space cadets III.

This is a messy take of the different sizes, colors, and positionings of cadets I might use.

space cadets II.

Here is a revised version of my "space cadets" painting. I'm actually going to implement it in one of my projects for school (with the approval and ENCOURAGEMENT of one of my professors). I have less than two weeks to go (two midterms, three projects/programs, and three finals!!!) Then, I get one lovely week of freedom before the fall semester begins. I'm looking forward to the break!!!

pebble magnets II.

Someone used my design for her magnets, and that someone had a little other someone do some as well. You need to check it out because it's sooooooooooooooo cute! It's in one of her blogs:

Way Cute Mushroommeadow Magnets

deep misery.

If you want to read something cheery or uplifting, I suggest you stop reading here and move on to another blog...

As most of you know, I'm going back to school. Having already done five years, I am aiming for ten. :( I am going back for a Master's in Computer Science. I am not a genius. I am not brilliant. I am actually very frightened, uncertain, and confused. I do not profess to know much about computers, and as I partake in the dreadfulness and difficulty of each class, I want to just die. So, you must be wondering, why do I persist? Why do I continue?

I was asking myself the very question this morning. I stayed up all night, took a two hour nap between 3:00-5:00am, and then went to study for a midterm. While I was sitting there in the Starbucks, frantically doing my integrations and going over formulas and identities, a lady strolled in with a cart full of her belongings.

She sat down and started a some-what angry conversation with herself. It went along the lines of:

"Six bucks for a sandwich is too much, if you ask me. It's a good sandwich, but 5.50, six bucks is asking for too much. If I had me a good husband, I wouldn't be begging for five bucks here and there. Oh no, if I had me good, sweet husband I wouldn't be here. Now, if you want to give me five bucks, I am not stupid not to take it, but I want me a good husband."

Then she left...

and I, I wanted to cry.

Here I was busy fretting over stupid things like calculus, while this lady was merely trying to survive. Then I thought, I am just like her, I am just trying to survive...is that why I'm putting myself through this nightmare?

Everyone has a story...some people have a really sad story. Some people might look into those mermaid covered windows and think that I was enjoying the luxury of sipping a mocha and becoming more enlightened. However, perhaps they would be surprised that I relate more with that lady than with the stupid numbers in the book...

I don't know what I am doing sometimes; I don't know what I'm doing most of the time...

ahhhh.

i am being consumed by the big beast of calculus!

study break!

I'm taking a break from homework. Blah. :( Here are a couple fun things that have kept me somewhat sane for the past week:



I've been rewarding myself for studying hard or staying awake in class by shopping. WEEEEEE!!! I stopped by Office Depot and found some engineering computation paper. It was only $1. I think the green-tinted paper is great to doodle on. :) Another great discovery I made was at Michael's. They don't have a sale going on right now, but I was fortunate enough to locate some of their clearance items. Surprisingly they have some Martha Stewart pieces at reduced prices!!! I LOVE Martha Stewart stuff! So, I picked up some blank journals; they come in a pack of three and they were only $2/pack. Lastly, the orange cereal bowls you see come in a pack of 4 or 5 for only 50cents at Target.

I end with this little doodle tree, digitally enhanced with Photoshop Adobe (Sadie Lou, that's the program I use, by the way)



(It's a little bit fuzzy...wait, it's really fuzzy (because I took a picture of it rather than scanning it :)), but that's how my brain is right now...)

Well, back to my midnight studying!

I'm it.

Tag Rules

1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.

2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.



8 RANDOM facts about me:

1. I'm so, so, so miserably tired right now. I complain too much, but really! :( My head hurts, especially behind my eyeballs. And why am I suffering so much??? Because I'm going to college...again. By the age of 30, I hope to have my master's degree. I feel a tad bit too old for school (most of my classmates are babies!), but as long as I finish by 30, I'll be okay. :)

2. I have braces :). Again, I feel a tad bit too old for braces, but hey, they'll be off in a couple months! Yeah!!! I can't wait to chew gum again. :)

3. I love animals, but only from a distance. I do have a dog, but he isn't affectionate; we make a great pair.

4. I could probably eat a chicken sandwich from Jack in the Box everyday for dinner for an entire year without getting tired of them.

5. I like to save money by buying things on sale and clearance, but then I end up wasting my money on a lot of cheap things. :(

6. It's my life's goal to finish reading Middlemarch. It was a reading assignment I had a long time ago. I still have the book, but it's soooooooooo boring! I also want to read all the Newbery Award Winners, although some of them are real losers by my standards...:(

7. I love analyzing people's hands and their handwriting.

8. I want an annual pass to Disneyland; I would even go by myself.


buddingcook

berrysprite

craftilyeverafter

holiday in the sun

hello love

summers camp

the misadventures of mama and jack

this mommy's thoughts

back-to-school blues.

