Day 22 of 30… It’s a long road.

I thought I would do an update on how I am going with the 30 Days of Creativity challenge. 

So far it’s been pretty fun. I have gotten some projects done that I have been wanting to do for a while and I have also done a few things that I haven’t been planning/that were not on my list.

Yes, being the chronic list maker that I am, I made a list of thirty {Well, really twenty~nine, as the last one sort of does not count.  You’ll see what I mean in a moment.} things that I could do for the 30 Days. 

I think that there are a lot of fun things to do and I have only written down a few ideas.  I do not think that I will actually get to do everything as I have only crossed off a few things and I have repeated a few others, but that’s okay.  So far it has been really cool to participate in this challenge ~ it is my first time to be involved in anything like it, and I am really enjoying it!

Here are some pictures of finished projects:

~* ♥ * ~  Amigurumi Bunny Broach  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~  Crocheted rainbow baby mittens for Theodore  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~   Weekly manicure and nail deco: Mode Cosmetics Polish in Runway  ~* ♥ * ~

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  If you want to see all of my 30 Days of Creativity projects I have pictures up on Pinterest.  You can find them here.

How to ~ A Beginner’s DecoDen Tutorial

Disclaimer:  This is the first decoden project I have ever done myself ~ so I am not an expert, but I did learn a few things doing it so I thought I would share them. 

For the first ever decoden project I have ever done I must say I really quite enjoyed it!  It is a great way to make something boring look pretty and unusual at the same time.  Plus, it is a totally personal thing.  You can do whatever you want and you will be guaranteed to end up with a unique piece, which is something I really like about anything ~ not just deco.  

I think next time though I will make sure I am in a room with better ventilation as I got dizzy from all the epoxy glue fumes!   > O <

Maybe a higher table too, so I do not have to bend over so far?  Anyways, I loved it and I can not wait to do more deco when I get the chance!  However, on the tutorial we go.   As it is another long post I will highlight things that I think are important in pink.

These are the supplies I got for my project:

I did not end up using everything I bought, but it was helpful to have the different cabochons to choose from when deciding on my design.

Basic supplies:

• One clear Gen 3 iPhone case
• Two parts Epoxy glue ~ Araldite for Australians. 
           {My epoxy had a five minute drying time which was ok, but meant that I wasted a lot of the glue.  I have heard that the longer setting time is recommended; but I kind of liked being able to pick my project up without bumping and ruining the work I had already done.  Try both to figure out what works for you.  I think I am going to use both types next time to test which one is better for me.}
• A picker ~ mine was homemade; just a skewer cut down to size with a blob of Blutack (the stuff you use to stick posters up for non~Australian readers ~ I am sorry I do not know what it is called overseas….  T ^ T } on the end. 
• Pointy nosed tweezers ~ I bought these half way through the project and they certainly helped to save my sanity when it came to the smaller gems.  Get some ~ you’ll use them.
• A plate/piece of cardboard for the epoxy to go on.
• Toothpicks to apply the epoxy with.
• Shallow dishes to put your deco pieces/rhinestones in.
• Something to lay underneath your project so you do not get glue everywhere.  I used paper towel. 

Deco parts {sorry, I do not have the size details of the cabochons or pearls}:

• One white glitter rose cabochon   ~  from a local bargain shop
• Two large glitter pink rose cabochons  ~  ordered from modes4u; unfortunately they do not seem to stock them any more
• Four small pink rose cabochons {there were advertised as nail art pieces, but they work perfectly with my design}  ~ also ordered from modes4u; but not in stock
• Three small heart shaped flat back pearls   ~  from a local bargain shop
• One large heart shaped flat back pearl   ~  from a local bargain shop
• Five assorted size round flat back pearls    ~  from a local bargain shop
• Approximately 500 round flat back rhinestones   ~  from a local bargain shop:

~ 6 mm stones:   37 {I would round that up to 40~50 gems so you have spares if you need them}

~ 4 mm stones: Approximately 250 {Round to 300~350}

~ 3 mm stones: Approximately 200 {Round to 250~300}

Note:  I did a price check on how much the Swarovski crystals would have cost me and I was looking at about $40.00 USD for the lot rounded up; not including postage.  

However, my plastic crystals were $6.00 AUD in total….   So yeah.  Huge price difference; but at the same time, I can see how the Swarovski crystals would be totally worth it. 

