Apple Cheeked Ami Bunnies, A Blythe Sale, MOO, and Let' Go Make History

Hello friends!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I imagine most of you are gearing up for the big night. So what manner of costume will you be roaming this ghoulishly dark night in?

As for my costume, I'm going as The Boring Crafty Girl Huddled in Her Room When She Should Really Be Socializing With Others. It's the same one I wore last year.

So here's what I've been up to:

I've finally finished this trio of Apple Cheeked Ami Bunnies.

Here they are wearing the other side of their reversible dresses

And a view of their fluffy pompom tails.

To those who may be interested, these three little bunnies will be listed in my shop this Sunday.

In other Etsy news, I would like to empty out my shop before it closes for the holidays. Therefore, I'm having a special on all Blythe dresses. They are now all 10% off and they'll still come with all these lovely freebies. Please take a peek! Perhaps you'll see something you like :)

Oh, I just received some very happy mail! My MOO MiniCards finally arrived all the way from England and I absolutely love how they came out. I'll be using these as promo cards for my shop. I must thank my fellow blogger, Berrysprite, for giving me the heads up on MOO -- Thank you, Berrysprite!:)

Now on a more serious note . . .

Lately, I've been glued to the news channels, watching poll after poll and listening to pundit after pundit. Tuesday is a big day for my country -- Election Day. They say that this election will be the most important in my lifetime. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to play even the most minute part in history. I'm dying for my voice to be heard. My fellow Americans, make sure your voices are heard, too.

Vote.

Some Etsy Shop News: A Couple More Cupcakes and Some Freebies

First of all, I want to thank everyone who purchased items from my shop. I appreciate it so much!

My Happy Swirly Cupcakes sold out fairly quickly and I've had some inquiries about when I will churn out more. Well, I've done just that. :) Here's three more, including my very first chocolate cupcake. I'll be listing them in my shop on Thursday if anyone is interested.

Here's a view of the cupcake tops.

I think these will be the last cupcakes for awhile. I'm going to turn my attention to some amigurumi bunnies now.


I enjoy giving freebies as much as I enjoy getting them, so here's two freebies going on in my shop at the moment:

1. If you purchase any Blythe item, you'll get a pair of these super cute candy barrettes. They are 3/4 in. long, the perfect size for your Blythe. I'll choose a color for you at random.

2. If you purchase any two items in my shop you'll get an official Sanrio Hello Kitty Hawaii keychain and large sticker. I'll randomly choose these for you, too.

And yes, if you buy two Blythe dresses you will get two pairs of candy barettes and the keychain and sticker altogether! :)

Well, that's all the news for now. My crafting room calls . . .

Talk to you all soon!

A Quick Break from Crafting Madness

During my ongoing crafting blitz, I have moments where I must put the crochet hook down and take a breather. That's when I go outside and enjoy the sunshine with some friends of mine.

I don't know where they came from. One day they were just there in my garage -- stray cats. That was months ago. I have been feeding them ever since. I enjoy just sitting down, sipping a soda, and watching their silliness. Have you ever seen a cat stalk a gecko? If not, you really must. Oh, and don't worry -- the gecko got away.

Anyway, let me introduce you.

Please meet Gray Tabby.

This is The Lazy One.

And this is Ninja Kitty.

Last, but not least this ornery old cat is Up Ear/ Down Ear.

I am wonderfully original with names, aren't I?

I will probably name my first child Wrinkly Pink Wiggly Thing.

So what creatures wander around your home?

No More Sad, Empty Etsy Shop: BIG Update!

Aloha friends!

I have finally decided to dust the cobwebs off of my woefully neglected Etsy shop. These past few weeks I have been working diligently on Blythe dresses and softies galore to fill up its empty shelves.

I went to town and whipped up more of my apron dresses. I rummaged through my fabric stash and picked out a variety of sweet prints from kawaii animals to florals. Here's a peek:

1. Kawaii Flowers
2. Kawaii Owls

3. Circus Elephants

4. Happy Strawberries

5. Cottage in the Woods

6. Musical Pigs

7. Retro Daisies (I adore this one because it is made from vintage 70's fabric that's sprinkled with fuzzy flocked daisies)
8. Aloha!

9. Petites Fleurs

I also made some Aloha Dresses in great retro and modern prints:

1. Pink and Orange Retro Floral
2. Green and Pink Retro Floral

3. Purple and Blue Retro Floral

4. Aloha!
5. Surfer Girl

And now for the softies!

Here's a trio of Thoughtful Little Owls.

I am delighted to introduce the Happy Swirly Cupcakes! I've been working on a new cupcake design that was yummier than my original and I really like how it came out. They aren't just sweet to look at, either. They're functional, too! Each Happy Swirly Cupcake will come with a removal plastic pick, which can hold amorous messages, reminder notes, and even photographs.

Here's a shot of the cupcake tops.

Continuing with the theme of sugary sweetness, do you remember my Blythe Nutty Sundae Berets? Here's a photograph to refresh your memory just in case:

Anyway, for awhile now I've toyed around with the idea of creating an Etsy listing, where you could custom design your own Nutty Sundae Beret. Well, I am thrilled to say that I've finally done it!

Although the hot fudge sauce, nuts, and whipped cream will remain the same, you will be able to choose from the nine delicious ice cream "flavors" above.

You will also be able to choose between two colors of cherries to top off your sundae with --pink or red!

I do hope you all like what I made as much as I loved making them. If there is something you are interested in, please stop by my Etsy shop this Friday when I will list them.

Thanks again to all of you for dropping by!

We Now Return You to Our Previously Scheduled Program . . .

When life karate chops you in the throat, there's nothing like good friends to help you breathe again. So I want to thank all of you for your kind comments in my last post. I appreciate all your thoughts and well wishes so much.

Now let's get back to the craft and cute, shall we? :)

I've been lucky enough to take part in two great swaps with pals Linda of The Adventures of Molli fame, and Milkberry.

Look at all of the goodies from Linda and Molli! There's three beautiful sun dress/ bead headband sets; a watermelon head Sonny Angel; a travel Re-Ment set with a little suitcase; and a teeny, tiny little bunny book just to name a few.

And what's in the mystery box with my name on it, you ask?

It's a lovely silver necklace with a topaz stone. I just adore how pretty, clean, and simple it is. It's perfect, Linda!

Here's Loovee wearing her favorite dress set from the swap. It's such a sweet, playful, little outfit, don't you think?

Thank you so much for another wonderful swap, Linda and Molli! Loovee and I are so overwhelmed with your generosity and kindness.

Now Milkberry and I had a very different kind of swap -- a super yummy-licious candy swap! Milkberry, who lives in Japan, came up with the genius idea to trade Japanese candy for American ones. Let the salivating begin!

My favorites by far are the flavored KitKats. In Japan, they do KitKats in the most wonderfully odd flavors. Milkberry sent over KitKats in tea, watermelon, and strawberry flavors. Yippee!

Thank you so much for swapping with me, Milkberry! I do hope you enjoy your American candies as much as I am enjoying mine.

So a couple of weeks ago I was kindly given the Brillante Weblog honor by fellow crafty bloggers, Ismoyo and Milkberry. I'm so tickled! Thanks so much, you two!

In return for accepting this honor, I now have the pleasure of awarding it to five other blogs that I enjoy visiting.

The Adventures of Molli -- Loovee highly recommends you take a peek at her best friend's blog. A must visit if you are a B-girl lover.

Berrysprite -- A kawaii and crafty blog by a fellow Hawaii resident. Check out her Etsy shop, too.

The Pigwidget Chronicles -- One of my new favorites.

Mushroommeadows -- I just adore her simple, yet super cute doodles.

In Company with Sparkles -- Such a sweet, little blog. I've been enjoying reading about her recent round the world adventures.

Now all of you above please pass this honor along to other blogs you admire!

Thank you all for visiting once again!

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Cute and Crafty Broadcast . . .

Sometimes life bashes you in the head with a big dose of reality that no amount of crafting and cuteness can ignore.

Unfortunately, this is one of those times.

In memory of:

G. L. B
1948-2008

and

R.F.R, Sr.
1913-2008

I am so grateful to have known you.

Much love,
Rima Lani

A Field Trip for Loovee: Waikiki

I have a love-hate relationship with Waikiki, Hawaii's most famous beachfront. I love the energy and excitement, but I hate the crowds. I love the vast variety of restaurants and shops, but I hate how commercial it has now become. I love that it is so renown that people all over the world want to visit, but I hate that it seems like a new hotel is being built every week to accommodate them.

Anyway, Loovee wanted to show you that despite Waikiki's hustle and bustle, and all the construction going on at the moment, there are still a few places that are green, serene, and reminiscent of the the real Hawaii.

The following three photos were taken at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It is a huge resort, which features manicured tropical gardens, ponds with waterfalls, and a man-made lagoon.

This is one of the Hilton's many ponds. They are often filled with colorful carp fish and it's not unusual to see the resident ducks swimming by.

