Dear Santa!

I am often reminded of just how much Lansen is growing up... Today was a huge reminder!  Every year, since Lansen started going to school, I have him write a letter to Santa Claus. It's become an annual thing, a tradition of sorts, that we write & mail his letter at Macy's. I remember the very first time Lansen wrote to Santa, it was on Black Friday a few years ago. He was so little then & just beginning to learn to spell words. I remember having to assist him in writing his letter. This year, Lansen didn't need my help at all with writing his letter to St. Nick! He has grown so much in the last couple years & he's gotten definitely gotten lot more independent! It's such a bittersweet feeling watching him grow up! I think no matter how old he is, I'll always see him as a baby, my baby. 

Lansen writing his letter to Santa Claus!

 I really wish I had gotten a glimpse of his Christmas Wish List! 

Lansen next to the Santa Mail Box! 

I hope that you all are having a very merry December!

Do you & your loved ones have any holiday traditions?! 

xoxo

5 Random Things

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do the "5 Random Things" link up, that is being hosted by Growing Up A Thomas, The Style Hatch & Fried Pink Tomato. This link up will be happening every 1st Tuesday of the month! Hope you all join in on the fun too!

1. I am a "Kauai Girl"- born & raised. I have lived here all my life. I won't lie, there are times, I take living here for granted, but I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to live here.  Who wouldn't want to live 10 minutes away from the beach, right? It's funny because whenever people find out I am from Hawaii, they always ask me the following 3 things:

1. Do you know how to surf? No, I do not.

2. Do you speak Hawaiian? No, I do not.

3. Do you know how to dance Hula? Yes, I used to take Hula lessons when I was younger.

 2. This may sound silly but I felt most loved by my dog Blue. Not saying I don't live a loved life, because I do... I have great friends, an amazing family and the sweetest son anyone could ever ask for... I just felt that Blue loved me unconditionally flaws and all with no expectations in return. I honestly can't describe it. Maybe all you dog owners can relate. 
Which leads me to the next fact...

3. The last time I cried was back in July... when Blue passed away.

4.  I am borderline obsessed with taking pictures of my food/drinks. Yes, I'm one of those girls! I have no shame... and yes, I do post them on Instagram! It's funny because whenever I'm eating with my son Lansen (who is 8), I'll take a picture of my food and he'll ask me if we can take a picture of his food too! I guess you could say he takes after his mom.

5. I loooove receiving mail. If I am expecting a letter/package in the mail, I will make it a point to stay home around the time the mailman usually delivers my mail. When I was younger, my mom and dad would have to drive me to our PO Box just so I could check to see if I had any mail. For my fifteenth birthday, my parents surprised me with a residential mailbox--- best. present. ever. 

ILYtifftiffer Giveaway ***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

I will be honest with you and say that I wasn't planning on doing another giveaway until January... but my friend Ronya, surprised me with an email asking if I'd be interested in doing an ILYtifftiffer Giveaway... Heck yeah, I do! I definitely couldn't turn down the opportunity... I am a huuuuge fan of ILYtifftiffer. I first heard of ILYtifftiffer through my friend Marcy, who happens to be a  huge fan of her as well! 

ILYtifftiffer is a shop based out of O'ahu, Hawaii. (Yes, that means all of her products are "Handmade in Hawaii"). Ronya sews and sells an assortment of cute pouches at affordable prices ranging between $8.00-$14.00 USD. 

 You can find ILYtifftiffer in the links below:

Etsy

Storenvy

My Experience with ILYtifftiffer

I first contacted Ronya, when I was interested in ordering a customized camera case for my brand new camera. She was such a sweet girl from the get go- very approachable and responded to my emails right away. I gave her the dimensions  of my new camera and she instantly worked on a sample for me. After the sample was done she sent me pictures to make sure I was happy with the design. After okaying the sample, I then picked out a fabric I liked and voila my order was done the next day! She worked on my order so fast and I couldn't have been happier with the results. It took her less than 2 days to fulfill my order and she even sent me a matching pouch as a surprise! I can't even express how happy I was with my order... it looked even cuter in person and the quality was beyond what I had expected. When I bought a Kindle a few months later, I was in the search for the "perfect kindle case" and after searching many shops, I couldn't find anything I liked... That is when I decided to ask Ronya if she could possibly make me a customized kindle case, she happily obliged. Again, I gave her the dimensions of my Kindle & she went ahead and made a sample for me to look at. I then picked out a fabric I liked and it was done by the next day! I received my kindle case in a couple of days and I couldn't be any happier wih it! It was perfect, exactly what i hoped it would be and more! Ronya is always such a pleasure to do business with and never fails to exceed my expectations. 

