pandacub wants...capricorns

I'm a Capricorn, the astrological sign for those born between December 21 and January 20. The tenth sign of the zodiac, Capricorn is an earth sign, ruled by Saturn and represented by a sea goat.


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Capricorn - Zodiac Charm Pendant Necklace with Garnet, $33.00 by turquoising
2. Capricorn Sign Button Set, $3.99 by ziggyflop
3. Capricorn Print 5 x 7, $20.00 by rottobee

Middle row:
4. My Girl Stud Earrings - Green Paper Lucky Star For Capricorn, $3.00 by funnysky
5. Capricorn Incense, $6.25 by SpiritualRadiance
6. Capricorn - Sterling silver zodiac pendant, $28.00 by nellyvansee

Bottom row:
7. star sign - capricorn . ring ., $25.00 by pandacub
8. Capricorn Zodiac Birthday Card, $5.00 by horoscopus
9. Old Goat - CC Star Vintage Necktie Coin Purse, $25.00 by ccstar

pandacub travels to...Rome, Italy

My husband and I definitely have Italy on our list of places to travel to in the near future (he's half-Italian). Not only does Italy have stunning artwork and lots of culture - who can forget the food!?


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Rome - 4 Coaster Set, $16.00 by gertiebyrd
2. Roma, $10.00 by ktwigs81
3. Coliseum, Rome, 8 x 10 Photo Art Print, $12.00 by DESIGNbyHELEN


Middle row:
4. Digital Collage Sheet ATC ACEO Backgrounds Altered Doors Roma Doors, $3.75 by DigitalCollageSheets
5. Vatican Museum Stairs, Italy Fine Art Photograph - Framed, $85.00 by lunagraphx
6. The Tiber, $20.00 by risamay

Bottom row:
7. The Coliseum Necklace, $34.00 by LePhotique
8. Roma Vintage Coat of Arms Pendant and Bottle Glass Necklace, $38.00 by GreighdayVintage
9. Roma Hand-Stamped Pillow Cover, 16 x 16 in Tan Ticking, $35.00 by UnionStudio

sneak attack!

A few months ago I participated in my first Sneak Attack and got an AWESOME blue maple leaf hair pin (perfect for when I go to hockey games - you'll get that if you're a NHL fan).

Since then I've been a big fan of Sneak Attacks. The team is so supportive and full of lovely Etsians who are supportive, encouraging and super fun! I'm so glad I joined this group and they have welcomed me with open arms.

I decided to take a more active part with the team and am sponsoring my first Sneak Attack tomorrow (Monday, September 28, 2009). As a sponsor I'm responsible for choosing the next shop "victims" and I'm very excited with the shops I found!

To learn more about Sneak Attacks and to participate (and see the shops I picked), check out the web site at www.handmademovement.com.

50 books in 2009 - update 7

Here's update 7 for my "50 books in 2009" goal. I'm seriously behind. With all the family drama that has been going on lately, I have barely even cracked open a book. With only 3 months left in 2009, I highly, HIGHLY doubt that I'll hit 50 books this year, but it was fun trying! I'm still going to plug away and hope for the best.

If you have any favourite books that you think I might enjoy, please leave me a comment or send me an email! I'd love to hear some of your book suggestions as I'm always look for something good to read!

1. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles, finished Jan. 18
2. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir, finished Jan. 27
3. Miss Marple's Final Cases by Agatha Christie, finished Jan. 30 (re-read)
4. Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes, finished Feb. 8
5. The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson, finished Feb. 18
6. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir, finished Mar. 3
7. Elizabeth by David Starkey, finished Mar. 11
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, finished Mar. 31
9. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie, finished Apr. 3 (re-read)
10. King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes, finished Apr. 21
11. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie, finished Apr. 28 (re-read)
12. Gastronaut by Stefan Gates, finished May 3
13. The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten, finished May 13 (re-read)
14. It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, finished May 25 (re-read)
15. Kitchen Con by Trevor White, finished June 4
16. The Year of Eating Dangerously by Tom Parker Bowles, finished June 18
17. The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, finished July 2
18. The Best of Food Writing 2001, edited by Holly Hughes, finished July 14
19. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory, finished July 28
20. My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes, Aug. 1
21. The Best of Food Writing 2003, edited by Holly Hughes, finished Aug. 4
22. The Best of Food Writing 2004, edited by Holly Hughes, finished Aug. 13
23. Candyfreak by Steve Almond, finished Aug. 20
24. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles, finished Sept. 23 (re-read)

Currently Reading:


Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg
A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain

Coming Up:

101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die (I feel another set of goals coming on...)
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

more photos from the wedding...

