Tuesday, August 25

Daiso Dejavu

Daiso DejaVu I was nostalgic when my friend Deidra took me to the Daiso 100 Yen Store in San Diego.  It was actually a real 100 Yen Store, the exact same ones they have in Japan.  Of course, it's owned by the same Japanese company Marukai, but I'm so happy that they kept the exact same look, especially inside the store.  


 

While I was there, I really felt I was back in Japan.  The workers are Japanese too and I was so glad to be able to speak Japanese even for just a bit.  The items they sell are the exact same ones they have in Japan.  The only difference is that the prices are almost doubled, which is not really a surprise because their items are already imported.



The location is actually a compound where they also have a Marukai Supermarket iand Home Store.  Going inside Maruka Supermarket was so great - seeing the Japanese food products that I love to use.


 



While I was there, I prayed so hard that we'll have a Daiso and a Marukai in Michigan.  That will be really awesome.
 
Click here to see the items I bought in Daiso San Diego.

Wednesday, August 19

Rose Bowl Arts and Crafts Show

Rose Bowl Arts and Crafts Show I was excited to see the Rose Bowl Arts and Crafts Show during my third visit in California.  This time, I didn't care for Disneyland, Universal Studios or any other amusement parks.  I want to see the arts and crafts side of California.


 

The Rose Bowl Arts and Crafts Show is organized by R.G. Cannng Attractions, and takes place every 2nd Sunday of the month at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena CA, in conjunction with the world famous Rose Bowl Flea Market and Market Place.  When we reached the place, I noticed that there are so many booths around the stadium, and I figured it would take hours to see everything.  So I decided to head straight to the arts and crafts section right away.  To be honest, I was pretty disappointed because there were not so many vendors showcasing their "real" craft.  I almost gave up until I saw a booth called Point Five Doll Dresses by Jennifer Ventura.  She makes really beautiful dresses for Barbie dolls.  Luckily, her companion has a Pullip doll with her so I was able to actually see how the dresses look on Pullips.  They are not perfect, but still works!  And I just had to buy one for each of my three Pullips.  Too bad Jennifer didn't have a website yet.  But I was encouraging her to make dresses for Pullip dolls.  I'm looking forward to seeing (and acquiring) more of her beautiful work.  Her booth totally made my trip to the Rose Bowl Arts and Crafts Show.  I can't wait to see these dresses on my Pullip dolls.
 
I also saw a vendor selling different kinds of beads and stones.  It was hard to resist but I did pretty good.  I only bought 4 items for a dollar each.
 
Next time I go to California, I'd like to go see this place again - with a lot of time in my pocket!
 
Please click here to see the dresses and the beads.
 

Tuesday, August 4

Stained Glass/Ceramics Studio: First Look (plus a New Card)



Stained Glass/Ceramics Studio: First Look (plus a New Card) Here are some photos of my stained glass/ceramic studio - still in the works.  We finished re-organizing the garage, but the final touches for my studio is all up to me.  Most probably I'll be able to work on that when I get back from California.  


 Can you tell which area is mine?


My Stained Glass and Ceramics Studio

Stained Glass Section


Ceramics Area


View from the right...


Stained Glass Organizer


Stained Glass Organizer (closer look)


Also, I was able to finish one card this afternoon.  This is a special order by a lady whose daughter just adopted a baby girl from China.  In fact, the baby just arrived here in the US last week or so.  It was a challenge to do this card because the theme is not very common.  But I put myself in my customer's shoes, and tried to think what I would say to my daughter for the very wonderful and courageous thing she did.  "Banana" is the first English word that Lulu learned, thus the banana on the card. 








I hope she likes it.


Monday, August 3

It's August!!!

I started this month in a busy slate.  I've been trying to finish and reorganize our garage for the past week to finally put up my stained glass/ceramics studio.  With DH's help, it's finally finished and all I have to do is the finishing touches.  I'll take photos of my new studio's current state tomorrow.  The thought of decorating and organizing my studio is exciting!  And of course, I can't wait to make stained glass projects again.  It's been over a year since my last one. Anyway, I want to share with you the images that I have colored last month.  I have a lot of images received from swaps and RAKs and the weekly farmer's market/craft show gave me an opportunity color some of them.  As for coloring mediums, I am very comfortable using Copic Markers and Primsacolor Color Pencils.  I think the colors are more vibrant with Prismacolor, and it's easier to blend.  But you will need a medium to blend the colors.  In my case, I like to use Gamsol.  You will also need blending stumps, and a good sharpener.  As for Copics,  I love the convenience, and you don't need any other tools to use them.  Here are two Magnolia images I colored, each with Copics and Prismacolor:


 Colored with Copic Markers


Colored with Prismacolor Color Pencils

You can see the other images I have colored here.

I still have yet to try coloring with Stampin Up Ink Pads and Blender Pens.  I have tried it once before with this card, and I would like to familiarize myself with this medium more.
Also, I'd like to share with you my creations for the month of July here.

By the way, have you guys tried uploading photos in Multiply lately?  I've just created 2 new albums, and I can't seem to change the photo captions since yesterday.  All I can do is rearrange the photos.  I can't even pick a cover photo for my album.  I hope Multiply fixes this problem soon.