One, you can clean the excess glue off them {more on that later!}.  Two, they would last longer as well as being more sparkly.    Three, you wouldn’t have to worry about the gems falling off their bases which has already happened to one of mine.  : /   And four, which I like the most ~ you would have left overs, plus, if you do a smaller project it would not cost as much.

But between you and me, I think this is why sweets deco is so popular now ~ silicon for whipped cream costs around $15.00 ~ $35.00 USD {depending on the size of the tube} if you buy the Japanese craft silicon and cabochons can be found relatively cheap. 

I think it ends up heaps cheaper to do sweets deco; especially if you make your own cabochons, but I guess it depends in the end what you are willing to spend. 

Step 1:  Set up your deco area.  Make sure you have plenty of room on your table and desk so you can find everything when you want it.

Top Tip:  It is a good idea to make sure you are in a well ventilated area as epoxy glue has quite a strong smell and the fumes can make you dizzy. 

 

 

Step 2:  Clean the surface you are about deco with a damp cloth and then lay out your design.

I only had ideas about the cabochons because I basically wanted to pave the empty space around them with rhinestones; so this is what I laid out before I started gluing.

 

 

Step 3:  Lift up your cabochons and glue in place.  I also made a quick decision to add some pearls so I glued them down next.

Then start gluing your rhinestones on around them.  I started up the top and did a straight row across.   I left the sides for later as I put larger stones around the edge.

Top Tip:  Only do a small area of glue at a time ~ no bigger than 1 1/2 cm square.   This is particularly applicable when using the fast drying glue.  You do not want your glue to dry out on your project before you get your stones stuck on.

Step 4:  Put a small patch of glue on your project.  Stick rhinestones on, making sure to choose the best sizes so there are as few gaps as physically possible.  You want the stones to sit next to each other as closely as they can ~ sort of like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle.  

Step 5:  Lather, rinse, repeat until the project is entirely paved with rhinestones!   Bear in mind that this process will probably take a few hours depending on the size of the area you are decoing.

Step 6:  Allow your project to dry for the recommended drying time.

Top Tip:  If you are using glass, crystal or Swarovski gems {possibly resin; but I am not sure about this so do a tester first!!} you can clean off any excess glue using am acetone nail polish remover.  Clean the excess off BEFORE it sets.  DO NOT use nail polish remover on plastic rhinestones because it will melt the plastic and turn it cloudy; i.e. ~ your gems will stop sparkling and you probably do not want that!

Step 7:  Enjoy your pretty new sparkly!!    > U <  ~  ♥

Top Tip:  My iPhone case did not have a place to hang mobile phone charms off, so I super glued a a loop of ribbon to the inside of the case and hung my pony off that.  It works great and the case still fits like, well, a charm!   > __ <

Well, that’s it for my first decoden project but I hope to be back soon with more deco bling!   If you have any questions at all, just leave a comment and I will do my very best to answer them. 

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Beginner’s Decoden Resources & Tutorials

You might remember that I posted about wanting to try my hand at Decoden {here}?   Well, over the last few months I have been slowly collecting up some supplies so I can actually give it a go.

Being the perfectionist that I am, however, I did not want to just sit down with a bottle of glue and start sticking on jewels willy~nilly….  Especially as the iPhone case I am decoing cost me $15.00 {which I thought was outrageous as it is just a piece of plastic}.  But anyway, to be fair, some deco results look exactly like that throwing everything on was the method of application!!

I am too fussy to be happy with that I must confess, so my second port of call {after gathering up my supplies} was the internet to see exactly how I should go about starting my iPhone deco project.

The only problem is that it is really hard to find anything that is useful for showing me what to do!  So I thought I would put together my own deco resources post, for myself and any other decoden beginners who would like to know where and how to start.

Anything that I have found particularly helpful, or heard of a lot in my internet research I will highlight in pink, so if you want to skip parts of this post, just look out for the pink to find the best bits. 

Decoden Suppliers:

Artbeads.com  ~ go here for Swarovski crystals*

Fullmoon07xxx  ~  a wide range of cheap deco supplies; this seller is highly recommended

Strapya World

The Sticker Monster

Ebay

*highly recommended by every experienced decoden crafter I have read.  They don't scratch, tarnish or wear like plastic rhinestones so your deco will last a lot longer with these.

Decoden Resources:

LiveJournal Decoden community ~ I am a part of this community; it has some really great tips you can pick up. 

All about Deco ~ this blog is only just starting out, but has some great tutorials and information posts up already. 

