paint your own puzzle

new in the shop: a blank puzzle. you can draw or paint directly on the pre-cut puzzle pieces. another brilliant idea from muji.

farmland carpet

earlier this month i returned from an all too quick trip back to the states. to be honest, i have had a hard time catching up since i've been back, but i am working on it, and slowly making progress.

these custom carpets were featured on CRAFT a while back now, and are actually made in a variety of custom designs: netherlands, africa, usa, and this one, which is called europe. but to me, and this may just be the midwestern holstien cows, it looks more like the colors of the american midwest. i always find it mesmerizing to look out of the airplane window and see the squares of fields, cut into a grid by county roads perhaps, usually a little house and outbuildings, surrounded by trees, and then fields filling up the rest of the square.

fall kirigami from zakka life

jessica at zakka life posted a tutorial for how to make these lovely fall cut paper kirigami decorations. via CRAFT via SisterDiane.

feed bags for trick or treating

this year, your trick or treating can also help feed children who are hungry. this bag from FEED supports unicef and helps provide nutrition for a child for a year.
the FEED project has a number of bags that benefit hungry kids throught the world food program.

forest I--basket waving meets automobile

check out this amazing woven car. via poppy talk. It's actually salvaged bark woven on top of the car, by basket weaver annie ross.

paper chain acorns by mayamade

acorns and chain, originally uploaded by mayalu.

fall may be the best time for crafting-- as the change to brisk weather makes us remember the joy of gathering inside, slowing down, and making something with our hands.

the imagery of fall is the best too--firey red leaves in all shapes and sizes, and harvest bounty. this paper acorn chain from maya*made reminds me of paper leaf collages and rubbings done as a kid. so simple and so nice. she has several great watercolor newsprint paper chains on her blog, so be sure to check them out.

dreaming

photo by syko on flickr.

i wish i was sewing. but my super busy schedule is set to continue for another month. so if it gets a little more quiet around here, you can be assured i will be popping in and out, if sporadically for a bit.

daimonji

in the last 7 days, i have seen so many interesting buildings and places, heard many stories, met many people who speak many different languages, and been inspired and left with lots to think about.

the first part of the week i took part in a summer school in kyoto. i saw the traditional daimonji (giant fires that are lit in the shape of symbols or characters) for the first time. this photo is the main fire in the shape of the character that means 'large.'

new pottery

a few months ago i started taking a pottery class, which i love. the teacher is great, and she has a tiny studio/shop/classroom which happens to be on my block! today i threw a few pots on the wheel for the first time in years, and although i am very much out of practice, it was wonderful.
and, i got my first finished piece back, this plate.

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.

strawberry seersucker

i love this fabric--it has such a vintage feeling, and a wonderful texture, of big seersucker puckers for cool cotton summer clothes. i think it would make a perfect sundress for a little girl. or maybe a cute top for a grown-up. like me, perhaps. i love both the lime green and the bright blues. after eying it for months, it's finally been added to the shop.

felt lanterns from papaververt

these gorgeous lanterns were made by papaververt, who makes a lovely array of modern felt vessels that you may have seen before. via poppytalk.

new toys, and felt ipad sleeve

last month, i got an ipad. it's wonderful and i love it. here's the case i made in about 15 minutes from a large piece of thick craft felt (3mm thick, polyester).
and....here's my sewing machine! i was going to show off this new toy with my first completed sewing project....which isn't finished yet. so here it is with the ipad sleeve. coincidentally they are the same color. i also love this machine, and desperately wish i had more free time to use it.
here's how i made the sleeve. cut a piece of felt just a little bit wider than the ipad. and long enough that it wraps around 2.5 times. pin the edges. sew 2 seams on the edges.
here's what it looks like finished.
with the left over felt, i made the extra double pocket pouch. very quick, i and i think i will make an improved version once i have all vital accessories.

happy swiss independance day

august 1st is swiss independence day. this photo is from flickr user syko and i love it because we had these same wooden cows growing up. we have wonderful swiss family friends, and i am very sure that visiting their house as a child inspired my love of architecture and design. in honor of swiss independence day, here are a few swiss-themed goodies from etsy.


