DIY Photo Garland

April 26, 2015 Caitlyn4 Comments

I am so excited to share my most recent project with you: a super easy and fun photo garland! On my Spring Bucket List, one of my goals was to decorate my kitchen in my rental apartment, so making a photo garland was one of my first steps. Here’s how I did it!Step One: I printed a bunch of pictures, and then prepared washi tape, die cut stickers, photo envelopes and colorful clothespins. I chose to use FLAKY STICKERS for my die cut stickers, and pre-made photo envelopes from moodsnviews, both of which I got from a local craft store. You could use pretty much anything you like, and if you can’t find pre-made photo envelopes or colorful clothespins (though I’m sure you can because I remember seeing them even back home!), they would be easy enough the make yourself!Step Two: I chose my pictures and started playing around with where I wanted to put my die cuts and washi tape. Step Three: I hung up my beautiful work!

I am in love with this project! I can’t decide whether I like this project or my washi tape photo wall better, but both are certainly sprucing up our place! This project cost me less than $10 USD (less than 1000 yen), and took less than 45 minutes, but I am ready to enjoy it for a long time ahead!

Talk to you soon, lovelies!
xx Caitlyn

Saturday Sights in Shibuya

April 25, 2015April 25, 2015 Caitlyn1 Comment

Thank goodness for weekends. We had a lazy start today (like last weekend!), eating French toast, drinking coffee and watching Game of Thrones. Then when we were thinking of how to spend our afternoon, I remembered that Chad had said he thought Shibuya was a cool area, so I decided to see what we might be able to do out that way today. I chose three main places I wanted to go: Theobroma Musee du Chocolat, Nata de Christiano’s, and Streamer Coffee. We started our journey by walking through Yoyogi Park to Theobroma, where I purchased three chocolates for us to split later.

The one that looks like a mix between a miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and a tiny cupcake was hazelnut and milk chocolate. The one in the back right had a bit of framboise action happening (and was my favorite), and then the other (left) was a honey infused chocolate. After leaving Theobroma, we headed about a block over to Nata de Christiano’s. This tiny bakery specializes in egg tarts, and though I’ve made some decent ones in the past, I’ve never quite been able to make a perfect egg tart. I had to see if Nata de Christiano’s lived up to its reputation!
First of all, let me just say that when I write that the bakery is tiny, I mean tiny. But it is also adorable!
They serve alcohol too! The staff was very friendly, and the service was prompt. Don’t they look amazing? THAT’S BECAUSE THEY ARE. There is absolutely nothing tiny about how fabulous these tarts are, you guys. The puff pastry is just slightly burnt but super buttery and flaky. Contrasting with the crunch of the pastry is the sweet, silky egg tart filling. I just can’t tell you how in love with these tarts I am! Gahhh! I feel like Nata de Christiano would be enough of a reason to go to Shibuya, but after that, we had another great experience at Streamer Coffee.

Streamer Coffee is known in particular for its latte art. The owner, Hiroshi Sawada, was the first Asian to ever become a World Latte Art champion. If you know me at all, though, you know that I don’t care much about latte art if the espresso doesn’t hold its own. But um, you guys? The espresso at Streamers is absolutely awesome. And I mean, awesome. As in, my latte was one of the best I’ve ever had. Streamers has created its own coffee blend, and the beans are also for sale in the cafe. #pleasegiveme #allthecoffee
We had such a successful day in Shibuya! After walking around for several hours, we were ready to go home for dinner. I captured a couple interesting shots on the way home (one is posted below, and the others are on instagram!). Then I worked on a super fun project I can’t wait to share with you tomorrow! (Hint: the project is part of something from my Spring Bucket List!) Have a lovely weekend friends! I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
xxCaitlyn

Seen

Happy Sunday!

April 19, 2015 Caitlyn4 Comments

Don’t you just love those days off where time actually seems to be going at a reasonable pace and you can really relax? Today has SO been one of those days, and after a crazy week, it’s been much needed! We woke up this morning at a lazy pace, had coffee and peanut butter toast, and then hung out reading all morning.We were going to go on a picnic today for lunch, but since it was raining we decided to go to an Indian restaurant for curry instead! I really liked the Kima Curry (left).

