Rising Phoenix Toys

Photo Hunters: Fast

2009-12-19T11:52:00.003-07:00

I couldn't find anything for fast as in speed. I did find a couple dozen pictures of Xiao Fei Xiang fast asleep. I figured you'd enjoy a silly one like this instead of one of his cute ones. For some reason, my son used to fall asleep all the time like this. That's a sure way to get wrinkles!

Wordless Wednesday... On Thursday: Little Carpenter

2009-12-17T18:17:00.001-07:00

Utah Etsy Treasury!

2009-12-17T17:54:00.003-07:00

Celeste has made another treasury on Etsy featuring Utah artists! It's called Yello, Mr. Brown Calling: He'd Like To Speak With Miss Rose Sage! Plenty of warm colors to warm up a wintry day! (And my bird pull toy is featured! Wahoo!)

Momo Monday: Introduction

2009-12-14T18:15:00.005-07:00

Last time I posted for Mimi/Momo Monday, I wrote about Mimi. Now it's Momo's turn. Today, I'm just going to introduce her.

Her coloring is similar to Mimi's, she's just has longer hair. She's also fatter and grumpier than Mimi. She acts like she's an older cat. I don't know how old she is since we adopted her as a stray.

My husband named her. It's a Chinese name a lot of people give their cats. It's supposed to be the equivalent of naming your cat Fluffy or your dog Fido. By the way, "Mo" is pronounced like Moe from the Three Stooges. Isn't Moe grumpy too? She also has sad puppy dog eyes, but she wouldn't let me show them to you. She doesn't really like having her picture taken.

What a grump!

Photo Hunters: Technology

2009-11-28T09:27:00.003-07:00

This is another picture from awhile ago. My husband and I went through a phase of staging photos with Xiao Fei Xiang. My husband does a lot of trading with the Chinese stock market. He set his laptop with all his stock market stats in front of Xiao to make it look like he was trading stocks. I'll have to share all the other dumb, yet cute, pictures we've staged sometime.

Wordless Wednesday: Making Faces

2009-11-25T10:20:00.004-07:00

Both pictures are from when Xiao Fei Xiang was only a few months old. These are among my favorite pictures of him. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Photo Hunters: Birds

2009-11-23T11:13:00.002-07:00

I know this is late, but I couldn't pass up photohunters this week. I frequently visit my parent's in Provo. My mom loves birds and lives close enough to the mountains to get plenty of scrub jays. She has them trained to come when she whistles and we throw out peanuts for them to collect. These pictures are from over a year ago when Xiao Fei Xiang joined us for feeding the birds. I'm pretty sure he's putting dirty peanuts in his mouth in the second picture. I'll have to get some more pictures now that he throws peanuts for the birds (and then runs to pick them up before the birds can get them).

Wordless Wendesday: Fall Photo Sep. 2008

2009-11-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Updated Nancy Drew Top Ten

2009-11-17T11:29:00.002-07:00

Here is the revision of my top ten with Warnings At Waverly Academy added.

10. Danger By Design
I find fashion design interesting. There isn't too much of that in the game, but the story connected to WWII is quite interesting.

9 and 8 were a toss up, it can be so hard to choose!

9. Message In A Haunted Mansion
One of the first games I played. I love the design of the mansion and I just love the puzzles in Nancy's room, especially the one involving Chinese.

8. Secret Of The Old Clock
This game is set in the 1930's. It is such a fun time period to play! The miniature golf game was fun and it was neat to use a HAM radio. It also uses a lot of common phrases from that time that I remember learning when I studied The Great Gatsby in High School (which is actually set in the 20's).

7. Haunting Of Castle Malloy
Her Interactive has recently divided their games into two categories; scary and foreign. The scary is released during October and the foreign are released during the summer. This is one of the scary ones. I just love the scary games they make! I should say that the scary games aren't too scary, so you don't need to be too concerned about kids playing them unless they are under 10. Anyways, this game is very much Celtic. I used to be really into Celtic things a few years ago. I didn't absolutely love the way they used the Celtic theme, but I still really enjoyed it. Herding the sheep can get annoying. There is one part near the end that freaked me out because I didn't see it coming.

6. Treasure In A Royal Tower
This is one of the first games I played and I just can't take it off my top five. The architecture of the resort Nancy is staying in is just too cool. There are a lot of puzzles that I just don't get sick of. There are also some characters that come up again in later games. I also love the Marie Antoinette theme. Some of my relatives swear my family is related to her (no one can prove or disprove it), so I am attracted to things that involve her. I don't think I'm related to her, but the thought of it is fun!

5.Warnings At Waverly Academy
I love working on the achievements and I love running the snack shop (who doesn't love that sort of stuff?) I like the way the plot and characters are set up and I found the subplots interesting. I also consider it a plus that I could beat the game on my own.

4.Legend Of The Crystal Skull
This is one of the scary games and one I have played over and over. It is unusually creepy for Her Interactive (not too scary though). It has a lot to do with graveyards and voodoo. The whole game is dimly lit to make it more scary. The opening sequence is one of the best Her Interactive has done. If you are playing this game for the first time, be sure to have all the lights out and other distractions off. The game will tell you to do this, but won't give you enough time.

My top 3 were hard to choose, I want to consider all three of them a tie.

3. Curse Of Blackmoor Manor
This is another one that is scary, can you tell that I like the scary ones? It has a series of neat puzzles and some involving astrology and alchemy that were neat. I absolutely love the Cockney Rhyming! There is also some neat architecture in this game.

2. Phantom Of Venice
I've loved this game since the first time I played it! I have played it dozens of times. It has some of my favorite puzzles too. I just love the Scopa and reconstructing the mosaics. I also love that you get to choose what Nancy wears and can earn money to buy new clothes! I also love taking the gondolas and hearing the gondoliers singing!

1. Secret Of The Scarlet Hand
This is the first Nancy Drew game I ever played. I fell in love with it right off. It has been almost ten years since I played it and I still enjoy it. This game has caused me to be facinated with the Ancient Maya. Eventhough Her Interactive has improved a lot in designing the games since, this still remains my favorite. I guess you never forget your first!

I'm always interested in other's favorite Nancy Drew games, feel free to share your favorite!

Mimi Monday

2009-11-16T13:14:00.005-07:00

I've decided it might be fun to share a little about my cats on a weekly basis. I have two cats named Mimi and Momo, so I'm starting Mimi/Momo Monday! I'll alternate each week unless one of them is being more interesting than the other.
This week, I'll do just an introduction. This is Mimi. She usually has that indifferent look on her face (except when she knows I'm about to feed her) and she has the cutest little mustache! Her fur is also super soft except she won't let you cuddle her.

Her name comes from the Chinese word for kitty. Mao is cat and mao mi is kitty. So you take mi from mao mi and double it and you get Mimi!

Photo Hunters: Music

2009-11-14T22:09:00.002-07:00

Here's the closest I could get. It's kind of a stretch though. The arches and circles on this toy look like a fermata, a hold or pause in music. You can probably guess that it's in my Etsy Shop

Warnings At Waverly Academy Review

2009-11-13T13:42:00.003-07:00

Warnings At Waverly Review

Available only for PC

Nancy Drew #21: Warnings At Waverly Academy

Developed by Her Interactive

Any patches and updates can be found from Her Interactive Technical Support

Game Background: The Nancy Drew games by Her Interactive are first player adventure games. They are designed for girls 10 and older, although anyone over ten can play them. Each game is in 3D (with exception to the first game) and is single player only. Despite being single player, many play the game together as a team with one person controlling the game or taking turns.

