I’ve been experimenting with my Wild Cards note cards, and the newest have been a joy and fun to make.
With walking shoes as a foundation, and with multi-colored art pens and a bunch of sushi images, Shoeshi war born.. The play on words is also part of the fun.
Whimsy was my destination. And because I’m an old-fashioned sort who still sends hand-written notes to friends (vs. email) and utilizing postage stamps to support USPS, these cards hit the right notes.
And yes, who says you can’t use a Shoeshi card to say Happy Birthday?
I was able to secure a bunch of Lilo and Stitch decals a few weeks ago, just prior to the launch of the summer’s live-action blockbuster film, “Lilo & Stitch.”
The images were all over the map – dark, funny, illusional, whimsical – and I wasn’t certain how best to utilize these images as lapel pins. Each pin tells a story, but you have to create and shape the tale; the collection had attitude, if you know what I mean; Stitch and his cohorts reflect a range of emotion.
Not a Disney product, I surmised. Some pins had Japanese katakana words, perhaps embracing and reflecting anime motifs.
So, what to do?
Decided to mount each image to create a pin. But who should be the recipients?
There are slogans like “‘Ohana Means Family,” “Alien Encounter,” and “Out of This World..” Hmmm, sounded like fodder for T-shirts.
I had nearly 50 images and decided to save several for a friend with two sons, and saved a couple for myself. I wound up packageing a gift bag with the bulk of the pins, destined to the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, whose voices are heard – lovely and reflecting pride — in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” film. There aren’t enough pins for all the keiki, but choir director Linell Bright will find a way to distribute these pins.
Finally, the Easter bunny delivered the final 2025 Easter pins. So: if you’ve not received yours, you’ll likely get ’em tomorrow or Saturday, in plenty of time to celebrate Easter.
Made, too, a limited number of Easter baskets with a pink rose attachment on the front.
Here’s a first look at the Easter pins I’ve created for 2025. This year, Easter will be on April 20, so there’s a month to prep for the event. Some Easter pins are in the mail now; doing an early roll-out and distribution, since the pins were finished last month. Mailings will continue for the next few days, so hope recipients will be a bit patient
