Crazy new things!

I apologize for the lack of a better title, but it has been so long since my last post that I don't even know where to begin.

I had gone paintballing for the first time on Memorial Day, and seeing all the splattered paint had inspired me to make more colorful crafts. The night before, I had sewn some barrel-slips. I'm not sure what material the outer layer is, but it feels like a backpack strap. The insides are lined with either flannel or old t-shirt, and they strap onto your gun with a large elastic hairband.

I took my boyfriend to his first swapmeet yesterday [I grew up going to them, but he has never been to one] to get inspired by some antiques. Instead, however, I ended up finding a great pair of cropped jeans for $10 and seeing a plus-sized Mexican Barbie-type of doll. After seeing that doll, I didn't know what to think - it had a tiny waist, but everything else was "large" for a "Barbie." Meh.

Recently, I have been purchasing sets of Lalaloopsy dolls to create a scene-in-a-box to photograph my items in. I haven't done any shots with any of my items, but I finally created the scene, more or less. I hope to create more. Here, I'm having fun with Crumb and her mouse, using scrapbook paper for walls, and wooden miniature cabinets that I had purchased and painted from Michaels. There's a Re-ment set of food behind her as well. :]

Continuing on my craftastic journey, I began to bake again all weekend following my graduation. [Oh, yea! I graduated from Cal State Fullerton. Commencement ceremony speeches and other things were a little bit of a drag, but I'm just glad I'm out of there!] So I decided to bake vanilla pudding cookies with chocolate chips and add some homemade Bavarian cream to it. That strawberry in the picture was picked by my mother and I at Cal Poly Pomona. Haha, I've been keeping busy since I've been done with school!

Although I have a degree with a wide range of possible career paths, I still have no idea what to do. Originally, I decided to pick this major to start a career in teaching, which is pretty dead right now. With few job openings, I've just stuck with Etsy and my part-time office job. I'm hoping another opportunity comes my way. On a brighter note, a friend of mine offered to take my photos for me. I did graduation on a budget, borrowing a cap and gown from another friend, which means I couldn't decorate anything [my friends were surprised!].

And finally, I went to a Japanese memorial service, which celebrates the lives of all who passed away in the month of June [they have these services monthly]. My boyfriend's family made it a joyful event, spending a day in Little Tokyo, buffet included. We stopped by a kitschy little shop, where I found these key caps that looked a lot like my dogs.

Aren't they cute? Although I had a pretty awful evening last night [trying to avoid thoughts on family life, but let's just say it can get violent], today made my day. My other family is so much fun, and when we're together, anything is possible!

Now, onto sewing a wedding dress...