Today was the first day of an intensive 5-week period of pure torture for me; I started summer school. I had class from 8:00am-10:15 (calculus part II...ugh), went to Staples and loaded up on school supplies (they have their 1-cent deals...I bought 3 bottles of glue, 3 sharpeners, 24 pencils, 10 folders, 6 binders, and 3 pencil boxes for less than 3 bucks!!!), drove home and took a nap, had a boba tea and studied some, returned to school from 3:30-7:30 (my last professor let us out early; we would normally be dismissed at 8:50), and then drove back home. All I can say is "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"!

So, for the next month or so, you'll probably see more sketches and doodles rather than crafts. :(

Here's my back-to-school illustration. It looks surprisingly happy. Looks can be deceiving though; I wasn't too happy while I was drawing this. Anyway, he's sporting an acorn hat; I wish they would make bike helmets like this. hah.



Digitally Colored

pebble magnets.

These are pebble magnets; they are very easy to make and very neat to look at. You could probably stare at them all day!

All you need are clear craft glue, pebble rocks, cut-outs, and magnets.

My glue of choice is E6000 because you just need one dab, and it doesn't bubble up the artwork underneath. Plus, its adhesiveness is more than sufficient! As for the pebble rocks, I bought them at the Dollar Store (They can be found at Wal-mart or any craft store). They are the bigger pebbles, approximately 1-inch. They should be flat on one side. (Important Note: They need to be clear and not iridescent.) As for the magnets, they should be pretty strong to hold up the pebble; however, if the magnets are too big, the pebbles will stick out too far. Use your discretion. :)



As for the artwork, I chose to design my own. If you like it, e-mail me and I will send you a FREE...FREE...FREE pdf file of it so you can make your own mushroommeadow magnets (email: mushroommeadows@gmail.com).

-----
so...Here's what you do:

Step One:
Choose a design. It could be from a magazine, comic strip, book, or printed from your computer (the possibilities are endless). Make sure it is printed on cardstock or glued to a heavier piece of paper; this will prevent the glue from discoloring the design from the magnet part-



Step Two:
Cut the design out to fit neatly behind the pebble rock-



Step three:
If you're using my designs, color them. I used watercolor pencils. If you are using something else, proceed to step four-



Step four:
Put a dab of glue on the design, and stick the pebble rock flat side onto it. Make sure there are no bubbles in the glue-




Step five:
Put a dab of glue on the magnet, and stick the designed pebble onto it-




Step six:
Be patient; wait for them to dry.

Step seven:
Stick them on the fridge, microwave, or give them away.



There you have it: pebble magnets! :) Enjoy.

just wanted to say...

yum yum.

I made enchiladas last night; I just followed the recipe on the back of the can. YUMMY.




And this is the "cool" dessert I whipped up:




I found the recipe on allrecipes.com but I modified it and used fresh strawberries instead of frozen ones.

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 package of cream cheese
1/2-1 cup diced strawberries

I just mixed it all together and put it in the freezer. It actually tastes like strawberry ice cream but a lot creamier.

snaps.

I got a Singer plier kit at Wal-mart for under 8 bucks, which is quite a deal because I've seen them at Joann's and Michael's for 19.99! It contains a plier tool that sets eyelets, grommets, and snaps into fabric and a handful of the settings. After I bought it, I read the reviews on joanns.com. Consequently, I wanted to return it; the reviews were pretty bad. ;(

However, I really don't like to return things (especially at wal-mart), and I figured or rather I convinced myself that seven bucks wasn't too much for a couple moments of fun; so I experimented with it.

It really works! I'm sure if you wanted precision, it might be a bit harder to work with, but if you practice enough, it's a great tool for any crafter! Just press really hard and make sure you test it before you use it on your projects!

Here's my first project:

some weekend purchases.

This is what I got Friday afternoon:



I showed it to my husband, and he asked, "Did you make it?" Hah. How could I possibly make it??? :) Then, he asked, "What is it???"

To answer his question:

1. It is from Tuesday Morning (a bargain store, that has a lot of stuff for a pretty decent price).

2. It was 50 cents.

3. It is cute. (PERIOD)

-----

This is what I got Sunday afternoon:



It's a salad spinner!!! (and no, I did not make it.) :) It was only 2.98! I'm very excited to use it. You see, I used to buy those packaged salads that cost an arm and leg, but they didn't stay fresh for very long. Besides, I'm trying to be more economical, so now I am buying lettuce heads. This little invention will help me immensely!

I've been making a ton of salads lately; my husband's on a diet. ;) I'll post a recipe for a killer chicken (ahhh), ranch salad later.