Category: craft

craft, makeup

Consolidating my eyeshadows

christinahopgood
Generally when I’m doing my makeup I use my Naked 1 palette, Innoxa quad, or my Maybelline gold quad – all of which are fairly neutral and flattering colours.  Browns, golds, taupes, champagnes, plums.
But I had a whole lot of other eyeshadows that aren’t in high rotation, all in little individual packages cluttering up my drawer.  So I decided to consolidate them into one palette by removing them from their packages.
Here’s my collection before.  The ones on the left I didn’t include in this because I was so scared of cracking them!

 I used a sharp knife to prise the metal eyeshadow pans away from their plastic boxes.  They’re stuck on with annoying glue, and you have to be super careful not to bend the metal or your eyeshadow will shattter.  If they shatter a little bit, you can fix it just by pressing down with your finger.  I shattered one of mine irreparably, so be careful!  You also will want to put down some newspaper because it can get a little messy.  Sometimes I accidentally stabbed the shadow and a chunk came out.

When I was done, this is what I had.  I popped them in a little box, but had some others so changed packaging.  Notice how many purpley blues there are?  I count 10 purples of various shades (I think the camera didn’t capture it quite)!  I don’t think that purple eyeshadow looks good on me now.  But I must have liked it at some stage!

I transferred it to a little cardboard envelope that used to house a David Jones gift card.  I cut it down the side to make the lid.  I don’t have any way of keeping it closed, so I’m just careful with it and keep it on top of things in my drawer.

You can get magnetised palettes from various places online, which would be great for keeping your eyeshadow pans in place.  I was too impatient so i just did it without one!

This has cleared out a lot of space in my makeup drawer!  I’m trying to use some of these up, so keeping them all in the same place will help me with that.  Maybe I’ll do some Smurf makeup to use up all that blue…
craft, life, percussion

Photo from the radio peeps!

christinahopgood
Last Thursday, some lovely chaps from ABC Canberra’s local radio station came and did some interviewing, recording, and photographing of a rehearsal for the Harrison Organ Concerto.
They took a great photo of me playing my boxes (and a bass drum): 
These are boxes that my dad hand crafted according to instructions in the score.  They took him ages and ages to make!  They are cubes, 21″, 16″ and 11″ (not that I usually use Imperial, but that was the specification).  The striking surface of each cube is a thinner gauge plywood.  It took a lot of calculations and measurements and tricky pre-drilling of holes, but we made them and then my mum varnished them.  Aren’t they good?
My dad is the best.
Yay craft!
craft, crochet

Woolen Things

christinahopgood
I do lots of craft sometimes.  I like to have something in my hands when I’m watching TV or something. I like crocheting mostly!
This is one of my two ripple blankets.  The ripple is the kind of stitch – it’s like a wave.  This one has a weird colour combo – purple and camo blue?!  What was I thinking.  I picked out the colours ages ago, because I only crochet my blankets rarely.  They’re nice to come back to after ages!
This one is knee-rug sized.  I still have to make it about twice as wide.  That’ll take me another year or two at this rate!
While in Sweden I started knitting a jumper for Charles.  I managed to do the whole torso!  I found the pattern online at GarnStudio.  They have thousands of free knitting patterns online, it’s an ad for their yarn.  I saw some of their yarn in Sweden (it’s a Swedish company I think) and it was really nice.
The bottom is ribbed and the top section is moss stitch.  The rest is stocking stitch.  Made on a circular needle!  So now I have to do the sleeves, but they’re supposed to be done in the round on double pointed needles.  I find double pointed needles WAY TOO FIDDLY so I’m thinking of just doing it flat and then sewing a seam up the arm.  I also need to do the neckband.
Stuff Doing!  All The Time!
arts and crafts, craft, crochet

Crocheted collars

christinahopgood
My friend bought a lovely crocheted collar from a super talented designer at Hand Hook Yarn.  It cost her like $60!  But when I looked at it I thought… I could do that!  So she let me have a look at it and I made my own version last night (after two total fails)!  I also found a pattern for a crocheted collar on The Ongoing Project, but it’s also different.
My version is not exactly the same (I couldn’t figure out what she’d done in some places), but it worked out pretty well!  I wore it to uni today and got at least one compliment.  Other people complimented in the way that means “Chrissy why are you wearing such a pink thing”.

It’s actually NOT that bright a pink, the colour came out a bit wrong in this photo.  It’s more of a dusky pink colour.  That’s a brooch I inherited.  I thought a brooch fastener is much more versatile than a button because you can change it!  Obviously!

I’m starting a yellow one.

And this is a red one I made on the bus home.  It’s red, I promise!  Weird lighting playing tricks again.
Me wearing my pink one in the bathroom.

This is what I wore to uni today – my spotty dress.  So maybe the pink collar is too much with this outfit!  Anyhow I’m pretty proud of how it turned out and I think it looks sweet.  I’m going to make this yellow one and then I’ll see what other yarn I have.
If they turn out to be good, I might sell them at the Arts and Crafts show.  We had our first Committee meeting yesterday so I’m looking forward to it already!  How much could I charge for these?
craft, fascinator

Fascinating fascinator

christinahopgood
The other night, my friend and I were looking at Polyvore and found some cool looking hair bands.  We said “We could make those!”  So yesterday we walked into town and bought some supplies from craft stores.
I bought a shoulder pad, some lace, feathers, paper flowers, paper leaves, little hair clips, and matching fabric.  I was going for a natural, mori-girl kind of style.  Here’s what I ended up with:
I covered the shoulder pad with fabric and sewed in place, then glued on the feathers and paper stuff, and then sewed on the lace which I’d gathered into little rounds.

Then I used scissors to cut two tiny holes in the back of the shoulder pad, and inserted the little clips.  Complete!

It just clips on!  Shoulder pads are nicely curved and fit well on a head.

I got loads of compliments on it today.  People were astonished that I made this!  Dudes and ladies: it’s not that hard!  It was fun because I was with a friend!
My friend chose a red colour scheme and she pleated her fabric and used black and red feathers as highlights.  Hers was much more of a classic look.  We had such a nice time last night making stuff together!