photo from dewberry777


map and zurich airport code inspired art from apfelstrudel


switzerland earrings from love4rocks


keyrings from joosweetie


swiss stamp earrings from ergane


swiss postage stamp necklace by juanitas

gion matsuri floats part 2

after my last post about the gion matsuri parade, i realized i completely forgot to mention the textile aspects of the floats!
i'm not sure how that happened! but here are a few more photos showing more close up views.
in my opinion, the most interesting thing about the tapestries on the floats is that they were collected from far away exotic places several hundred years ago. for example, china, persia, or europe. so the floats are actually like moving museums. and, it's like these collections that the wealthy kimono merchants of the edo period (1600s-1800s) were then preserved over time, because they are still used for the floats today.
so it's a traditional japanese festival, but even traditionally, it includes textiles and tapestries (and other treasures) from other far away countries that were exotic to the japanese of the edo period.

gion matsuri

last weekend was the biggest event of the huge kyoto summer festival, gion matsuri, the big parade called yamaboko junko.
there are 2 kinds of floats, the tall ones called hoko with the long pole, and the shorter ones called yama. this photo shows one of each.
this float had an amazing moving praying mantis on top!
and this one was exceptionally boat-like.
i watched towards the end of the parade, at one of the larger intersections where they turn the corner with the floats.
the men riding inside are playing flutes and other instruments to make the traditional gion matsuri music.
the floats are huge, heavy, and pulled by ropes. and the reason the that these big intersections where they turn the corner are popular places to watch the parade is because of the way they turn them.
the wheels don't turn. so when they get to the intersection, they put wet bamboo strips under the wheels, which are held immobile. and then all the people pulling the roles go the the side, and pull the wheels SIDEWAYS to make the float turn. it takes several times.
and the whole time there is music and coordinated shouts. these 4 men on the front gesture with their fans turning the actual turn. it was really fascinating to watch. and really hot.

i made a flickr set with more photos here.

make your own pick up sticks

last week i was telling my students about pick up sticks. my students are all japanese adults who take english conversation class, and once a week we have a chatting hour. i don't remember how we got onto the topic of games, but after comparing hide and seek, and different kinds of tag, which are pretty similar across cultures, they wanted to know about games that i used to play as a kid, the kind with toys. oh, and jump rope is international too, although what we called chinese jump rope is called something else (i forget) in japanese. the 2 games that involve things that i thought of were jacks and pick up sticks. i loved jacks as a kid. and apparently it doesn't exist in japan. although according to youtube (very helpful for chatting hour) it's an 'ancient' and international game. we found a set of pick up sticks at the school, and enjoyed a game (also the first time for my students). although they were the plastic kind, not the nice wooden ones.

and, if you fancy making your set of pickup sticks, here's a tutorial from chez beeper bebe, via whip up.

what were you favorite games as a child? i also loved hopscotch and foursquare.

crochet covered stones

beautiful pattern from margaret oomen for sea urchin crochet covered sea stones on the purl bee.

a lovely rest

i actually love my very busy life. i am so very grateful that all the things that are making me feel busy are the opportunities i am so fortunate to have, and i really enjoy them. but recently, i have been especially enjoying some 'lazy' time when i can find it.

just looking at this cushion couch by christiane hoegner (via bloesem) makes me grin, and feel a little rejuvenated. i was always a blanket nest-builder as a kid, and i've always loved pillows. i can just imagine a wonderful nap on that couch.
christiane also made these lovely paper sugar packets, which look like they are just sewed around the edges and then you tear the top off to use them. i love sewing and paper.

i hope you are having a restful weekend, whether you are taking a nap or having a leisurely cuppa.

new nani iro fuccra double gauze

nani iro fuccra double gauze, in blue, and eggplant.
ok, this fabric was released earlier this year, from the wonderful nani iro line from kokka. but i just got around to finally putting it in the shop. it's the cotton double gauze we have come to expect, with whimsical, abtract, pretty patterns. every time i see it, i am consumed with thoughts of what i would like to sew with it. for myself!
a similar thing happens every time i visit the inspiring simply iro flickr group, where i saw this great project from filminthefridge (lovely blog by the way!).

actually, i am the very excited and proud owner of a new sewing machine! and my first project that i started is a shirt using this fuwari fuwari nani iro double gauze. it's a little girly compared to what i usually wear, but i've been in japan for a while now, and that sure brings out the cute and girly in anyone. it is not, however, the first project that i have finished; in fact, it's gone a bit astray...for sure because i thought i would just wing it. so that project is on hold until i redo the collar.

but as a new sewing machine owner, i picked up a couple books for inspriration, inlcuding this one, also for nani iro (or other) double gauze. the title is "made of soft gauze." isbn 978-4141878872.

here are a few clothing patterns, but it has more household objects/gifts.
and of course this nani iro book is still one of my favorites to leaf through and be inspired.