I haven’t updated this blog in forever, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have things that I want to put on it. So since I have three papers due within the next two weeks, not to mention also two finals, what better time to start updating than now. Right?

My friend and I painted and decorated wooden letters a while back as “Christmas/birthday” presents for some of our good friends. We gave them to them quite delayed but they loved them just the same. We split it up so that each friend would get two letters - their initials - and we each took one letter of each initial to be in charge of to decorate. These were the four I made, and the four that my friend made were equally as lovely. I must say we went a little insane on these, but they turned out wonderful. The detailing on the S was a pain in the butt to do, but worth it. When doing detailed work like that, it’s really helpful to have a nice cooperative thin brush that will do whatever you tell it to and also produces clean lines. If you don’t have one of those, just give up trying to paint it and use a Sharpie paint marker. The ultimate effect will be different (Sharpie paint marker comes out a little duller than paint when dry), but it will be easier to work with.

I was trolling the internet instead of doing anything productive, looking into Christmas presents for friends and family. Can I just say that it is really frustrating when something is, like, out-of-stock EVERYWHERE? How can that even be? Anyways, it happened. I went into Nordstrom’s website and I saw THIS. (Purr - Katy Perry)

I think my initial WANT reaction was a little overdramatic, now that I evaluate this logically. How I decide I want fragrances is a very interesting process. I know right away, even without having to smell it (and then when I do smell it in stores, it smells ridiculously good, only vindicating my process of how I pick perfumes). The design of the bottle, I have to admit, goes a long way in my decision-making. And this bottle isn’t the cutest I’ve ever seen. It’s actually kind of…scary?

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Last week for my sorority was Clue Week, where the new members get sent presents containing clues as to who their Big Sis is. It was great fun and excitement to be on the receiving end of these clues, but to be on the giving end was all that plus stressful and crazy. My apartment mate, who also got a Little this quarter, and I basically commandeered the entire apartment with arts-and-crafting, spilling our supplies and Little presents EVERYWHERE. But the effort and late nights paid off and I am pretty satisfied with the quality and amount of stuff I cranked out. And my Little loved it too, so definitely a victory.

Your Little is LOVING Clue Week.

-Chase

CLUE #1: Flowers, Baked Goods

I made her a mix CD for this day too, full of my happy songs.

CLUE #2: Door Decorations

The corkboard had notes on it from some of my other sisters. They sent it to me through email, so I had to get some of my friends to write them out, using different handwriting each time.

What I learned about rhinestone stickers: It’s all about how you peel them off the little sheet. If you attempt to pick it off, the sticky backing is going to remain on the backing sheet and not on the rhinestone. If you bend the backing sheet and slowly peel off the rhinestone, you’ll be golden.

CLUE #3: Basket

The most work went into the clue, since I basically had to make every single thing that went into the basket. First of all, I made her and I shirts that fit together to make an image when we stand together.

Pretty proud of these shirts, not gonna lie. :]

My friend also helped me draw a design and make a pillowcase for a pillow I made her and included in the basket. I printed the design on iron-on sheets and ironed it on. I kinda wanted to keep it after I finished it.

Last thing that I should feature: her wooden letter A. I told my apartment mate, “Wouldn’t it be funny if I made it into an ‘Easy A’ theme, since I was Olive for Halloween?” And…I did. Easy A wooden letter A for Anafrancesca.

There was a bunch of other stuff in it as well, including a stuffed animal giraffe which I LOVE because it’s so fat. :3 Every girl’s first stuffed animal giraffe in AEPhi is named Lily, but one of my friends insisted that its name was Zebra. So now its nickname is officially Zebra. Go figure.

In the end, I also included a giraffe balloon animal hat which one of my other close friends made for me. It’s INTENSE. I love her and her secret balloon animal making talent. So overall, my Little got in her last clue…

Clue Week taught my apartment mate and I that we should do crafts more often and that we should even start a side business of making crafts for people. Definitely now that I have a legit crafting trunk, I will be doing crafts more often. Birthday presents for people, anyone? :]

I am the who when you call, “Who’s there?” I am the wind blowing through your hair.

-“This is Halloween” by Panic! at the Disco

I wanted this little bloggie of mine to kind of recount my forays into the world of arts and crafting (as well as other random things that make me happy), so I wanted to document some stuff that took place for Halloween on my campus. I LOVELOVELOVE making mix CDs, and they are always a project because all the songs have to be in a certain order, I need to design the CD and the cover, etc. So I decided to start keeping track of all the mix CDs I make. I’ve made A LOT in the past that I didn’t take pictures of, which I am kind of sad about. But I’m going to start now.

I’m an RA and made these Halloween Mix CDs for my residents, one per apartment in my building.

I used these to advertise for an event happening later that week called Whackin’ Jack, a Halloween celebration put on by some of the RAs, complete with a pumpkin carving contest, carnival games, and a haunted house. The haunted house especially was extremely time-consuming to set up, but so worth it in the end. I like scaring people. :]

Overall, it was very successful.

Next post will be exploding with even more pictures of crafts. Why? Picking up a Little in a sorority requires a lot of painting, hot-gluing, and puffy-painting, not to mention creativity. Can’t wait to blog about it. :]