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Long Time, No See
1 min read
Wow, sure been a while since I've been on this site. Yikes. I'll try to get on a little more often, and see how people are doing.
Things have been busy, and I ended up missing some of the good people and groups I was able to find through this site. That, and it's time to upload some pictures of crocheted items.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this. You're awesome!
Things have been busy, and I ended up missing some of the good people and groups I was able to find through this site. That, and it's time to upload some pictures of crocheted items.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this. You're awesome!
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My DeviantART Story
8 min read
I first found DeviantART a while ago when I was in elementary school. I didn't have a lot of
friends, but did enjoy the Legend of Zelda series. I was looking for some pictures of it through Google, and sort of accidentally found this site. I kept finding good art on it, and signed up shortly after I got a computer of my own.
At first I was convinced that I could draw, or do something with visual art, but I'm not all that good at it, and eventually I smartened up and figured out that I am much better at working with my hands, specifically with fine detail work and projects that can take patience to see through to the end.
At first I could only really make these lizards. I still do enjoy making them and they are a point of personal pride as they are my own design (and took several epic failures before they started looking good) and they improved overtime. They reminded me of road kill at first, and the arms or loop would break and it would fall apart. Knot that and add clear nail polish. Go back through it to give it stability and knot the tail. I still make a lot of them and they get sold through a store I used to work at. Some of them have semi precious beads in them as well.
I also knew how to use a bead loom, and my hand got steadier after practice. I only knew how to make simple designs at first, and eventually I started to figure out the importance of having the right colours for the job, even if that meant waiting to start and saving some funds to get the right colours, but it's always been worth it in the end.
From there I eventually got some courage to try out some new things and ways of working with beads. There was a lot of trial and error. I knew about peyote, or brick stitch, and gave that a try with mixed results at first. There were a lot that looked bad; I didn't have a steady hand and my beads aren't always the same size (they're all size 10, but some are bigger and some are smaller).
Soon I wanted to start figuring out my own patterns, so I started turning things on their side to see how they would turn out. Some were great to work with, some not so much.
Eventually I wanted to keep things more true to how they were originally designed, and that involved figuring out a new stitch, which I think is called square stitch. I'm really not sure, and the tutorials I saw online weren't the most helpful (I was likely looking in the wrong places) and went back to the drawing board. I figured out those too, so I'm almost entirely self taught and will keep trying something until I figure it out, and some have been looking stellar and wonderful.
If I had known that just flying mostly by the seat of my pants would feel so good I would have gotten into it a lot sooner.
I also dabble in some writing and cross stitch on the side, but what I really enjoy and look forward to working with are the seed beads, and some yarn that I am getting back into.
That is the main part of my crafting journey. I have met some truly fantastic people through this site and I always appreciate the messages and the critiques and ideas shared. This has helped me get through some really tough times in my life, and I can't really imagine what it would look like without some of the interactions from here. I know that sometimes I can't make it on for a while, but it almost feels like coming back to an old friend you haven't seen in a while.
Here's to the future, and to all the wonderful encounters and memories yet to come!
friends, but did enjoy the Legend of Zelda series. I was looking for some pictures of it through Google, and sort of accidentally found this site. I kept finding good art on it, and signed up shortly after I got a computer of my own.
At first I was convinced that I could draw, or do something with visual art, but I'm not all that good at it, and eventually I smartened up and figured out that I am much better at working with my hands, specifically with fine detail work and projects that can take patience to see through to the end.
At first I could only really make these lizards. I still do enjoy making them and they are a point of personal pride as they are my own design (and took several epic failures before they started looking good) and they improved overtime. They reminded me of road kill at first, and the arms or loop would break and it would fall apart. Knot that and add clear nail polish. Go back through it to give it stability and knot the tail. I still make a lot of them and they get sold through a store I used to work at. Some of them have semi precious beads in them as well.
I also knew how to use a bead loom, and my hand got steadier after practice. I only knew how to make simple designs at first, and eventually I started to figure out the importance of having the right colours for the job, even if that meant waiting to start and saving some funds to get the right colours, but it's always been worth it in the end.
From there I eventually got some courage to try out some new things and ways of working with beads. There was a lot of trial and error. I knew about peyote, or brick stitch, and gave that a try with mixed results at first. There were a lot that looked bad; I didn't have a steady hand and my beads aren't always the same size (they're all size 10, but some are bigger and some are smaller).
Soon I wanted to start figuring out my own patterns, so I started turning things on their side to see how they would turn out. Some were great to work with, some not so much.
Eventually I wanted to keep things more true to how they were originally designed, and that involved figuring out a new stitch, which I think is called square stitch. I'm really not sure, and the tutorials I saw online weren't the most helpful (I was likely looking in the wrong places) and went back to the drawing board. I figured out those too, so I'm almost entirely self taught and will keep trying something until I figure it out, and some have been looking stellar and wonderful.
