Blind?

    So I went to the doctor for my annual checkup on... *checks sources* Tuesday, and much to my dismay I discovered that my right eye, to be frank, is quite deficient in terms of seeing stuff. My left eye is pretty great, so it compensates for the right, so it seems like I can see fine. But I was misled! Okay. So I might need contacts. Glasses. A monocle, as my friend Krista suggests. Obviously this is pretty weird, but if I continue to dodge my eye doctor appointments, I think I'll be okay. Holla, steampunk monocle! I seriously want to make a DIY of this.

How Bout Dem Curls? A Simply Divine DIY

     Here's a great solution to being bored on a weekend morning, possibly after a run! I wish I could say that the results are instantaneous, but they're not--in reality, a decent result can be reached after a long night of sleep, and the BEST results come after about a night of sleep, a full day, and another night. With wet hair. But it's 100% worth it! Here's how to get great curls without hurting your hair, totally natural and never losing their shape.

     Here's what you'll need:

*hair ties (I used four for mine, but two work too, whatever you've got on hand)

*a shower

*a pillow

*a head of hair

     Here's what you won't need:  (curling iron, blowdryer, crazy curlers from the fifties, or Renge)

The Holiday Treasure Trove

     I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, which confuses a lot of people. "Wait, how can you be both--?" This FAQ is often followed by a realization. "Oh, I get it, so your parents are so religious they make you celebrate both? Do you go to temple and church? Do you get presents for both? Luck-eee!" Then I have to explain to them, yeah, I celebrate both, but I'm not really either religion, at least not that much, because my family's just not really religious at all. I never go to temple OR church, but I celebrate all the good holidays of both. Mwa-ha-ha! So now that that's all out of the way, I'll give y'all a belated description of my holiday bounty. Here's what I got in terms of sewing, in list form, since it's easier to write and read. Geez, I'm such a lazy bum, aren't I? With a British accent.
*A sewing machine! YESYESYESYESYES!!!! I'm terribly against over-punctuating things, but I think this Christmas gift deserves five gosh-darn exclamation points.
*Patterns for pants to sew--pajamas and capris. Considering that my current pajama pants are more like long shorts, I think this will be a very productive project :)
*Buttons, bows, googly eyes, beads, etc. to bedazzle my newly-sewed clothes
*One of those sewing supplies kits--it even has a pincushion with one of those little pepper things on it! AAAAH! <3 and="and" font="font" it="it" tonses="tonses">
*Cute scraps of fabric from my dad and grandma--here are some pictures of my favorite prints. Okay, they're at the bottom of the page, thanks for nothing, defective Blogger settings!
     I also got some good running things for Hanukkah, like a phone holder to go on my arm so I don't have to carry it to listen to my B.o.B and other rap stuff. I always get freaked out it's going to fall and break, and then what of my two-year contract? Scary. This way, I'll be in shape for track in the spring! Distance, y'all! Definitely join track, everyone. It's a must! 
     Plenty of art supplies are always good too--Mod Podge! Five Below, which is up there on the list of best stores ever, is where we got all our cool ornaments, except for me and my brother, who made ours. And of course, no gift-giving holiday is complete without the ritualistic giving of glitzy stationery to the oldest girl of all the Gekotty cousins. I must have a whole drawer full of the stuff! Unfortunately, I didn't get the HESS truck of my dreams, but I'll just gaze lovingly at the Gekotty boys' cars. Heh. I love my new last name.

Look What I Made! DIY to Come Later

DIY: How to Find the Perfect Place

   So what exactly do these places all have in common? Easy peasy. These little, oh-I-don't-know habitats are some of my favorite places! Today I have a bit of a DIY to help you lot find your favorite hiding spots. I've composed a list of places that I love and feel most happy, thoughtful and/or comfortable in. Be sure to share yours if you have any through comments! Note: these specials aren't in any particular order, so don't be all, "MY house should be number ONE because it's AWESOME; WHY isn't it even on the JOLLY-well darn LIST?!" and do an angry dance a la Billy Elliot. Just don't, please. 
                                                    ~The Infamous List~
1. Sitting in my Japanese maple tree, preferably listening to my portable radio and reading
2. Strolling around a posh city with GANGNAM STYLE
3. Dipping my feet in Jezebel's lake house lake
4. Eating mozzarella sticks at the kitchen counter
5. Gazing out my raindrop-encrusted window while listening to some alternative music (or Pink)
6. Swinging on any old abandoned park swing against the wind
7. This amazingly peaceful place called Land's End in San Francisco; it used to be this old baths place but now it's just kind of like a nature reserve
8. My comfy beige chair in my room where I listen to my iPod and write letters to acquaintances
   And d'you know what? That's about all I can think of right now, so let's get it started on the do-it-yourself part of this post. New paragraph...
   So it's pretty darn simple to discover what your favorite places are, but there are a few rules and regulations that you must perform first. Numero uno is to--obviously--listen to your favorite music, because if you're an avid music fan like me and every other tween/teen girl in this technology-based world, you know that listening to music is a temporary cure for almost any problem. Just turn on your musical device and listen to your choice of Michael Jackson (dur), or Maroon 5, or Queen, or the Archers of Loaf, or something along those lines. I repeat: easy peasy.
   Second rule of initiation--you should probably look around a lot. Y'know, just kind of examine what setting you're in. Say you're in New York City. If you check out all the noises and smells and buildings and such, you'll get a sense of whether or not you actually like the place you're in.
   Third rule--if you can, doodle a little, cause doodling is (a) fun and (b) superbly creative. And that's about all there is to it.
   Yours truly,
TAFKA Pinky

Les Sketches (seriously pardon my French!)

