Arm Warmers! I've still got 'em!

Arm Warmers

I'm still selling arm-warmers to help my mom fix the exceedingly cheap used car she bought. Help her not get stranded on the side of the road!
I still have these styles left and enough to make more of most of them if you're interested.

I'm asking for $10 per pair, which includes shipping from Japan. 

If that's too steep, email me at j.elaine.fleming@gmail.com or message me on facebook to negotiate.

I am really interested in getting these to people who can use them before the weather warms up too much.

Take care, all!

Super light weight rock-star type. Good for places where you want sweater sleeves on you forearms. Not bad for Texas.

Thick as two layers of broadcloth. Lightweight with ancient, illegible kanji.

Short. 1 layer of textures pink fleece. Fun and funky!

Dragons on white fleece. Smokey and fun.

Dark, inky dragons on gray fleece. Warm and stretchy.

Sakura on pink fleece. Cute, warm and fuzzy.

New Years Goals, Arm Warmers, and Progress

Hello universe. Welcome to near the end of the first week of February. Having a good one? I hope so.
Sorry for the weird color choice today. Something has gone strange in the coding and this was the only way I could think of to get the text to show up.

I have not posted a new list of funk-fighting techniques as I have not had time to finish performing the acts on the previous list here. Also, it is slowly warming up and my funk is slowly lifting. One awesome thing about being in Japan is knowing that the cherry blossoms are coming just as soon as it stops freezing.

Things out here are good. Specifically, my attempts to save the day with arm warmers and work toward publishing this year are moving in a good direction. I have only sold a few arm warmers. Here are the remaining ones. I have the fabric remaining to make new/bigger/smaller versions of any of these (excluding the pink textured fleece) if they catch your fancy.

Again, if you're interested in any of these, the cost is $10 (free shipping!) and all proceeds go to my mom's car fund for college. 

In related news, my mother had acquired a very cheap and fairly-reliable car. Hopefully it will continue to work but there is no telling what will happen when you get one so cheap. I am still running this fundraiser to help her get to the finish line.

Now, on the New Years Goal.

One of my goals for the last few years had been to get back into publishing my work and actually pursue this writing thing I have been claiming to have been doing for so long. So this year I am going to do it. I am going to make it happen. here's how:

Every month I will submit my work to contests and publications. The number of submissions must match or be greater than the number of the month. For instance, last month I submitted one piece to a travel writing contest. This month I must submit 2 pieces to some kind of publications and/or contests. Next month, 3. etc. The type of publication or size of the prize are of no consequence save for the fact that until I win something that pays I have not allowed myself to enter anything with an entry or reading fee. I don't know that I could afford to lose until I win some of the free options. Once I win one, I can use part or all of my winnings to enter the next one. Until then, it has to be free.

I've already got one down for this month, and I am allowing myself to work ahead. If I continue on this trend for the whole year, I will have submitted 73 pieces by the end of December and will average around 6 submissions per month. So if I feel up to submitting a bunch this month, I might not have to work as hard in November or December, when I already have so many other things going on.

That's my goal. What's yours?

I don't do New Years resolutions because they are easy to break and feel bad about. "I will not have a coke this year." might be quite beneficial to both my waistline and general health, but I'd rather focus on objectives I can win over things to avoid. So eating healthier? Great goal, and it can happen at any point over the course of the year.

This year, my goals are as follows:

• 1.     Potty train my daughter, who is actively entertained by her potty, so this should be in motion soon.
• 2.   Get published again (as many times as possible). If I make it to 2016 with 73 rejections and no more publishing credits than I have to my name right now, I will still feel that I have given it my best shot. Not a reason to give up, mind you, but definitely not a reason to feel defeated, either.
• 3.    Get rid of the excess. Mostly this refers to my clothing  and cloth stash. I need to use up the cloth and other vcrafting bits I tend to hoard and simultaneously transform the wardrobe of things I almost never wear for whatever reason into something wearable, usable, or invisable. If that means I give it to charity, sell it to a second hand store, or turn it into a throw rug. So be it. The things need to be done.
• 4.    Get into the habit of cleaning properly and frequently. I recently spend 3 days taking down lace curtains, bleaching the crap out of them, washing them, drying them, and hanging them back up. This could be avoided with regular condensation removal. Being so close to the ocean and in a country known for deep humidity, the struggles of keeping a home clean have been pretty foreign to me, a woman from nice, hot, dry Texas. Not to mention the fact that I am lazy and have natural hoarding tendencies anyway.

