from my mom's garden

Last weekends, we visited my mom's house. She has a great collection of all kinds of seasonal flowers/trees in her garden and sun room. This one is called "Tsubaki" in Japanese, and one of her favorite tree.
The avator I used for this blog and my shop is called "Otome Tsubake" and again I took the photo from my mom's garden. This one is my favorite one of all! It'll bloom in a month from now on. Cannot wait!
I guess many of you already noticed that I LOVE pink flowers.
So I'm taking lots of flowers in pink.

Okay, girls.
Have a great weekends!!

Spring is almost here!

Yes, spring is around the corner in Japan. It's not that warm yet, but I feel it!! Cannot wait the beautiful blooming season of spring. The photos are both UME (Japanese plum). One is white/pink and the other is thick pink.
Since I was born in this month, my birthday tree is this UME. There's a Ume tree in the garden of my mom's house and the tree is almost as old as I am!! Dad and mom bought a nursery plant to celebrate my 1st birthday so many years ago. Now dad is gone to the heaven, and it's my first b-day without him around us. I miss him so much.

birthday treat

I had my 32nd birthday on Feb. 20. I couldn't take a day off as I had some meeting to discuss with my stupid boss. I'm so furious after this meeting. I'll talk about it later on. Anyway, I got treats from my gourmand sister.
The first one was a French champagne from Taillevent. As some of you may know, it's a 3-star restaurant in France and known as one of the great place to eat!! This champagne was so tastey. Oh, so good.

And she also gave me this chocolate cake from an exclusive confectionery in Kobe City. The taste was so rich, not too sweet but sophisticated.
Those yummy goodies made me so happy!!

Mail Day, again!

First, we got one big box from Grace, USA on late Thursday evening. I knew Grace had sent something for Jade, I saved it as it was as she was already sleeping. So she opened the box the next day!! Voila. She got such a big teddy bear!! She just loves it. Now she goes to her nursery with the teddy next to her child car seat!! Thanks so much, Grace.

And Friday, we got another parcel from Joyce.
Look at the nice packaging she did!

This time, she sent Jade a beautiful set of ABC cards. I've never seen anythink like this before. The card is really hard so a child cannot bend it easily, and it has beautiful picture on each alphabet. So nice!!

And this beautiful zippered pauch is for me. It's handmade by Joyce. She's taking sewing classes and it sounds so interesting and practical. Congrats for your beautiful work and thank you so much for beautiful pouch, Joyce!

Japanese Beauty - sweets

Look at these beautiful sweets! This is a flower of SAKURA , the famous cherry bloosom.

card and envelope

This is my first complete set!! I used Yuzen Washi Paper for the notecard. According to the Mountain Idea (http://www.themountainidea.com/productinfo/yuzen.htm),
"Yuzen paper is a type of Japanese Washi (rice) paper. The name comes from the method of dyeing, which is partially mechanized. Made from the strong fibers of certain shrubs, Yuzen Washi paper is very thin yet durable. It is commonly dyed in beautiful, vibrant colors for use in a variety of crafts including stationery, origami, gift boxes, and floral arrangements."

my first crochet project

This is my first crochet I've done ever since I was in elementary school!! I did it when I was staying at the hospital for a week for Jade's surgeries. I didn't want to get bored, so I brought in so many kinds of craft projects. And this is the one I devoted the most!!

Finally, Jade's Teddy has something to cover himself at night when he sleeps!

handmade gift from a friend

Look what I got in the mail box!! The package was from my friend in Japan. She lives in Yamaguchi Pref. (quite far from the place where I live). She enjoys patchwork and other crafts just like I do.

She has sent me the gifts as I'm having my birthday next Monday. I'm so happy with this surprise gift!

Happy Valentine's Day

A big kiss from Kamakura, Japan to all my friends all over the world!

