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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

New Harry Potter Covers


What do you think of these new Harry Potter covers [designed for the newer generation that hasn't "grown up with Harry Potter"]? Personally I think they're lacking the magic. They also remind me of the Famous Five book covers [scroll down for it]. The name Harry Potter, I suppose, is written in Harry's writing [looking at Harry's handwriting from Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them]. But still. I like the older covers better. Maybe they could've kept the colours the same [maroon and yellow for PS, green and blue for CoS, purple and yellow for PoA, and so on]. Maybe it's because I grew up with them? :)


These would be hitting the shelves in November. Which shelves [UK? USA? New Zealand?]? I don't know. Not sure if the old ones are still going to stay. Not sure about what Scholastic is doing, because these are Bloomsbury covers.

I have the first four in boxed set Bloomsbury childrens paperback, the fifth in Bloomsbury adult paperback, and the sixth and seventh in Bloomsbury childrens hardcover. Haha ... anyway, here's the Famous Five cover:


Images and stuff from Bloomsbury, information from Mugglenet.

Don't forget to check out the corsage brooch tutorial!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The brooch bunch

Well, here they are. Made, bought, given. Isn't it a lovely bouquet? Tutorial for corsage brooch here.

Make a corsage brooch!

Corsage brooches were quite the hype this summer! They look stunning on a simple white tee shirt! I bought two, made four, and got given two. I might post a picture of all my brooches later.

Today, boys and girls, we're going to be making this:


Okay, so let's get started:

You will need:
- Tulle [in any colour!]
- Some thick cardboard [It's okay to recycle some, I got mine from a university project!]
- Scissors and strong glue [the basics..]
- A circle template for the centre of the brooch [or anything circular that you can draw around! I used the base of a paint bottle earlier]
- Some jewellery findings, and brooch pins


How to make it:

1. Cut out a circle from the cardboard - it can be as big or small as you want it to be! Mine was about 3-3.5cms in diameter. Cut out a circle from within it, like this:


I also coloured it black because my tulle was black, but this isn't strictly necessary because in the end your tulle completely covers the cardboard base, so it's not seen.

2. Time to cut your tulle! Cut it in long strips, about 1cm by 15cms. But you can make it wider, shorter, or longer! And don't worry about cutting it extremely perfect - no one will be able to see.


3. Now get knotting! Get a strip of tulle, and hold it in a upside-down U shape over the circle cutout. Like this:


4. Then take the two bits that are loose and pull them up from under the circle and through top loop of the upside-down U.


5. Pull the loose bits tight ... tighter!


6. Repeat this with the rest of the strips. One thing to keep in mind: Keep tightening those strips together. After you think you're almost done covering the circle, push it in and create space for more. This will make it sturdier and make the brooch look fuller.


7. Done yet? Just a little more to go!

8. Stick a jewellery finding in the middle of the circle, and a brooch pin on the other side. [Make another circle, cover it with fabric and stick the brooch pin on it. I've also shown that in this tutorial]

The final brooches!


9. Yay! Your super cool corsage brooch is done! Wasn't that easy? Aaaand, doesn't it look similar to this one Emma wears for Teen Vogue?!


Extra notes:
- Instead of using a jewellery finding, you could also make a smaller version of the brooch and stick it in the middle, like how I did it here.

- After you make the brooch, you might want to snip uneven ends, if any. Or you could purposely make it uneven! :) [I should try that!]

- This brooch was inspired by DesignMom's Tulle Tutorial.

- This brooch, before any glue was applied, went through the washing machine. It came out good as new, and nothing happened to the cardboard inside. Phew. No guarantee what happens after the gluing, though! :)


Let me know if any of you makes one! Or if you find out about any other broochey tutorials!!

Oooh, and don't forget to buzzback/comment!!!

Emma's photo © Teen Vogue; all the others are my own.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Amy Walker

Ohh, this video is gold!! Amy is super talented [and she also did a New Zealand accent!]!