Synopsis: Someone calling themselves the Black Cat has been leaving threatening notes for the valedictorian candidates. The second note is followed by an accident. It is your job to go under cover as Becca Sawyer to find out who is sending the notes and stop them!

Game Play: Players are given the option of playing junior or senior detective level. The main differences are that seniors don’t have a checklist to guide them through the plot and the mini-games are more challenging.

Difficulty: I would say the difficulty is moderate. I didn’t breeze through the game, but all the problems were solvable. Younger players will need some help. I believe that anyone over ten should be able to finish the game as long as they pay attention to what is happening in the plot, uses the checklist found in junior level and will put in some effort on the puzzles.

Rating: This game is rated E for Everyone 10+. I think this is a fair rating.

Scare Factor: The atmosphere is intended to be a little scary. I would say that the scare factor is quite low (as long as the player is over 10.) Many of the other “scary” Nancy Drew games were scarier. This game is good for those that are easily scared but still enjoy Halloween.

Replay: I’ve already played this game through entirely five times. I’m anticipating being able to play this game many more times. The game comes with achievements to add more replay value.

Navigation: I have no problem navigating the game. All the Nancy Drew games navigate similarly. If any changes are made, they are gradual with each game. It shouldn’t take long to get the hang of it. The beginning of the game has a manual to read that will lay out everything you need to know about navigation. Some might get frustrated with how the air hockey mini-game handles. Players will need to beat the game once or twice.

Graphics: I was impressed with the graphics. It was much better than the last game! The character movement has improved. The last two games had problems with the character movement. Haunting Of Castle Maloy attempted trickier movements, but the head and body weren’t always coordinated. There are a few times when the movement didn’t seem right. Corine seemed blurry and Rachel looks like her shoulders are hunched. Leela’s eyes look unusual, it appears she has “eyeliner” that extends too far out. As always, the background looks great.

Overall Rating: A- I enjoyed playing this game, but I wasn’t absolutely in love with it.

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Land One Year Ago

2009-11-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

Photo Hunter: Veteran

2009-11-09T11:39:00.003-07:00

My Grandpa fought in WWII. He was a bombardier for a B-17. I'm pretty sure that's the right number! It may have even been a B-17G, I'll have to ask my dad. The boy on the right is my son and my Grandpa's Great-Grandson. He has some neat stories I need to dig up and share.

Wordless Wednesday: Timpanogos Summer 2006

2009-10-28T12:24:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Has Arrived In My Backyard

2009-10-14T20:25:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday #2: Bumper Sticker

2009-10-07T11:40:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday: Little Woodworker #2

2009-10-07T11:35:00.002-06:00

My Nancy Drew Games Top Ten

2009-10-05T12:22:00.006-06:00

Her Interactive will be releasing their next game Warnings At Waverly Academy on October 13. I pre-ordered the game on September 24 and it shipped last Friday! The site said it wouldn't ship until the 5th, I guess they mean it to arrive on that day (today).

To celebrate the upcoming game, I've decided to make my top ten list of Nancy Drew games. I'll be revising it after playing Warnings At Waverly, of course. I do have to add that I have played all of the Nancy Drew games except for Creature Of Kapu Cave.

10. Danger By Design
I find fashion design interesting. There isn't too much of that in the game, but the story connected to WWII is quite interesting.

9. The Final Scene
There are some neat puzzles you have to do involving stages and how magicians set up their tricks. It reminds me of my days working as a stage hand in college, except I never go to work with magicians. There are a lot of details that are referenced in later games.

8 and 7 were a toss up, it can be so hard to choose!

8. Message In A Haunted Mansion
One of the first games I played. I love the design of the mansion and I just love the puzzles in Nancy's room, especially the one involving Chinese.

7. Secret Of The Old Clock
This game is set in the 1930's. It is such a fun time period to play! The miniature golf game was fun and it was neat to use a HAM radio. It also uses a lot of common phrases from that time that I remember learning when I studied The Great Gatsby in High School (which is actually set in the 20's).

6. Haunting Of Castle Malloy
Her Interactive has recently divided their games into two categories; scary and foreign. The scary is released during October and the foreign are released during the summer. This is one of the scary ones. I just love the scary games they make! I should say that the scary games aren't too scary, so you don't need to be too concerned about kids playing them unless they are under 10. Anyways, this game is very much Celtic. I used to be really into Celtic things a few years ago. I didn't absolutely love the way they used the Celtic theme, but I still really enjoyed it. Herding the sheep can get annoying. There is one part near the end that freaked me out because I didn't see it coming.

5. Treasure In A Royal Tower
This is one of the first games I played and I just can't take it off my top five. The architecture of the resort Nancy is staying in is just too cool. There are a lot of puzzles that I just don't get sick of. There are also some characters that come up again in later games. I also love the Marie Antoinette theme. Some of my relatives swear my family is related to her (no one can prove or disprove it), so I am attracted to things that involve her. I don't think I'm related to her, but the thought of it is fun!

4.Legend Of The Crystal Skull
This is one of the scary games and one I have played over and over. It is unusually creepy for Her Interactive (not too scary though). It has a lot to do with graveyards and voodoo. The whole game is dimly lit to make it more scary. The opening sequence is one of the best Her Interactive has done. If you are playing this game for the first time, be sure to have all the lights out and other distractions off. The game will tell you to do this, but won't give you enough time.

My top 3 were hard to choose, I want to consider all three of them a tie.

3. Curse Of Blackmoor Manor
This is another one that is scary, can you tell that I like the scary ones? It has a series of neat puzzles and some involving astrology and alchemy that were neat. I absolutely love the Cockney Rhyming! There is also some neat architecture in this game.

2. Phantom Of Venice
I've loved this game since the first time I played it! I have played it dozens of times. It has some of my favorite puzzles too. I just love the Scopa and reconstructing the mosaics. I also love that you get to choose what Nancy wears and can earn money to buy new clothes! I also love taking the gondolas and hearing the gondoliers singing!

1. Secret Of The Scarlet Hand
This is the first Nancy Drew game I ever played. I fell in love with it right off. It has been almost ten years since I played it and I still enjoy it. This game has caused me to be facinated with the Ancient Maya. Eventhough Her Interactive has improved a lot in designing the games since, this still remains my favorite. I guess you never forget your first!

I'm always interested in other's favorite Nancy Drew games, feel free to share your favorite!

Playing With Packing Peanuts

2009-10-01T11:25:00.003-06:00

Last week, I got in a huge order for Mary Kay and it came with a ton of packing peanuts. I have an empty beanbag that I'm going to put them in, so I saved them in these bags. Anyways, Xiao Fei Xiang got his hands on the bags and had way too much fun with them.
He tore holes in the bags to get to the peanuts and found that hitting the bag would make the peanuts pop out. He was having the time of his life!
I've had a hard time keeping him away from the peanuts. Fortunately, I will be able to finish the beanbag either today or tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Woodworker

2009-09-30T11:28:00.002-06:00

My Parent's 25 Anniversary

2009-09-28T20:15:00.000-06:00

Last night was my parent's 25th anniversary! My brother and sister and I made them a homemade meal. My sister has been asking my mom what food she's been craving for the past few weeks.
We served them New York Steak, Strawberry-Almond Salad and Homemade Creamy Mashed Potatoes (made with red potatoes).
I found this recipe for Raspberry Mini Trifles just before my siblings came to me with their idea.

