Speaking of bloody things...

I promised you all Zombies, so i'm giving you all zombies!

I've always been in love with all things undead! I *love* the creep factor, and the way someone can take things like paint, gelatin, toilet paper, and Vaseline, and make some freakin' sweet zombie gore that looks real as hell!

That was me a few years ago for Halloween... the shirt was so shiny it looked like my bra was showing through in this picture, lmfao. Mum helped me with my makeup and it was awesome. Also sticky. Any arm hairs i had, were gone by the time that scar on my right arm was removed, lol. Everything there was made with homemade materials! it was awesome. (also, i don't have any pictures of it, but my pantlegs were torn and ripped all to hell and i was wearing awesome creepy hiking boots all bloodied up!

Honestly, if it were up to me, i'd have an entirely zombie wedding. One of the reasons i love Jim so much, is that we share a love for bloody, gory, brain-nomming creatures. (and the same distaste for "fast-zombies"!!!) So instead of having a bloodied up wedding dress, and exposed grey matter for a veil, we're having the wedding as close to our favorite holiday as possible.

I have seen people *DO* zombie weddings... (just go to offbeatbride.com and search for "zombie" you'll find some pretty freakin' sweet stuff! like this and this!)

But since my family would brain me -- haha i made a pun! -- for even THINKING about having a zombie wedding... (and as much as i love my horror and gore, i'm totally suckered into the idea of a white traditional wedding. with kilts and pumpkins... lmfao) i'll just have to settle for sweet zombie gear.

I give you,

My Zombie Goodies Wish List!

First off, is the most amazing pair of high heels i've ever seen.


From Ironfist Clothing, comes the sweetest pair of feet-torture-devices ever! Open toe heels with zombie teeth, eyeballs, all kinds of gory goodness!! I'm a sucker for the delicate little bow on the back, haha. waaaaaay too cute!

Price: $45.00

(p.s. i wear a size 11...)

(P.p.s... it also comes in a bikini, flats, clutch, and flip-flops!)
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I never understood how the symbol of the heart (two bumpy things that come to a point at the bottom...) were meant to symbolize the actual organ... i mean, there are some similarities... i suppose... but it's still weird. This shirt though? this shirt captures everything i love about zombies, and my confusion to this heart conundrum!

Ah, sweet sweet confusion. If you're not a black-shirt type of person, there's also a nifty white version. but because white shows blood -- er... dirt easier, i only like the black.

Cost: $14.99

(Pst.... i wear a 3x!)

If you're not a t-shirt person, or want to show your zombie pride while at work, (and work doesn't allow you to wear awesome t-shirts...) then you can at *least* show it on a coffee mug! (The TRUE American way! :-D)

Find it here for $13.00

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Jim refuses to put bumper stickers on his precious car. Me? As soon as i inherit the stranger danger mobile I'm slappin' stickers all over it. I'm going to cover every. damn. inch. of that thing. To accompany my favorite stickers declaring something about believing in dragons, faeries, good men and other such fantasy creatures, i'm adding this one to the mix.

Though i love the acid green of the car, i doubt my van would look that cool that green. The response team sticker though makes me giggle like a teeny pink mad scientist who probably has hello-kitty beakers and test-tubes. (brownie points to anybody who sends me a link of a hello-kitty science kit... lmfao)

Cost: $7.99

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Have you ever traversed the aisles of your local costume shop or party store and seen those ridiculously expensive hand/face/brain molds for jello or ice? they're like, 20 dollars and made of flimsy one-time-use plastic. Y-eah..... i never bought one either. I used the old Martha Stewart version of "Fill a rubber glove with jello and tie it shut" method. Although for brains... that didn't work too easy. She had a method for doing faces too that was pretty cheap... but damnit i want brains in my punch!

Intro: brain ice cube mold...



"Brain Freeze" -- ahaha puns! For almost 8 bucks these are completely affordable, and being that they're silicone, they'll last for like, freaking EVER. (and if they break, they're affordable enough to be replaced...)

Cost: $7.99

But they're not quite big enough to float in the punch... i mean, yes they ARE brains... and they ARE ice-cubes... but they're just not big enough to be a human brain...



THAT is big enough. Though a bit more pricey, and a bit less resilient, they're definitely the right size! (i'm loving the gummy worms!)

Cost: $9.99

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The cupcake-instead-of-a-huge-tiered-cake wedding trend has taken the world by storm! Why have those prissy little lasercut fancy lace cupcake liners when you could have NOMSKULLS!