If I had known that just flying mostly by the seat of my pants would feel so good I would have gotten into it a lot sooner.
I also dabble in some writing and cross stitch on the side, but what I really enjoy and look forward to working with are the seed beads, and some yarn that I am getting back into.
That is the main part of my crafting journey. I have met some truly fantastic people through this site and I always appreciate the messages and the critiques and ideas shared. This has helped me get through some really tough times in my life, and I can't really imagine what it would look like without some of the interactions from here. I know that sometimes I can't make it on for a while, but it almost feels like coming back to an old friend you haven't seen in a while.
Here's to the future, and to all the wonderful encounters and memories yet to come!
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End/start of year journal
4 min read
I know that with the start of a new calendar year comes a time of almost universal reflection of the past year. This is something that I sometimes do, but have been meaning to try it more often.
One of the main reasons I haven't done any sort of huge reflection these past few years is because they haven't always been that good. Right at the end of 2011 and start of 2012 I burned out, hard. Things really sucked. I pretty much just went from day to day, just getting whatever was right in front of me done if I could. It was good I didn't have to do that much planning, because I couldn't plan more than maybe a week ahead of me for months. That changed when I finally started thinking of a fieldwork placement that I needed to finish getting my Bachelors of Kinesiology (I had already gotten everything I needed for my Minor in Psychology and Certificate in Mandarin). I got the placement I wanted, the paperwork was all finished, I had called the main office and everything. I just needed to drop off the physical papers, when the place had to cancel. I was really bummed about this, more than I thought I would be considering it wouldn't start for four months, but that might have just been when everything felt like it was crashing back down again. I griped to a friend, and he recommended a place I hadn't heard of, hadn't even considered applying at. I went there the next day. Fortunately, they didn't have a Kin student, and I didn't have a placement, so it worked out.
Things started looking like they were going to go up from there. And they began to, for a bit. Things went down hill again because of one guy, but I already posted that and don't really want to get into it again.
At the end of 2012 things really began looking up. A guy I had known for a few years did something I would not have been able to do; he asked me out and I have been going out with him ever since. This year I have felt like I have been more exposed than ever, but it has been good. Things have also been looking up for many people on dA as well.
In the job area things are getting better too. I ended up making what I now realize was a huge mistake at the start of this year when I bought into what turned out to be empty promises about being busy working as a personal trainer/kinesiologist while studying for and getting my CSEP-Certified Exercise Physiologist. Basically, they said I wold have to pay each month, but would end up having the freedom to run my own business in the space which was supposed to be really busy because I would have the ability to work with people who needed physical activity for the health benefits or to have a better quality of life. I tried almost everything I could think of to get this going: paper ads, some online, asking (begging more like) people I knew if they or anyone wanted some personal training, and hardly got anywhere. I had been told that I would get to work with referrals from doctors, but never really got the choicest ones; another trainer kept those and ended up charging a lot of money. I ended up sub-contracting for this guy, working for him because I really needed the money to afford this pricey sub-lease I had gotten myself into for 12 months.
Well, the last payment to that place came out a few days ago, and I'm not going back 
I have found a new place to work at, working with a friend from university. Fortunately, our training ideas and theories are similar, even though we have slightly different methods. I'm also back at the place where I had my fieldwork placement, but now getting paid for it, which is awesome! 
I have found a new place to work at, working with a friend from university. Fortunately, our training ideas and theories are similar, even though we have slightly different methods. I'm also back at the place where I had my fieldwork placement, but now getting paid for it, which is awesome! There are going to be a lot of changes this year, in pretty much every aspect of my life, and I am really looking forward to it this year. Usually I would feel indifferent or apprehensive, or maybe just burnt out from studying. This year, I feel like I am looking forward to what is coming. There will be many good things, and I am really looking forward to spending more time time with my boyfriend. Maybe I'll also get to learn how to sculpt this year.
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Merry ...
1 min read
Christmas/Holidays/Festivus or whatever you decide to celebrate! Everyone should be able to feel glad and joyous this time of year.
It certainly hgas been an interesting year, with some things being wonderful, and other decisions being absolutely idiotic in nature. I know my next year is going to be better, and hope that this will become a reality for everyone else as well. All the best in 2014
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Busy
1 min read
I've been really busy lately, and haven't uploaded anything in a while. I'm also behind on everything, and for that I apologize and thank the people who have been patient with me. I've made some good and not so good decisions this past year, and now they are all beginning to catch up with me.
I've got some new works that I am excited to upload and possibly get feed back on (any and all is greatly appreciated), as well as a few other things I want to try. In high school I used to paint Warhammer miniatures a lot, and want to get back into something similar, but maybe with others, or left overs. In the future there will be some of those coming, and if anyone has anything they'd like to see painted, just let me know!
Thanks to all the awesome people on here who can help make a bad day good, and inspire creativity and a willingness to try new things!
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