Resting in the shade of a palm tree.

Here's Loovee observing the cascading water.

The next two pictures were taken at Leahi Park, which overlooks the beautiful ocean.

Lounging on the seawall.

Watch out for those big waves, Loovee!

Finally, Loovee ends the day in front of Diamond Head Crater as the Hawaiian sun starts to set.

"Aloha and mahalo for visiting!" Loovee says.

And the Winner is . . . , Loovee's Trip to the Museum, and Gachapin's Lunch Set

Aloha! It's been awhile, hasn't it? I hope you are all well and enjoying your summer. This summer is a mild one here in Hawaii, which I am thankful for. It's usually not very hot, but in those moments when it does start to swelter some, you can always count on a good breeze to keep you cool and comfy. I just love Hawaii.

Anyway, let's get on with the first order of business. The winner of the happy, little cupcake is:

Pigwidget has an amazing crafty Blythe blog and if you haven't visited it yet, you must! She always has great photos of her girls. I will get in touch with you soon, Pigwidget!

Last weekend, Loovee tagged along with me to the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu. One of my favorite exhibits was by local artist Cade Roster. It was called Plush Gaiden and it featured a series of whimsical mixed media bear sculptures. Here are a few of my favorites from the series:

"8th Grade" by Cade Roster

"Juggernaut" by Cade Roster

"Truth" by Cade Roster

Aren't they adorable? Their kawaii-ness had me seriously squealing.

The museum has a beautiful, lush zen garden out back, which features even more art sculptures. Loovee had a great time running around there.



I enjoyed the trip to the museum with Loovee so much that I think I will make field trips a regular feature. There are so many great places in Hawaii that Loovee and I are dying to share with you all.

As for my aforementioned Re-Ment frenzy . . . well, it has died down, thankfully. What killed the obsession for me was the constant disappointment of getting sets I did not want. I had to go through seven boxes to find the dinosaur lunch set I was coveting for Gachapin. I swear I felt like I won the lottery when I finally found it!


I sure hope Gachapin appreciates my efforts more than his droopy face is showing.

Well, it's time to check out what my wonderful blogging pals are up to. I can't wait to see what great things are going on with all of you.

Mahalo for stopping by!

P.S. If you are wondering why my photos now have copyrights on them it's because I recently had some of my photos stolen. Have any of you ever experienced this? What a headache that was. I shake my fist at you, image thieves!

Reader Appreciation: A Cupcake For You

I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my silly little blog and to write such sweet comments that encourage and motivate me to do more.

Thank you all for inspiring me with your own fantastic ideas and creativity.

Thank you all for being such good friends.

Thank you all for visiting me here -- my own little corner of the universe -- again and again.

I appreciate you all so very much.

And to show it I'm having a little giveaway. This amigurumi cupcake will go to anyone who comments to this post, chosen at random. I will mail it anywhere in the world. I will announce the winner in my next post.

Thank you!

Happy Mail, Re-Ment, and Custom Orders

I would like to thank everyone that purchased and inquired about purchasing the items in my Etsy shop. I am so pleased that the things I create are met with such enthusiasm! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I have been busy with so much outgoing mail that it was nice to get some incoming mail for a change. I finally got to purchase some Louos Loves creations! I have been waiting forever to snag some of his stuff, but whenever I come up on one of his sales posts at TIB, everything has been sold out. Aren't these Louos Loves tees adorable? I love the prints and all the pink!



In more happy mail news, I finally received my Arte du Blythe fat book! Yippee! It definitely lived up to its name -- it is a very FAT book chock full of artfully adorned pages. Thank you to everyone who participated in this project and especially to Gina of Blythe-O-Mania Untamed for all her hard work to make it happen. It was so much fun!

My new obsession du jour are Re-Ment miniatures. I was so thrilled to discover that they sell them here in Hawaii. It is a blessing and a curse because now that I know they are in the vicinity I have the constant urge to pick up another box. And another. And another. 24 boxes so far and counting. Scary.

As for my Etsy shop, I am still working on the cupcakes, owls, and some new Blythe outfits, but my focus on them has taken a little detour as I accepted a few custom orders on my apron dress sets and my sundae hats. I've been a bit wary about taking custom orders in the past because of my willy-nilly nature. I've always been afraid that I would never finish them in a timely manner or that I would rush them out, and they would not be done as well as if I took my time. Thankfully, I finished the following apron dress set and sundae hats in relatively short order (for me, at least).

Thank you, Megumi!

Thank you, Alisa!

Thank you, Evelyn!

And thank you all for dropping by once again!