Hi! I’m Koolaidria (you can have my real name on a private level), and you’re super cool if you know where I took that name from. I’m in Texas, quite happily. This is my first swap. I have the same initials as my sister and can sing in 11 languages now. I’m a nanny for quads and a toddler, and there’s baby number 6 on the way. So I love naptime when I get to paint or draw or write music or just be artsy-craftsy in general. My birthday is the 20th, and I’ll be 20! Fab, huh? Turning 20 on 10-20-2010! I love every color, it’s hard to say I have a favorite, but lately I’m head over heels for yellow. I like bright tones or earthy ones, but don’t care much for pastels. I dislike dark, gloomy, macabre things (unless they’re Halloween related, but I think I’d like this swap to be more birthday than Halloween for me). I’m allergic to metals, not like doorknobs or spoons, but like jewelry. Which is awful because I LOVE jewelry!! It’s generally the cheap stuff that gets me. I won’t die, so if it’s fab I’ll totally deal with the rash in the morning to wear it. If you wanna make me jewelry but can’t find hypoallergenic metals, it’d help if you tacked in a bit of lotion! I know there’s some bigger stuff on my list but I thought I’d include them so you can get a feel for what I like. Feel free to let it inspire you for a surprise! I talk a lot…<3

List:
(Red stuff is what I want most of all!!)
*Running stuff!
     -Neck band (has crystals in it that go gel-like with water) to keep me cool on hot nights
     -Arm band for my phone/music player
     -Some type of 'reward system'? Maybe a charm bracelet and I get to add a charm every 5 pounds lost or something, I dunno exactly. Brainstorming I guess!
*Jewelry Box/Display
*Scented lotion (If you make it yourself. If not guess this goes under 'extras'... I like fruity/sweet smells)
*Bubble bath
*Paintbrush Roll (+ paintbrushes? )
*Stationary (I write letters to 2 rather attractive boys (I’m a bit of a playa, what can I say? XD) and my grandparents regularly)
*Accessories – or supplies? - for my Queen of Hearts costume (see my Wist! I’m doing closer to the old school cartoon than the new Tim Burton. I want the foam crown most. If you want I can send you my sketches…)
*Warm things, like : Slippers, toe socks, hoodies, very bunched-up leg warmers, slouch hats, scarves. I love the feeling up bundling up and getting warm in the cold.
*Shoes (I like heeeeeeels. Or thigh-high boots. <3)
*Hypoallergenic jewelry – desperately!! I wear necklaces, bracelets, rings, and one piercing per ear. No religious symbols, please, unless it’s the letters CTR. Feel free to ask about why I <3 CTR!  
*Statement Headbands / Scrunchies!!
*Half Apron ((Malo 'aupito, PurpleLime! <3))
*Bath Wrap (those cool things with the elastic!)   
*Music/Book Bag (if you go music bag, it’d be super cool to have dividers built in some how, but not expected)
*PJs (I’d like shorts with a short-dress length top. Maybe with a cute stencil. Something cute and girly but not sexy. I don’t need sexy sleepwear at this point… XD) ((Guten tag, swickered!!!))
*Awesome wallet (I have so much crap and the ones I get from Spencer’s keep busting)
*Coin-saving jar/container/thing
*Wisty-ness - - mine’s not big right now, but I’m trying to add more every day!
*List-inspired surprise!

Supplies:
*Shrinky Dink paper
*Paint
*Glitter Nailpolish (I use it for art, not beauty!)
*Craft Kits
     -Embroidery,  Paper crafts, whatever. Really any craft. I only sew and crochet, and I can knit but despise it in general. I’d love to branch out.
*Fabric for my Queen of Hearts costume (means in all I need yellow, black, orange, and red solids, maybe a yard or two each. Bust that stash? )
*Cross-stitch floss in any colors


Extras:
*Chocolate. Andes mints are the best. Please no dark or chili, nasty stuff.
*Makeup (super cool if you make it yourself! I love bright eyeshadows and deep orangey-red lipstick)
*Blank CDs (I’m a singer/songwriter some days and I’m working on stuff for my friends and family. Need discs.)

EDIT: Good idea to include my Wist Link...

I'm DYING for midnight so I can send in my questionaire. I dunno if I've said it enough but this stupid newbie rule (I know, it's not really truly stupid, but still...) is tortue right now! I know what/who I'mma claim so long as no one beat me to it, and this is a nightmare! October 5th can't come too soon!

I'll be sending in my questionnaire on the 5th, when I've been a member for a month, but I've got it all ready to go! Keeping ahead of things, you know?

So I work for my sister, sewing frilly lacy girly clothes. I wanted a break and took a few afternoons (and late nights) to do my own version this image by Dmitri G. Pavlov - dpavlov on DA (look him up!!) called 'Russian Fairy Tale'. I'm obsessed with Russian culture, and have loved this photo for a while (it's at the bottom of my post). I changed some things, like the fullness of the dress and her jewelry, as well as her hair-hat. I also didn't like the weird position of the light she's 'holding' in the original so I added a necklace for her to toy with.

I used black pen, a pinch of Sharpie (which died all too soon), black acrylic, and glittery nailpolish! Yes, nailpolish. First I sketched her basic shape, then pit by bit painted her face and torso. Sometimes I used pen for smaller details, and the cross hatching in her dress. I put glitter over every black thing on her, but left her border plain black. You should see how it catches the sunlight!


Final Closeup (it's huge!)


Final Product


WIP 1 and 2


WIP 3


Link to Original Photo

Wow. That's seriously amazing. And delicious looking. How did you take the overhead pics? Did you like, climb up a ladder and lean over or something? I love that you included your family. What a blast!

Holy amazing! And you have a Badge of Crafty Courage! I love hot glue guns and I get burned a lot a lot, but NEVER that bad. Like, that wound is angry. I can't believe just ripping the glue off did that to you, it's never happened to me that bad. I'll complain a lot less when I get my little burns or just one layer taken off. Did this take you the whole month? And how do you see where you're going in that loveliness?

I'm eligible to swap in 5 days. There's so many great swaps I could sign up for, and a lot I'm watching in the New Ideas threads. I think for me it's between this one and the October Birthday ones! Tough choice!! Curse the 'newbies only get one' rule!!

Homigosh! I love it! And those colors are fabulous. Can you make other shapes too, not just swans?

Holy crud. If that's your PRACTICE piece to 'get the swing of things'... wow. That's amazing.

So helpful, thank you! And not only have you helped with this dress, but I'm also an artist and those shalwaars (I googled it!) are AMAZING! I'm all into drawing and painting details and intricate things like embroidery and you've just opened a whole new world of photo references for me! Thank you so so so much!