Silicone skull molds are too cute! though if you wanted them for a wedding you'd have to buy an awful lot... but hey! they could be part of the favors! But seriously, how cool are these!? the pink icing on the top is (literally...) the icing on the cake.

cost: $12.00

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I'm not sure what the whole fascination about Haiku's has been lately, but it's kind of neat. heck, even WoWhead.com had a world of warcraft-themed haiku contest! (which i totally didn't enter a total of 40 times and didn't get posted once... damn!) but i've come to love the sudden influx of 5,7,5 syllables that's invaded my friend's facebook status's. (Or is that 'Stati' ??)

Well, either way, there's actually a zombie haiku book. Want? Of course!


Cost: $8.99

(Pst! This would look great next to my zombie survivor guide!)

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Mmmm.... zombie goodness.

WoW stuff tomorrow ;-)

-Cake42

My fingers! they will bleeeeed!

Things around here have been (as i said before) too laid back. It's summer, it's hot, the fleas have claimed by bedroom in the name of their sadistic queen, and in turn held captive hubby's torchwood dvd's...

So instead of sitting in my room and playing facebook games until my eyeballs rot and fall out, i've done something productive, Crocheting! (which i always read as "Crotch. et. ting." every time i write it, lol)

I've been a busy little granny bee lately, and have gotten the hang of crocheting things that are pretty simple: i.e: scarves, hats, socks, etc. etc. etc.

(please excuse the crappy camera photos. my lighting was HORRIBLE o.o)

This was my first ever dye project! i was SO excited with how it turned out! It's a 70% Wool/30% Acrylic blend, and the color was originally "cream" but it turned out gorgeous. It's been microwave-dyed with grape kool-aid/cheery kool-aid/berry kool-aid, and orange kool-aid. And i must say, it's quite fruity smelling now.

It took me about a week to figure out what on earth to make with my lovely new "halloween" yarn (as i'd dubbed it...). Eventually i realized it wasn't enough to make socks. I also didn't want to make a scarf. (although i'm OBSESSED with scarves... i didn't want to make something i'd only wear once, and then hang off my lamp stand..) So i practiced my rounds, and made myself the coolest freaking hat i've ever owned...

BEHOLD



THE SELF-STRIPING HALLOWEEN BEANIE OF AWESOMENESS!

or something like that, lol.

But more projects just seemed to crawl out of my skeins! What's this? ANOTHER hat?? done in a single night!? MUAHAHAHAHA! (cough cough)

However, this one wasn't meant to be a mere beanie. NO! it's destined to have adorable little kitty ears with pink insides attached! It's also destined to be the first item on my Etsy shop i'm hoping to start by the end of next month! :-D

These -- though not crocheted, they were loomed on the KK blue loom -- are the most comfortable freaking socks EVAR. a little loose i suppose, but they're soooooo comfy! They're made of self-striping blue yarn in random shades of blue. Versions of these too, will also be put up onto Etsy as soon as i figure out how to make them bigger and smaller... (hopefully my new adjustable sock loom will help with that ;-) )

Last but not least... is the scarf. The "Pumpkin Spice" Scarf i fell in love with while i was making it. It was self-striping (I'm seeing a pattern here... no puns intended) Something-and-ochre cotton yarn. When i bought it, i had thought it would be perfect for autumn socks. so soft! it was in the pile with all the acrylic "with aloe" that were amazing on the skin. When i got home however, i discovered it was "i love cotton!" brand cotton. No! my socks... never to be realized! (As i've been told that cotton is not very stretchy when it comes to making socks... but after making the scarf, i may just go back and buy another skein or two of this and try it out anyways.) The scarf is soft, and wide, the colors are amazing! The sun was even in *just the right* position to let me take a worthwhile photo that wasn't on the kitchen table or a bedspread at 3 in the morning!!

But there's one thing wrong with it...

It's too short.

The skein i had bought was this teensy thing in a pile of other teensy skeins labeled as "sock skeins" from a discount part of hobby lobby. Of course finding out it was cotton dampened my spirits. so a scarf it was to be! But being a "sock skein" i didn't have enough to finish the scarf. It's 2/3'rds of the way finished, but my mom loves it just the way it is. She calls it the "neck warmer" and boasts how it's not as long and bulky as the other scarves. It's now HER new "neck warmer" as i can't find anything else to do with it, and don't have the heart to rip it apart, lol.

--and that's about it for my crocheting adventures. I *do* have a pair of "Freddy Kruger" socks to make for the hubby (dark green and red, as he requested.), another cat hat, and probably a fox hat or two because i have a crapload of orange and nothing to do with it, and i need to get something up on etsy soon!

Why? why am i infatuated with selling things on etsy all of a sudden? well... because of a few things...

Jim and I got to IM'ing a day or so ago and decided we're going to start saving up for our first place. We're sick of living with our parents, sick of having to eat their food, be around their second hand smoke, and have to live by their rules with their satellite TV, or lack thereof... tired of being yelled at or told that while we're living under "their" roof, we live by "their" rules. no matter how much money they do or don't donate to the rent.

