Resin Foxjaw Necklace by Hysteria Machine

It was my birthday last weekend and my husband got me this beautiful silver resin cast foxjaw necklace from Hysteria Machine (aka Cara Trinder) on etsy. I can't wait to wear it.

Cute Things From Tofu Cute

I went a bit nuts the other week when my husband and I were off on holiday and ordered a bunch of cute Japanese things from Tofu Cute. Sometimes going nuts pays off though as everything I ordered turned out to be super cute/tasty!

A bag of Japanese cuteness (yay!)

I couldn't resist (and I really tried. Believe me.) buying this Pote Usa loppy bunny charm by Amuse Plush. It comes in six different styles, but I fell in love with the albino one as soon as I saw it.

Pens are a sensible thing to buy, right? I mean, I'm always running out of pens. It's only a coincidence that these Mameshiba (a dog that's also a bean? How great is that?!) pens happen to be utterly, adorable as well. As pens go, I mean. The styles I got were: kidney bean, coffee bean and green bean.

I also got a bunch of ridiculous sweets for us to try out. These Koala March biscuits by Lotte really did taste like cheesecake in the centre.

I've never tried pocky before so I thought I'd order some in our "New Favourite Flavour" (TM). They were delicious.

Since Japanese Kit Kat flavours are way more interesting than what we can get in the UK, I had to order some of those as well. I've never tried red bean paste, but it's definitely on my list now after trying these Hokkaido Red Bean Kit Kats. The flavour was really interesting.

After seeing my husband's reaction to the after-kick, I chickened out a bit with the Hot Shinsya Chilli Kit Kats and only ate a tiny nibble. Not for the faint-hearted!

These Tamaruya Wasabi Kit Kats were more my cup of tea than the chilli ones. They had a very subtle, but totally recognisable wasabi taste that hits the sinuses.

Last, but not least, is this Puccho Melon mini bento tote bag which I think will be a very handy thing to have.

In conclusion, the quality of the products from Tofu Cute was even better than I'd expected. And that, combined with the cheap prices and quick shipping means I'll definitely be ordering from them again!

Trying Matcha Lattes For The First Time

My husband and I are both off work this week so, the other day, in the spirit of adventure, we tried matcha tea for the first time! They was only from EAT and were in the form of lattes so they were probably a lot sweeter and milkier than the real deal, but it's a start. To be honest, I only wanted to try it in the first place because it's such a cool colour, but I think, having tried it, I might have caught the craving for the taste.

New Coffin Purses With Red Japanese-Style Lining

I've got some new coffin purses up in my etsy shop. Click here to have a look. Each one has a hand-painted bone cross design on the front and features a skull zip-pull. The lining is a lovely rich red Japanese-style pattern.

Treats From ItalicHome & Mariaela

When I'm working at my desk, I like to have a scented candle in front of me. For some reason it just seems to help me get into the zone and focus on what I'm drawing.

I've always been on the lookout for a clove scented candle and, recently, I bought one from ItalicHome to try, based on their good reviews.

It's a brilliant little candle that smells strong even when it's not burning and, when it is, fills the whole room with the wonderful, warm scent of cloves. I absolutely love it.

I also treated myself to this gorgeous necklace from Mariaela too. It came beautifully packaged and is a one of a kind so no two are alike.

I'm a little obsessed with moss lately. I think it's because it reminds me of my little "pet" (even though it's not really moss) and it's green which is the colour of a lot of the lovely things in life like forests. And gherkins. And green vegetables. And pistachio-flavoured sweets. I could go on and on...

Voluspa Chestnut & Vetiver Reed Diffuser

The more I've been getting into the idea making my home feel as cosy and home-like as possible, the more I've found myself getting into things like candles and reed diffusers which I would never have given two hoots about in the past.

We've been hunting for the perfect reed diffuser for a while now and they either seem to be insanely expensive or smell like one of the following: "Fruit" (which I don't like - blegh), "Old Ladies' Houses", "Soap", "Something Foosty", or "Flowers That Make You Sneeze".

Eventually, after a lot of  going round shops, smelling bell-jars and giggling, we found this amazing Chestnut & Vetiver scented diffuser by Voluspa. 

Of course, the idea of spending £40 for a reed diffuser makes me feel itchy just thinking about it, but luckily, it was massively reduced in the sale! Ha! Oh, and it smells amazing. It's a foody, Christmassy scent, but not overpowering. It's still very strong though and kind of foresty too. I only wish they did refills!

Do you guys have any recommendations for good reed diffusers or other home scent products? (Or anywhere in the UK that does Voluspa refills..!? Help..!)

Recent Instagram Pics

♥ I tried experimenting with silver eyeliner, using it as a second 'flick'. I think white would maybe work better ... Also a weirdo came and tried to kiss me while I was taking photos.

♥ My attempt at beetroot pizza with feta and cavelo nero cabbage. It tasted incredible! Even if it was a bit like having jam on a pizza.

♥ Cleaning my marimo. I freshen his water once a week and give him a gentle squeeze evenly all over to get rid of any dirt particles. 

♥ And here's a recent (and very colourful) drawing of mine that I uploaded to instagram. You can see a proper picture of it here.

♥ Doing some research drawing for a new piece (an underwater one) with an amaretto coffee. Yum.

♥ Another make-up experiment: green on the top lid with pink glitter underneath. I don't think it really worked, but it was fun to do! Also I'm loving this lipstick which is Nyx's matte lipstick in the colour 'butter'. It's not really a genuine 'matte' effect, but it is a lovely greyish taupe colour.