Joa’s blog

inspired by one of my uglydolls, babo. i got babo a few years ago while i was still in school. i saw it in the store window and was immediately drawn to it. i thought, what a great concept!

babo is described as follows:
Babo will protect you. Having a bad day? Someone giving you a hard time? Babo’s got your back. What Babo lacks in mind power, he makes up for in love. He’s everybody’s best friend. He will stick with you to the end and when something scary happens, he will send you a nice greeting card from wherever it is he runs away to. A very curious, mischievous creature, Babo may need some guidance and parenting, so make sure to bring him with you to as many places as possible. Leaving him at home is fine, but please put all cookies and money on the highest shelf.

to me, babo is not “real” but “the babo spirit” is very real - seeking adventure with loved ones, enjoying snacks, pure heart, and good fun. innocently always wanting to be a part of it too~

adbentuuuures~!
quickly drawn by josh

<3

woohoo! my order from pangea organics came in today! i’ve heard about pangea organics for a while. i first saw their beautifully packaged products at anthropologie a while back. i ran out of moisturizer so thought i’d give this brand a try. they’re all organic and eco-friendly which is a plus (chemicals make my skin itchy!).

bought one facial cream/moisturizer, got 3 free samples, yay!
the bottle is a nice recycled glass – feels like more refined sea glass or something. i like it!

inside of the main label

is that one of the seeds? ^__^

complete and attractive eco-friendly packaging design.

have yet to try the actual product. we’ll see~!

<3

some of the few things i have made so far with my cute cups, yay!

gardening…well, more like just planting.
lots of herbs and flowers on the way!

tiny sprouts!

just a week later!

the canvas cotton ribbon is to prevent the cups from falling.
the cute little cupcake holders on the bottom of each cup is to help prevent staining from when i water the plants.

quick and cute gift wrapping.
cups are filled with sweets and wrapped in simple design cellophane.
tied with either canvas cotton ribbon or baker’s cotton thread/ribbon.
used initials to personalize.

boxed and ready to ship!

above the tv in my room. “work <3 play” ……perhaps a reminder? hehe
cups are on canvas cotton ribbon and clipped on with medium-size wood clothespins.

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i finally found time this month to sit down, search, and buy papers. got a good stack from scrapbook.com for 12×12 cardstock, various designs (all front and back design) then got some “wrapping” sheets from paper mojo . i like these boutique style medium-size online stores because you can buy just one sheet instead of 2+ sheets per design….i want to see how i like the paper in person first! then i will buy more if i want….at paper mojo, you can even buy samples. i think most paper-conscious/loving places will let you do this….especially if you have a big event you’re buying for.

why buy online in the first place? well, the fact that i dont have to drive to 10 different places looking for paper (then usually being disappointed) is such a time and energy saver. yeah yeah, shipping costs a lot. but so does gas…and time! oh precious time!

also, i haven’t had too much luck with etsy for design(er) paper.

i first saw these on my favoriet packaging design website (the die line)….i fiiiinally got my paper cups! the original designer of these cups only ships the product in south korea (no vendors that do international shipping…yet) so i had to ask my family and friends to buy it for me then re-ship it to me here in the states. i’m happy! many more projects to come!

cups with soil and seeds in them. my balcony. i’m hoping for the basil to grow healthy.

“lovely <3 home”

some new things i’ve made recently for my etsy site. they’re obviously not perfect. i wish i had a laser/die cutter. hahaha i suck at scissors, who knew, hehe. the funny part of this is that i really liked making the little strips or bands to bundle the envelopes together. i guess it’s the most “packaging design” related thing about my items.

go here to see or buy.

<3 joa

what a fresh, cute idea! i’m not a big tea drinker but this is so charming i might just buy it for its novelty…except i dont think this “product” has come to fruition – i believe it’s just a concept right now.

go here to find out more.

these deco tapes have been my obsession for the last few months. i’ve always liked them from afar since a couple years ago when i saw a small set for sale at kinokuniya in seattle. after the holidays, the adoration exploded. MT tape brand is the front-runner but “Happy Tape” is a close second with trendy clean designs and seemingly good quality.

i recently used a pretty gray tape to help enhance christmas packages. my family loved it yay. it’s a subtle addition to packaging but it makes a difference to me. i know i know, “who wants to pay that much for tape??” but good scotch tape ain’t that cheap either ($2.00/roll on average), so why not get prettier tape for a few more cents! haha

check it out……
you can go to these vendors to purchase:

HERE studio koizumi (japan)

HERE origami san (japan)

HERE pretty tape (japan)

HERE happy tape (US vendor I believe)

you can also visit your local japanese goods store (like Kinokuniya)…they usually carry nicely packaged MT tape sets of deco tape for about $6 -$14.

thanks for reading! <3 joa

ack! my favorite!
cute animals and paper products….available for purchase here and here.

i think the bunny ones are my favorite. A+ cuteness! hehe

<3

i’m so obsessed.

i fell in love with packaging design during high school because i saw a boutique shop selling single cupcakes in a homemade packaging designed box and “gift envelope”. it was a recycled paper box with a cute bow to detail it at the top. when you opened the box, you saw a lovely fresh cupcake. the cute gift envelope had a candle and pack of matches in it. a to-go birthday cupcake!? it was love at first site. cupcakes and awesome packaging design?? hollaaaa’! haha anyway, this took me back:

LOVE IT!

good details that is meaningful.