Okay so, first a little back story here. I know it's been a long time since I've done a Feature Friday for y'all.
The reason I am doing one now, is because of a super-kawaii YouTube channel I came across, while doing research on a project for a special someone's birthday...
In researching how to make an exploding gift box (don't worry - the fun, non-violent paper craft), I found this amazing young lady's channel, called:
More specifically, after a family member/in-law showed me that she'd made one of these, filled like a scrapbook with 'animated' pictures (small photo albums with moving parts), I became intrigued with learning how to do this.
And even more specifically, I want to turn printed photos into 'waterfall cards', so this video was very educational, as well as entertaining to watch:
And now, as for what makes this video/channel so kawaii? I don't even know where to start! It's the perfect embodiment of 'innocent and girly'. There's the hearts in the box she made (out of special paper stock), and the gentle rainbows, all the pink stuff, the cute cartoon girl at the beginning, and the charming lullaby that plays like a music box. 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘 So I must say, that watching someone make so much out of thick paper, reminds me of last year's #OrigamiChallenge that ran on this blog. Though I am not overly adept at making much more than a paper plane or kid's fortune teller, it is still an art form I respect. And if you're a paper-crafter, by all means, share photos of your work on social media with the tags #kawaii365 and #OrigamiChallenge (works best when you share directly to the fb group Kawaii365). Chances are high that you'll even get your awesome work featured in a future blog post! Remember to check out the latest post from Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends! That's all for now, Have a great weekend! xoxo, Daryl J.
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
Yes, it's no longer Wednesday. But this review was fully intended for yesterday. I am now wrapping up the Origami Challenge that ran across most of this Summer. After reviewing a super cute website called Paper Kawaii, I decided to try some of her projects. I admit I basically failed at most of them, but then I found a really cool one I was able to do.
It's a Sonobe bowl, made via modular origami. It required 9 sheets of paper, and was totally worth it 😎
They fit into each other. No glue required.
Flipped over and can be used as a 'bowl' for jewelry, office supplies, candy. etc.
Anyway, I did try to make a video this morning (did my hair and everything), but there is something wrong with our webcam app. Silly Windows 10, hehe. Then I tried our portable camera to do a video that way, but it needed charging, lol. So it's photos.
so to review the Paper Kawaii website, I must say firstly that Chrissy, the lady behind it all, is immensely talented! She does origami projects that seem super human!
She also has a book about origami projects, if you'd like to try your hand at a few. And there's lots of easy-to-follow tutorial videos. Great for those with excellent hand-eye coordination.
And to review my project pictured above, I thought it was going to be really hard. I struggled with a few prior to that, and then was pleasantly surprised to find how easy it was to fold the 9 'parts' for this bowl. It was harder to put them together, but I did it 😊
Anyway, our #OrigamiChallenge ends on the last day of September, so get cracking. Or I should say... get folding!
And before I go for the day, I'd like to say it was fate that this blogpost was belated. Last night, Rob & I watched the winner announcement for America's Got Talent, season 12.
If you are keeping up with my Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends facebook group, then you will have seen a recent post about an AMAZING 12-year-old girl named Darci Lynne. She recently sang a Paul McCartney and John Lennon song using 2 distinctly different puppets, as part of her mind-blowing ventriloquism act. I casually started she should win the show, but I didn't know that would really happen...
So I'd love to give a huge shout out to both Darci Lynne, and the adorable and talented singing Angelica Hale. It was a tense moment when it was down to the 2 girls. There is no 'loser'... Angelica, you're a superstar. And you're going places! 💗
And Darci, thank you for sharing your sense of humor, and amazing ability to sing with a closed mouth. And hitting those notes? Wow! And to sing in multiple characters at once? Double wow. Have a wonderful day readers, lots of love, Daryl J. of Kawaii365
And more!
Halloween is fast-approaching, and this time I'm more on the ball with it than I was last year! Because I have a RedBubble shop now, I've added some vintage-inspired and kawaii-style leggings, scarves, and Tee shirts:
And proving to be popular, is this clipart for personal use. Some examples include website design, social media, newsletters, home-made greeting cards or party invites...