After lunch we decided to wander around, and I found some really fun stuff while window shopping!
I thought this bag was really cool, and I want to do some hand lettering with the quote.How fun is this coffee cup? I sat looking at it with puppy eyes for several minutes, thinking how much I love a good croissant with some quality coffee. The design is so simple, yet cute, with the little croissant inside peeking out like a delightful surprise. (I tried that technique when I made my Odd Side Ales mug last summer). Then I found this sweet kitty cat makeup bag, as well as a sloth-print hand towel.How amazing is this? Ojisan means middle-aged man. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I need to own this pouch! It just makes me smile.Do you know what else makes me smile? We got home and Chad made a French Press while I was cleaning. I was in a different room when he said, “I poured some coffee for you!” I came out to see that he had somehow bought me the cute cup I’d been looking at without me even noticing! What a sweety!!
After doing a bit more cleaning, I made a list on a new notepad I bought today!
Then I wrote some letters, did some art journaling, and relaxed a bit. Talk about a nice day, and it’s not even over yet! Next up: grocery shopping so I can make chicken salad croissants and deviled eggs for a nice spring dinner. I might hit up the 100 yen store and see if anything strikes my fancy, too. Then tonight we’re going to watch Hector and the Search for Happiness. Have you seen it yet? What have you been up to this weekend?

Have a lovely Sunday darlings!
xxCaitlyn

Around Town · Food & Cooking

Around Town: Kikanbo Ramen

April 15, 2015April 19, 2015 CaitlynLeave a comment

We often go wandering around Ikebukuro, and when we do on weekends, we also often end up eating ramen. We’ve found several great ramen shops, but recently we decided to try one that always has a line of at least three people waiting every time we walk by: Kikanbo Ramen. Chad thought I should show this picture to illustrate my point about the queue…
First you buy your ticket with your choice of ramen, and then you take the ticket and stand in line.
While you’re waiting in line, one of the employees asks you what spiciness level you would prefer for your kara shibi ramen. The “kara” spice is made up of 12 different spices, and the “shibi” is ground Chinese numbing pepper, apparently. We chose “futsu” or average spice, for both of our bowls.

Outside the ramen shop, there is a giant oni, or ogre, club.
Inside the shop, there are several ogre masks, as well as ogre figurines and more clubs.
It’s fun watching everything being prepared in the kitchen while you wait to be served. There is also drumming music to add to the ambiance.
After several minutes, my hunger was growing and I was starting to feel like an ogre myself. Fortunately it wasn’t too much later that we were each presented with a wonderful looking bowl of ramen.

When our ramen arrived, we were most excited about the hefty piece of pork inside. It just fell apart in our mouths and was definitely the part of this meal worth savoring. As for the broth, it was quite peppery, and the spiciness cut through the oiliness of it. I tend to prefer ramen with a more buttery broth, but the “futsu” level of spice worked for me. The noodles were of an al dente texture, and a bit thicker than a lot of ramen we’ve tried, but I liked them a lot.
Overall, I would say that Kikanbo Ramen is worth a try. Would I go back, though? Not necessarily. After all, there are so many ramen shops I am obsessed with, not to mention the many more I want to try!

Hope you’re having a good week–mine’s almost over!
xx Caitlyn

Uncategorized

Spring 2015 Bucket List

April 12, 2015 Caitlyn8 Comments

Happy weekend everyone! After a very busy month and kind of a stressful couple of weeks personally, I have been so grateful for a weekend of taking things easy. Spring is officially here, though the weather has been quite gloomy on our side of the world lately. To cheer myself up and help me let go of anything crummy from recently, I’ve decided to make my first ever Spring Bucket List (a great accompaniment to the autumn and summer ones I’ve been checking off the past couple of years!). I’m really looking forward to getting back into the habit of checking off items from a fun to-do list. I think these seasonal bucket lists really help me stay motivated and always give me something to be excited about!