SUPER CUTE KOREAN STICKERS~~~

TOTALLY random post...

Somebody buy me these stickers for my wedding!!! XD Not yet, of course LOLOL~

http://www.seoulpicks.com/fun-gifts/1251177-korean-traditional-wedding-sticker-set.html

Life is full of imperfections...

I think this place has become my peaceful corner to reflect on thoughts.. Just scrolling through my (not-very-many) past posts, one post caught my eye -- "Resin hates me."

That was nearly half a year ago! In these six months, I have had lots of practice with resin crafting. I must admit, it is quite a difficult craft and it does take a lot of detail and careful work. Even if you spend all your time looking at it, trying to prevent any dust particles from landing on your piece, there are still bound to be imperfections no matter how much you try.

With every resin piece I make, I learn something new.

I learned that you should never dome the sides with resin.
I learned that you should dome with runny resin, not wait till it's all thick. 
I learned that you should wait for the resin to thicken before adding glitter spangles. 
I learned that the background coloured layer should not be too thick. 
I learned that pieces cannot be too thin. 
I learned that drilling screw eyes can ruin your entire piece. 
I learned that toothpicks work best for me when doming.
I learned that you can make resin runny again with warm water.
I learned that bails sink into resin very easily.
I learned that bubbles appear in spots you cannot see until the piece is finished.

My lessons with resin never end. Yet, I learn from these lessons. I don't call them mistakes, I call them experiences.

I used to be a perfectionist, wanting everything to go my way. I wanted all the rainbows without the rain. But now, I actually find it overrated. Life is just like my journey with resin crafting. Things get into your way no matter how hard you try to avoid them.

I no longer find myself wanting to be a perfectionist.

Sure, I can strive to be one, but if I toss away a piece that I made just because it has a speck of dust or an unsightly air bubble, I would end up zero "perfect" pieces.

If I were to toss away every moment of my life that has imperfections, what would I end up with? I wouldn't have an enriching life to look back on when I am old.

Why be a perfectionist? Just go with the flow and embrace your not-so-ideal experiences (mistakes and failures if you will). Life is too short to be seeking for perfection.

~ Nikki

A Sudden Realization

Looks like I've forgotten about this space for a little while! I'm back with an interesting topic that I've been pondering about for some time.

Don't you love the feeling when you have tons of ideas and make endless clay charms for days on end? And you think, whoa, I made so many charms! I'm so productive! Yup, I am like that sometimes.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are days where you just don't feel like doing ANYTHING. The last thing you want to do is think of original charm ideas (which won't come to you no matter how hard you crack your brains). You just want to curl up in bed, watch TV all day long, eat, go out and play, enjoy the beautiful sunshine of summer... The list goes on. I know I certainly have been doing that this summer (except the sleeping part) :D

I've come to realize that we all go through ruts or slumps when it comes to crafting, some of them longer than we would like. It may also be stressful for us Youtubers to churn out videos to our lovely subscribers on top of our everyday lives. (Yes, we have ordinary lives just like any other human being!)

But yesterday I also thought of something else. Why force yourself to make things when you don't have any ideas? I myself have been in a "clay rut" for the past month or so, never feeling the urge to make charms as I did before.

On the other hand, over the past few months, I did made some quality charms that I am pretty happy with. I really think it's worth the time and effort to produce something that you personally like than to make things just for the sake of making them. Remember, quality over quantity any day!

For all my friends in the crafting community, don't strive to please others. Do what you think will make you happy. If you are not in the mood to make clay charms, do something else! I sure have been doing loads of resin lately :D

After reaching this important point in the self-discovery journey, my mind suddenly exploded with charm ideas! I had to scramble for pen and paper to jot them all down! Most of them were inspired by other amazing videos I recently saw on Youtube, but that is still something!

I hope this blog post has inspired you in some way or another! :)

Happy crafting!
♥ Nikki

My Cold Porcelain Experience

I tried making cold porcelain several times in the past few months, and did not get good results.

First time:
I think my microwave was too strong, or I had the proportions wrong. It overcooked and became really tough and rubbery when it was supposed to be smooth and soft. I salvaged it and made them into sprinkles, conveniently testing out my clay extruder as well.