So there's my list. 4 things I want to accomplish by the end of the year. Let's go!

Fight Your Funk!!

Winter depression is a thing, and I know it kicks me right where it hurts. How about you?

Well for anyone out there looking for some zaniness or a good challenge to keep motivation up and spirits high, I suggest Fighting Your Funk. By that I mean a GISHWHES inspired short list of a few weird but fun challenges. Do one a week. Do one a day. Do one and see how it makes you feel.

There are no prizes for this other than the achievement of pulling yourself out of your funk.

For me, that's already a pretty big prize, so let's get going.

Here are 15 challenges of varying levels of difficulty. The only one responsible for laws you break or damage you incur is yourself, so choose carefully. You need not do all or any of the tasks. This is for entertainment purposes only.
When you complete a task, upload the pics or video to imgur/youtube and share them on twitter with the tag #FightyrFunk so we can all share in their awesomeness.

Here's the first list. Expect the second list in 2 weeks.

1. Re-enact a scene from a classic 1980s film using sock puppets. (like Amanda Palmer's LABYRINTH with SOCK PUPPETS )
2. Be Ironic. Donate blood while dressed as a vampire.
3. Make Mayhem. Literally. Sew, craft, weave, or otherwise decorate something with the word "Mayhem" in as many languages as you can. *(Bonus points for accurate kanji)
4. Tackle a problem you've been avoiding. You know which one I mean.
5. Volunteer at a soup kitchen while dressed as a superhero of your choice.
6. Dance in a public place where dancing is not normally seen (i.e. bookstore, supermarket, Wall Street). Music optional.
7. Send three postcards to people you have not seen in six months or more.
8. Write down five things you are thankful for. Every day. For a week. Take a picture of the 35 sentences all together.
9. Your bed is now a pirate ship. Dress yourself and your ship accordingly. *Extra points for a full crew.
10. Find 3-5 object in your home that are in good condition but rarely if ever used. Give them to someone who will use them. Objects need not go to the same person.
11. Learn a new skill and demonstrate it within a 24 hour period.
12. Teach someone your new skill from 11.
13. Come up with your own Random Act project to benefit people or a person in your area and fill out a form to make it come to life at this website.
14. Perform a short play comprised only of lines from an English phrasebook. A limit of one line per page of the book can appear in the play.
15. Make a geoglyph exclaiming, "I am fighting my funk!" Geoglyphs must extend at least 15 feet in one direction.

*Except there are no points here. We are all winners.

Have fun! Fight your funk!

Arm Warmers and Ways to Help (My Mom)

I've made a little progress in the way of arm warmer making. Video to be posted as soon as I can make that work. In the mean time, here is a picture of the completed pairs. All are completely available for $10 per pair! Free shipping!

1. The first from the left is a lightly quilted number depicting rabbits and sakura blossoms. Wear it and say, "Come on, Spring!"
2. The second is a set with illegible kanji, save for the big white characters that are parts of the names of famous Japanese military leaders. Wear it and say, "Yeah, you can't read it either, buddy!"
3. The third is a fleecy pair, short but stretchy. Fun and funky.
4. The fourth is a longer, stretchy silver pair. They remind me of Amanda Palmer, and putting them on makes me feel like a rock star.
5. The fifth is a larger set for larger arms, made with charcoal fleece and a black dragon print on light gray. Good for a dragon lover!
6. The sixth is a longer set with orange dragons on white with a tan knit insert. Again, good for a dragon lover!

I have 2 pairs of the kanji, which is lined in white. I also have enough fabric to make more of the dragons. If you see something you like, let me know. If you aren't sure about sizing, send me an email and I'll do my best to make sure you get something you can wear.


Other Ways to Help

As you can see, I'm working on making fundraiser items to help support my mom in her quest to complete her associate's degree in IT. In order to do this, she needs transportation. With no job, no money, and no car, things are pretty bleak. This is where you come in.

Things you can do to help my mom:

• Contribute to her campaign on this website. A credit card is required. If you have paypal, contact me or her to work something out.
• If you're in DFW, give her a ride when you can. Check in on her. See if you can help her when she needs it.
• Buy arm warmers from me! $10 for something to keep your arms warm.
• Buy a sock monkey from me! I can still make sock monkeys, especially those with specific Japanese themes. Ninja monkeys will be available from $10 starting next month. If you've got another theme in mind (geisha, samurai, etc.) contact me for more details.

