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

Artist Showcase

Hello sweet friends! 😊

How are you?


The last time I posted was early March, and a lot has happened since then!

Elefox tees and more

First of all, I'd like to address the "elephant in the room" - facebook is on a Big Blog Deletion Rampage! At first, when I discovered my 9 (nine) notes of Kawaii365 throwbacks had been removed, I was distraught. They mistook my work for "spam" and so I went into facebook's Help Center and contacted them directly (after about half an hour of trying to figure out how to). I explained my situation as an artist, sharing posts from this very blog, for my friends, fans and family.  I was ignored for some time.  After awhile, I went onto blogging groups and asked others if they have had similar issues (having their links removed right out from under them, and accused of sharing spam).  As it turns out, the answer was a resounding YES!

From my research and chatting with fellow bloggers, it seems that since a recent issue with making vaccinations mandatory (which I support by the way), facebook has created a system to detect the anti-vaxxer mommy blogs and immediately remove them, with community health's interest at top of mind. This is good to remove harmful posts, but..... they've decided that ALL blog-related posts are spam. And that's not right.  Nine notes I made... for my beloved fans, and facebook removed them all....  and it's not just about me. They've done similar things to a lot of other bloggers.

So, out of support, some of my friends have suggested I share artwork and blog related posts on sites such as MeWe and even GetAssist.  I'd like to apologize for my being away since then - I've been battling depression since discovering those notes removed, and feeling victimized for sharing art.

Anyway, in lighter news...

whenever I feel "persecuted" for being an artist, it makes me stronger and I learn new ways of promoting my work.  In this case, I put together a video of my best works, to share with you.  Thank you, and enjoy:

If you truly are a fan, please feel free to pledge support for us (me and the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends) at Patreon. You'll get monthly coloring pages, access to top-secret content, and a coupon code for Etsy!

Open the video on YouTube and share it on your social media - it's free, it's quick and you're helping my work get known within a wider circle.  Thank you 😍

And before I go, I'd like to share my space-themed kawaii art with you. If you follow my Instagram, then you know that I recently took some paint to my denim jacket and made a little space scene of it:

I cannot wait until warmer weather so I can wear this outside!

And then, when I had to retire this cute bunny "wallet" (actually an Instax photo album, good for holding all kinds of cards, but eventually wore out)…

I decided to continue with the space theme, and when Rob gave me one of his wallets (brand new, just not used yet), I saw the blank/black surface as a new canvas.... 

Who knew decorating random surfaces could be so fun? 

Bonus: I am part Irish, and to celebrate that, I enjoy making Irish-themed tee decals for my RedBubble shop.  To celebrate this Saint Patrick's Day, I ordered my own "Lucky Duck" design. Here it is on my body: 

Have a great day! 

xoxo, Daryl J.

Christmas Stocking of Kawaii Cuteness

Wow, it's apparently been a loooong while since I've posted here 
v(=∩_∩=)ﾌ


The last time was around Halloween - my second-favorite season, trumped by Christmas! And speaking of Christmas, that's what I'm here to write about today - some of the amazing stocking stuffers from my awesome hubby-bubby Rob ♥‿♥


So I'll start with photos and follow with the story:

In order from top:

When I was a little girl (about grade 6), I had one of the uber-popular Tamagotchi toys. I took care of that thing like there was no tomorrow, right down to waking up late-night or early morning when the thing beeped. I snuck it to school but when a teacher took it - later giving it back with a promise from me not to bring it to school - the poor thing died. And those late 90s/early 00s models didn't have the reset capability that today's models have. I was devastated at the time, and though still intrigued with the idea of "raising" another one, I didn't bother for a long time. 

Anyway, during a 2018 trip to Sunrise Records here in Bower Mall, I saw some on display and turned into a total fangirl! So Rob surprised me by putting a pink one in my stocking. I've since played with it and it died - the one above is a duplicate because I lent the original gift to a good friend, who in turn misplaced it and so I went to replace it recently at the Toys R Us in Bower (these buggers are still insanely popular and sell out quick)! Below is a video of me grieving for the original one [Rob got me for Christmas] during a family trip to Cancun:

And the following photos [above] are of some of those awesome cookies from Second Cup - a confectionary brand called A Couple of Squares - these particular sugar cookies in Christmas themes, such as a candy cane & hot chocolate, as well as a toque and mitt (so Canadian)! I adore these cookies mainly for their kawaii aesthetic and long shelf life. It's incredible that they're all hand-made! 