Second time:
I tried to lower the microwave power levels but it still turned out overcooked! I think I'm not getting the proportions right either. I tried to work with it anyway, but it was still a fail.

Third time:
I think I was scared and undercooked it. And then I tried to slowly cook it properly, and I think I made my first successful batch! The texture was right and left a "teardrop" shape when pulled apart, it was smooth to the touch, and very easy to work with!

I tried to make some creations but they all dried up funny. I don't think I'll be going back to cold porcelain again any time soon. That was my very frustrating cold porcelain experience in a nutshell.

I think I'm better off with my beloved polymer clay XD

♥ Nikki

Grateful ♥

This post is dedicated to all my lovely subscribers who have supported me in this past 5 months on YouTube! Without all of you, I don't think I'd even be making videos!

To begin with, I had no idea I was gonna start making videos. I learned about polymer clay in June, 2012, and started polymer clay soon after that. In the following months that I've made my first polymer clay and felt plushie creations, I realized I had nobody to share them with! My friends were not interested and my family is too far away! Since the crafting community on YouTube is so full of enthusiastic crafters, I thought I'd jump in and give it a go!

Since then, I had expanded into other forms of crafting, including resin, and other non-crafting stuff (such as the wonderful world of kawaii and San-X stuff)! It sure keeps me very busy and it is a great hobby to have! I have also made many new friends all around the world!

Someday, I'd like to open a PO box, so that I can receive mail from anybody who would like to send me stuff! Hopefully this will happen before the end of the year! :)

Another goal I would like to achieve is to open an online store to sell my creations! I haven't quite figured out how much I would price my items, or how shipping costs would work! Maybe I will get on with that when I can bear to part with my charms! :)

But for now, I'll focus on making more creations and sharing them with you on my videos! Thank you so much again for following me on my crafting and YouTube journey!

Arpakasso craze!

Look what this is! My newest addiction?

Arpakasso!

Fluffy kawaii alpacas! I really didn't know what the craze was about until a few days ago!

There's also the mini plushies from the UFO catcher machines.. I'm so jealous I want some RIGHT NOW!!!

Too adorable!!!

They are so cute I can't even form proper sentences, let alone a proper blog post!

*faints*

Music taste

Ever wonder what kind of music I listen to?

I'm a proud fan of country music! Sure, it's tacky and corny and not well-liked by many, but I think the lyrics of most songs are really touching, and some are hilarious!

My favourite country artists are Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw!

This post may not be craft related, but I thought it'll give you a little extra information about me hehe!

PS. the lyrics from the picture is from "Cruise" by Florida-Georgia Line :)

Happy April!

Hey everyone! Easter weekend has zoomed by in a flash~ I hope you all had lots of chocolate eggs, I'm going to get mine on clearance later! Hopefully there will be some left for me!! ^^

I haven't been feeling inspired to make charms or plushies lately, I don't know why! I hope this little rut goes away soon! Meanwhile, I've been doing lots more resin, and in my latest batch, I put a TON of glitter to see how it would come out! I'm really not sure yet~

I still wish I can get my hands on some Martha Stewart glitter, especially the tinsel ones coz I think they make resin pieces SO SHINY! Maybe I should save up for some :)

I'm itching to start another craft! Maybe making bracelets? They look like so much fun! I know I know, I get carried away with starting too many kinds of craft, hehe! Makes me wonder why I didn't start earlier~

I hope April will be an awesome month for everybody! Spring is in the air and summer is just around the corner! :) Have a great day and week!

Hello Kitty Waffle Kit

I saw a video on Youtube making this kit and it looks like SO MUCH FUN!!! I want it I want it I want it!!!! I can just imagine doing this with cold porcelain!

It's $11 (probably plus shipping too)~ >.<

But it comes with such a lovely waffle mold and molds for all the other shapes!

Should I or should I not? :D

~Nikki

Resin Hates Me

Resin hates me.

I used to think I would never start resin, because I had no idea what the finished pieces would be for! Drilling holes and inserting eye screws can make them charms, but it seems like an awfully complicated process.

One day, I was intrigued by all the glitter (never used to be, I have no idea why) in the resin pieces. The combination of glitter, stickers and glossy plastic just suddenly got me started. What's more, I found a complete tutorial on how to do resin, so I decided to start!

