last summer, i was humbly honored to be invited by the super talented  matt jones aka lunartik to custom a blank lunartik in a cup of tea amongst many greatly talented artists.  our custom teas have been traveling with matt and showing at many wonderful galleries and tour venues.  it has finally come to its last tea tour at the kidrobot in london. on friday, oct 15, all the amazing custom teas will be available for a charity auction on ebay.  the chari’tea auctions end on oct 22.

i’ve enjoyed many nights of needle-felting my piece, “lunar-tree in a cup of leaves” with some yummy felt french macarons and felt tea bags. :)  hope they bring you smiles, too. :)   please check out my custom piece on ebay and bid on it if you like (or on any other amazing works by all the talented artists involved in this awesome project)!  thank you!!  xoxox!! ^^

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Lunartiks Chari’Tea Auction 2010

Welcome to the final part of the Lunartiks Custom Tea Tour.
These amazing Custom Teas have been travelling the world since 2009 and now they finally come to rest at the Kidrobot Store in London.
These Custom Teas are on display for the very last time!

You can own your favourite Custom Teas by bidding on them in this Chari’Tea Auction! There is no reserve on any Teas. Just go onto the Auction, be passionate, be brave and bid as much as you can!

- Bid on Custom Teas by -
Pete Fowler – Matt JOnes – Okkle – Dust – Mr Scruff – Jon Burgerman – Farkfx – Ayako Takagi – Rich:Art Sichi – Cris Rose – Lukas Gulcher – Kenn Munk – Sneaky Raccoon – Veggiesomething – Tortoy – Teodoru Badiu – Eine – Jo Gough – Ian Stevenson – Phil Corbett – Lou Pimental – Jefff – Crom – Caitlin Ashford – guinea pig design – Doktor A – Phil T Hunter – Burnhead Studio – Anker – Tado – Toaster – woolloomooloo & Triclops

We hope to see you all TONIGHT, Friday 15th October from 6pm at the Kidrobot store in London!
Matt JOnes and Special Guest Artists will be signing for the NSPCC Charity!

- Event Details & Bidding Information -
Event Page Link | Facebook Link

Looking forward to seeing you there!
Cheers,
Matt JOnes

** poster and words by matt jones

coraline can help you! ;)

(this post was written back in april, but didn’t get to publish it until now…)

ever had a makeup drawer  filled with beauty products that you barely used, yet couldn’t bear to toss them away…yet?  well, time to rethink about what you have in that makeup bag/drawer/counter of yours.  even though most cosmetics do not carry expiration dates, please be aware that all beauty products do have their own self life.  once your makeup is opened and used (even once),  harmful bacteria could start building up.  they could cause irritations, or even worse, an eye and/or skin infection!  if you’re thinking to yourself, “but…this one is expensive!”…  hmm, maybe you should think of it this way… if your spoiled/contaminated, expensive makeup caused a more serious problem to your skin and/or eyes, how much more expensive would your doctor/dermatologist visits and treatments cost you?  :p  this is also why it’s actually not very ‘clean/safe’ to sample “testers” directly on your face.  i don’t get how some of the ladies don’t think that it’s unhygienic to try out lipsticks and lip balms directly onto their lips without considering the possibility of transferring bacteria from such publicly shared items.

few months ago, i did my periodic makeup spring cleaning, and got rid of half of what were sitting in my makeup drawer (which were not alot.)  i generally don’t put on much makeup and am not too adventurous about experimenting on cosmetics, so i’m glad i’m not one of those who’s addicted to splurge on makeup whenever they are out in the department stores/boutiques with piles of barely used cosmetics ended up lying around in the house.  :p  makeup spring cleaning is not as complicated as you might think, yet it is as crucial as cleaning out your medicine cabinet.  being the forgetful me, i keep a handwritten ‘guideline’  in my makeup drawer for easy reference.  nothing new, it’s all basic information that i’ve followed throughout the years from what the experts suggested.  i’ve typed them out into a little ‘note card’ for you (below), if you’re interested.  feel free to print it out (for personal use) and keep one around in your makeup bag/drawer for easy reference.  remember…whenever there are signs of spoilage (even a slight one), you rather toss it, then risk it! always  practice good hygiene, keep your beauty products as clean as possible, and don’t neglect keeping your makeup tools clean as well. ;)

