july 4th sunday kamigamo shrine market

here's a few photos from last month's 4th sunday market at kamigamo shrine. these sweet litte cases are for holding a hanko (japanese name stamp-which is used instead of official signatures).

original characters in festival (right) or swimming (left) garb.

one of my favorite things about this market is the setting--kamigamo shrine is next to some lovely natural surroundings, and the craft market winds around through the trees and near the stream. i've added this photos to my kamigamo market flickr set.

tuulikki titine and poppytalk 'oil spill response market'

i love textile jewelry like this piece from tuulikki titine. this is one of the many many wonderful things in the poppytalk handmade market, which is currently the "oil spill response market," with each participant donating one item's proceeds to benefit the gulf coast. check it out and support these folks!

may handmade market

more photos from the may handmade market at chionji temple here.

bright and green

i've been drawn to this fabric every time i see it, and now it's finally in the shop! i love the feeling of the print, somehow it reminds me of scandinavian textiles, and i love how the animals are abstracted. i think another reason why i like it so much is also the bright colors, especially all the green.
it's hard to be patient when it seems like spring is just around the corner...but hiding. and this year i'm so excited about my little garden which makes it that much harder to wait. but remember the mini sunflower kit i bought? they came up! actually now the leaves are fully open, but this picture is from last week. and it still kind of feels like magic, that moment when the first green appears from the ground.
since my strategy for my first garden in kyoto is simply to buy the starts when they are for sale, it's a surprise every time i go to the garden store. last weekend was eggplants and tomatoes already. the good thing is that everywhere here delivers, including big bags of potting soil and planters. the bad news is that i have to wait until friday...i hope these little guys can hang on for a few more days in their tiny pots. and today it even snowed while i left them outside on the balcony!
this strawberry (and the honey in the jar) came from the handmade market at kamigamo jinja on sunday.

ok spring, you can come out now!

march handmade market at chionji

these little guys are made of felt, and are sooo cute!
the same artist needle felted these animals on to fabric items.
they actually sell their works in a combination zakka/cafe/bonsai shop, it sounds awesome, i think i need to check it out.
and i love these pins made from reusing fabric with japanese traditional family crests, or komon.

february kamigamo jinja handmade market-part 2 felt and textiles

the work of very talented feltmaker, from scarves to tiny leave sprouts.
and a different feltmaker who specialized in life-sized cats!! not really my style, but i have to her points for dedication to an idea. also, i saw someone carrying one of these cats when i was waiting for the bus, so...maybe it's successful?woven, sewn, spun and dyed. yay for multiple fiber arts!
cute bags with detail appliques; so japanese.
steel furniture upholstered with upcycled textiles, nice.

by the way, all my market photos are on flickr.

february kamigamo jinja handmade market-part 1 tiny things

the 4th sunday handmade market at kamigamo jinja is my favorite handmade market in kyoto. and it's getting bigger, as you can see by the increase in signs, and their location right by the main gate.
when i was looking through my photos, i noticed a theme of tiny things emerging, including these miniatures,
rubber stamps on little wooden handles
little ceramics

and more little ceramics
little beeswax candles (the apple came home with me, i couldn't resist!)

and a tiny version of the royal couple from japanese hina matsuri girls day holiday--depicted in cookie form!

november tenjin market

tenjin-san market for short, on the 25th of every month there is a flea market on the grounds of kitano tenmangu shrine in kyoto.

more info about kyoto markets here:
http://www.feltcafejapan.com/kyoto-handmade-markets/

handmade market, november

last sunday was the handmade market at chionji, held on on the 15th of every month. more info about markets in kyoto here, on felt cafe japan. this artist makes lovely bags, and also little sewn wallets, here.
there were also some beautiful wood crafts, this is from ubdy,
and i don't know anything more about this artist, but i love the little houses.

more photos in the flickr set here.

