Where Have I Gone?

Hello lovely friends!

👋😃

In 2016, I began this #Kawaii365 blog, which was a huge player in my career as a (now copyrighted) cartoonist. Together, we've experienced all kinds of posts referencing "cute pop culture" and I even suggested posts called:

-Review Wednesdays
-Feature Fridays
-and Are They Kawaii?
-as well as Retro Kawaii

I want to tell you all that it was a lot of fun, and I met some amazing people along this artistic and cultural journey.  I gained confidence, learned a lot, and gained new skills.  I learned what it means to truly appreciate fans...

Now, it's April 2020 and it seems I've fallen off the face of the Earth since the last post in September of last year, and I wanted to explain why, and where I've gone.

This pains me to be say... but the reason I stopped producing so many of these 'kawaii blog posts' is because they've caused me to be called a spammer, and started getting removed by facebook 😭

Yes, facebook. I don't know if someone reported me, or if it was an algorithm thing, but several months' worth of cute art and culture posts were removed, just like that.  I was shocked.  I was angry.  I was devestated.  And not only do I lament the loss of the posts themselves, but I got several accusatory messages from facebook, saying I "went against their community standards."   So... cute art isn't up to their standards then.

So this made me realize, if no one can see my posts anyway, why put my heart & soul into creating them?  So I stopped.

In the meantime, I have become copyrighted in the creation of the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends, a kawaii-cute bunch of 'weird friends' who live on a planet discovered by a mad scientist, who put them there to protect them.  Please see the video below for more info:

Thank you to everyone who has shown support on this artistic and fun journey.  You all mean a lot to me. Blessings xoxo

Kawaii Squishie Keychains

Hello sweet friends!

This evening, as I approach bedtime, we will keep this review to a short and sweet video (sweet-smelling, too - wish I could share!)

Highlights of the video:

😍 These are very affordable, if you'd like some too. Just search Amazon for Goodangie00 - her shipping is mostly free and seems to be world wide. I did some research after the video.
😍 I don't know yet, but am thinking of doing a blog giveaway with these - like 1 per each winner. I think they are too adorable to hoard all to myself and want you to enjoy them too. I'll let you know when I've ironed out the deets. 
😍 The one with an 'X' for the nose & mouth, reminds me so much of Rabbird, which was sorta inspired by a cartoon rabbit I saw as a kid. If you want to know about my sweet baby Rabbird, check her out here.
😍 That 'squee' sound effect from one of the squishies, was from me, LOL. I do think they would be so much cuter if they made that noise on their own while being compressed.
😍 They should be able to be hung off of bags of all kinds, and can probably also accessorize beltloops, necklaces(?), and likely can be used as keychains or at least on keychains as well.


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Anyway as you know, life is pretty busy as an artist, blogger, wife & home-maker, and of course, retail worker. I really do my best to keep you entertained, because I APPRECIATE you and your patronage coming to check out this kawaii blog, which has been crafted for your amusement.

I understand everybody literally has the same 24 hours in their day, and it's up to us as to how we utilize our time. I'm not whining, finding excuses, blaming outside sources, etc...…

When you show that my finding time to share with you and entertain you, isn't in vain, then you make my world brighter. And for that, I thank you (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

How can you do that? Well, glad you asked! Just check out Patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist and there, you'll see a page dedicated previously to the year-long kawaii art project and now dedicated to the 12 zany, kawaii animals that I'd like to entertain you with. When you become a Patron, then you're helping me with day-to-day costs associated with creating.

These costs can include art supplies, fees for websites or Vistaprint, entry fees for exhibits, and of course advertising in general. Even if you don't want to submit a measly dollar each month, you also help me greatly when you share the page with people you know, love & trust.

Thank you!

Kawaii Liquid Eyeliner - A Belated Review Wednesday

Hi everyone, and welcome to another [belated] Review Wednesday! (✿◠‿◠)

 Today we'll have a brief review of this kawaii girl eyeliner that I got off of Amazon. For a homely girl, I really do love makeup and of course I love anything this cute!

First, I did a quick application video:

Sorry for it being so rushed - just as a busy person, half the battle is finding time to do stuff like this. I kept the rest of my face naked on purpose so there was no competing makeup that might take the attention off the eye liner ≧◡≦

So first, let's get the awkward close-ups out of the way, lol haha. I swept it on with a vague 'crescent moon' shape (rounded and pointing up at outer corners). Also, because I have small eyes, it's not advisable for me to let the eyeliner go right to the inner corners of the eye...

The brush was a little harder than expected, and slightly scratchy. That's okay though - I'm only saying it feels firmer on my lids, because I'm mentally comparing it to another liquid eyeliner I have, which has a very soft, pliable brush. This kawaii one is still able to 'sweep' the lid!

Anyway, in a way, this look is a more subtle take on the classic cat eye.

I bought this, because her simple and elegant cuteness was too much to resist!

I mean, just look at the beautiful details on her dress...

And those tiny, pink lips - squee!

The details on the back - small and hard to zoom in on, so here are the details:

The company is called YANQINA, they are a beauty/cosmetic company that operates out of China, and you can order online from them, here: YANQINA eyeliner dolls

I admit, before opening this, I made a false assumption that her entire 'hair' would come off. Instead, just the lid comes off and does not leave her 'bald'. You can see the line now.

