CANDY MONSTER!

So in Minnesota this past summer, I bought a crochet book.  Yes, I bought something instead of scouting Pinterest for awesome free patters (which totally rocks, by the way).  This little book I found had (among many things) monkeys, a giraffe, a tiny little puppy with a bowl and food (??) and a really cool MONSTER! (with a grin and a tooth!) The pattern "Lovey the Lovely" was created by Allison Hoffman from CRAFTY is COOL.

Granted, I don't have any felt.  Thus, my monster didn't turn out as awesome in detail as the original pattern, but she is very brightly colored.  Thus I decided she was a candy monster.  I'm thinking about whipping up a few for some certain little kiddos.

This pattern worked up very quickly, and gave me some nice color-changing practice.

Isn't she adorable?  I'm not exactly sure what to name her, but she is certainly a welcome addition to my ami-crew and has a lovely spot on my desk. 

Mini Minion Hat

Girly Little Minion Hat & Link to Free Pattern

Hello, everybody! I hope you have had a GREAT summer! (I can't believe I start school next week! Yay!)  I've spent my lovely summer working and crocheting the day away (along with long stretches of Final Fantasy X HD...total nerd sometimes...)Do you know anybody with a new little minion baby?  Sarah at Repeat Crafter Me [love her blog! She makes such cute patterns, and so kindly shares with the world...maybe one day I could do the same] posted this adorable little pattern, and I made a girl version to give away (including some pink sparkly yarn braided in!)

She has a rather large eye, does she not? Perhaps I should have tried the single crochet option... Either way, she's quite cute.

Give it a try. The pattern sizes from newborn to adult, works up quickly, and is very cute. You'll want to scarf down a ton of bananas in no time!

Summoner Yuna Amigurumi Doll

"Listen to my story..."

...These are the opening words to one of the most time consuming games I have played and do not regret the hundreds of hours I have poured in.  

I would like to take a moment and release my inner nerd.  I would like you to meet Yuna, the heroine of Final Fantasy X, the game that I have played four times and still cry during the ending.  In honor of the game's re-release for the Play Station 3 (got it for Christmas!...in March.  Couldn't beat pre-ordering it!), I was excited to have the inspiration to make a doll in her image.  Sure, I would have loved to have completed the adorable little pattern floating around Etsy, but I saved money from not purchasing a pattern, and had a wonderful opportunity to practice some crochet skills.  Perhaps one day I could develop my own patterns...

Yuna, modeling the DualShock 3 controller for her new system...

I used a super simple doll pattern that I found on Pinterest for Yuna's body.  I then looked to her character design by Tetsuya Nomura for inspiration for her hair and clothes.  The first thing I did was paint her eyes; I didn't have green doll eyes, so I just took a set of black eyes and some blue and green nail polish to show her heterochromia.  Her skirt is worked in the round starting with a foundation single crochet, followed by double crochet stitches all the way down.  Her top is  a long strip of single crochet stitches draped around her neck, crossing in the front, and stitched down.  She has a sash with a flower on the front (totally did that myself!) with some aqua yarn hanging out.  She also has a yellow bow on the back of the sash.  I had the hardest time with her sleeves.  So, I started with pink yarn and single stitches, experimented with increases, and then switched to white double crochet stitches. In the end, I decreased the stitches to try to make it even, and wrapped the white part around her arms, adding little purple bows.  This was my first time installing doll hair.  That was interesting, but I think it turned out well.  I just stuck it all in, then gave her a hair cut to match Nomura's design (as close as I could, that is).

So, what do you think?  I wish I would have taken notes to write out a pattern to share, but isn't art about using our imaginations?  I would love to make BaburuStar's Yuna and maybe other Final Fantasy characters, but I felt an awesome sense of accomplishment in almost completely improvising this one.

P.S. Her arms bend. (My awesome husband suggested crocheting around pipe cleaners for her arms. Genius!)

All That Glitters

Bonjour, my friends! I would like to share a small project from a while back.  I was trying to avoid doing my online classes, I played dress up with some shoes and necklaces that my husband's grandma sent me. (I had to figure out what goes with ombré shoes!) It was fun, and I felt really special. (Advice: If you're having a bad day, raid your closet, and take selfies.) The word I used to describe myself was "duchess." For some reason, playing fashion model made me feel like royalty... Perhaps if my hair were still long I might could pull it off. (Kate's hair is amazing!)

