In the last year, I made every effort to take Girlhack.com from a hobby website into a branded website and community.  Okay, maybe not every effort, but a much more focused one than I had made in the past.  I recruited lovely volunteer writers and I even had a summer intern session.  Traffic to the site has continued to pick up like I had hoped, with visitors making their way to both new and old content.  However, the trip I took to New Zealand was one of those incredible life changing events that puts a lot of things in perspective.  In many ways for me, it was the final chapter of the first third of my life.  I left New Zealand feeling more refreshed and focused than I have been in years.  I also left New Zealand with a much better sense of not wanting to keep spreading myself too thin.  New Zealand also underlined that I need to trust my instincts, take care of myself, and prepare to take new steps in my life.

Okay, so where does that leave Girlhack?  Honestly, I don’t know.  I continue to have the utmost respect for any group that helps encourage geeky women.  I also still like to share things I find online that I think appeal to the Girlhack followers.  I still like having a space where I can share opinions on being geeky and girly, and highlight women who I think we can all learn from.  However, I miss having creative energy for other areas of my life.  I also don’t want to do Girlhack because I feel guilty.  It’s possible I’m in a dry spell but also possible that I’ve spread myself too thin.

Since my NZ tip, I’ve also been on the hunt for a full time job with my other love, the digital video industry.  It continues to be a Wild West of opportunities, growth, and I think it’s only going to get more exciting.  There is this part of me also feeling like maybe it’s time to go back into a tech job and live the example I talk about, instead of just talking about it.  I want to continue to make it easier for all women in any tech job and part of that is for some of us women to be in leadership positions and available to mentor younger women.

I’ve been thinking about stopping Girlhack.com since January 1st, but I didn’t have the words to do it until now.  I also didn’t have the courage to fully shut it down and I still don’t.  For a few months, I’m going to press pause on new daily content for Girlhack.com.  I will still post to Twitter and Pinterest, and the site will remain live until I can search my heart and know how to continue my mission to help geek women.

1-UPs & shoe sales,

Meg aka Girlhack

Professional conferences are great places to network, learn about current research, and practice your public presentation skills.

They are also, apparently, a great place to learn a new hair style.

I ran into a friend, and after swapping the “how are you’s” and “what have you been up to’s,” I just had to ask her how she did her hair. Her face was framed by a twisted crown and the ends were pulled back and pinned into a low bun. It looked professional, but with an element of casual edginess. It was different. Initially it looked like a french braid, which I have never learned. When she told me it was just a twist (2 pieces!) and that she had found it on You Tube, I dared to hope that I could also attempt such a hair style.

When I go to conferences, I tend to have two default hair styles: straight iron or messy bun. This is a combination of being low-maintence, being lazy, and just never learning basic hairstyling tricks. Now I have a third option that requires no hair product an can be put together as quickly as a couple of braided pigtails.

I do not know if this is the exact You Tube video my friend referred to, but this tutorial is pretty close. My friend’s twist was a little tighter and closer to the edge of her hairline, so the rope-like crown framed her face a bit more.

I hope you find this as helpful as I do.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meris is always looking for new hacks and DIY skills that enable her to live more sustainably and self-sufficiently. Her free time is consumed by Dungeons & Dragons, rewatching her favorite geeky shows and movies, and sewing costumes for the next convention.
Twitter: @merismullaley
http://pnwduckpond.com

1. Do you own an iPhone?

Yes? Cool (No? No worries. It’s only a matter of time – for both of us).

2. Do you own an iPad? Please don’t comment about your “new” iPad pre-order; I will only envy you.

Yeah? Please continue.

Well, dual-Apple gadget owners, I have wonderful news for you. A soon-to-be released app will help transform you from the casual Applehead to a proud, intriguing Futulele player. Yes, a Futulele, as in ‘futuristic ukulele’. There are so many things I want to say about this iOS synthesizer, but watch the video first:

Click here to view the embedded video.

When Guitar Hero first emerged on the market, I scoffed and made fun of it, “What a poor substitute for a real guitar.”

My childhood girl friend betrayed invited me over one day to try it out. As an occasional lefty, I became a traitor to acoustic guitars as soon as I realized, ”Wait, I can flip the controls and controller if I want?” Sweet.

Then, Rock Band crashed Guitar Hero‘s party with the works: a mic, lead guitar, bass, and drums. Along with many other musical purists, my skepticism increased by so many exponents this post would be impossible to publish if I typed out the full positive integer.

My internal music geek/snob sneered, “The stick quality is poor. The sound quality is laughable. The rebound on the heads are non-existent…the world is coming to an end.” Dramatic much, right?

However, an overnight charity walk with a Rock Band stand dragged me over to the Dark Side. I was the only one out of our small group who did not fail out on the basic levels after our eyelids felt heavy and our brains turned to mush. It was a blast and I caved, all right? Now, I own Rock Band 2, Beatles Rock Band, and the AC/DC track pack for 360, and I like the series. A lot.

I learned from my hypocritical ways. Sure, real musicians learn how to play on the tried-and-true instruments, but they know when to loosen up and enjoy experimental varieties too. The music industry forever altered when electricity took the stage; iOS apps like Futulele furthers the possibilities. When it’s available, feel confident to download Futulele and make whimsical music.

Also, please share your video with us in the comments below. Your chance at viral Internet fame and the incredible opportunity to entertain Girlhackers await. I look forward to listening to your creations, rock star.

Folks… what can I say?  The New Zealand haze of being disconnected is still a bit with me and I’m not pushing it away.  There is no post today except for this fabulous video.

EVERYBODY DANCE!

Erasure – Take a chance on me video

Click here to view the embedded video.