And speaking of...

…the recent trip to Cancun, see this post on the Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends, to read about this cute bag's adventures: https://zoodanimalfriends.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-bag-went-to-cancun.html

This just in - 2019 is already 1/12th over. Therefore, the calendars I've made for your enjoyment, are Now on clearance: 

Kawaii one: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/561981932/now-only-199-printable-calendar?ref=shop_home_feat_3

Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/647446398/now-only-199-printable-2019-calendar?ref=shop_home_feat_1

Support the growing Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist


Thank you! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Feature Friday for ShanShan Mato

Hi everyone 😄


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.

Let's Laugh At A Terrible Video

So right now, there's this video on YouTube, about using fabric markers to put kawaii characters on clothes. Well, it's more about updating their brightness... and the camera angle is so painfully awkward, that the video is kind of hard to watch. Actually, the comments section is disabled!

Oh yeah... this is also a video of me, LOL. 

You can watch it here:

So, because I had the webcam attached to a hair accessary (I can't afford a Go-Pro camera, unless of course, you'd like to pledge at https://www.patreon.com/helpakawaiiartist) this video didn't show as much of the coloring-in job as initially hoped. Therefore, please enjoy the images below (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

This shirt is available at RedBubble

Okay, thanks for stopping laughing long enough to read this - muah! 

Back From The Sheraton Hotel

Hi everyone, hope you are well.

Again, thank you for stopping here today and reading with me. During the worst of the heatwave - with an inability to open the windows here due to smoky conditions from wildfires one province over - I was suffering minor heatstroke symptoms and could not really do videos or blogposts for Kawaii365 or for Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends.

Though it's currently 29*C as I write this, the majority of the recent heatwave is over - yay!! Now back to more regulated Summer temperatures in Red Deer. On Friday, August 10, it got up to 40*C (around what Summer feels like in Nevada).
Thankfully, during this time, we were already at The Sheraton Hotel for our 7th wedding anniversary. It's a romantic staycation we'd been planning for weeks! Gawsh, the air-conditioned room felt fabulous! We were enjoying it until...

The lights went out. Actually, everything did. It was just after 11pm and suddenly, we were in the pitch black. The TV was off, our A/C stopped running, and for a moment we sat in sheer panic. Then, logic began to kick in. I scrambled for the cellphone so we could use the flashlight app. I threw on my robe, Rob threw on a shirt and we crept into the dark hallway and down the dark stairwell... all the while I had the phone's light on, I secretly wished we'd also been filming a video, 'just in case' we caught something paranormal. (I also thought of the Hawkins Lab stairwell from Stranger Things. Boy was I glad we weren't there!).

Anyway, we made it to the front desk and long story short, our keycards needed to be reset so we could get back into the room. The power-out fried the lock, and a repairman had to come fix it. Because it was closer to midnight when we got to go in and sleep, the super-nice lady at the front desk gave us breakfast vouchers for yummy food at the R&R Grill (The Sheraton's finest restaurant).

This turned out to be one of our coolest anniversaries ever! It's great when these things happen, because it gives us memories to reflect on later 💑💖

Now,

I'd like to share some advice for others who are 'young marrieds', married for years already, or are considering marriage. It's okay - sharing our experience isn't snobbery, it's something we like to do at every anniversary (every passing year = more wisdom). 

