Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Bear with me....



Sorry for the lack of posting but I have been having a hard time with posting and blogger lately. 

Once I fill up my Picasa allowance for pictures for this blog, I will have to pay for storage just to post pictures. Therefore, you might see some advertisement on this blog, which I don't want to do, but have to so that I can pay the monthly fee. :(

I will be doing some back posting as soon as I clear up some space on my picasa web slbums so that I can post pictures again.

Update:
Ok...so I've been denied by Adsense because "it does not meet our program criteria". Therefore, I cannot post ads onto my blog. Wow...they won't even say why. I guess it could be because I don't get enough traffic or don't review stuff but I feel like I just got rejected after a job interview. Sigh...I will have to find another source of revenue so that I can continue blogging....Any suggestions?

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Preview of some Handmade Xmas Gifts


I am sure most of you guys can guess what I was making but I'm still not telling. :) I will post all about these pretties as soon as I'm finished with all of them. :)

I hope you guys survived Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. It's time for all the Christmas Craziness now. :) Stay warm and safe!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Have a Happy Panda Thanksgiving!!

Hi All, sorry I haven't posted in a while. My life has been crazy busy. I will have to do some catch up posts. :) I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I am thankful for all of you in my life. :) Even though we've never met, we share a love of pandas, sparkilies, and crafting, for that, I'm very thankful!



I hope you all are having a happy day full of food, friends, family, and love. I ate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for brunch with my mom. We will have a Chinese dinner with family and friends. :p What can I say, that's California for you. :) Hugs!!


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Vote!


I hope you guys voted, I did! :)
Let your voice be heard, even if it's a whisper in a sea of screams.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Panda Halloween!!!




The first time I see a kid dressed as a Panda, she or he is getting all my candy! hehe

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Hope you guys had a safe and fun night!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Sea Themed Bridal Shower Prizes 3-5 - Little Whale Ami Keychains

These are the last few prizes that I made for my friend's bridal shower.
There is this game called Pass the Presents where someone reads a cute story with a lot of "right" and left"s. Everyone gets in a circle, and whenever they hear those words, they pass the prize left or right. The person reads it faster and faster and the 3 that ends with the prizes at the end of the story gets them. It's a fun ice breaker. hehe


The 3 little whales look so cute together but they will be going to separate homes.

They were all made with the same pattern: Whaleby Ex-astris1701
She didn't add a smile but I like smiles.
Yarn: Lily's Sugar'n Cream
Hook: 4.25mm
Safety Eyes: 9 mm

Let me introduce you to them individually. :)


Here is Big Ben. He is a foodie and loves trying new places. That's how he got so big (extra white row)! He is a little self conscious so wanted a profile shot. He asks that if you know of some absolutely yummy places to eat at, please leave a comment below. :)


This is Timmy, don't let that angelic smile fool you, he loves to get into lots of trouble. Right now, he's wrapping all the prizes in the same size box and wrapping paper. Don't worry, I caught him in time and added little notes on the bottom so I know which prizes are where. He plans to have a real good time at the party. I need to remember to keep an eye on him.


And lastly, is Shy Sally. She loves these guys but sometimes she just wants to curl up alone with a good book. So, if you have any good sci-fi or romance novels that you would recommend her reading, please comment below. :) She's almost gone through my whole library and kindle collection. :p

I promise to pass along all the suggestions. :) Have a good weekend everyone. I hope you guys aren't going crazy trying to finish all the Halloween crafts you have yet to do. :p I have to confess, I still haven't decorated yet. :p



Thursday, October 25, 2012

Sea Themed Bridal Shower Prize 2 - Starfish Ami

Here is another prize for the Bridal Shower guests to try and win. :p
I am having everyone send in a favorite family recipe. I'm making a cookbook/scrap book for the Bride to have. She is going to pick her favorite recipe and the winner will get this cute little starfish. :p 


I think he/she is a cutie but I don't know. Should I add a little bowtie maybe and make him a little boy? Or maybe add little wooden spoon. :p 



Yarn: Lily's Sugar'n Cream
Hook: 4.25 mm
Pattern: Small Starfish by Mausica's Magical Menagerie
Note: I slip stitched 7x down each side of the tentacles and 2 at the tips.  
Safety Eyes: 15mm


It's Friday! Have a good one!



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Surprise Halloween Package from Bunny

My beloved friend, Rachel sent me a surprise Halloween package a little early so I can enjoy it for the season. :) I decided to share all the goodies with you! :)


In the purple tissue paper, she put this cute mug with a zombie, this adorable black cat, and some panda earrings. The apple case held 2 cute Halloween tins full of candy! And lastly, the black spiderweb had some fixings so that I can have a yummy cup of hot coco (which I'm drinking right now :P) for those cold nights. :)

I can't wait to start decorating with all the cute items I've received over the years. Yes, I have not started decorating for Halloween. :p I've been so behind! 


In the cute Halloween shoebox, there were tons of amazing goodies. Safety noses and eyes for all my crafting. More candies, come smell good candles, lotions, and sanitizers, a cupcake kit, cute ribbons, note pad, and playing cards to add to my collection.