I have to say that the trifles turned out well. My mom and I LOVE raspberries and the combination of cake and custard was soooo good!
We made all the food at my house so my mom wouldn't be too suspicious. Transporting trifles is not easy! When we got to their house, my brother was distracting my dad by getting homework help (he never does his homework). My dad kept saying that he suspected we were up to something. My sister had my mom so confused! My mom would ask her questions about the food and where her car was (my sister came in my car to help carry food). My sister would give her vague answers that hinted that we were all eating together or we were eating the food while my parents went out to dinner.
When my parents figured out what was really going on, they got teary-eyed. I don't think we've ever done anything for them on that level.

Greg Simkins

2009-09-28T15:53:00.003-06:00

I recently came across this pop surrealist, Greg Simkins. He was originally a grafitti artist, but what I really like are his paintings. I especially like the one pictured her titled Season's Change. I don't think he intended this, but it really reminds me of Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleeping

2009-09-23T20:33:00.001-06:00

CocoaDreams Gift Card Giveaway On Grosgrain!

2009-09-16T12:38:00.004-06:00

The latest giveaway on Grosgrain is for a $25 gift certificate plus free shipping for CocoaDream's Etsy Shop! Chasley sells aprons for mother and daughter, blankets, burp cloths and quilts.

To enter, you simply create a link to the giveaway post.

Wordless Wednesday: Eating Pears

2009-09-16T12:12:00.003-06:00

Stacking Shampoo Bottles?

2009-09-10T12:54:00.002-06:00

I usually take showers with Xiao Fei Xiang. He's content to play in the tub while I wash my hair. Last night when I was ready to get out of the shower, I was shocked to see these three bottles stacked in the corner. Xiao Fei Xiang really has a thing for stacking!
Anyways, I thought this was neat and had to show everyone.

My Super Strong Hubby

2009-09-10T12:38:00.004-06:00

This past week, when we were visiting grandma and grandpa, Xiao Fei Xiang found some dumbbells. They were some of the 1 pound ones my mom used forever ago. Xiao Fei Xiang was lifting them like his Ba Ba does. It was way cute!
I couldn't get a picture of him lifting them, but I let my hubby show off his muscles.

Aren't you amazed at his strength?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-09T21:48:00.000-06:00

Awesome Fabric Poppy Tutorial by Grosgrain

2009-09-09T21:28:00.002-06:00

Kathleen Dougherty has a tutorial on her blog Grosgrain that is just fabulous!
It shows you how to make lovely poppy boutonnieres like the one pictured above.
It's easier than it looks!
Flower accents like these are perfect for this fall!

Giveaway: Spell It Out

2009-09-09T20:53:00.004-06:00

Spell It Out Designs is doing a giveway on their blog!
The winner will get one thing from their shop of their choice.
The giveaway runs until September 13th.
You can get all the details and enter on their blog.

Spell It Out Designs makes vinyl wall decals, all of which can be written on with chalk or whiteboard markers. They're great for children's rooms!

September Morn...

2009-09-04T23:01:00.002-06:00

I just found out about an Etsy Treasury named September Morn... that a fellow Utah Etsy Street Team Member, Olive Jane, put together. I have to say, it is the best i've seen for a long time! I hearted almost everything in it! You'll be able to see it until about Sunday evening.

Pictured above is one of my favorite pieces from the treasury. It's a Vintage Door Coffee Table by jcrabbit.

Doll Debut Plus Inspiration

2009-09-03T21:48:00.004-06:00

Yeah!! I'm finally able to debut my new creation!! It's a 13 inch wooden doll based off of a doll my aunt gave me about 20 years ago (pictured below). She will fit 12-14 inch dresses. You may be surprised by a child's reaction to it. I played with my wood doll a lot and it is one of the few toys I still have from my childhood.
My aunt does a lot of work with wood toys, all of which she gives as gifts. It's too bad she won't sell them. Anyways, her toys from my childhood have been inspiring my toys lately.

I'll be doing the hair differently in the future. I was able to get some cloth that is more old-fashioned, but my son got his hands on it before it was finished and ruined it. An old-fashioned dress would fit the hairstyle much better. I will be doing more of that style.
There are two major changes that I am doing. First, I am doing the eyes in my own style. I am also tying the parts together using stronger string. My aunt used yarn and it held up okay (only 2 out of 4 broke in 20 years), I'll be using cotton twine (mason's line).

Inspiration From Coraline

2009-08-31T13:11:00.002-06:00

About a month ago, I saw Coraline. By the way I loved it! It has inspired a new toy that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. I will finally be able to debut it soon! If you have seen the movie, you might be able to guess what it is.
Now, I just had to share with you something else related to the movie.
There is a secret passage in Coraline that reminds me of my Grandparent's attic. Their upstairs has two bedrooms and the second bedroom has a small door. Inside is a bunch of storage that you would expect in an attic and there's an octagonal window at the end. It looks kind of neat except that it's super hot in there.
When I went up there shortly after seeing the movie, I was getting pictures for this post. I found another little surprise. They fixed up the attic a little and I found a second door that led further inside. There wasn't anything special about it, but it is fun to find little things like that. Especially in a house like that.
Also, I listened to the audio commentary for the movie. The writer (I think it was him) said that his grandmother had a door in her house like the one in Coraline. He never was able to see what was behind it.
When I was younger, I didn't really know what was behind the door in my Grandparent's house either because it wasn't fixed up and was unsafe. It was kind of creepy then, especially when I had to sleep in that room.
Anyways, I'm totally rambling and I have to take some pictures of my new project!!

Family Picture: Xiao Fei Xiang's Funny Faces and Shoes

2009-08-25T16:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I was dressing Xiao Fei Xiang. I just bought a new polo shirt for him (all little boys should wear polo and other striped shirts). I was trying to make him look like a little gentleman for Grandma, except he wanted to wear his Elmo shoes. Doesn't really pull the outfit together, but he enjoyed wearing them for a few minutes (they're too small) and I was able to get this picture. I LOVE it when I can get pictures of him with goofy faces like that, it's all chance at this age!

It reminds me of another darling picture I got a few weeks ago at my Grandparent's house. It's Xiao Fei Xiang's Great Grandpa and him each sitting in their own chair in the den. My son is doing another one of his faces!
By the way there's more value to this picture for me because my family has numerous pictures of the men in our family sitting in the chairs, usually napping. There is actually one of my grandpa and my dad with my little brother (when he was really little) all taking naps! It's the cutest thing.

Stacking Toys

2009-08-14T10:37:00.000-06:00

The other day, I was working on some toys in my living room. My son got his hands on some of them and started stacking them. He'd stack them, then knock them down, then stack them again somewhere else. He's really had a thing for stacking lately!

Picture From the Workshop

2009-08-13T20:33:00.003-06:00

Here's a neat picture I got when I took some wood to be cut up by my dad.
The table saw blade wasn't big enough for the board (it never is) and the effect you see is from cutting the board twice.

Inspiration For My Rainbow Fish Puzzle

2009-08-10T17:02:00.007-06:00

So, I've had Rainbow Fish Puzzles, like the one above, available in my Etsy shop for awhile now.
It was inspired by a toy from my grandmother's house and I was able to get a picture of it when I visited recently.

