Digging for treasure?

[soc_puppet]

My offer is up at help_haiti! If you've ever wanted a plush thing made by me, and want an excuse to donate to the Haiti relief effort, this is the perfect opportunity ;) (So nervous, omg *_*)

While you're there, feel free to take a look around the community as a whole, or consider donating something yourself. There's a bunch of people offering all sorts of different things, from BNFs with offers of fics and/or art, to Little Kuriboh of YuGiOh! Abridged fame offering a video with vocals. Check it out :3b

----

Still working on cleaning my room. I've made considerable progress since when I started, but there's still a ways to go.

Among the piles, I managed to find some of the flashcards I made for myself in the one semester of Spanish I took. I've got eight verbs, fourteen adjectives, and one-and-a-half seasons(?). They're completely adorable, if I do say so myself :)

I also found the Zatar bread recipe I thought I'd lost forever ago. I'll be sticking it up here, in case A) I lose the paper it's written on again, and/or B) someone else is interested in making it.

The recipe is as follows:
Zatar Bread

For the Zatar:

2 T sesame seeds
3 T thyme
1/2 t salt
1 t sumac

Mix together.


For the bread:

2 t yeast
2 T olive oil
2 1/2 C water
5 C bread flour
2 T gluten
3 t salt
1/4 C Zatar

Put in a bread machine on "dough" cycle (or just mix yourself, I guess?)
Line two cookie sheets with olive oil; spread the dough on them, then flatten it out.
Bake at 400°F for about 18 minutes.

This stuff is quite tasty, IMO, so consider giving the recipe a try if you're not allergic to any of it/can find all the ingredients (the sumac can be a total pain to find).


I'd best get to distracting myself, now; otherwise, I'll just end up staring at my computer screen, waiting and hoping for my inbox to become un-empty.

Comments

[cookinguptales.livejournal.com]

Most of my donating is being done through BPAL, but I like the idea of the help_haiti thing. I'm considering making a few pieces of origami jewelry, but I dunno what to start the bidding at for something like that... Any ideas? (What I'm talking about is typically tiny origami things (like flowers, cranes, pumpkins, bugs, etc.) lacquered and used as charms on bracelets and earrings and such.)

[soc_puppet]

How much are you doing with these? Are you actually making them into jewelry, or are you just making them usable-as-jewelry (like with a metal loop in them or something)? About how much time do you put into each one, and how much did you pay for the materials? (Price doesn't have to be exact; just if you bought a 500-for-$4 pack of paper versus, say, 16-for-$8 or something.) [/too many questions]

[cookinguptales.livejournal.com]

Into jewelry, yes. The time would be based on what sort of jewelry (bracelets would take a lot longer than earrings, for example, as there would be more wire and beadwork, and also more charms would be necessary) and what designs (cranes are a LOT harder than hearts) but would typically be about an hour or two for simplistic earrings, excluding lacquering (which could take up to a day) to several hours for a bracelet or complex piece of origami. The paper is not actually the expensive part (except for my nice paper, if people wanted them to be patterned instead of a specific color); the findings and beads are. For a set of earrings, maybe $5-6, a bracelet would be more like $10+. Especially for a memory wire bracelet, which is hell to work with, to boot.

BASICALLY, there are a ton of factors based on what people want. I am considering a cute pair of water-lily earrings (with blossoms of paper and greenery of wire, with blue beads for water) but that might take a while. The blossoms I have in mind need a lot of lacquer-dry stages. Mmnn dunno.

Also, considering doing Haitian-themed stuff, but I'd have to do more research on that.

[cookinguptales.livejournal.com]

...after writing all this, I am starting to think it might be better to make a couple tiers of crafting ideas, then post those.

Are we allowed to post more than one lot?

[soc_puppet]

While the bidding closes on Jan 20, we've got until Feb 14 to get the stuff finished and sent/posted. Also, if you think something you're potentially making would take longer than that, you can say so in your comment, or you can wait until the next auction round starts, which will have a later deadline.

Either way, the earrings you're describing sound super cute :) Whether you make those or something similar/less time consuming, I'm definitely going to consider putting in a bid ♥

[cookinguptales.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you. ♥

I am thinking I might start the bidding for the earrings at $10 and the bracelet for $15. Do you think that sounds fair?

I might make a piece pre-made just so I can refer people to a picture of another piece... Sell that, then sell two custom ones.

[soc_puppet]

Sounds great to me :3b The whole plan, in fact. I hope you get a lot of bids!

[soc_puppet]

You could check out the misc stuff post for the prices other people are starting their stuff on. It might give you an idea of where you want to set the starting price.

[cookinguptales.livejournal.com]

Would jewelry be in the misc post or the artistic? idk these things. I have never sold any of my work before. :((

[soc_puppet]

There's jewelry in both the art post and the misc post, so you could do either - or, if you post more than one lot (which you can), you can post to both.

