Author: TwinkieChan

So one of the things I liked about shopping in Hong Kong were BLINGED OUT T-SHIRTS!!!!! Cute tees decorated with rhinestones. I’m totally going to make some myself for Renegade. That’s the plan anyway! Hairy has his screenprinting set up so we’re gonna see about making some Twinkie Chan tees!

I got up on Saturday and declared an unofficial Princess Day! Dress: I’m Your Present Cardigan: Tarjay! Necklace: Kid Pirate We didn’t do anything special. We had to go to Sacramento again to check out another dog kennel since we are leaving on a family trip to Europe in less than a week and the babies have to stay somewhere. We are not going with the cleanest/nicest/most expensive place, but this place suits our needs: space. Good sized runs with inside and outside. Grass yards to play in. And if your dog is deemed well-socialized, they will put your dog in a play group and not charge extra. We hit A LOT of traffic, and we were running WAY LATE. The girl who worked at the kennel was really nice and let us come in late. Again, it was not the fanciest place, but I think it was the one that both Hairy and I liked best for our pups. We’ll see if they come home missing ears or pooping butt-pudding or something…..!! Then Hairy wanted to eat nutburgers as this rando drive-in place called the Sunflower SomethingorOther. I got a millet burger!!! We ate outside on benches and were surrounded by CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS. They kept coming around to peck food off the ground, and I was SCARED. I assume animals like chickens and squirrels and raccoons are mean, so being surrounded by a cackling posse was like something out of a horror movie :P. On the way home we stopped for MickeyD’s soft serve and all was right in the world!

My thought for the day based on the contents of this photo: sometimes you have to let go and just ask for help! I am so lucky to be surrounded by supportive people, and I am so lucky to have met people who believe in what I do. I am a control freak and I am super independent, and I want to do everything myself. I think many people can survive this way, but I know that I had hit a wall for some time, so it was time to let the garden grow. Today my thanks go out to Marissa and Rita. You’re my team and I heart you! (Travis, you’re out there, too, but, yeah, you know :P)

So I’m printing out shipping labels and packing boxes. Our “office” set up is a bit weird, so I have to haul my laptop over to where the printer is, and right now, my laptop is on the floor. Meanwhile, Bibi wants me to play fetch with her and her cowbaby. So we play a little fetch and I print out some labels I get up to pack boxes and tape some shizz together and what do I see when I come back to the laptop?!?? And Bibi is nowhere in sight.

It was bathtime for Bibi again! We have to bathe her once a week. It helps her be less itchy when she gets her special shampoos and lotionz. You’d think that this regular bathing would just desensitize her to the whole process, but the older she gets, the worse she gets!!!!! Tonight, she played dead for the first time. She had her tail between her legs, and SHE WAS EVEN SQUINTING HER LITTLE EYES CLOSED!!!!. It killed me. Hairy said she was putting on a show, and I just thought she was terrified. If she were putting on a show, I wonder where this behavior is learned? Just instinct? The squinty eyes just killed me. It’s like on TV, when a kid is supposed to be dead or asleep, but the kid’s eyes are just squinty and trembly because they can’t act very well. Too bad I couldn’t get the eyes on my phone cam! Eventually I lured her upstairs with a freeze dried banana chip.

I CLEARLY have color management problems!!!!!! I know it’s hard to look at the comparison, espesh since I only had the desire to be lazy and use Photobooth, but soooo many elements are BRIGHT yellow that it makes me wonder if my file was messed up, or if Spoonflower forgot to add a layer of color or something!!! I wanted to use this swatch to see about using this fridge lining for the inside of pouches…but clearly the detail is too small. However, the real issue is the color. I don’t have a lot of time to keep getting swatches, but i REAAAALLY want to make funny throw pillows, like hot dog package pillows and pickle jar pillows. I have all of these little drawings in a much bigger size, but, ah, the color. What do I do? Suck it up and order more swatches with the bigger images? Maybe. I’d just like to know what I’m doing wrong. I don’t want a fluorescent yellow turkey…..! How many of you have ordered from Spoonflower? I see others post pictures of their fabric, and it all seems normal to me! Also, I drove to San Mateo this afternoon to look for the One Yarn that is Getting Away. That store didn’t have it, either!! I am really picky about a certain yarn that I use to make toast scarves. Even in the same brand and same color…there are two very different yarns you can get. Most of the time I just default to the one I like less, but I was on a mission to find the good one. Three stores later and none of them carry either the good or the bad!!! Sheeeesh!!! Here’s what you do in traffic:

