Clean cup, clean cup. Move down.

Walmart has flower pots shaped like giant teacups. Walmart has flower pots shaped like giant teacups. This is exciting because 1) I love teacups, and 2) I love things in sizes that they are not usually in.

So of course I bought one.

It's obviously a ridiculous thing to buy, so I almost didn't... but then I did. Because, when you have the opportunity to turn a large-sized teacup into a small-sized Disneyland teacup, you do it. So I did, and so should you.

This project is fairly simple, if not a little time-consuming. I just did a little bit at a time, over several days, since there's a lot of waiting for paint to dry between coats. With all the coats you have to do, trying to do this in one day, I imagine, would be very frustrating. Also, being that it's fairly easy to copy, I'll try to keep the steps brief.

Materials

• a teacup
• a teacup design
• spray paint in your base color (I used white)
• acrylic paint in the other colors
• paint brushes
• a compass (not the directional kind)
• painter's tape
• glossy spray-on sealer

Steps

1) Spray your base coat in several thin layers, letting the layers dry in between coats. If you try and do one thick layer, you will have drips of paint all over the thing. I did four layers.

2) If your inside is a different color than your outside, paint the inside. If not, skip this step.

3) Paint the saucer, the rim of the cup, and handle. There are a few ways to get straight (well, circular) lines around your cup: to draw lines on the saucer, I used a compass (first picture); to draw the line around the inside rim, I used a compass a slightly different way (fourth picture); to get a nice, crisp line around the outside rim, I made pencil marks 1/2" from the top, and used those to guide painter's tape around the outside (second and third picture). I did between two and five coats on these parts.

4) Tape off (or use the compass to draw guidelines) the second line around your cup and paint it. Be careful with metallic paint--it tends to dry rubbery, and can peel off easily. In fact, I might recommend you draw lines with the compass, rather than tape it off; I had some difficulty with the tape. I did five coats here.

5) Trace on your pattern and paint it. You can use my stencil if you'd like, or create your own. I just printed it on regular paper, and cut off each heart after I traced it.

6) After it's completely dry, spray it with some kind of glossy outdoor-appropriate sealer. One coat should be fine; I did two just to be safe. When it's dry, it's done!

After mine was all dry and done, I planted some junk mail from Google in it. Yup. I'm excited.

Sailor Moon Week Day 3: Swag

My craft space looks like it was hit by something hurricane-like... maybe a pack of kindergarteners. I've been crafting my alabaster buns off, and, as part of Sailor Moon Week, have a few Sailor Moon themed crafts I'd like to show off.

[link]

I found some Sailor Moon paper dolls and knew I had to use them for some kind of craft, so  I went with magnets. They're made with shrink plastic, so they're thick and durable. I really like how they came out! In fact, I've been looking for more paper dolls to make similar sets.

[link]

For the longest time, I wanted a Cosmic Heart Compact necklace. But a very small one. It took me a few tries to get it right, but I think I've got the hang of it! I made one for me, and an extra for my Etsy store.

It's on a nice long chain, so it falls right where it does on Usagi. I also sprayed it with acrylic, to make it shiny.

[link]

These earrings were a lot of work! I drew the Cosmic Heart Compact for the Sailor Moon tattoo set that I posted yesterday, so that was already done, but I couldn't use the same bow because someone else had drawn it, and you can't just use someone else's art for your craft like that, so I had to re-make all the bows. My right index finger is all torn up from making these, but they're kind of awesome so whatever.

I'm not the only one making Sailor Moon swag though! There's lots of handmade stuff from Etsy. I know this because I looked through all of it. Well, everything that comes up when you search for "Sailor Moon" under "handmade." I picked my favorite fifteen things (plus that necklace I made, ahem) and made a treasury.

[link]

A lot of my stuff is boxed up since Poncho and I are in a semi-temporary living situation, but I've had a really hard time resisting the urge to dig out my Moon Kaleidoscope and gashapon and the like. I miss my Sailor Moon swag... and look at all that neat stuff for sale on Etsy, handmade by fans. Argh, temptation.


logo by Bleuette | Sailor Moon image by 朱雀町四丁目

It's so Fluffy I'm Gonna Die!!

