Japanese Inspirational Series

Here is a necklace from my new Japanese Inspirational Series line of jewelry, each necklace is made with an upcycled Scrabble tile adorned with Japanese Washi Paper from Kamakura, Japan. Each necklace takes 10 days to complete as it is sealed with 10 layers of sealer making it super shiny! Comes packaged in a silver color tin.

Have a Happy Day:)

Sand art from Okinawa.

Hope Necklace

Hope Necklace, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

New in my "Japanese Inspirational Series" The Hope necklace takes 10 days to complete with 10 different layers of sealer making it Super shiny. Comes on a ball chain with a sparkly charm. Each necklace is packages in a silver color tin.

Summertime in Kamakura

Kamakura, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when we went to Kamakura with my cousin and family who were visiting/working in Tokyo for the week. I had never been to Kamakura in the summer, even though we had been here for 3 summers so far. It is just so hot and humid and pretty much unbearable to do anything outside that involves walking around especially when you live here and can go sightseeing anytime of the year. We lucked out that day that it wasn't too bad out and we left later in the day (a HUGE difference). I would have never thought there would be different things to see during the summer and would have really missed out on all the bright summertime colors and decorations that were all over the shrine:) and I love bright colors:)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Here it is! This is what we had tonight for dinner paired with a salad, thank goodness for the salad. WOW! The bread was amazing but very, very cheesy. Now that I think about it we probably should have had a meat and just a little of the bread, a little goes a long way. I am not good at making links so here is the full link to the recipe and there is a ton of other great looking food and recipes there too. Amazing and YUM! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/03/garlic-cheese-bread/

More Around Japan

Kamakura, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

I never knew lily pads grew up and out of the water. Interesting. Photo was taken in Kamakura

Around Japan

Freezing Bug Spray, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

yes, you read it correctly. -85 celsius, what the heck. What is that in F.????? Well, I did a quick google search an it appears that it is about -121 degrees F. WOW! That is crazy, stupid crazy, insane....... and maybe a little bit, just a tad DANGEROUS. Okay so I should probably keep it away from my son and I am a little afraid to use it myself but compare it with the scary giant bugs, like centipedes that we have and some other really freaky insects, bugs, whatever and maybe it is not so scary afterall. Anyways, we have some pretty freaky bugs here in Japan, a few that I have never seen anywhere else and HUGE, GIANT cockroaches, the kind that you would find in places like.......Guam, Hawaii and Okinawa. You know how they get in the house? they actually come thru the drains- now that I think about it maybe there is something I can put over the drain so they don't come in? well, they also come in thru the door...I think. They are just freaky. So this spray was recommended by a friend and it freezes the bugs, it is amazing because smashing them, well they just squiggle and move around and don't die forever but this spray is supposed to be INSTANT! I am actually looking forward to finding a bug as long as it isn't in my clothes, my shoes or in the middle of the night crawling on me!!!! YUCK! So come on bugs, looking forward to testing out my new spray tomorrow. The fight is on, but please don't bother me while I am sleeping!

Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

Super easy and yummy chicken tacos! YUM! The easiest part is that the chicken cooks in the crockpot:)

You need:

Chicken breasts- about 5 or so
I Jar Pace Salsa (we use mild because it is kid friendly)
Garlic (a dash)

Place the chicken in the crock pot and pour the salsa on top.

Cook on low for about 8 hours. Chicken will be very,very hot, allow to cool a bit before doing the next step. When done cooking place a small strainer on top of a bowl and use a spoon to push out some of the juices so the chicken wont be watery.

Salsa:

2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 bellpepper
dash of garlic and pepper
Salsa seasoning packet

Chop ingredients, add spices and your done:)

Around Japan

Leafy House, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

I found this house while walking on a trail near the Tama River. I love that it is covered in green leaves. Hmmmm.........this takes the term "green roof" to a whole new level- this is actually a "green house" It fits in so nice with it's natural surroundings.

Around Japan

Harjuku Girl Dress, originally uploaded by artofspadazzle.

Here is a picture of a Harajuku Girl dress that I found while shopping in Harajuku. The Harajuku style is like that of a doll, this one happens to be Goth Style. On Sundays Harajuku is filled with girls wearing these outfits in various colors and styles hanging out with their friends and sometimes holding signs offering free hugs:) These outfits are very, very expensive. They even have used clothing stores in Harajuku for these dresses.

Japanese House Adventures

The Japanese house can prove to be a bit of a challenge, actually I would have to say more than a bit. In addition to having neighbors who really cannot converse with you (and it they can- a lot of the times they are nervous and stay away from you) The appliances can be a little different too. Although they kind of look the same and work the same (for the most part) they are very much smaller. Here is a picture of our little Japanese dishwasher that sit on the top of the one counter in the house, to make this more manageable I even went out and bought new dishes that would actually fit it in, thank goodness for 100 yen stores:) It may be small but it is definatluy worth the valuable counter space it takes up even if you have to run it 5 times to finish what would be done in 1 time in an American dishwasher:)

Around Japan

Some random pictures from Japan:) Ueno, Kamakura Shrine, Fake Onigiri from the kitchen district in Tokyo

Super Easy & Yummy Crockpot Soup Recipe

This soup is soooooo good a and easy to make. It makes a large batch in the crockpot and can be frozen in small amounts for an even easier dinner:)

Sorry- this is the wrong picture but it looks almost just like this:)

Pizza Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

I Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I like Classico)
1 bag mixed frozen vegetables (medium size bag, carrots, green beans, corn)
1 can Kidney beans - rinsed
1 can olives - drained and rinsed
2 cans chopped tomatoes
sliced pepperoni
about 2 jars of water (you will need to see how much room you have after filling crock pot with ingredients)
a little garlic, italian seasoning and pepper

Cook on low for about 5-6 hours, I've even cooked it all day and it still turns out great. Soup will be very, very, very hot. Enjoy with Cheesy Garlic Bread

New Magnets

Made with my brightly painted acrylic papers:)

In the Garden #1

collage made with acrylic painted papers, art papers