I admit it, I’ve been letting myself recover from one of the best trips of my life.  I powered through to have articles publish when I was gone, but now that I’m home I’ve been letting myself just slowly wake up from the dream that is New Zealand.  A proper post on the trip will probably be delayed (so much information and tips!), but enjoy these pictures until next Monday when the site returns in full form again!

xxoozzzzzzzz

Meg

An actual, honest to goodness, sent in the physical mail Thank You card is sometimes in order. Here are some of my finds for this week’s Etsy Something Geeky Something Girly.

Girly

Dainty Bird Cage Thank You Cards

Girlhack

SteamPunk like/vintage Thank You Cards over text from Anne of Green Gables. Amazing Girlhack Find!

Geek

Word Find Thank You – For all of your Words With Friends… friends.

I was faced with a common dilemma: I had a new dress to wear to an upcoming semi-formal party, and no shoes that matched the level of “glitz” of the dress. My default pair of almost-worn-out heels have seen more than their share of college parties, clubs, and weddings.

I thought that buying a new pair of dress shoes, maybe a pair of silver stilettos, would solve my shoe woes. But the shoe gods (and the many other post-holiday shoe bargain hunters) had other plans for me. I couldn’t find anything in my size, nor could I find a shoe I could get multiple uses out of. After three different stores, I was getting frustrated.

My salvation came from Etsy. I followed a link in one of their emails and found myself browsing through a shoe clip shop. I had never heard of the concept before! I could add some flair to my existing shoes and save myself some money. Most of the shoe clips were being sold as wedding shoe embellishments: a clever way to get your “something blue” onto your outfit in a classy way. There are some stunning options for sale on Etsy, but shoe clips can also be a simple DIY Girl Hack that you can tackle in an evening and add some variation to your shoe collection.

A bit of Googling brought me to a number of shoe clip tutorials. I wanted it to be a flower, so I also searched “fabric flower” embellishment tutorials. The final product was inspired by a number of different blogs:

I learned about the components of the shoe clips, especially the types of clips:  Green Wedding Shoes Blog

I learned how to make and singe a fabric flower that would allow me to glue or sew something into the center of it (and this blog had a template for the petals): Simply Vintage Girl Blog

This is a great project for those fabric scraps you’ve been saving since your last costume.

Petal template and fabric petal pieces

Best trick I learned? Holding the [synthetic] fabric a few inches over a candle and the fabric will melt to resemble a realistic flower. The fabric needs to have some amount of plastic in it to melt. The flowers in the following pictures are only partly curled. As I melted more fabric circles (catching one on fire, and nearly burning my hand*) I decided that the first few circles could be MORE singed and curled.

Fabric circles + flame = curled flowers!

*Note: I recommend using some kind of tongs (craft or kitchen) that can handle being close to heat. I never actually burned my fingers, but holding fabric 2-3 inches above a candle did get very hot and the heat stung a little.

The party I would be attending was for a geeky company, so I wanted to display my own geek cred in my accessorizing. I went to my local game store and searched through the d20 dice bucket for a good 5-10 minutes. I wanted to find a blue that matched my dress, and I found something close-ish. It has a black swirl through the blue, but in the dark it is hard to see.

Once the flower petals were melted and stitched together, I grabbed my hot glue gun and added the d20′s into the center of the flower.

A little thread and needle work to get all of the layered petals to stay in place.

Every step in these shoe clips will be a critical hit!

The final step was to attach the clipping mechanism. Many of the tutorials suggested a specific shoe-clip/jewelry-clip that they bought in bulk on Etsy. I also saw mention of alligator clips and clip-on earring backs (both available in the jewelry section of your local craft store). I used alligator clips, but they are narrow so the flower wobbles a bit, even though I used felt to provide a stiffer backing. I bought a pack of clip-on earring backs for my next shoe clip project.

A little more hot glue, and we are done!

You can glue anything to those clips. It doesn’t have to be flowers. And as you can see from the tutorials link here, the flowers (or bows, or feather embellishments) can also be used for home decor or enhancing headbands, jewelry, or clothing.

Now, don’t you think your shoe collection would love some interchangeable decoration?

Stepping out in style (and hiding the fact that the show straps are starting to fray).

 Meris is always looking for new hacks and DIY skills that enable her to live more sustainably and self-sufficiently. Her free time is consumed by Dungeons & Dragons, rewatching her favorite geeky shows and movies, and sewing costumes for the next convention,
Twitter: @merismullaley
http://pnwduckpond.com

This time I have some pictures to share, but honestly I’ve been selfish and just enjoying my trip. All the updates and adventures will come after I am home… Sorry

What better way to kick up a dinner party a notch by having the perfect serving tray that goes along with the evening!

Girly
Blue Plate Special Cake Stand – Serve that cake 50′s style!

Girlhack
Scalloped Bowls – I think shells are nature’s prettiest natural patterns.

Geeky
Circuit Board and Topography Plate 2 – I was actually shocked anything came up when I searched “geek serving plate”, but this was a great find!

Sometimes you need anthems in your life to get you going, pending what mood you’re in.  Here are some of my girly anthems in no particular order.  What are yours?

Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Had to get the cliche one out of the way, but seriously it’s fun to sing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gwen Stefani – What You Waiting For  - I just love Gwen.  She has written so many songs about being unabashedly girly, hormonal, and standing up for yourself.  See also, of course, Just a Girl.

Click here to view the embedded video.

South Pacific – I’m Gonna Wash That Man Out of My Hair

Click here to view the embedded video.

Garbage – Vow Okay, a bit more harsh, questionably from a crazy lady perspective, but I love Shirley Manson and Garbage.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Salt-N-Pepa – Push It – I love blasting this song driving around LA for some reason.

Click here to view the embedded video.