Behind the Name

Hi! This is my first time blogging, and for my first post I thought I’d share a little bit about myself and why I’m here.

A plumeria tree in Hawaii (2012)

I’m a half black, quarter asian lady born and raised in Northern Virginia. I graduated from art school with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Media Arts and Animation. *whew* I’ve always loved art and used to draw pictures since before I can remember. I’ve since been interested in so many aspects of art including interior design, crafts, and culinary. I also love traveling and taking pictures of EVERYTHING.

College me in an art school photo shoot shot by The Glossier

The name Quapa Onna means “quarter Asian lady”. Quapa is a partially made up word derived from the word “hapa”. Hapa comes from the Hawaiian word for “half” and means half Asian. My mother is hapa (half white and half Japanese), which makes me a quarter Asian… Quapa. Onna is a Japanese word for “lady”. I did research some African languages from the regions of my ancestors, but I couldn’t find much.

My paternal grandmother (left) and maternal grandmother (right)

I originally started my business to bake cupcakes, and my ultimate goal was to own a cupcake food truck in Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, and the first time I visited, it just felt like home. I saw my first sea turtles in the wild there and I love turtles!

One of the first hikes I did in Hawaii with some beautiful views (Pillbox 2012)

My first turtle sighting in Hawaii (2012)

I tried recipes from Pinterest and adjusted them from there, doing about one recipe every other week. For various reasons and life in general I lost my passion for baking. However, after a long break, I made some Christmas Cookies for my office a few years ago. Most were made from scratch and they were a hit! Since then I make and sell Christmas Cookies every year and have a lot of fun switching up the recipes.

Earth Day Cupcakes I made in 2015

One of the Christmas Cookie Jars I made for work in 2015

I’m creating this blog to get back into baking more, do some DIY projects, chronicle my travels through the years, and delve into my own journey to a healthier life. I have so many ideas for cupcakes and other bakery treats as well as other artful projects. I want to get personal. So please feel free to contact me to let me know what you want to see, and any feedback is welcome. Mahalo!

Rainbow in the Rainbow State! (2012)