Busy Days

I can't believe it's already July. It's been too long and I woke up ready to update the blog and edit some pictures for my shop.

I missed some plush bombing action and I have tons of ideas and news I could be writing about, but the truth is I had a blast all this time I was away. And here it is why:

We got a puppy! His name is Godzilla and he is a little dog with a big personality. So a lot of my time was spent giving him lots of love, training and exercise. We found a good vet and trainer, we also got him use to riding on the subway, a big one for us since we will bring him everywhere we go. Now he is almost five months and becoming more independent, so it's time to get back to work full force, new updates for the blog coming soon, new plushies for Vivikas's Shop on the makings and I need to make plans for the next Plush Bomb.

Thanks for all the comments and support, I always try to make time to read your suggestions and opinions.

Plush Bomb #2

So Many Bikes

When I was a kid in Brazil I used to enjoy riding my pink bike.  It was fun and that's all I remember -how fun it was.
I hadn't thought much about bikes during my adult life since I lived in a big city where subways take me anywhere I want or need to go, and I really enjoy walking.  I was good with that. Then a little more than two years ago I met my husband Kevin, who is c.r.a.z.y about bicycles.  He put together one for me and that was super sweet.  We were able to ride together a couple of times last summer, but I must say that I got a bit nervous on the busy streets of Manhattan.  Cars are super close to you and sometimes drivers act like you are a bother to them.  There is also the invisible effect... yes you become invisible to pedestrians.  They don't see you.  I am not kidding.  They will suddenly cross the street right in front of you or stand in the bike lanes (because, you know, if bikers are invisible than so are bike lanes) so if I could get over my fear of being hit by a car I'd still have to watch out I don't hit a pedestrian.  It was fun at times but mostly I just felt nervous.
This summer I'm thinking about toughing it up and getting used to it.  Since last summer I haven't been riding my bike at all.  Kevin is the one using it to go to work or run errands.  We are thinking about getting new bikes and that could be fun.  There are so many options.  I really want a girlie bike - something I can ride around calmly and comfortably.  So far I really like Public C7 in white.  It's cute and not too expensive, plus I can add a basket to it!

I am still deciding.  We have been visiting some bike shops, I really like Adeline Adeline, they will soon start selling Bobbin Bicycles.  The Birdie below is pretty and it has a chainguard so I don't have to worry about something getting caught in there. Oh... and the mint color is awesome!

I still want to go for a test drive on both bikes, maybe next week, I am excited about that.

NYC Has Been Plush Bombed!

I was having a nice day and feeling happy when I thought, what if I could make a random person happy today? That would be cool, so I thought about things I like doing, and I like many things but creating my plushies it's on the top of my list. So I thought I could randomly pick a place around my neighborhood  and put a cute plush there with a note, and that's how me and my husband Kevin Plush Bombed the city for the first time!

It was so fun and we are planning on doing that twice a month, I am not sure what's the best way to do it, but next time I will give the heads up to the people who follow me on twitter and facebook, I will also make a post here with the address or clues to get to the location.

Another plan is to drop a plush anywhere we go, so far we have plans for Atlanta, Massachusetts and Brazil, a friend will be taking one to the streets of Taiwan... That's right, Plush Bombing will be an international event. n_n

What about you, how would you make a random person happy this week?  I would love to hear your ideas!

Cleaning Up For Spring?

Last weekend I went to the Vegetarian Food festival, we bought tickets a while ago and my idea was to go and thru the talks and have a better sense on how to have a healthier diet.  I've never been a big meat eater neither Kevin(husband) and we were already into homemade green juices and eating as much veggies and fruits as possible, I've watched some environmental documentaries and vegan documentaries before and I think most of the information that was given to me during the two days of the Vegetarian Food Festival I had heard before but somehow only now it sinked in and i think I am ready to make a change.

My desire to change comes from my love for animals and my pursue of a proved better diet that will make me feel healthier, I don't think it's going to be an easy transition because I need to know more than I do now to make sure I am getting all the nutrients I need to have a balanced vegan diet, and I do know there are many options for us living in NYC, there is a good number of vegetarian/vegan restaurants around the city as well as farmers market and health food shops. So now it's time for research(what I've been obsessively doing since last night) and get to it.

If you are interested in knowing more about the benefits of a meatless diet a good documentary to watch is Forks Over Knives.

This morning as my first first day on the way to being a vegan I prepared for breakfast tofu scrambled with spinach, and here it is the recipe, pretty simple and tasty:

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cups sliced fresh mushroom
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 1 pound extra firm tofu, well pressed and crumbled
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste

Sautee tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil for 2 or 3 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium low and add spinach, crumbled tofu and the soy sauce. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Finally sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper before serving.

Once Upon A Custom Order

I always have fun with custom orders, sometimes there is more room for creativity and other times I pretty much follow as requested. Last week I worked on creating a plush version of a little character in a online kid's game, it was pretty fun, it took me six hours in total to finish and I use eco-felt to create him.

The Business Of Making Things

My adventures as an amateur blogger were fun, I had a blog 3 years ago and my posts were mainly DIY tutorials, I like learning new things and sharing is always good, as my Grandma used to say.  Time has passed and I got married, moved to a new home with my lovely husband, chop my long locks of hair off, drop a "day job" and  focused more on my "dream job", yes many changes, but they are all good and I feel now it's a good time to blog again, life is busier than ever, but would it ever slow down? I don't think so, and don't want to procrastinate on the things I feel like doing(even though I do that a lot).

I am the owner and designer behind Vivikas Shop, I create every plush from scratch and they are all handmade, no sewing machine, they are really handmade and I am very proud of al my creations.  I've been working hard and in this crazy world many times I am not sure if all my business decisions are right, but one thing I know for sure, I will always create, that is what makes me happy - making stuff!  Crafting, cooking, thinkering! All of that makes me happy and it's sometimes what I can do to make others happy.

So this is a little bit about me and things I like, just a little bit really, the beginning of my little corner called Nice & Plushy.