New Workspace!

I went to IKEA this weekend to buy some new linens and on the way I saw a pretty little table that would fit perfectly in my office. It was cheap too (and at least decent quality).

Now, for the first time ever, I have a workspace JUST for ME. 

(I am ridiculously excited about this. No more sitting on the floor!)

 

Look and my cute little table!

I also screwed in some hooks to my shelves to hang up all my necklaces. It is SO nice to actually have a spot to keep them from getting tangled and such.

Now to get my painting stuff up and organized....

Makeup Creations

Click to Zoom

I feel a bit vain posting this, but anyone who knows me, knows that I love to play with makeup. So here is a little collection of some of the things I have done in the past. I know some of it is a bit freaky (family members please do not freak out at the neck one. It was hard to do and I do love special effects makeup).

Bubble Tea and Books, Friends and Fighters, Musicians and Memories

Home again, home again. Vacation was so amazing, a complete whirlwind.

My husband (Mike) and I flew into Vancouver at 7:20am on Saturday the 12th of June. It was gorgeous weather and after a short ride on the Sky Train and a short walk we were at our destination; Brad and Souk’s house, also known as our ‘hotel’ for the week. Since it was still early and we hadn’t had much to eat, we walked with Brad to a small diner on Fraser Street that has probably been around since the 1930s for some delicious breakfast the went back ‘home’ to catch up and visit.

I ended up getting my tickets for the UFC, the guy who I bought them from nicely brought them to the area of Vancouver I was staying in and from there Mike and I headed down to the fights. I won’t bore you with talk of the fights (although they were far from boring) and just say that it was an amazing time and I enjoyed myself immensely. It was a once in a lifetime chance for me and worth the price of the tickets.

The rest of the week was a blur of activities, Sunday was spent lounging in the sun, Monday exploring all of Vancouver and going out at night, Tuesday was for watching the World Cup down on Commercial Drive with all the Brazilian fans and Wednesday was for hanging out with old friends and catching up.

Thursday was the concert. I am actually going to go into a bit of detail here because it was an amazing experience. A lot of people don’t understand my fascination with Japanese music, and I respect that, but I just love the way the Japanese language sounds. Plus I love the guitar, and Miyavi, the musician I went to see, is a fantastic guitarist.

I spent the day of the concert standing in line. Crazy right? Normally I am not the type of person to do that, but I had several friends that were going and so I went down to visit with them more than anything. It was so good to just sit and laugh on the street, meet new people and get excited together.

(Photo by Mika Chow)

I met some really wonderful girls that I pray I will get to meet again one day and in the end all the waiting paid off because we were right pressed up against the stage for the entire show, rocking our little hearts out and enjoying ourselves to the max. Definitely an experience I will never forget.

Friday was our last full day and it was spent exploring some more, wandering down to Granville Island and seeing the Emily Carr Art Institution which I think I appreciated more than Mike did, but it was fun to see. Then it was off back ‘home’ for our last night in town which we celebrated with a big barbeque. Souk loves to cook and he made the most amazing meal. I felt like I was eating a gourmet dinner… while sitting on the floor eating it with chop sticks because there were not enough forks.

Our last day we went out for breakfast again with a bunch of people this time, then it was time to go pack. A very daunting task. I am still amazed that I managed to fit everything in my suitcases, especially since on the way home from breakfast we saw this great little second hand bookstore and couldn’t resist buying… well lets just say more than just a few books.

Thankfully one of the people we met down there offered to bring us to the airport, but only after taking us for bubble tea first (I’m not sure that's an experience I am willing to repeat again) and off we went, with a short stop down at the beach in Richmond first.

All in all it was an amazing vacation. Full of good times, good people, and fun.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So tomorrow morning, bright and early I am heading out of this city to go on vacation in Vancouver. I really do adore Vancouver, at least to visit, and I am super excited about the events going on while I am there.

On Thursday night I am attending a concert for a Japanese Visual-Kei artist by the name of Miyavi (pictured above). I've been a fan of his for a couple years and the chance to see him actually play live and in Canada is awesome. Especially since I didn't even pay for my ticket! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it down to Vancouver that week when I first found out he was playing, so a friend of mine promptly said, "Oh you are going, I bought you a ticket. Now show up or I am sending someone to kidnap you."

This Saturday however is UFC 115. At first I wasn't going to go, I was having a really hard time justifying the money it costs to attend. However, a buddy at work is trying to hook me up with a couple good tickets for a decent price and I am PRAYING they go through. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Martial Arts and the UFC and the chance to go would be amazing. But time is running out and I haven't heard from the guy today yet so I am rather nervous.

But I have been watching the Ultimate Fighter this year and I really want to see these two fight! Even if Rich Franklin just coached for the last few episodes. 

As for my Etsy shop, I am leaving it open, but I put up a notice saying that I won't be shipping anything until the 20th of June, after I return.

Have an awesome week, I know I will :)

-Sondake! (That's all!)

P.S. I have an awesome mother-in-law that sent me a package by bus the other day. I got it last night and its full of all sorts of beads and buttons and jewelry for me to make things out of. I am so excited! Too bad I wont have time to really look through it until I get back!

Ribbons and Lace

I thought I'd try something new.

I have never been all that great at sewing. I think the most impressive thing I've ever tackled on a sewing machine was a baby quilt I made for a friend back in high school. Nevertheless, I bought a second hand machine this past year with the plan on fixing a lot of clothes and refashioning more. 

Still, Fabricland was having a huge sale starting last Thursday and so when my sister called me up and asked if I wanted to accompany her I jumped at the chance (Which actually might have been more because I had a sick husband and as much as I love him he is a huge baby when he is sick). I meant to just buy beads since they were on sale too, but then I saw the lace. Lace, lace and more lace and I couldn't resist, especially not when it was on sale! 

I've always wanted to try making a collar of some sort, and I think lace is positively gorgeous, so yesterday I sat down and began to sew. All things considering, I am happy with the results. I did a test run first, checking to see what would look good, and after receiving positive feedback I sat down to make a proper one (one with straight, neat stitching and proper effort). My favorite part in the end though, is probably the brass buttons. I wish I knew where they were from (My mother in law sends me buttons in the mail!) since they look vintage but I am not sure. 

That's All! 

P.S. It's going to be a busy week packing and cleaning the house and finding someone to take the critter for the week after. Anyone feel like babysitting a terror of a ferret? Probably not. But soon its Vancouver and going to see Miyavi play live as well as visit with friends I haven't seen since September. I can barely wait.

 

Changing Dreams

Once upon a time there were two sisters (actually there are three but this story is only about two), completely different but sharing a dream of opening up a coffee/book shop together.

Of course, life rarely goes as planned and some dreams aren't meant to be. Instead, people change and new dreams, ones that suite you better, are born. 

In this story, one sister became a super-mom, several times over, while the other was content to be a wild child not quite ready to grow up. But through that, new hobbies were born. Hobbies that turned into businesses and suddenly they found themselves both owning their own little online shops and having tiny businesses that were far more satisfying than any coffee/book shop could be.

This is a little thanks to my sister, who started me off on selling my jewelery online on etsy. Or rather twisted my arm until I made an account and actually started to post things on it. She is also the one who gives me tips and hints on what I should be doing to further my shop, things like making a facebook page (look at my side bar! I have one now) and making a flickr account (still working on that). It's fun and exciting and a challenge. 

So thank-you sister :) 

It's almost like we opened a shop together.  

Only not really.