Holy Carp Batman!

I can't believe it's almost February (and in some places February already)! My how time flies... Anyway, working on February's calendar, which I hope will be cuter than ever and featuring lots of hearts. Also, I just wanted to share these goldfish with you; they're the newest version of the snack that smiles back... s'mores! Even though I've had better tasting s'more snacks, these are by far the cutest!

Fabric for sale! (Finally!)

Special announcement! Due to numerous customer requests (and also because I got my act together) my happy weather fabric is now available for sale on Spoonflower! Prices range from $18/yard of Quilting Weight Cotton to $32/yard of Upholstery Weight Twill (with bamboo cotton rayon, organic cotton interlock knit and linen-cotton canvas in between)!

Shop open :D

Wchschoooooo [sci-fi door opening sound effect] Taaa-daaa! Berrysprite is now open. It's going to take me a while to get everything in there, but I'll be updating the shop fairly often until Valentine's Day. I'm also trying to finish up some of the special yarn bears with needle felting, so stay tuned for those. I'm planning to have a new lion, a kappa, valentine's day bear pops, mochi, dim-sum, and more available too, I just haven't had a chance to photograph them yet. However, one of the things I'm most excited about is in there at this very moment... remember that picture of the huge yarn I had a bit earlier on my blog? Well I made a huge takochu out of it! These suckers (haha, quite literally, since its an octopus) are really big, (around 5" or 12 cm tall, 5" or 12 cm in diameter) and they dwarf my regular takochu... see photos for size comparison! My sister and a customer who requested a large takochu both independently coined the phrase "mondochu," hahaha! Because they're so huge, they will sell for $35 but that includes free shipping to anywhere in the world. We'll see how it goes; currently I only have orange and red but I have other yarn colors too, like black, pink, light blue and greens. I'll keep you updated!

Grand Re-Opening!

So a lot has happened since I got back from San Diego... First off, thanks for all the blog love guys! It makes me smile to know that you love my posts and stuff :D Also, the epic saga of my thesis has turned again; I've switched the chair of my committee (at the urging of my former chair I've switched to another Professor who just got back from Boston... My old chair does Pacific Island stuff and my new chair does Hawai`i stuff; since I do Hawai`i stuff my new chair will be way better!) So I've decided to open my shop again (at least for now, while I decide what else I have to do to finish my thesis). It will basically be open from January 23 and will feature lots of Valentine goodies and Chinese New Year goodies! So yay!

Huge yarn- wip

What will this huge yarn become, I wonder.... stay tuned!

I'm baaaack!

Well that was an experience; the AHA conference (American Historical Association) taught me many things. My actual presentation went well, and thanks for all the encouragement guys! One insight gained: Professional Historians drink... a lot. Maybe that's par-for-the-course for most academic disciplines/ professions? Anyway, I subsisted on bar food and alcohol for three days; I ate almost no vegetables and a whole lotta hamburgers and fries. (And even though I had so many hamburgers at bars etc, I had to stop at In-N-Out... so good!) By the time I came home on Monday morning, I realized that I really missed rice and had to have a donburi (Japanese rice bowl)!

San Diego was so much fun too, I wish I had more time to explore the city. As it was, I stayed in this really economical (but nice!) hostel/hotel/YMCA (yes, that is pretty much how they advertise themselves!) The hotel was called 500 West, and if you don't mind a simple room and sharing bathrooms, it was perfect! At around $50 bucks a night, minutes away from the Gaslamp and Little Italy districts, America Plaza Trolley Station and Horton Plaza Shopping Mall, the location was really great for the price.

500 West Hotel... A Hostel/Hotel/YMCA; right on Broadway!

The America Plaza Trolley Station... literally 1 minute walking distance from 500 West hotel! An all day pass was $5

Although I was mostly busy with conference stuff and networking, I did manage to escape on a trolley to seek out a JoAnn's and Michaels in Loma Point/ Loma Square. Yes, I am that much of a craft nerd (plus we don't have JoAnn's or Michael's in Hawai`i!) Unfortunately, neither place really had what I was looking for; I seem to remember them having much prettier fabric and expanded selections of yarn/ crochet supplies a few years back... maybe it's the recession.

Although JoAnn's and Michael's were a bust I did manage to sneak in a flea market; Kobey's Flea Market on Sport's Arena Boulevard. I found a couple little things; a vintage (Mexican?) hand-embroidered piece of fabric for $3, some quartz crystals for $1 and this cute little pin that I thought was vintage until I flipped it over after I bought it (for $2) and found that it was stamped "avon." Ha! It's still super cute and sweet though :D

You Stay Classy San Diego.

Have you guys seen Anchorman? I love that movie! I'll actually be in San Diego for the weekend to attend the American Historical Association Conference (I'm presenting a paper... 15 minutes of reading to scholars, huzzah!) It's going to be quick and dirty; fly in and fly out but I'm really nervous nonetheless. I'm still finishing up my paper! It's kinda exciting too; I've never been to San Diego before! I'll tell you guys about it when I get back!

Happy New Year! Calendar January 2010

Hiya people, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone's celebration was good; I popped a zillion fireworks (as is tradition here in Hawai`i). According to Chinese Zodiac, this year is the year of the tiger, raarr; more on that during Chinese New Year in February.

Here is the first calendar for 2010; thanks so much for responding to the informal poll I had guys, it was really helpful! Based on the results and with thesis obligations, calendars this year will be computer illustrated (I'm so glad many of you like them!). I'll try to make them a little more complex than they have been; there will also be a developing storyline, centered around two main characters: Oscar the Bear and Scout the Rabbit. Oscar has moved to a new town in Apple Valley, and he and Scout and all their friends have a blast exploring and finding things to do. So expect to see Oscar and Scout in every calendar, having lots of fun around town and through the seasons!


Here is January's calender's description:

"Oscar the little bear has just moved to a new town; he's lucky he's already made friends with Scout the pink bunny (she's quite fond of guava jelly) and Ollie the Tiger (he particularly enjoys sunshine). Since it's the start of a new year, the three friends thought they'd celebrate by playing with fireflies!"

To download calendar (with the best quality), view the picture as its original size, then save the picture to your computer. Then you can set the picture you've saved to your computer to your desktop background!