Yeah, so, I though it might be fun to “take” my blog yarn shopping with me by shooting secret video with my cell phone on my adventures. The only problem is that I’m too scared/shy to video myself with my phone in a public place, plus I don’t want to get yelled at because I know many stores don’t want you to take pics inside. Also I’m pretty sure I look like a commie freak craft-store spy, so I’d be in deep dim sum if I got caught! You do get a nice, fuzzy, barely audible soundbite inside of Michael’s craft store, but…..I’m tellin you…that’s the high point. I’ll try to do better next time! Yarn Shopping! from Twinkie Chan on Vimeo. I ended up buying like 5 bags of crap, and I shipped it all off today to my helper elves (yes, I has elves…TWO!). I’ve never boxed up that much yarn in my life. It was amazing. It was like 10+ lbs of fibrous, crafty potential. I haven’t even bought the yarn yet that I need for myself!! I’ve been writing out patterns for my elves, and I also need to write new patterns for some new stuff I want to try for the craft fair (mixed candy scarves!). I think one of the funniest parts of my patterns are the horrible little drawings I create to try and help illustrate my instructions. I think they probably end up making everything even MORE confusing!!! They crack me up sometimes. Don’t worry, graphic designers! I won’t be quitting my (nonexistent) day job!

(click to see it HUGE) (I’m a bit disappointed that I can’t figure out how to make my pictures not get de-saturated when I upload them to the internet. There is always a really big difference, and I’m not sure how color profiles and all that jazz will help me…!) Anyway, this was a special commission for a very sweet gal I know in Ohio. She was basically like, “Make me anything!!!” I tried to get her to narrow down her likes/dislikes, and some keywords I gathered were PINK, GLITTER, and LADYBUGS. I asked Cindy at Studioloo if she could spin me something pink and glittery. I requested a lot of angelina fiber because it’s the only fiber in my tiny amount of fiber knowledge that has a lot of glittery sparkle. Cindy sent me an AMAZING hank of delicious pink sparkletude, and then I got to work! (click for bigger) I’d never worked a moebius style scarf before, and I had a little trouble figuring out how to get it going (it works from the middle outward because you switch back and forth between working on the top and the bottom), but once it worked out, it was a lot of fun!! I alternated the pink yarn with a cream colored wool/acrylic blend. (Note about moebius scarves: the thicker you go, the bigger your twist, the shorter your scarf gets!!!) And I finished the cowl off with a removable brooch/pin that I sewed a little ladybug button to. I really love the way it turned out. I think it REEKS of girlygirl, which was my goal. Also it is fairly versatile, since you can wear it with or without the flower brooch, or with or without the twist showing. I am planning how I might want to make something similar for me!

When Bibi was a pup, she snored REALLY LOUDLY. It was kind of comforting because we knew what she was up to! I read online that Shar Peis often grow out of their snoring as their schnozzes develop, so I was a bit sad that Bibi snored much less as the months went by. But sometimes you can catch her buzzing away like a fat bumblebee. I love it!

1. Space Booties from Patricia Field 2. French Writing Desk on Etsy. 3. Polka dot Pocket Dress by Shrinkle. 4. Orange Soda Pop Bunny by Cutesypoo. 5. Vintage Baby doll by Shrinkle on Etsy. 6. Tiny Needled Felted Koala by Violetpi on Etsy. Check out her other listings. AMAZINGLY adorable animals! 7. Brain in a jar!!! 8. Beaver doll by Stitchface. I am SOOOOO itchy to buy stuff right now. FunStuffRoundUp to the rescue to help me at least share without purchasing! OY!!!

Test-run for new bunches-of-baby-carrots scarf. This is not a final version, so I may just keep it for myself. I also want to shoot pics of Bibi wearing it!!!

I’m not sure what could possibly be more horrifying to Bibi than BATH TIME!!!!! This is the dog who even loves going to the VET!

