Kawaii Box October 2014 Review

Kawaii Box is a monthly subscription service containing hand picked items from Japan and Korea. I have been receiving a Kawaii Box subscription for four months now and am extremely impressed with it's contents. For just $18.90 a month you receive 10 - 12 unique kawaii products, usually themed, which are shipped at the beginning of each month and arrive about 2 weeks later. I was super excited to receive my first Kawaii Box and even more so this month. October's Kawaii Box featured a total of 11 adorable items!

Each Kawaii Box comes with a cute handwritten note! I also received another 10% discount voucher for the online store Blippo which sells kawaii items similar to those featured in the Kawaii Box!

Puccho Gummy Candy (grapefruit): These candies looked so cute I couldn't wait to taste them! So, I'm sorry for the open packet in the photos (ˆ ڡ ˆ) This candy has a similar consistency to gummy bears and taffy.. inside the candy are small gummy balls which are slightly more chewy than the rest of the candy. They've captured the flavour of a grapefruit well and the candies are slightly bitter and very very yummy! I'm not sure how many are in the packet but they are all individually wrapped similar to Hi-Chew candy.

Jewelry Seal Fashion Sticker: These sticker sets are a very common item featured in the Kawaii Box. These pink pearl stickers are quite large although there are some smaller stickers included. I may use these as a laptop decoration given their size, but I'm sure it'll look cute all the same (・ω・)b

Rilakkuma Phone Charm: The Kawaii Box is yet to disappoint me with their adorable monthly phone charms! This month I received this dessert themed Rilakkuma phone charm. Rilakkuma's head appears to be sitting upon a dessert with cream and berries ԅ(¯﹃¯ԅ)

Furyu Phone Charm: The Furyu Corporation appears to be a business which manufactures cat plushies and I was lucky enough to receive this cutie in this months box! It's so fluffy and cute, I can't stop rubbing it on my faaaaace!

╰(*´︶`*)╯

Neko Pencil Sharpener: I was thinking, just the other day, that I almost had a whole set of kawaii stationary.. All that was missing was a cute pencil sharpener. But look who arrived today?! This cute yet sturdy pencil sharpener is just the thing I needed to complete my set!

=＾● ⋏ ●＾=

Bow Hair Bobbles: So how cute are these? Okay, so my Mum may have neared conniption while tying my hair with these when I was little ('cause they're so gosh darn difficult!) but how can I resist when they're just so sweet. The perfect pigtail accessory ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

 

Patterned Face Cloth: I'm afraid to say that this doesn't trump the Harry Potter face towel in the bathroom.. All the same, it's a very cute and bright pattern and I'm sure it'll add some colour to any bathroom!

Panda Note Set: This is just too cute for words! The set includes one panda note card and one envelope. The cutie who receives this from me is very lucky, just saying (◔ᴥ◔)

Sweets Parade Cupcake Stickers: Okay, so not only are there tons of cute cupcakes in this sticker set but they've also included forks! Forks! I cannot wait to decorate something (everything) with these adorable stickers.. and forks ✺◟(∗❛ัᴗ❛ั∗)◞✺

Pencil Case: I'm not sure where this comes from as it doesn't have any kind of logo written anywhere on the bag. I'm not even sure if it's a pencil case, actually.. Anyway it's super cute and has now become my new makeup travel case. I was fooled, however, by the two zips at the front. There's only one pocket. They both lead to the same pocket. That's almost as bad as pants with fake pockets. 

SRSLY?(ﾟ┏Д┓ﾟ ;)

Well, that concludes this months Kawaii Box, which I was super duper happy with! If you have a chance, pop on over to Blippo.com and browse their super kawaii products (I also hear they've got some amazing DIY Candy Kits) (っ˘ڡ˘ς)

Have an amazing Halloween and hopefully I'll be able to film some tutorials!

Totoro Plush Backpack Review

Aliexpress is an online wholesale store created by Alibaba.com. Sellers purchase items in bulk and are able to sell their products at very low prices. The majority of products featured on Aliexpress have free shipping and are shipped using China Post Airmail, which takes on average 15 - 30 days (including weekends). There are, of course, faster posting options at a higher price. 

This adorable Totoro backpack is currently my 6th item to have been purchased from Aliexpress, so I have been able to review the site accurately. I tried to put off writing this review for at least a month so I was able to test the quality of the bag, which I can now say is 100% reliable.