Though we decided we're moving in together a long time ago, nothing ever felt so official.

"Spring" he said. he wants to be out of here by spring. it's almost officially Autumn here, so that leaves us 7 or 8 months to save up.

but he wants a second job! Something easy like cashiering! something simple so he's not working like a dog all day long...

but i'm still worried about him. I'm worried about his heart and how he passed out more than once because of stress. I'm worried about his head and how it's going to be pounding when he comes home from work and only have a few hours to sleep, and then go straight to school...

So with all that, i've decided i'm going to help out. I'm going to crochet until my fingers bleed, and then crochet some more. I'm selling it ALL on Etsy and every last bit of that money is going towards that apartment. Whether we use it for furniture money, or rent money, i don't care. but more than half of the money's going for this house. a small portion is going for more yarn... lol.

As i mentioned in the last post, i promise you all zombie goodness... and possibly some wow-ness.

but yeah.

Thanks for listening to the rant my lovelies!

-Cake42

The light! it burnses!

Apologies for the length between posts... it's been a little *too* laid back lately.. lol.

So the hubbs came and spent pretty much a week with us (or at least what felt like it) for his birthday on the 8th. My amazing sexy man turned 25! (and for a few months, is 5 years older than me... lol)

and no baby, you're not getting a sneak-peek into your totally late present, that the website was out-of-stock on! :-P

I have however, been really busy with my crocheting! The first front panel, and the back panel of the dinosaur hoodie is done! But i'm completely out of green yarn now... good thing it's acrylic so i don't have to try and match dye lots! (and when i'm not feeling lazy, i'll post pictures. but i'm tooooooootally feeling lazy right now... lol)

i am however, in a totally zombie mood. I shall update with bloody undead goodness soon. along with some WoW-ness.

So i guess you could take this as a warning post? yeah. we'll call it that. lol.

-Cake42

I sooooo hope this works...

For those of you unaware, i'm informing you now... Jim and I love zombies.

Like, freaking love zombies. we have yet to come up with a solid plan about surviving one, but since i no longer live within walking distance of a graveyard or a chemical plant (like the last house o.O) i can say my odds are getting better. Also this house has a wicked basement and freaking CORNFIELDS EVERYWHERE.

but anyways, (and i'm really hoping this html works...) i found this.

It's a "Zombietrak 3000!" and it tells you where your nearest zombie outbreak has happened. (Basically, wherever somebody bought a t-shirt from them at their local Walmart, it puts it up on the web and tells people it's an "outbreak" or a "sighting" but it's still cuter than hell... XD)

Now chances are, it'll show *your* area when you look at this. It showed Indiana to me, lol. For being surrounded by rednecks, chemical plants, and indian burial grounds, i'm surprised our number isn't higher. oh well!

Welcome Home Boys!

So Monday night, for the first time in a whole year i got to see my best friends again. Mitch and Jack both came home from their respective countries (Germany and Japan) where they had spent an entire year being thrown into a nearly unfamiliar culture and language with (in some cases) nobody they knew to accompany them. In some ways, I envied them.

Mitchell was able to explore Europe and in-turn, got to see some of the most amazing and awe-inspiring sights.

Like this gorgeous spot, in what i think was Cork?

And this amazingly grand cathedral!

He was able to celebrate his 21'st birthday over there, experiencing wines, beers, and probably a lot of other high-proof beverages.

(This was with his family in Amsterdam, and probably nowhere near his birthday... lol)

He made new friends who we all can't wait to meet someday!

(D'aww...)

Jack was able to traverse through Japan and all it's wonder.


and again made awesome new friends.

But in the end, we all missed them dearly. Some of us, (Erika, Lauren, and Rachel) were able to go to Europe and meet Mitch, traveling for a week (or was it two?) and take in all the wonder that is England and Ireland.

According to Facebook, it was amazing.
(Hanging in castles and Abbey's...)

(Climbing on Thick cut bacon...)

(Defeating Inflatable Daleks!)

(Taking Album-cover-worthy Photos of feet and cliffs...)

(And of course just relaxing at a pub somewhere!)

The anticipation to see them all again was almost overwhelming so i just about squealed with joy when Jim told me he could drive me out to Riley and see them all.

Well... apparently Jim's cell never got the text/calls, and we didn't have internet to check facebook ... but we arrived like an hour and a half early (their plane was delayed a LOT so the party was at 10:30 instead of 9:00...) with Jack and his amazingly awesome girlfriend Karel (who kind of reminds me of Amy Pond) So we were at least able to hang out and catch up (and hear some crazy stories about orange-skinned Japanese girls with claws, goth guys with spiked purses, and giant agry alleycats hiding in shadows reminiscent to horror movies.)

