Photo My Things

Decided to open my Magic Sakura to celebrate being in the new office! It’s supposed to fully bloom in 24 hours so I’ll take another photo then. :) Wish I was set up to do a time lapse!

How to use: 1) Unfold the tree. 2) Place the tree into the tray. 3) Unfold the branches fully for best results. 4) Pour the Magic Water over the tree, Once the tree absorbs the water fully it will begin to bloom within 4 hours. It’ll be fully flowered in 24 hours at room temperature.

I opened up the branches more after this photo and the texture was starting to feel a little sandy. Excited to see the results!

Sailor Moon Compact Earphone Case: Cosmic Heart Released in December 2014 for 3480 yen

Been waiting to get my hands on one of these for a while now! I use earphones all the time playing my 3DS on the train so I’ll be able to bring these out now. They’re not too big, hand for reference in the first photo.It’s actually a lot shinier and prettier than the promo pictures I’ve seen online! Unfortunately, it is quite thick but very lightweight so it shouldn't be a problem for those with purses.

The front is very shiny and girly, just my style. :) The pink part is see-through so you can see the earphones and the gold and gem parts are all one piece. There are no actual “gem” pieces, they are just colors painted on the plastic mold. The paint job is pretty superb though so it’s doesn’t feel cheap!

In the third photo, you can see the back. It’s already been all scratched up for being in my purse for just 12 hours. I’m guessing this won’t look very pretty after a few more weeks, that’s too bad. :( I like the “Sailor Moon” text though, it’s an elegant touch!

Finally when you open it inside (gently push the bottom part to pull the lid up), you can see the earbuds themselves. The earbuds are decorated with the compact symbols printed on them which is different from the Crisis version where it is sculpted. The earbuds are held together with a pink translucent piece that is shaped like the Holy Grail! Comes with one extra set of pink silicone bud pieces.

The earphones themselves are not attached to the compact so if you want to, you can use the compact case for something else while keeping the earbuds with you everywhere you go!

New canvas print in my room. 12 x 18 of all beautiful frozen-ness! 

Elsa ''Well Now They Know'' Giclée on Canvas by Lisa Keene  Limited Edition of 1500

Speaking of rubber straps yesterday and how to clean them, here’s a peek of another set of rubber straps I got recently.

The characters are Ultimate Makoda and Devil Homura from the most recent Madoka movie, Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion. The movie really spoke to me so these straps was a must-get the moment I saw them! Decently priced at $10 + $4 shipping from Japan for the set.  Bought them as “used” which in Japan, basically mean it is still in the plastic wrapper with little wear and tear on the box. I was really excited to open them but I wanted to make sure I had time to take photos while I do so I’ve been waiting a week to open them. :D You guys always get the first look!

As Ichiban Kuji (Lottery) items in Japan, Ichiban Kuji items are extremely seasonal and the selection changes every month. These straps were trending in February 2015 as the I-level prize. In the last two images, you can see the other possible selections for the strap prizes on this level. I think this set is my favorite along with Mami & Nagisa.

Tutorial: How to clean your rubber straps!

Rubber straps are all the rage these days. There’s pretty much a set designed per popular series! I have a strange weakness for these guys since they’re so easy to just attach onto anything and they’re flat so they don’t really get in the way of things. The rubber also keeps them nice and quiet, not really a fan of noisy charms...

Anyways! Since I have these with me pretty much everywhere, you can imagine they get dirty pretty easily (rubber attracts all the make up stuff). The strap I’m doing a tutorial on today is of Shiro from No Game No Life. As much as I’d love to keep getting new straps with the excuse of them getting dirty, it’s not really practical and I’d actually like to keep my favorite ones (such as this) to be kept clean! 

I’m on vacation right now in Seattle-  sorry for the poor photo pictures...! 

Keep your rubber straps clean by:  1) Get a normal handy dandy pencil eraser. You know what I’m talking about, not the ones at the end of a pencil but one you’d actually use on your doodles. 2) Rub a dub dub cleanly on the surface of the strap. It might take a few times to get all the dirty off but shouldn’t take too much effort. Remember to be very gentle or you’ll take off some precious small pieces like my Shiro’s lower right hair piece! I feel so bad. :( Luckily, that one isn’t very noticeable. 3) Blow, blow, blow to get all the eraser shavings out! Blow directly into the strap so the little pieces can fly out. You can use whatever you want as long as you have control of the air. Go ahead, use your lips... I won’t tell anyone.

4) Erase, blow, repeat. If you didn’t get all the little dirty bits out.

5) You have a clean rubber strap! Shiny and colorful like the first day you got it! :) Hurray!

I got my first ever Japan Crate today!

Japan Crate is a Japanese snack subscription service that you can subscribe to in three different levels. $12 for mini, $25 for original, $30 for premium.

Being that I live in the Bay Area, there’s a number of Nijiya markets I can visit to get my Japanese snack fix. This means I can be very picky because I’ve got a selection! Unfortunately, life has been pretty hectic lately so I wanted to try to get some Japanese snacks delivered straight to my front door. :)

Let’s see if this subscription box can live up to the standards! First off, I got the $12 box per month which is the Mini. I’m going to upgrade this soon so I can properly it compare to J-Box’s subscription box next.

In my bright red box, I got a total of 5 snacks! According to the chart (mini is the left column), they are:

Kami Bikkuriman Wafer $1.00 Hi-Chew Minis $2.00 Fujiya Fruit Drops $2.00 Kantorimaamu Crispy $0.25 Konpeito $2.00

Total worth roughly $7.25

All prices are just an approximation from various Japanese snack websites.

Personally, I find konpeitos to be pretty boring. They’re basically little sugar bits with color. The fruit drops always remind me of Graveyard of the Fireflies (though not the official brand). Hi-chews are a local fanvorite but I’ve never had these mini ones before...They have 4 flavors inside which are: Lemon, grape, green apple, and strawberry. The crispy cookies I can find at Daiso for $1.50 for 6 cookies. Finally, the Bikkuriman wafer is pretty cool because I’ve always appreciated having toys and collectibles come with my snacks. It’s like a snack version of a Kids Meal!

If you look closely at the other two box types, they are also a number of random snacks that aren't very special imho. In fact, I’m glad I didn’t upgrade for this round but I hope they’ll be able to impress me on the next one!

In the end, I have to say I’m a little disappointed since a lot of this I can get locally. In a true Japanese snack box, I’d expect limited edition and regional flavors and snacks. I’ll also look into trying OnNomBox and Japanese Treats eventually.

I’ve finally found those adorable Professor Layton charms I found last year at AOD’s Artist Alley! As you may have noticed before on another post, I couldn't remember who the lovely person was that made these. By some miracle, I found their DA over some internet exploring.... BOY, I was excited! 

On the same day, I decide to order two of these lovely charms for $8 each and some reasonable shipping cost. Originally, I only bought Layton at the con but always regretted not picking up Luke. So glad I have both of these cuties now. :)

Don’t be fooled by these little charms! Their quality is actually really amazing! I’ve had my Layton charm on for months now and it still looks as new as the day I got him. They are very neatly printed on thick but light wood and even printed with a cute checkered pattern on the back! There’s an an extra sense of depth because the edge of the wood pieces have a darker wood color than the flat sides. In the 3rd (on an iphone 6) and 5th picture, you can see they are of considerable size that is not too big but not too small. A matching bell is attacked on each of them that can be easily removed if you don’t like the jiggling sounds. Usually I don’t just buy things because they’re just adorable but in this case, I can really appreciate the craftsmanship as well!

Charms by: http://haiyun.tumblr.com/ Store at: http://haiyun.storenvy.com/

Photos by Me