Anyway, as you can tell - and you may have heard me say it before - Halloween is my 2nd-favorite time of year! Christmas is my #1.
I love all the fun costumes, Halloween candy, party music such as Thriller, and the spooky movies!
Plus October itself is such an awesome month 😄
And September is the final month of the #OrigamiChallenge. So get that paper art photographed and shared online to get featured on this blog!
The above photo is one of many from this Summer's #OrigamiChallenge, hosted by Daryl J. of #Kawaii365 (this blog - yay!). If you have found a random sheet of origami paper with a business card attached to it, please consider it your cordial invitation to join the challenge and show your stuff!
For the rest of Summer 2017, we're hosting an #OrigamiChallenge here at Kawaii365 😊
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Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper into various objects, most of which are found in nature, such as animals or plants. It was thought to be invented in China centuries ago, and brought to Japan by Buddhist monks. 'Ori' means 'folding' and 'kami' means 'paper'. It later got changed to 'gami'.
This means that although it is a paper craft, it is only to be made from intricate folding skills, and not via cutting, gluing, taping, etc.
The base is a perfectly square sheet of colorful, thin paper, often washi paper. Any paper can do, as long as the shape is dimensionally-even all the way around, and thin enough to fold easily.
Though most origami 'animals' (and folded sculptures) tend to be just 1 sheet of paper, larger scale [and more detailed] ones can be made of many smaller paper sculptures displayed together. This is known in the artsy world as 'modular origami' and it is allowed for pieces to be attached to one another for display purposes, such as in a gallery.
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So for the rest of this Summer, try your hand at this fun and relaxing paper art form, and share your creations on social media with the tags you see in the Instagram picture above😊
I won this book from the downtown library here in Red Deer. Rob knew that I recently became a fan of adult coloring, and so there was an adult coloring event there, which we attended for date night. It was a very pleasant surprise to win anything, much-less this awesome creativity book.
Now, I had earned my Art Diploma from SCI in Quebec back in 2009, but aside from some odd jobs here & there, I never really 'became' an artist. Instead, I just settled for being a retail worker and became a housewife, often just doing chores and not following my real career passion.
So a huge thank you to my husband Rob for paying attention to what interests his wifey, and taking the initiative here. After reading this book for about a week (got it on July 3 from what I remember), I kept thinking about all the amazing authors, musicians and visual artists featured in the book, and all the neat projects. These were all people who swallowed their pride, faced their fears and dove in head first - so I did too.
The above is a picture of the very first, #1/365, project. I didn't know exactly what to make first, so I just started carrying a marker around with me and watched for 'blank canvases'. A coffee cup lid seemed perfect - this one was from Second Cup just off Gaetz Avenue.
I promise they got better after this, lol. Well, somewhat. There have definitely been some 'flops' like the 2 below, but it's all part of learning & growing, as both an artist and a person.
So if you live in Red Deer (or Calgary where Rob & I used to live), then you know I'm shy by nature. It could be a Pisces thing, or because according to Myers-Briggs, I'm an INFJ (so mostly introverted and more emotionally sensitive). And therefore, this project was one of the best decisions I've ever made!
It not only caused me to get out and meet more people in the city (and collaborate with other artists), it caused me to think with a more open mind. I developed more self-esteem, found myself forgiving others more easily, started seeing life with a more positive outlook and developed a greater interest in learning (which helps with Spanish and playing keyboard).
I also got honored to be part of some awesome events in the city, such as Alberta Culture Days and Art Battle International.
And when it started to dawn on me... I'm a real, legitimate professional graphic and visual artist (and cartoonist), I began offering commission work on Fiverr. I have designed illustrations & clipart, as well as made coloring sheets for businesses such as dental offices, and even got into paid freelance writing for others. This extra income has forced me to be better with balancing books and really paying attention to what comes in [and from where], and then what gets re-invested, and what is left over to save. And for someone like me, this is saying a lot.