I love that she included the Hobbit. But now my dilemma is whether or not to read it before watching the movie or after. :p

I always love and cherish the cards she sends me. I have a bunch of boxes full. :)  

My own package to her is still not ready but I hope to have it done soon so stay tuned. Thanks again little bunny!! I love it all! :)

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sea Themed Bridal Shower Prize 1 - Dolphin

One of my closest friends is getting married and I'm a bridesmaid! I was so happy to help her with her wedding prep that I didn't realize all the stuff that comes with being a crafty bridesmaid. 

Her Bridal shower is coming in 2 weeks and I'm in charge of making all the favors and game prizes. Of course, I volunteered but that doesn't take away from the monumental task. I also have to make some of the crucial pieces to her outfit. (more posts to come :) )

Here is the first prize I made, a dolphin ami! I wanted to make a small one, about the size of a keychain. Even though I used the pattern for the smaller dolphin, it came it really big so I decided to just leave it as is. :) 

She doesn't have a name yet. I'm going to let the winner name her. :)
The game is an icebreaker where you introduce yourself and then have to remember everyone before you. The first person to remember everyone's name and adjective will get this cutie pie. :) A monumental task since there are about 25 guests. :p I doubt I am even going to try. hehe
Pattern: Daddy and Baby Dolphin from Sweet N' Cute Creations
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Hook:  I forgot :p Most likely 4.25mm
Finding: button eyes and my own hanger system (not pictured)
Made: around Sept. 25, 2012

I didn't change the pattern from what I remember. I just sewed the tail fins into the bottom opening instead of sewing the bottom close first. 

Good luck to those ladies! hehe And shh...it's a surprise. :p The only person who knows about my blog is the bride. hehe

”Tip

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Scotty Doggie Feltie

I have been backed up on my blog posts. :( Too much on my to do list. hehe This year's holiday season is overwhelming because I'm a bridesmaid too! :p You guys will see some of the stuff I made because of that role, hopefully. :p 

So, I'm taking a few minutes to show you guys this cute little Scotty Dog feltie keychain that I made for a friend who loves Scotties. :)


Pattern: Scotty Dog Softie by AllSorts

It's my first 3D feltie and I thought it would be harder than it was. I always psych myself out. But I like him! I think he came out really cute even without eyes. :p I added a keychain finding to it before I sent it out. :)

Have a nice cool fall weekend everyone!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Today, my family is celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a Chinese, lunar calendar holiday where we get together with family, eat a lot of yummy food, light lanterns and eat Chinese moon cake. It is also called the Moon Festival because it is on a full moon. 


Another story and symbol of this holiday for us is the Rabbit on the Moon, instead of the Man on the Moon. If you want to read that story just click on this link and this link actually has a picture that shows how we see a rabbit on the moon. :) It's a cute story about rewarding sacrifice. 


This year I sent a moon cake and a cute bunny pin to my friend, Rachel. She posted about it on her blog too. :) This pin was inspired by the Rabbit on the Moon story. :)



I used art I found online to cut out the rabbit for the pin.


I love the yellow orange color of this moon so, I took yellow felt and dusted it with my pink blush. :) It gave me a very nice color for the moon. :) I also used the blush to give the rabbit ears and cheek some color.

I also want to show you what a Chinese Moon cake looks like. :) If you check out my friend's blog, she shows a more traditional style of moon cake. The filling is normally red bean, green bean, or taro. And it can come with or without a preserved duck egg yoke inside. I had sent my friend a pineapple filled one because she likes pineapple cakes. :)


My moon cake is a Taiwanese style.


It is filled with green bean paste and dry shredded pork. It sounds weird but the salty sweet is very light and yummy! I really like it! And my mom says that this bakery makes it year round instead of just on holidays. Yea! :) 

Now, there are a lot of non-traditional moon cakes for the younger generation. Some even have Hello Kitty on it. :p I used to like red bean or lotus with an egg yoke but I think I've found a new favorite. :)

I hope you guys looked up at the beautiful full moon tonight! 
Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival! :)





Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pineapple Angel Food Cupcakes

I saw this really easy recipe for a Pineapple Angel Food Cake and had to try it for my friend's birthday. I ended up using the exact same ingredients as she did but I wanted to make mine into cupcakes.

This picture is from her blog.
Here are how mine came out.


I ate one hot, right out of the oven. The top was crunchy and sweet because of caramelization of the pineapple juices. It was ok, not too much pineapple flavor. So, I ate another one after they had cooled. It tasted a little better. But I wanted more flavor. Therefore, I had to eat a third one but with chocolate whipped frosting on it. hehe It was ok too.

After eating 3 of them, I have to be honest. I don't know if I like them. 

I did not read the side panel of the box or I would've known exactly how to cook them as cupcakes. Usually cupcake instructions are on the back along with the other instructions so I just thought that you shouldn't make them into cupcakes. Stupid me because I didn't cook them at the right temperature. I will have to try them again but cooking them at the right temperature and time according to the box instructions. What I did was cook them at 350 degrees and checked them after 15min. They were done but as soon as they left the oven, they deflated. :(


I tried 2 other cakes and now I know why they say don't spray the pan because Angel Food cake needs to climb to be nice and fluffy. As you can see, the one in the loaf pan with the parchment paper deflated horribly.

