Sushi Ornaments on Etsy

View my listing!

And my cute banner in action!

Just in case

I know I have to put my sushi ornaments on Etsy right now just in case anyone is interested in them. But my brain is too tired to even adequately describe these, so I will wait until tomorrow to avoid a completely unappealing listing.


It's hard to keep the Maki rolls from looking like eyeballs. I had to get rid of a more complicated eyeball-looking one and replace it with that cute spicy tuna and cucumber.

Ornament Update

I want to have our tree decorated and gorgeous with cute sushis by Friday so I've been working hard!


I couldn't resist those discounted (50% off!) glittery poinsettias you are seeing in the background. They are more lime green (love!) than you can tell and quite sparkly.


Here are some commpleted ornaments. I think these wasabi balls are going to look so cute hanging throughout the tree!

Glitter in my nose!

I have been working on my sushis so hard! I wanted a better nigiri ornament than what I was making, so that's how my little sushi ornaments taught me the strategy "perfect the original then branch out" this week. Sushi takeout is a great inspiring agent for this project!



I turned my rolled felt into little pillows because the open ends were driving me crazy and glue was not the answer.



I learned to wait a second for the glue to seep into the felt nicely because it helps make the glitter salmon really pretty..





This lighting in this picture is crazy but I love the finished product..



After I fell in love with my Nigiris, I did lots of sushi research to create a plan for my other ornaments..

I am making Wasabi Tobiko, Salmon Roe, Salmon or Tuna Maki (with Roe on top), an Avacado Specialty Roll (so named because of the avacado on top), and little wasabis and gingers. This plan was necessary. I can't tell you how big of a mess I made and how sparkly my carpet is from all of the "test" work I did this week.

This Salmon Roe Sushi is a product of some of my test work..



I like it but it looks too much like a cupcake so I am going to change the shape and not make the roe as high. I am also moving the ribbon out of the very middle.

I fell in love with glittery sushi ornaments so much that I started to think others might love them too, so I'm opening a little store with this adorable banner that Julie created for me:



I haven't finished creating my store yet because I don't have examples of all my rolls made, but I am hoping to offer them for $10 for a set of three (you pick) + wasabi/ginger in a little black container. Takeout boxes have been done before for handmade sushi so if you have any better ideas, do tell! Boxes in Michael's are EXPENSIVE, so I made this one out of thick black paper... and that ain't no easy task!



It's all taped up because I made it at work and didn't have glue. I plan to use it as a template. I'd like to offter to write a small message on the inside of the opened tab (like Merry Christmas! or something). I don't know how popular, if at all, these will be, but I will totally wrap a ribbon around this and it will be cute!

Glitter Sushi takes a lot longer than Restaurant Sushi!

I cut the "rice" from egg-shaped styrofoam because it already had a rounded edge. Styrofoam is great for this because it is easily pressed to create a smoother edge.



A really strategic move I made was sticking 2 dress pins in the rounded edge (where the fish will go). This gave me something to hold while I painted all the other edges with glue and covered them with white glitter. It also provided a little prop to hold them up as they dry.



To make the fish pieces I rolled up felt and glued the ends together with a mean hot glue gun. For the salmon I used light orange felt, drew lines with glue, and sprinkled pink glitter. For the tuna I used red felt. I haven't glittered those yet.



These have to dry before I can add the black ribbon "seaweed" and have a finish product!

Fun things from this weekend

Saturday morning I met a friend for breakfast at Foster's Market in Durham. I love love love Foster's after my first visit with Julie a few weeks ago. I especially love weekend breakfast outside in the sunshine. I got the French Toast and it was as delicious as it is pretty..



That's some sort of mango creation with some spiciness on top.

I love digging through the dying flowers that are on clearance in Kroger for the most lively ones that I can take home with me. This week I picked these Fall-time beauties. I fed them their package of flower food and put them outside for some sunshine for a bit. They look so healthy now.



I made my first ornament. I am not thrilled with it's quality. I was too excited to have a finished product and I learned during it's creation that I need a better game plan. I think I might like to make just sushi's for my tree. I had read somewhere that a serrated knife is best for cutting styrofoam, so that is what I used to cut out the "rice." I painted it with glue and covered it in white glitter. The "tuna" on top is red felt covered with red glitter. They are tied together with black ribbon for the "seaweed." I expect these to get cuter and better.



And I got this Military jacket in Target that I had been staring at for a few weeks. It's pretty thick and comfy.