Happy 2015 and Crafting for a Cause

Happy 2015 Blogverse!

This year, I will tend to you more regularly.

Also, this year, we're starting things off a bit wonky but focused.


I am still finishing off the last of the sock monkeys from my Endure for Kindness thing back in October, and once the last one is ready to be shipped I plan to dive right into my first ever Crafting for a Cause project: Arm Warmers to benefit this amazing cause.

For anyone who isn't already aware, my mother has fallen on hard times financially and the lingering, expensive death of her car was nothing easy to withstand. Now she has to make it across her city to finish her degree at the only campus of the community college she is attending to offer the classes she needs to finish this semester. Without transportation, she is helpless. Public transportation doesn't run late enough to get her home or conveniently enough to get her there.

Unfortunately, I have settled on the other side of the world and as a housewife no longer have the disposable income I would need to be able to help her. But I do have cloth. Cloth and craftiness and friends.

So I am going to be making arm warmers. For a $10 donation to my mom's cause (via the website listed above or preferably paypal), I will supply you with arm warmers to keep your forewarms happy and warm this winter. This donation includes shipping and my heartfelt thanks for helping my mom in any little bit that we can. The selection will be limited but interesting as all materials for this project as straight from right here in Japan. I'm collecting funds either in person or via paypal. For more information, email me.

This fund raiser runs from now until the end of January, so get your donation in today! First come first serve for selection and I will have pictures listed here and on my twitter account.

Thanks so much for your support!

Reservations, Limitations, and Politics

One of the members of my GISHWHES team, a person whom I had never met and will never meet, baffled me a bit and made me think. His middle name on Facebook was changed to Imsecond, which seemed peculiar as I have been living abroad for the last 6 years and catch up on little news in the way of conservative or religious developments stateside.
Not being one to waste too much brain power on what other people want to insert into the middle of their name, I made the basic albeit vulgar assumption that the name related to order of partners in oral sex, meaning that he preferred to act first and receive second. My mother, also on my GISHWHES team, let me know the real meaning of the term and it didn't make me feel less puzzled.

The idea that Jesus or God is first so I am second actually makes even less sense to me, as many parables within the bible say to put others first, to give the meek or the poor or just your fellow man a position you might otherwise covet. In that vein, a "true" Christian might laugh at the idea of being second, as they would be much further down the line. "I'm last" might be a more accurate statement for one following the word so closely.That might be only how this appears to me, granted.

After GISHWHES ended, I saw no need to unfriend all my group members. Why bother? Then the conservative's posts wound up on my news feed and I was forced to witness some disturbingly inaccurate and offensive material directed at all followers of Islam, some of whom I count among my friends.

I was offended and I quietly removed him. If I honestly thought someone who could share such things would be capable of discussing their repercussions and inaccuracies, I might have spared a moment to message him, but this was not worth the time.

I post this here because this event made me think about reservations and limitations. This concept that the only path that can be satisfying, just, or correct is the one that I personally am following religiously, emotionally, financially, or however is just so very limited. So basic. So lacking in compassion for the very fellow man so many holy books say to help. Yet this seems to be the point of view present time and again when dealing with ultra-conservatives, or ultra-liberals for that matter.

But that is another issue too, and touches more on the political side.

I consider myself a liberal and one of the main reasons liberalism appeals to me is that there seems to be inclusion of differences present in the liberal spectrum that doesn't usually exist within the conservative sphere. I've known a few conservatives who were comfortable with liberal friends only when there was a Republican president. When power changed, they could no longer stomach being around people with such apposing viewpoints, even if we never discussed politics as a group. It could just be me but I haven't run into as many liberals with the same problem.

My main point in all of this blather is only a tiny bit of perspective. I would never dream of limiting the whole of human consciousness and understanding to the tiny bit of life that I find enjoyable or even acceptable. Sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my head around someone else's point of view, admittedly, but when you choose to belittle another person's perspective, especially a main facet of their experience like what they choose to believe in, I can not stand by you. It's not okay. It shows such a lack of understanding and respect, I genuinely hope to never fully understand it. The point of view is far too limited.