I just like teasing my sister since she hasn't gotten her "official" wedding photos yet...

sunny september

As most of you know, September didn't get off to a great start for me and my family, but this past weekend we had something to celebrate!

My younger sister (and only sibling) got married this past Saturday! It was a super-sunny day, but not too hot and she looked stunning.


I'm so happy for her...and wanted to thank her for fuelling my addiction to French macarons. You see, her wedding favour was a sweet box of 4 macarons for each guest, but she gave me an extra box. On top of the box I actually received. Plus I stole my hubby's box. Yep, that's right. 12 macarons...all for me. That was Saturday. I have 2 left.

I do have lots more photos to share, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. Too busy eating macarons. Haha!

giveaway winners!

I printed out all the entries to the One-Year Etsy-versary Giveaway, cut them all up, put all the names into a cap and pulled out the winners late Monday night. I've just finished emailing all the winners and while I wait to hear back from them, I thought I'd share them here now.

I can't wait to see what they buy with their pandacub gift certificates!

Here are the winners:

$30 Gift Certificate
- Sophie

$10 Gift Certficate
- secret cake
- Beth
- JennTRC
- SoyPea

thank you, thank you, thank you

I have some of the best blog readers and Etsy friends around!

Thank you all so much for the tons of lovely emails, blog comments and Etsy convos I've received in the past week since my grandmother had a stroke and passed away.

Even though I haven't met most of you, your sincere thoughts and well-wishes are very much appreciated and definitely helped to make my days a little brighter and gave me something to look forward to. Please know that even if I didn't get to thank each of you personally, I did read everything that was sent my way and enjoyed every message.

I'm back at my day job, back to work, and trying to catch up on all that I've missed. There's lots to be done (my sister is getting married this weekend!), lots of new goodies coming soon (like Twilight-inspired bobby pins) and of course, lots of new photos!

*HUG*

pandacub + shrimp salad circus = giveaway

Just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that the lovely Lindsay from Shrimp Salad Circus blog (one that I check out daily) has a great feature on me and my shop!

Head on over and you may learn a few new things about me, see some of my favourite things on Etsy, plus enter to win a $15 shop credit to pandacub!

sorry i've been absent...

Hi gang,

Some of you already know this, but the lack of blog posts this week was due to me spending most of my time in the hospital with my grandmother and then falling asleep in exhaustion.

I had booked this week off for vacation because hubby and I were supposed to fly to Las Vegas for a much-awaited vacation (our first trip in 2 years) but my grandmother passed away on the day we were scheduled to leave, so needless to say my "vacation" has been sad, tiring and very busy.

Needless to say, I haven't done much blogging, Etsying, or much of anything else, but I promise to try to return to some semblance of normalcy on Monday (when I return to work).

Talk to you all soon!

gloomy...

September has started with a bummer. A couple of bummers, to be exact.

My beloved and inspiring grandmother was admitted to the hospital yesterday. They're still waiting for more tests to be completed, but initial tests suggest that she suffered a stroke in her sleep. She hasn't woken up since yesterday, although she's still breathing on her own.

My grandmother is 85 and has lived more of a life than most people. She raised children as a single, working mom in Hong Kong (how's that for a modern woman?), was a business executive, has traveled around the world (my favourite photo is of her on a camel in front of the pyramids), owned her own flower shop and was super-crafty (you should see her flower arrangements and her soap animals!). I really hope she wakes up and spends a few more years with us...

Then when I got home, I discovered that my adored little newt, Habanero, had died. I put his tiny little body into a tiny little black box and will bury it in the garden today.

September - you are definitely starting out to be my least favourite month of 2009.

pandacub wants...more summer!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I definitely feel like this year's summer has been a total wash-out. And I love hot weather so I'm definitely not happy about it. Especially since I have a long, bitter Canadian winter ahead of me.

So, I'm shopping for summery Etsy things in a bid to extend my favourite season a little bit longer!


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Walnut Thong Mohop Sandals, $90.00 by mohop
2. Let The Sunshine In, Giclee Art Print, $20.00 by printspace
3. 4th of July soapsicles, $4.00 by anniepoo

Middle row:
4. footprint photo notecard, $3.00 by photographybyjenna
5. Set of 3 prints - Panda, $16.00 by photovalle (a little panda sitting on a beach? How perfect is that???)
6. Red Retro Halter Swimsuit maillot pin-up, $62.00 by TheRedDolly

Bottom row:
7. Ice Cream Is Necessary (Print), $18.00 by thedreamygiraffe
8. BBQ Party Invite, $1.50 by helloholley
9. Coconut Earrings, $5.00 by sparklebyalexiacarla