Gintama

Gintama...I love this anime! While it took a while for it to get good (say... 10 episodes?) I now really can't live without the jokes, the voice work and the artistry of this anime; its soooo funny! A big part of the comedy comes from the fact that Gintama is an anime that makes fun of the genre of anime. Basically it's about a washed-up samurai, hypoglycemic hero (Gintoki Sakata) who makes a living doing odd-jobs in a post Amanto alien-takeover Edo (Tokyo). Gin-san picks up a young apprentice named Shinpachi, after Gin saves Shinpachi's sister. Gin and Shinpachi are joined by Kagura, a freakishly strong alien girl who looks up to Gin as well. The series follows their jobs and interactions with former friends and enemies during a time when being a samurai is illegal... but still a source of pride for most humans. Gintama isn't exactly for kids (for example, there's a ninja with hemmorhoids, a couple of butt-afro jokes, and a recurring neo-armstrong cannon... you'll get it if you watch!) but it's just right for people with an odd sense of humor!

Walmart Fabrics

We have this saying here in the Islands... "Lucky you live Hawai`i!" Anyway that is exactly how I felt when I visited Walmart and found these great Japanese fabrics (Kokka brand!)... We're so influenced by Japanese culture here that these lovely fabrics have made a lasting impression on Walmart, and they've been carrying a very limited selection of kawaii Japanese Fabrics for a few months now. (I know, I know, Walmart is a semi-evil corporation, but I can't help myself... they're so cheap!) This was the first time I've seen these specific fabrics anywhere in Hawai`i, and I've been coveting that pink one for a long time! Just in case any of my fellow Hawai`i peeps are interested, I got these from the Ke`eaumoku Walmart; I'm not sure if the others have them.

Giveaway results!

Thanks everyone for making my etsyanniversary sale such a success; it was so much fun! And it's finally November 9th... I bet you all were waiting for me to announce the winner of the peach giveaway (haha, patience is a virtue my friends!). Well not to worry, I busted out my little robot and crunched some data. Without further ado, here is our grand prize winner, the lucky new mama of Mr. Peach:


Yay Ms. TyphoidAshley! You are now the lucky new owner of this coveted peach... may you treasure him always!

Aaaaand our second place winner (of a chicken pom!) is.........
Ms. Alyssa-Marie. Yayyyyy for chickens!

If you girls could please send me your contact info (to berrysprite@yahoo.com) so I can ship your winnings out ASAP. Congrats again, and thanks everyone for entering and celebrating my etsyanniversary with me!

Domokun at 7-11

Domokun is a monster who hatched from an egg; his favorite food is meat and potato stew and he hates apples! Domokun is a Japanese character who's gained popularity throughout the world in recent years... did you miss him at Target last Halloween and Easter? For those of you who did, he's now at 7-11 (betcha didn't know 7-11 is a Japanese company!), which will be running their Domokun promotion at participating stores until November 15th. For some reason though, I don't think any of the 7-11 stores in Hawai`i have this promotion... and we're usually such a mecca for all things Japanese! So make sure you pop on by your local 7-11 and enjoy the Domo-ness for me! For those of you like me who are Domo deprived, here is a link to a free paper craft; just print, cut and fold (some taping/gluing may be involved) and you can make your own domo at cubeecraft!

Shop preview Nov. 1- Nov. 8

Berrysprite Reopening and a Giveaway; Nov. 1-8

Berrysprite is now open, from November 1st to November 8th! Thanks for being so patient everyone; even though preparing for this sale has reminded me why I need to close my shop when I'm working on my thesis, it was so much fun getting back into the groove of etsying! During the sale week new items will trickle in slowly, mostly at the beginning of the week (if you see something a bit later in the week but you already bought something, don't worry; I'll combine shipping!) If you visit my shop this week you'll notice all of the new items are photographed on a plain white background... don't worry! Its not permanent, its just for this sale... I actually had a lot of stuff to photograph and it really saved me lots of time to not change backgrounds. What's more, I'll also have a clearance section... stay tuned for some really great deals on some of my prototype amigurumi!


To further celebrate my etsyanniversary, I'm also doing a giveaway... you can win this little peach keychain! Isn't he adorable? To enter just leave a comment on this post; the winner will be announced on November 9th. Huzzahs all around!


PS.... there's a new November calendar available; I'll blog about it later!