1. Firstly, and most importantly, please realize this: When you marry someone, you're not just moving in to 'live with someone'. You're making a commitment to live for someone. This means that every action you take, every decision, and even every comment, will directly affect your partner, which could lead to either good or bad outcomes. It took me a few years to register this, as for a long time, I was making selfish decisions. 
2. When you communicate, be sensitive to their feelings - this also means that when they snap at you, or yell or say something hurtful, it's because you probably did so first. I've learned this from communicating with Rob for a decade now (we dated for 3 years before marriage). When he snapped at me and my feelings were hurt, it never even dawned on me that I hurt his first. I just defended myself and it led to a cycle where I'd end up crying and he comforted me and then we'd talk it out. Now, I realize that I said the first hurtful comment and apologize, and then we talk about how we can communicate differently.
3. See your spouse as a child. No, not in a condescending way. We mean, look upon them with compassion... if your very young kids acted the same way your spouse is acting, you would go easier on them. You would know they're acting out of hurt or frustration, and that their feelings are tender. So, why would you be so mean about your spouse's mistake or emotions? If they are sad, hug them and ask what's wrong. If they are mad, give them space and then be willing to talk about it. If they make a mistake, forgive them.
4. Have all the 'hard talks' fairly early in the relationship. Trust us - this will save you a lot of hassle. Start with the financial talks, as these can be embarrassing and frustrating. Be open about your net worth, as well as your 'money personality' and spending habits. Be transparent with your debt. Hiding purchases and lying about income are sure ways to divorce court, so just be honest, dammit! (It took me 6 years of making NO money while trying to sell Avon, and almost breaking up around tax time before I realized my lack of financial education and impulsive money moves were hurting both of us). 
5. The other 'hard talk' is about final resting places. This one is better suited to shortly after getting married. Though we've been married 7 years, we just recently talked with a funeral director about our final wishes, wills, etc. But since anything could happen to anyone any time (speeding buses, for example), it makes sense to get your financials, legals and everything in place, so you're not struggling with it while dealing with overwhelming grief. It might even make sense to have both of your obits pre-written. And make sure you have access to each other's bank accounts and other assets! 
6. You married another human being... BUT this doesn't mean you have to deliberately be gross around each other. The science of falling in love, indicates that our brains are 'high' on neurochemicals like Dopamine and Oxytocin, because we love the mystery of this new, attractive person in our lives. Then, the opposite can happen when this 'mysterious person' burps, farts, pees, poops, flosses, trims toenails, picks ears, plays with boogers, pops zits... well, you get the picture. PLEASE respect what your spouse thinks of you, and consciously choose to do these things behind a closed door. We can both guarantee your sex life will be waaaayyyy better if you do :) 
7. Bathrooms have doors for a reason: Seriously, keep them closed.
8. And speaking of sex... Don't dismiss it's importance in such an intimate relationship. This one is especially for the wives out there. Marriage is the most intimate bond that 2 human beings can choose to have (babies don't choose their existence or bond with parents). And, when you're married and committed to one another, there is no one else on this planet that you're having physical intimacy with. So don't put this special time together, on a back burner - and definitely DON'T use it as a weapon against each other. Also, don't be shy about experimenting - this could be anything from introducing adult toys, to role-playing, to just switching positions... whatever it is you do, do it together and enjoy all the connecting. Appreciate it.
9. And speaking of intimacy... it's not all just physical. One of the most beautiful things about marriage, is that this other human is your very best friend. That means they know you inside out, they've seen your worst and love you anyway, they'd (probably) do anything for you, and they call you on your bullsh*t. You can laugh together, cry together, and everything in between. So don't 'give yourself emotionally' to someone outside the marriage. Did you know? The #1 cause for affairs isn't sex or attractiveness; it's one partner seeking a sense of intimate belonging that they no longer feel in the marriage. So always be 'there' for your spouse!
10. Know when someone else is flirting with you, and don't give in. Rob & I have a way of monitoring our current co-workers & friends, to ensure nothing inappropriate is going on. He is as cute as a button on a bug, and I'm not the only girl whose noticed. Sometimes, female customers flirt with him at work. Thankfully, we discuss it. I do the same when a male customer, co-worker or stranger flirts with me. We're flattered, but being aware of the danger to our marriage, we approach the situation together as a team. This may mean visiting each other regularly during the day, or even using the block feature on facebook.
11. Decide early in the relationship, who does what. It is true that ideally, both partners would be responsible for the bread-winning, working the finances, child-rearing, and doing all the housework and meals. But in reality, this leads to fighting. So, with Rob being as awesome as he is with numbers, he is the main financial guy (he keeps me up to date on our savings, points systems, bills, etc.) and I am in charge of the cleaning and meals. This way, we stay out of each other's domain. If our marriage were a business, he'd be the CFO (chief financial officer), I'd be the COO (chief operating officer), and together, we'd share the CEO job. 
12. Choose positivity over negativity; especially around your spouse. We're all guilty of bringing home complaints to our spouse, whether about family, work, or friends... and then it becomes a cycle. In fact, when we don't become aware of our negativity, it can even cause our spouse to avoid us (45 minutes in the bathroom?). Remember that your spouse married you, because they love spending time with you. When dating you, they found you fun, charming, sweet & caring. So where did that person go? Make sure to share at least 75% positivity when with your spouse, and save the negativity for a journal, or - if really bad - maybe a counsellor. I suffer from a few neurological disorders, and for a long time I'd talk into the night about my burdens, while Rob was trying to sleep. When I realized how disrespectful I was being, I started getting really into journaling about my issues. This way, I'm more fun to Rob :)

