Happy Friday! I've had an eventful couple of weeks, what with my car overheating and billowing smoke all over the highway and then losing my ipad -- which is like an appendage of mine -- so I was rather discombobulated. We've ended on a high note, however, because the car's been repaired, the ipad returned (I left it in a cafe bathroom and someone was kind enough to turn it into the staff) and holy wow, the Secret Valentine Exchange!!!! We clocked in with over 180 participants!!! We think there ... Read more
Last Day to Sign Up for 2016 SVE!
Hello! Just a quick note today with one last reminder that today's the deadline to sign up for the Secret Valentine Exchange. We'll stop taking sign-ups tonight, around midnight-ish my time (PST). We have nearly 150 participants!! Ute and I can't wait to pair everyone up - there are over 20 countries represented, making this the most internationally diverse SVE yet! I, of course, am planning, planning, planning. Last year, Ute made a stunning constellation mini quilt for Elle (scroll down ... Read more
Faux Fur Infinity Scarf + Giveaway [CLOSED]
Well now. Ute and I are simply blown away by the enthusiastic response to the Secret Valentine Exchange!! It's been so enthusiastic that my server crashed a number of times last week. It's true that I have a wimpy, tiny server, but still. I also think there's something problematic about multiple people trying to fill out the form simultaneously, but that's an uneducated guess on my part. We're approaching 130 sign-ups!! If you were one of the folks who couldn't access the form to ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! I may have mentioned this before, but in my family we had this sacred tradition: on the morning of New Year's Day, my mom would plop a few pairs of new underwear on all the kids' beds, and the three Ishida offspring knew that it was mandatory to don one of them to bed the first night of the year. Just to clarify, the new undergarments are worn on the first evening of the year, and not on New Year's Eve. I have no idea if this is a traditional Japanese thing, or if it's some weird ... Read more
2016 Secret Valentine Exchange!!
It's happening: the 3rd annual Secret Valentine Exchange!! Ute and I are teaming up as per usual, and we're thrilled to be hosting this unique and all-around creative event. Based on the Scandinavian Secret Santa tradition called Julklapp, our first SVE brought 40 participants together and last year we had a whopping 100+ participants! Essentially, you sign up and Ute and I assign Secret Valentines (we're part of the gift exchange fun too). We'll send you the info about the person for whom ... Read more