You can actually see my ILYtifftiffer Camera Case & Kindle Case here.

Okay, now lets talk about the giveaway...

This giveaway will be done through Raffecopter & will run for two weeks!

One lucky winner will win:

1-Kawaii Print Patchwork Pouch

1-Mini Pouch with Matching Single Print Fabric

Giveaway Rules:

1. This Giveaway is open to U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY

2. You have from now until Monday, December 17th to get your entries in!

3, There is only ONE MANDATORY entry, which will unlock 5 other entries for you.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for $25 & Under

I don't know about you, but I looooove Christmas Shopping... I understand that sometimes, Christmas Shopping can be a bit stressful whether it is because you have a long list of people to shop for or because you are on a tight budget. Anyways, I did some browsing on the web at a few shops that I adore and here is a list of cost friendly items that would make for fun gifts or great stocking stuffers without breaking the bank.

K.slademade

Leather Key Chain Fob

$22.00 USD

These leather key fob's are handmade by Kelsea, of K.slademade. 

Available in Black & Camel, Brown & Navy, Gold & Pale Pink, Navy & Neon Green, Navy & Orange, Navy & Red, Navy & Teal, Pink & Brown, Pink & Orange, Teal & Brown and Teal & Pink.

Stella & Dot

Love Bracelet, Light Bracelet & Courage Bracelet

$19.00 USD/each

These delicate beaded bracelets, feature brass chain, faceted beads and colorful cord accents. These bracelets are adjustable and would make great as friendship bracelets for you & your girlfriends! 

Sew Beastly

Small Ruffled Clutch

$24.00 USD

"Sew Beastly's products are handmade, ruffled accessories with sustainability in mind."- Sew Beastly

Available in a variety of different prints. Perfect size for storing all your daily essentials.

Gigi New York

Personalized Bag Tags

$25 USD

Available in Eggplant, Fucshia, Orange, Peacock, Taupe and Black.

Gussy Sews

Small Zip Pouches

$18.50 USD

"Every girl needs a little ruffled pouch to carry with her."- Gussy Sews

These handmade ruffled pouches are made with the cutest printed fabric and includes the Signature Gussy Ruffle. Measures 4" x 5.5". Comes in a variety of different prints. 

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

25 Things About Hello Cindi...

Blouse, Oneill; Scarf, Collection Eighteen; Bracelets, Tory Burch & Alimonada; Jeans, Almost Famous

25 Things You May or May Not Know About Me
(in no particular order)

1. I may only be 4'11" but I still prefer flats to heels.
2. The first car I ever owned was a 92 Nissan Sentra... I named her Dolores.
3. I had my son Lansen when I was 19 years old.
4. I am a very competitive person- I HATE losing.
5. A lot of people mistake me for being full Filipino, but I'm actually half Filipino and half Japanese.
6. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, yet I don't eat turkey or pumpkin pie.
7. I can never surprise people, because I get too excited and end up spoiling the surprise.
8. If I were to have a celebrity crush, it would be Chris Evans.
9. I do not wear makeup on a daily basis.
10. The song "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton has special meaning to me.
11. I was in band for 3 years, I played the C Flute.
12. I don't celebrate Valentines Day.
13. I spend most my money on books. I loooove reading & go through about 3-4 books a week.
14. I am afraid of the dark & still sleep with a nightlight on. 
15. The thing I get complimented on most by strangers would be my hair... Which is funny because my hair would be my least favorite attribute.
16. I am obsessed with Hello Kitty. 
17. My biggest pet peeve would have to be when people misspell my name. 
18. Whenever I'm in a not so good mood, I like to listen to Christmas music, no matter what time of the year it is.
19. To me "OMG" means: "Oh my gosh" or "Oh my goodness".... I do not like using God's name in vain. 
20. I have a very bad habit of not calling people back when I say I will.
21. I never believed in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny growing up, but I did believe in the Tooth Fairy.
22. I still consider Pluto a planet. 
23. I like to buy affordable clothes and shoes, but when it comes to handbags price is not a factor.
24. My parents let my older sister, then 4 years old, name me. Her favorite singer at the time was Cyndi Lauper. 
25. I have an unhealthy relationship with sweets. 

I hope that you all enjoyed getting to know me...
Tell me something about you, I'd love to get to know you better!

Don't forget to enter my Sunflower Stationary Giveaway here! You have until Saturday, November 17, 2012 to enter!