Hi sweeties!
First of all, don't take offense at the title, because it's meant in a positive tone. Literally guys, I'd like to know: What do you want with this blog now that we're already so far in the new year?
It's now 2018 and this blog has been running for approximately a year & a half already. We've had fun challenges, such as:
And:
The challenges had prizes, such as a coloring sheet (drawn by me), or even your own image featured here on this blog!!
We also had a major giveaway in Christmas 2016, won by Silvia D.
Last March/April we had a fun contest where those who correctly guessed a visual pun [from a popular Disney movie], won a cute coloring page. Can you try to guess?
In addition, for quite some time throughout 2017, this blog was running Review Wednesdays, where we'd do a video or photo shoot of some kawaii cute items. I am honestly planning to bring these back to this blog, now that I've recovered from the flu and am less busy since the Holidays are over... for now.
We also used to have a very fun part of this blog, called Feature Fridays. Currently, this blog is calling for submissions - it's free to be featured once, as long as some of these guidelines are met:
⭐ You're a kawaii artist, fashion mogul, YouTuber, blogger, or fan of the culture ⭐
We also still like to occasionally review characters or pop culture that may be considered 'kawaii', and weigh in on whether or not it counts.
So please, as a loyal reader of this blog, if you have any suggestions for NEW fun stuff for 2018, please direct ideas to darylannderoche@gmail.com
And it feels surreal. It's been a busy last few days - working and getting ready for last night's Art Battle at Bo's Bar & Grill, put on by Art Battle International and run by some very cool people!
It was an honor to be a part of the event and pictures will be coming soon. If you were there, thank you for all the support! 💖
Because March 16 was so busy even up to the painting event, I intentionally created a kawaii style mermaid, inspired by the recent #KaraokeChallenge karaoke video (a few posts below in this blog) which was a cover of Part Of Your World from The Little Mermaid!
And last night, I met a fellow artist named Patricia, and she brought her brother Doug who turned out to be an amazing guy. He was very encouraging and friendly, and at the end of the night, he even bought the mermaid painting I made. And I remember him mentioning having a 'St. Patrick's Birthday' which is today, so this is a picture of Doug for today's March 17 #Kawaii365 project:
For those of you who tuned in on my Instagram feed earlier this evening, you saw a rather odd-looking image of a plasticine (modelling clay) strawberry in what appears to be a cute outer space. It's today's #Kawaii365 project - the idea came to me when Rob & I were talking and one of us was trying to say "strawberry" and it came out funny. Which is good, because it was a muse.
And here is the other recent space-themed Kawaii project (for March 14th) - it's available on RedBubble and was made in honor of Pi Day!
And did you know the flavor of the above 'pie' is Strawberry? Yum yum :)
And you've heard all the hype about the #KaraokeChallenge!
Earlier this year, this cute blog put out the call to you, the readers, to help me choose a song to sing for the challenge - since you guys challenged me by doing the survey and poll, and I agreed to do the song for you - now it's your turn to be given a song to sing. Just please make sure to include both the hashtags: #karaokechallenge and #kawaii365^_^
So here is the video for you guys! I hope you're happy!
What is Karaoke, anyway?
We're used to it as a night out with friends, often inspired by drinking alcohol first (some favorites are beer towers and soju - a fruit-flavored Korean shooter). Often times it will involve a screen, microphone and voiceless audio track set up on some sort of stage.
And if you're lucky enough, you & your pals may find a more private set up such as Nanta (in Calgary, AB) where you can rent private rooms by the hour, almost like a 'studio').
Rob & me at my 26th birthday party in a karaoke room with friends
This fun past-time has a history though... in Japanese, 'kara' means 'empty' and 'oke' means 'tub'. So the concept is for the willing participant to be able to 'fill the tub' (empty lyrics) with their own voice. Often it's a way to bond, show confidence, or even appease a group in a social setting (like if your boss takes the work team out to a karaoke bar after work).
And if you're shy about your own voice, never fear - this event was created specifically with amateur singers in mind :) In fact, you may be able to buy microphones (or some bars have them) that amplify your voice - features such as auto tune.
