WHAT News: Thank You

Hello! :) How was your weekend? I hope not scorching hot like ours was. We escaped the heat for a little while on Saturday by heading off to East Bay to meet a few Etsy Team members and meeting my friend afterward. It was nice meeting everyone for a brief moment and I'm so glad I got to catch up with my friend. Yesterday, we basically lazied around and I made dinner for Brandon and his friend. Nice relaxing weekend... but very hot.

I wanted to thank everyone who visited my official site last week! I loved all the comments and feedbacks. And my photo is finally up on the About page. You don't need to check that out though. ;)

I also wanted to thank everyone who shared their lovely childhood games in last week's episode of He Said She Said. :D I hope you find some interesting stories to share with us on this week's topics! And most importantly, thank you to the listeners!

What did YOU do this weekend?

Episode 4: Embarrassing Moments & The Fountainhead

Show Notes:

What was your latest embarrassing moment?
Do you play it off as if nothing happened or do you embrace the moment and laugh at yourself?
What do you do when you see others embarrass themselves?

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Did you ever have to compromise your beliefs?
How do you feel about art, nowadays, in a consumer world?
What's more important to you: creating something that is truly great or being praised by others to have fame and fortune?

Would you like to share your thoughts with us? Please comment below or email us at HeSaidSheSaid@MyDearDarling.com! :)

WHAT News: Official Website

It's FINALLY HERE!


I'm so proud to announce My Dear Darling's official site has finally launched! After throwing numerous tantrums and shedding many tears, I figured out how to work this baby and it's almost completely finished. I'll definitely update you when we launch the official shop but for now, you can enjoy all the other little links. :) So click away darlings!

*The About Page is missing the photo of me... which will be up by the end of this weekend. :)

Do tell me what you think! Please. ;)

Inspirations

This week, I found many inspirational links so here are just a FEW of my favorites. Enjoy!

Inspirational Type:
• I Love Type by Jessica Hische
• These are messy times on the Behance Network by John Becker
• We Make Words by Amy & Luci
• Very Very Beautiful: Letter via FFFound

Inspirational Packaging:
• Buzzy's by Aileen Barrameda
• Whittard of Chelsea by Acrobat

Inspirational Handmade:
• Petit Collage
• Jennifer Collier
• Fold
• Miniature Rhino

Inspirational Photography:
• Untitled

Inspirational Illustration:
• Flying Whales

Inspirational Recipes:
• Low Fat Banana Bread
• Double Cherry Semifreddo


Have a lovely weekend everyone. :)

What inspired you this week?

Shout Out - Dee & Lala

Lovely Letterpress Stationery



I came across Dee & Lala's booth during the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. Just after glancing at their collection, I knew right away that I was going to purchase a few letterpress cards from them. The designs are simple and sweet, you'll find any occasion to send someone a greeting card or two. I ended up buying three, two of which I didn't find in their online shop: one with a cute spotted dog and a bone and another with a bubble gum machine. :) It makes me smile every time I look at them. The third card is the umbrella sympathy card. I just love the simplicity, the pop of yellow and the warm message. Check out their shop and find other lovely items like wall prints and clocks!

Photos: Candy Jars, Gumdrops, Rabbit, Hamsters

Which one made you smile? :)

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Apple Pillow


Red Apple Pillow: Personalized <3 Macy

My very first personalized apple pillow order. :)

Fan Moments: Red Near the Plinth

I'm so excited to share this lovely story with you today! My best friend's boyfriend surprised her by planning a trip to the UK for their 5 year anniversary! Isn't that so sweet? Guys, you should take notes from him. ;) So within a week of finding out, they were off to see London among other various cities. I was so excited for her, a bit jealous to be honest so I asked if she could stuff me in her suitcase so I could go with her. Of course, that didn't happen. Shucks. Before she left, I had her promise me to drop by the plinth so I can get a glimpse of her in London while I sat at home in front of the computer in California.

For those of you who are not aware of the plinth, it's an awesome project by sculptor, Antony Gormely. He created an empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in London so people, like me and you (well, if you were able to get your butt over there), can participate in becoming a living monument in this artistic experiment: One & Other. Each hour, one participant gets to showcase whatever they please on the plinth platform and the entire act is streamed through live cam via SkyArts. It started on July 6th and continues on for 100 days, till October 14th. There's something new to watch every hour so see what's on now! It gets quite addicting when the plinther is doing interesting things.

So, my point of the story is, my best friend went to the plinth and took her mini penguin, Red!

Red in front of the plinth (shot by her camera)

I spotted my best friend on the live cam online!

She's holding up Red!

They changed the camera view so I was able to see her hold up Red.

My best friend, her boyfriend and friend leaving the plinth.

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw her on the screen. And she even got shots with Red in them! :D Thanks, B!

