Shop Restocked!

Hey everyone! I did put some more items into the Etsy shop! I'm working on some more Fried Marble Pendants :) Check it out: MiaouKeo

The snail magnets are going up in the shop soon, if not there already, but there will only be a couple. If they go relatively quickly, I will purchase some bulk materials and make more when I come back from vacation (March 17th)!

Comic Strip Ruffle Skirt

The first ruffle skirt post I made last month was pretty popular. Thus, I purchased some Popeye Comic Strip Fabric and got to work at another ruffle skirt!

I folded the fabric more this time to create more ruffles. I actually though it might be too ruffly, but I'd say it turned out really cute. 

I decided to make this one for my sister and apparently all her friends thought it was adorable!

So I am really glad she loves it

It really did turn out cute... I may consider selling something similar in my Etsy shop.

My only fear with Comic Strip Fabric is that I could get in trouble with the characters that belong to Disney, Marvel, etc. I really wouldn't know how to "properly" and legally go about selling skirts from character fabrics.

I could look into doing a DIY for the ruffle skirt if anyone would like, that way you could sew your comic strip skirt if you so desired :)

Again I really do appreciate any feedback or comments! Thank you again!

Feel free to check out my previous skirt: Pink Chevron Ruffle Skirt

Experimental Meepers: Nail Polish?

 I saw my sister painting her nails the other day as we were watching a movie. It made me wonder what nail polish would look like on a Meeper. So I quick threw together a couple Meepers to give it a whirl.

 It was a bit difficult to get the nail polish in corners and keep it smooth but it created an interesting glossy look.

I probably wont do this on a normal basis to Meepers, as it will likely chip off. I think it would be interesting to use the red though if I ever did a zombie Meeper. I just need to practice with it a bit and not "slop" it on.

Sorry, Kind of a short post. It's a bit of a busy day.
Hope everyone is having a good week so far! :)

Update on Projects for the Week

No matter how hard I try, I never get any projects done over the weekend or even have the chance to make posts... I really need to make posts ahead of time. Actually, speaking of making posts ahead of time, I'm leaving in a couple weeks to go on a week long vacation. So I'm trying to make some extra posts ahead of time (hoping to squeeze a couple more DIYs in there)! 

I'm posting this as a lil' update for the week and to kind of give you an idea what I am working on.

I went to the craft store and finally purchased that round nose pliers I needed for making more fried marble pendants. 

I want to make a couple more pendants from the batch of blue and green marbles I cooked last week and get those on the Etsy shop, PRONTO!

They really do look stunning in sunlight... I made a DIY for making Fried Marbles last week, so feel free to check it out :)

Right now, I really only can make the pendants. I'm trying to find a way to get chains at a low price to sell with the fried marble pendants without having to sell crappy chains...

It's unheard of to leave the craft store with only one item. That would be like only eating one potato chip. Who does that? Just kidding... But of course I did not leave with only one item.... 

Hey! The Fimo clay was 50% off!! I can't pass that up

I'm working on a new product for my store: Magnets :)

On my old blog, I made some snails with clay and snail shells I had gathered. I was remembering that and thought it would be cool if I could put them on my chalk board (it would look like colorful snails were wondering about my calendar ^-^ )

So if all goes well, I may be able to get these guys on the Etsy shop 

... Might have a hard time handing them over though... They're so CUTE!

I also did finish making another ruffle skirt (Comic Strip). I made some improvements with this skirt and made it quite a bit more "ruffly" than the first one I made (Pink Chevron)

Hoping to get a post with my little sister wearing up soon too. Supposedly people swarmed her with compliments everywhere she went in it. I'm really glad she loves it so much. If that post becomes as popular as the pink skirt post was, then I may have to do a DIY for it...

*wink! wink! nudge! nudge!*

I've tried painting my Meepers (the little clay creatures I make) and I just cannot get the paint to cooperate. But wouldn't it be neat if they were painted with nail polish?! Where do I get these silly ideas? I have no idea!

I was actually looking at some of my older post the other day, as some of them needed to be updated with the new blog template, and it was kind of neat to see how I have improved a bit over a couple months time span. Holy cow, it's been about four months already. Time flies!

Anyhoo, I really appreciate any likes or comments you give! If you want to see more a particular post

(such as crafting DIYs, fan art, sketch book entries, etc),

 just let me know in the comments and I would be happy to do work on some more :) 

Btw: It's almost Spring!! yay! 

DIY: Fried Marbles

You may have seen this in jewelry shops and online: people making and selling fried marble jewelry And the "crackle" effect on the inside of marbles looks amazing. It is actually rather simple to do yourself.