it is very important to clean your makeup brushes/sponges, especially if you have sensitive skin like myself.  i’ve been washing mine with johnson & johnson’s baby shampoo (not only does it clean well and is gentle, i simply love the smell of all j&j baby products!).  as a general guideline, it has been suggested that we clean our makeup brushes with shampoo and water at least once every two weeks, but since i don’t put on makeup everyday, washing it/them after every application is simply not practical and too time consuming to do early in the morning/late at night.  so i was looking for a more convenient solution…and found this fabulous alcohol free “brush cleaning spray” by bobbi brown.  i’ve been using it for more than a year now and am still loving it. :)  it’s meant for an easy light cleaning after each use, so you should still remember to wash/deep cleanse your brushes on a regular basis.

here’s a little youtube video featuring my one of my blythe girls showing you how easy and fast it is to use the bobbi brown brush cleaning spray.  it is my very first youtube “demo clip” that i whipped up using my flip camcorder back in april, so please excuse the super amateurish shooting and limited/lack of editing.  :p everything’s done on the flip camcorder.  hope you enjoy! and happy spring cleaning! ^-^/ xoxo!  ♡

as you might’ve noticed, i love macarons! :)  they’re so cute and pretty, but i don’t really eat lots. one of these delightful dessert is enough to satisfy the palette of anyone who has a sweet tooth.  ;)  i enjoy pairing it with a strong cup of aromatic tea to balance it out. :)

after my first spontaneous try on making my first set of these cute dessert, and again for this artshow piece, followed by the bridesmaids’ gift bag custom orders, i’m really loving my little needlefelted macarons. :)  so, i made this set of assorted flavors as a surprise birthday gift for a dear friend. :)   hehe, a little rainbow of happiness goes a long way! :)   these are in strawberry, green tea, lemon, orange, chocolate, raspberry, blueberry, and lavender flavors. ^^  which flavor(s) do you like? :)  xoxo!

wall-e and eve welcoming the new iphone 4! :) …and bidding farewell to my lovely trusted 3gs…  aww, i’m gonna miss my hello kitty case, too…*sniff sniff*  hehe, but it’s all good. :)

now, here goes the ‘story’ of this little transition, …and as promised to some of my friends, i’m sharing photos showing the problem i had with the camera on the iphone 4 before i got the new replacement. :)

as friends have known, i’ve adored my white 3gs and had been quite attached to it since i received it as a christmas gift in replacement of my 2g.  due to my dry eyes problem, i limit my online time on the computer,  and hence, have heavily relied on the iphone for daily news feed, and i do all my tweeting via this ‘fruit-gadget-on-the-go’.  ;)  earlier this month, when my friend’s at&t contract expired, he decided to get the iphone 4.  since the iphone would be his second line/phone, and knowing how much i’ve been utilizing mine, he *ahem* lovingly (hehe :p) offered to switch with me after only having it for a week (yes, his new iphone 4 for my 3gs!) :)  of course we’re both aware of the reception/antenna problem on the iphone 4, but a bumper or case would readily take care of that problem, and apple has now offered it for free to iphone 4 owners through their “iphone 4 case program“  (you’re eligible for this offer only if you purchased your iphone 4 before september 30, 2010.)

however, we found another problem on the 4, which was its camera.  apart from news feed and short email replies, the functionality of the camera has been quite essential to me as it’s practically replaced the p&s i used to always carry in my bag (for those random daily snapshots.)  we noticed photos taken with that particular iphone 4 came out to be pretty yellowish.  yes, the white balance and specs of the camera on the iphone 4 differ from that of the 3gs, but the ‘yellow tone’ was disturbingly obvious, especially in low light. :p  (i’ve included photos taken with that particular iphone 4 vs those taken with the 3gs below.)  we took it to the genius bar, and ‘mr bartender’ was initially abit skeptical of our claim as he said i was the first to address this problem to him.   the camera flaw soon appeared quite apparent to him after he’d compared the photos with his own iphone and one of his coworkers’, then with one in the store. ;)  he offered an exchange but we decided to test it out for another week, while i get to make a decision on whether i want to switch mine to the 4. ;)