Decoden Tutorials ~ this is a forum topic that posts about decoden tutorials.  It might take a while to wade through the posts to find anything specific, but it’s still a great place to check out new ideas. 

KawaiiFrenzy.com  ~  a blog with a lot of decoden tutorials available and lots of other cute stuff!

Decoden Tutorials:

Decoden Headphones Tutorial

Hairbrush & Travel Mug Deco

Making Sweets Deco Supplies

Deco Technique ~ Paving Headphones Tutorial

*Coming soon: My own beginner’s deco tutorial {or simply: how I did it!}

Youtube Tutorials:

How to deco iPod Hime Gyaru style ~

Created be kawaiinails

How to cover your items with protective film before decoing ~

Created by 01b0o

Not a tutorial, but useful if you want to see someone else’s deco process ~

Created by 01b0o

Decoden Tutorials in Japanese!

Okay, so I can not understand Japanese, but I still have a good idea of what they are doing just by watching the videos.  I hope you find these useful too. ^ w ^

Also, I have to say that the first two videos on the list I found  really helpful as they are the only videos I have seen that do a step by step of the decoing process. I really recommend watching these to understand the deco process, even if they are in Japanese. 

Decoden tutorial ~

Created by Chiara

 

Created by Chiara

Sweets Decoden Tutorial ~

Created by decorateharajuku

Decoing a shape/creating a picture with coloured stones ~

Created by decorateharajuku

Links to a three part Sweets Deco Tutorial that is very detailed ~ I recommend watching these if you want to try Sweet Deco:

~  Part One

~  Part Two

~  Part Three 

~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~ * ♥ * ~

So after a couple of hours trawling the internet, I think managed to gather together enough helpful links so I can start decoing my phone, and I hope after reading this post you are confident in starting out your own deco project.  

I promise I will post photos of my decoing adventure ~ and if you wish to share any of your decoden projects I would love to see them!  Post a link through in the comments, or email me a picture ~ bonita{at}bdotdepictions.com.   Happy decoing!  ^ u ^

xox,

bonita

Sparkly Sparkly! Nail Art

It has long been my ambition to get some serious sparkle on my nails.  I don’t mean of the glitter variety, but of the rhinestone sort. 

Yes, this is me not some mind eating alien spawn.  I still have a 70% black wardrobe and I still wear and adore vintage.  I did however warn you a while ago that the simple housewife who likes neatness and order also has a strange thirst for decoden and over the top, Japanese styled nails. 

Prime examples here and here:

    

I do not know where my elegant, refined, classic and simplicity loving self {*snort* elegant, refined, classic?  Yeah.  Right.} vanishes too when I see pictures like the ones above, but vanishes she does and I am left positively longing to do this:

to my iPhone.  

DH was not impressed when I told him about my awesome idea.  Mainly because he is super obsessive over his technology almost to the point of OCD ~ each piece of equipment must be kept in pristine original condition.  That’s what you get when you marry a software developer I guess!

He did give me his old iPhone when he got the new one, so he most likely won’t want it back, but still.  Deco?  On the iPhone?   Oh noes!  >o<

Thankfully, he did come around, but only if I deco a case for the phone and not the phone itself.  Which is fair enough and what I was planning to do in the first place just in case I ended up hating it.

But the fact of the matter is I haven’t even gotten around to starting the iPhone deco project as I do not have a case, nor that many supplies yet.  So I have to make do with blinging up my nails instead.   Mind you, I didn’t really go all out, simply because these are my first experiments.  I don’t know how long the nail sparkles will last, or how to do proper gel nails. 

Or if I even want to do gel nails because I am petrified of ruining my admittedly already decent nail bed.  I get even nails with a nice length to them on a regular basis.  How long the evenness lasts depends on how rough I am and what I doing.  

But that was a side track.  Let’s get on with the real stuff.  Photos!! 

I have basically created a step by step of how I do my nails for no particular reason.  Hope you like.

  

Gather your materials  ~ I have a Konad Stamping Kit and BYS Matte Aqua Polish.   Then prepare your nails by cleaning them, pushing back the cuticles and putting on a base coat.  I use Sally Hansen’s Miracle Cure as it is a treatment and it dries super fast.

Yes, this is how I put my nail polish on.  It’s good because the bottle is firmly wedged between your knees so that you can’t knock it over, but it’s also bad because you have to be careful not to get nail polish on your favourite jeans!  >.<

 

I found this BYS polish to be really good.  It was so thick that after one coat your nails were the same colour as the bottle.  The aqua colour is not really aqua though ~ more like a dark sky blue.  It’s a very intense colour and the matte makes it look very saturated.  Also, at $3.00 a bottle, you can’t go wrong!!

