Inspired by the next Michaels.com crochet pattern I’m working on … I decided to use rainbow sherbet colors for my nails. I also decided to try using washi tape for the first time to create stripes and hearts.

I really do not have great skills or patience with nail art, but I think it’s fun anyway, so sorry if it looks totally sloppy!

To create stripes, all I did was paint the base of my nail orange, and then I trimmed some washi tape to the width I wanted my center stripe. After placing the tape on your dried, p0lished nail, you can then paint the other two colors on the side. I found that taking the tape up right after polishing was better than waiting for it to dry even a little.  Washi tape is great because it is not as sticky as Scotch tape, and is less likely to ruin your base color.

To create the heart, I took a piece of washi tape and folded it in half. I then cut out a very small half heart, carefully opened it back up, and stuck it on my nail to use as a template. I wasn’t very good at cutting out the shapes, but they turned out ok! I learned this trick from The Dainty Squid, and she learned it from Danny Brito.

Here are the polishes  I used:

I know these magnet sets may look familiar to those of you have been following along for a while, but this is the first time we have had them available in our shop! Each set – Cupcakes or Sushi – comes with 4 super strong magnets, depicting photos of my crochet foods!

(I think this is my favorite set of purikura with Manda!)

Also, for the month of May, we are including a mystery pack of 5 free 1″ buttons in every order!

We just got our pins in, and we were like, “Do we really want to list 20 separate different buttons on the site?” Not so much! Maybe later! So we’re giving them away right now! You’re welcome! 🙂 xoxo

Ok, this is not super over the top, but it is way more accessorizing than my usual. I have never really worn cat/mouse/bunny ears before, and while I think it is a really fun look, I’m not sure it would be my go-to? Maybe with less other stuff!

This is kind of a fake WIWT. It’s more of a “What I Tried On Today To See What It Looks Like and to Play with Some of My Stuff.” I am getting old and cellulite-y, and bare legs really aren’t on the agenda for me, but I can pretend in a photo!

This floral collar is pretty amazing. The flowers are made of PAPER.

YUK Clothing is a new brand by my buddy Kate in the UK. I’m not sure if it’s still secret or not, but I know who is designing some YUK tshirts, and it’s gonna be amazing. Can’t wait to see more! I put my YUK brooch on a purse by Spank!

These sparkly ears came in my goodiebag from Blogcademy LA a few weeks ago. I need to blog separately about that!

Okay, let’s talk about the shoes. Sorry they are chopped off in so many of my photos. I can never master how to properly take an outfit photo inside a room with limited space.  I need to lower the camera so there’s less room above my head and more room under my feets! Anyway! The shoes are Hello Kitty flats, and they are the first thing I ever bought off Fab.com after my brother showed them to me. I love them!

Dress: Miracle Eye, Collar: Locketship, Ears: c/o Crown & Glory, Brooch: c/o Yuk Clothing, Purse: Spank!, Shoes: Sanrio (and on sale!)

Yay! Another new free crochet pattern is up now at Michaels.com: Chiffon Cake with Fruit Topping – A Tissue Box Cozy! Just in time for Mother’s Day! Edit, June 4, 2014: Please find the pattern here on my blog. Michaels.com is currently re-vamping their pattern/project section, and the above Michaels.com link is disabled for now.

Here’s the intro I wrote for the pattern:

When I crochet gifts for my mom, I like to make cute things that she can use around the house. One of the first projects I ever made for her was a cake-themed tissue box cozy. So, this month, I had my mom in mind when I designed this crocheted chiffon cake with colorful strawberry, blueberry and kiwi topping. I remember eating delicious cakes just like it when I was little. I hope you have fun creating this yummy piece of my childhood memories. Consider making one as a gift to sweeten a special someone’s Mother’s Day!

You are gonna have so much fun making the frosting border for this!!! It’s a variation on the “piped frosting shells” stitch I include in my Sugar On Top mini booklet but much BIGGER and PUFFIER!

I hope to see pictures of all of your cake projects soon!

I have another fun Mother’s Day present idea for you using a pattern of mine that’s already available and also inspired by my own mom and what I would make for her. More on that soon!

On our last day in Melbourne, I had the extreme delight of meeting magical blogger Violet LeBeaux. I can’t remember how I came across her blog for the first time, but I instantly fell in lurve with her cute, girlie style, and her commitment to creating DIY tutorials for maximizing the cuteness and prettiness of life on a budget. To be honest, I’m pretty sure I totally fangirled over her on Twitter, and the rest is history.

Apparently we both got the memo that it was White Cardigan Day. And p.s. she made her dress!! Here are some examples of her tutorials: how to sew cute overall shorts,  poufy curly up-do hairstyle, how to make cardigan clips.

I tried to take a few outfit snaps in the hotel before our meet-up, but the light was really dark in our room.

Afterward, Hairy and I wandered about Melbourne a bit more and ended up in the library, upon Bei’s recommendation. But it was Sunday and filled with students doing actual studying, and we felt kinda bad just poking around! There was a gallery filled with portraits and busts of random old guys, so I thought it would be another fun opportunity for an iPhone outfit snap!

That night, we walked down to by the river and ate dinner at Guiseppe Arnaldo & Sons trattoria inside the Crowne Hotel, and everything was super duper yummy! Especially the chocolate pot de creme for dessert!