happy new year!

happy new year! i hope you had a beautiful christmas. it was a busy (but strangely also very lazy) holiday and we're finally back in boston, ready to start a new year. i'm frantically working on putting together a baby shower for my sister so i won't be around for a few weeks but i wanted to share my little daruma.

i picked up this daruma on our trip to san francisco. back in high school, i had to do a project on japan and a part of it was to make a wish on a daruma doll. the idea really stuck with me and i've loved daruma ever since. daruma come in all different sizes, shapes, colors, and styles but one thing is always the same. daruma dolls come with both eyes blank. you make a wish on your daruma, fill in one of the eyes and once it's come true, you fill in the other. it's a symbol of luck and perseverance in japan. the story goes that a monk mediated facing a wall for nine years. he mediated for so long that his legs fell off!

so i made a big wish for the new year and filled in its eye... i hope it comes true! 

resolutions for 2011

i'm a little late with my resolutions because this year, i really wanted to put some thought into them. i'm hoping that if i take my time and choose them carefully, i'll take them more seriously and hopefully will be able to come back to them at the end of the year and feel that i've accomplished something. as a daily reminder, i printed and put my resolutions up on my wall above my desk.

1. be more positive/happy/kind - it's no secret that i'm kind of a grumpy person. lots of things make me angry (don't get me started about people at the airport) it's not something i enjoy and it's something that didn't develop until i went to college. i want to be more optimistic because the world definitely doesn't need another angry person but it could use more happy, positive people.

2. live life without a plan and be okay with it - the other day, a friend of mine said, "you make it sound like there's supposed to be a plan. there is no plan". i feel like i need to accept that i can't plan out every detail and just enjoy whatever gets thrown at me.

3. be craftier, become a better sewer - simple enough. i spend so much time staring at and hoarding inspiration that i find online but so little time actually using that inspiration.

4. spend less time online - i know a lot of people are resolving to be more connected this year but i want to go the other way. i want to peel myself away from my laptop and i want to write more letters, read more books, converse with people in person, and make things.

5. learn photoshop - i bought that darn photoshop for dummies book and i still haven't cracked it open. 

6. be more open to challenges - i like to live my life quietly. and i'm terrified of failure. all that equals a slight dislike of challenges. but how can a person really grow if they're constantly running away from challenges?

to orlando we go

i hope everyone had a happy, beautiful holidays! my christmas was unbelievably amazing and definitely more than i deserved. we spent the holidays in orlando at disney world and universal! visiting disney world during christmas has been a dream of mine for awhile and of course i nearly lost my mind when i saw hogwarts and hogsmeade. the only downside to the trip was the crowds. i would never recommend visiting orlando between christmas and new years. definitely go earlier in december when the crowds aren't as rough but you can still enjoy all of the holiday fun.

clockwise from top left: magical indeed; chip and dale; hi mickey!; couldn't stop laughing over these caramel apples

clockwise from top left: can never remember what's in the golf ball; window in china; exhibit on japanese spirits and their influence in pop culture, love; chef remy stopping by our table

clockwise from top left: hogwarts!; a window display for scrivenshafts ; beauxbaton students; pumpkin juice

i can't believe it's already 2011. so much to look forward to. it's going to be a wonderful year.

happy happy new year!

i hope you have a safe and happy new year! i won't bore you with my reflections on 2009 but i will say that i have no idea what 2010 will bring. i'm kind of at a crossroad and i don't know what to do right now but i hope whatever it is, it's where i'm meant to go. i'm so incredibly thankful for everyone who has supported the toki cafe. i love crafting but it's you who keeps pushing me to be creative and try new things. i promise to be even craftier in 2010 and to make new cute things to share with you. eat lots of rice cake soup! wish many blessings upon your elders and elders, tell your youngins to study hard and be healthy. happy new year and here's to new adventures and a fresh start!!

2010 is gonna be a great year!! can you feel it??