Gaga for Gaga

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U

The weekend before last, I had the IMMENSE pleasure of going to see Lady Gaga perform at Boston’s TD Garden. And Gaga definitely did NOT disappoint. That tiny woman did about 2-2.5 hours straight with no intermission, with innumerable – and fabulous – costume changes, and with heels on that give me pain just to think about…

I know that this blog is primarily about craft, so I thought it was only fitting to share my experience (and talk about my Gaga concert outfit) here. Besides, every costume Gaga wore (that lit up, detached, spun, sparkled, or shot sparks) – as well as the show itself – was “crafted.” If anyone out there is up in the air about buying a ticket to a Lady Gaga show, do it. You’ll be SO glad you did.

Some may say that Lady Gaga is “out there” or “freaky,” and that’s 100% true as far as I can tell……but she’s also totally captivating. She owns all the freakiness, and makes it work for her. You can sense a kind of glowing contentment from her when she performs, behind all of the sunglasses you can’t see through, or the latex dresses you totally can.

Years ago, I remember watching Oprah talk about seeing Steven Spielberg in action as he directed a film. She said that you could just tell that what he was doing at that moment was what he was meant to do on this earth, and what gave him the most joy. And I could absolutely feel that same energy from last week’s Lady Gaga spectacular. Part way through the show, Gaga kindly thanked everyone in the room for having bought their ticket. And yes, perhaps she says that at every show, but I really felt like she meant it, and means it every time.

Agreed, her outfits are like something from a dream you’d have after watching a David Lynch film, or going to see a Dalí exhibit, but thus is her charm. You kind of appreciate that she isn’t quite like anyone else on the pop scene today. And I think that if she tried to be anybody but that kooky, self-possessing, potty-mouthed, rhinestone-studded chameleon she seems to have been born to be, it would diminish her.

So cheers Gaga. Show me your teeth!  :-D

If anyone wants to see the outfit I wore to the Lady Gaga concert, and read a bit more about this experience, please read on after the break. Thanks everyone! 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I thought that I would make a pair of empanada earrings.

Now, I know that empanadas do not represent anything to do with the holiday really, and that Mexican heritage cannot be boiled down to a filled pastry, but hey….they look pretty cute right? So if you’d like to see how I made these, please click the “Continue reading” link below. But in the meantime…

I researched Cinco de Mayo today to find out what it was really about, because I was curious. I honestly didn’t know anything about the holiday, other than my personal speculation that it must be the happiest day of the year for the Corona beer company.

Turns out, the real story is way more interesting than margaritas and an excuse to wake up wearing a sombrero. Cinco de Mayo is not the observance of Mexican Independence day as one might think. It actually started as kind of a “Stick it to the Man” debt-free holiday.  And, honestly, can’t we relate to that concept pretty well these days?

It all started when Mexican president Benito Juárez decided that Mexico was going to stop paying interest on its debts to France. France, of course, was expectedly perturbed by this, so they threatened to occupy Mexico until the the debt was paid up. The French occupation suffered a pretty embarassing setback though when, on May 5th 1862, the Mexican militia was able to handily rout their opponent (translation: they OWNED the French army’s derrieres). The French army had not seen defeat in 50 years before that day, but, they sure got a good look at it in Puebla, México. Four-thousand Mexican troops defeated a better-equipped 8,000 french soldiers, and no foreign army has really invaded the Americas ever since.

So, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, and in honor of sticking it to your creditors “con estilo” (with style), I present to you, this empanada earring tutorial. And, if you read till the end you can see a cool Mexico-related video! Happy 5th all!

Victorian Lace necklace

One of the things I love most about crafting is the ability to get a lot from a little. A few supplies, a few dollars, a few spare moments that you manage to sneak in some creative time…I also love a good fake-out. Just so you know, the blue “stones” in the necklace above are not stones or glass at all. Just plastic!

To read more about the supplies and the method used for the project above, please continue after the jump. Hope everyone’s been having a nice Spring!

Bead Fantasizing (and a sorta/kinda book review)

Beading was one of my first genuine craft obsessions.

Like many other kids, I made a pile of giant plastic bead bracelets back in the day. But I think that the real manic bead nuttiness started on a day trip to New York City when I was a pre-teen.

On that trip, I saw some very simply constructed seed bead necklaces being sold in a high-priced boutique for absolutely ridiculous prices. The cheap-o in me was already clearly established by about the age of 10, so this situation horrified me. I vowed – on principle – to go home and make the necklaces myself, for a reasonable, and vastly cheaper sum.

And so it began. I remade the New York necklace in every color, then I changed up the design. I started to buy book after book with beading patterns and tips, and I became hopelessly hooked. God help me now if I ever end up in the vicinity of a bead show. As cheap as I am, I think I understand a percentage of what substance abusers or uncontrollable gamblers must feel in the presence of their chosen vice. Me at a bead show is a little like Gollum in a store full of “precious” rings.

But, like many other insatiable crafters, I frequently buy obscene amounts of craft supplies, hoard them forever and ever, and forget the original thing I had in mind when I bought them.

So, in revolt against my hoarding-but-not-doing tendencies, I dug out one of my old beading books this weekend. I finally got to put some of that obsessive craft energy to use. To find out more about the project above, please read on after the break.

Quick decoupage pendant tutorial

Hi guys,

This is a pendant that I made with some leftover tissue paper from Christmas. I wanted to post a tutorial because it’s a pretty quick and easy project. Great for when you want to make something but don’t have a lot of time to dedicate. The materials used to make the pendant are either lying around the house already, or are pretty easy to get at most local craft or dollar stores. If you want to see the tutorial, please click