It's still fairly new! Most cool things about Japan's culture date back centuries... Karaoke seems to date back to approximately the 1960s, when singing with empty audio recordings was becoming popular. I learned this from Wikipedia, and from library books about Asian culture :D
Thank you everyone for your love and loyalty! If it weren't for your guys' smiling faces, I wouldn't be able to do this long term. And in the words of talk show host Ellen - be kind to one another 💗
For instance, Rob was recently involved in a minor fender-bender, which meant having to go file a police report and obtain a rental car while his is in the shop. And today the parking lot of our condo is getting snow removed so he's going to call me when he's done work and we'll have a date until about 4pm (to give them time to get ready).
In other cases, it's been being bombarded with housework such as multiple loads of laundry, or getting an early start on Spring cleaning...
And other times it's a slew of medical appointments, or longer hours at work. I cannot complain about either one because medical=health and work=wealth.
What it boils down to is, yes this blog is important. I want to be here everyday for you guys, the readers. I really appreciate your support. And even though sometimes days will go by in between where you see no new posts for awhile, please know I am always thinking of you and new ways to make you smile Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
Please enjoy this day-early Snack Review. I know typically it would be for Review Wednesday (which is tomorrow), but I'd like to get an early start because I cannot guarantee being able to do a review video tomorrow. You'll be happy to know that over the past few days I have been able to do a couple of videos though ;)
If you've been actively keeping up with the #KaraokeChallenge for this blog, then you know that out of the few respondents that we got, that the chosen song is 'Part of Your World' from The Little Mermaid. So that video is coming soon, and you know the rules - because those of you who did the survey and poll on facebook challenged me to sing it, now it's your turn to be challenged to a song - are you brave enough?
And because my last post here was a few days ago, you may be wondering about the latest #Kawaii365 projects too. The last one I posted was about my favorite romantic story and Disney adaptation, Beauty and the Beast.
Then March 12's was some playtime in the snow! I came across a huge snow 'mountain' in a parking lot, so I whipped out my Sharpie marker (I always carry it for impromptu art) and used the blunt end to carve out a smiling face, some words and a heart. I wanted people in the Lancaster neighbourhood (Red Deer, AB) to have something to smile about on their daily walk.
In fact, giving people a reason to smile in this hectic world was the whole reason I started this blog to begin with. I feel like there's no form of art more welcoming or soothing than the innocent & friendly little faces (and soft style) of Kawaii.
So you'll see I [faintly] wrote March 11 in the snow, when I actually meant to write the 12th. Sometimes I lose track of the day because we have a busy life. Some people assume that because I'm a professional artist who is mostly at home, that I probably don't have much of a life. Lol that's funny!
And then for March 13, a prelude of what's to come as per the #KaraokeChallenge singing video. You guys who chose the song did well picking a mermaid one, because I'm a Pisces! Thanks ^_^
So today (posting date) is March 14, which means that I am still going to come up with a project for later today as well. It might be *much later, because when my husband is done work around 1pm, we're going out for several hours since we can't park in the building's parking lot until all the snow's been cleared. Perhaps being out of the home for awhile will provide more inspiration today :)
And if you're in Red Deer, please come out to see me paint on Thursday night!
Since early childhood, this has always been my very favorite Disney story and movie. Belle is so relatable [to me] in that she is different than the rest of society, has big dreams, and loves to read! She & I were so obviously separated at birth! You can tell this from some of my Instagram pictures below:
And on March 17 of this year, the live action remake is coming to theatres around the world, and it's very exciting to 'B&TB' fans - and all Disney fans. Please tell me you have already seen the trailers for it? If not (or you have and want to see it again), then here you go:
That piano music gets me every time.
So I had said earlier that I am a lot like Belle, but what about her love interest? I've never been attracted to arrogant and violent men, no matter how handsome. What makes a man 'manly' doesn't appeal nearly as much as what makes him, human.
And if you're already familiar with this fabulous story, then you know that the "beast" (whose real name is Prince Adam) is her true love, because she looked past his exterior and saw the real person inside. The person who deserves and craves love just as much as everyone else.
Although my husband Rob's manners are pretty good (he doesn't eat porridge like a dog, hahaha) - something about him is reminiscent of Prince Adam. Perhaps it's that he is a large and intimidating person with a temper, but he can be soothed. It's all about the love.
