Tuesday 28 February 2012

Your life in GIFs

"When your neighbors are drunk"

"When somebody eats the last Twinkie"

"How you wave at your crush"

"When a season of your favorite show ends"

"When someone doesn't flush the toilet"

"When someone steals your phone"

"When your mom comes in your room and you have people over"

"When you smell food cooking"

"When you're home alone"

"When you're talking to a foreigner"



Sunday 26 February 2012

Muffin's top 10 favorite toys of all time!

Yes, its true, I'm probably much too old to do this, but toys are still really fun for me! So here's my top 10 list of toys, perfect for any kind of holiday. ♥
(Note, these are my personal favorites, and I like them all the same, It just means they are my top 10 favorites. c: )

~10~
Webkinz
As a child, I always had Webkinz. Bringing my collection to about 110. Even though I don't play Webkinz anymore, it still holds a small place in my heart. With over 200 Webkinz to choose from now, Webkinz has become a favored place for young children and even older children. I used to be on 24/7. The point of Webkinz, is to buy a Webkinz plush in real life and then register it online. Name it, pick its gender, raise it, dress it, play with it and so on. Its pretty much your online pet! Webkinz can be found at many toy stores and sometimes even a convenience store or a pharmacy. The Webkinz obsession is sort of calming down now so you can get them for much cheaper. Although, nowadays they are harder to find.

Official Webkinz site-

~9~
PixOs!

Now I've used these toys for years and I've always enjoyed them, of course, you have to have patience and since the parts are so tiny you need to keep them safely stored and you also can't have young children near them. What I find great about PixOs is that you don't need glue or anything that's hard to get, all you need is water. Just make your pattern, spray and you're good to go! Its super easy and so much fun. But never put them near your mouth or lick them, because they taste absolutely horrible. I recommend keeping them as far away from water as you can when not using them because that's what makes them stick. You can get many different sets, ranging from huge sets to small packages like above. The package I feature above only comes  with the PixOs beads, but a lot of other sets include templates, PixOs, a plastic sheet to use them on (I'm unaware of what its called) and a spray bottle. After spraying your PixOs be sure to leave them to dry for a couple hours. Another great thing about these toys is that you can be creative and make you're own templates and patterns. Its really up to you! PixOs can be found anywhere toys are sold.

PixOs official site-

~8~
Littlest Pet Shops

These sweet little pets are ready to be taken home and loved! Petite little bobble head pets known as Littlest Pet Shops or LPS have been a favorite toy among kids for years. With over 1000 pets to choose from, and over 30 different products from LPS, no wonder they're so popular. Even I still find them too cute to resist. I have over 30 of them home, displayed in my room. Now I use my Littlest Pet Shops for plenty of different reasons such as crafting, deco den, and even customizing them! Its up to you how you want to use them. Even today as I approach adult hood, I still think these pets have captured the hearts of many people. And I think they are a great recommendation for any child to pre-teen to even teen! Littlest Pet Shops can be found anywhere toys are sold.

Littlest Pet Shop official site-

~7~
Iwako Erasers
All though they may not look like it, these cute little animals can be used as erasers, but I prefer not to use them like that! They're just too cute to waste that way. These little erasers, originally from Japan can be taken apart like a puzzle, and they come in a variety of different colors. Iwako erasers aren't just animals, but sweets, food, dessert and many other different cute miniature things. Get whichever ones suit you and build a collection of Iwako erasers! These are a little harder to find, but I usually buy mine at Toys R Us and sometimes even the Dollar Store. Although, Iwako erasers are very easy to find online. If you cannot find them anywhere where you live, then I think it would be best to start browsing online shops.

Iwako official website-

~6~
Stickers

Now, I wouldn't consider stickers as a specific toy or even specific brand because there are so many different kinds of stickers. Now, I'm sure everyone knows what a sticker is so I suppose there's no need for me to explain. Ever since I was crawling I've always enjoyed playing with stickers. So these are definitely a recommended toy to keep you or you kids amused for hours. Stickers can be found everywhere and there is no specific site  for them. 

~5~
Pokemon
Oh my god. Where do I start about Pokemon. Holy asdfghjkl. I've loved Pokemon forever. And my love is still strong. Pokemon has like a billion different kinds of products ranging from video games, to figures and plushies, to the famous Pokemon cards. Pokemon is everywhere. One of the most and first famous Pokemon being Pikachu, and then followed by 4 more generations, Pokemon is ever growing. Pokemon will definitely hold a big part of my childhood and will always have a spot in my heart. Pokemon, due to being so common, can be found anywhere toys are sold.

Pokemon official site-

~4~
Tamagotchi


Tamagotchi is definitely an all time favorite, they're so amusing, even though they seem so childish, I still love them! I just bought a Tamagotchi the other day, a Music Star one, like above. And its so fun to play with. Tamagotchi's are quite rare now and really can only be bought online, but, if you're lucky like I was, you might find one at your local toy store. Tamagotchi is like a pet, that you have to raise. But you have to take extra good care of it, or else it will die. 