The main characteristic I was interested in were the colored pieces. I made mine so that they pieces are in rainbow order and use patterns to put it together.

When I would play with this toy with my siblings and cousins, we would play like we caught the fish and served the pieces for dinner. I'm hoping that children will view my puzzle the same way.

Indian Elephant Pull Toy

2009-07-31T19:43:00.003-06:00

Here's the latest from my shop, brand spankin' new today!
Sure, elephants, lions and other jungle animals make great pull toys.
But what if you add a little something more?
You get this lovely elephant adorned in Indian attire
(or whatever you call the cloth you put on their heads and backs.)
This specific design was inspired by a sort of shawl among pictures of
Indian clothing.

Two Birds Of A Feather

2009-07-31T19:16:00.003-06:00

Here are two birds I've recently listed in my shop. I'm very excited about these two!
One looks female and the other male, kinda like they belong together.
I've had a lot of extra wood lately that is large enough for my bird template. It's so nice when I can put leftovers to use!
The first has light pink and navy blue spots.
The second has blue, yellow and khaki spots.

For awhile, whenever I would paint a pattern like spots or stripes, I would leave out the eyes.
My husband is Chinese and it always weirded him out when I would show him a toy with no eyes.
No eyes=no soul.
I've nailed down my style for the eyes now so I've been putting them on whenever possible.

Animals Galore

2009-07-22T14:48:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture I took while I was working on painting some toys. I've really stepped up production lately and I've never had so many toys together like this. I have enough to list at least one for the next week! In the top you can see some ornaments I was working on from scrap wood.

My Eggplants Are Growing!

2009-07-14T17:15:00.002-06:00

Just the other day, I went out to my garden to check on my vegetables and finally got to see the beginning of one of my eggplants.

I planted eggplant this year because my husband loves eggplant, but it is so expensive here. He can get one in China for less than half the price. I thought he would like it if we grew our own (I needed something to grow besides peas and tomatoes.)

I planted these back in March and the blossoms only showed up in maybe the few weeks. That's a long time to grow something without seeing any results!

Now I'm starting to see the fruits of my labor! This little guy is still nestled inside his pod and just started poking out. It's interesting that they're purple so soon.

I just love how little it is right now! Everything is cuter when it smaller, right?

New Tiger Pull Toy

2009-07-14T17:01:00.003-06:00

I just listed this this afternoon. This toy is made from zebrawood. It is originally white and black, like a zebra. I originally cut out a zebra, but had enough wood left over that I decided to do a tiger.

I made him orange by painting him with orange food coloring. It was totally experimental, so I'm pleased it turned out so well.

Zebrawood can be difficult to work with, but it's worth it!

New Nancy Drew Game: Ransom of the Seven Ships

2009-07-10T20:54:00.002-06:00

I've never mentioned this before, but I am a major fan of the Nancy Drew adventure games. Their latest game was released earlier this week and I just received mine in the mail today. I've been doing what I can to get through my to-do list so I can focus on the game guilt-free.

I've spent all day working at my computer and taking care of my son. We went to the park for longer than usual so that he gets enough attention and use enough energy. We've taken our baths and are ready for bed.

I've also gathered together a few things I like to have when I'm playing a Nancy Drew game for the first time. I have a pen and paper (it makes things so much easier), sustenance (homemade pepperoni pizza and what's left of my chocolate covered blueberries, and my all time essential need, Barqs root beer.

I'm ready for some sleuthing! Hopefully this game is as good as the last couple have been!

Christmas In July Sale!!!!

2009-07-09T14:08:00.004-06:00

It's time for the second annual Christmas In July Sale on Etsy. A TON of sellers are participating this year including yours truly! The sale runs from July 8-24.

There are a lot of good deals out there. Sellers are using different ways to give you a good deal; some are giving free shipping, gift with purchase or reduced prices. You'll need to hurry before all the good deals are snatched up!

Everyone has tagged their items with 'cij' or 'christmasinjuly'. All you have to do is search for those terms on etsy.com.

As for my shop, I took 20% off of ALL my prices. I have a few toys that were already marked down and I took another 20% off. Also, some of my toys are made from nice woods that are not cheap and I have marked those down!

I consider this toy an especially good deal. He is made from really nice and exotic zebrawood. Zebrawood is also a little picky to work with so a lot of effort went into him. His picture is also at the beginning of this post.

I've been adding a lot of new toys lately, so check in frequently because these are new AND on sale!

2009-07-09T13:55:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, I came in from doing work on my scroll saw and this is what I saw.

Usually, when I go to work with my scroll saw, I have to leave my son inside on his own. I'll put away anything he shouldn't play with and turn on a movie. I try to coordinate his naps with my work, but he likes to take naps at the sunniest and hottest part of the days. That doesn't work so well when I have to work outside under a hot sun.

Anyways, this time I left him watching Baby Einstein Colors. I just bought it for him yesterday. The music is a lot more mellow than the other DVDs and I guess it was enough to put him to sleep.

That chair he fell asleep on is the one I use for my computer and I needed to do some work. I just carried my son and the chair into his room so he could sleep and found another chair to use.

I had to share this because I thought it was so cute the way my son slept on the chair and it was really something to come in and see him that way.

Featured In A Blog!

2009-04-06T13:36:00.003-06:00

I've just been featured in the UtahEtsy Street Team's blog! Hooray!
Read about it here along with other handmade Easter goodies made by Utahns!

Toy Tutorial Part 1: Designing And Making The Template

2009-04-06T12:34:00.013-06:00

I'm doing a tutorial on how to make animal pull toys. I've broken it down into a few parts. Today, I'll be covering designing and making a template.

You will need paper, scissors, a pencil, an sharpie, a ruler, quilting plastic, pictures of what you want your toy to be (I'm doing an otter) and the piece of wood you'll be using.

Draw a rectangle the same size as your wood onto your paper, make a note of the grain. You will want the longest side of your toy to run along the grain.

Do a few preliminary sketches to decide how you want your animal to look. It's okay if some of your sketches look silly, you can do as many as you need to until you get what you want. Remember the purpose of this part is to get a clear picture in your head of what you want your toy to look like. Refer to your pictures if you need to.

Draw your animal inside the rectangle you drew earlier. The more you can fill the space, the better. The extra space is just wasted wood. Also, the closer your template is to the edge, the easier and more efficient it is to cut out. You can see a lot of space in mine, I actually have a smaller template that will fit in that space so I can get two toys out of this piece.
Work out the drawing until you get what you want, you can see that I've done a lot of adjusting.
You will then need to clean up the lines to make tracing easier.

Now we need to decide where to put the wheels. We will be drilling holes through the toy later for the axles. The axles need to be far enough away from the edge that the wood won't break. Mine will be 1/4 inch from the edge. Draw a line parallel to the edge of the wood. I drew vertical lines approximately where I want the wheels.

The wheels I will be using are 1 inch in diameter. This means the wheel will have to be at least 1/2 inch away from the front and back of the toy.

The wheels will also need to be at least an inch away from each other. You really need to watch for this if you are doing a tall, thin toy like a giraffe.
When you know where you want your wheels, make an "L" shaped mark.

Also, if you are using a softwood and you have an appendage like a tail or horns, having the grain run along the appendage will make that part of the toy stronger. I drew a line directly down the center to help me align the wood.

