Hello 2011

It's been a while since my last update. Chinese New Year is around the corner, guess this is good time to count the blessing from last year.

2010 is the year of change:

1. We moved to our first home, and we finally have our own bed.

2. I started to work at home as full time job.

3. Then I opened another ETSY shop using my brand name "PapaDesign". papadesign.etsy.com

4. Moved my Papawaii shop from eCrater to the new domain name : papawaii.com .

5. Bought a die cut machine and started to sell die cuts.

6. Bought a 1" button machine and started to sell buttons.

7. Joined 2 local Craft Shows.

8. Started to sell crafting supplies: canndypan.etsy.com

and from all the changes, I had a better productive year then 2009. I learned a lot throughout the year and now I know what I want to do in my shop then before.

For the year of 2011, I hope I will be able to join more craft shows, make more designs, and focus more on my all shops. Hope everything will turn out alright this year.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Onigiri - Rice Ball

I was in Taxes last week to visit my sister-in-law's graduation. My goodness, the weather, just way to HOT!! Especially for the people from San Diego!! But it was nice to be with family. We also spend some time back in San Diego. We went to SeaWorld and I made some rice balls using the rice ball maker I bought from a Japan Market a long time ago.

It's really easy to make, just have the rice into the bigger container and push the smaller cover together. When it done, just pop the rice ball out.

For making delicious rice ball is very easy. I bought the rice seasoning from a Korean Market. You can buy it in any Asian Market. There are so many different favors to choose. I used Wasabi seasoning this time. First, Mix the freshly cooked rice and rice seasoning together. Taking some mixed rice into the rice ball maker to fill just half the container.

I also put some dried fish floss inside. Then I put more rice in to fill the whole container.

It's Done!!

My new store - Papawaii.com

I finally start my own online store in own domain name.
PapaWaii was in eCreater.com before, but I never really like the layout.
I only can use the template they provide, which is the one and only, and only five categories will be shown on the front page. But it's free. It's a good way for me to try out. Although the business is not that good over there, I still glad I found eCrater.
I was busy moving all the items to my new online shop, papawaii.com. Now I think it's ok to show all of you. My idea for this shop is to combine all my handmade and my loves of cute items in this shop. I will eventually add all the handmade items I have in this new shop. I feel really excited about this. :) From now until 9/1, every order not including shipping with $10 or over will get something extra. Those extra including erasers, phone straps, pencil, memo pad, key chain, pinback button...etc.
I also change the blog layout, so it's easier to link to my PapaWaii and PapaDesign shops.
Anyway, Thanks for visiting here, and please please come to check out my new shop and give me any suggestion you may have.

My first conco

I was busy organized my new home for the past two weeks.
Here are some pictures~

Our Living Room

Our Living Room Decoration Close up
Not very clearly, on the right, there is a bird house with a green bird.

Our Dinning Room

Close up
I am thinking to put this die cut onto my shop. How do you think?

My Office

All my craft supplies.

My Craft Robo!!

I finally purchase Craft Robo, the Die-cut machine. It's not cheap, but I believe it will help me a lot on my handmade stickers. I hope...... cause I am still trying fighting with it now.... -_-|||

Cloudy Monsters

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

I just got back from Taiwan, it was raining whole week over there. I wanted to take some cute pictures, but most of stores closed during this holiday week. -_-||| But it's nice to see relatives in this special holiday season. And I finally learned how to play MahJong!!

Here are some Cloudy Monsters I made when I was in Vegas last month. All in different colors and facial expression. I will put them in my shop soon. Hope you all like those.

I am in Vegas now to help my friends with new born baby. It's been raining hard for almost a week already. I made several sock dolls here, but can't take pictures due to the weather. I hope the sun will come out soon so I can share all those dolls with you. :)
And thanks to Swap-bot, I had the chance to see many people's blogs. Thanks for people who come to my blog and leave some cool comments. Thanks!!
Between, why baby cried so much.....

My new storage

I use some pre-made wooden boxes from Daiso Japan to make this storage for my products.
The two chickens on the top are garden decoration also from Daiso Japan. All those materials to make this storage is not even close to $10. And the outcome seems really nice on my table. :)

And I also make this one for my other paper.

My 1st Anniversary and Birthday

Happy 1st Anniversary and Birthday to me!!

We had lunch in Apple Bee on Sunday. Not that expensive, but we enjoy our time there.

And I had my 2 slices of cakes from 85 Degree Bakery in Irvine.