This is what I wake up to sometimes: Bibi in bed next to me, with her head on the other pillow. I find this so endearing, every time!!!!! Today Manda and I had lunch at El Farrolito in the Mission, then Safeway to buy tissue boxes for cozies, then to Office Depot to a new printer cartridge, and then to Fabric Discount where I bought heart buttons for cute-tility pack noses!! I was complaining to Manda about how expensive my printer ink refills are (I have a photo printer, it was a present), and she suggested maybe buying a different printer with cheaper ink for my every day printing. I thought this was brilliant. We saw an HP printer/scanner at Office Depot for $80, with ink cartridges for under $20. I’m very interested, but Hairy also wants to research more on Amazon. This weekend is bat mitzvahs and family bbqs!

So I got my Voltron Shirt from Poppy’s Wicked Garden” and she also asked if I might take pics in one of her tutus. I’m not really a short skirt kinda gal, because I’m afraid of my butt hanging out, but I figured it would be fun so why not! I snapped a few pics today, and I have to admit, her tutus are REALLY comfy, can be worn higher on the waist or lower on the hips, and are super flirty and fun. T Shirt: Loyal Army Skirt/Tutu: Poppy’s Wicked Garden Scarf: Me! Leggings: Forever 21

….you trimmed your own bangs (Sorry, Jules), only cut off .25 mm at a time, but still ended up with uneven edges and bangs a bit shorter than you’d intended. Oh well. VIVA!!! I just got my hair re-bleached and re-colored. When I get a “normal” blow out, it looks like this. So then I go home and either muss it up, curl it, or, like today, put it in pigtails and butcher my fringe! Yes, I *am* wearing Voltron shirt! Also, this bun is oddly shaped. What would this shape remind YOU of? Oh yeah! Just in case you don’t follow me on Twitter, I found out yesterday that Manda and I got accepted to share a table at Renegade SF July 18-19. I only ever did that one Bizarre Bazaar at Maker Faire a few years ago, but I’m giving this craft fair thing another go. At least this time I am splitting the space so there is not so much pressure to produce heaps of stuff. I do plan to have a special discounts or deals for people who buy from me there, but I haven’t worked out the deets yet. Anyway, put it on yer calendars!

I just updated my Etsy shop with a TON of new items!!! Whipped cream circle scarf, cupcake beret, shirts, sugar cookie head bands, more radish scarves, ANNNNNNNND even more than I’ve just listed!!! (Oops, the whipped cream scarf sold while I was typing this update!!!!) Here are some of my favs:

I am listing stuff on Etsy right now for a big update, and my finger is feeling really weird from using the touch pad!!! So I opened up a random optical mouse that my Aunt Vivi picked up for me when she was in Japan. It’s pretty sweet, if you’ll pardon the pun! Just to make this blog entry especially girlieriffic, here is a terrible WIWT photobooth shot of me in an I’m Your Present kitty tunic and ice cream necklace. Bibi and Bunny found the package that the tunic was in and started to open it while we were out. When we got home, Bibi came to greet us with a balloon in her mouth!!! She was totally busted….AS WAS I!!!! Hairy knows I have a deep and incurable problem with buying stuff from Kelly. I have a sickness, and I don’t want help!!! 😉