Now feeling so professional, I also have my LinkedIn page a complete makeover. Like my passport photo, it was in desperate need of one!
This project has also helped me manage time better - as an adult with ADHD (yes it's a thing), I wasn't always focused on schedules and time. But now, after monitoring a year day-by-day, week-by-week and even month-by-month (with a binder and notebooks), I feel more organized than before. Here's to hoping this is a habit that sticks.
And, armed with the knowledge that I'm a legit professional artist with experience, references, a deviantArt page and a diploma in Arts, I decided to take my tee shirt designs professional and opened a RedBubble shop. That has proven successful with sales, and I also have a Zazzle shop with my original designs uploaded to it. And it feels amazing to have come this far in just a year!
So, you might be wondering then... today is project #365 - what is it?
You'll need to watch the YouTube video above for the reveal...
And, I've been asked by reputable questioners, what is going to become of this blog now that our daily art project is done. That's a great question!
Initially, I figured this blog would end up in a holding pattern [after 400+ posts], but then we began doing Review Wednesdays and Feature Fridays, which proved popular. And most recently, we do a thing on Mondays called 'Are They Kawaii?' so this blog is going to stay updated with those.
I can't just disappear from all the loyal readers and sharers. You guys have shown so much love and helped make this blog and art project a reality for this shy girl (pointing to myself).
Also, we are still doing 'challenges' where you try something new & Japanese (currently, we're doing the #OrigamiChallenge) and share it across social media to get yourself seen ≧◡≦
And before I go for the evening, you need to know something cool: Next Monday (July 17th) is World Emoji Day, so make sure to share some love with emoji! In fact, if you can, try commenting here with them 😄
It's just after 8pm here in Alberta, Canada and I've been away for almost a couple of days now. I have been feeling 'under the weather' (not sure if very minor food poisoning or IBS symptoms). And after a good nap and some time resting this afternoon after work, I feel better. The Gravol helped too.
While I was thinking, I came up with some cool new ideas for wall art in my Etsy shop, as well as 2 new characters for tee designs in my RedBubble shop. You will see them come to full fruition soon ;)
In the meantime, today's #Kawaii365 project (June 16) is a quick digital sketch of me sitting in bed and having thoughts of new creative concepts. I really like hybrids and fusions...
I like hybrids in animals, hybrids between humans and animals (or humans and robots, aliens, etc.) And I like fusions in food (like Butter Chicken pizza) and in music (pop with hip-hop vocals).
Yesterday's post was missed altogether due to busy-ness and starting to feel unwell. So here also is June 15's #Kawaii365 project:
Today is also Feature Friday!!(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
And it is a pleasure to feature Fruity Cuties, which is a comedic site filled with kawaii jokes! If you're maybe wondering, 'What are kawaii jokes?' then look here:
So silly, and yet so adorbs!! In many instances, their appearance + descriptions are a play on words, and all of them are based on various food items, not unlike yummy Shopkins!
If animation is more your thing, then you'll enjoy these funny moving puns [below]!
I feel pretty good (emotionally) right now because Rob & I just woke up from a nap, it's still super sunny outside (it's 5:07pm) and I'm having a mildly Nutella-flavored coffee. Yay (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
So last night, I started working a little on practicing for this blog's #OrigamiChallenge. You can start creating and sharing anytime you'd like with the above tag plus #Kawaii365 across your own social media. Right now I'm still practicing. I started with a 'hopping frog', an airplane (yes it counts!) and one of those fortune tellers probably every kid and their friends played with in grade school!
And for today's #Kawaii365 daily project, I made some French fries. Well okay, Rob & I ate the original ones before using the empty cartoon to inspire cuteness today at Burger King in Red Deer. I forgot how awesome they are there. I couldn't decide between a cheeseburger and chicken fries - but then I went for chicken fries since that's the only place where I can get those. I also really craved a Hershey's Sundae Pie! So yummy!