That's why today's #Kawaii365 art was inspired by this awesome story of love, and my excitement about the upcoming movie!
And speaking of Disney movies, some of you guys have already figured out that the most popular song chosen by fans for the #KaraokeChallenge will be 'Part of Your World' from The Little Mermaid, so watch for that karaoke/cover coming soon to YouTube (and this blog!)
Today is Friday March 10, it's one week until Saint Patrick's Day and I'm finally catching up on this blog a bit! So to make up for lost time, today we are featuring 2 entities in the Kawaii community!
Yesterday, I also registered for Tumblr (I took so long only because I thought I needed a Yahoo account and I'm happy with my Google one). Just thought I'd share... see more below!
Next up to feature, we will meet Kawaii I - the latest in Tokyo street fashion! Again, if you are making plans to study in, move to or just visit Japan, this will give you an idea of what's currently trending there. Keeping in mind, some cities like Tokyo and Harajuku tend to be more fashion-forward than the country-side places.
Here is a photo example of how trendy Kawaii I really is - they are posing with renowned fashion designer Sebastian Masuda of 6% Dokidoki
And speaking of Crayola...
On March 8th, the Review Wednesday was of a blank DIY Munny (collaboration of KidRobot and Crayola), so I had a lot of fun turning him into a blue monkey. I don't know what to name him though, and I was hoping you guys - the amazing readers - could help?
And if you think it's awesome that Crayola (the essential company of our childhoods, along with Cartoon Network and Kool-Aid) is teaming up with someone as cool as KidRobot - they may surprise you even further. They've also had a collaboration with chic Clinique, which is great for all the beautiful fashionistas who read this blog (you insta-perfect ladies know who you are).
So please include this in your fashion blog! There's something very nostalgic about applying your lipstick from a giant and super cute crayon. Well, it's not really 'giant' but still bigger than those skinny little sticks of wax. And because we are talking so much about crayons, that's why today's #Kawaii365 project is literally made of crayon:
And make sure to watch on YouTube for the upcoming #KaraokeChallenge video! Thanks everyone, and as Ellen says, be kind to one another. And have a great weekend! xoxo
It seems for those of you who tune in daily, there's not always something to read here.
And for those of you who tune in weekly for Monday (Are They Kawaii/Retro Kawaii), Wednesday (Review Wednesdays) and Friday (Feature Fridays) - there have been some 'missing'. Well, not really missing - more like, life's been hectic in both good and bad ways, and sometimes it feels overwhelming to keep up.
For instance, yesterday I was spending a good deal of the day after work, practicing my singing (with a cold, yet!) and creating this funny uterus meme for my RedBubble shop. It's okay, they encouraged it, lol. I ran out of time to post here because of course there's also dishes to be washed and laundry to be put away as well. So here is March 6's (yesterday's) #Kawaii365 project as per RedBubble:
The above is in honor of International Women's Day on March 8th (tomorrow). How will you be celebrating feminity in our culture?
And then I went ahead and made today's #Kawaii365 cutie, which is a hint of something to come. Can you guess what this means?
Hint: it has to do with a certain *ahem* #KaraokeChallenge
So as a lot of you know, I'm still dealing with the emotional roller coaster that comes with grief. In February, an amazing family member passed away. It's taking awhile for it to sink in. Sometimes I feel like we should call him and make plans to meet for lunch, like we used to. In fact, this has changed the way my brain functions. I've had dreams about him still being with us. So I feel like now, more than ever, I need to indulge in the cute and comforting world of kawaii. Soft, gentle kawaii cuteness seems to say "welcome", and "it's going to be okay".
And there is some happy news too. I heard from the host and coordinator of a cool challenge called Art Battle, which takes place in an upbeat pub where a handful of artists are personally selected to compete. We will each have 20 minutes and an easel with a blank canvas and some acrylic paints. The audience watched and votes on their favorite so a winner is chosen! I am so stoked and excited to have been chosen to participate (thank you Joe Larsen!) - if you're in Red Deer and want to check it out, it's on March 16 at 7pm at Bo's Bar & Grill. Here is the official poster for it:
And as many of you guys know, I am getting prepared for selling art at a market here in Red Deer in the Springtime - I have the coloring sheets, birthday cards, and fridge magnets (all made by yours truly) - and I would also really love to provide you with some beautiful and cute pin-back buttons. The kind you'd be able to decorate your jacket or bag with. So I went to various button printing sites to see what I could create... and I was blown away by the 'sticker shock' - if I want to satisfy you with buttons, I would need $40 minimum by the end of April 2017. The minimum wage I earn from my day job only goes to cover part of our mortgage (my husband pays the rest) so without your support on Patreon, this art sale may not be overly great. And I want you to have an awesome experience when you come to my table at The Market in Red Deer.