So thank you for sitting through my novel-type writing (too much coffee?). Your patience is appreciated... and please heed this advice, it's really important if you're to stay with your one true love. 

❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣

Now that the heatwave is mainly over, I have energy back and don't feel as sick. This means that now you can watch for more fun blogposts coming here - and to Zoo'd Animal Hybrid Friends - soon!

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ  ≧◡≦

*2016 anniversary post here
*2017 anniversary never seems to have gotten posted.

Celebrating A 1-Year Anniversary

Hi everyone, today is an exciting day (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Though it's hard to believe, today marks the one year (already!) since I completed the year-long, cute art project dubbed Kawaii365. If you live in Red Deer, you might remember seeing random 'cute art' in public places around the city, including stickers, doodles on random objects, and even charms made from clay!

You can see my very first [of the 365 of them] at this link here - http://kawaii365.blogspot.com/2016/07/first-one-of-365.html

I know, it's shocking that it's from 2016... when I first started this blog, it was motivated by reading that book, Unstuck, by Noah Scalin, that Rob & I won at that adult coloring event at our library.

Excitedly, I jumped in head-first and just wanted to 'go for it'. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if anyone would even notice me doing this project... even if I just did it for the sake of doing it, and it never got known, that was okay. At the time, this blog only had a handful of total views... in fact, I celebrated when we hit around 500. That was super-exciting! Now, this blog has seen nearly 26,000! Yay!


One of the most major highlights, was getting this project featured on the author's blog, surprisingly not that far into this project... I'm super glad that happened, because it inspired me and motivated me to keep it up for the entire year! See it here: https://makesomething365.blogspot.com/2016/07/kawaii365.html



The year flew by really quick, and though there were admittedly days when I felt less motivated, I literally never decided to 'put it off' or skip a day. This project was great for mental health (I deal with depression, anxiety and minor ADHD symptoms) because it made me accountable. This gave me an actual goal to work toward, and something that was all my own, and was a great outlet to express feelings, thoughts, ideas and other things happening in my life at the time...



Anyway, for the very last project (#365), I used a shoebox and some random leftovers from the stuff I bought at Dollar Tree, and made a miniature museum dedicated to the previous year. Around this time, I had also started my Patreon Page,  and shared it on there, too.

Let's look at the museum's first video and second video, one year apart...

Anyway, realizing exactly one year has gone by already, blows my mind. I still recall the nervous excitement I felt while being interviewed to be featured in a couple of local publications here in our city: 

Red Deer Express - https://www.reddeerexpress.com/home/red-deer-artist-creates-365-projects-for-365-days/

RD News Now! - https://rdnewsnow.com/article/544797/year-long-art-project-brings-out-best-local-woman

😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻

In other news, 

Rob & I visited a cat café today, and they happened to have Kitten Tuesday. Here are some clips from our adorable experience (✿ ♥‿♥)

Thank you, domo arigato!