Mini Case for Games

Mini Case for Games

It's been a while since I wrote anything. To be honest, I was in a slump most of last week until I decided I wanted to make a case that holds small things, mainly a few 3DS/DS games, PS Vita games, and memory cards. I'll be travelling in these next two weekends and I just didn't want to carry my entire case back. I mean what are the chances I would want to play about 15+ other games if any at all.

The 3DS case I have is by Hori and it's really nice, compact and holds up to 24 games. However I can't fit that in my pocket easily or in my small bag. It would take up as much space as my 3DS XL. 

Blue Hori 24 Case.

I wanted something more pocket sized and can hold more than just two or four games. I wanted it to be versatile so it didn't have to be specific to only games. I had a few trials with the idea to try to make a mold of what I wanted before I said I would just sew it.

Stamps

Stamps

I been collecting stamps since elementary school, about 5th grade. I don't remember exactly when I started but it started with Scholastics where there was a mini stamp album. I brought the stamp album and it came with a book and some free stamps. After reading the book, I sort of understood what to do but best way to know was to try it. Luckily my parents tend to keep a few letters that still have envelopes with stamps on them. 

Stamp book from Scholastics.

Since we don't get letters often anymore, it's really hard to get stamps. After a few years, I finally filled up the first half of the book. Then I just collected stamps as I got them and put them in random places. I mean, anywhere where they slip right in such as books, cases, etc. So now, after all those years I decided to fix up my collection (assuming I had more stamps than I thought) and I had to go find them. I didn't find many stamps but next time I go home, I'll have to dig around to find where I put them.

Cleaning stamps is really easy. Most of it isn't really doing anything at all.

Stamps soaking in water(on left). Stamps left to dry (on right).

Fill a container with water, I use cold water, and place the stamps in. The stamps shouldn't be touching each other. Depending on the type of stamp, it can take longer for the paper to come off. The sticker ones take a lot longer. So, I just step away and do something else for the next hour or so. Once times up, I pick up the stamp with a tweezer and attempt to peel the back off carefully. If the back isn't coming off, I leave in longer. If it comes off then I let it air dry on a paper towel.

Stamp drying on a paper towel.

After the stamp is dried completely, it might be slightly curled. To fix this, grab a book, I usually use a textbook and open it to a random page. Place the stamps neatly at the binding and close the book. Also put a tab on the page so it be easier to find later. I usually let it sit overnight but a couple of hours should work. After they're flattened, take the stamps out the book and it's done!

Stamps in book, ready to flatten. Great use of my Java book for class I never used.

Page I filled up when I was a kid.

The stamps I just did which wasn't many. Also the stamp packet that came with the book.

Simple and easy. I really like the bird ones I have, they're so pretty.  I'll have to wait until next month to see if I have any more stamps. Can't wait!

Fan Air Conditioner Project Part 2

Fan Air Conditioner Project Part 2

Finally got around to extending the coil to the back of my fan but the cleaning came first. There was so much dust accumulated on the fan after using it for the last month. It was not easy to clean the dust on that fan since I couldn't take the front cover off. I think I'll get a fan with a cover to take off next time.

I decreased the amount of coil in the front. I had to increasing the total length of the coil by using two more hose clips with a small vinyl tube. I got a cooler and some ice packs. I tried using frozen water in ziplock bags and they only worked twice. The first time, all of them had punctured holes in the corners. Luckily it was only one hole or two so I just placed it in the freezer in a way that wouldn't let the water leak. After that, it didn't hold up.

DIY Bookends

Bookends

I realized that my desk gets messy with all my small notebooks all over the place. I'm not sure why I do this but I use small notebooks for notes, drawings and random stuff I look up.  I tend to use more than one book when I think one would suffice. Instead of having them pile up all over the place I figured I should make a small area for my notebooks to stand up. The size of the books are A5 and a bit larger so I don't really need that big of bookends.

I didn't want to spend money this time around, so I looked around my apartment to see what I could use. I found some small blocks that are 3" x 1.5" long. I had 4 of them which I was going to make a holder to hold my coils as I used a jewelry saw to cut it. It was a time I wanted to make my own rings for chainmail but that failed through when I realized that the wood I picked was too hard to nail through. The nail got about a centimeter in and it bent afterwards. I also don't own a drill so I couldn't try to drill it. So I had 3 blocks to work with since the last one still had a bent nail in it.

My First Quilt

My First Quilt

I always love arts & crafts and this time I'm hooked onto quilts (More like I need one for summer because I don't have a thin blanket). They tend to be very personalized and some are very "patterned." I like symmetry but I'm more interested in making something a bit more complex than that. I should stop jumping into big projects now that I think about it because I have no experience (usually). Well that aside, I had a hard time deciding on a idea since I would have to make something at least look somewhat appealing to the eye. Also it's going to be about a queen size quilt which is huge. That is a lot of space to cover with something on it.

I went with flowers and specifically cherry blossom flowers. Also a few different size petals so it would look nicer. 

Few days later...

The final design looks pretty good as of now. Design of the flower below. I have no idea how to sew it onto the quilt but I'll figure it out soon. Materials buying tonight! Can't wait. 

Shape of flower. Don't know if I'll go with those colors.

Will update more soon!