…you make silly t-shirts for your friends to see the new Star Trek movie!!!! I have a long-standing love for the Shatner as James T Kirk. I used to have pictures of him up in our living room in the Palo Alto house. I was so excited to have an excuse to make a Kirk Shirt! I was sad, though, that my shirt did not come out so well. I couldn’t get the iron-on transfer to peel correctly and it just ended up tearing and crinkling. I sound like I’m wearing a bag of potato chips. So Manda and I made a trip to Michael’s to buy better transfers (I would avoid purchasing the AMAZON brand of iron-on transfers!!!). I thought this would be a good opportunity to wear the silver Irregular Choice space booties that I hoard but never wear. Ok, I wore them ONCE to Supperclub, but then they killed my feet after walking around the Castro and then I never wore them again. After wearing them to take a photo this afternoon, I decided that I STILL did not want to wear them ever again. Sad. I will still keep them, though. They are just too cool! They have terrible support and also make me feel too much like a space hoochie. Next up, pics at the movie theater! Okay, note in the next photo that Hairy is eating my Rice Krispy Treat!!! Okay, note in THIS next photo that I have CHOCOLATE on my teef cuz I was eating, AAAND Manda is making that disgusted face cuz I was opening my mouth behind her and my mouth made a gross smacky sound. MMM mm!! So, I am not what you would call a hardcore Trekkie, but my dad was always a fan of the Original series, and I have a fondness for its kitsch factor and popculture value. And the Shat. The Holy Shat. I was not disappointed in the movie. When I first saw the trailer, I was like, “OMG this looks like Starship Troopers and it’s going to suck.” But then I kept hearing that people actually liked the movie. I would now put myself in that category. We saw it at the Sundance Kabuki where you can pick your seats while you buy your tickets online. This seemed optimal so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line somewhere forever only to end up in a terrible place like the front row. Also this theater is 21+. So we had a very pleasant and grown up movie experience with fabulous seats, but I also kinda wish we saw it at the Metreon with a super rowdy and super nerdy crowd! I think I’d be hardpressed to find someone to see it with TWICE. OH wells!

So I have a really cool bf who is down with making pretty girlie art. I believe his pastry piece is case in point. (It needs a title!) When we were in Hong Kong, a TON of stands at the night market were selling PILES and piles of these bread and pastry-shaped wrist pads. You are supposed to use them to support your wrist while you are using your mouse….and they also are supposed to SMELL life like. They are really squishy and I can’t imagine using them for their intended purpose. We decided to make art out of them, and Hairy handled the execution! He took a spare canvas and painted it pink. Then he created a stencil for the brown frosting and let it drip a little. Then he glued all the pastries on along with a little doily. I think it’s pretty bad ass and now it’s in our kitchen! Also I don’t think I ever posted a pic of our Naoshi postcards. We bought them at the Sugarcraft show when we were in Chicago. I DESPERATELY wanted an original Naoshi sand painting, but obvs I didn’t have that kind of money to throw down for art, so we picked up 3 post cards, and Hairy painted this frame sparkly pink!!!! So cool! I have to go now and make our Star Trek shirts…..pics later!

Since I still have not made amends with the pen tool or Illustrator, I have succumbed to doodling with pen on paper and then scanning it into Photoshop to color it. It feels very ghetto but it gets the job sorta done!! Except, my scanner blows and I haven’t found a black pen that I actually like! There’s also the small issue of my drawings sucking a little. Perspective? PSsshhhh!!!! One of my reps described them as “child-like and mildly retarded.” Way to sell that sizzle!!!! Many of these are not supposed to be separate. I have a master plan for them…. I am gearing up for my first Spoonflower order! I know I am really slow to the Spoonflower craze, but when it comes to graphics and drawing, it takes me a long time to get motivated. But now I have two new projects I’d like to see completed, so Spoonflower, here I come!! While I was scanning stuff on the floor, Bibi came up to check everything out. I thought it was so funny that she was sticking her face all up in my business, so I turned on Photobooth. I am VERY easily amused when it comes to Bibi. I find that a good thing.

This is one of the items we brought back from Hong Kong (though I am positive you can get them here). We just stopped into a store by one of the night markets and went a little shopping cray cray up in there. I’ve never had a mug with a floppy silicone(?) warming lid thing before. I am trying it out for the first time today!!! I think it works super well! I had to take it off for a bit because I couldn’t get a sip of tea since it was still so hot! At the mo, my fave tea is Owl brand Instant 3 in 1 tea that we bought at Ranch 99. (Tea, milk, sugar). It’s so easy. Just pour in hot water and go! (My ACTUALLY actual fave tea is Nestle brand Instant 3 in 1 tea, but I couldn’t find a picture of it online, and I have no idea if we can get it in the states!) Sorry for lack of project photos lately. I am gearing up for a really fun Etsy update FILLED with VARIETY and new items. PLUS I have been hesitant to take photos because my EYEBROWS are still peeling!!! They look kinda funky…. My current take on scarves is to lean more on what I think of as EconoCowls right now: scarflettes or light cowls for slightly warmer night weather, that are also lower in price than my usual long scarves. Thoughts?