japanese cross stitch embroidery kits

i am super excited to let you know about these cross stitch zakka kits from clover that are in the shop!
they are beautiful kits with high quality and perfectly selected materials.
flickr set here

hand made baby gifts japanese craft book

i just listed this book in my etsy shop. it may be the cutest book yet of hand made craft projects that would be the perfect gift for a new baby.

"sweet baby, hand made gifts"
ISBN 978-4-07-246385-7 i love that it includes such a wide variety of projects and different kinds of crafts, from sewing, embroidery, applique, and handmade rubber stamps. you can more pictures on my flickr account, in the japanese craft book set, but here are just a few more.

happy new year

new books for winter over at my etsy shop. the one on the left has amazing felt hats-i'm planning to keep it around for inspiration for years to come. the one on the right is scandinavian inspired felting--very cute! things scandinavian are trendy right now in japan, which makes sense, since a lot of northern european customs and aesthetics tie in rather well with zakka.
my gocco printed linen coasters also in the shop-bright red acorns seem good for winter, or maybe that's just squirrel logic!
my new wool muji slippers in orange. my toasty toes love them. (i couldn't resist and got the herringbone ones too! shhh. they're for guests;-)
here's the mouse from my last post-in honor of 2008, year of the 'nezumi,' or mouse, in japan.

june handmade market

since summer is here, the handmade market at chionji temple in kyoto (the 15th of every month) has been really busy. lots of cute new summer things for sale, of course...like the glass summer bells (above) or whimsical creatures (below).
lots of zakka

and awesome feltmakers whose work i hadn't seen before. these dolls are so lovely!
and crazy tissue holders in the shape of animal heads!
and wee walnut mice.

new books sneak peek

i'm rushing around getting ready for a vacation trip that starts this weekend. i'll be shipping all received orders on friday (japan time) and then after i get back on june 14th.
here's a sneak peak of some of the new titles i will be carrying in my etsy shop, including these from the lovely handmade zakka series.
there are also a few new felt books that have been published recently:this is the most amazing needle-felted food i have ever seen. seriously. so detailed and perfect!
this is another new book about sewing with felt. usually i don't carry many sewing with felt books, but this one is especially lovely and has a great modern feel to the projects and designs.

i haven't posted them yet, but plan to in the next few days.
if you want one right away, you can email me directly.