New Year presents from Bikbik and Roro

Dear Readers,

Did you have a nice weekend?   Did you celebrate the Lunar New Year?  My weekend was fun and calm despite the number of guests and the busy schedule.  The children enjoyed the company of many cousins and relatives who came to visit.

We spent almost all weekend greeting, visiting, eating, and drinking.  We don't cook during the New Year's 3-days celebration so all the cooking was done ahead of time before Friday.  We also played charades which is a great way to bond between generations.  The grand-parents, parents and children alike, all participated eagerly.

We also went to a Chinese New Year's fair where the kids spent some of their lucky money on fishing surprise box out of a pond and throwing hoops on a board (well the typical carnival games).

This year was really stress-free compared to last year because for the first time in my life I had a home that fully belonged to me and that I didn't have to share with anybody else but my little family.  I finally took the liberty to decorate it the way I wanted, mostly with plants and flowers!  I bought a little kumquat tree, a lucky bamboo tree, and branches of Forsythia.  You can see them in full bloom here below. Apparently it means I will get lucky this year. I sure hope so :)

And look what I received from Janice from Bikbik and Roro!  Janice is an incredibly talented artist, crafter and blogger.  She sent me four beautiful miniature lanterns that I immediately hung up on my forsythia branches!

Also in the package were miniature golden carps.  Carps are symbols of good luck in Chinese culture and they are believed to bring good fortune.  They are very small so I will be able to include them in one of my Sylvanian Families display.

And it's not all!  In the parcel were lovely stickers and postcards as well!  They display themes and characters that Janice has created.  Her ETSY SHOP sells them in form of soft dolls, bags, doll carrier, and more.  The tabby cat is really cute and I like her very practical doll carrier bag!

But I must add that she has another Etsy shop called UmamiBaby where she sells her own Custom Blythe Dolls.  I can't tell you how impressed I am because it's impossible to define the utter shock I felt when I saw them and how much I suddenly wanted to own one.    

After seeing her Blog Post about her new creations, I am seriously considering buying a Custom Blythe doll and I hope I'll be able to put some money on the side so that maybe I'll have my own one day.  One look at her dolls and you'll understand why.  Here below are some photos of Deirdre which I am showing with Janice's permission.

From UmamiBaby Etsy Shop

From UmamiBaby Etsy Shop

Don't you think she looks gorgeous?  I totally fell in love with her sweet face-up and her lovely romantic long hair.

Do you own a Blythe doll?  Do you customize your dolls?