~ August Sneak Attack ~

I didn't sponsor a sneak attack last month because I was busy traveling. But this month I am back! First, let me say that if you don't know what a sneak attack is, please visit HandmadeMovment website. It's a good cause.

Ok now...the victims! I picked these two shops because I think they have great products! I hope you like them. First, we have TruePennie. She makes awesome bags from plarn. What is plarn? It's...plastic + yarn! It's yarn made from recycled plastic bags.

She also has beautiful flower accessories like hair clips and pins.

Then there's the pretty headbands...

Next we have KatieandEmma. What a beautiful card shop! The cards are so sweet and some are very trendy and modern. Just love them!

I hope this attack brings them motivation to continue making great products!

~ It's Harvest Time ~

Well, the harvest has just begun! We have 2 tomato plants and they are thriving this year! We have so much that we are giving them away to everyone who wants them and still have enough for soups, snacks and various dishes.




We also have like 20 pepper plants, some green bell peppers, some jalapenos, and some chili peppers. We call these "Pointing to the Sky peppers". They are super spicy.


These are supposed to turn purple. I am still waiting...


Isn't it huge??


Of course we have a lot of flowers too! Check out this lily. They were blooming 10-20 flowers at a time and it was just beautiful.


These grew out of the grounds on their own, probably from seeds left by last year's flowers.


Our new jasmine plant! I love it!!!

My dad not only has a green thumb, his whole hand is green. My mom too, but she plants more flowers and succulents than food. So, my dad's secret fertilizer is ... powdered egg shells and peanut shells. He saves these shells and blends them in a blender into powder and mix it in the soil. It's as organic as it gets!

Can't wait till all the peppers are ready! He's going to make his awesome home made hot sauce. I don't really eat it because it just burns and I can't handle it. But, my fiance and my dad look like they enjoy it alot. :)

~ Awesome Sushi in Germantown ~

Yuraku is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. Not only is the food good, the prices are great! They have a lot of complimentary appetizers like veggie sticks with dip (yummy), steamed eggs and salmon head. Also, if you order about $15/person worth of food, they also give you miso soup and a small salad per person.

Here's the steam eggs....It's super soap and tasty. It has some fish cakes inside.

Here's the salmon head. You may be asking yourself, "what the ____ is that???" Well, it's ... the head... of a salmon fish. It's very tasty!! I know it doesn't look that tasty, but it is!

The best part is the cheeks! You need to flip it up and then....

...dig right behind the eye...

...get that chunk of soft, tasty morsel out of the cheek! You can eat the eye too! Some people love it, some people think it's yucky. I think it's not bad.

One of current favorite is the salmon sashimi. All that for $8.95. I think it's a pretty good deal.

Last night, there were 8 of us. So we ordered the medium boat ($100 chef special). It has a lot of sashimi and rolls. It was awesome!

Sometimes, we just order individual rolls. My favorites are triple (spicy?) salmon roll, triple tuna roll, dragon roll, Philly roll (the one with cream cheese) and the Viagra roll (as pictured below).

This place is so good that there's usually a long line during weekends. When we left around 9:30 last night, there were still people waiting for tables. They also have lunch buffet which is decent. It's conveniently located on 355 north, in Fox Chapel shopping center. Just looking at the pictures make me hungry!

~ Make Awesome Videos with Animoto ~

This is so much fun~! Ok, so basically, on this site Animoto, you can make really cool videos with music from pictures. Here's an example:

Isn't it awesome? The free version you can use to make videos for up to 30 seconds, which is about 12 - 15 pictures. All you have to do is upload the pictures, pick a song and fill out some basic information like author. You can also sign in to flickr or facebook to grab pictures from your albums. Here's another example:



If you want to make full length video, you can sign up for a business account. According to their website:

Unlimited full-length videos, each licensed for commercial use with no Animoto branding. Takes just minutes to create one. Easily update it anytime. Hassle-free pre-licensed music. Embed it to your site or share it.

$249 for a year, or $99 for a 3-month trial.

I think I am going to make one every week with my newest creations :) You can also easily upload to YouTube. I think it can potentially be a good promotional tool. But, it's also fun to make videos of your friends! It's so much fun to pick out music too. They provide music like hip hop, jazz, classical, top 40 and more! You can also choose to upload your own music.


Ok, I am off to make another one. Just a warning...it's a little....addictive.

~ Nail Art Haul from Forever 21 ~

When I was shopping at the huge Forever 21 in Chicago, I saw these nail art stickers when I was paying. They are only $1.80 a sheet and they look really cute. So of course I had to grab a couple.

Then I saw more online so of course I ordered more.

Here's the results....I matched the black with the most girly, sparkly nail polish I have ever owned.

I love these little bows!!! I think they are out of these though since I don't see them on their web site anymore.

And yes, I know I am suppose to shape my nails to a square, but I like them round :)

I even put it on my toes. Note that I blurred the picture on purpose :) I think these stickers look awesome with black sandals.

I am pretty obsessed with bows and pink/black combo right now, as you can see in my newest creations...

I can't wait till my friends and I have time to do a nails night. One of their mom is a fabulous amateur nail artist. Till then, I will just have to entertain myself with these stickers.

~ My Treasury: Summer Sunset ~

When I drive home from work in the summer, it's right before sunset, when the orange of the sun bleeds into the soft blues of the skies and create the most beautiful shade of purple.

I hope you like this week's spotlight! Don't forget to click on the individual pictures if you want to take a closer look at the products!

~ Fish and Eggs ~

A reader recently asked about the eggs that were slowly becoming baby fish. I am happy to report that they are doing well and can even swim on their own now!

Not only that, but there are 2 more tubes of eggs! Here's one that's a day younger than the original one I posted.


Here's a video of them happily floating around in their tubes:


Remember the baby giraffes I blogged about a few months ago? Look how big they are now!

All babies are doing very well. It's almost time to find new homes for the giraffes!