Nippon Adventure II

The nicest thing about joining a tour is that you don't need to worry about planning anything at all. All you need to do is just ride along and enjoy the journey. And that's what we did. =) Seafood is one of the most famous specialty of Hokkaido and it's everywhere.
The small crabs at the bottom (photo above) are like the size of the ones we usually see in here. These extra-large legs (photo below) are way longer than my arms.Even the dried squid and octopus are gigantic.Besides seafood, there are a few things they're famous for, like milk, corn, potato and melon. Their melon is like our cantaloupe but bigger, sweeter and look nicer.
Happy Friday!

New items of the week

I've added a little twist on the ruffle shirt. Please welcome little strawberry and little mustard. =)

Happy Thursday!

Katie's Little Adventure

Katie seemed to enjoy the trip quite a lot. She was very curious about all these new places and met some new friends. This is a little big cuddly bear from Otaru.more photos on flickr and will post more =)

Happy Wednesday!

Nippon Adventure I

Time flies, it feels like we've been gone for a month. So we're finally back and mostly recovered from the adjustment of time difference. Overall, we had a wonderful time exploring a tiny part of the Northern Japan this time. We ate a lot of seafood, saw the fall colour on the mountains and dipped our feet into a few onsens (hot springs). My favourite little shop was the Otaru Natural Crafts in Otaru, a little town by sea in Hokkaido. It has a lot wood and glass crafts.

Extra large version of the little wooden figures.Little parts for decorating your own treasure box.One of my favourite things in the whole trip. A lovely postcard by Takata Noriko.Tiny little milk bottles, less than half an inch tall, and wood tray made with clay.Little glass coffee table and a tiny slice of strawberry cake.More Nippon adventure to come.
Happy Wednesday!

Ruffle Shirt Tips

I felt in love with the little ruffle shirt since the first sample was completed. It is so elegant and romantic. There are a few things I would like to share on wearing and taking care of this lovely little creation.
The cuffs are little tighter than other shirt because of the thickness of the ruffle. When you put it on your girl, put it on 3/4 way and gently push the cuffs up the wrist(mainly to get the thumb through). It will make it much easier than pulling it from the shoulder, and most likely it doesn't work that way with this little thing (because I tried it)!After that, you can gently pull the shirt up to 80 to 90%. Then, swing the girl's arm back and forth, around 30 degree angle, the shirt should be sliding up in place at the shoulder.Gently press the collar with fingers when the shirt is wet. This way it will keep the collar kind of floating in between when dry. You can also use iron to press it all the way down.Fraying is unavoidable because of the raw edge but it is also the beauty of it. To keep it from fraying, most important is to be gentle with the edges. Also, you can apply fray check to the edges, which can be easily found in sewing isle in craft stores. The only thing is it smells a bit strong which I'm allergic to (most chemical smell). So just keep that in mind.Other than these little things, enjoy the little ruffle shirt!

Happy Friday!

Fast Food

We eat fast food quite a bit here and there. Not only for the convenience, nowadays there are so many great choices which actually taste good. Chipotle is the one we consume most. Their burrito is huge. But still I always ask for extra salsa and cheese to make even gigantic! It may sound silly but I like watching the staff wrapping the burrito because they need some good skills to wrap that gigantic thing together. Chicken is my favourite because of its grill flavour.In and Out Burgers is another great place. It is not a place to look for a big patty of meat. It's a place more about the freshness and quality which the lettuce in the burger is always crunchy and you don't need to try your luck between getting fresh fries or dark fries.

I don't even remember since when pizza has also became one of the most ordered fast food. We used to order Pizza Hut but pan pizza has became too rich for us. Their hand tossed crust is not bad. Red Brick Pizza is our usual choice nowadays. Their crust is light and sauce is not too heavy.A local deli is also a terrific option. Finding a good one is the fun part. There're always some specialities to try and sometimes a little story behind the little place. Somehow, it always feels cozy in a nice deli even they have the simpliest setting. Also, it feels good not being rushed so we can sit back, enjoy the delicious food and talk.

Happy Thursday!

Event Report

Our Feed the Hungry has finally come to an end. Thank you so much for your generous help. Together, we've raised a total of $45.8. We've rounded up the total to $50 and donated to Feeding America. With Macy's matching donation, it will be enough to feed 700 meals to those in need. Consider this is our first little big heart event, it was not bad. =)

I'm very grateful for all your support. Once again, from myself and on behalf on those to be benefited, thank you very much.
Happy Wednesday!

Halloween Photo Shoot

It has been a while since we started to plan a Halloween photo shoot for Puchi. The theme has been changing from witchy, to autumn and finally to gothic. There were a lot of fun in preparation because we needed to hunt for different props from quite a few swap meets, craft stores, and of course the Halloween stores. And for lighting, we decided to use the simple best natural daylight. It turned out the photoshoot morning was a bit foggy which was perfect.