I think I started shortly after Valentine's Day, and I was so happy with my glitter purchase! The endless bottles of shiny powder are so nice to look at! Now, if only I can make beautiful resin pieces with them!

My first few resin trials turned out to be more complicated that I imagined. Putting in the glitter and deciding what colours to put wasn't a piece of cake after all.

Yesterday, I tried it for the 5th time, and I think it was a terrible fail! Last few trials, my resin was relatively well behaved. This time? Not so much! I had warmed up my resin before using it, but by the time I got around to pouring it after preparing my work space, the resin had already gotten cold again and it was SUPER TACKY by the time I poured it into the molds! This never happened before. I guess I have to work with my warm resin right away!

Pouring the glitter was also a disaster. Last few times, I was using mini glitter packs. This time, I decided to try my new tubes of glitter. When I opened them, the tube of glitter was for pouring, and not little holes for sprinkling, if you get what I mean. I tried to sprinkle and ended up pouring a whole clump onto one spot! Yikes.

In a nutshell, I don't think my resin or my glitter was cooperating with me yesterday! I wonder how they will turn out! I also put too much dark pink glitter in the mold with the bear sticker, I wonder if the bear will even show up!

Every resin trial has been a struggle so far. But, I am still fascinated by the pretty glitter creations everybody else makes! I must not give up that easily! I do believe that you get better and things will go more smoothly after some failures and lots of practice!

Wish me luck in future resin trials!

~Nikki

My Journey with Yarn & Needles

What is this mysterious ball of yarn, you ask?

I have always liked knitting. It may sound like an activity associated with grannies sitting in rocking chairs, but I'm proud to say that I certainly am breaking that stereotype! Heck, I knit on the bus and I don't even see old ladies knitting! :D

My knitting story dates back to high school, when I first came to Canada. Staying at the school library often after school ended, I often saw my librarian knitting away and one day, I was intrigued. I asked her if she would teach me and she gladly said yes!

I didn't catch on right away, but it was more like learn and fail, learn and fail, with gaps of months and years in between each cycle. But one day, it finally clicked! Everything just made sense even though it took a long time for me to get my stitches neither too tight or too loose.

I knitted on and off during my time in university, making several scarves and even hats! Sometimes I would forget how to begin or end projects, and I would refer to online videos. But it always came back to me after refreshing my memory.

After having mastered knitting (well, of course I'm not a pro!), the next thing on my mind was crocheting! It seemed pretty amazing how you can do so many things with just a little hook and some yarn! So I bought a crochet hook and tried learning online.

Nope. That didn't work. So my crochet hook had a nice long hibernation before I finally dug it out again a few months ago. I was interested in amigurumi (crocheted stuffed toys) this time and I tried to learn from online sources again, but no! I still couldn't get it. I decided I needed a actual teacher! My friend happened to be making amigurumis herself so we had a short lesson!

I got the basics of crochet, but I somehow couldn't count the stitches properly and I JUST DIDN'T GET IT! So I put away my crochet needle again. This doesn't mean that I am giving up. I remembered what happened with my knitting and believed that one day, a lightbulb will go off and I will be able to crochet!

Last weekend was that magical day when my crochet hook and yarn decided to finally become friends! I don't know why I picked up the crochet hook again out of the blue, but this time, I GOT IT! The picture above is my first crocheted ball of success!

I was so excited!! I am now looking forward to the wonderful world of amigurumi! I am still having some troubles counting and keeping track of my stitches, but at least this is a start! I'm glad I did not throw away my crochet hook! The day I had been waiting for is finally here!

Moral of the story? If you don't get something, don't give up. Put it away for awhile and come back to it another time. It will eventually come to you one day.

~Nikki

Starting a blog!

After a couple months of making videos for YouTube, I think it would be fun to finally start a crafting blog!

I have always liked writing, and this would be a great place for my viewers to get to know me better! You'll get to take a closer look at my personality, my crazy thoughts and perhaps some inspirational ideas here and there! Expect lots of random pictures and words from my crazy crafty adventures!

I'm not sure what kind of posts I'll be doing on this blog, but let me know if you have any ideas! Feel free to email me at nikkiteahouse [at] gmail dot com or leave a comment down below!

~Nikki