A different friend of mine recently included in a status update the idea that a musician I am a fan of would be "the first against the wall when the revolution comes" and about this I was also a bit offended. This artist tends not to be controversial, so the need to post this confuses me. The phrase itself seems to be a running gag from origins unknown (to me anyway), but even so this seems extreme. The artist in question writes silly songs and parodies. Will the revolution really want to destroy that?

This friend was merely placed out of sight for the time being, partially because I have known him longer and partially because his turn of phrase was more confusing to me than offensive. The person I unfriended cannot understand alternatives to his own normalcy, and I most definitely fit into that category. The later guy may just have a different taste in music.

In either case, I lack the time and energy to fully communicate with either individual and instead post my ramblings here. Thanks for reading.

GISHWHES, Random Acts, and Mantis Shrimp

Hello out there, internet-land! Sorry for my frequent delays. Here's what's new for me:


GISHWHES, the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Seen was AMAZING! I have been considering making a video of my comments and tips for future Gishers since the end of this year's wild rompus back at the beginning of August. This will be done shortly, but probably not today.

I strongly recommend GISHWHES to anyone. Really anyone. If you have a little spark of madness and a little bit of time/money to spare, this is for you. I am still in shock as to how 1 week of craziness transformed how I feel about life so completely. I'll explain more in the video, when that happens.

GISHWHES benefits Random Acts, and charity founded by Misha Collins in support of making the world a better place through Random Acts of kindness. The kindness need to be entirely random. If you have an idea for something really nice you'd like to do or have done in your community, write them a proposal on their website here and if they like it, they may choose to fund it, at which point you would put it into motion and make things happen. Real change in small steps.

Now the question is, where does this funding come from? GISHWHES participants each pay $18.99 to be a part of the scavenger hunt, and this goes straight to running costs for GISHWHES and Random Acts. Random Acts is a charity and does accept donations. They encourage donations. And now here's something even more fun.

Endure for Kindness, E4K, is a fundraiser for Random Acts. Traditionally, a charity might hold a marathon and have each runner work to get sponsors who would pay a certain amount of money per mile to the charity. The last time I did something like this, it was the Math-a-thon in sixth grade, in which people (my parents mostly) pledged a certain amount of money per math problem I got correct and proceeds went to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Today I heard about E4K in this silly video and decided to check it out. I'm not a runner and would not have the ability to put my baby aside for a day of running. Nor would I have the time for swimming, jogging, dancing, or many other of the continuous, hours-based marathon exercises. What I do have is a bunch of worn out socks, and an idea.

I know how to make sock monkeys. I can push myself to make as many sock monkeys as possible in the time provided (a 24 hour period of my choosing between October 18th and October 19th) and ask my sponsors to pay per monkey completed. That would mean if I really work hard and make 15 monkeys and one of my friends pledged $1 per monkey, they would then give Random Acts $15.

In appreciation for their contribution, I shall send them one of the completed monkeys. Choices for specific monkey should be on a first come, first serve basis.

In other news, my serial Vampire novel Strange Fangs is back up and running at Jukepop. Check out Chapter 8.

Also,this week I burned my leg. It was a cooking accident, as most of my burns are, caused in no small part by exhaustion. I now have a personal rule concerning the number of pans or pots that I can have in usage for dinner preparation with fewer than 5 hours of sleep.

The last time I burned my leg, it was much worse. It was also caused by exhaustion, and the naive notion that if I didn't provide complete and absolute sustenance for my then boyfriend, he would inevitably leave me. Of course, that never happened. We're married now. He did prove his worth even then by rushing me to the hospital, getting me meds, and being mad at our mutual employers for not actually providing me with insurance so much as a promise of eventual reimbursement perhaps. We worked everything out and I actually didn't even wind up with any scarring, which was great.

This burn is a lot less severe, but I am keeping it lubricated and under wraps nonetheless.

After burning my leg, the previous Halloween costume idea I had been working on (weaving can tabs into a mermaid tale) seemed rather ludicrous, so instead I have opted to change gears and create a Mantis Shrimp costume. They are amazing creatures, praised by both Ze Frank and the Oatmeal, and are pretty freaking colorful.This should be fun.

I have a feeling that I will be able to find a way to use a Mantis Shrimp costume next GISHWHES. Hehehehe.

Onward and upward!