Official Tamagotchi site-

~3~
Mousse-Chan Fuwa-Fuwa
Here's yet another toy that I love that can only be found online, since it is Japanese. Its a type of clay, paper clay to be exact. You can buy sets with molds to use and its super fun to play it. Use it to make cute accessories and different things for deco den. In my opinion Fuwa-Fuwa paper clay is a must to have if you love cute things.  As far as I'm aware, it doesn't have an official site, but if you google it, you'll get quite a few results. I recommend buying it at http://www.jbox.com/search/813/mousse_clay

~2~
Lalaloopsy
Lalaloopsy dolls are super cute with their huge bobbly heads and teeny tiny bodies. In my opinion these dolls are absolutely darling and fun to play with or even have on display. There's quite a few different ones out, small and big, with new ones coming out every once in awhile. I definitely recommend these for anyone who likes cute. c:

Official Lalaloopsy site-

~1~
Whipple


Aren't those sweets adorable? Believe it or not, they are fake. I think this DIY (Do it yourself) craft is simply adorable, and easy! Whipple comes with an already made whip cream that you can pipe on the sweets however you like. I learned of deco den through Whipple, and I think this is definitely a must for any little to big girl who loves cute things. Whipple is quite hard to find in my opinion, and I've only learned of it last year when I went on a trip to Nova Scotia. I found it in Toys R Us, and as far as I'm aware that's the only place you can buy it, besides online of course.

Official Whipple site-
http://www.whipple.com/index.php

And that's the end of my top 10 favorite toys! I hope you enjoyed it and it provided some help for gift shopping. c:

Friday 24 February 2012

Moar deco den ideas and videos♥

I just found a few nice videos that'll surely give people some ideas!

♥PaperPastels is one of my favorite Youtube channel, she has over 100 videos up, pretty much all tutorials, not only on Deco Den but on other kawaii things too! I recommend watching more of her videos. c:


Thursday 23 February 2012

Deco den for beginners!


So I've just recently got into a new hobby, which is famous among Japanese girls, and its known as deco den (being the abbreviation for decoration denwa, denwa meaning cell phone) And basically what it is, is taking a boring item and totally deco-fying it. And you're outcome is usually super cute! Deco den doesn't usually have specific guide lines, but there is certain things that you're going to need to get started. 

First off let's start with your basic things you'll need.
Silicone caulking: Alex DAP Plus is good, but make sure you get it in brilliant white, because that's what you want for whip cream. Usually for a glossy, rubbery finish, use 100% silicone, or if you want more of a matte, hard finish, use Acrylic-Latex caulking + silicone. (NOTE: You'll need a caulking gun or something to get the silicone out.)

Next up, you're going to need piping bags and piping tips, if you get the squeezable silicone, you'll only need your icing tips. (NOTE: Couplers are definitely recommended for easy switching of piping tips!)


Above is a coupler.

Next thing you're going to need is some sort of thing to decorate your pieces with. Anything from trinkets to gems to cabochons to your polymer clay creations, anything could be used! Also things like puffy paint, micro marbles and glitter can be used. You can also buy colored glue sticks for a cute melting chocolate effect. I'll list some other things that can be used later.


The two above are cabochons and clay pieces!

Deco denning is very simple, all you do is fill up your piping bag and pipe away on your piece. I'll show a few tutorials~

Next up is where to buy your supplies! I'll list a few good places.
Delish Beads: Cheap prices and free international shipping.

Etsy: Here are a few of my favourite Etsy shops~
(Very fast shipper, even includes extras!)

(Offers really nice deco tools!)

(Quick shipping, and adds extras!)

You can ask these Etsy sellers about custom orders, they're all very sweet and helpful!

Other shops:

(You can also find cute things to use at your local craft/dollar store! Be creative. c:

Other items that can be used for deco den:
Lalaloopsy's
Littlest Pet Shops
Gachapon items
Little toys
Polymer clay cane slices
Buttons
Ribbon
Broken off pieces from your necklaces, barrettes, bracelets...etc
Just be creative. c:

FAQ
Q- Where can I buy silicone?
A- Silicone can be bought at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's or really any hardware store. (:

Q- Isn't it dangerous?
A- In my opinion, it isn't, but really its for you to decide. As long as you don't smell it on purpose I think you're good.

Q- Is it expensive?
A- Actually, it isn't! A tube of silicone costs around $3.00, but your cabochons can get a little pricey.

Q- Is it hard to do?
A- It may look hard but it isn't, you really just need to get the hang of it. c:

Q- How long does it take to dry?
A- Depending on what kind of silicone you use, I'd give it at least 2 days, just to be sure. 
~~~~~~~~~
Kawaii ideas: (Please note, these aren't my pictures. c: All credit goes to their rightful owners.)







If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I don't mind. (: