Attack of the Craft!

As you may have guessed, I have just joined Attack of the Craft.  I am trying to get to know some crafty people whose stuff I like, since I don't know many in real life...  I am excited because I know it will help in promoting my Etsy shop, Heart Attack Couture.  I don't know how to make banners, or links, or do a lot of stuff that would make my biz a lot better, so maybe these people can help me.  Plus, they make really cute stuff!

For my logo I have finally come up with an idea and it looks something like this:

But I can't just steal this image from someone else, can I?  I didn't make it.  And how would I modify it to suit my needs?  I guess I will post about this when I find out the answer.

Nerd Glasses

I've been wanting some new frames for a while, so I bought some military issue "birth control" glasses, because I like them.  Well, I tried them on and I wasn't sure they were ME.  They definitely look good on Oscar, though:

Whoa, sorry for the blurification...
I'm kind of selling them for $25, but if they don't sell then I will wear them!

Final Exams

I completely abandoned my blog during the school semester :(  But tomorrow is the LAST DAY of final exams and I'll be able to craft and blog to my heart's content!  I can't wait to show you what I've been making:

• Christmas Dress
• Photo Album
• Christmas ornaments
• Removable pocket
• Craft apron
• Random jewelry
• Frankenstein t-shirts

I asked for a rotary cutter and mat for Christmas.  Also, one of those Fuji Film Instax cameras...I recently got back into scrapbooking after about a 5-year hiatus.

Diabetes?

Now, I've become comfortable with my weight, put the scale in the closet, and stopped counting calories obsessively.  But I still want to eat healthy and all that, so I do check the nutrition information on everything I eat; especially since I know I'm a sugar addict and diabetes runs in my family.  

However, we went grocery shopping yesterday and I was starving!  Everything looked so delicious!  Especially these...

Ashley...cannot...resist...

In a sugar-withdrawal induced stupor, I completely forgot to check the side of the box and devoured one as soon as we exited Trader Joe's.  Little did I know what a huge mistake I had made.

Later, my boyfriend told me the horrible truth: in just one of those cute little 5 oz ice cream sandwiches was 440 calories!  21 grams of fat!  And 42 grams of sugar!  (Well, at least I could make up for it by eating all the fruits and veggies we just bought, right?  Do some extra yoga?)

In comparison, a McDonald's double cheeseburger at 6 oz has 440 calories and 22 grams of fat.

A 12 oz Coca-Cola has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar.

A 15 oz milkshake from In-N-Out has 690 calories, 35 grams of fat, and 65 grams of sugar.  The worst by far.

And those are things that I have banished from my diet for obvious reasons. (Okay, okay--I eat them sometimes...)

Too bad.  Those ice cream cookies are BOMB.  I suggest you try one regardless!  It made my day.

Ghost World

After seeing this movie referenced in various blogs, I finally watched Ghost World.  I like to think of myself as "pop-culturally challenged."

All I can say is I wish I'd seen this movie 10 years ago when it came out!  I was 12 and felt like such a huge freak.  (Did everyone else feel like a freak at that age?)  I'm sure that it would've helped me and my misguided adolescent mind.  (At least I discovered Nirvana shortly thereafter.)

Even now it makes me feel cooler.  I AM Enid!  Well, I mean, we dress exactly alike--that's what I mean.  When I saw her, in all her nerdy and outlandish glory, I smiled to myself and said "YES!" to Oscar who was sitting next to me.  I'm serious about this--her general outfits are the same as mine:  nerdy glasses, clompy black shoes, knee-high socks, skirts, weird t-shirts, outrageous prints, bright lipstick.

Furthermore, I am IN LOVE with Thora Birch.

Gorgeous.

And now I'm also obsessed with that Indian song that plays at the beginning.  The choreography is effing amazing!

GET CHO KICKS

GET CHO KICKS by taylorsays on Etsy
She hand paints the underside of her shoes!  Why haven't we thought of this before?

She also does t-shirts...

...and paintings in the traditional sense.

It was really hard to pick only a few of her pieces.

BANK OF AMERICA: THE SHITTIEST BANK EVER. CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT BEFORE THEY SCREW YOU OVER.

Blogging

I am trying to become a better blogger, because I do realize that my posts are full of boring, useless crap.  To help with this, I am reading articles about blogging.

One article says I should write about my obsessions.  What am I obsessed with?

1. Goth culture
2. Lolitas and dolls
3. Japanese stuff
4. Books
5. The Cramps
6. Fashion/ DIY culture/ Sewing
7. Psychology
8. Aliens, ghosts, supernatural stuff
9. Six Feet Under, and death in general I guess

There's some things for me to think about! 

Too many random pics?

Creepy Dolls

Creepy dolls are all gothy and horror-film.  They remind me of the old dolls my gramma had in a glass case.  I always wonder why I like stuff like this...

 

Pixxxie Pie and Posie on Etsy has made some awesome doll head soap.  I want my bathroom to look like a haunted house.

Unfortunately for me, this shirt is already sold.  It's by Vintage Lucy's.  She has some other doll t-shirts, but those ones are cutesy not creepy.

This is not really a doll, it's a statue.  And if I wasn't worried about paying last month's rent I would add it to my collection of toys and knicknacks.  It's from The Lovelys' shop, which is full of cool junk that also reminds me of my gramma.

WHOA!  Doll accessories!  Winter Moon Jewelry

Andddddddddddd...... the BEST creepy doll seller on Etsy!  Creepy Dolls!!!!!

Job Search Update

This job search thing has become hardcore!  I'm about to graduate college, and I realized I need to find an actual career--not just some job that would make me hate my life.  Like all the other jobs I've had...  I've had to really take a hard look at myself and ask some serious questions.  What am I good at?  What do I like doing?  What do I feel drawn to?  Because it's not just "fashion" guys.  The answer has to be much more specific than that.

For years, there has been a personal battle in my head: fashion or psychology?  My two passions.  I love being creative and I love helping people.  I'm still looking for some way to combine the two, even though that sounds pretty unrealistic.  I'm the Queen of Unrealistic--after all, I live in Lalaland.

I've discovered some wonderful sites to help me in my job search.  If you're doing it right now too, forget Craigslist and Monster!  (I don't know, that may seem obvious to most people.  I can be a little slow.)  Career Infonet and O*Net Online have been incredible helps to me.  They list hundreds of careers, tell you what they are, what you do on the job, what kind of person would like the job, what education/training you need, how much you can make...tons of info.  If you live in California (my actual, physical location on this plane of existence), you can go to the CalJOBS website for job listings and help applying.

Right now I'm interested in becoming a social worker (among several other things), and I'm trying to figure out what job I can get with only a bachelor's in psychology.  Slim pickings, but I'm the kind of person who does what they want no matter what anyone says.  I'm trying to figure out how I can get an apprenticeship or something, and where to apply.  I should also look at becoming a costumer or personal stylist since I'm interested in that, too.

To be honest, I'm having second thoughts about the fashion school thing...  I already told everyone in the universe I was going to Fashion Careers College, but how do I know what the best choice is?  I guess I just have to trust God to lead me in the right direction, and I'll keep pursuing both paths until I have my answer. 

New Listing: Blouse for Pirate Girls

Buy it on Etsy!

My Favorite Foods

I love food.  That's why I keep getting fatter...

Sooooo basically anything with tons of sugar and/or fat in it.

J Brand Jeans Eve in Della style 23600

I just listed these cute jeans. Check them out. (I'm poor.)

They make your ass look awesome!  ;)




J Brand Jeans Eve in Della style 23600 high waist pinup - eBay (item 290454461144 end time Aug-13-10 23:58:09 PDT)

Screw eBay

I'm selling stuff on my blog.  Hopefully it works.

Here's an American Apparel skirt that I wore for half a day because it's waaaaay too small for me.  It's a size M/L (I know, their sizing is a joke.)  It looks even smaller on my mannequin though, because she's a skinny bitch and I had to pin it on her.  It fastens with Velcro on the side and is definitely short. Also it's pleated.  $20 including shipping.

GoFugYourself

Time for the newest installment of What's Ashley Doing at 5AM? Looking at pics of Chloe Sevigny. Duh.  She is fascinating.  After hours of fun and fucked up outfits, I Googled her and this beautiful picture came up.

Now, I'm not all into art and photography (I don't know shit about it; my sis does) but this is an arresting picture.  She looks like she's posing, but she also looks kind of shy and honest.  Her hair accidentally spills over her breasts, the lines of her hips are round, and her pubic hair makes her look womanly--otherwise the picture could be childlike and creepy.  It's too bad most people seem to disdain any and all pubic hair nowadays.  I'll definitely have to write more on that later...

PS: If you know about photography and art, you'll have to excuse me because I really don't know what the fuck I'm talking about and this photo just really struck me.

FUZZBOX "Love Is The Slug"

Random video love.  Just heard of this band and I thought it was awesome--especially this video!

Weather

The weather in San Diego lately has been killing me.  Chilly, especially at night.  Big, fat gray clouds in the sky all day--not just a marine layer of fogginess.  That cold, hard half-light that gives you migraines and makes you squint even though it's not sunny...  I mean, why do I pay ridiculously high rent?  This is supposed to be paradise! 

So I haven't really been inspired--well, I'm kind of overwhelmed in a way.  There's so many choices of projects that I'm intimidated and I don't know where to start!  It's like I feel so much anxiety starting on a new garment that I end up not doing any garments.  I've basically been sitting on my ass since I got back from Vegas a week and a half ago.  Vegas was so much fun that I feel like I'm having "withdrawals" now. 

I've just been reading a lot and I finally finished Brave New World, which was kind of a disappointment.  It seemed like the progressive, God-less, pleasure-based society won out in the end.  I suppose it's meant to be an admonishment.  Huxley was right--we are headed toward that kind of society.  People have forgotten about God and about helping others instead of just themselves.  People have become so focused on material things like money and still they feel empty because they have failed to pursue something meaningful.  I feel the emptiness.  That's how I got addicted to Vicodin and Xanax; I tried to drown out the emptiness with them just like the people of Brave New World used soma.  I'm still searching for purpose and meaning in life.

Urban Outfitters turned me down. LAME. So the job search continues... I'm looking to work in retail. Too bad I can't go back to Forever 21--I ditched my last day of work.

Is a hamster not entitled to the corms of his cheek?
http://ping.fm/rRFCb

ruffeoheartslilsnoty on Etsy

Ruffeoheartslilsnoty is a random seller I stumbled across on Etsy.  It's like stuff I would wear in my "nu-rave" phase.  Or like what MIA might wear to the grocery store.  Bright, comfy, sexy, cute.  Awesome.

Here's some of my faves:

It's pure amazingness!  Sharp construction, clashing colors, beautiful models...even the descriptions are entertaining.  They need to be famous and sell their shit on like Karmaloop or something.