☆ First Tumblr Giveaway ☆

I just finished posting my first giveaway on my shop blog for Sugar Star Candies! I'm so excited! My little shop finally hit 100 followers, which may not sound like a lot but it's a big number to me. Here's the giveaway photo:

This giveaway is only to thank my current followers, but I'm planning a more normal Tumblr giveaway before the end of the month. Hopefully this will help to boost sales and pay bills, too! Haha~

Best of luck to anyone who enters!

☆ Review: Little Banshees on Etsy ☆

Received my amazingly cute package from Little Banshees on Etsy today, so I decided to do a little review! Here is an overly decorated collage of everything:

S h i p p i n g ~ 5 / 5

Very fast!

P a c k a g i n g ~ 5 / 5

Super well packed in a bubble envelope with extra bubble wrap. Adorable little bags holding each item!

Q u a l i t y ~ 5 / 5

Everything is hand sewn or hand crafted, nothing is just thrown together with glue which is always so wonderful to find! I'm sure they will stand up very well. The edges of the character plushes are sealed with I believe fray check, and don't look like they'll fray at all!

C o s t ~ 5 / 5

We did a trade this time, but honestly her prices are completely fair and totally worth it for what you get! The other Jewel Pet necklaces she offers are listed at $16.

C o m m u n i c a t i o n ~ 5 / 5

Messaging with Michelle on Etsy has been a pleasure! From my first question, she answered any message within a couple of hours, and kept me completely up to date on when she was planning on shipping my package and when it shipped. Never a worry on my end!

Thank you so much for the lovely trade sweetie~!

Stephie

☆ Tanabata Matsuri ☆

Tanabata Matsuri  ☆ The Star Festival
July 7th (or) August 7th

Legend has it that a long time ago, there lived a princess named Orihime, who's father was Tentei, the Lord of the Heavens. Orihime spent her time weaving beautiful clothing for her father and never had time to fall in love, which made her very sad. Wanting to cheer her up, Tentei arranged her engagement to Hikoboshi who lived on the other side of the Amanogawa river.

The two quickly fell in love, and began shirking their duties. Tentei became angry, and as punishment separated them on each side of the Amanogawa. Apart from her love Orihime became sadder then ever.  Softening, Tentei agreed that once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month, if she had done all of her weaving, a ferryman (the Moon) would cross them Amanogawa, reuniting her with Hikoboshi.

If Orihime didn't hold up her part of the bargain, Tentei would cause the Amanogawa to flood, making it impossible for the ferryman to cross. In this case, Magpie would take pity on the lovers and create a bridge of their own bodies for them to cross.

Orihime is a representation of the star Vega.
Hikoboshi is a representation of the star Altair.
Amanogawa is the Milky Way.

To celebrate, people create paper decorations, and write wishes on paper slips called Tanzaku. The decorations are then hung on bamboo, in hopes that they will come true. The main decorations are:

☆ Paper Kimono ~ Prayer for Good Sewing Skills 

☆ 1,000 Origami Cranes ~ Prayer for Long Life

☆ Paper Nets ~ Prayer for Good Luck (esp. in Fishing)

☆ Paper Trash Bags ~ Prayer for Using Resources Wisely

☆ Paper Purses ~ Prayer for Wealth

To celebrate Tanabata at home:
Printable Decorations ~ Decoration Guide (in Japanese)

Sources: The Japan Chronicles, Japan Uptown

☆ Frog Prince ☆

Out in the yard today I came across this sweet little fellow looking for love. Sadly, I'm already taken! ( ˘ ³˘)ℓσνє♡

☆ Munchies ☆

A delicious day today, though it didn't feel very productive~ I'm doing a shop giveaway soon (hopefully Tuesday!) and really need to get photos taken during the day, because I like natural lighting the most. Don't you?

Here is a photo collage of what took almost two hours of my day - Veggie Lasagne from scratch! It's my own secret recipe and I love it even though it takes forever. I love Ricotta cheese! (´∀｀)♡

☆ Shipping Times ☆

☆ Package #1 ~ Etsy Trade! ☆

The lovely Michelle of Little Banshees on Etsy agreed to a trade, and one of her sweet Jewel Pet Puppy necklaces is on it's way to me! I'm so excited! In return, one of my "Oh Baby" Bows and a set of "Carousel of Cute" pins is on it's way to her, with a special knit hair bow as a thank you.

☆ Package #2 ~ Storenvy! ☆

The first customer of my Storenvy was Kenya, and I so appreciate her purchase! She bought one of my limited rocking horse heart brooches with limited Chocolate Pearl earrings. Sending an extra little package just to say "thank you"!

☆ Greetings Citizens ☆

Hello there! I'm Stephie, pleased to meet you!

After some serious thought, I've decided to start an actual blog. Of course I have my Tumblr already, but I always feel guilty posting just text. Anyways, I may not be an amazing fashion icon, but I like to think I fill my closet with a lot of cute things I'd like to share with you! I also started my own small shop, Sugar Star Candies, and would love to share my crafting adventures and progress. I hope that's okay?

I also spend a lot of my spare time searching for treasure. Thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, you name it! No driveway too long, no pile of seemingly useless crap too daunting, to keep me from my lovelies!

Please join me on my journey, and let's become great friends!

Love, Stephie