More fascinators--I made some bridal ones

Sweet Reunion between a man and the gorilla he raised as a baby

http://www.pawnation.com/2010/05/24/sweet-reunion-between-a-man-and-the-gorilla-he-raised-as-a-baby/?icid=mainhtmlws-main-wdl3link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pawnation.com%2F2010%2F05%2F24%2Fsweet-reunion-between-a-man-and-the-gorilla-he-raised-as-a-baby%2F

More Feather Fascinators

I made two more feather fascinators for any occasion. One has two peacock feathers accented by a bed of baroque freshwater pearls.

The other is a delicate piece with two satin peach roses (I learned how to make them from a youtube tutorial by a kid!) on a bed of orange pheasant feathers, with these really cool feathers called "goose biots" which are long, curvy and skinny. I also added some curly pheasant flue.

I am a bit nervous about making a bridal fascinator, but that will be my next. I guess I'm nervous because I can't really play with color, but will have to create interest with textures, shapes, and accents.

I am going to contact a wedding blog when I have enough fascinators in my shop.

Am doing a give-away soon--expensive stuff

Either jewelry or one of my new creations--feather fascinators. Stay tuned!

How to sew an organza fabric flower

These flowers are very easy to make and you don't need to be a seamstress to do so.

Get a piece of organza and cut out 6 squares. These will be your flower petals.Thread a needle and tie a knot.

Fold one square diagonally.

Using a running (basting ) stitch, sew one side.

Then sew the other.

Pull on the petal until it earches the knot in your thread. Do the same steps with 5 more squares.

After you have 6 petals, stitch them together.

You will have a lovely flower! Have fun!

I made 2 feather fascinators!

I had such a GREAT time! It's much more fun than making jewelry!

I see a lot of feather fascinators made from feathers aready bunched together and a store bought flower, but what fun is that?

So far, I learned 3 techniques for making fabric flowers from watching tutorials on youtube. I plan to learn more elaborate techniques.

In my green fascinator, I cut out circles of various size and then singed them over a candle to pucker and shape them and keep the material from fraying.

Then I pulled out all my feathers I have in baggies and matched colors. Lots of hot gluing and getting burned!

Can't wait to make more tomorrow!

So I'm going to make feather fascinators!

I'm so excited! I love playing with color, texture, and shapes, so I think this new venture will be a fun one. I still haven't received all my supplies (I bought 99.9% of them from esty sellers) and of course, bought too much! Am broke now. But when it comes to supplies, in whatever I do, I have to have it all and it has to be first rate quality.

I plan to make them from scratch, so I bought a ton of loose feathers, some vintage rhinestone buttons, and am learning to make my own flowers. I purchased 3 from an etsy seller already made (but haven't received them yet) so I could figure out how to make them, but I went on youtube and found a bunch of flower making tutorials.

So I have made a few of my own. They're actually quite simple. You cut out different sized circles and pass each one over a candle flame so they crinkle and the edges get sealed.

I bought 4 types of glue and a new hot glue gun to see whch works best but haven't received them all yet. I also got some alligator clips. I plan to buy bobby pins, hair combs and hairbands in the future when I have more money.

I bought ostrich, goose, guinea, pheasant, and turkey feathers.

I've made one practice one for a gift of the gallery curator in Spain and hopes she likes it!

And I better stop spending!

Mother's Day and my birthday!

My son and his girlfriend came up from San Francisco and took me out to lunch and bought me a birthday cake! It's the first time he's ever taken me out to eat, so he's definitely growing up.

He's 18 and started college last fall. His girlfriend is an older woman--21!

We had a very nice time eating Thai food and drinking sake.

6th Grade Boy WOWS the World with his voice

His name is Greyson Michael Chance and he's 12 years old in 6th grade. He recently was one of the contestants in a local 6 grade talent show and it was taped. He Played piano and sung a song called Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga.

He decided to post his performance facebook, and from there , to youtube along with 2 other songs he wrote and sung. The video went vial and was seen every where with over 8 million views.

Two days later he was invited to perform on the "Ellen Degeneras" show and Lady Gaga called in to wish him well.

He has an AMAZING and soulful voice, filled with feeling andan incredible range.

Here's the original video from the talent contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxDlC7YV5is&feature=related

And then here he is on Ellen:

http://www.popeater.com/2010/05/13/greyson-michael-chance-lady-gaga-ellen/?icid=mainhtmlws-main-wdl7link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2F2010%2F05%2F13%2Fgreyson-michael-chance-lady-gaga-ellen%2F

His parents said they want him to concentrate on finishing the school year and getting ready for soccer before they decide about his future singing career.

Karma and cranes

Well, I've decided to sell cranes for good Karma, in my shop. They can be hung in your car, a hospital room, or even your house. Since my son was very little, every time he took a plane trip to somewhere, I would make a crane and fold it flat, then tuck it in his pocket for a safe journey.

I have 3 in my shop made of beautitful chiyogami paper from my aunt in Japan. It is silk-screened one color at a time.

I also added a Japanese bad karma hex--no, this is not witchcraft or even voodoo. It's a karma spell I do on people who hurt me, or if you purchase it, people who have hurt you somehow.

Don't worry--this hex will not kill, maim, or do any mayhem. Instead, it's all about how much good Karma you have built up over your life. This hex will affect your karma in some way.

I am half Japanese and this is not a western view of karma. It's not even an India view of karma. It is a Buddhist view of karma. It is all about balance in the universe.

I am an agnostic, but my mom from Japan is a Buddhist. She also reads palms in the Japanese way and believes in the animal year you were born. I am a boar.

I totally believe in karma and have done this hex to people who get under my skin.

My mama tells me that doing this hex is actually beneficial because it draws out the negative energy inside of you which could be very destructive if it remained. She first showed me this particular hex when my then husband had an affair with our foreign exchange student who was living at our house when my son was a year old. I cooked for this Japanese girl and befriended her.

What she did was considered very evil for a Japanese, since they are very big on "face".

Anyway, I have it in my shop along with my good karma cranes ( and I will be adding decorative touches to them as I learn the art of mizuhiki (bending of beautiful washi papers).