Hol(e)y Egg!

How's this for testing your patience?! Franc Grom, the creator of these beautiful eggs drills about 3,000 holes in each egg! But how beautiful do these eggs turn out?! Read the whole story here.


Another artist whose work is just as beautiful and requires lots of patience - Nick Veasey, the x-ray photographer. He x-rays individual parts of objects, then puts them all together on the computer. And voila!


Images are © their respective artists.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

InDesign

How cute is this InDesign birthday cake?! 

By Trickartt. You can view their flickr here.

EDIT: InDesign is a layout software by Adobe! Read more about it here and here.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Smiggle!!

Have I talked about Smiggle earlier? *scratches head and digs old archives* Of course! Here's the original Smiggle post from December!

And here is a behind-the-scenes photo from the "Smiggle Your World" banner shoot:

Isn't the world looking really yummo with all those paint driplets?!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I am a Pigeon.

Yes, funny title indeed. And those who think it's true - no! I'm not really a Pigeon! Bloggers are a lot like Pigeons is the title of a good article on blogging [of course!] I came across a little while ago. Have a read! :)

The same page also has more links to blog-related posts!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Just a little note ...

Hey guys, you might've noticed, I'm back from holidaying and into the bloggle world again ... My first three weeks of university have been very busy, juggling assignments and all, but it finally seems as if I'm getting used to this new year of uni. I will be blogging again! I tried little posts to start with, and it felt so good, that I'm officially back :D

Aaaand, if everything goes well, you will have an Easter goody waiting for you right here tomorrow. Yes, YOU, my lovely!! :D

I must get some sleep now! Toodles!

PS: It would be ever so nice if you left a comment ... :)

PPS: Argh, my posts are being attacked by smileys! :O :O :O

Anthropologie Bottle Art

Wow, take a look at this amazing article on Anthropologie's window display - made out of cut plastic bottles! Such a cool project!

Kandee Johnson, one of my most favourite bloggers, also talks about the display here. Do check out her amazing channel on youtube, where she shows heaps of make-up and dress up tutorials and tips! Yay for free online tutorials :D

Edit: I was writing this post, and the power went off. Thank goodness for sweet "Save As Draft" mode!!
Got that image from Kandee's blog, I'm sure it's © Anthropologie :D I only intend to use it for illustrative purposes.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Etsy - Choose by colour

Mmm ... don't you find the "choose products based on colour" page on Etsy oh-so-cool? I just keep playing around ... ha ha ha ... [you can also see a bit of my screen in here]:


With regards to my screen capture: 
- The colour dots are, of course, © Etsy.com
- If you haven't played Bubble Struggle 2 yet, I highly recommend it. Just as addictive as Orisinal, and just as fun! [See? I've bookmarked it!]

Julia Chiang

I recently found out that one of my friends, Rachael, has been devotedly writing a blog this past two months [and she has over a hundred posts already!]. She shared some very cool information about Julia Chiang today. Why don't you check it out? Here's the link. And here's the link to her blog.

If you've looked at Julia Chiang's work on Rachael's blog, I ask you ... have you ever tried those sweet rings before? I remember devouring one when I was much younger! [I haven't had it since].

Ooh, and do check in later, I am posting free goodies for Easter! :D

Saturday, March 13, 2010

St. Patrick's Day

Buzz Aldrin is here. And we went to watch him speak! 


While we were in the city, we also got to see the St. Patrick's Day parade!


Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, these badges totally wowed me.

I just finished eating a hot-cross bun, and bought a pack of egg chocolates today. Have you started celebrating Easter?

ps: Please, guys, no copying of my images! :)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rainbow stamps

Wow, take a look at these stamps! Total eye candy!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Felice Varini

Hi again, awesomies!! I'm back, and we've already got six assignments in the three days that we've been to university!

So I just dropped in to share a link to Felice Varini's website. Take a look at his amazing plays with perspective!