Next step is to Konad ~ I did a polka dot bow on my right thumb and both ring fingers, and a dotted love heart on my left pointer and right middle finger.

Normally I’d do a top coat at this stage, because I find it definitely helps your nail art to last longer, but as this polish was matte and I don’t have a matte top coat, so it seemed a waste of time to me.   I guess I’ll just have to see how well the nails will last now.

    

Then it was sparkle time!!  I bought this nail art wheel that was chockers with different coloured rhinestones from a local beauty supplies shop.  It was a about $5.00 and I think the brand is Oker Brand.  Never heard of it before, but the wheel works really well.   The only thing was that all the different colours got muddled up in the packaging.   I haven’t sorted them out yet, and the gems are so small I don’t know if I can be bothered!  

Each gem is 2mm and I got the square ones. I decided on light purple and used super glue to attach them.  The super glue worked really well  You just had to make sure you didn’t get any on your finger or the gem would pull off again and leave a mess in your nail polish. 

I stuck three on my left thumb, one on my middle finger and two on my pinkie.   I did one on my right pointer and two on my right pinkie.

   

TaDa!!   The finished result! 

xox,

bonita

Crafting Craziness <3

It began with the reading of blogs.  Sewing blogs got me pinning over fabulous 40s frocks, marvellous millinery, and stupendous shoes.   Then I found the cute blogs devoted to kawaii and kanji and crafts….

My foray into the world of frill {read as Hime Gyaru and sweet Lolita with a dash of Gal style thrown in} has resulted in a sensory overload.  Apparently there IS a thing as too much inspiration!

For the last two weeks I have been sitting at my computer absorbing all these really cool ideas, such as How to store lashes in a cake, or  How to make cute rose hair clips, or Purses covered in bows and lace and pearls, or Stud Earrings or….   ><

So much cuteness, so many cool ideas!!!    *meltdown*

Slowly but surely, some ideas started to reach to the top of the bubbling cauldron of my mind so that they could hop out and into my hands.  They took their own sweet time but they were worth waiting for.   

Clockwise from top ~ Pearl necklace with the bow & heart locket added by me, Big black ribbon broach/hair bow crafted by me, silver bracelet with half~pearls set in by me, black double bow ribbon ring crafted by me.

 

The backs of the hair bow and ring.

I have also been inspired by this tutorial ~ Decoden Ear Bud Headphones ~ for decoing  my own not~so~crazy~but~still~cute{I think} ear bud headphones.

 

 

I ♥ them sooo much!  I think they turned out really well.  I now have diabolical plans for future projects which include doing up my iPod and speakers and my phone.  Although with my phone I am tempted to try a full on decoden just to see if I would like it all.  I mean, I love how it looks in photos, but I am just not sure that I could live with it all the time…..  ;_;

To be perfectly honest, decoden scares me a little bit ~ it’s just so….  so…..  so…..   over the top.   I love cute, pearls and sparkles….  But my philosophy has always been “Less is more”.    Which does beg the question, why am I so attracted to the uber sparkly crazy cute decoden style? 

But upon further reflection I wonder if I could do it, but do it with a b. flare…  That of course means the bows, pearls, and lace as normally found in decoden, but only in black, white and red.  Silver is also acceptable. 

So not totally decoden as I know it, but another creature altogether.  Much like my fashion style which seems to want to be hime gyaru flavoured one day {in black and white naturally} and 40s vintage the next.  {I will put up photos of the tribute outfit to hime gyaru soon.  I wore it tonight on a date with my gorgeous husband   -_^ ~ ♥  but so did not have the time to take any pictures.  I will repeat wear the outfit and get photos this time.}

It is kind of hard when my clothing style swings quite dramatically from chic and elegant to cute and frilly without much thought, but at least I have one thing about my style straight.  I like skirts and I like heels.  And I will always adore anything in black with bows, pearls and lace. 

Beyond that who knows where it is going to go!

xox,

b.

 

~*~  Tutorials/Inspiration found at  ~*~

♥  ~  http://violetlebeaux.com/tutorials/

♥ ~   http://lolita-charm.blogspot.com/

♥  ~  http://blog.tizzalicious.com/

♥   ~  http://hearty2.blogspot.com/