domesticity

I love the delightful packaging of the Philosophy handcare set which benefits PBS and PBS Kids. The Tree House is a 2-piece kit which has 8 oz. of red delicious apple hand wash and 4 oz. of red delicious apple hand cream. The gift set is wrapped up in a cute box that looks like a tree house and 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of the item will support PBS and PBS Kids. I have this item in mind for a birthday gift for someone... shhh!

Update on the Pottery Barn/UPS drama...

During the same week the Pottery Barn shipment was misdirected, my mother-in-law ordered a glaze tri-pack for us from the Aloha Shoyu online store. This shipment was once again redirected from our correct address to our old address. But this time when delivery was attempted, the driver was told we had moved... so the package was shipped back to the sender in error. Grr! So once again, I placed calls to UPS customer service to investigate. This time, the UPS customer service agent had the local UPS facility give me a call directly. Turns out there were a couple factors that contributed to these shipping errors... the UPS driver during the week of the Pottery Barn and Aloha Shoyu deliveries was a substitute driver, was unfamiliar with this area, and couldn't seem to locate our home and the UPS database information shows my current address as my previous address and vice-versa. The agent I spoke with was extremely apologetic and corrected the database immediately. Whew! I finally received my Pottery Barn shipment on Friday, the Aloha Shoyu shipment is being resent, and I am now keeping my fingers crossed that this is the last of these UPS errors!

I must remember to look for Food Knit the next time I visit Kinokuniya. I am currently obsessed with knitted and crocheted food and am always on the hunt for new patterns. I can't believe how realistic the fish looks in the photograph!

Rather than doing my office paperwork (like I should be) this morning, I have happily distracted myself with random Marthadex searches. Marthadex is a searchable archive from Craftlog of Martha Stewart magazine issues. Key in a search and related articles are listed by title, issue, date, and page. It’s a very Good Thing!

I started my holiday shopping online two weekends ago and one of my shipments from Pottery Barn was scheduled to arrive this past Friday. On Sunday I realized that I hadn't received my order, so I logged online to UPS tracking. According to my tracking number, the package was delivered to the "Office" and was signed for by "Murray" on Friday. Trouble is, my house doesn't have an office to sign for my deliveries and there's no Murray either. After calls to Pottery Barn and UPS customer service departments, I found out my shipment was delivered to the apartment complex I lived in over two years ago! Apparently the UPS driver couldn't find my home and for some reason my delivery address was "corrected" to this address. Strange thing is that Pottery Barn didn't have this address on file for me at all and UPS couldn't tell me how they got this incorrect information. In any case... Pottery Barn is sending me a new shipment, UPS is doing some investigating, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that all my other online holiday shopping doesn't get rerouted to my old address!

Ben & Jerry's  Lighten Up! Strawberries & Creme light ice cream is one of my favorite indulgence this summer. It's a delicious and refreshing blend of strawberries and light cream. Definitely a yummy way to cool down during the hot summer nights!

I missed this Martha Stewart episode the first time it aired, so I am glad I finally got a chance to see the repeat yesterday. Betz White demonstrated how to make these sweet cup o' joe pincushions from felted sweaters. She also makes the cutest cupcake pincushions. I can't wait to recycle my accidentally felted sweaters into this charming crafty project!

These hanging bottles from napa home are so sweet. I especially love the bottle's simple lines and curved metal wire hanger... makes me think of summer, the beach, and cottage living.

These lacquer cupcake bowls at Rose and Radish are a cute place to hide little goodies. Comes in five yummy colors and in both small and medium sizes.

QotD: Where do you consider home? Is it the place you grew up; the place you're currently living? Why is it home?

I definitely consider Hawaii my home. My parents were both born and raised on the Big Island and I was mostly raised there after living in both Japan and California. My husband was born and raised on Oahu. It’s the place where we want to raise a family, be near our parents, and grow old. Although my husband and I currently live in Seattle, our plan has always been to move back home in 2010.