My favorite evening activity lately is playing Settler online!!
This board game is one of our favorite in my family.
Most of you know we start our board game fervor few years ago by playing Monopoly with my cousins. The first board game we played for almost every week back then is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". I had that game for almost 4 years before we started our game activities on weekends.
After moving down to SD, we only play board game when we went to Vegas to visit my friends. So when I found Settler game online, I can't stop but play almost every other days.
Settlers of Catan online is new to me somehow, with all different maps, interface and combination with all three expansion. Someone called me idiot and bored to play with in my first game there. That remind me a lot of playing Dota in battlenet.
Here is the 2nd game I played tonight. This is the best score I ever got!!
So I have to show off a little bit. haha
It's the basic game, not very complicate. And I found a very good spot to begin with.


Now, finally, my rank should be positive!! I got negative rank for a long time already.

And I should probably stop playing that often, should get back to make more sock dolls or stickers.... :P

Korean Chips - new favorite in our office

In my office, there are 2 drawers full of snacks.
Candies, chips, cookies, juices, chocolate...etc are all inside those 2 drawers.
We usually put chocolate and chips that are popular on the top of drawers just for people to grab and go.
One of my co-workers used to buy many different kinds of Korean snacks for us and those Korean snacks are different and quit good. Don't know why he didn't bring those to us anymore these days... :(
So when I found these in Korean market near where my husband lives (since we work in different cities, me and my husband now live in different places), I can't help and bought a bunch to office. Very soon, my co-workers found this Chili favor potato chips are the favorite of all kinds. So I bought more for them to office.
And those gone by very fast, in the 1st week, 3 bags already opened and gone. So my co-workers had to hide the rest.
This week I went to the Korean market again, and sadly found out the Chili favor are all gone.
:(
If you ever see it in the Korean market near where you live, try one. It's not hot at all, and more like BBQ favor for some of us. The original favor is not bad either.

Movie vs Novel

As a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I can't deny that I have a thing with vampire stories. That's why I started to read Twilight Saga. (Plus Rice told me English version is easy to read~ :P)
Yesterday, we rented the movie back home to watch. I was still on the 1st book when the movie was on. Twilight story line is very simple. Main girl new in town and fall in love with a super cute vampire. And of course with this "dangerous" boyfriend, something big happen and threaten her life in the end. Base on the #1 selling novel, the movie was popular and look forwarded before showing on screen. All girls want to be Bella to have this cute and gentle boyfriend. (First-person writing helps a lot on this one)
But for me as a vampire fan, I expected more actions scenes and even the traditional vampire image. (from both movie and book) I can stand with not afraid with cross or garlic or sleeping in coffin part, but why on earth those vampires not afraid of sunlight? Just so the innocent Bella can meet her super cute vampire in normal high school situation.
Anyway, that's just my personal opinion on this vampire image. Back to the movie. I like the movie pace a lot. Story moves very quickly comparing to the novel. But every important scenes are all included. If you expect a action movie, there are not many actions beside flying from one place to another. But if you like YA movie and romance about finding the special person you are waiting for, this is a movie of dream. (have someone incredible in love with you and plus he is cute and have super strength.)
I am still on my 4th book of Twilight Saga. I think for now, 4th one is my favorite one so far. Hope the ending won't ruin it. :)

My Valentine's chocolate

I know valentine is like two weeks ago, but I totally forget to bring my camera back from SD....
Anyway, here is my valentine chocolate box from my sweet husband.

My husband got it secretly from Cosco~
This is a handmade chocolate box with full of delicious chocolate inside.
Only in this Cosco!!

X'mas in San Diego

My mom and sister came to visit us this past Christmas.
So we took them to several places to spend our family time.
1st day in San Diego was raining, so we decide to go to Seaport Valley close to San Diego Downtown for short walk.
Seaport Valley is nice for taking pictures with my cute little new sock dolls. I will put these to my shop later this week.

Wild Animal Park

Birch Aquarium

Bolboa Park

OreoTruffles

I found this sweet truffles from "How about Orange". The picture she posted is just so beautiful and easy to make. So I tried out few weeks ago.
First, I used my Magic Bullet to blend a box of Oreo until powders.
I love my Magic Bullet~ it's perfect to make juice out of it. But blending just make too loud of noise...

Then mix with cream cheese and shape into balls. I made those too big, around 1" is enough. I used wrong way to melt my chocolate .... So I can't really dip my Oreo balls into melted chocolate....that's how ugly it became...

I tried 2nd time. This time I use the correct way to melt the chocolate ... microwave...!!
This time, the Oreo truffles came out much much better!!

It's very easy to do, and taste good!!
Here is the recipe: Bakerella's blog (She has beautiful photos) and easier one here.