When you finally have everything mapped out, trace the drawing onto a sheet of plastic with a sharpie. You can use tracing paper, but I like plastic because it is more durable and reusable.

Cut the template out with a pair of scissors. You can trace the template onto another sheet of paper to make sure it was cut out the way you want it. This may be useful if you have detailed parts. After that, your done!

Pictures From The Past Week

2009-04-02T11:46:00.012-06:00

I came in from cutting out toys and my son and husband were napping together. Isn't this sweet?

Here are the vegetable I'm trying to grow. The large container has peas and carrots which have been doing a lot of growing since I took this picture. The green container has cilantro and the green house has lettuce, tomatoes, spinach and eggplant. I'm surprised by how well the eggplant is doing! Recently, I added lavender and strawberries to my collection.

Last Saturday, my dad and I were cleaning out one of the sheds on the property I'm renting. Besides leaving a lot of junk and garbage behind, the previous tenants left to new racquets for racquetball!

I finally got a picture of a stray cat we recently adopted. My husband named her Momo (mo is pronounced like Moe). In China, that's like naming a cat Fluffy or a dog Fido, it's a generic silly name. She's really timid so I feed her outside and she likes to hang out under the two pine trees at the top of the hill and soak up sun.

Here is the first rabbit I made for Easter. This one has a tulip on it and I'm really pleased how the overall shape and colors turned out. Does it remind you of the Trojan Rabbit from Monty Python? (Pssst, it's for sale!)

Here is Smoky Bandit the raccoon. His stripes were made by burning the wood (get it?).

Here is my second Easter rabbit, this time, I put an orchid on her side. Isn't that frickin' awesome? The colors also exceeded my expectations on this one.

I took this this morning. Xiao Fei Xiang loves to climb into the mushroom chair in his room. This time he grabbed one of the books I keep next to the chair and was looking at it. He did have it held up like you would when reading but I wasn't quick enough with my camera.

Here is a look into my next toy! I wanted to do this one step by step for a tutorial and I just took off. Yesterday, I cut out the first bird (supposed to be a black-capped chickadee). I realized that the tail is too sharp so I will be making adjustments today (hopefully list it tomorrow!). When making toys, you always have to be mindful of safety!

What's For Lunch (With Recipes)

2009-03-27T11:35:00.004-06:00

Today for lunch (brunch, really), I had chicken nuggets (dinosaur shaped) with sweet and sour sauce and bread with leftover spinach dip from last night. The sweet and sour sauce is based on one I got from a cookbook and the spinach dip is a combination of Easy Hot Spinach Dip and Spinach Dip.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
2/3 cup Water
2 Tbs. Cornstarch
2 Tbs. Plum Sauce*

1. Cook sugar, vinegar, water and cornstarch until thickened, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and add plum sauce.

*The original recipe called for ketchup, which was good. Fruit preserves or juice will work, you might need to alter the amount of juice. Apricot and pineapple are popular flavors. Plum sauce can also be bought at most grocery stores and includes garlic, soy sauce and spices.

Hot Spinach Dip

9-12 oz. Frozen Spinach
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 tsp. Salt
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
Occasionaly, I'll throw in some grated Parmesan

Cook the spinach according to package directions, with the garlic. Drain thoroughly.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low heat until heated through.

Serve hot with bread or crackers.

Xiao Fei Xiang: Blog Nickname For My Son

2009-03-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

Many blogging mothers use a nickname for their kids on their blogs to protect them. Of the nicknames I've seen, all are fairly simple. I've been trying to come up with a name for my son. The two I've come up with are Little Bear (which would work well) and Xiao Fei Xiang.

Xiao Fei Xiang (or Little Fei Xiang) doesn't work as well. Most of my readers, I believe, don't speak Mandarin. That name might be a little confusing. The story behind that name is much more clever and has more substance than Little Bear, which is based on one occasion when my son wore his snowsuit.

Fei Xiang, English name Kris Phillips, is a Taiwan-born American-Taiwanese performer. The above video is a performance of one of the songs that made him a star on the Mainland (Handful Of Fire In Winter). One of my husband's friends made a joke about my son being a Xiao Fei Xiang and my husband thought it was so hilarious that it has stuck. I think the reference was because my son is a Chinese-American and is really sensitive to music. It's also fun when you have songs like the one above. Fei Xiang has some seriously crazy moves!

Anyways, the video is for your enjoyment, so...enjoy! My Little Fei Xiang surely will!

Cookin' With Jerry

2009-03-21T21:50:00.003-06:00

Here's a little video my sister showed me. Her friends made it and it's pretty funny. Here are a few notes I have on the video.

Jerry is pretty funny, I think he could probably beef up some of his comments when he's cutting food.

At about 5:20, there is some awesome acting from one of the audience members.

I've heard they are planning another with a barbecue. Hopefully that comes through and is just as well done if not better.

Some Inspiration: Toy Ideas From Museums

2009-03-05T15:08:00.014-07:00

Since I've been making pull toys, I've been looking for animals to use for toys. I found inspiration in an unexpected place, which is usually how inspiration works.

On Family Night, we went to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. My family used to go there frequently to look at the stuffed animals when I was growing up. I had to do the same for my son.

While going through, I would see animals and think of how cool that would be as a toy. A beaver chewing on a tree inspired me for the beaver pull toy that I'm about to unveil (before the end of the week, hopefully).

Every time we go, I leave with another list of animals. I can't even keep up with my ideas!

Recently, my family went to Cabela's and saw all the stuffed animals they have there. Besides all the woodland animals, they had a section with African animals. I have an idea to divide up the animals into regions and introduce each line separately. Maybe I will have to do the African animals during the summer.

Dr. Seuss and the CPSIA

2009-03-03T16:18:00.002-07:00

While wandering through the Etsy forums, I found out about this parody on the CPSIA. The site is normally a resource for parents to teach their children. This particular exercise was about writing a story about something controversial in Seuss' style. I might have to do one about illegal immigration!

Enjoy reading it HERE!

New Items! Whale Pull Toy and Guilin Puzzle!

2009-02-22T10:40:00.001-07:00

Since I've opened my Etsy shop, I've been selling only building blocks. Long before I even opened my shop, I had a lot of ideas for pull toys. This past week, I've finally been able branch out.

For my first pull toy ended up being a whale. There is a local woodturning shop that I went to to see if they have anything that would be useful to me. They have a room full of scrap wood that they sell at pretty good prices. It's a good way to get nice wood without buying a lot or spending a lot. I found a block of nice silver maple that I had cut up into a couple of pieces. At first, I thought about making dolls, but that didn't pan out and I need to spend a little more time on the design. I was left with three pieces of wood that I didn't want to waste.

While I was moving some of my wood around for storing, I picked up one of those blocks and the image of a completed whale pull toy just popped into my head. For the past week, I've been working on making them and getting them listed.

The whales I have listed are:

Bernie-out of the three, he has the best grain
Gary-who has a nice even grain, although it doesn't have the same irridescent quality of the other two
Benjamin-he is the only one in my new artfire shop, he also has a grain that is almost as nice as Bernie's.