My mom likes it because she likes pineapple and she doesn't like anything too sweet. They are light too.

I might just stick to my pineapple whipcreme pie. :p But that's for another post. hehe

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Crocheting for a Cause

I whipped up all of these goodies for the Sept 29th Soldier's Angels Baby Shower for the Marine 1st Recon wives. I had a lot of fun trying out all these cute baby hat patterns but I think it's time for me to do something else. What else? I have no idea. I have some ami on my list and some jewelry. But that's my to do list so who knows when I will get to that. hehe Stay tuned. :)


1. Tricycle Diaper Cake
2. Dragon Baby Hat
3. Baby Bear Hat
4. Pink Baby Girl Hat
5. Shell Stitch Beanie
6. Baby Baseball Hat
7. Purple Flower and Grey Pacifier Pouch
8. Green Pacifier Pouch
9. Football Baby Earflap Hat
10. Baby Bunny Washcloth
11. American Flag Newborn Hat
12. Granny Stitch Preemie Hat

I have posted about each piece individually but I didn't want to link them here. You can find them all in the archives. :) Congrats to all the new moms!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Tricycle Diaper Cake

I've always wanted to make a diaper cake but at my first baby shower, her sister made one. It was cute but I was happy when I had an excuse to make one myself. :)


There are a lot of tutorials on the web on how to make one but these two seemed the easiest to understand and most complete: Diaper Motorcycle tutorial by Sweet Aprils and Tricycle Diaper Cake Tutorial from Maiden D'Shade. I looked for the Tricycle diaper cake tutorial when I was starting to put mine together but couldn't find it until after I was done. :p  So, I didn't put the front wheel between the two back wheels. I also couldn't get it to fit right so I just put the back 2 wheels together. :p hehe 

For next time, put a paper towel or toilet paper roll core in the center of the cake pan or use a plain bunt cake pan. It will make it easier to shape the diaper wheels. :)

Materials:

- Glad Press'n Seal Wrap (to cover the diapers to protect them from dust and dirt.) 
I wanted the mom to be able to use the diapers as long with everything else.

- Baby Bottle for the Head Light

- Diapers, size 1  for the wheels

- 2 bibs for the front bumper and seat

- 2 receiving blankets to tie it all together

- Teddy Bear as the rider

- String to help the receiving blankets hold everything together
- Ribbon to keep things together and as a decorative touch
- Toilet paper roll core to give the handle bars structure
- Double sided Tape to help hold it together

What I made:
- Angel Washcloth (Wrapped around the baby bottle)
-  Baby Hat in the baby bottle
- Baby Mittens for the handle bars

If you want to see how I wrapped it, keep scrolling below. :)

Panda's Tip of the Day:


I made a base for the diaper cake to sit on to give it more structure and stability instead of just wrapping it as is. I used double sided tape to make sure it didn't shift during transport. :)
Next, I wrapped everything with the cellophane wrap, added the shreds, and tied everything with ribbon. :)

I hope the lucky Marine wife and mom to be loves it and uses it. hehe

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Crochet Shell Stitch Beanie

I needed one last beanie to replace the one I put into the diaper cake and All About Ami posted about this cutie. So, I had to try it out. :)



Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Hook: 5 mm
Pattern: Shell Stitch Beanie by the Dainty Daisy
My Adjustments:
Round 1: Magic circle
Rnd 8-14: Instead of chain 3, I use the "fake double crochet"
Round 16: Crab stitch aka Reverse single crochet
Circumference: 5.5 inches
Height: 4.5 inches

Monday, September 17, 2012

Crochet Angel Washcloth

I am putting together something special for the Marine wives baby shower, but you will have to wait for another post. I've finished it but I will post about it on another day. :) Anywho, I needed a washcloth for it and found this really cute pattern for an angel washcloth. I think it's so sweet!



Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Hook: 4.25 mm
Findings: 20in diameter rubber hair tie
Pattern: Angel Dishcloth
Adjustment: Row 7 for me was 20 - 30 - 20, somehow I ended up with less total stitches
Time: About the amount of time to watch 3 episodes of Warehouse 13 with some distractions
Tip: Crochet over the ends of your yarn while you work or you will have lots of weaving at the end. I didn't have to do any weaving this time because any loose ends, I crochet over while doing the edging. ;)

Stay tuned for more cuteness! :)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Quick Crochet Flower Coaster

I've been drinking a lot of ice water lately to cool down. The only problem is that the condensation creates that water ring on whatever it touches. I don't want my wood to get damaged and I don't want my crafting supplies to get wet. Solution, crochet a coaster. :)



Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice
Hook: 6 mm
Pattern: Springtime Coasters by Whiskers & Wool
I did not chain 3 to move up to the next round. I did a fake double crochet. I will post the tutorial later. I really like this fake out because there's no seam which is nicer.


It works well and the best part is that it fits all sizes of mugs and cups. :)
If you want it really water proof though, I would glue a round piece of cork to the underside.

I hope you all had a very nice weekend!