So for everyone who cares, when you go to https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist and pledge to donate only $1/month (you can stop at any time), you will get 1 coloring sheet per month to say thank you. And, I do custom coloring sheets as well (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
And when you share this Patreon page with the people in your social media newsfeed or word of mouth, you are helping an artist's dreams come true. You mean a lot to me - you mean a lot to the world, you're amazing - thank you!
Yes, we see our thumbs all the time, mostly when we're texting, but also in many other occasions. So why not enjoy them?
Today I really enjoyed looking at my thumbs at work, and during the day (like while eating). They were giving me little winks and smiles - because I drew them on:
It is hard to see the #Kawaii365 here; it was made for March 4
It's really easy to do this look. All you need is:
Light colored, opaque nail polish. A pastel gel is perfect.
A permanent black marker, fine or medium tip.
Gel top coat for sealing it in.
An imagination full of joy!
As per the #KaraokeChallenge... YES! We are still doing that! I am just getting over a mild cold, and from the SurveyMonkey survey that was out, and the poll that was our Kawaii365 facebook group, there's a strong chance that the song chosen will be "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid.
And with Saint Patrick's Day being March 17, you still have some time to order yourself some neat items with my kawaii art on it. I care about you & your happiness, so I put together a comprehensive Pinterest board of my work available on RedBubble:
Thank you so much for loyally reading here! This blog is all for you (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
It's Friday! And it's getting closer to Springtime, yay!
What are you planning to do this weekend?
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So because there's been a lot going on, personally, I've sadly fallen behind on the Feature Fridays. Please forgive me :)
So tonight I'd like to give you twice as much viewing pleasure - you will meet 2 awesome cuties in the kawaii community!
First up is Kumamiki, a super cute vlogger with this YouTube channel: くまみき/Kumamiki she focuses on Harajuku fashion and Tokyo street style! She does many fashion and lifestyle videos with a kawaii cute flare. They may be primarily in Japanese, some of them have subtitles in English or you can add them on via YouTube's handy substitles feature. Definitely worth watching - here is a sample video:
This looks so fun & yummy, I may have to make cute Oreo characters too^_^
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And now we're going to feature (and meet!) the writer behind the CuteZine blog, Jenna Adams! Her blog is filled to the brim with Kawaii-ness!
Something that makes her unique as a writer, is that she set it up like an online magazine - with issues and articles! Creativity is a huge aspect of being in the kawaii community - whether it be for fashion, art or food :) It appears she happily and sweetly reviews it all (≧∇≦)
If you find this banner, then you've found the right site!
So definitely check her cute articles out! Have fun, sweet friends :)
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And it's another day, so that means another #Kawaii365 project! Today's is kind of a special one, because it's to commemorate the last of 10 days' worth of fan art sponsored by RedBubble - they recently celebrated 10 years in business, yay! If you'd like to see some of the awesomeness, just look up #RedBubble10 on twitter, Instagram, and other hashtag-friendly SM.
This one is significant to RedBubble itself, because the founders boldly went forward and followed a dream to open an online print shop and sell quality T-shirts designed by unique artists, for wear by unique fans like us! And of course it spread out to throw pillows, coffee mugs, phone cases and many other awesome things to enjoy!
Please take a moment to check out my RedBubble shop called KawaiiNMore - where you will find all sorts of kawaii digital cartoons made by me (so if you see someone copying me, please file a DMCA report with RedBubble). Currently my focus is on Saint Patrick's Day items, but you can also find other neat stuff, including your zodiac sign on a tee shirt or phone case!
And make sure to take the survey poll to help pick a song for the singing video!
