Summer Lovin'

     

  :]

Had the perfect beach day the other day with my sister and some of our homies. They're one of my favorite pairs of people to chill with, namely because they're sisters as well. It makes for the perfect dynamic. 

Food is always involved in our hang out sessions, however this time we chose a different route and walked the block or so down the street to the beach. Waikiki is a tough place to find a good spot on the beach, especially during the peak of summer. It's overcrowded with tourists' and locals alike. We were lucky to find some free space, away from the beach bums (literally....they live on the beach and jack your shit while you're in the water). 

Kaimana's is the spot we chose for our perch. Few tourists' venture that far down the Waikiki strip since it is a bit further from food stops and hotels. It's definitely worth the extra 5-10 minute walk. 

Free of bums and crowds, it caters mostly to the locals for their beach barbecues and kids for their body boarding needs. 

It lacks the "wall" that inner Waikiki provides, which means bigger waves (and on the downside, quite rocky in some places). 

However, it's perfect for tanning with the occasional dip in the water to cool off. 

I'm bummed to leave these ladies behind as I wander off on my travel adventure, but I always find myself back on da aina. 

New Website!

I've been considering transferring my business to it's own website for quite some time. But I always came up with excuses: it's not successful enough, i'm too lazy, it costs' money, etc. 

Finally, this past month I re-considered the benefits of having my own website. For one, it was much easier to tell people "Fabric Illusion.com" as opposed to "fabric illusion . etsy . com" or whatever host website I was currently using. That was the second issue. I transferred hosts' many times. From storenvy to etsy, to bigcartel. With my own URL I can change whatever host I want without changing the URL. And lastly, I discovered that with the right host, it's not that expensive! I'm paying barely $10 a year. 

So now, It's finalized! Check out my new website. I'm still occasionally tweaking things. For now, I enjoy the sleek, simplicity of the theme I have chosen. 

Feedback and thoughts are always appreciated! 

Swirl Cookies: A Cookie Boutique in Hawaii

LOCATION: 421 Lewers St. (Unit 1), Honolulu, HI 96815

NAME: Swirl Cookies

WEBSITE: www.swirlcookies.com

PRICE RANGE: $1.50 per cookie and up

RATING: 4 out of 5 

This place was SO cute. I would never have found it if I didn't live in the area. It's hidden on a back street lodged in between some apartments down in Waikiki. The store itself was rather tiny, but very bright and inviting. As soon as you walk in you can see them baking the cookies. 

You can buy them for $1.50 per cookie, $9 for a small can, or $13 for a larger can. I bought the small can which comes with 5 cookies. You can buy the pre-boxed ones or you can choose which flavors you want. I chose: mint chocolate chip, vanilla/strawberry, and coffee. The vanilla/strawberry was my favorite. SO delicious! Not too sweet. These cookies are excellent with coffee. They're not chewy, or doughy, or crunchy. 

                          

If you live in Hawaii or are in the area, definitely check it out! OR, they have the option to purchase online through their website. Let me know if you try them! :]

Back To Life

Wow, it's been almost a whole year since I have updated! What a shame. I've been feeling a bit stressed lately, and I recalled how blogging helped me relieve stress in the past, so I've returned!

So much has changed since last year. How about a quick overview for my first post back?

• Moved to Rochester, New York with my boyfriend. That's where his family lives
• Enjoyed our time there, but found that Hawai'i was calling us back.
• Moved back to Oahu after 7 months. 
• Started working for Starbucks again.
• Moved into Waikiki.
• Started going back to college. (hatin it)
• Re-gained my position as a Starbucks Supervisor.
• Obtained our first "official" studio together! We've always rented rooms out of houses. 

It's been an interesting and adventurous 12 months! I feel like I've been working non-stop since I moved to New York and back. But my work is finally starting to show. Soon I will be able to take a break! 

Here's a list of some posts' I will be making in the near future for you guys to look forward to:

• Swirl Cookies: A local cookie boutique in Waikiki
• My trip to Big Island. Philip has never been to any other Hawaiian island until then!
• My upcoming Vegas vacation
• fun places to eat in Honolulu
• And I'll be updating my 2013 goals, as well as my "about me" section!

Bye for now! Also, if you have ever been to Vegas, or live there, then let me know some fun things to do! 

The Art of Moving

My garage, currently.

I am no stranger to moving. In fact, as a military brat since the age of conception, I have moved more times than I can count on my two hands. Every two years, just about, we pack up and migrate to the next location.

This is not even my first time moving alone, though! However, the first try was a disaster, set me back TONS of money, and landed me right back where I started. Moving overseas is a lot more work than moving across solid land. Let me give you some bullet points on how it went.