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These here are some of my sketches from San Francisco that I was telling y'all about. Now, I must give credit where credit is due because I didn't actually draw the outline of the people; my dad was superbly impressed with me because he thought I drew them. Here is a little roleplay I concocted that was based on the actual conversation. Starring TAFKA PINKY! And... Dad.

Dad: Wow. I mean, seriously, wow! How did you learn to sketch like this?!

Me: *smiles bashfully* Um, well, it's not that good...

Dad: Yes it is! I mean, how did you get the eyes to look like that? (On this certain sketch, I had just happened to give the girl cat-eye makeup, so I thought he was talking about that.)

Me: I dunno. But it's kind of messy. Not that good.

Dad: Well, okaaaay... may I ask why you outlined them all in pink instead of pencil?

Me: Um, I didn't. I didn't actually draw that part, just the clothes, hair, and makeup.

Dad: WHATTA?! Um. Oh. Well... the clothes are... nice. *lumbers off*

So, yeah. That's the story... thanks, Dad! I hope y'all like these sketches. Be sure to comment which one(s) are your favorites, por favor. Thanks for listening! --TAFKA Pinky

   

Wow, Guys--It's August!

     ... the laziest, stickiest, humid-est month of the year! Today I've decided to do a post on my most favorite arts and crafts item--none other than ze duct tape roll. It's positively INSANE how many different textures, patterns, and colors Duck Tape comes in, and it's quite useful if you're an artsy type for making all sorts of accessories or jazzing up school supplies! Or if you just want to fix a leak in your sink with pizzazz, well that works too... 
     You can buy duct tape at pretty much any craft store. Possible places? My duct tape finds are from Michaels, A. C. Moore, and Five Below.
     So far, my duct tape projects have consisted of:
*matching school supplies for my desk and for school--my houndstooth ruler looks pretty cool
*decorating tissue boxes (those who are acquainted with me are aware of the fact that I'm a complete tissue box hoarder. In my defense, though, I really do use them for storage or handy-dandy organizer... tissue... boxes.)
*other random stuff that I don't really remember...
    I think it'd be cool to make a DIY activity that you guys could try, so here goes! Thanks to Google, I found a craft that's quite, um--well, it's pretty darn unique. It's something that I haven't made yet (keyword: yet), but I'd really like to cuz it looks fun. I introduce to you... the duct tape top hat! DON'T BE INTIMIDATED!! It'll look great! 

     WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
Roll of duct tape 
Measuring tape 
Black marker 
Scissors ✄
Sheet of cardboard 

1

Measure the size of your hat. Fold a long strip of duct tape in half lengthwise so that there are no sticky areas. Wrap the strip loosely around your head and mark where it overlaps. Alternatively, use a measuring tape and record the inches (cm).

2

Make a sheet of duct tape fabric. This will form the upper section of the hat. It should measure the same length as the strip you wrapped around your head (or your recorded measurement). The width will determine the height of your top hat, and is variable depending on your preference, such as 10 inches (25 cm).

• To make the fabric, lay down strips of the tape sticky side up. Overlap the pieces lengthwise by about a 1/4 inch (.6 cm). Cover the sheet with another layer of tape sticky side down to make a full sheet that is smooth on both sides. Smooth the tape firmly as you work to avoid air pockets or wrinkles.
  
  
  
  

3

Form the duct tape sheet into a cylinder. Bring together the shorter sides and tape them together.

4

Make the top of the hat.

• Make another sheet of duct tape fabric large enough to cover the hole in the cylinder with about 2 extra inches (5 cm) on the edges of the circle.
  
  
  
  
• Place the cylinder on the duct tape sheet and trace around it.
  
  
  
  
• Draw a second circle around the first that is 2 inches (5 cm) larger on all sides. Cut out the larger circle.
  
  
  
  
• Make about 8 to 10 equally-spaced cuts from the edge of the sheet to the edges of the smaller circle.
  
  
  
  
• Fold the strips toward the center of the circle. Place the circle over the opening of the cylinder with the strips on the inside. From the opposite opening, tape the strips down to the inside of the cylinder.
  
  
  
  

5

Make the brim of the top hat.

• Using a piece of cardboard large enough to accommodate the brim, trace the shape of the cylinder onto the center.
  
  
  
  
• Draw a second circle around the first at least 3 inches (7.6 cm) wider on all sides, just as you did with the top, but larger. Cut out the larger circle.
  
  
  
  
• Cut a small hole in the center of the cardboard.
  
  
  
  
• From the center, cut 8 to 10 equally-spaced strips from the center hole to the edges of the smaller circle. This will create the hole for your head.
  
  
  
  
• Fold the strips upward and tape them to the inside of the cylinder.
  
  
  
  
• Cover the top and bottom of the brim with duct tape.
  
  
  
  

6

Finished.

 Hope you enjoyed this, and good luck! xx