here are few photos taken with both the iphone 4 (before the exchange) and the 3gs for your reference. :)

outdoor iphone 4 vs 3gs – daylight natural lighting

outdoor iphone 4 vs 3gs - daylight natural lighting closeup

indoor iphone 4 vs 3gs – normal restaurant lighting

indoor with flash vs without flash both on the iphone 4 – normal restaurant lighting

hehe…well, the following week, when i got back, straight to the  at&t store we went, for our new sim cards, and happily made the switch. :) after another appointment with the genius bar for that new iphone 4 replacement (this time, the ‘bartender’ said he’s had seen the same problem from other customers as well),  and having tested the camera right away, i’m happy to ‘declare’ :D that everything pretty much works as it should be. :)

the new iphone 4 vs the 3gs

so, now that everything’s good to go and a final initial syncing was completed, i’m officially a proud mommy to my new iphone 4 for a full week now. :)  (not to sound ungrateful, but i’ve wished it’s a white one :p, although rumor has it that the white 4 will be delayed until end of the year??)

*smiling* so, to those who have gotten your iphone 4, how do you like yours?  i really, really love the multitasking feature, and so happy on how i can categorize and organize all my apps neatly into folders (so instead of using up ten screens on the 3gs, all my apps now fit conveniently into just three screens on the 4!)  the sharp 960 x 640 resolution on the screen is fantastic, and yes, apart from the 5-megapixel front & back camera, and the built in zoom, i’m loving the HD wide screen video recording upgrade.  it’s not a secret that i prefer natural lighting and i don’t normally like to use flash in my photography, so i barely use the flash on the camera at all.  :)  i’m not too crazy about the extra “inboxes” though, but i guess the “all inboxes” would be pretty useful for some people. :)

all in all, i’m very happy with this new buddy. :)))   hehe, i do kinda miss my white 3gs…and every time i see it, it’s like meeting up with my adopted-out daughter. :p  thank you sooooo much again for the switch!!!  xoxo!!  ^^

when i was little, my elder brother used to shoot home video clips of us.  he also loved to write and direct short films.   his little sisters and brother were all casted as his actors. :D  after he was done editing, we would host “movie premiere nights”…cutting out scrap papers to make our own movie tickets, and his room would become our make believe movie theater.  it was so much fun! :)))  somehow my brother stopped  taking photos and shooting films altogether after high school.  :(

last year, i got a flip video camera and have been enjoying shooting random amateur video clips of “nothingness”…  i enjoy filming random people/cars passing by while in a cafe, or whenever…and while on the road (don’t worry, i only shoot when i’m not in the driver’s seat ^^)  most clips were actually shot with my iphone  though (since this little trusty fruit gadget conveniently follows me wherever i go. :p)  every time i play back a clip, there’s always something new in the clip that i hadn’t see before… and i find myself doing mental editing, adding songs and sound effects. :p  hope someday, i’ll be able to shoot and edit something abit  more presentable. :)

for now, here’s a little  amateur “silent movie” style short clip to share with you.  hope you’ll enjoy and have a great weekend! xoxo ^-^/

(if you’re having trouble viewing the video clip below, check it out directly on my youtube channel here.  thanks.)

anyway…  i’ve always been a scarf person… i remember my mom gave me one of my first scarves when i was fourteen.  it was a beautiful hermes, my first hermes.  being the sentimental me, i have kept it with me all these years.  although i have not worn that particular one since high school, but whenever i look at it, it reminds me of my freshman year…a rather memorable year, to say the least.  ;)   upon reading the sad news of mr dumas‘ passing, i wanted to post something hermes as a little tribute.  so, it reminds me of another hermes scarf that my mom sent me last year…