I've sold, like. One or two things, and never in a format like this. But people want to help other people, and people like stuff, and the stuff you're describing sounds very pretty and also nifty, so I'm sure you'll sell some!

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

Hey, what's up! I won one of your plushies \o/ I plan on contributing to the Red Cross through text message, if that's cool; I need to figure out how to get the receipt for that (the post indicated that I could find it online).

[soc_puppet]

I saw \o\ And that sounds good to me :) You planning to send the confirmation to the mods, or to me?

Also! Any material preferences (wool vs cotton vs acrylic vs other misc option)? And would you prefer your Burupya to be pink or lavender? A google image search is getting me both options ._.a

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

o snap I didn't get this notif. XD I will confirm to you, because I don't have any other winning bids. In the event that I can't find the online phone receipt thing, would it be okay if I confirmed by forwarding you the text message confirmations from the Red Cross? Or is that not enough info?

I don't know a lot about materials, so I don't have any real preferences; are there major differences in quality or texture I should know about? And Burupya is pink! \o/ If you need more pics of him, I can totally upload some for you.

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

HILARIOUSLY THE RED CROSS WON'T LET ME DONATE WITH MY PHONE ANYMORE. SO BRB FIGURING SOMETHING ELSE OUT.

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

OKAY:



Uh, the Help Haiti post says I need to have a confirmation number in there, but . . . there's nothing like that in my email. So I'm not sure what the deal with that is. I guess I'll get it when I get my paper receipt in the mail? SOB I HOPE THIS IS OKAY.

[soc_puppet]

I'm seeing some other stuff missing besides the confirmation e-mail? But maybe the rules are different for if you're confirming with me instead of the mods :|a


As for materials! Wool is just a worry if you're allergic to it, though some people just find it generally itchy. Plant fiber stuff (cotton, for example, and I think they're even making it out of bamboo now?) is great for if you're really environmentally conscious, but the colors are a little duller than with wool or synthetics. There's a lot of effects they can do with synthetic stuff (make it shinier, lumpier, etc), and I tend to use it because it's cheaper than wool or plant fiber yarn as well. I don't work with "fun fur" or anything of that ilk (yet), though :P

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

This is the part on the post I was looking at:

If it's an electronic receipt, we need to be able to see the name of the entity you donated to and their address, the date/time of donation, the amount donated, a confirmation number and either (a) the first letter of your first and last name, or (b) your entire first name.

There's no time on the receipt they gave me either, but I've got the name, address, date, amount, and my entire name. Just no confirmation number because they didn't give me one. If there's more I need, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL TRY TO GET IT o/ I just didn't see anything else I needed, I may have been looking in the wrong place. XD

Hmm, work with whatever you think will be best! I don't really have any preferences out of those three.

[soc_puppet]

That is. Suspicious info to be missing on their part ._.a But it looks pretty official to me otherwise, so I'm going to go ahead and get started on Burupya :3b

Although, if it's okay with you, I'll hold off on making the confirmation comment until I've finished him up, in case they magically decide to send you a confirmation number in the interim. But only if it's okay with you! The receipt also says you'll be getting a confirmation letter, too, so maybe it'll be in there? IDK.

I'll go with acrylic, then ¦Db *a-already went out and shopped for some, like, a week ago ahahaha ^^;;;*

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

YEAH, IDK--like, the site also gave me a confirmation page, but I closed it when I got the email, because I assumed ALL the info was going to be in the email too. So it's possible the number was on there and I missed it. idk! But yeah, I will get a legal receipt in the mail, and it's GOT to be on there. And I used the link to donate that was linked in the Help Haiti post itself. So I think it should be fine.

AWESOME, AND THANK YOU ♥

[soc_puppet]

So, um, hey! I just realized I forgot to get the address for where you want Burupya sent ^^a Not that he's finished yet, and I have until sometime tomorrow to complete him and send him out with the Expensive One Day Shipping or I'll end up Late, what with the deadline for receiving being on a non-US-mail day and the day following it likewise being a non-US-mail day, IIRC. But I have hope! What do I need sleep for, anyhow! So if you could drop me an e-mail (socrates_chan (at) yahoo (dot) com) or a PM or something with that information by, say, ten-ish (US central time) tomorrow/later today/Saturday the 13th, I would totally do my absolute best to have him complete and ready to mail out by then.

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

HEY DUDE NO, don't stress yourself out or spend that much on shipping. XD I don't mind getting him a little late! Just get sleep and take your time and ship him cheaply, I really don't mind at all. (I'd forgotten the due date was this soon anyway, I wasn't expecting him until like next month, ha ha.)

I will email you my address, though! Also ftr I still have not gotten my paper receipt in the mail from Doctors Without Borders (which is pissing me off because I want to file my taxes already). orz

[soc_puppet]

That is a great relief to me, thank you T^Tb (I just was seeing all of your "I'm planning stuff! For a particular date! Which is coming soon!" posts and was all, OH CRAP, WHAT IF SHE WAS PLANNING TO HAVE HIM BY THEN OR FOR THAT, and yeah.)