I have been going through fluff-withdraws. Going without a fluffy pet this long has been a problem for me, but, since Poncho and I are long-term housesitting for his grandparents, I can't just, like, find a fluffy creature and bring it home.

Fortunately, I have discovered the joys of fostering! You see, Poncho's aunt works with the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and she found kittens and Poncho's mom said I could keep them... for two weeks.

I will take what I can get.

Henry never holds still. He's the tough one. Duncan is sweet.

They're hard to get pictures of because they haven't figured out

how awesome I am yet.

I will not pretend that I chose to care for and socialize a couple of stray kittens because it's, like, "the right thing to do" or something noble like that. It was purely for selfish reasons, I assure you.

That said, you should totally help out your local animal shelter. They always need more animal food, volunteers, and money for veterinary services. I don't know about other SPCAs, but but OCSPCA allows you, when making a donation, to specify where you'd like your money to go.

So do that. And, if you are not yet convinced, allow me to inspire you with rhyme:

While walking on the beach one day, I saw a starfish by the shore. And everywhere I looked, it seemed, I saw a thousand more. Then what to my surprise appeared? A boy of nine or ten. And as the starfish washed ashore, he threw them back again.

“One fish won’t make a difference, son; you can’t change this situation.” He stooped and picked up one more fish, then looking right at me, “I can make a difference for this one, sir” and returned it to the sea.

So I went and gathered all my friends, my brothers and my cousins. We joined in with that little boy and saved starfish by the dozens.

There are still many to be rescued – many “starfish” on life’s shore. And you can make a difference too…by saving just one more.”

Author Unknown

To Market

I love the popping when you chew them.

One of the best things about California is the pockets where different cultures flourish. If I want to get the best soda, made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, I go to a Mexican grocery store. If I want a tub of masago to make my favorite nigiri at home (or just eat with a spoon, which I totally do), there's always a Japanese market somewhere within driving distance.

Besides the ability to acquire foods that my walking-distance Ralph's doesn't seem to realize I need, these areas have another bouns: imported goodies!

On Saturday I went with some friends and trolled through Marukai Pacific Market in Redondo Beach, and Mitsuwa Market Place in Torrance, where I treated myself to saki ika, Gummy Chocos, a couple of Iwako erasers, a strawberry tote bag, and some nigiri. While some of these items may be difficult to find, they were entirely reasonably priced; the strawberry tote, for example, was less than half of what I usually see it priced as.

Now this is a Saturday.

Sunday started off innocent enough with a trip to the second annual Renegade Craft Fair, where I purchased the most awesome locket ever, entitled Octopus Tea Party, by Locket 2 You. (Side-story: My companion and I were back-to-back looking at these lockets, and both turned to show each other... the same locket! So we both bought it.) On the way out my all-things-cute buddy notified me that she had never been to Little Tokyo, which is obviously a crime, so we went. I will refrain from listing the many things I bought there, but just being inside the Little Tokyo Mall is happiness, and the bookstore across the street, Kinokuniya, is a great source for Japanese masking tape (I got three rolls of matryoshka, she got some polka dots).

But the real treasure of the weekend, the real thing that inspired this long-winded gushing about the joys of my shallow indulgences, is my new strawberry tea service for one.

The owl mug is from Target's Valentines' Day 2009 collection;
I like to chase my hot tea with cold water for maximum zen.

I've been looking for a tea service for awhile. I almost went with Decole's Strawberry Cake Mug, which of course only went on sale when they sold out of pink. Then I yearned for Sun Art's Matryoshka Tea for Two, but it is just plain too expensive. This glorious piece of tea-pouring art was very reasonably priced, especially seeing that this one is ten dollars more (after converting Euros to USD). I have spend the last two days guzzling tea, my favorite guilt-free treat.

Moral of this story: Don't be afraid to shun the American shopping malls and big corporate chain stores in favor of these magical little pockets where English isn't a priority.

Also... I couldn't help myself:

Housewife Tales, Part 2: Baking

Last week I made an entry about all the foods I've been cooking. They've been delicious, but decidedly uncute. To balance this, I have also taken to baking.