That is, 7 months to the day since I started this blog last summer. On July 3, 2016 Rob took me on a date to the local library for an adult coloring event, in which there was a prize to be won. The prize was a book about creativity projects by author Noah Scalin. After excitedly reading this book for only a week, I decided to do it. On July 10 I made the first one: because the theme of the coloring event was kawaii cuteness, that's what I did - I took a black marker and put a cute face on my coffee cup. And then I promised myself (and others) that each day I would find a new & creative way to make a new one. And I mean that.
Now that's it's February 10, we've made already more than 200 (yes, you read that right) kawaii projects, including sidewalk art, faces made with food, cuties in the sand, modelling clay friends, digital art, coloring sheets, 'tattoos' and many other creative daily projects.
Since the beginning of this project, I have been so blessed! I've had the honor of being featured on Noah Scalin's blog, various features online from other amazing bloggers and artists, gotten chosen to participate in Alberta Culture Days' sidewalk chalk festival, met many interesting people in the art community in our city, and even opened a shop on RedBubble called KawaiiNMore
I admit I didn't even know what would become of this daily Make Something 365 project. I only knew that I was feeling excited and inspired. I admire all the people featured in Noah Scalin's "Unstuck" book and I might fail, I might even get arrested, but it's something that seems like it's worth a try. Just let my artist flag take flight!
Anyway you may have noticed there was no post for yesterday and it's being combined with today's. And that's okay. It's been a hectic time with work schedules and a family emergency, so I'm doing the best I can. The sweetest and most caring of you will understand 💙
A 'winking face' made from magnets that I made (available from my Etsy shop)
Spent a lot of time doing bathroom cleaning and it feels great that it's clean! The mouth is a hair tie.
Anyway, with this being the exact 7-month anniversary for this blog, I want to celebrate by sharing Noah's concept of 'The Big Seven' from his inspirational book. For each explanation, I will share the Kawaii projects that are most relative. 1) Let Go of Preciousness - Noah explains that one of our biggest issues with creativity is expecting perfection, and that can lead to fear of sharing if it's not perfect. When we learn to let go of that, we can open up a lot more.
Scary blobby cupcake face!
2) Freedom Comes from Limitations - He says that when we have endless time, materials, money, etc. that it can be hard to get started. But when we have limitations in time or things to use, it forces our brains to think differently and work harder.
Only had empty lunch stuff to work with, and a marker.
3) Get Out of Your Environment - Noah writes that there is only so much creative inspiration we can get from our regular office space (or wherever you happen to work on your projects). It can make a huge difference in our ideas to go somewhere new, even if it's just a coffee shop or something.
Coffee cup in a shopping cart. Because I don't have cute kids.
4) Get Out of Your Comfort Zone - He advises that when we open to the concept of possibly making a fool of ourselves, we open our world to whole new possibilities.
I gave away hand-made bracelets to strangers. Their surprise made me sheepish.
5) Get Things by Giving Them Away - Noah says that if we keep our own projects for ourselves only, then we probably won't get as a great a response. You may not get rich or famous from it, but you will for sure have a very interesting experience by sharing your project, including gifts from fans, lots of compliments, and even fun collaboration!
I made some cute tree ornaments and gave them out; I got so many compliments I almost passed out!
6) Collaborate - He writes that there's just no substitute for what happens with your creative project when friendships & sharing are developed. More brains equal more creative outcomes.
I started a small movement with leaving mostly blank notebooks in places for strangers to continue the art.
7) Inspiration is Everywhere - Noah explains that even when we feel 'stuck' in our brains, time constraints, environments or other limitations, that if we really just open up to it, we'll see inspiration all around us, from shapes & colors to new ideas.
Such a happy box! I saw it right away :)
So thank you each and every one of you (yes, even the haters!) because your attention and comments have made this project so much more worth it! I love creating for you each & every day!
BTW, the #KaraokeChallenge will be starting soon - we only need some more poll-takers to help choose a song to sing. Song list here
xoxo
*The notions from "Unstuck: 52 Ways to Get (and Keep) Your Creativity Flowing At Home, At Work & in Your Studio" (Voyageur Press publishing) are paraphrased; Noah Scalin's original words were not used in this post for legal reasons.