My other new item is a simple puzzle with an image based on the mountains in the Guilin Provence of China painted on it. It was made from a couple of scrap pieces of wood I had and I thought I might be able to make them into a puzzle. The pieces aren't all from the same block of wood, therefore, they don't fit together perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. I took special care on the image so that you could put it together without needing the edges to fit together. I also put a little bit of texture along the edges of the puzzle pieces to give it a more "hand-made" as well as aesthetic appearance.

The image has a river running by Guilin's mountains and a temple sits on the opposite bank. I based the image of the temple on some photos I saw of temples besides rivers and also the Temple of Heaven.

My Very Own Scroll Saw!!

2009-02-17T14:10:00.005-07:00

Last Thursday, I bought a scroll saw! I was totally excited about it and couldn't wait to take it out of the package.

Unfortunately, my son had other plans. The poor thing got sick and needed my attention almost constantly for the past couple of days.

On Friday night, I was able to get enough time to myself to try out the scroll saw. I've been using my dad's saw, but I've been using all of my parent's stuff and I'm working on being more self-reliant.

Anyways, I wanted the first thing I cut to be special. I wanted to make a carved heart for my husband for Valentine's and used the saw to cut out the approximate shape. It was a little difficult because I couldn't wait until I got the saw mounted to a table and it was dark outside. I know you all are thinking I'm a complete idiot. Seriously, I COULD NOT WAIT!

In the end, the heart was the only thing I cut out because of time and because the saw was vibrating a lot. Fortunately, I was planning to alter the heart enough that it really didn't matter how well it was cut as long as I didn't cut off too much.

Today, I'm planning on getting the materials I need to make a workbench. I have a new toy I want to make. I'm getting that can't-wait itch again, but the saw is really not ready to make toys and I don't want to screw them up!

Brother's Silly Cat Drawings

2009-02-12T11:24:00.005-07:00

Over the weekend, my family was playing Shanghai. My brother and I were doodling on the scoresheet and he drew these two silly pictures of cats. I thought they were so dumb (in a good way) that I had to post them!

I think on both of them he scribbled out the back leg. He shouldn't have because they made the drawings funnier!

Chinese New Year Sale 50% off!

2009-01-24T19:24:00.003-07:00

In celebration of Chinese New Year, I am having a sale! Right now everything is 50% off! Nothing is more than $22.

Normally, the New Year is celebrated for about two weeks. I won't be having the sale that long, but I will be having it for about a week. The longer you wait, the less you will save!

Also, my family hasn't really celebrated New Year in the past. This year is my son's first Chinese New Year, so we will be doing a bit more. My husband has been keeping what we're doing a secret. Hopefully, I'll have something to share tomorrow!

Rush Limbaugh's Inaugural Poetry

2009-01-22T21:40:00.002-07:00

During his show on Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh was commenting soundbites from the inauguration. In response to Elizabeth Alexander's poem, he came up with his own after Alexander's style.

Today there's a street outside. On that street are cars. And in those cars are people with music on their iPods. And they listen. And the children in the back of the car, who are also on the road, may or may not be in their child safety seats, in which case the driver will be arrested and the child taken away. When the car gets to its destination, it may run out of gas. If it runs out of gas, it's obviously a gas guzzler, and if it's a gas guzzler, then we need to harness the energy of the sun and punish the SOB driving the gas guzzler. If the car gets to its destination with plenty of gas left in the tank, we give it a bonus of additional markers at Walmart for the day after Christmas, which is how today was planned. And after we go to Walmart and pick up some of the lead paint that is made with our children in mind, imported from China, we will then have a meeting with the Iranians, who will love us, and they will get in their car, will also be on their road, and their road shall never end until they have nuclear weapons.

He continued to say that if he could do it, it isn't art. I thought it was hilarious and, to me, comedy is art.

Faces of UtahEtsy!

2009-01-20T11:58:00.003-07:00

SageWest and Levity In Brevity have both made Etsy treasuries featuring Etsy sellers!

Levity In Brevity's treasury (which expires on Jan. 22) is all about the faces of UtahEtsy. She asked the sellers in our group to add their photo to one of their listings and add the tag "faces of utahetsy." All she had to do was do a search and add those participating to her treasury. I love this idea because I am always curious what sellers look like and who I am talking to in the group. This was also good for sellers who make wearable art, they could easily get into a treasury and also feature something from their shop!

SageWest's treasury is an excellent combination of products from UtahEtsy sellers. The main colors are purple and yellow. The colors are very light and fresh. One of the item's was made by Gumball Grenade (pictured above) which I just had to buy!

Weird dream about Obama

2009-01-15T08:19:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I had the strangest dream about Obama. In my dream, I was one of Obama's daughters. The other daughter was normal, but I was from a white woman in Hawaii instead of Michelle. Since I wasn't really black (I looked completely white), I was kept out of the public eye because it ruined their image.

In one part, we were eating dinner at a long dining table. Michelle was sitting at the head instead of her husband and Obama was to her right with their daughter across from him. I was down on the other end of the table.

Hmm, parallel to reality?

Ugh! Snow!

2009-01-05T16:56:00.002-07:00

So, I have a lot of work I would like to get done. I haven't been doing any carving for the past few weeks!! I am at the mercy of the weather because I do all of my carving outside in the open and all I am getting snow and overcast days (I also have some pictures to take.) What I wouldn't give for a heated garage!

Since I am in a drought area, I don't feel like I can pray for it to stop. I guess it isn't that bad to begin with, I can be a real wuss when it comes to dealing with snow.

I don't want to drive in it either since I need new tires on my car. I did want to get a lot of marketing done and go to the library. I think this is one of those evenings where I stay inside and play computer games. Maybe I will cook some tomato soup!

How To Play Shanghai Card Game

2008-12-30T15:23:00.012-07:00

Shanghai is a card game that my family LOVES to play, especially when we all get together during the holidays. It is similar to games like Phase 10 or Rummikub.

Basically, you try to get three of a kinds (a three) or four card straights (a straight.) How many you need depends on the round. After you lay down the cards you need, you try to get rid of the remaining cards in your hand to win the round.

For this game, you will need at least three decks of face cards including jokers (wild card) and a pen and paper to keep score. I recommend you have a lot of munchies, sometimes this game gets long and you need a little something to eat.

I've organized everything by terms, rules, rounds, scoring and tips.

Terms

Hand: another term for round.

Three of a kind: three or more cards with the same number.

four card straight: a sequence of four or more cards of the same suit.

Laying down: when you place the required cards for the round on the table.

Shanghai: If you discard a card that is playable and another player says 'Shanghai' before the next player begins their turn, the player who is shanghaied must draw two cards and the next player can pick up the playable card and play it.

Down and out: when a player lays down all of the cards in their hand in one turn. On the last round, the player who lays down must lay down all of their cards and wins the hand.

How to play

The dealer deals eleven cards to each player (clockwise, starting with the person to your left.) The remaining cards are placed face down to make the draw pile.

When the players are ready, the dealer takes a card from the draw pile and places it next to the pile face up to create the discard pile. If the card is a joker, it is put back into the draw pile and another card is turned over.

The player to the left of the dealer goes first and continues clockwise. Each turn begins by either taking a card fro

m the draw pile or picking up the card the previous player discarded.

An example of a three of a kind with a joker as a wild card.

If someone wants to buy the card last discarded, they must say 'buy' before the next player draws. If the player doesn't want it, they must allow other players to buy it. When you buy a card, you take the card you want and draw a card. Buying can help you get the cards you need, but it also adds cards to your hand that you have to get rid of.