Now this is a hobby. It works out reasonably well because I don't actually like to eat most of this stuff, so I get to pawn them off on other people. In fact, the only thing pictured that I've actually eaten is the shortbread cookies, which I confess I didn't make. I did fall in love with them though and made thumbprint cookies during our next baking-themed get-together.
Dispite the glory that is all of the above, I am not a super creative person, and it takes a lot of browsing for me to get an idea of what I'm going to bake. My inspiration comes from several main places...

Cake Pops by Bakerella
The first time anyone sees a cakepop, they are instantly amazed. Cakepops are brilliant and adorable, and I only know how to make them through the guidance of Bakerella. I've made cakepops several times and have been getting requests for more. The rainbow "cakeball cake" above is just a bunch of cakeballs stacked (much easier than putting them on a stick I think). The instructions for the Hello Kitty cake pops can be found on Bakerella's website right here.

All Cakes Considered by Melissa Gray

This book is so cute and filled with so many kinds of cake. It also educated me on the differences between the different kinds of flour, and each recipe comes with an interesting little anecdote. There's a kind of cake here for all tastes, and all skill levels.

A word of caution: You need a mixer for most of these recipes. Or at least you probably need one, unless you're insane enough to beat eggs and whip cream by hand. I'm not.

Fairy Cooking by Rebecca Gilpin and Catherine Atkinson
Yes, this is a cookbook for little kids. I don't care; it's cute and the recipes are great. Not all of them are baked goods, but all of them are cute. For my oldest friend's bridal shower I made four things, all of which I found in this book. They were super adorable.

And, being that it's a kids' cookbook, all of the recipes are easy. Cute, easy, and tasty. Win, win, and win.

Hello Cupcake by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
I feel like you should have to pass some kind of psychological evaluation before being allowed to own this book. Attempting these creations is not for the feint of heart. Totally worth it though--every single idea in here is endlessly cute. You will not find baking recipes in here, just dozens of adorable decorating ideas for every occasion.

These are best accomplished with the help of friends. The chocolate owls above took three people three hours to decorate. But look at how cute they are! There's also a second book out, which I must soon get my hands on.

Perfect Cupcakes
This book reminds me very much of All Cakes Considered, except on a smaller cup-sized scale. Same concept though: a wide variety of flavors, mostly with simple but cute decorating ideas. You won't see any decorating tips like those from Hello Cupcake, but sometimes simple is perfect. And you can never go wrong with pink frosting.





I also invested in two dozen silicone cupcake cups, which I love. People keep getting confused and throwing them away though, which leads to a scolding from me. I picked up a dozen round cups, six flower cups, and six butterfly cups (pictured above) all four $4 at Target. Seeing as they're often ten times that price, I was quite thrilled. The best part is that the cup, being that it's not paper, remains a bright color, which compliments the decoration on top. Finding baking stuff in the dollar section of Target is almost my favorite part of any holiday.

Hajimimashite, Snail-chan

This afternoon, Poncho and I practiced setting up the tent for our camping trip this weekend. Well, assuming we get to go; it seems that most campsites in Southern California have either burned down or won't let you have a campfire for fear of getting burned down. The audacity of these places disallowing campfires and still calling themselves a campsite! It should be illegal.

Really, we were just being sure the tent was still in working order, seeing as it's possibly older than us. Maybe combined. I'm not sure what color it originally was.

After we finished packing it back up (and I finished patting myself on the back for remembering how to set up a tent, having not attempted it since sixth grade), I noticed something tiny on my foot. I thought What are you doing on my foot, tiny round thing?

And that's how I met my new buddy, Snail-chan.

Whenever I see something this tiny and cute, I can't help but add the honorific -chan to the end of its name. I wouldn't dare say it out loud, as that would be entirely too weeaboo of me, but I can blog it with only minimal shame.

After showing everyone in the house (this was at my in-laws' house, by the way), I took Snail-chan on a field trip to the other side of the yard, where it would probably take her a month to get on her own, and watched her frolic on some tiny flowers.

Not wanting to worry her mother, I brought her right back to where she probably was before she got on my toe, and said goodbye.

Her visit put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. No, really, I'm easy to please like that.

I posted more photos of Snail-chan on flikr. I also submitted them to Cute Overload. Is it too much to dream she gets her own calendar page? Snail-chan for Miss September 2011! Update: Yay, Snail-chan is a super star!