Kawaii

Welcome to the world, Cavey!

About two months ago, my friend Holly of ALittleStranger.com asked me if I'd be interested in helping her get the buzz around about her new toy line, Cavey, by taking some photos of a plushie she'd send me. I've been a fan of Holly's handmade toys for a long time so I was more than eager to help her out as much as I could. Holly is one of those people whose creativity is both fun and contagious!

Within that two month period, Holly let me know that she was creating something very special for me. Hearing that put me on the edge of my seat. She knows me very well through my blog, photography and from the toys I've purchased from her in the past-- so I knew whatever she made for me would be totally awesome and personalized. And it really, really is. Vox, please meet Hello Kitty Cavey!

Before I give the story behind Hello Kitty Cavey, I'll briefly explain the Cavey craze and why it's so addicting. Caveys are little plush toys standing a little over 4" high (including the ears). They're known for having a passion to disguise themselves as different objects because they're so shy around people. That's what makes photographing Cavey so much fun; so many people are already taking Cavey around with them so they can show Cavey's travels. Cavey acts as a close friend and as a cute little way to be a part of a toy community. ^w^ Holly has created, and will be creating, limited runs of each Cavey (which have endless themes and prints) so every Cavey will be very special and somewhat rare.

Hello Kitty Cavey

Now here's what I love about these little guys. As I told Holly when I sent her my review of her new product, I love Cavey because he's equally full of personality and quality. Holly has handmade each Cavey with a lot of love (as noted on his little product tag), and it shows! Cavey has a nice, solid weight to him-- not too light, but still heavy enough to sit upright in any type of environment. The sewing reflects wonderful craftsmanship so I know that my Cavey will be able to endure her travels wherever she goes. To help make sure Cavey stays protected, Holly includes an adorable drawstring bag, which is what my Hello Kitty Cavey was shipped in while on her journey to me. Also included are a Cavey badge, a Cavey postcard with a description of the toy line and a business card. Seeing all these cute business accents really made my Cavey experience special and affirmed my belief that Holly's work is full of professionalism.

And now, onto my adorable little Hello Kitty Cavey! Just like my other A Little Stranger plushies, HK Cavey is a prized possession of mine that I'll always cherish. I felt so special to know that Holly thought up HK Cavey for me. Hello Kitty (and everything kawaii) is something that has come to help define who I am as a person, so it feels really good to know that other people associate her with me so often. What makes HK Cavey even more special is that she's one-of-a-kind! I'm a sucker for all things that are rare or OOAK, so knowing that my Cavey is the only one in existence makes my whole Cavey experience extra, extra special. ^___~

Interested in getting your own Cavey? Here's some shop info!

As I mentioned before, each Cavey will be made in limited runs so all designs will be snatched up quickly! If you're interested in getting a Cavey for yourself, check out HeyCavey.com when you get the chance. On June 28th, Cavey will officially be in Holly's A Little Stranger shop for the first time. So exciting! From what the HeyCavey blog says, it looks like Plain Pink Cavey and Brown Bear Cavey will be available that day.

And if you get a Cavey, definitely share his/her adventures with the rest of the Cavey community. Right after I finish this post, I'll be heading off to Flickr to post my latest Hello Kitty Cavey photos in the Hey Cavey Flickr group. ^u^

I think I'll end this post with a little Hello Kitty Cavey treat-- she's wearing my Hello Kitty engagement ring. <3 Supa kawaii!

 

The future of kawaii.vox.com

Throughout the past year, I've been slowly making changes to my online identity. My plan has always been to transfer all of my content to more permanent sources and then eventually have it all linked to ONE main website. I knew the task would be big, but I didn't realize exactly how long it would take me to do. I thought I'd spend this Vox post explaining my overall plan and hopes for the future concerning my blog at kawaii.vox.com.

I know that I've mentioned bits and pieces of everything that's been going on with the transfer on other sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a blog post where I can better explain myself in more detail. These days, an online identity is a huge deal, especially for people who hope to eventually support themselves through an online business. For me, I'm still planning to open my own shop to sell plushies and doll clothes, and other toy items... I feel like it's going to be a while until that happens though. In the meantime, I've been gathering all of my thoughts and energy and pouring them into the roots of my plan, which is to have my own website. The website will include my photography, any art/illustrations that I've made, videos from my everyday life, a contact page that will help link all the websites I belong to into one place, and of course... a blog.

Plum & the Pudgy Hammy

The new blog is going to be a bittersweet project. For the most part, I'm ecstatic about branching out into my own realm of the internet-- completely on my own. I'll be able to experiment with different website layouts and really express my creative side any way I please. Another part of me is extremely sad that I'll be leaving Vox. I've been blogging ever since blogs started popping up on the internet. I started off at Open Diary (oh gosh, such memories!) and then played around with several smaller blogging sites like LiveWire (when it existed). Then I moved on to LiveJournal, and I eventually came across Vox. Out of all of the blogging communities I had participated in, Vox was the place that felt like home. The big point that really drew me in was Vox's sense of community and its option to pull so many websites (Flickr, Photobucket, Amazon, LiveJournal, etc.) together. For the most part, I've had a very positive experience here.

There are a few things holding me back from continuing blogging here. Much of the community (my neighborhood) that once existed no longer resides here. I feel honored that so many people still come back to my blog to check up on my life even though they don't have blogs here anymore. Thank you to everyone who still reads my blog! However, the increasing number of spam blogs is pushing me to move on. I've been keeping my comments open to the public because I love being able to meet new people through my blog, but the number of spam comments that I'm receiving now is overwhelming. A new website where there are more controls over comments will be much appreciated on my part.

New Twitter!

For now, I'm going to put aside the minor issues, and I will continue blogging at Vox while the plans for my new website are put into motion. The project is pretty huge, considering how I plan to do all the illustrations and graphics myself. I'm learning how to use Illustrator now so I can create pretty and detailed images and designs for the layout. (I think that's the most exciting part of the process for me!) Ever since I started blogging, it's been important to me that everything within my website is created by me. I guess it's my way of expressing myself and sharing my perspective of the world... with everyone who comes across the website.

The gears for this big project have been turning for a while now. As some people already know, I've changed all my online forum identities to Happily Candied, along with other communities like Facebook. I created a new Twitter (this time, a public account) and a new Flickr account. I'm in the process of transferring many photos, my contacts, and my groups to the new Flickr. (Whew, just thinking about it is making me tired...) I've been reserving my new name on as many websites as possible, including a few that I'm not yet active at, like Tumblr.

I'll make sure to update Vox with the latest news. I always share these updates with my friends on Facebook and Twitter, so feel free to add me on there if you'd like to receive those updates in your feeds/tweets. Letting me know who you are (and that you're a reader of my blog) will definitely be helpful since I don't add back every single person I receive a request from. <3