This crocheted leaf necklace—with its soft grey leaves and red flower brooch—is both cozy and feminine. You could spiff up any outfit by simply adding this unique necklace, and the removable brooch adds a nice festive touch.
As if this polar bear ornament wasn’t adorable enough in the first place, he’s also wearing a sweater to up the cuteness factor. Each handmade polar bear is personalized with an initial embroidered on his sweater, and there are several lovely sweater colour options to choose from. This ursine decoration would be a sweet addition to anyone’s Christmas tree.
Raymond has been quite the little traveller during his downtime this year. We’ve already told you about his adventures in Ventura, Portland, Orlando, and San Francisco, but he also travelled to places outside of the United States. Any guesses on where he went?
Japan!
When I told Raymond that I was going to Tokyo, Japan to visit a friend from university, he begged me to let him tag along. And how could I say no to his sweet reindeer face? Japan is one of my favourite countries, so I was excited for Raymond to experience it, too.
Raymond taking in Tokyo from our balcony in SetagayaIf you’ve been reading about Raymond’s escapades and if you know me at all, you know that we both love to experience new and different foods, especially when travelling. For me, trying out local cuisine is one of the best parts of travelling! Finding vegetarian dishes in Japan can be a little tricky, but we definitely found plenty to make our bellies happy 🙂
One Japanese dish I love is miso soup, and I was delighted with this giant, hot bowl that I had at Misogen. Full of okra, mushrooms, greens, and tofu skin, this soup really hit the spot for lunch. The steamed rice served with umeboshi [pickled plum] was an excellent accompaniment.
About to chow down at MisogenWhen we decided that we wanted to try a new food, monjayaki, we headed over to Monja Street in Tsukishima where there are literally dozens of monjayaki restaurants to choose from. Monjayaki is pan-fried batter filled with chopped veggies and/or meat. It’s sort of a runnier version of one of my absolute favourite Japanese dishes, okonomiyaki [savoury pancake]. For both of these, you usually cook the food on a grill right at your table. However, with monjayaki, you eat it directly off the grill using a wee spatula.
Raymond and our natto monjayakiWhere else in the world do you think Raymond went this year? Stayed tuned to find out! 🙂
Peppermint is such a refreshing scent, so I love the idea of this candy cane soap. I’m sure it smells fab and would really wake you up in the morning. And not only is this soap pretty, it’s made with the good stuff, such as olive, palm, coconut, canola, and castor oils, as well as shea butter.
When I was searching for a pair of candy cane earrings and came across these earrings, I was tickled pink! The candy cane by itself is a fun classic, but I just love the addition of the gingerbread man who looks like he decided to hitch a ride on the earring. Not only are these earrings cute, but they are also handmade with polymer clay.