Episode 3: Childhood Games & Inglourious Basterds

Episode 3 (click to listen)

Show Notes:

What kind of games did you play when you were a kid?
What games do you like playing now?
How different do you think our kids' game experience will be?

Did you ever have to ignore something to stay focused on your goal?
Did you ever have a situation where you had to make a stand?
In today's economy, would you help others if your own family becomes financially unstable?

Please share your thoughts and feedback. :)

Inspirations - Si Scott

Illustrator


Everyday, I've been finding inspirational art and jaw dropping projects and posting them on my Twitter and a few on the Facebook Fan Page. If you haven't clicked on the links I've posted, you're definitely missing out on some lovely inspirations! I came across some awesome type posters, like this, and went back to check out one of my favorite illustrators: Si Scott. He has some of his newer works up and I couldn't believe how much I've missed out since the last time I visited his site (even though it's under construction). I drool over his beautiful works and wish I could buy every one of them to fill my entire house! All the swirls and type you see are created from pen and ink by hand. AMAZING. If this doesn't inspire you, then nothing else will.

Have a lovely weekend everyone. <3

What artists inspire you?

Shout Out - Annie's Sweatshop

For Pet Lovers by Annie



Katsu was in dire need of a new collar and leash. But not just any collar and leash... something durable that would actually last us quite a while. Although Katsu's a small Carin Terrier, he's super strong and his leashes don't last too long. So I went on a little Etsy hunt for a durable, handmade leash and found AnniesSweatshop. :) I loved the different variety of colors and patterns. I was about to get a cute red one but remembered the last time he had a red collar, everyone thought he was a girl. I decided to go with this gray and black houndstooth matching collar and leash. Annie was such a lovely seller and helpful with some decision making (size-wise). I'm absolutely happy with it and so is Katsu. The cute white button tops it all off. We've had it for a couple months now and the little rascal hasn't done any damage to it. Let's try to keep it that way. :)

photos: Dog Leash - Eco Friendly - Grey Houndstooth - Recycle and Save

My Dear Darling Personalization

Vampire Penguin Plush



Who's ready for Halloween? This little fellow is!

Vampire Penguin: Red collared shirt with a little black button, a removable black cape with red lining and vampire teeth!

What Halloween costume would you choose for your penguin plush?

Darling Moments

Sunday Dog Park


Mini Penguin came along to take Katsu out on a Sunday stroll to the park. While Brandon and Katsu were playing catch, I was taking photos of the Mini. :) It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies. Just perfect.

WHAT News: Shop & Podcast Announcements

First of all, how was your weekend? Brandon and I lazied around the house on Saturday and got some work done on Sunday. :) I was excited for Monday to roll around and share our second episode of He Said She Said. I hope you enjoy listening to it!

SHOP CHANGES
Temporarily, well... for the next few months, I'm booked with orders so the shop will have ready-made items available. All personalizations and made-to-order projects will be on hold. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. :) But I assure you, I will keep posting new ready-made items from time to time and personalization will not be gone forever.

PODCAST
Brandon is working really hard to figure out all the kinks on "broadcasting" our podcast. Please bear with us while some changes will be made to the feed. The podcast episodes themselves will be available via this blog for the time being. I just don't want you to keep having to subscribe, unsubscribe then subscribe to the latest ones. :X We've almost got it so hopefully by the next episode we'll have the "real deal". We'd LOVE to hear what you think so far. :)

Episode 2: Pet Peeves & District 9

Episode 2 (click to listen)

Show Notes:

What are your pet peeves in general?
What are your pet peeves toward your significant other?
What do you do to avoid getting annoyed?

District 9 Movie
Are we alone in the universe?
If the world ends, how long would we last?
If everyone told you I was a criminal and I told you I was innocent, who would you believe?

Subscribe to My Dear Darling: He Said She Said on iTunes. :D

WHAT News: Treasury West

Here's an Etsy Treasury West full of beautiful bright yellow items I made yesterday. Second one ever made. I hope you have a lovely weekend! :)

Shout Out - Everyday Fairytale

Enchanting Designs by Gwen



Gwen is a dear friend of mine from college and little did I know she was a talented designer. Her recent Etsy shop, EverydayFairytale, is full of lovely jewelry, clothing and tutus. I can personally say that her pieces reflect her beautiful personality. They are well thoughtout designs to the very detail and all magically unique. I absolutely love how she names her jewelry: Marianna, Nicolette, Angelique, all these wonderful names that I'd love to use for my daughter if I were to have one. But not just that. They make me imagine a fairytale princess that would be wearing her necklace while she dances with her prince charming. When you wear her products, you start your own very fairytale. She says in her profile, "Each piece is a story, your own piece of make-believe. Welcome to my world, where everyday IS a fairy tale!" and it's absolutely darling. Stop by her shop and see your world become a little more enchanted. Check out her blog here.

