Tag! Loovee's IT!

Milkberry tagged me for another meme, but Loovee wanted to have a go at it this time.
I don't know why the big people always get to have all the fun. I want to play, too!

Okay, so seven random facts about me. Hmmmmm . . .

1. My name, Loovee, comes from the book Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Hooloovoo, is an alien race described as a super intelligent shade of the color blue, and my name is short for that.
   
2. I think pink is the sweetest color in the world!
3. Gachapin is my best-est friend even if he's a Japanese dinosaur, and we have a hard time communicating because I don't know much Japanese and the only English he knows are, "Cake!" and "Mine!"
   
4. I cannot live without my pig boots, which are not boots made out of a pig, but boots with a cute pig face painted on them.
   
5. I have 4 pairs of eyes.
   
6. I hum to myself all the time, but never when anyone is around.
   
7. I'll eat most anything with peanut butter in it, and I especially love peanut butter mochi and Reese's peanut butter ice cream.

So now who will I tag for 7 Random Facts?

My pals Molli, Zelda . . . and New Girl, too, if she's not too shy to talk.

I always read about Hana and Misuzu and their adventures, and I would love to know them better.

Lilly London is very fashionable and I would love to know more about her!

Febee is a new girl and I'm so curious about her!

I want to know more about Marlene and her pretty violet hair.

And Alla . . . you're it, too!

Cuteness, Critters, Crochet & World Peace!

Hello, friends! Once again, long time no post as things have been quite hectic around here so I shall make up for my absence by making this an extra lengthy one. Here's what's been happening since we spoke last:
These little critters are off to our dear friends, Linda, Molli, and Zelda. Goodbye Owl and Bunny! Have a safe trip to your wonderful, new home where I know you'll get lots and lots of love. Thank you, Molli, for adopting them! (Update: They arrived safely!)

I've been lucky enough to come into all manner of cuteness lately. Some adorable barrettes for Loovee, which include a set of pink Hello Kitty clips; a kawaii notebook with a sweet teddy bear softie on the cover; the teensiest bunny stickers; and the pièce de résistance -- the cutest Gachapin keychain ever!

These are the first commercially made Blythe outfits I've ever purchased -- Sugarmag and Par Avion. I prefer to make my own Blythe outfits or to get them from fellow crafty folks. I just appreciate the personal handiwork so much. However, Gina Garan had a great clearance sale at her TIB shop, so I decided to give it a go. The neat thing about ordering from her shop is she gives you a free signed Blythe postcard. Hooray for freebies!

Notice that there's not a single bit of pink or blue in it, which are Loovee's favorite colors. So who could this outfit possibly be for? Hmmmmm . . . . The plot thickens.

Although, I have crocheted a simple tank top for Loovee in the past, I've been apprehensive of crocheting a whole dress for her. The problem is every time I think "crochet doll dress" my head immediately gets filled with visions of those awful toilet paper cozy dolls my grandma used to have in her bathroom. You know those plastic lady dolls with their crochet dresses that discreetly hide a fresh roll of T.P. underneath their skirts. Thankfully, I came across some beautiful crochet dresses on Flickr that completely changed my mind and have obliterated my notion that crochet doll dress = a special kind of ugly.

Look at this lovely Blythe dress from Godesia. She has a great Etsy store that sells her crochet creations, too.

This sweet dress is by TeenyWeeny Designs and is for a Pocket Fairy doll. She also has an Etsy store. Love her Blythe hats!

This Blythe schoolgirl dress by Jojoling is incredible! Last I checked she still had a few at her Etsy shop.

I adore this mod Blythe minidress by Dolluxe. Her stuff sells out super fast at her Etsy shop so visit often if you want to snag one of her amazing pieces.

Anyway, I want to thank the above for inspiring me. Here is my very first crochet dolly dress! Not too bad, eh? It still needs a bit of tweaking, but overall I think it came out okay for my first try.

Notice the pretty heart barrette on Loovee's noggin? It came all the way from Holland from Tizzalicious. She makes the cutest accessories (for Blythe and people alike) in lots and lots of pink, which makes them all very painful for me to resist. She has a great Etsy shop and a blog dedicated to her craftiness, too. Thank you, Tizz!

Last, but not least I've been tagged by the talented Zari at justZHM to do a meme! How thrilling! I have never been tagged before. The theme for her meme is Love and Peace and that is her beautiful dove illustration above. It is a very timely subject for me as this summer my brother-in-law will be shipping off to Iraq. It is my hope that this new year brings less strife and more peace to our world.

Much aloha to you all!

I Am Having Trouble Coming Up With an Appropriate Title for this Post

Hello everyone! Long time no post, I know, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather. Crafting has been slow going, but this is what I've been up to lately:

Normally I like to draft my own patterns, but I was feeling a tad lazy so for Project Loovee I dusted off my Dolly Dolly Coordinate Recipe Vol.1 book and gave it a go with one of the patterns inside. I chose to do this baby doll top, which I planned to lengthen to make a sundress.

However, my hope for a quick and easy project backfired as it took me 3 days -- 3 long, arduous days -- to whip up such a simple dress. Maybe it was because I was feeling ill. Maybe it's because I'm so used to making my own patterns and sewing things a certain way that following someone else's instructions just confused me to no end. Whatever the reason, this dress is without a doubt the most headache inducing project I've had in recent memory.

Anyhow, here's my little Loovee enjoying the fruits of my agonizing labor.

Oh, do you remember Loovee's crochet blanket from last post? Well, it got buried amongst the clutter of my art desk, and I thought I lost it for good so I started on this new one. A week later, lo and behold! The first blanket surfaced and now I can't decide which one I like best. Which do you prefer? Your opinions would be much appreciated.

I've not done an installment of This Week in Cute for awhile so here goes one featuring Gachapin, beloved Japanese icon, but most importantly -- Loovee's bestest friend. If you're like me, you may have first spied him in the Killer's video, Read My Mind. Gachapin is little known outside of Japan, where he's a famous children's television character. Think of him as the Japanese equivalent of our Big Bird in the U.S.

Loovee and I were lucky enough to adopt a Gachapin of our very own on our summer trip to Japan (thanks to my pal P).

Here's a picture of him on a modern art sculpture at the Kozunomori Station.

And another of him at a park near Narita Station. I just love his droopy little face!
Loovee and Gachapin have been inseparable ever since!

Thank you for visiting!