Amy Sedaris Book Signing

Thursday evening my friend Jamie and I went to see Amy Sedaris at her book signing for Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. I like for my dates to just be bare-faced so I can go play in makeup and do them up. Unfortunately Jamie had left all of her makeup at her boyfriend's apartment so we had to dig through her mom's stuff. We found this Avon eyeshadow that I wanted to steal.



Clockwise from left: Jamie bare-faced, eyes, side, front..



We, as usual, got lost on our way to the event. It was at The Armory, which I had never been to. We ended up at The Army National Guard near a hospital because someone gave me misleading directions. We just drove to downtown Durham, looked for people carrying books, and followed them.

We got there right before it started and there were a TON of people already seated.



We were in the second to last row when we spotted the upper level and decided to move for a better view..



Amy demonstrated how to make a twist tie from the love-making section of the book, as well as the Candle Salad. She was pretty hilarious and entertaining during her Q&A Section with the audience. When someone asked if she would buy them a book because they are too poor to afford one, she suggested they steal their neighbor's book.

I was in Group E for the book signing but some of us have to be at work at 7:00 am, so Jamie suggested we "change that E to a B and roll on," which is exactly what I did (super crafty). I'm glad I did because she talked with everyone who came through the line and politely accepted their bullshit craft. The lady in front of me gave her a bright yellow wrist band that looked like something that would admit you to a theme park and it said "FALL RISK" on it. It's for when you wear high heels apparently.

These same ladies asked me to take their picture with her. They wanted two pics! Amy told me my shirt was cute. I had on the white and gold one I had worn to work the day before. Dirty girl.

When it was my turn she asked me if I had made any cool crafts recently. I told her that, actually, I am making sushi ornaments for my Christmas tree out of styrofoam balls and glitter, and I am going to glue (or tie) chop sticks together to make a tree-topper star. She was like "oooooooo! That's a good idea!" We said our thanks and you're welcomes, and 2 minutes later outside I found this:



I'm high on happiness and the excitement I get from glitter!

Christmas Ornament Supplies

I'm ready to get started on my Christmas tree ornaments. I am doing a food themed tree. With the exception of one ornament that it took my entire Christmas break for me to make when I was 10, these will be the only ornaments I've ever made. They are going to be simple, yet glittery. I've been collecting stuff from Michael's. They send out weekly 40% and 50% off coupons, so I might have spent a total of $35. The styrofoam balls were the most expensive.



Pretty new glitter and old paint..



Felt costs pennies..



Hot glue gun, clearance rhinestones, wire, dress pins, ribbon, and string..



So excited!

In need of coffee

This morning an egg I made turned out like a turtle...



Turtles always remind me of my Grandfather. He loved turtles here on Earth. I have a turtle pendant that I wear sometimes that I got when he passed away. And so this day got off to a pretty sweet start..

Until this afternoon when the GPS lady in my car almost made me cry and I couldn't help but call her a bitch. This technology in my car is too much for me. I really need to read the Manual.

After an extremely busy day at work, I wanted to find the nearest Starbucks or coffee shop to stop by on my way to my easy little part-time job that is pretty much the equivalent of hanging out at a Country Club. So, instead of looking at the dangerous, distracting GPS on my iPhone, I decide that I would try to use the "Turn-by-turn directions" that live in the speakers of my car. The only problem was that I didn't remember exactly what I was supposed to say and so a battle ensued...

Me: Phone
Speakers: Say a command
Me: Directions
Speakers: Text. Message.
Me: No
Speakers: I'm sorry, I didn't get that. Can you please repeat.
Me: Directions
Speakers: Text. Message.
Me: No

(back back back back out of the program to the main screen or whatever)

Me: Phone
Speakers: Say a command
Me: Directions
Speakers: Line in. Say a command
Me: DIRECTIONS!!!!
Speakers: Line in
Me: I don't understand! Why won't you work
Speakers: I'm sorry I didn't get that...

(back back back back back)

Me: Phone!!
Speakers: Say a command
Me: Oh! Services
Speakers: Services. Say a city and state or say 'search near me'
Me: Search near me
Speakers: Cary, North Carolina
Me: What? No!
Speakers: I'm sorry...
Me: UUGGGHHH!!! (back back back back back)

Me: Phone
Speakers: Say a command
Me: Services
Speakers: Say a city and state or say 'search near me'
Me: Search near me
Speakers: Please wait while I calculate your location........ Okay, Got it. Say the name of a business or say a type of business
Me: Starbucks
Speakers: Cars...
Me: What? (tiny tear of frustrtion actually developing) I just want some coffeeeeeeee!!!

So I stopped at a convenient store and got a canned Starbucks coffee and it was delicious and the perfect little afternoon spirit-lifter, AND easy to obtain.