Puchi was patiently waiting when we were setting up.I wasn't the photographer this time. My duty was keeping Puchi in position which means I need to run back and forth, go up and down behind the camera, and make sure she gets her share of pay, treats. I was lucky to take a decent shot in between.

Happy Sunday!

Halloween Fun

I love shopping in the Halloween isle because there are so much creepy funky little things. Isn't this the perfect time for the Skelanimals to show off? These plushy candy buckets are so adorable. I can see them around the house even after Halloween.
These little candy boxes are creepily cute.
The hologram tissue box is awesome.The pumkin Domo kun didn't photograph so well, which turns out more like a carrot. =PI've never thought of the squareness of Sponge Bob is perfect for a Frankenstein face.

Happy Sunday!

Hooray!

October is finally here! It means autumn has arrived (even though it is still warm here) and most importantly, Halloween is around the corner! I've waited to share with you the Martha Stewart Halloween Magazine. It includes pages of crafty demos and foodie recipes, everything in a Halloween way. It will make a great help if you're planning for a Halloween party. =)

Photos from Martha Stewart Halloween

Happy Thursday!

Feed the Hungry Phase II

* Thank you so much for all of your support. You can read the event report here. *

I'm happy to announce that Feed the Hungry is coming to b playland! It is the phase II of the event. Same as the first part, we will be donating 50% of the sale to Feeding America when you make a purchase at our little shop this week. And there's a store wide 10% off sale. For more info, please read here.

Happy Giving!

Dogs and Cats

A couple days ago, we saw a beautiful white doggie in the middle of the road by itself when we were out for a walk. As usual, Puchi was waving her tail welcoming the doggie. But it was too busy circling around. We asked the people around and no owner was found. There was no collar also. With only one eye, it kept walking back and forth the roadway and seemed lost. It was such a depressing scene. Before we could figure out what to do, luckily, there was a very kind young man drove by and called the patrol and took care of the situation. I hope it will end up in a good home.

It was a bit heavy, eh? Here's a lovely snap shot from Cat-titudes to Live By by Rachael Hale to brighten up your day!A cute little Cat Companion Journal from Chronicle Books.
Happy Tuesday!

Preview of the week

I've been longing to post some new creation for past two weeks as I was busy working on my artwork and some new patterns. And finally, things are kind of slowing down a little bit and I can start working on the little sewing again, which I love to. =)

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of flannel in regular doll sewing. But I wandered back and forth in the fabric store and couldn't resist and got this lovely rainy day fabric. I'm so glad that it turned out sweet. The little waist belt is crafted of gorgeous Swiss made velvet ribbon.
Happy Tuesday!

Getting Ready

Autumn is around the corner, so I've been working on some new designs this week. This chubby one piece is waiting to be finalized with some colour and pattern.

Happy Friday!

A Generous Heart

You will find this little chubby one at the main hall of Little Spectacular every Saturday generously handing out yummy homemade cupcakes to raise charity fund for those in need.

Generous Cupcake
Happy Friday!

When I was small

I used to watch Mr. Men and Little Miss. Those little characters always brought me smile. They don't seem to be around that much these days. I was delighted to see the lovely collection at Compass Books. When I was flipping through the little pictures and simple story, it felt like I was back in time.
Two of my favourite characters, Mr. Bump and Mr. Messy.

Happy Thursday!

Treasures from the Old Days

Wandering in an antique shop is always on the top of my list of favourite things to do. This lovely kitchen set is so uniquely adorable.
This cute little one is so 70's. I love her chubbiness and her hair cut. I wonder if it was original.

Happy Tuesday!

To the Great Hearts

Inspired by the Come Together of Macy's, the little mushroom is proudly present the first Little Big Heart event, feed the hungry. We need a lot of great hearts like you to help us spread the word. The goal of Come Together is to feed 10 millions meals to those in need through Feeding America. Macy's is taking part by making a matching donation for each dollar we give. For each dollar, it will be helping to feed seven meals.

From now to next Tuesday, when you make a purchase at our little shop, we will donate 50% of the sale to Come Together. Also, we're having a big sale for this special event including new prints and dolls.
Please check out the Macy's website for more info on the Come Together event.

Happy Giving! =)

Adorable Cakelets

So, as I mentioned earlier, I've got the lovely acorn cakelet pan. It's time for it to shine today. I used half bag of the Blueberry Quickbread Mix, approximately 1 and 1/2 cup.I poured 1 tablespoon of mixture into each mode carefully but greedily, means probably wasn't exactly 1 tablespoon. So it came out peaked quite a bit.They were so lovely and I was speechless. I think I'm going to put my regular muffin pans away for a while, a long long while.The preparation of my little project is coming into final stage. Hopefully, I will be ready to share it by tomorrow. =)

Happy Monday!

The Little Twins

Meet the twin violinists from the Little Spectacular. Growing up from a musicians family, they are playing one of the famous melody written by their dear old man.

Twin Violinists

I've been busy working on a little secret project. Please make sure to check back for the very special event!
Have a great weekend! =)