I purchased and paid for this item on the 20th August 2014 and received it, approximately, 2 weeks later. it was wrapped securely and tightly in its packaging. Once unwrapped, I determined that the product was in perfect condition and identical to the photos featured on the sellers page. The bag cost US $16.00 and the shipping was free.

There is one large pocket in the middle of the bag and smaller pocket at the front. The zipper for the larger pocket is a large gray pompom which is very easy to find and open. The smaller pockets zipper is just an ordinary zip. Both have stayed firmly attached to the bag throughout the month I've owned it and I have been using it daily for school.

The bag is made of cotton and is very soft and comfortable to wear. It also has adjustable straps, so you can wear it at any length and a hook so you are able to hang it up.

My only complaint for this product are the very limp ears. In the pictures above I have attached safety pins connecting the ears to the bag which cause them to be stiffer. However, without the safety pins, the ears fall limply forward. This isn't uncommon in bags of this kind though, therefore I wasn't particularly surprised. 

The rest of the bag definitely exceeded my expectations and I am very happy to have bought it. I love the bag and you'll look very cute while wearing it! I'd recommend this bag to anyone looking for a cute novelty backpack for school or daily use.

Thank you for reading this review! ♥

Kawaii Box September 2014 Review

Kawaii Box is a monthly subscription service containing hand picked items from Japan and Korea. I have been receiving a Kawaii Box subscription for three months now and am extremely impressed with it's contents. For just $18.90 a month you receive 10 - 12 unique kawaii products, usually themed, which are shipped at the beginning of each month and arrive about 2 weeks later. I was super excited to receive my first Kawaii Box and even more so this month. September's Kawaii Box featured a total of 11 adorable items!

Each Kawaii Box arrives with a cute hand written note! In this months box I also received another 10% discount code for an online shop Blippo.Com! Which stocks Kawaii products from Japan and Korea.

Polka Dot Headband: Oddly enough, I already own two of these headbands in pink and navy blue so it was a surprise to open my kawaii box and discover another one! These headbands are super cute and the bow is adjustable so you can wear it on the middle of your hair or off to the side.

Alpaca Coin Purse: I've been seeing these cute little alpacas in plush form all over Tumblr for a while now and I'm happy to have received such a cute little coin purse this month. This sweet alpaca will fit easily into any purse and can even be attached to a keychain or zip.

Loom Bands: I'm going to be honest here, I'm not altogether sure what these are. They've become quite popular here in New Zealand recently and are called Loom Bands. From what I've seen you're able to make bracelets using them so I'll be sure to give them a go!

Moustache Shoelaces: These super cool shoelaces feature a blue polka dot moustache pattern and I can't wait to find the perfect pair of shoes to put them on!

IceCream Phone Charm: How cute is this squishy phone charm?! It even has sprinkles! Very cute and I'm considering attaching it to my school bag..

Kitty Donut Phone Charm: Another dessert phone charm! How lucky am I?! I've seen so many cooking tutorials on how to make these donuts. I might have a go re-creating this phone charm!

In the mean time, enjoy these kawaii donut tutorials:

How to make Rilakkuma Donuts!

Totoro Donuts and Pusheen the Cat Donuts

How to make Cute Kitty Cat (and dog) Donuts

Rilakkuma Snack: I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened this treat. I'd gathered from the adorable packaging that inside was some kind of breadstick, possibly similar to pocky. The snack is a breadstick but with a much different flavour than pocky. It's sweet and very yummy and I can't get over how cute the box is!

Card Holder: This is probably the most useful item I received in this months Kawaii Box! I rarely use my wallet and struggle to find places to keep my money cards when I'm going out. But with this cute card holder I can attach it to the inside of my bag and even to my belt loops without the need to carry a big wallet or worry about misplacing my card.

Sweet Cat Notebook: Isn't this so adorable? Inside this pocket sized notebook is pale pink unlined paper, perfect for doodling or writing notes. Another cute notebook to add to my collection, which currently takes up most of a drawer. Would you believe that I haven't bought any of them?

Hamu Hamu Town Hamster Cutouts: Er.. I'm not really sure what these are. They're cute little hamsters cut out of cardboard.. Maybe for arts and crafts?

Fruit Nail Art Stickers: Don't take my word for it, but I'm assuming these are a nail art decoration? They're perfect for summer and will add a cute and fruity touch to any manicure!

Kitty Headphone Jack Charm: Lastly, I received this cute headphone jack charm! This is my favourite item this month and it's just so adorable! I'm not sure whether it's a character, so feel free to comment below if you know ♥

Overall I am extremely happy with the products I received this month! However, if you are considering attaching the keychains and phone charms you received in your Kawaii Box to anything (bag, wallet, phone etc.) be aware that these are not particularly high quality products and I have already lost 2 keychains that have fallen off my school bag so be careful if you're using them in this way.