You are only allowed three buys per round. You can tell if you've used up all of your buys if you have seventeen cards in your hand.

Once you have the cards you need for the round, you can lay them on the table during your turn.

You should make sure you begin your turn before you lay down or you will have less cards than your supposed to.

Once a card is played on the table, it cannot be moved or rearranged in any way. You can still add cards though. There is no limit

to the amount of cards you put on a three of a kind. The straights can only begin or end with an ace. If a straight has a jack, queen, king and an ace,

you cannot put a two next to the ace.

You continue to lay down

any cards you can and try to get rid of all of your cards, or at least as many as you can so you don't get a high score.

Your last card must be played

on the table, not discarded. If you have a playable and non-playable card in your hand. You must discard the non-playable and wait until you draw a playable card.

Rounds:

1: two three of a kinds

six cards to go down

2: one three and one s

traight

seven cards to go down

3: Two straights

eight cards to go down

4: three threes

nine cards to go down

5: two threes and one straight

ten cards to go down

6: one three and two straights

eleven cards to go down

7: three straights- down and out

twelve cards to go down

*you must lay down every card in your hand regardless of how many times you buy

Scoring: Add up the cards in your hands at the end of each round. You want your score to be as low as possible.

2-7: 5 points

8-K: 10 points

Ace: 15 points

Joker: 25 points

Tips:

*Make sure you know exactly what you need at the beginning of each round. It is really annoying when you find out you've been getting the wrong cards and have to completely reorganize. Sometimes you can't catch up and end up with a high score.

*Don't lay your cards face down on the table to make holding your cards easier. My brother will lay down his cards like that and hold the ones he doesn't want and loses track of what he needs or doesn't realize there is a better way to organize his cards. The way your hand is organized can change a lot during one hand. It's best just to learn how to hold all of the cards in your hand.

*I like to organize my hand low to high and break them up into each suit if I need a straight. I will also put the red cards between the black to keep me from mistaking clubs and spades or hearts and diamonds.

*It doesn't really matter how you lay down cards as long as they can be seen. If you play with me, straights must go left to right. My mom is they only exception because she came from a family of pinochle players and she's my mom. It's is more comfortable if everyone lays there cards down the same way and easier to find places for your cards.

*Once you lay down, you don't need to buy anymore cards. This may seem obvious, but it takes a while for most of us to learn that.

I know that's a lot of rules. I tried to make everything as easy to understand as I could. If you need any clarification or see any errors, please let me know.

You may also leave a comment on your own experiences with the game or any variations you might have.

Also, I forgot to bring my camera cable with me, so I will add photos when I get home.

**Update 4 of Jan. I finally added the photos! That should make this a lot more interesting.**

My Son And The Birds

2008-12-10T13:50:00.004-07:00

Well, I took my son to the doctor today for his nine month checkup. My son is doing extremely well. He's very curious and always getting into trouble! I don't mind as long as he doesn't cause too much trouble. He is starting to stand now. Actually, there are a lot of things he is doing now that I would like to tell everyone.

Anyways, the latest thing he is into is birds. He likes cats too, but they quickly learned to stay away from him! My mom really likes birds too and will hold him while she throws peanuts to the Scrub Jays in her backyard. My son gets excited when they get close and waves his arms and that scares them away.

I've been trying to get birds into my own backyard for him to look at. It's harder for me since we live a few miles west of the mountains, whereas my mom lives less than a mile away. I also live near a major road. As long as I put food out, they will come. As soon as it's gone, they are no where to be seen!

So today I filled all my feeders with thistle and black oil sunflower seeds. He's been standing against the window for awhile and is totally consumed with looking at the birds. I guess I'll have to keep those feeders full for him!

I Ran The Nutcracker 5K!

2008-12-09T11:27:00.004-07:00

On Saturday December 6th, I ran the Nutcracker 5K. I've been training, more or less, for the past 5 weeks. Just before the race, my to-do list piled up and I was unable to run two days before the race.

Anyways, all things considered, I think I did very well. I ran it in 38:48. I thought that was a pretty good time for the condition I am in.

My family ran with me. Michael, my younger brother, ran ahead of me and finished in roughly 25 minutes and placed third for his age group. My dad and I ran the entire race together and he placed third for his age group as well. I don't know what place I got, I just know that there were four that finished after me in my age group. My mom and Stephanie, my little sister, walked and I know they chatted the entire time!

The race had a pretty bad hill really close to the start. I didn't do any hill work in my training which I will be sure to do for my next race. I guess you could say that my son, Joshua, helped me up the hill. He was kicking his feet the whole way! Of course, I think it's super cute!
The rest of the race was either flat or a gradual decline so it was nice to get past the hill.

Joshua slept through the middle of the race and my dad and I chatted while we were running. I suppose I would have done better if I wasn't talking, but it also made the race more enjoyable. I was surprised that my dad ran with me. His knees are in worse condition than mine, although my mom told me he was really sore for a day or two.

Near the end of the race, there was another hill. It wasn't nearly as bad as the first and by that time Joshua had woken up. Of course he was kicking his way up it again, why else would I have mentioned it? My family sort of joked about him running the race and helping me up the hills.

For now, I'm still trying to get running in everyday and looking for the next race I'll be doing.

My Tu-Tu For The Race

2008-12-02T22:37:00.005-07:00

I just bought the material to make my tu-tu for the race! I'm so excited to get working on it! Unfortunately, my husband has been having a lot of back problems. :( I am also working on some new items for my shop.

I would like to take the time to make it look really good, but I don't know if I will be able to finish it in time. I'll make it regardless since I really want a tu-tu. The pink cloth is just too cute and I love the beads.

At least my running has been going well. I am able to run for thirty minutes straight with no trouble. I don't know the distance so I don't know how well I will do. The good thing is that this is my first 5K in a really long time. I need to get a base for my PR (personal record) so I have a place to start working to try to improve my time.

Cyber Monday Sale

2008-11-29T23:06:00.003-07:00

From now until midnight on Monday I will be having a sale! Everything is 20% off!!

I have also been continuing to list some more of the Zodiac Blocks like the one pictured above.

Black Friday Sale!! and New Product!!

2008-11-27T21:57:00.005-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! Now we're all going to bed early because of tryptophan and Black Friday sales.

Which brings me to my sale. For every purchase of 20 dollars or more, you will receive a FREE Gift! Plus you won't have to pay for medical bills when you get run over in the toy aisle!

Also, I have come up with a new product. I've found that I have a lot of leftover blocks that just aren't the right size. Normally, my blocks are 2x2x2 inches, the scraps, as you can see in the picture, are 2x2x "something else". So, I carved one of the Zodiac animals on the front and the character for that animal on the back. I thought it could be used as some sort of decor.

Now, you could get any of the animals. If you want to get the animal from your Zodiac year, a good place to find out your animal is here. If you were born in January or February, you might want to double check!

What's Up Lately

2008-11-24T22:36:00.003-07:00

I was doing pretty well with my fitness goal's for the beginning of the week. At the end of the week, I was hit with a long to do list and my goals pretty much fell apart. I didn't have as much time to cook from scratch and I missed one day of running. I also didn't get any strength training done.

I am going to continue these goals this next week since I didn't get very far last week.

Another thing I didn't get done was sign up for the 5K. I was going to do it online at active.com, but they charge a $3.25 transaction fee! There is no way I'm am paying that.

