I have been in a frenzy over here trying to make up for my laziness last week. This Saturday is Mr. Bunny Slippers' birthday, and on top of that, I have had to scramble a bit to make sure my Back-Tack project gets to my partner Moki on time. (And while I'm talking about Moki, you should go sign up for her recipe card stamp swap.)

Last Friday, my lovely Back-Tack III package from Ann arrived. I am a little late with my post and pictures, so hopefully she'll forgive me. (There are some great photos on her blog along with her notes on how she made it.) Look at how clever she was with the little bunny cheeks!

The construction is amazing -- there are so many little touches and details which make it special. And the bunny came tucked into this bag with a little window to peer out of... Did you go over to her site and read about how she sewed a rounded soap inside? Ann should win an award for best smelling softie. He smells so good!


[Click on photos to see larger versions...]

She also generously gifted me with a tissue cover, embroidery supplies, and some chocolates which I'm looking forward to trying out (I mean the embroidery, not the chocolates... I already tried out the chocolates.) I’ve been wanting to do embroidery for awhile now; I go over to Yarnstorm's blog and just drool over her work. Ann picked out this wonderful leaf stencil (which if you'll look around just happens to be a favorite motif of mine), a cute set of “days of the week” transfers, and some lovely pink, green, and orange pearl cotton skeins. Thank you Ann!

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I just mailed off a whole batch of presents and cards for birthdays, weddings, housewarmings, and a few thrown in there just for fun. I can now vacation guilt-free. And of course, everything was generously covered in labels. I think it got a little silly at some point, but I really couldn’t stop myself.

To my friend Kristen whose package is on its way, here’s a little sneak peak. (And while you wait for your present to arrive, you should look at this. How cool are these?!)

I know I’ll get it trouble for this, but I’m also baking a cake right now. Mr. Bunny Slippers would prefer that I slow down on the dessert making, but I’ve been daydreaming about cakes ever since I saw this Chocolate Pumpkin cake recipe at My Paper Crane. I know it’s pretty impractical to go around baking cakes when you’re getting ready to leave for a trip, but once again – I couldn’t stop myself.

I also squeezed in time for a visit to the fabric store this week.

I don’t have any projects in mind for these yet, but they felt really fresh and spring-y to me (although they could all use a good ironing...)

I’ve started hording all sorts of new paints and craft supplies, so I hope to come back energized. After some hunting, I found some Delta Iridescent Glass Paints that I’m going to try out for my mirror project. (Seems a little safer than the Liquitex Glossies paint that has to be heat set in the oven.) And while roaming the craft store, I finally found one of those Pebeo Porcelaine pens that allow you to write on porcelain/china. Big plans here. I keep thinking how cool it would be to make simple designs on crisp white china. (Sort of inspired by this.)

Now really, I must stop making cakes and start packing.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 03:56 PM | Permalink

This past weekend, my orders from Posie Rosy Little Things and The Small Object arrived. (Talk about speedy!) It signifies quite a change in my life that instead of ripping them open immediately, I first opened the window shades and shot a few pictures of the wrappings. Such care and attention to detail went into these packages.

I will post pictures of “Follie,” my beautiful little apron, later. The results of the apron photo shoot did not really do the apron justice. (That and I had not paid enough attention to the background for the shots – and well, let’s just say it really looked like I needed to be donning an apron and grabbing some serious cleaning supplies. I desperately need to do some spring cleaning and tossing.)

In the meantime, you can see my new apron peeking out of the top photo.

The stationary flats and stamp from The Small Object could not be more perfect. I love how quirky these are (and well made, too). Now for some letter writing! I miss the days when my friends and I could spend hours writing a letter to each other. Of course, that was in high school, and we really should have been taking notes in Biology, but still... It was always exciting to unfold that piece of paper and wonder what someone has written.

In other news, I signed up for Back-Tack III so I can now indulge in searching for black and white fabric full time. I’m a little bit scared and a little excited all at once. Making little stuffed creatures is the one sewing task I feel pretty comfortable with – small mistakes are easily written off as part of the creature’s personality. (Not so with clothing and purses...)