last weekend's markets

last weekend i went to 2 markets on sunday. kyoto has a lot of cultural treasures, and in my opinion, market culture is one of them!

by the way, have you seen that banner with the red acorns over there on the right side of this post, for felt cafe japan?------>

it's my new project, which i'm very excited about; gathering and sharing resources about japanese crafts, crafting in japan, and crafty shopping in japan. if you have any ideas about this new site, or would like to contribute, please let me know!

one of the sections on felt cafe japan is all about the different markets in kyoto, here:
http://www.feltcafejapan.com/kyoto-handmade-markets

there are antique markets that have some handmade items, and handmade markets with more younger craftspeople. last sunday i went to one of each.

the photo at the top of this post is from the tenjin market, the anique/flea market at kitano tenmanu on the 25th of each month. the photo is of one of the side areas, where they were selling plants. the little structure with the white tables is selling coffee.

this is the same market, near the entrance where all the food vendors were. there was a mix of traditional local pickle makers, and festival food. toward the end and on a different street, i had the biggest buta-man (steamed pork bun) i've ever seen. super delicious. in this photo, the dark blue banner says 'kyoto pickles' and i bought some! i'm still learning the names for pickles, so i don't know what they are called, but they are purple, include ginger and cucumbers and i love them.

at the antique/flea markets, there are usually some crafts too, often more of the traditional kinds. for example these little chirimen bunnies.

i made a flickr set with more pictures from this market.


then i went to the handmade market at kamigamo shrine, which is held on the 4th sunday of every month. it was my first time to this market, and i definitely plan to go back as often as i can. there was a nice selection of crafts, even though i didn't get there until later in the day. and the setting-peaceful woods and a nearby stream-was lovely.

this woman was selling felt off of her bike.

wonderful felt slippers.

great little felt animals!
you can see more photos in this set.

renegade brooklyn this weekend

if you're crafty and near new york city, you probably already know that the renegade craft fair is this weekend in mccarren park. if you are somewhere else, check out their website, since they now have shows in 4 cities 5 times during the year!

if you want to check out the vendors who will be there (or find out about some talented designers), the direct link is here. poppytalk also did a lovely preview, part 1 and part 2.

i'll always have a special place in my heart for renegade, as an early inspiration to hand made crafters, and as i have had some great experiences as a vendor at renegade ny and chicago. (although last year's renegade chicago was definitely more of an survival endurance challenge, what with the heaviest rainfall on record. seriously. but even then, people were great!~)

my first renegade (and first craft show!) was brooklyn 2005. thanks to some great pals (anna, who put me up in brooklyn, and katie, who helped staff my table) it was a great experience. i also met the creative geniuses who would go on to become piano nobile.

one of the best things about that weekend (and for those of you who have done craft shows before i am sure you will understand), was having great neighbors. in my case, the lovely jeni from saltlick, and her adorable french bulldog, nardo(?).
good to see that saltlicknyc is still going strong and making cute shirts!

handmade market april 15th, 2009

my favorite felt works, by komakoma.
including these wee animals with suspenders. love it!
bags made of recycled fire hoses!
cute japanese style crafts.
and more felt, including all these intricate and wonderful felt flowers.

heather and kaoru

today i want to introduce 2 talented local jewelry designers that i met at the farmers market.

bird on a wire necklace by heather davidson. heather draws each image by hand, so every piece is truly one of a kind.
ripe raspberry necklace by kaoru werk of happy squirrel creations. kaoru's shop is full of cute beaded, wire wrapped, and original plastic jewelry.

final renegade post

last but not least, i wanted to blog this wallet from eana apple. here's the outside...
and here's the inside. she reuses newspapers, laminates them, and folds them into origami wallets. i like mine more every day.craftyplanet was there too, with a selection of the independent crafty goodness that they bring to minneapolis and now their online store.

i met jennifer from craft sanity, who gave me nice write-up on the craft sanity blog: including a silly picture of me here. i think actually i probably look something like that most of the time.