted to make a kanzashi that celebrated the month of March, and ultimately Saint Patrick's day. Originally, I wanted the main flower to be a black rose for the Irish theme, but it didn't pan out so well. It was just one of those days when the dye wouldn't set in evenly into the silk, and that it was much too cold and humid for the glue to dry quickly enough to form the petals. So I went with the camellia (not native to Ireland, but it's still a March motif). I decided to stray a bit from the more traditional-looking kanzashi and have the seven, four-leaf clovers crest over the camellia. On top of that, I added seven Swarovski AB crystals to the hand-dyed velvet leaves. For extra luck.



Click the images to head over to the listings!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Monday, January 19, 2009

Sunday, January 18, 2009

My First Tat

For about the past four years, I've been debating on what design I'd want emblazoned on my body for the rest of my life. From wings, to Celtic knotwork, to voodoo veves, my mind played with various designs until I was certain that I wanted to settle on something definite. So sometime around the beginning of November, I went in to Tattoo Marks of State College (by myself, no less) to acquire my first tat of the Felix the Cat variety.

The parlor is reputed to be the best in the city, and even one of the best in the northeast. Individuals from many miles around have flocked to this place to get a piece of art inked into their flesh, and I can see why. Newly relocated closer to the busier part of downtown, the interior is maintained in pristine conditions, while at the same time invoking a bit of an intimate atmosphere. The walls are obviously decked with hundreds of previous works done by the artists to give any spontaneous client ideas of what they would like. The staff is quite friendly and laid back, putting even the most jittery clients at ease.

While waiting to get called to the station, I handed over a print out of Felix's head to artist Lowercase J. On said paper there was the size I wanted and a much larger scaled version. For some bizarre reason, I thought the larger size was needed for reference...or something. I dunno, I'm an idiot.

Anywho, I was finally called behind the counter to get my outer left calf prepped. After sanitizing, J then squirted some kind of solvent to help scrape away the dead skin on my leg. The image was then transferred on the desired spot before I finally hopped onto the table. "Ready?" J asked, to which I replied, "Go for it."

I heard a buzz from the pen before I felt it. It was akin to being scratched hard by a vibrating mechanical pencil. It wasn't all that bad, really - sure, there were a couple of moments where the needle hurt a bit, but it was no more painful than someone pinching you. Then again, I've had lit cigarettes and hot lighters put out on me before (don't ask).

The entire procedure only took only forty minutes and it costed $200 (plus a $20 tip). A thin layer of foam padding held in place with some medical tape was all that was needed to protect my new tat from the elements on my way home. Over the course of the following few weeks, I cared for it religiously according to the given instructions. Because of the winter weather, said tat was dried out for a bit, but soon returned to its normal healed state. It was only up until now that I finally got off my lazy arse to take the picture and write about my experience.

Eventually, if my wallet permits it, I would like to get a second tattoo of Max's head (from Sam and Max) on my right calf, as well as a massive, full arm and shoulder inkjob of various japanese motifs. Better start saving my monies.

NOTE: Image taken with my MacBook Pro, so image is flipped.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Sunday, January 4, 2009

New Years Resolutions

Well, it's another year gone by and 2009 will offer...who knows? I'm not one who typically sets goals for the New Years, since I rarely achieve more than half of them. Regardless, I'll post my list here if any of y'all are interested:

In no particular order:

1) Make at least 150 sales combined from all three shops (so 50 per shop).

2) Lose at least 20 lbs.

3) Buy my first house

4) Adopt a Dog

5) Adopt a second chinnie

6) Road trip around PA

7) Pick up kenjutsu practice once more

8) Learn to cook more Irish and Cajun dishes

9) Start and finish RCIA