the scarf was given to my mom and it’s called “les tigreaux” which has a print of  two playful cubs on a blue background (i believe it comes in a beige version as well.)  my mom’s not really into scarves and knowing that i have a thing for limited editions, she passed it on to me.  :)  hermes did this exclusive coloration in limited edition of 400 especially for the jackie chan charitable foundation (jccf).  jackie met with the ceo of hermes in paris while he was filming “rush hour 3” and they decided on this collaboration.  it was supposed to be released in time for the (beijing) olympic but got delayed until dec 2008.  the two energetic and joyful cubs represent the “bright future that jackie chan envisions for the generations to come” (as said on the note card that came with the scarf.)  i don’t think i’ll wear it anytime in the near future (it’s simply too mature and too loud for me :p)  please check out the link if you’re interested to learn more about the jackie chan‘s charity.  thanks again, mom! xoxo :)

…and may you r.i.p. mr. dumas…  …
(sorry for not iron-steaming the scarf before taking the photo below. my iron-steamer has broken and i haven’t had time to shop for a replacement, yet. :p)

mother’s day is coming up this weekend…in a couple of days actually! ;)  here’s a little bookmark i made for my mom for mother’s day this year. (the photos of the uglydoll ox and my favorite french macarons were snapped fairly recently with the iphone.  they were intended to have that soft tone. ) ^^

if you have not gotten anything for your mommy, please feel free to print one out for her or you may print it for your own personal use if you like. :)  happy reading and have a most wonderful mother’s day weekend!! ^-^/ xoxo

i’m very very grateful and thankful that pompom‘s always been very healthy since he was a puppy.  there’s no need for frequent visits to the vet, other than his routine annual checkups and vaccination updates.   however, this fairly mellow little baby (albeit him having just turned into a teenager/thirteen, he’ll always be my baby ^^) would put on his best defensive mask and gets extremely nervous visiting the vet or the groomer.  each summer, i try to get a same day appointment for both his vet visit and summer shave with the groomer, so my poor baby doesn’t need to go through this anxiety and gets all stressed out for more than one day.  however, this year, i received a reminder postcard/letter from the vet way months earlier.  they explained that as pompom is getting old, it is recommended that he gets his checkups bi-annually now.  thankfully, too, this time, the examination and blood tests all came out fine, except that there seems to be a slightly high amount of protein level in his blood.  his vet, dr. park wanted to make sure that  this is just temporary (otherwise, it could lead to other health problems), so we need to go back for a followup in a few weeks’ time.  pompom has also started on a joint supplement.  i hope everything will be fine, and he stays a healthy baby. :)

here’s sharing a little video clip of pompom on the day of his vet visit.  we took a little stroll in the park early in the morning before we headed out.  thanks to my friend who came by to drive us to the vet, so i could sit in the back seat of his car with pompom to prep this anxious baby for his dreaded visit. :p  as i mentioned, pompom gets extremely nervous at the animal clinic, so he’s been asked to wear a muzzle for his visits.  without the muzzle, it would be almost impossible for anyone (except his mommy, especially when he’s in the examination room) to even get near him at the clinic.  that day, my friend and the nurses there referred pompom as “hannibal lecter” (anthony hopkins‘ character from “silence of the lambs“.) :p  at one point in the video clip, you’ll see that pompom looked for the door and wanted to get out of the exam room. :p  at the end of the day,  i think pompom was, not only physically, but mentally exhausted as well, and he took a long snoring nap once we got home.  ^(v)^/

enjoy the clip, and have a wonderful month of may! :) xoxo

(if you have trouble viewing the clip below, you can check it out on my youtube channel ^^)

on tuesday, jan 12, 2010, haiti was hit by a magnitude of 7.0 earthquake… the aftermath has been extremely heartbreaking and devastating… hundreds of thousands lives lost and countless still missing…

it’s hard to watch/hear/read the news without one’s heart aching, feeling helpless and crying for them. i know times are still tough for many folks in this economy (and i’m sorry for asking in this tough time), but please be grateful that we are still the lucky ones, not in/affected by this devastating earthquake. so, let’s reach out (be it in big or smaller ways) by donating and/or praying for them. they desperately need water, food, medical aids, shelter among other things, and the best way to get these necessities to them is by monetary donations. i’ve made my donations to the red cross, doctors without borders, and the clinton bush haiti funds. always make sure you’re donating to trusted organizations by checking charity navigator. …so, what were you planning to purchase today that you don’t actually need? why not use that amount to help out those in desperate need right now?… … if you’re not able to donate money, please continue to keep the haitians and those helping them over there in your thoughts and prayers. thank you!!!

