My Dear Darling Workspace Goodbye

I'm starting to pack things up around our apartment to get ready for our big move and realized I haven't shared an updated office photo since 2009! It's changed quite a bit since I first started My Dear Darling.  A lot more going on than before... but it's a good thing, right? ;) Okay, so it could've been a little more organized but this is what it looked like before I sent out Christmas gifts.

handmade mini wreath ornaments

I mentioned on Wednesday that I handmade all the Christmas gifts this year. I realized I made an oops! I forgot, we gave books to friends with children so I didn't make all the gifts! :p But back to the handmade gifts. I made these mini wreath ornaments and I think everyone loved it. It was a ton of fun making it so I'm looking forward to making gifts next year too!

The Snowman Penguin was personalized for a special client and he was hanging out, singing Frosty the Snowman to me before being wrapped up. ;)

original watercolor painting by irene

This is my most favorite thing I've EVER bought for myself. Seriously. I LOVE IT! If I could cuddle with it every night, I would. That's how much I love this painting. L. O. V. E. Dijya get that? Lol.

It's an original work by Irene of dimdi. I've been meaning to do a Shout Out to her but haven't gotten around, unfortunately. But eventually, I will because this penguin makes me smile every time I walk into my office. When I keep the office door open, I can see him smiling back at me when I walk by. I think I sound crazy but I have never felt so connected to a painting as I do with this penguin. Love. Really.

Irene, if you read this, you're an amazing artist! :) Thank you!

a view from Bruce's height ;)

Sulley from my favorite movie, Monsters Inc.

& a pretty thank you card from friends

I'm sad that I'll be leaving this place behind but I'm very excited to start over in our new home. I wonder where the penguin and Sulley will end up.

Goodbye, my first My Dear Darling workspace. You will be missed. <3

Holiday Recap

I can't believe Christmas is over already and we'll be celebrating the new year in just a few days! It's been a crazy busy month but I had tons of fun. December never disappoints. :) Here's a little peek into what our phamily's been up to:

December 17, 2011

• This year, I handmade all our Christmas gifts! :D (I'll share details once my sisters get theirs.)

• I dressed up as Jovi from Elf, my favorite movie, for our gingerbread house making party again.

• Each of my friends had their own place setting - gingerbread house kits, gourmet hot chocolate,  candy cane hearts, Christmas cards, and gifts!

• Our sweet and colorful town of gingerbread houses.

December 21, 2011

• Husband took me out on a date for my birthday.

• We had to order a Takeshi roll because it's Bruce's middle name. ;)

• Delicious Japanese flan at Sushi 69.

• He surprised me with a movie and a shopping spree. I bought a pair of bright pink pants!

December 25, 2011

• On Christmas morning, Bruce helped make pancakes.

• We used the Pancake Creator that my talented friend, Bryce, designed to make some Christmas pancakes.

• Bruce opened his first present - a toy mic - and didn't care to open the others.

• Bruce and Katsu opening presents together! So precious.

I hope your December has been filled with lots of joy! Let's end the year with lots of smiles! <3
Akiyo

Happy Holidays from My Dear Darling

Happy Holidays from our Phamily to yours

WHAT News: Moving Sale

We're moving!

Brandon, my husband, recently accepted a new job offer in Los Angeles so we'll be packing our bags and heading to Southern California. Our family will be moving in the beginning of January so we have lots to do! It sounds like a sudden announcement but we just decided a couple weeks ago and have yet to pick the exact move date. It'll be an exciting new year with a new place to call home. :)

I will be closing shop temporarily in 2012 until we get settled in and take care of licenses and such. (I'm thinking the shop will possibly closed until March.) So before we pack everything up, I thought you could help us lighten the load by offering a shop wide sale! 25% OFF ALL MY DEAR DARLING GIFTS that are available in the shop for the rest of the year! This offer is good while supplies last and not valid on purchases made before December 18th, 2011. Thank you so much for all your support!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at info@mydeardarling.com

Lots of Smiles,

Akiyo

Win A My Dear Darling Gift!

Enter the MY DEAR DARLING FAN FOOD CONTEST by THIS FRIDAY for YOUR CHANCE TO WIN one of these prizes! :)

GOOOOD LUCK!

My Dear Darling on Super Cute Kawaii!

A big thank you to Super Cute Kawaii for featuring My Dear Darling! :D

Fan Moments: Niko Spies Tiramisu

This Niko mug is enjoying his home with a fellow penguin lover and spies some delicious dessert and wine in the background! ;) Thank you, Misono and Juli for sending this photo!

Oh Christmas Tree

On the first day of December, we opened the first advent from our phamily advent calendar and decorated our tree. The first to go up was Bruce's handprint ornament. We were surprised at how big his hand had gotten in just one year! I'm so glad we made this keepsake! I'm tempted to do another this year but is that silly, doing it every year? :P

penguin ornament from bryce

muir woods leaf ornament

We had a couple new ornaments to hang this year. One was a very cute penguin for Bruce, which was a Christmas gift from my friend, Bryce. And speaking of Bryce, I saw a photo of her Christmas tree last year and absolutely loved the fact that each ornament of hers had a meaning behind it. Whether it was from a family trip or a gift, each one brought back special moments from the past. I'm guessing this is normal for most families but I hadn't heard of it before. Growing up, our Christmas tree had ornaments but only a handful were special handmade keepsakes which are still at my dad's house. So this year, I tried my best to remember to look for ornaments when we traveled to new places. Unfortunately, most of the time I either forgot or some places didn't have one that I liked... except when we visited Muir Woods! 