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop and read this blog today! Stay tuned for tomorrow's Review Wednesday - what will it be?
And go ahead and start with the #OrigamiChallenge if you'd like! Remember - the other challenges hosted by this blog have not expired which means you're still welcome to throw on your favorite Kigurumi or belt out your favorite Karaoke song. Bonus points if you combine both previous challenges into one!
Last night before bed, I went a small rant about how I don't make videos very often. Or, very well. Then I got to thinking - I started this kawaii blog project in July of last year (so just under 10 months ago now) and since then, I've enjoyed making videos of everything from food and snack reviews, to beauty products and even toys!
So for today's (May 1's) #Kawaii365 project, instead of drawing another illustration or creating another modelling clay cutie - I decided to take the video route and make a new intro for all Review Wednesdays to come from this point forward. Though as an artist (and as a woman) I do change my mind as I grow and expand. I'll try to keep this one at least for the rest of 2017 :)
And I know Mondays are often when we do the 'Are They Kawaii?' and 'Retro Kawaii' (cartoons from the mid-90s and earlier). I'm still catching up on a library book due in a few days, and practicing some origami for the #OrigamiChallenge, and writing an eBook for my digital Etsy shop. This is all in addition to typical housework and chill time... so I've decided to stop putting so much pressure on myself to make this blog perfect. Because there is perfection in imperfection and there will be many 'Are They Kawaii?' and 'Retro Kawaii' posts to come in future - even after July 10 ≧◡≦
Everyone is talking about this Unicorn Frappuccino and it seems pretty much one-sided. From what I've seen and heard so far, celebs like Katy Perry aren't fond of the taste, baristas hate the steps it takes to make them, and everyday people like us who Instagram our food have had a lot to say about the sourness that lurks in these beautiful-to-behold crafted beverages.
I had actually wanted to try one just to see (okay, taste) what all the fuss is about - and as it stands right now, the Starbucks we went to had run out of supplies... well, at least they said they did.
So I was thinking - if this drink had a personality and feelings, it would probably feel something like this little guy:
As much fun as I had digitally drawing this, I feel sad at the thought of this Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino feeling sad - which makes me glad drinks don't have feelings. I'm an INFJ, does it show in my sappiness? Haha.
And today is another Review Wednesday,
so I am excited to share this quick little video (filmed right after we got in the door from work which is why I look and sound exhausted), of my new pad of 180 sheets of paper for practicing and sharing some Origami art with you guys!
Origami is the art of folding fancy paper (often washi or chiyogami paper from Japan) into little sculptures such as birds, flowers, and other things found in nature. It's an ancient form of art and I'd love to see if I can make anything decent. I'll practice first and then share my better ones on Instagram for you guys, and strongly encourage you to do the same, with the hashtags in the video above!
Love you all, thank you for your encouragement, support and making dreams come true xoxo
Today we're talking about colors, and how they tie into the art and fashion worlds. I'm going to start by listing some favorite 'fashion colors' with you:
-Mint green -Turquoise -Peach -Coral -Cotton Candy pink -Lavender
Okay but how do these colors come to be? Yes they are found in nature, in flowers and fruit, as well as stones and minerals. But what about the science of color?
Even though I've already been a professional artist for years now, I sometimes re-read my old art student books and I still love color just as much now as I did then! So that's why, for yesterday's (April 22's) #Kawaii365 project, I re-drew a color chart which shows the relationships between primary colors (red, yellow and blue), secondary colors (purple, green and orange), and tertiary colors (everything else!).
And I love fashion just as much as I love art! To be honest, I believe that art & beauty/fashion are very closely intertwined. They're both about aesthetics and experimentation. And I just recently bought an Essie nail polish in a dove grey (with soft, blue undertones to accent my pale hands) and I got this for ONLY ONE DOLLAR at Shoppers Drug Mart! What an awesome sale!
I decided to get a little more creative with this one in the photography. After all, the whole idea of doing this daily, year-long art project is to open my thinking.