Hula Hoop

Hula Hoop

Last Friday, I finally remembered I wanted a hula hoop. I haven't hula hooped since 4th or 5th grade and here I am as a grown adult wanting to try to do so again. At first I was thinking I wanted a weighted hula hoop. However, the problem with weighted is that it can't be played with for long periods of time constantly. I checked out some reviews on Amazon for some weighted ones and some people tend to get bruised from using it. I bruise really easy so it was not the best way to go.

I kind of wanted to give up looking and go for a kids hula hoop since I'm short anyways. After some research on google, it wasn't a good idea for adults to use those for several reasons. I had a feeling it might not work since they tend to be super light and really easy to have a bend in them. I remembered my old hula hoops all went bent after some use. So, it might just end up being a waste of money.

Mechanical Pencils Stats and Thoughts

Mechanical Pencils

Here I'll post the stats of the pencil and my personal opinion of the mechanical pencils I own in. Well, the cost might be off depending on how long this has been up. I am measuring the pencils length and weight with my ruler and scale but I don't own a caliper to measure the width of the pencil. I'll be using Jetpens.com width until I own a caliper. Weight is determined by 2 leads inside the pencil.

Addiction to Office Supplies Part 2

Addiction to Office Supplies

After a few days of using the Pilot Airblanc, I am loving this pencil. It uses 0.3mm lead which is really thin but strong at the same time. It writes really fine lines which is what I like. I have yet to try any of the lead I ordered since I usually like to waste the original lead first. It also takes me FOREVER to actually finish one piece of lead.

 The Uni Kuru Toga 0.5mm lead pencil seems to be awesome, at least for my boyfriend. I find that 0.5mm lead is too thick for what I like when I'm using this pencil. Even though it automatically turns, I find that the "even-ness" it writes in tends to be more smudge looking. Maybe if I used harder lead it won't look that way but I have yet to test that out.

Few days later...

Well I finally decided to buy from Jetpens. I got myself the most expensive mechanical pencil I will own to this day. It was the Pentel graph 1000. I really like 0.3mm lead now so what better way to complement it with something nice. Last thing I got was the Pentel Hi-Polymer Ain Eraser. Apparently this is one amazing eraser so I figured for $0.99 I could try it. Also my boyfriend was saying how he needed an eraser. He lost my eraser I gave him so I can bet he probably lose this one too.

Can't wait to test the Pentel 1000 out against my Pilot Airblanc. Also can't wait to see how the eraser compares to my old one.

Few more days later...

Addiction to Office Supplies Part 1

Addiction to Office Supplies

I know, addiction may be too strong of a word in this case but judge that later. I was going through some stuff online and well...I just love the look of some office supplies. Mainly I try to study Japanese a few times a week, so I write a lot. Seems like this pencil I got not too long ago ended up bent (did not realize how strong I was gripping it). Anyways, I remember I always had a hobby of collecting pencils and journals and stuff. I still have that cup that holds all those pencils I saved from my childhood that is filled with dust too (I refused to use them). As I was reliving the joys of pencils and paper, I was sharing this joy to my "I could care less" boyfriend. As he puts it, it doesn't matter what you use as long as it works. (No worries, I'll get him sucked into the world of where it does matter eventually >:])

So looking around online, I remember browsing through Jetpens.com a while ago so I started there. If those notebooks just were not so expensive, I would get some. It is just cheaper to get it at Kinokuniya store in NYC, whenever I decide to go back home there. However, I did remember some binders I really like on Jetpens and I "may" order some soon.

I really would like a new mechanical pencil and some different leads to try but Jetpens is a little pricier than I would pay. I found jstationery.com and found very similar stuff but not as extensive or expensive as Jetpens. So after deciding I would make a purchase here, I have placed an order.

Cute sharpener, lead case and eraser. All from my sister who didn't want it anymore. I miss those gift shops.

From a new gift shop that opened up about half a year ago and the top one is slightly bent.

From my college store. One of the best pencils I have used in a long time.

Fan Air Conditioner Project Part 1

Fan Air Conditioner Project

Summer is coming and it is already hot. It was super hot for the past week, and like most people who don't like heat, I couldn't take it anymore. I actually tried this project first on a small desk fan a month ago and it worked except it is a small desk fan so it does not keep the room cooled. I finally gave in and started using the AC but it's expensive to be using AC only in May so I wanted to use a fan. I had my boyfriend order in a pump and it came in yesterday (Yay!). So, we quickly tried it on our small fan and wow it worked like we wanted it to. We did not actually look up in using a pump as a close loop system as there are many tutorials online about it. I found out after the fact when we wished our pump was stronger (Oops). We also didn't own a fan other than a desk fan until yesterday too. Finally went out and brought one, couldn't be happier.

I am not sure how many apartment places are like this but there is only one AC and it is in the living room, not the bed room. This is the second apartment I had that is made this way and I get jealous every time I visit a friend with AC in both living room and bed room that came with the apartment. I wasn't sure if I could even fit a AC in my bedroom window, it is wide enough but it can't be opened up very far. Also I live on the 3rd floor, so heat was always an issue even in the winter.

So, onto the cooling project...

Coasters

Coasters!

Today,  I looked at my bamboo coasters that I've had for many years now and I wanted to make some myself. So first thing I do is Google how to make coasters. They are really simple to make and I just had the idea of painting pictures on them such as scenery or animals or something. I do not have any spray paint which most of the tutorials require. I doubt it is a good idea for me to sink my money into spray paint right now so one day in the far future, this will happen.

 

The two types of coasters I currently use. Sadly, the dust and small scraps of food always fall into the small cracks.