I wish I had a picture to show you that I was cute today but I don't. I can, however, tell you that (taking note from Julie, as usual) I wore this tank from Charlotte Russe. It was $12 and had a comfortable fit. I think I might go back and get a different color. I wore it under an Army green sweater with dark Gap jeans and bronze/gold flats.



I am off from work tomorrow and that is so wonderful. I have a great day planned that includes delicious morning coffee, walking Ebi, beginning my Christmas ornaments, and Amy Sedaris book signing in the evening. I'm so excited!

Halloween - Santa spilled his wine on my feet later that night

I don't know if it was laziness or itimidation, but I didn't dress up for Halloween this year. I wanted to be an Owl, but I wanted to wear makeup instead of a mask and that was just too daunting of a task for me at the last minute. So I had too much fun doing everyone's makeup, appreciating cute treats, and taking my neice trick-or-treating.



My cousin prepared lots of cute, festive foods and it just confirmed for me that I am actually going to bake for real this Christmas!

These were Nutter Butter cookies..



Delicious, pumpkin cupcakes. Some with icing, some without..



Under, you can see "eyes" (little biscuits with olives). That was cute.

One aunt wanted to be a Farmer, but in my desperate attempt to play with makeup, I suggested we turn that into "a farmer-lady who can't stop dying her hair or get off the Wet n' Wild makeup aisle in Wal-Mart". She ditched the straw hat, grabbed a random wig, and tons of unnecessary blue eyeshadow and pillows-for-stuffing later, a makeup-loving Farmer was born..



Another aunt wanted to be some girl from Bones, or CSI, or Criminal Minds. I don't really know the show, but I knew who she was talking about...



My mom was a Vampire. I used a black liquid liner to draw spiderwebs by her eyes...



And my neice, as always, was a Princess!



Waaaaaay later at a bar in Raleigh, Santa spilled his wine on my feet. He appologized and I was so nice about it that he wrote my name on the Nice list. I saw some awful costumes. Lots of Snookies. I didn't see anything that I really loved and appreciated.

Don't make her mad!

My friend Jamie don't take nothin' from nobody. That's why I'm listening to her and updating this crap-blog. She has been yelling at me every day to do so. This very blog will always stay alive. We have so many memories together. So here you go...

I have decided to enhance my clothing situation. Just because my closet situation is suffering-to-the-max doesn't mean my clothing situation needs to continue to suffer like that. And when I say suffering, I mean "a shit-ton of clothes exposed because there are serious closet-space issues but I have so adorably decorated the ends of the racks with my scarves". On the day that this picture was taken it looked like a Good Will thrift store in the bedroom because I had to move everything out of the way for the painters. Usually the racks are hidden behind doors so it's not AS BAD.



Here are some things I've obtained..



I love this dark purple color. This is the direction my new lady-like lifestyle is going in. I'm trying to stop sitting indian style or on one leg in regular chairs but I'm having difficulty with that. I am doing better with nail polish and makeup except for the mornings where I remove the polish on my car ride to work. One day this week I didn't have enough on the single soaked cotton ball I so naively grabbed on the way out the door and had to spend the rest of the day with half painted nails.



This leopard tank is a copy of Julie's. It was on sale for $12.58 at Target and I was considerably lucky since the only one left was in my size. You have to be careful with this becuase it can be way low-cut in some sittings and expose your boobs like a mo-fo.



I went back after buying the leopard tank and loving it and got this gray one for $8.58 or something like that. I'm not even going to tell you where I took this picture but I think you know. I debated this flowy black sweater/cover-up that everyone is wearing these days, but I like it. I have to be careful with them so I don't look sloppy because I think that might be easy to do with these. This one was $10.99 at TJ Maxx.



These both came from TJ Maxx. They require some ironing and I'm not up for that right now so I'll show you better later.



This glittery tank and black sweater came from the Clearance rack at Target. (I've dug up my real camera so I can stop holding my iPhone up in the bathroom mirror.)

Other BS I've done is turn these sturdy Staples Copy Paper boxes into storage containers..





And of course Ebi is in my face wanting to participate in this little afternoon project. I am starting to think he is part deer because his legs are unusually long.



I will never entertain that idea again with cheap wrapping paper. It was hell.

At night time when I can't fall asleep right away I curl up in my bed and watch makeup videos. My favorite to watch are from Kandee The Makeup Artist. She is so nice and explains everything so well and you can clearly see what she is doing. You need to watch all her stuff and go play in your bathroom mirror like I do. She wears a TON of makeup sometimes, but it's fun to watch and learn from. Just YouTube Kandee Johnson and visit her blog.