Subscribe to the cutest monthly subscription service here!

How to make Cookie Monster, Owl & Graveyard cupcakes!

The SPCA is hosting their annual Cupcake Day! My Mum and I are helping out our local SPCA and we decided to bake some yummy cupcakes to sell at the bake sale.
We baked and decorated a total of 36 cupcakes with 3 different decorations, which I'll be showing you in this tutorial! 

Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

♥12 Cupcakes

♥Desiccated Coconut

♥Vanilla Frosting 

♥Blue Food Colouring 

♥White Chocolate Buttons 

♥M&Ms 

♥Small Biscuits

♥1 Dye your vanilla frosting blue 

♥2 Pour your desiccated coconut into a bowl and dye it blue (you will need a lot of food colouring)

♥3 Spread a thin layer of blue frosting over your cupcake

♥4 Dip your cupcake into the blue coconut. Make sure to coat around the sides of your cupcake.

♥5 Using white chocolate as an adhesive, glue your M&Ms to your white chocolate buttons to create Cookie Monsters eyes.

♥6 Cut slits into the cupcake marking where you will place the eyes and the cookie.

♥7 Place the eyes and the cookie into your Cookie Monster Cupcake to complete him!

Owl Cupcakes!

♥12 Cupcakes

♥Chocolate Frosting

♥Oreos 

♥M&Ms 

♥1 Slice your oreo cookies down the middle (try to preserve the icing on both sides) 

♥2 Attach an M&M to each oreo half using white chocolate 

♥3 Frost your entire cupcake with chocolate frosting 

♥4 Position the owls eyes onto the cupcake 

♥5 To create a beak, place an M&M between the owl eyes 

♥6 Using a toothpick or bread knife, pull the frosting into spike shapes above and between the eyes and voilà, your owl cupcakes are complete!

Graveyard Cupcakes!

♥12 Cupcakes

♥Chocolate Frosting

♥Chocolate Oreos 

♥White Oreos 

♥Bone Mould 

♥White Chocolate 

♥1 Melt the white chocolate and pour into the bone mould. Place in fridge to set. 

♥2 Crush the chocolate oreo cookies into fine crumbs and add in a few white oreos 

♥3 Frost the entire cupcake with chocolate frosting 

♥4 Dip small parts of the cupcake into the cookie crumbs 

♥5 Remove the chocolate from the mould and position on the cupcakes (work quickly because the bones will melt) 

There you have it, three adorable cupcakes for any occasion! Not me mention they're very yummy too!

Tabby's Favourite Anime & Manga!

Anime アニメ:

• Death Note
• Elfin Lied*
• Naruto
• Mermaid Melody
• Mew Mew Power/Tokyo Mew Mew
• Corpse Party: Tortured Soul*
• Rosario + Vampire
• Rosario + Vampire Capu2
• Higurashi*
• Chobits
• Angel Beats
• Hell Girl
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
• Vampire Knight
• Zombie Loan
• Pokemon
• Seikon no Qwaser*
• Tokyo Ghoul*

Manga マンガ:

• Chobits
• Mamotte! Lollipop
• Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
• Corpse Party: Blood Covered
• Eniro Cinderella*
• Fushigi Yuugi
• Desire Climax*
• Koiiro Devil*
• Love Celeb*
• Ceres: Celestial Legend
• Hana Kimi
• Guru Guru Pon Chan
• Kitchen Princess
• R-18*
• Shiki
• Seikon no Qwaser*
• Zombie Loan
• Blush DC*
• Freezing
• Black Bird*
• Ao Haru Ride
• Himekei Doll*
• Akuma Na Eros*
• Seirei Tsukai no Kenbu
• Kaikan Phrase*
• Hot Gimmick
• Honey x Honey Drops*
• Hana Ni Nare

* Not for children.

Making Oekaki Kyan-Ra Sodo!

In this months Kawaii Box I received this cute DIY candy making kit! However when I tried making this sweet treat I realised there wasn't any English instructions and the picture instructions were a little vague. After a while of hunting online I found a Japanese youtube video, luckily with subtitles, creating these cute candies which my boyfriend and I proceeded to make!

With the Kracie Popin' Cookin' DIY Oekaki Animal Candy Land Kit you are able to mold and design your own soda flavoured sweets using the supplied animal mold and flavoured colour powders. 