You'll Need:

• Glass Marbles (clear work the best)
• An Oven Safe Dish 
• Tin Foil
• Bowl
• Towel

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Then, line the oven safe dish with tin foil. After that, pour some marbles into the dish

3. Once your oven is heated up to 450 degrees, place the dish in the oven and let them cook for 20 minutes

4. While the marbles are cooking, fill a bowl with ice water 

5. Once the 20 minutes are up, Immediately pour the marbles into the ice water. This is where they get their crackle :)

6. Allow the marbles to chill in the water for a few minutes. Then dry them off and enjoy the little treasures!

Don't be too upset if you notice a couple, shattered marbles. It's somewhat unavoidable and you'll likely have a couple marbles shatter each batch.

If you notice some do not have as much crackle as you were hoping for, just put them back in the oven and repeat the process. 

I really like the blue and green mix of marbles I purchased recently, but they did not crackle as much as marbles did from previous batches. But I am still hoping to make some more pendants for my Etsy shop! :3

Let me know if you liked this DIY or if you would like to see more of crafting tutorials. I really appreciate any feedback you might have to give too.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Shape-Shifting Cat: The Snail

Sometimes, I swear my cat can shape-shift for his benefit...

I kind of rushed this drawing (Sorry 'bout that...), but I hope to do a couple more shape shifting cat form drawings soon. Thank you for your patience, it has been a busy week. I have a couple projects I am working on, but if there is something you would like to see more of (such as more sketch book entries, maybe more tutorial posts, completing the My Little Pony group of Meepers, or something else) please let me know :) I'm really just trying a variety of things at this point and I would be up to any suggestions or even challenges.... 

By the way... 

it's almost Friday!!!!

Update and "Canvas" Drawing

It's kind of a busy week and so I will post some various drawings and sketches until Friday. Keeping my eyes peeled for a package to do a tutorial Friday and hoping to finish another (and improved) ruffle skirt

So enjoy these lil' doodles for the next couple days :)

You can also check out my deviantART if you would like to see more of my drawings:

miaoukeo.deviantart.com

Me as a cat?

I had a pretty quiet weekend and basically just goofed off with my cat... I suppose this about sums up my weekend...

Chocolate "Chips"

 It's that time of year again! :) and I actually have a special someone to make a Valentine's treat for.
He isn't too fond of sweet foods, but he did mention liking chocolate chips.... This probably wasn't what he meant.

I know it sounds bizarre and maybe even gross to make chocolate dipped potato chips, but they actually aren't bad! It's similar to the sweet and salty concept of chocolate dipped pretzels and the taste reminded me a bit of "Puppy chow" (Chocolate chex Mix). It's relatively easy and quick to make as well!

You'll need: 

• Potato Chips (the wavy look the best!)
• A Bag of Milk Chocolate Chips 

Cooking dishes, utensils, and tools:

• Microwave Safe Bowl (to melt chocolate chips) 
• Try to find one that isn't very deep or small so that you can reach bottom and dip the chips into, without getting your hands covered in chocolate
• A Mixing Spoon (to stir chocolate)
• A Couple Trays (to let the chips dry)
• Wax Paper (to lay out on trays)

Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir chocolate chips

I find that my chocolate chips burn if they sit in the microwave too long without being stirred.

Put the bowl back in the microwave for another 30 seconds, stir and repeat until chocolate chips are melted and smooth

By taking the chocolate chips out every 30 seconds and stirring, you avoid burning them and they melt evenly. Try to really mix around the bottom, as that will be where the chips begin to melt.

When the chocolate has melted and smooth when stirred, you can start dipping your potato chips. Also lay out wax paper on your trays to set the dipped chips

If the chocolate is too thick on chips, lightly scrape some excess chocolate off. Too much chocolate can be overwhelming and you will not be able to taste the salty potato chip as much in comparison.

As you dip potato chips, you can begin to set them onto the trays. When you feel you have made enough or your trays are full, move them to your fridge to cool

It shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes for the chocolate to harden and cool completely.

Once the potato chips have cooled, you can remove them from the trays to a container or plate to eat

I started filling up a bag of chips to give to my Valentine and then put the leftovers in another container to keep myself. Just do not leave the chips out too long at room temperature, as they could quickly become a goopy mess. I would keep in the chips in a seal-able container/bag in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.

 I decorated my box a tad and sent it straight to fridge so I could avoid the temptation of sneaking a couple...

Last year I actually purchased "fancy" chocolates and my boyfriend didn't seem to really care for them. I think he will like this more. And maybe get a laugh out of it.

I bet you could try some variations with other chocolates (dark or semisweet), but I don't know how the flavors would cooperate. You could even drizzle chocolate rather than dipping the potato chips and that would be pretty :)

The recipe is pretty self-explanatory and the only hard part would be melting chocolate (which isn't hard if you stir often). The only reason I knew how to go about making this was from my experience of chocolate truffle making.

I have heard of people actually incorporating potato chips into cookies and might have to find a recipe... but i always end up ruining my cookies for some odd reason...

Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions or if you enjoyed this recipe!