So after my fun was over, I tossed everything back where it belonged. Then, I realized that the new necklaces didn't have a place! They looked a little pitiful, just laying on the bed, wishing to show off their royal pinkness. I thought about it and came up with a solution. The result: Command hooks are my new friends. 

There is a narrow strip of wall between the pantry (well, we're using it as a pantry) and my newly rearranged closet. I held the necklaces up, trying this out in different areas of the strip, and came up with my design. The mini hooks went up, and so did the necklaces.

I am quite happy with the results, and the colors really bring something nice to this room.

Quickly, I would like to show you some more of my [extremely] small collection of fashion accessories. Meet the Mexican Sprite bottle! Not only is it a beautiful momento of a favorite soda made with REAL sugar, featuring the fabuloso Spanish language, but it does quite a good job of holding my bracelets. (Note the beautiful pine cone flower; a cashier from the store in Minnesota gave it to me before I moved back South. Isn't it a nice piece of art? Nice fall DIY project.)

So I know my small jewelry collection probably doesn't have much to flaunt, but it is quite nice to incorporate them into the apartment decor to add a little spirit.

And the Origami Owl necklace is still where it was.

How do you store your accessories?

Makeup Storage Makeover

Is summer really just around the corner?  With finals next week, this fact has become real.  One of the best things about the summer is travel: whether your're going home or leaving home, you just pack up and go.  I have been taking this into consideration as I have been trying to come up with a storage solution for my makeup, as my "clarinet case Caboodle" is wearing out.  It's big and bulky and does not want to stay shut...NOT good for travel when your makeup falls out into the floor of the car.

So last night I finally found a solution. 

Hello, Modella Fitted Valet Travel Kit. I found it at my local Walmart for less than fifteen dollars and fell in love.  It is divided into four compartments, rolls up and is secured with velcro, and has a hook to hang on the wall, in the closet, etc!  (I happen to have it hanging beside my desk!)

I have lately grown quite fond of storing things on the walls.  Perhaps it is because it is an easy way to decorate a rental property where you can't really do anything...

So, I moved my lovely makeups out of my clarinet case caboodle (it is actually the Undercover Beauty Briefcase, but as a former clarinet player that's what it reminded me of. Really, it was a great case, but I've had it for years and it is wearing out!)

So, here it is all filled up and hanging on the wall, and I can see EVERYTHING!  First of all, I am not a makeup snob: I do not really have much, but I really love sporting a natural look and not having my makeup break me out more than I already am.  I'm thinking of doing a "what's in my makeup bag" post talking about these products and what I like about them. (Perhaps I have been watching too much YouTube...)  I am also in the market for a new blush as my current one is getting old.

Once I have to go somewhere, I simply take the bag off the wall, roll it up and velcro it shut, and it's ready to go before anything else!  What's your favorite way to organize your cosmetics?

Happy Summer!

Why "My Tiny Corner?"

What's In a Name?

It took me what seemed like forever to come up with this name.  I wanted to start a blog, but it needed a name that meant something, and not just your everyday Keeping Up with the Joneses (which is totally an okay name, by the way, if you happen to use it).  I was walking down the stairs with a laundry basket one day when it hit me.  My blog would be somewhere I could go to express my feelings and excitements about the things going on in my world, or my tiny corner of the universe.  In a universe where I am so small, this would be my place where my voice could be heard.  Hopefully, it could be an inspiring voice, a voice of encouragement, or just a voice that could share the positive.

I think this concept could be applied to everything.  I spent weeks trying to come up with the perfect name.  We spend our entire lives trying to perfect or live up to our names.  My name is Katie Marie (common name, right?), and I am named after two great women: Katie and Marie.  I work daily trying to keep my name beautiful.  I do not want anybody to associate it with something bad or with hard feelings.  Though I hate to admit it, I do this with other names, and it is shameful.  However, I am also trying to forgive so I can associate all names with love instead of ill.  It's a path we all must walk on at some point or another.

So what's in a name?  What can we do to see that our names associate with the right things?

We live in a beautiful world in our tiny corner of this vast universe.  Let's enjoy it!