The plan right now is to call the directors and find another way to register or sign up with the rest of my family. By the way, my mom, dad, sister and brother will also be doing the race.

Also, I won a blog giveaway recently and my prize arrived in the mail the other day. I went to Cozy Cabin Creation's shop and told her my favorite thing from her shop and posted my comment on her blog. I was chosen out of a random drawing.

I won a turkey table runner which I will be using on Thanksgiving. I probably should bring something with me besides a casserole since so many people are promising to bring much nicer things. I need to get some use out of it anyways. I can't put it anywhere in my home where my son won't get to it and I want to keep it nice.

UtahEtsy Handmade Harvest!

2008-11-18T22:29:00.001-07:00

The UtahEtsy Street Team's Handmade Harvest is already in full swing! Many of the team's members, including myself, are donating a portion of their sales to Utah's Road Home Shelter!

20% of all sales from my shop will be donated. This isn't from the profit, this is from the actual sale price! My prices range from 5 dollars to 45, so you don't need to spend a lot to participate!

The UtahEtsy Blog has information on everyone who is participating and details on what they sale. There are many excellent sellers here in Utah!

The Handmade Harvest ends on November 24th. You better hurry!

This Week's Fitness Goals

2008-11-18T15:07:00.004-07:00

Everyday, I'm getting closer to being ready to run the Nutcracker 5K. Though I seem to be doing well, I could still do much better. I've made a list of goals for this week:

*Run every day. Although I have done something physical everyday (except Sunday), only half of the time I am actually running. Of course, playing badminton all day is not going to help me get ready for a race.

*Strength train twice this week. This does help improve running, especially if you are doing it right. I really added this because doing the recommended exercises from Self.com left me feeling much better about myself (I actually have biceps now).

*Eat healthier. I've already improved my diet a lot just by cutting out soda. I believe that running made it much easier to go off of it. I didn't even have a chance to blog about it before I was completely off of it. Anyways, I'm still eating some convenient food. I would like to make a lot of my food from scratch. This reminds me that I have some really good Chinese recipes that I would like to share in the future.

*My last goal is to sign up for the race. One of the best motivators to get you running is to commit to an event like a race. I'm almost ashamed that I haven't signed up yet. I guess I'm waiting to see which of my family members is running with me, but that is hardly a decent excuse. Another good reason to sign up early is to save money. :)

Well, there are my goals. I'll be announcing my giveaway in the next few days as well as giving some links to sites related to the race. Meanwhile, think up ways you can improve your health this week and post it in the comments.

Getting Back Into Running

2008-11-11T11:42:00.002-07:00

My disgusting knee and my super small kneecap. Grossed out?

I intended to layout my fitness goals today. Honestly, I don't even want to think about that right now. I really pushed my self yesterday and took today "easy" by playing badminton. Unfortunately, my husband didn't want to go easy on me.

Ok, here's the deal. I have an eight month old son and I need to lose five pounds to hit my pre-pregnancy goal weight. Don't hate my just yet, I already wanted to lose at least ten pounds before I got pregnant.

I also used to do some running. I was never really good, although I used to enjoy it a lot. Other than that, I haven't played a lot of sports.

Apparently, I also have a small patella. That's the kneecap unless I spelled it wrong. I guess it's suppose to cover a lot of the knee. On me, it kind of looks like I have an Oreo in my knee. As near as I can tell, that means the joint isn't supported and can cause a lot of pain and sometimes my knee will "collapse."

Anyways, I want to take up running again, lose weigth and be in general good health. The Monday before last, I decided to really get serious about this. I started Self.com's Reach Your Goal program for "Run three miles with ease." Everyday except Sunday, I've been doing something that counts as exercise.

Self.com's programs are usually kind of so-so. The food diary is really handy (if you are counting calories) and I like to log workouts and look at my progress charts to see approxiately how many calories I burned during the week. I usually ingore the exercise routines and food plans. The food plans never seem to work with what I like to eat and what I keep in stock.

This time, I'm ignoring the food diary (because of breast feeding) and following the workouts. The thing is I'm actually following their suggested workouts. Last weeks' workouts started out simple and, to my surprise, I improved quickly! Yesterday, I started on the second week workouts. I was feeling great after taking Sunday as a day off. I did intervals for more than 30 minutes. I had so much energy that I even did the strength training afterwards, which I hadn't been doing. I wasn't half way through when I was feeling really sore and afterwards decided I did way too much.

This morning, I felt awful when I woke up and decided to take it easy before my husband kicked my butt in badminton. I haven't nailed down all of my fitness goals and I intend to get that posted by the end of the week as well as more details on the 5K.

Ornaments and Shirts

2008-11-07T16:46:00.005-07:00

I have recently listed some new items in my shop! I have three phoenix ornaments and about five iron-on shirts. My shop address is http://www.risingphoenixtoys.etsy.com.

I made the ornaments for the holiday season, obviously. I thought about doing the zodiac animals at first, but the templates I have are too small and detailed for that kind of carving. I thought that doing my logo would look neat. Who doesn't love birds on their Christmas Tree? I thought the red color would also be festive and look great with the green on the tree.

I got the idea for the shirt when I made a promo shirt for my son and I thought that would make a great shirt. Again, I liked the idea of the red contrasting with the background.

Unfortunately, we've had some stormy weather this week in Utah and I haven't been able to get good lighting for the pictures. I thought the detail of the ornaments turned out really good for once.

I'm Running the Nutcracker 5K!!!

2008-11-06T13:25:00.003-07:00

I recently decided that I wanted to get back into running and get in shape. A great motivator would be to sign up for a 5K. I was thinking of taking it easy and signing up for one in January (couldn't find any) and I found a local race on December 6th. It's the Nutcracker 5K in Orem, Utah (wearing a tu-tu during the race is optional).
For the last couple of days I was wondering if that might be too soon. Today, when I did my workout, I felt that I have improved a lot! I haven't decided at what pace to shoot for for the race, but I think it would definitely be do-able (I could easily walk it).
What really excites me about the race is to be able to wear tu-tus during it! I'm already brainstorming what kind of tu-tu I want to make! I'll hold off making it for a week or so since I already have a lot of other things to make for my shop and I was just at the craft store last night.

Anyways, there aren't a lot of details right now so I will get more info from the directors and post it here.

Hmm...I'm already thinking up some sort of giveaway for the race. Maybe something like if you find me there (I'll tell you what I'll be wearing), then I could give you something from my shop! I'll think about it and give the details later!

CEM Giveaway!!

2008-11-06T10:43:00.003-07:00

The Cafemom Etsy Moms Street Team is having a November giveaway! The contest will run November 17th through November 30th.

The contest is a scavenger hunt. Five images will be hidden on five different shops. When you find all five images, post the shop name and image in the journal or chatterbox. At the end of the two weeks, all of those who found the images will be entered into a drawing. The winner gets to choose from a goodie bag of items donated by CEM members!

More information and a slideshow of donated items are on the CEM homepage: http://www.cafemom.com/group/6632/

The item I donated is one of my Chinese Zodiac Matching Blocks. These are really neat! Each side has a low-relief carving of one of the twelve zodiac animals or the Chinese character for one of the animals and the character's translation in English. The idea is to match up the Chinese character (and English word) with the correct animal. The blocks are also good for general stuff like stacking and my son enjoys holding them in his hands!