Since starting this project in July last year, I've already landed several awesome gigs around this city as well as on Fiverr and Etsy - my mind and confidence have both expanded greatly!
So as you guys know, we're heading into Spring here in Red Deer, Alberta (still some snow but it's getting warmer). Since starting this blog we've done a #KaraokeChallenge (you're still welcome to share your singing videos with us) and before that, a #KigurumiChallenge
And now, after looking at Paper Kawaii for training if you will, I'm going to pick up some washi or chiyogami paper and get practicing! When I think they're good enough I'll start sharing them on Instagram for you to enjoy - and then I encourage you guys (the amazing readers!) to make your own origami (Japanese paper folding art) and share it with these 2 hashtags: #OrigamiChallenge and #Kawaii365 - and in case you guys are wondering if there are prizes, the answer is YES! For everyone who participates, you'll get a free coloring sheet drawn by me!
And in addition to that, it's also Easter weekend and today is Good Friday 💛 You may have noticed that none of my #Kawaii365 projects were particularly Easter-themed. No colorful eggs or chocolate bunnies - and that's for religious reasons. I sincerely want to respect this weekend being about Jesus Christ. He was crucified on the cross and laid to rest in a tomb, when 3 days later (as promised) He arose and was alive again. How it got to be about bunnies and chickens is kind of beyond me - though I do love Springtime and chocolate on their own. No matter what name your religion has, the same God loves us all, so please have a beautiful, blessed weekend (✿◠‿◠)
So due to some illness last week, I wasn't able to do the Feature Friday as usual. And that's why today we're going to meet 2x artists in the kawaii community!
First up we have Chrissy from Australia! She is the super creative and talented artist and blogger behind Paper Kawaii - a site dedicate to stunningly beautiful Origami (Japanese paper art). Impressively, she's been running this art site since 2008 and I admire her passion.
If you find this header then you're at the right place!
I was introduced to origami all the way back in about 1994, when one of my Asian classmates brought in some washi paper and showed off her skills (at a young age!) so I wanted to try that too. One of the first things I learned was a paper airplane. And then those 4-way fortune tellers. Later on as a teen, I volunteered reading to children where we learned how to make origami frogs that could actually jump. Though nothing I've made is nearly as nice as Chrissy's roses:
Anyway, this blog has already had a #KigurumiChallenge last year, and a #KaraokeChallenge earlier this year - so for the Spring, I'd like to host an #OrigamiChallenge (yes, please use that hashtag when you share your work across social media). And it's highly recommended that you thoroughly check out the Paper Kawaii website for instructions and inspiration to make your best work.
And our next cutie of the kawaii world is a YouTuber who goes by Piper Dollface.
Like me, she is a proud nerd who proudly owns it (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ
And, she reviews some of the coolest things! I mean, mood ring lipstick? I didn't even know that was a thing! She also does some cute reviews of box openings and squishies and stuff!
See her Squishie collection below (I love the Hello Kitty donut!)
I'm so jealous right now - for reals!
So... which one was your favorite? Huh? HUH?? (mine was the blue donut and ice cream ones).
Okay and I'd also love to share my April 14 (Good Friday) #Kawaii365 project with you. Now, there is a back story to this one. Many years ago, shortly after I learned how to use MS Paint and PowerPoint (animation) programs, I made a small project dubbed 'The Bean Family'. This was in the earlier 2000s, and I didn't quite feel satisfied. The idea was good, I just wasn't thrilled with how it turned out so I removed it.
Anyway, now in 2017, the idea was still somewhere in the back of my mind so I went with it, only this time I designed them to be more kawaii-style. They were drawn digitally.
Navy Bean is the husband & father, the wife & mum is Soy Bean, and their kids are teenage daughter (and goth!) Black Bean - it's just a phase, and pre-teen son Lima Bean. Hopefully you get a chuckle out of this :)
(This button badge set is 5 pounds UK, about 8 dollars US).