This leaf ornament contains an actual Cottonwood leaf! Pretty neat, huh? ;) And I like how it says where we bought it from to help me remember years and years later.

our top two-thirds of the tree was filled with ornaments

and the bottom third was bare

Bruce loved the plastic snowflakes, taking them off the tree and placing them back in between the branches so we knew better than to hang the glass ornaments where he was able to reach. ;) But look! The bottom half has our new tree skirt! I love the scallops, the quilted details, and how it matches our stockings. And guess who got lucky at Target the other day? I did! There was one stocking left so I grabbed it before other stocking shoppers got it. Woohoo! :D

christmas wouldn't be complete without Mickey and Minnie

and a few snowflakes

Have you decorated your tree? Do you have special ornaments that take you down memory lane?

Sneak Peek

can you guess what magical place this penguin is from?

Featured in Piccola Mag

My Dear Darling interviewed in the Business Showcase for Piccola Mag

When Heather of Piccola Mag asked if I wanted to be interviewed for their Business Showcase, I didn't hesitate to answer YES! with a huge smile on my face! :D Please click on over and check out the interview and show some love for Piccola Mag.

~ & ~

I was also flabbergasted when I saw that Emily of Emmarie Designs shared a photo of the original penguin face card she's had up on her inspiration board for quite some time! :D Ah-mazing!

Thank you, Piccola Mag and Emily! <3

Muir Woods National Monument

With Christmas quickly approaching, I thought I better share our first visit to Muir Woods National Monument which was during our Thanksgiving break! It was gorgeous. breathtaking. clean. Oh, so naturale. When I close my eyes, I can still see myself surrounded by the redwoods.

We've been trying to explore Marin and the Bay Area these past couple months since we really hadn't done so since we moved here over 3 years ago. Actually, we have no idea where to go or what to see or do until a friend recommends it or takes us or even invites us to a wedding! So it was great that my dad, who came to visit, asked if we could take him somewhere he could be surrounded by nature. Muir Woods was the perfect place. :)

my favorite boys in the world

bruce made a new friend, we called him "katsu" lol

I highly recommend visiting this place if you're visiting Marin County. I want to go again at different times of the year to see how much the scenery changes. Wouldn't that be interesting? :) It's such a nice change to be completely surrounded by trees and feeling like you're just a tiny spec on this big beautiful planet!

Have you been to Muir Woods? What do you think of it?

NEW Let It Snow Niko the Penguin Hoodie

Beat the winter chills with this darling warm hoodie adorned with a faux knitted image of Niko playing in the snow!

Click over to the shop now to order today!

OR if you're feeling a little creative, you can enter the My Dear Darling Fan Food Contest for your chance to win the Let It Snow Niko Hoodie! :D

2011 Phamily Advent Calendar

Today is a special day. It's December first! When Brandon comes home from work, we'll open the first envelope of our first phamily advent calendar. And since I remember what I wrote as the first activity, I'll whisper it to you: "We'll be decorating our tree!" :D I'm so excited as it was very hard for me not to hang up all the ornaments the day we put up the tree.

Last year, this wall was decorated with white snowflakes and now it holds our very first advent calendar.  I saw this on Pinterest and loved it. Although I've simplified the project from the original, I love how ours reminds me of Christmas with a fireplace in the house I grew up in.

Oh, did you notice I've got white quilted stockings? Remember I was looking for a white tree skirt? Well, on one of my many trips to Target, I found a pretty quilted white tree skirt and matching stockings. Perfect, right? But they only had one! So my sweet friend Erin swooped up 2 more at her Target and shipped it to me. (Thank you, Erin!) And now I'm just looking for one more! Let me know if you see it at a Target near you. Well actually, that will do me no good if I don't live near you so never mind. ;) Bummer that they don't have it online. And well, the search continues...

The advent polka dot envelopes and the cutest, tiniest clothespins were from Somerset Market. Tamara was helpful and my little items were packaged neatly and arrived quickly. I printed the activity cards with the numbers in my new favorite font, Didoni. :)

Did you set your advent calendar out? :) What does yours look like? I'll be sharing the rest of our Christmas decorations later, after we decorate the tree tonight! :)

p.s. Don't forget to enter the annual My Dear Darling Fan Food Contest!

Just Beat It, Beat It

penguin plush personalized with
Michael Jackson's "Beat It" jacket

just beat i~t, just beat i~t

Back in October, I shared a sneak peek of this MJ penguin. Did you guess right? It was so fun listening to MJ while working on this project. I'm actually listening to Beat It now as I write this post! We had fun while he was here but this little penguin danced his way home to New York. ;)