And if you’re wondering about the little bunny peeking out of the last post, I hope to elaborate more on him soon. You can consider that quiet little post as a note to self.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’m back from my inadvertent break, and geez – I am so ready to bump that last photo off the top of the page. (Not the best picture… and I spend a lot of time in that spot, so I’m happy to look on something else for a change.)

Luckily, I got home on Friday to some fabulous mail – my “favorite sewing, recipe, & paper project club” (Amy’s mailorder) and my Aranzi Aronzo Post Club vol. 22. This postcard cracks me up. I really love the little Aranzi Aronzo characters, but I’ve never really understood this yellow guy with the long nose/beak. I find it really odd that he appears to be eating a bunch of roses with similar little faces on them. I don’t know how they come up with this stuff, but it brightens up my mailbox nonetheless.

Today, my boyfriend and I went on a 2-part mini-adventure to the Gardens of the World and the mall.

I find Gardens of the World pretty entertaining, because it is really trying to be a much bigger experience than it really is. I’m a huge fan of gardens. I’ve never been a big nature person (two words: hello bugs). Frolicking around a well manicured garden is as close to the great outdoors as I usually get. Some gardens are so well-ordered and maintained that wandering amongst the foliage feels magical, almost meditative. Gardens of the World is not like that. It’s a fairly small space (4.5 acres) that contains a pavilion/bandstand, several man-made waterfalls/fountains, a replica of a California mission, and a Japanese pagoda with a blue roof. My favorite part is the ornate gate at the front. Such a tease! Don’t get me wrong – it’s lovely for an outdoor picnic or a little stroll. But it’s not the place to feel like you’re entering a new world – or even a different neighborhood for that matter. It’s free, entertaining, and more peaceful than say, wandering around the mall – so we dropped by for a few minutes. Turned out that was just long enough to get crossed up in what looked like a wedding (but was actually an extremely lavish Quinceanera). We ended up getting stuck in the California mission building as a stampede of teenagers in formal wear paraded inside. Um, awkward.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yay! The print I ordered from Dawbis is here. My scanner doesn’t really do it justice – the colors are so much more beautiful and saturated in real life. If you’re not familiar with her work, her portfolio site is here. Lovely.

This one is titled “I Dream of You and Me in the Clouds.” I really like the label on the back too.

Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy recently wrote a post that really got me thinking about supporting artists whose work I admire. There are people and small businesses out there I get so much inspiration from; I think it makes sense to give something back – not just with comments and wishes although I’m sure those are appreciated too – but also by buying some of the things they work so hard to make. A little investment in their dream and something special to take home all at the same time.

I can’t say I’ve always been conscious of this. It really is something new for me, but I’ve started setting aside some money to buy some of those fun things I’ve been admiring -- and also as a way to say thank you for all of the great ideas that these people share with everyone.

Not to mention, I’m having lots of fun planning my next little splurges… I will most certainly need something from here.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I meant to put this picture up yesterday. It’s a sweet St. Patrick’s day card that my sister sent. I believe she cut out these little leprechaun hats herself. Sometimes I think I would forget certain holidays altogether if it wasn’t for my sister who always seems to have remembered to stick something in the mail.

Out front of my apartment, we desperately need some little leprechauns to come and help out this little shrub. It has been leaning precariously like this for several weeks. I guess leprechauns probably don’t help plants (aren’t they busy guarding pots of gold?), but you would think the gardeners who come by to mow the lawn would intervene. Poor little plant.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There has been a serious lack of inspiration going on around here lately that I hope to correct very soon.

To be honest, I’ve been under the weather for awhile now, so it’s been hard to be focused. This last week was my birthday, and I feel like everybody remembered to celebrate it except for me. I was spoiled with balloons and decadent cupcakes and beautiful gifts, and kept wishing we could do this all again on a different day when I felt up for it.

I had hoped that I would be able to put together some goals for the year since I never really got off the ground with my New Year’s Resolutions. I know a lot of people think these things are silly or negative or whatever, but I like knowing I’m working towards something. I will have to let go of this and accept that if I make a list, it’s not going to be all neatly tied into a yearly, milestone event. It will end up being “the list I wrote on such and such day that happened to be in the middle of any such week” not “the list I wrote for myself on the eve of my birthday.” And really, why is this so hard?

In the meantime, all sorts of wonderful things have been happening all around me, and it’s about time I acknowledged them. So take that, Miss Lack of Focus and Appreciation!