Here are some other varieties of her:

I also noticed, when the bottle moves, this one has a shaker/mixer - reminds me of older bottles of nail polish and brings back memories (whatever happened to those little metal beads, anyway...?)

Anyways, thank you so much for finding time to sit with me today and learn more about these kawaii lil' eyeliner dolls by YANQINA! I'll definitely be making good use of this one ^_^

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.

Artist Gets Blasted on Reddit

Hi everyone,

Today is Wednesday and normally, we'd be reviewing a kawaii-cute item, snack, or art idea.

Today, however, has slightly darker tones.


As you readers know, my art style is cartoonish. It always has been, because I am a huge fan of cartoons. I love & collect Hello Kitty, I grew up reading For Better or For Worse by my favorite cartoonist, Lynn Johnston.

And aside from me, there are hundreds of popular web comic writers, many of which got published into books (such as Cyanide and Happiness by Rob D., Kris W., and Dave M.)

Society's current interests (anime & manga, newspaper funnies, etc.), and pop culture over the years would show that people enjoy cartoons. And there are a vast number of digital artists in our world.


So can someone please tell that to Reddit?


Part of any professional's growth in modern life, is the advent of the internet. Whether it's a writer's articles being shared on LinkedIn, or a singer's videos being viewed on YouTube... and Reddit shouldn't be any different in that kind of support. But sadly, they are.

This exchange between a moderator named O-shi, and me, holds nothing back.

And though, on the surface, it looks like O-shi is polite in tone, the underlying message is clear: My art style is not good enough for them. Apparently, only paintings fit for The Louvre are welcome on Reddit. And as you can see from checking out O-Shi's page, they do this to a lot of up-and-coming, very talented artists. Enough.

Readers, please note, this is not just about me. I will admit, this is not the first time they've deemed my cute, digital cartoons as not good enough and removed them, but the one in question here is a very special one, a birthday one, that I worked hard on:

And it's not just me who gets targeted this way by Reddit mods, as they like to call themselves. So today, I have had enough.

I have had enough of so-called 'leaders' (website moderators, really?) telling us digital artists & cartoonists (I include many of you in that statement) are not good enough. Or that we're spamming them, or should go back to art school, or whatever cruel words the mods choose to employ this week.

Clearly, they don't seem aware they're talking to humans with feelings. Humans with dreams & aspirations. Humans who work hard to get their art to the masses...

And it is never, ever cool to tell an artist that they make 'low quality work'. Again readers, I include a lot of you here because a lot of you, like me, are cartoonists and digital artists to some capacity.

And it's time we started commanding the respect we deserve for our work!


😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠😠

If this has happened to you, either on Reddit, or another sharing platform or forum, please let us know in the comments. Together, when we all speak up, this can make positive changes in how society views all aspects of art. We all matter!

Happy World Puppetry Day (and Review Wednesday)

Hi everyone!

Boy has it been a long time since I've done regular Review Wednesdays... it's been getting super busy at my day job (retail) and I've also been doing some commission art/design projects when home.

Anyway, I had a plastic bag filled with some kawaii items (many of which were from Amazon) for later reviews. In that bag was also a small agenda for 2016/2017, to help me keep track of the semi-regular blog posts, and ironically I forgot about it.

Before we get further into today's review, I'd like to say Happy World Puppetry Day!

And just when you think this girl (points to self) couldn't get any more 'extra', back in 2014 (about a year out from decided to quit selling Avon) I did a video for my business YouTube channel where I indulged in a cat puppet from my hubby. I still own and love this puppet as if she were a real cat (since we're not supposed to have pets in our condo).

So now back to our Review Wednesday... yes, I was almost gonna do a video review with the black cat puppet, but since there's already a video of 'us', I decided to just stick a photo review today. And the item plays right into the whole cat theme...

It's a kawaii cat decorative tape pen! It can be used for scrapbooking, making a fancy letter for a friend, or even room decoration (for highly trained experts)!

How it looked when it came from Amazon

A closer look at the package; I can't detect the language but think it's Korean. If you recognize it please let us know.

Aww! I love the 3D black cat on this :)

To my surprise, it comes undone! It also goes back together.

There are 2 separate rolls of design tape, with different directions.

I used the pen n 2 different directions and 'made' a variety of cats.

Here is a kind of terrible close-up of the tape. It cut off  a little at the edge, so most of the cats are partial. 

Anyway, it's getting a little late and I've still got a $#!+-ton of cleaning to do and gotta make supper, too. Thank you for stopping to read with me today! 

Xoxo,
Daryl J.

Review of Cute Animal Trinkets from Sunrise Records

Hi everybody!

Thank you for tuning in here today and sharing my joy about these new kawaii cuties, from Rob and from my mum for my recent birthday. I took pictures awhile ago while opening them, but it's been awhile since I'd be able to find time to film with them, too.

Please enjoy this brief and slightly awkward video above, lol. They're all too adorable not to share with someone, eh? 

Have a lovely day!

What Do You Want?

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. 

And in addition, we've got cute games and quizzes here for you to enjoy!

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 

Thank you,

Daryl J. of

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!

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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