• Brought WAY too much stuff to begin with, including my dog...not smart when you're staying with someone temporarily until you find a place to live. 
• Didn't bring enough savings. 
• Family ended up disliking my boyfriend and, in turn, kicked us out. 
• Had no place to stay.
• Had to spend money to fly back to Hawaii, along with dog, stuff, etc.
• Hawai'i requires all animals flying in to be put in a very expensive quarantine for 3 months.
• My puppy ended up breaking his leg in said quarantine and it "wasn't their fault".
• Had to go  through the re-hire process at my old job. 
• Luckily got our apartment back.

Grand Total (of money wasted/in debt): $10,000. (still paying that off >__>)

Lesson learned: PREPARE YOURSELF FOOL. 

Another terrifying view. 

This time around, we are diminishing most of our belongings. All that crap that you see above, will eventually either be eliminated or packed into my two suitcases. If it can't fit, it's  most likely not going, save for a few books and my tattoo machine. 

I've already sold over 150 of my books. Just re-reading that literally makes me want to throw a temper tantrum but, no going back so....got to move on!

This time, we are only traveling with our cat, and we are staying with his parents in Rochester, NY. AND Philip already has a job! We are much more on track this time. 

However, I'm taking a risk, as I'm only bringing enough money for a one way flight (you never know what might happen). 

Maybe not the smartest idea, but we are traveling much lighter and I have high hopes for this move!

We don't own a car, so this was how we migrated our boxes to the post office haha!! Good thing he skateboards. Six boxes of books may look like a lot, but if I hadn't sold those that I did, there would be at least 20. 

I move on May 1st. Who knows when posts' will regulate, but I'll try to blog in my free time! You never know how much you have to do until you're moving, though!

Kawaii-Kon 2012

Ever since I moved to Hawai'i four years ago, I've been trying to get a table in the artist alley at Kawaii-Kon! They sell so quickly though, and they're a little pricey so I haven't managed to snag one! 

However, this year I was lucky enough to find someone who was looking for a "partner" at their table! Or rather, someone to share the space with. I'M SO EXCITED! The convention is in 17 days though, and I only found out that I will be selling two days ago. So I am VERY pressed for time! I hope I can make it! 

I'm very excited to meet people and see all the cosplay. I haven't been to an anime convention in two years! I'm having withdrawals haha. 

Anyways, for those of you who attend conventions, what do you find yourself purchasing the most from the Artist Alley? And what fandoms are you looking forward to the most this year? I've heard a lot of "BBC Sherlock, Homestuck, Justice League, etc". Which is surprising, as none of that is anime related!! So what anime is popular with people these days, I wonder? 

I will be sharing my updates as I go along with my preparations! I already made some homemade business cards this afternoon. They turned out pretty well! Now I need more printer ink haha. Will make a post for those another time! 

New Inkage &Things

First of all, how was everybody's Valentines Day? Did you spend it with a loved one? Alone? Friends/family? I hope it was enjoyable, however it went!

As for me, I decided to do something a little different this year. I've never been a huge celebrator of Valentines Day, though I do like receiving/giving out candy. However, this past year, I was not able to buy anything for my boyfriend for his birthday or Christmas. I'm in major debt from when my dog broke his leg. The surgery cost $10k! Can you believe that? But anyways, to make up for it, I promised myself that I would do something special for him for Valentines Day.

I got to thinking what I could get him, but everything just seemed...eh. Clothes he would just wear and get tired of in a few months. Music, nah. Skateboards would be broken within the month, etc.

Then I thought about what first attracted me to him....his interest in Japan, but first and foremost...his TATTOOS!

So what better to get him than a tattoo session!! 

That's exactly what I did. There is one tattoo that he's been talking about getting since we started dating over 2 years ago. 

So finally, I had it arranged!

This is his tattoo artist Q. He owns a shop in Kailua called House of Ink. They also have a shop in Waikiki. If you guys are ever on Oahu and want a tattoo, I strongly recommend them. He hires only the best artists'! 

We got these done on Friday because we were unsure whether he would available on Valentines Day.

The final product. Turned out super rad! This picture was taken by Q. 

I also got a tattoo. The Daruma Doll that I had drawn!! 

On actual Valentines Day we didn't do much, except hang out. However, I was woken up with breakfast in bed!! So grateful. He never does things like this. :]

He also bought me a new shirt that I've been wanting, as well as candy! 

The day before Valentines Day I received the Rilakkuma Iphone case that I had ordered. Unfortunately, the following day I broke my Iphone. So sad....back to my old phone then. ;[

A camwhore photo of me. I forgot Philip got me this shawl for Valentines Day haha. I love it so much!

On a side note, I must say, I've been drinking tons of green tea and my skin looks GREAT. I always thought it was kind of a bluff, but I needed a cheaper alternative to my Starbucks addiction, so I turned to tea. And it's really working, I'm so happy! 

My favorites so far are Apple Green Tea and also Blueberry/Pomegranate Green Tea!