Sounds great :Db And yeah, I was wondering about that. The nice hope would be that they're so overrun by donations that they're having trouble keeping up, but that still doesn't help out with taxes at the moment. I've already confirmed you at the comm, though, so that's one worry down at least?

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

JUST MAKING SURE--you didn't ship him out yet, did you? Because if you did he never arrived ;o; I DON'T MIND THE WAIT I just want to check and make sure it's a matter of having not been mailed and not of some inquisitive mailperson having stolen him.

[soc_puppet]

No I have not yet /)_(\ I've actually been in a bit of a rut, since he's turning out bigger than I expected ._.a But! On the plus side, your comment is motivational to me, so! *turns Pokémon off and picks up the crochet hook already; good grief, self*

But yeah, no stolen pink dragon-thing plush, you need not worry on that account! (Whenever I work on him in public, people are all like, "Oh hey, what is that! Is it a bunny? Wait, it has wings. A griffin? An angel bunny?" And I have to be all like, "Er, it's kinda a dragon?" And yeah. OH, CHARACTER DESIGNS.)

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

IT'S COOL, I was just worried something mail-y had happened to him! It's just fine if you're still working on it, take your time--and now I can't wait to see him, ahhhh. ♥

[soc_puppet]

I think I'll still try and have him finished and mail-able by Saturday. I mean, it's Spring Break! And you've just reminded me of the project, which has the convenient side-effect of me getting my ass back in gear! And if I keep putting it off, it'll be foreeveeeerrrrrr until he's finished, and I don't want that to happen. So! Self-imposed deadline, go!

ALSO. Since you mentioned it, I decided to take WIP pictures, so you could see how he's going so far~
Ultimate Showdown of Distractiony Things; also a convenient size reference. Burupya-In-Progress vs. (folded) Nintendo DS. WHO WILL WIN.
All things completed, that is, head/ears/horns/mane/body plus as-yet-unattached wings and leg. I've got three more legs, the tail, and his facial features/ruff (plus stitching everything together) left to go, but it shouldn't be more work than everything else so far, so! ONWARD! TO ADVENTURE CROCHET!

Edit: Ack! How did both of those links turn out to be the same thing! Curse my misclicking ways... (Should be fixed now. Edit 2: ...Or not. One more time!)

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

--omg, he looks so cute so far ♥♥♥ I AM SUPER EXCITEDDD, you make such adorable things ;A; (I MIGHT HAVE TO LIKE, COMMISSION YOU MORE IN THE FUTURE OR SOMETHING, the style is just adorable and you're so good at it ffff)

[soc_puppet]

\o\ Yay, I am glad you like how he was going! A-and eee, compliment *_* (I WOULD NOT SAY NO ♥♥♥ Although, full disclosure, my prices might go a bit up, since I have a better idea of the work involved ^^a)

I also wanted to say! He is now FINISHED!

Front Side

His wings are actually pretty floppy, so I can add a bit of wire to them to make them more likely to actually stay in whatever pose you put them in, if you'd like. Other than that, he's all ready to go in the mail - which I will do either tomorrow or Saturday, unless you are still having mail problems or want me to hold onto him longer for some other reason.

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

OMG AHHHH HE'S SO CUTE, AHHHH ♥ And tomorrow is Saturday, ha ha! I'm not having any mail issues so you can pop him in the mail whenever you're ready. THANK YOU SO MUCH uh as for the wings I--can't decide XD I GUESS LEAVE THEM WIRELESS. adorableeee

[soc_puppet]

O rite, so it is ^^;;; I thought today was Thursday for some reason!

I'm glad you like him~ And wireless is less trouble for me, so that works well X3 He'll go in the mail some time tomorrow, then, so I guess expect him in the next week ^____^ ♥♥♥ (TAKE HIM EVERYWHERE AND ADVERTISE FOR ME - wait, I might never get around to doing anything else, or get really bad crochet burn out, uh. WELL, FEEL FREE TO DO IT ANYWAY, and that way people will be extra excited whenever I decide to offer my amigurumi services, ohohoho! [/evil laugh])

[rinkhals.livejournal.com]

HE GOT HERE TODAY AND FFFFF IT'S ADORABLE ;; Even cuter in person, seriously, and bigger than I expected! I AM SO BLOWN AWAY, it is genuinely just as cute as or cuter than the official plushie. I AM NOT JUST SAYING THAT. My cats love him too :3

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING SO MUCH ♥

[soc_puppet]

Yay, I'm glad he arrived safely and that you like him \o/ Haha, he was bigger than I expected, too XD *does the possibly-better-than-the-official-version dance* Did I know you have cats? I don't think I did, or I would've worried less about getting cat hair from my roommate's cats caught in the yarn...

Absolutely ^____^