Tea Swap For October

This month I have not been crafting much with work being so busy.  All month I've only worked on projects twice.  It felt good to be able to do some crafting this weekend.  I'll share with you what I worked on soon.  :)  Today I would like to share with you what my tea swap partner, Jayne, and I made for each other. The optional theme was "Sugar and spice and everything nice.  That is what little girls are made of."

This is how I interpreted the theme.  

This what she made for me.

She sent me some extra goodies as an apology for sending me her card a little late.  That definitely was not necessary, but I truly appreciate it.  Before ending my post for today I wanted to share a picture of a dessert that my family and I shared this weekend when we went to have Japanese food.  We shared tempura ice cream- one of our favorite desserts.

Thanks for stopping by today!

My First Set of Christmas Cards For This Year

Many of you in blogland have already started making Christmas cards, tags, 3D items, etc. It's been so much fun and very inspiring to see so many awesome and creative creations.  I've been itching to make some cards too, but just did not have a chance to until a week ago.  I made these cards

for an annual card drive that Kris over at http://klusivekreations.blogspot.com  is having for her aunt.  Her goal again for this year is to collect 200 cards for her aunt to give with the dolls that she is making for the kids at a hospital in Southern California.  Be sure to hop on over to Kris' blog if you would like to show some love to some kids during the holidays through your love of card making. She needs the cards mailed to her no later than November 5th.  I love making cards and I always find it a privilege to get to make them to make someone's holiday/day a little more special.   

My Weekend and Some Cards

I hope that you had as fun of a weekend I did with my family.  On Saturday, we went to visit a pumpkin patch at a local college.  They have a pumpkin festival once a year in through their agriculture department.  This was our second time going there.  This year seemed more fun with more fun booths, a petting zoo, and cute areas to take pictures.  Here's a picture of my hubby and I in a field full of pumpkins.

It always amazes me to see the variety of pumpkins that are harvested each year.  These are my favorites.

After a fab time at the pumpkin patch we had Vietnamese food for dinner.  I ordered a cold noodle dish with  beef, lettuce and pickled veggies.  For dessert I had a green apple slushy with boba.

On Sunday, we went  a cultural family event at the Asian Pacific museum.  We had fun making different crafty items (a necklace, a shoe made out of cardboard and DSP paper, doing some block art to decorate cards, carving our own stamp, making a crown/piece of decoration), eating Pakistanian food, and watching dances from different cultures (India and Malaysia), and a kimono fashion show.  My favorite of course was the kimono fashion show and demonstration.

Here I am with some of the models with their beautiful kimonos.

I would love to purchase a kimono one day. :) Besides sharing about my weekend, I would like to share two cards that I recently made for two friends that I sent a RAK to.

I always like to include a card with the goodies that I send.  Have blessed week!

All the Way from S. Africa

It's so cool... my secret sister from last month lives S. Africa. I received this card and goodies all the way from there.

Thanks Theresa for the card and thoughtful goodies.  Don't you think that it's neat how crafting unites people that live in different parts of the world?

Another RAK

I feel very blest to have such thoughtful and generous friends that surprise me with a RAKs periodically.  My friend that I purchased a musubi stamp for when I was in Oahu recently gave me this cute card that she made using the stamp along with a cute notepad and a Japanese girl magnet.

I love what she made and of course the notepad and magnet. 

RAKs From a Good Friend

Happy Friday!  Boy has it been a busy week.  I am extremly happy that it is Friday.  Today I would like to share with you some RAKs that I recently received from one of my good friends.  She surprised me with a super cute Hello Kitty purse a few months ago some stencils inside.

Just a few weeks ago she sent me a box full of goodies for my family and I.  Check out the yummy snacks.

She included this cute card that she made.

 It's always an extra special treat and brings a smile to my face when I am surprised with a RAK from a good friend.

Quilling, a Yummy Lunch, and a Chinese Festival

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend.  Just a little warning... this is a long post so you may want to enjoy a snack and grab some thing drink while you read it.  :) Mine was lot so fun from the beginning to the end.  On Saturday, I went to my monthly quilling class.  This is what we made. 

Here is Mr. Penguin's profile.

Isn't Mr. Penguin cute?  :)  After class as usual my friend Esther and I went out to lunch.  Here's my lunch- chicken and waffles.

Esther ordered a chicken salad

and a pancake.

During lunch each of us surprised each other with a RAK.  This is what I made for Esther.

This is what she made for me.

I always look forward to my monthly quilling class and having lunch with Esther.  On Sunday after church, my family and I went to the Asian Pacific Museum for a Mid Autumn Moon Festival.  We had a blast there dressing up in Chinese costumes (Is this what we would have wore if we got married in China?),

making latterns (This is the one that my daughter made.),

listening to Chinese instrumental music, making flowers, folding origami, making candle holders,

and enjoying bulba from a  bulba truck.

It was definitely a fun packed afternoon!  I hope that all of you had as good as a weekend as I did.  Thanks for sticking around to read my long post.  :)

Using My Cricut For the First Time

I finally used my Cricut to make some cards.  I have had my machine for a least 5 years, but have never used it on my own.  ( I have used it several times with one of my good friends.  She's shown me the ropes of how to use it several times.) I was finally brave enough to use it last month to make this card

thanks to my friend Gail for challenging me to use my machine. (The card in a previous post with the panda is the second card that I made using some thing that I cut with my Cricut.) We swap cards together each month without a particular theme, but she said the card that we made last month has to be done using our Cricuts.  Definitely without her making that a requirement I would not have used my Cricut.  I look forward to using my machine again soon.  This time around I won't be as nervous.  Well as at least I hope not.  :)

Dinner With Friends

Happy October!  Even though it doesn't feel like it's Fall here in SoCal I am excited to take out my Fall decorations for work and at home.  I love decorating!  Well, yesterday my family and I went out to dinner with my friend Susanna and her family.

We ate at one of favorite local seafood restaurants- Big Shrimp.  I ordered orange ruffy with rice, coleslaw, and bread.  ( I usually order brown rice when I go to restaurants, but I love their white rice.)

My hubby ordered a shrimp burrito with coleslaw and rice in it.

My son ordered shrimp tacos

and my daughter ordered fried shrimps and coleslaw.

This is the RAK that gave to Susanna.

The panda on her card is one of the first pandas I cut using my Cricut.  The KitKats are from the International package that I purchased a few weeks ago at Maruki.  I believe the KitKats are from Australia,    Finland, and Europe.  I can't wait to taste them!