All-in-all it turned out alright after a couple of phonecalls, and a trip to the local coffee shop the party was finally on.

Where things like that happened.

and this...
and a whole lot of this.

Oh, and i FINALLY made a batch of Rainbow Cupcakes that had eggs in them. They were amazing and delicious.


-Cake42

The trouble with Trebles!

So you all know my man introduced me into looming -- and i've had my fair share of disastrous projects. However, as time went on, i began getting a little savvy with my looms. I've managed to master socks, bought my own adjustable loom, and even whipped up some pretty fancy (i.e: completely boring) handwarmers of matching yarn. I felt proud, and confident! I COULD MAKE ANYTHING! .... as long as it was square-ish or completely round in shape and didn't require any grafting onto other pieces... lmao.

So what does hubby do? Now that his Dr. Who scarf is nearing it's halfway point? He buys us both "I taught myself to crochet!" books. (the ones with the cheesy kids on the front making it look like "zomg! this is so easy your 6 year old NIECE could do it! why can't you!?"). So filled with confidence, i popped open that plastic package and ripped out my shiny new Boye needles, a bunch of plastic tag thingies (that i was informed can be used for stitch markers on thick/bulky/super-bulky yarn, or to hold strands together when using multiple threads... who knew!?) some round stitch markers, a REALLY LONG afghan needle, and of course, the book.

With fingers trembling, i open up the book and begin reading the instructions like some hidden message from the yarn gods!

Unfortunately, this endeavor ends the same exact way every other "i taught myself" book has before. in horrible fiery disaster, with women and children running for cover as i get closer and closer to chucking my needles across the room in frustration.

Fortunately for me, i was able to dig out a youtube video on how to begin crocheting.

This woman is amazing. (and totally sounds like my friend Katie's mom...) She does things slow enough for beginners to get the hang of it, and repeats it over and over in case you didn't catch it. Before you know it, you'll be crocheting in singles, half-doubles, doubles, trebles, and even in the round!

Hell, i was feeling so confident in my newly aquired skills by the time i finished watching her videos, i went out and found a pattern for an octopus. Why? because octopus rock, that's why. And the instructions seemed easy enough to follow! (unless you're like me, get completely overconfident, and decide that you can just "wing it" when it comes to making the head shape...) In the end, i created "Steve" the octopus.

He's not gorgeous mind you, but he's not a mangled mess of yarn either. (and he still needs eyes... i just haven't found the right buttons yet!)

So after reviewing the videos a couple more times, i decided to try something ambitious. Something that's (hopefully) going to be used. The pattern? A wee jacket! No litterally, it's called "A wee Jacket" and it's a free pattern from "Lionbrand yarn" (who has an AMAZING array of patterns btw... although i still think Ravelry is better.) It's comprised mostly of HDC stitches, and you crochet panels at a time like you would if you were to cut out the fabric and sew it together with a machine. The only difference, is that this hoodie is going to have awesome buttons on it, and freaking dinosaur spikes on the hood. Because Dinosaurs on babies are freaking adorable. muahaha.

It's also like, the 4th rendition of this hoodie for the most adorable munchkin ever. But this one? this one's going to be final.

This poor hoodie has started out as an e-wrapped disaster that barely fits one of my old babydolls, to a rediculous mess where i tried to loom the whole thing at once instead of in parts, to another flimsy, scratchy, horror that i was afraid would cause that poor babe a rash. So finally... i've ripped all the yarn out, and decided once and for all to crochet this thing! So far? it's completely soft, not too thick, but not too thin, tight enough his fingers won't get caught in it, but loose enough so it's not too stiff.

I've also decided to create a list with a list of projects i'd like to complete (in due time of course). There might be 10, there might be 1,000 -- but they're all crafts i'd like to make at some point in time. (If you have any suggestions, feel free to send them in either in e-mail, or in the comments and i'll check them out! :-D)

*= knitting

1. Apple Tawashi Dishcloths
2. Saartje's Bootees*
3. Easy Handspun Mitts*
4. Crochet to go: Party Dress
5. Garter Stitch Baby Kimono*
6. Amigurumi Teacup Pincushion
7. Cuddly Crochet Koala
8. Camden Throw
9. Kitten Hook Holder (squee! too freaking cute!)
10. Pencil Scarf
11. Stash basket
12. Baroque Tabard Tunic
13. Sweater Jacket (for my niece!)
14. Charizard Plushie!
15. Firecracker Gloves
16. Owl Eye Mask
17. Valentine Sleeping Mask
18. -tba
    

More patterns will be added as i go! :-D

(Also, yes i know i don't know how to knit yet. I plan on learning though!)

-Cake42