• My mail service has returned! Now I have more than just jelly beans in my mailbox. This weekend I received Aranzi Aronzo Post Card vol. 20 and my lovely red envelope from mailorder. (I don’t know how she does it. Everything in this package was put together so beautifully.)
• There are some new improvements in the works around here at The Little Happy Ones. I’ve finally added an “About” page and contact info. I’m still tweaking the banner (with a lot of help from Mr. Bunny Slippers). It makes me happy that the little guys up top look like they’re in a little tree world.
• Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire is out on DVD!

I’m off for more celebrating!

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evelyn from the Post Office called today, and she’s looking into the missing mail fiasco. Talking to her, I get the impression that she takes the post office very seriously. She has the sound of someone who is not going anywhere for awhile. In fact, if I envision the post office, I picture it with one lone Evelyn inside – selling stamps and finding everyone’s lost packages. (All right, all right – I’ll stop. I was just figuring that a little optimism can’t hurt.)

In the meantime, I am going to distract myself by posting this Aranzi Aronzo postcard that I received back in October. I like this one. It looks hopeful.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:51 PM | Permalink

I’ve been expecting all sorts of delightful mail, and my mail box is empty. Ok, empty except for a package of jelly beans I put there for this picture. The sight of the completely empty mail box seemed too depressing. I grabbed the jelly beans to liven things up a bit so my mail box would feel happy and ready for mail. (Are you buying this?)

Apparently, the post office thinks I’ve moved. Two people have tried to send me things, and they were returned to them a month later. Gasp. This wouldn’t be quite so distressing except that I’ve been checking my empty little mail box every day for some exciting deliveries:

• My red envelope from Amy’s Mail Order Club
• My vol. 20 post card from the Aranzi Aronzo Post Club – It made it all the way here and was sent back to Japan.
• My DisneyWorld Vacation Planning DVD
• A russell+hazel catalog
• A swatch I ordered from this pretty rug:

I called the postal authorities to file a complaint, and hopefully, everything will find its way here. Maybe if I keep feeding my mail box jelly beans, it will start returning the love.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:58 PM | Permalink

I’ve been sick, so we’re putting Valentine’s Day on hold over here. So imagine my surprise when a couple of special goodies showed up in the mail.

• a valentine and magnetic picture frame from my sister
• the latest issue of Domino
• a bag I ordered from here

I let out a huge sigh of relief when I opened the package from e-bags. I’m really bad at shopping for purses and bags. I can lose days wandering around a department store picking up a purse and putting it back down. Does this look right? Is it too big? Can I really wear this? Will people think I look funny? Would a small bunny fit in here? It’s a complex. In fact, I do this with most shopping. The grocery store is a nightmare, but we’ll save that for another day.

I was hesitant to order this bag. The description said that it was made of white velvet which sort of freaked me out. I mean, can I wear a white velvet bag? However, it’s very soft and doesn’t look freakish. Now, if I can only keep it clean…

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:30 PM | Permalink

Here is volume 19 from the Aranzi Aronzo Post Club.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:44 PM | Permalink

I’ve been a huge fan of the Aranzi Aronzo on-line store for awhile now. I love pretty much everything they have, but I’m especially fond of their postcards and books. Images like this one make me completely lose it; they are so cute.

Their stuff can be expensive because of shipping, etc., and I agonized over what to get the first time I placed an order. However, everything I received was SO worth it. (Ok, well it felt worth it to me at least.) How can you not feel happy inside when you’re looking at something like this?

It gets better.

Just before submitting my order, I saw the option to join the Aranzi Aronzo post club. For 900 JPY (about $8 USD), you receive one post card each month. I subscribed and promptly forgot all about it.

Somehow I got dropped off of the list, and when they caught their mistake they sent me a lovely e-mail:

As the two cards are delayed, we would like
to extend your subscription for two months.
It should be from vol. 13 to vol. 26.

And I will inform you by e-mail whenever I post
a card to you from next time.

Again, thank you very much.
I hope you will receive the envelope safe and sound.

Warm Regards

So now I’ve been getting all sorts of extra attention, e-mails, and stickers – and that doesn’t even take into account the postcards. They are like little warm fuzzies in my mailbox.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:43 AM | Permalink