Love and Peace...

photo: Jade at LEGO shop Tokyo

my first handmade card

This is the kit I got from Joyce. With the template of "the Cardmaking Kit", I made my first handmade card with tranceparent papers.
I'm so happy! I'll make more with Japanese "washi" paper to make it more original!

latest bags I created these days

These days, I'm in love with kimono-kinda fabric. I happened to find some nice fabrics at a local fabric store the other day and here're some creations I did with them.
This bunny one was so chic. I love the base color of gray. It's really a fantastic color even though it looks so simple dull color. And of course, those bunnies are so cute!
And this one is different kind. I just love the gorgeous print of flowers. I used a beautiful grosgrain ribbon as a trim of the bag. I love the design, too.

a card

I have a question, Joyce. Is this your handmade card? Really beautiful.


Now I'm so into card making. Since I enjoy Origami, this interest came naturally. The big box Joyce has sent me is a card making kit from Chronicle Books, San Francisco. So many goodies are inside and you can create your own cards and envelopes. Cannot wait to start it!

swap with Joyce, USA

Yesterday, I got a big envelope from Joyce, USA. We had a swap the other day and I got a package from her!
Look at this book! So beautiful. And what's more, the book is written by a Japanese!


Emily's Balloon by Komako Sakai
My daughter, Jade screamed "Ah, Kawaii"!! Yes, it is.
Guess what's inside?
I knew it was for Jade, so I let her opened it. She was so excited.
Voila! It's hand knitted hat for Jade with her favorite color, purple. Happy :D



Thanks a lot, Joyce.
We love every single item you seletected for us.
ARIGATO :D

a card from Natacha, France

Natacha from France sent Jade a beautiful card to wish recovery from the operations. Natacha is an artist and the card was hand written. Please check her blog to see her beautiful works!

view from our house - Mt. FUJI

Our house stand on the hill to enjoy the beautiful view. I took this beautiful sunset with Mt. FUJI on Sunday.
It's a bit small, but can you see it?

dinner made by my husband

Both my husband and I work full time in Central Tokyo, we take turn to cook at home. on weekdays, I'm the one who cooks after picking up our daughter around 19.00. My husband cooks over the weekends. Here're some shots of his "work" this past 2 weeks or so.
The first one is Korean Bibimpap. He often travels to South Korea on business, so he's in love with the food there! Every time he's there, he buys local spices.

The next one is his Valencia paella (Spanish rice) with shrimp, squid, chicken and other vegi. I've been telling him how I love Spanish food, so here it is! His first try turned out to be one of the best dinner he ever cooked before!!
Last weekends, he fixed this for us. Jade and I just returned home from the hospital and our friends were visiting us to see how Jade was. Everyone was like "Wow!!" when we were seated at the table to eat! Good job, eh?

tagged

I'm taagged by Jessica!
Okay, here is mine. :D

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Diplomat-to-be (2 yrs in France and Romania)
2. Administrative Assistant (4 yrs at a German firm in Tokyo)
3. PR/Marketing Asst MGR (3 yrs at the same German firm in Tokyo)
4. Online shops owner (since 2004)

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Gone with the Wind
2. Sound of Music
3. the Phantom of Opera (2004 version)
4. Roman Holidays

Four places you have lived:
1. Tokyo/Japan
2. Florida and Washington/USA
3. Paris/France
4. Bucharest/Romania
... and New Delhi/India, Singapore/Singapore, Vancouver/Canada and now in Kamakura/Japan

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Sorry but I don't watch TV at all...

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Greek islands
2. Mauritius
3. Portugal
4. Morocco

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Flickr
2. Hotmail
3. Friends blogs
4. online shops

Four of my favourite foods:
1. Rum Raison Ice Cream
2. New York Cheese Cake
3. Pasta al dene
4. Onigiri

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Brazil
2. Cuba
3. Easter Island
4. back to bed...

Bloggers I am tagging:
I'm not sure if the person(s) have done this yet or not...
1. Joyce
2. Sofia
3. Natacha
4. Mimie

Umm, done!!
Kinda fun. Hope you enjoyed, too!