Review of Cute Candy Food

Hello everyone (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

It's been awhile (a month) since I've posted here with you guys, and a lot has happened. I've had some recent ideas for individual blog posts, but then I got an idea to do a nice combined one for you instead ^_^


Valentine's Day

I'm going to start with the gifts Rob got me for our 11th Valentine's Day together - he found a pink Hello Kitty which has hearts right in her fur!  And he also got me a pre-Easter one as well, since it's undeniably cute that she's holding a egg-shaped bunny.

You can see pretty well my whole collection at @hello_sweet_kitty

My Birthday

So as you know, I celebrated my 31st birthday on Monday, February 25th (I'm a sun Pisces) and Rob surprised me with a really cool Stranger Things bag. One of my work pals showed me photos of this cute bag because she knows I am obsessed with this show. So then I dragged Rob to EB Games to show him the bag, only to come away disappointed by the higher price. Then, a couple weeks later, he presented it to me as a birthday gift! 

If you are curious, at first glance it's "all the characters", but upon closer inspection, you can see it's a variety of Eleven's different looks. The ones from Hawkin's Lab when she's got her head shaved and lab equipment attached to her. There is the famous blonde wig look - including later without the wig when she's caught stealing Eggos. Then there is the "farm girl" look when she first meets her long-lost sister, followed by the cooler "Bitchin'" look they give her. And last but not least, the Snow Ball Dance look, when she dances with Mike - so romantic! 

A Busy Month

As you can see by the picture below, February has been a pretty busy month! 

This is one of four calendars available on my Etsy Shop - Now only 99 cents CAD

I was doing everything from attending tax workshops at RDC and practicing pictures for Art Battle, to painting an Adirondack chair for a fundraising event for Red Deer's own CentreFest, and attempting to create two characters for Nuit Blanche (sadly, they were not able to make it). 

Art Battle February 26, 2019

part of the Adirondack chair project (2019)

Paul the Polar Bear (Polly the Penguin not pictured). Designed for Nuit Blanche.

Miniature painting I created while practicing for Art Battle. I used acrylics, with small brushes on a "velvety" black plastic piece, about 4 inches by 1.75 inches.

Cute Candy Food Review

I bet by now, you were thinking the title was some sort of click bait… haha I didn't troll you. I really AM reviewing some cute candy burgers and hot dogs.  Rob & I went on a date this month to Heritage Lanes bowling alley, which has a pretty cool arcade! 

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

So we played some games and earned some tickets, and had enough to get these 2 widdle (little) hot dogs and 2 widdle burgers - *SQUUEEEE*

My husband asked if they were even edible - after all, they do sort of look like erasers. They seem to be called efrutti as a brand name. I've never seen that confectionary brand before, but it's pretty decent.  On a personal level, I'm not a huge fan of chewy candies (I prefer chocolates, or suckable things on sticks like lollipops, though I am partial to sour keys).  So my review of these is objective.

I opened one of the hotdogs - right away, the "wiener" came out of the bun. I'm not sure if it was designed to be taken apart, but I actually liked that. It made it fun. The "bun" felt very soft & smooth, which was nice. It also had a pleasant fragrance. I didn't eat the bun, but did eat the wiener part and found it too chewy for my taste.  Though it did taste okay.  I think for those who are fans of chewy candies, these would be a real treat! 

(●´ω｀●)

Kawaii Fridge Magnets for Sale

And these popular, funny, cute and downright silly magnets are for sale again. In the past, both on Etsy and at The Market here in Red Deer, I've sold them individually for $2 each.

Then, around Christmas this last year, I was selling the five-packs for $5 each (making each magnet 50% off). 

Now, I have a few packs left and they are going for $2/pack!! That's over half price! 

All 5 magnets - designed and crafted by me - are for you, for only $2 CAD.  This deal isn't currently on Etsy, but we can meet in person if you live in Red Deer and I'll give them to you that way, OR if you're not in Red Deer, email me your mailing address and you can eTransfer me at darylannderoche@gmail.com  

They make great gifts, workplace or school locker decorations, or just fun magnets for your fridge at home. Who doesn't love a little giggle to brighten their day? 

Thank you everyone for being here with me today!

xoxo, Daryl J. 

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Follow Hello Kitty on Instagram

Hi everyone, 

today I'd like to share the Instagram feed of @hello_sweet_kitty. Firstly, I'd like to say I tried to get the entire feed here for you, but after an hour of research, I learned that only wordpress blogs seem to get that privilege (and I prefer Blogger). 

So here is one of the more popular posts of the sweet kitty's account, for you to enjoy:

View this post on Instagram

Mimi is kind of a 'hippie chick' (just like me!) And she enjoys all things creative. Her favorite music ranges from soft rock to disco, depending on her mood. Show this girl some love with hearts 💝 #hippie #softrock #hellokittyaddict #hellokittyforever #rainbow #hellokittymania #disco #kawaiicats #sanrio #cute

A post shared by Daryl Januszewski (@hello_sweet_kitty) on May 28, 2018 at 8:54am PDT

The above kitty is Mimi, one of several of my personal plushie collection, where they are all friends and all have their distinct personalities 😍😎😇😆😘😁😏

Hello Kitty Train

Konnichiwa everyone! 

Or should I be saying, 'All aboooooard!'

Today's article is about a super cute train that I just read about in a local newspaper, here in Alberta. My husband Rob knows I adore Hello Kitty, so he showed me this article.




Anyway, sadly this train is not available in Alberta - I really wish it was! It's actually in Fukuoka, Japan. This awesome and kawaii train will begin service on June 30, which is tomorrow already! Boy the citizens sure are lucky!

Not surprisingly, tickets for this are already sold out. 