for donations via u.s. mobiles/cellphones:

- text HAITI to 90999 and $10 will go to the red cross haiti relief funds
(for canada, text HAITI to 45678)
- text QUAKE to 20222, $10 will go to the clinton bus haiti fund

two years ago, i did a toy adoption for red cross donations for the san diego wildfires, so i thought of doing it again this time to help out abit. same “procedures” as to how to adopt and donate (below). last time, i only ask for donations directly to the red cross, but i would also like to ask for donations to be made to “doctors without borders” this time (or if you have a preferred charity that would utilize their donated funds wisely, please feel free to send the donation there, and just show me proof of donation and your adopted toy will be sent out to you.)
(i know i’m abit late…been really busy and didn’t have time to gather my toys and take pics until now…sorry)

here is how i hope it’ll work again…

1. i’ve posted all the toys (and few new tokidoki and hello kitty makeup items) i’m donating for you to adopt in this set.. they are all from my own personal collection and i do take very good care of my toys, so they’re all in excellent (or even new) condition. ^^

2. please flickrmail me (or leave a comment here) which toy you wish to adopt, and you will make your donations directly through the red cross website (please click/specify it’s for the “international response funds” on the donation page) or the doctors without borders website…donation amount will be the appx price i paid for the toy, and of course, any extra amount of donations are always deeply appreciated and welcomed ^^

3. please forward me the donation email confirmation that you would receive directly from red cross or doctors without borders (which will show the donated amount) and i will send out the toy to you on my own expense. (sorry i can only send via regular mail, since priority or express shipping will add up and will be too much for me and i rather donate the extra postage to the relief funds)

p.s. i’m not usually online during the day, so please be patient when sending me flickrmails about the toys adoptions. i will try my best to respond in the evenings. thanks. :)

thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, for your kindness and big heart. xxxoooxoxoxxx!!! *biggest group hugs* xoxo

i made these for the “no more monkeys jumping on the bed” plush & paint group show currently showing at monkeyhouse toys & art gallery in silver lake, los angeles.  please come by if you are in the area.  there are tons of awesome pieces in the show. :)  and as some of you know, monkeyhouse toys & art gallery will be closing their retail space after this month.  i’m really sad to hear.  please continue to support them via their webstore.  they will always have a special place in my heart.  the monkey on my plush palette is the logo for monkeyhouse.  the idea behind this piece is that even after monkeyhouse closes its retail door, they will still live on forever through joyful rainbows of their love for the art.  and of course, as in all my pieces, there’s always that red or pink heart somewhere. ^^  i especially love the little paint brush.  :)  if you’re interested in my piece, please contact info@monkeyhousetoys.com, thanks. :)
xoxo

monkeyhouse toys & art gallery proudly presents:

NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED
Group Show
Dec. 5 – 31, 2009
Opening reception: Sat., Dec. 5th, 5-9pm

Plush and painted monkey group show featuring special guest artists:
Carol Powell, Janet Davenport, Erika Icon, Josh Taylor, Toys From Saturn, Heidi Kenney, Cimmi Mills, woolloomooloo, Julia Y., Suzi Boneshaker, Bee Harris, Delphia, Man Ling, Marcel de Jure, Adah Glenn, Jenny Harada, Clara Boo of Curioddities, Julie B., Linda Tieu, Zola Anderson, Stephanie Unson, Vera Paras, Rafael Cruz, Christine Velez, Hurricane Dee, Max, Terri “Tooter” Berman, Erik Hietter, Ginger Vidal, Audrey Harrison, Winona Regan, Douglas Alvarez, Halle Chavis, Donna Letterese, Christy Kane, Kelly Thompson, Paula Reynoso, and more…

monkeyhouse toys & art gallery
1618 1/2 Silver Lake Bl.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-662-3437

** postcard & words on postcard by monkeyhouse toys & gallery