Kracie Popin' Cookin' DIY Oekaki Animal Candy Land Kit (おえかきキャンランド)

In your kit you should receive:

♥1 Animal Mold + Stirrers (mine are sea creatures)

♥1 Mixing Tray

♥2 Packets of soda flavoured candy

♥3 packets of flavoured powder

♥Step One:

Before you begin, take a pair of scissors and cut out your 2 stirrers which are connected to your animal mold. There will be lines showing where to cut them. You should end up with a knife stirrer and a spoon stirrer.
Knead the candy packets if needed (hehe) until they are soft and moldable. Then push the candy into the molds using small pieces.

♥Step Two:

While the candies are in the mold we can start setting up the colours! Pour each of your packets into the 3 large squares in your tray. Next, fill your spoon stirrer with water and pour 2 of these spoons into each colour. Use your knife stirrer to mix the colours.

If you require a wider range of colours use your stirrer to distribute 2 of your colours into the smaller compartment and mix. There is a diagram on the package displaying what each combination of colours make. Each powder is a different flavour!

♥Step Three:

Take a toothpick and dip it into the colour you want to use. Use the colours to paint your candies (remember to clean your toothpick in between colour changing). 

Once your candies are coloured in you can eat and enjoy!

I really enjoyed the chewy texture of these candies as well as their yummy soda flavour combined with the coloured flavouring! Soda flavour was new for me and I'm happy I tried it.

For more DIY Candy Kits check out Blippo.Com!

Kawaii Box August 2014 Review

Kawaii Box is a monthly subscription service containing hand picked items from Japan and Korea. I have been receiving a Kawaii Box subscription for two months now and am extremely impressed with it's contents. For just $18.90 a month you receive 10 - 12 unique kawaii products, usually themed, which are shipped at the beginning of each month and arrive about 2 weeks later. I was super excited to receive my first Kawaii Box and even more so this month. August's Kawaii Box featured a total of 11 summer themed items! 

Each Kawaii Box arrives with a cute hand written note! In this months box I also received a 10% discount code for an online shop Blippo.Com! Which stocks Kawaii products from Japan and Korea.

Panda & Giraffe Keychains: These keychains are so cute! The Panda currently resides on my school bag while I still need to find a home for Mr. Giraffe. Both seem very well made, especially the giraffe, and definitely add a kawaii touch to anything you'd attach them to. 

Kracie Oekaki Kyan-Ra Sodo: This DIY candy kit was probably the highlight of this month's Kawaii Box. I'd seen these online often but had never come across them in my own country so I was very glad to have received one this month and look forward to trying it out!

Kumamon Keychain & Watermelon Coin Purse: The Watermelon Coin Purse is a cute way of storing small things. Mine currently contains my iPod and stylus which prevent them from roaming loose in my bag. It's quite roomy inside and is very well made.
Kumamon is a popular Japanese Mascot first viewed in a campaign called Kumamoto Surprise! In this months Kawaii Box I received a Kumamon Key Chain. At the back of this keychain is a small zippered opening which could be used to store coins or other tiny objects.

Rilakkuma Note Pad & Nail Art Stickers: Continuing this months summer theme, I also received this cute Rilakkuma Note Pad. Featured on the back of the packaging are suggestions for using the note paper which included using them as gift labels. Given that in New Zealand our Christmas falls in summer these would be perfect for Christmas labels!

I have never used Nail Art stickers before and I look forward to experimenting with these cute little stickers

Kawaii Stationery Set: This adorable set comes with 3 pencils, 3 erasers and 1 sharpener. The only downside being that it's far too cute for me to ever want to use! 

Letter Writing Set, Macaron Phone Charm & Cupcake Ring: I'm in love with this sweet letter writing set! There are 3 Envelopes and 6 pages of printed letter paper all featuring a cute kitty quoting "I love you". 

The second to last item I pulled out of this magic box was a plastic Macaron Phone Charm. Macarons are a very popular dessert currently and this cute little charm is perfect for those who can't resist this French treat. Regrettably, the fitting for this charm is not compatible with my Tablet so I'm unable to attach it.

And last but not least, I received an adorable cupcake ring! The ring has an adjustable band and will add a kawaii feel to any outfit. 

I'm very impressed with August's Kawaii Box and will eagerly await my next subscription!

Subscribe to the cutest monthly subscription service here!

♡｡ﾟ.(*♡´‿` 人´‿` ♡*)ﾟ♡ °・