Photos: Gabriella Necklace, Priscilla Necklace

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush



I don't know what's going on with my blogger but I'm not able to upload any photos and this was the only way I could get around it. Fixed! I'll try to fix it as soon as possible but for the meantime, here are a couple photos of a personalized tiger penguin! :)

Made to order tiger penguins are now available in my shop.

Darling Moments

Hot Summer Days



It's been super hot this past week so we've been trying to chill out in the balcony. Our apartment is like an oven. After 3pm, it starts baking in here and we need to either get out and stay out or turn the ac on. Yesterday, we opted to save our electric bill and sat on our balcony bench. :) Here's Penguin sitting against his Apple Pillow and then looking for cats roaming around on the grass.

Darling Moments will be posted on Tuesdays. They'll all be photos of my plushies tagging along my adventures in everyday life. :)

Episode 1: Rice Balls & 500 Days of Summer

Today marks the very first episode of the My Dear Darling: He Said She Said Podcast! :D I'm very excited and quite nervous. You'll finally get to hear what I sound like. He Said She Said is a podcast where you'll get to know a little more about what goes on behind the scenes of the My Dear Darling shop owners. My husband and I will discuss random topics that are somehow relevant in our lives. Most episodes will be unrelated to the shop. In fact, we don't discuss the shop at all; He Said She Said is about us and what we think. A new episode with different topics will be released every Monday so stay tuned! Without further ado, here's episode 1:

Link to Episode 1

Show Notes:
*Any inappropriate words will be bleeped out by "Penguin!".

Rice Balls (Onigiri)

Anime

Japanese Curry Recipe (with photos)

Calories in Safeway Cheesecake

Marie Callender's Pie & Cheesecake Menu

500 Days of Summer Preview

Subscribe via iTunes

We'd love to hear feedback, questions and topics from you! :D Please comment below or shoot us an email to HeSaidSheSaid@MyDearDarling.com! Thank you for listening!

OFF Topic: MDD Blog Topics

I'm sitting here typing away, eating my egg salad sandwich and thinking we need to do something about this blog. I've been going back and forth with different posts every week trying to find the right mix of topics. This week was all about poor planning: we got Monday and Wednesday in with personalization photos and nothing more. :P I have a very rough schedule of posts planned out but sometimes I get carried away in excitement with Fan Moment photos or other rants that I go ahead and post which jumbles up my schedule. So I wanted to ask, which topics are your favorite to read? :) Any suggestions on what you'd like to see more? I'd love to hear your opinions.

Have a lovely weekend!

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Tiger Pillow

It was only fair that I shared the personalization of the tiger pillow too. :D


Biscotti: Tiger pillow with a heart.

Note: My sister and her boyfriend are both baking & pastry students at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. So the "Biscotti" refers to his favorite pastry. :)

WHAT News: Sneak Peak

Tiger Face Pillow COMING SOON


Hello, hello! :) This tiger pillow was created a couple months back when my little sister came to visit. She wanted a tiger pillow for her boyfriend who was coming to visit from New York. Now that he's here in California and she's given him his special present, I can share this little fellow with you.

After creating a tiger design she liked, I showed her how to use the sewing machine. So this sneak peak was brought to you by my sister, who did most of the sewing job. I was quite impressed with her skills. It must've been the determination to make the best to impress for her boyfriend.

The tiger pillow will be for sale in My Dear Darling's Etsy shop at the end of this month! :D Tiger lovers, are you ready?

My Dear Darling Personalization

Personalized Penguin Plush

Hello. :) Did you have a lovely weekend? My husband bought us both an iPhone Saturday and we haven't been able to put it down ever since. I honestly didn't think I'd care for it until I downloaded the Sally Spa game and I think I finished half the game within 24 hours of buying it. Uh oh! Not to worry. I won't be playing games throughout the week because I've got lots to do. :)




Manny: Maneki Neko penguin to bring good fortune.

Ms. S was such a lovely client to work with. Throughout our conversations, she would share creative ideas with me including her own personalized penguin idea: a Maneki Neko penguin! For those of you who are not familiar with a Maneki Neko, they are cat sculptures, originating from Japan, welcoming fortune to the owner. She was so excited that she had already named him Manny before recieving him. :D

Thank you, Ms. S for all your wonderful ideas. I hope he brings good fortune to you and your family!

Mini Penguin Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...


FOKXXY said "I would love to win this for my son who loved the "happy feet" movie and has been a penguin fan ever since."

Thank you so much for everyone who has participated! :D If you'd like to purchase a Mini Penguin, stop by here and choose your favorite color. There will be more colors coming soon!