The outside of the bullet train is pink & white with pictures of Hello Kitty on the sides, and the interior is gentle and comfortable, with a subtle Hello Kitty theme. In car 2 (from the front), there is a statue of Hello Kitty available for tourists to pose with. I'm looking forward to Instagram exploding with selfies from this train (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

It will operate one round trip a day from Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station. This sounds like something worth checking out, if you're ever heading to Japan.


Here is a slightly closer picture of the newspaper article: 

Sorry it is kind of blurry. Our camera has a million settings and I often struggle to find 'the right one'.

Thank you so much for reading here, today!

Hello Kitty Candy Tin - A Belated Review Wednesday

Hi all!

Thank you for tuning in here today, and sorry it's a day late. As they say - 'Better late than never, right?'

So today's 'Review Wednesday' is a Hello Kitty candy tin. I bought it for about $4 at Sunrise Records [here in Red Deer, Alberta].

The thing that really drew me to this one, was her colorful, Mexican-style 'mask face' (made me think of the movie Coco). This style has a tie to Dia de Muertos celebrations. As a spiritual person and open-minded skeptic of the supernatural, this appeals to me.

And on the back, is the manufacturer/distributor information: 

I was surprised to find that the candies inside, are orange, green and blue - there must be cultural significance to this, as per the overall style. I thought they might've been red or pink:

When you look closer, you can see that the candies are flower-shaped... which again, ties into the cultural style significance (like the flowers around her eyes):

And when I tasted them, they were all slightly sour, with a good deal of 'sweet'. Each color tasted pretty well the same (in most times, that's the case. It's just something I check for with multi-colored candies).  Now, this tin and her remaining candies, can sit in the same drawer as the nail polish which I use for adding some sparkle to Christmas cards which I make & sell.

Thank you for enjoying a [belated] Review Wednesday with me today... if you'd like a candy tin like this one, they are available at most Sunrise Records stores.

xoxo,

Daryl J.

Hello Kitty Review - Again!

Hi everyone, it's been awhile again, eh?

It's nice to be back with you. 

Rob's been granted almost a month off from work so he can drain vacation pay that's racked up, and we've been travelling together. We recently went with a couple of his relatives to Las Vegas (my first time there!!)

and then most recently, we went to WEM (West Edmonton Mall) where we stayed at Fantasyland Hotel and enjoyed many fun hours at the World Waterpark, Galaxyland, Ed's Bowling, and more!

Anyhow, while we were in WEM, we stopped in at the T&T Supermarket (for fans of Asian import stuff) and got some authentic Hello Kitty stuff, which we'll be reviewing here today.


The first one is these [vanilla?] cookies. They taste similar to animal crackers but with a slightly savory or 'umami' aftertaste. I admit I cannot read the ingredients in the language (most likely Japanese, but if you recognize it in the photo, please share what it says and in what language). It's good I have no real food allergies then. This product seems it may contain nuts, egg & dairy - and wheat for sure.

The back of the box had a 'cut-out' for a 3D doll 

This is as nice as I could make it look... she's a bride!

The next runner up is this cute Hello Kitty arcade game, with tart/sour cherry candies, reminiscent of the Pac-Man games of the 1980s (brought back into popularity by Eighties Reimagined shows such as Stranger Things). Anyhow, it's not 'playable' but sure an adorable figurine!

Enlarged to show the attention to Pac-Man style details! So thoughtful!

Slightly sexual looking cherry candy ;)

And as an 'Easter egg', meant literally, Rob got for me one of those giant Kinder surprise eggs, like the one pictured here: 

I didn't even think to photograph the one Rob got me for Easter, as it looked so yummy I just dug right into it! 

Anyhow, the 'egg' inside had a cool toy... A Hello Kitty BBQ set, and stickers too!

Yay, Hello Kitty stickers!!

She appears to be holding ice cream, and it came with a paper 'meal' for her BBQ

Anyhow, even when life is busy with travelling quality time with spouse, working, and housework... there is always time for a Hello Kitty break 😍😍

Have a great day, 

xoxo Daryl J.

Hello Kitty Tree Ornaments

Hello, and welcome to tonight's Review Wednesday!

Christmas is now 12 days away (almost 11 as I write this), and we've got our cute, condo-sized tree up now. I love it because, we've got quite an eclectic selection of ornaments we've acquired over the years. I have a Belle from Beauty & The Beast, some vintage 50s ornaments from Rob's dad's childhood. We have some more rustic ones, like an owl made of bits from nature, and a miniature frappucino from Starbucks. We also have a variety of woodland creatures, including bears, moose, and others. We've got knitted and paper ornaments as well as other handmade ones.

But in keeping with the spirit of Kawaii, today we'll review some of my favorite kitty-themed ornaments!

BONUS - one of our Soft Kitty ornaments!

I got these ornaments as stocking stuffers from loved ones over the years, as well as occasionally picking one out myself in a store.

Just out of curiosity, how do you decorate your tree this time of year?

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Do you love coloring pages?

Then get some fun Christmas-themed ones with this coloring book from my Etsy shop ^_^

Also available for coloring fans - a printable 2018 calendar!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

In other news, 

We've pretty well got all our Christmas shopping done now. I've already wrapped 20 presents (and went through about 4 rolls of paper)! Rob & I got a portrait done to commemorate our romantic 10th Christmas together (yay!) and we ordered cards of such, so I'll be doing lots of signing & sending.

It's exciting to think about all the festivities, and all the very romantic Christmas dates Rob & I have enjoyed together to bring in festive season #10 as a couple 💖

Anyhow, have a brilliant rest of your week, dear sweet friends! I'll try to be back here again before December 25th! 

Daryl

Hello Kitty

If you know me at all, then you know who my favorite cartoon character is...

Hello Kitty!  ~squee~