i visited the kobo-san market at toji temple last weekend, it was perfect weather for a spring time market!
these little guys were all smiles.
these are paper maché versions of the royal couple that is part of the display leading up to girls day on march 3rd.
these movable puppets were amazing.
and these are old fashioned traditional miniatures.
what's that, you say?
it's a rare find: the hand stamp kit for print gocco! they've been discontinued for several years now, but i found a couple in a dusty corner of a local craft store. in the shop, while (very limited!) supplies last.
would you like to win your very own pair of olympic mittens? visit cafe cartolina to find out how. via poppytalk. go canadia!
sunday was chinese new year
which i realized when i stepped out of a store in kobe's central shopping area...
and came almost literally face to face with this dragon!
i'm catching up on my sleep after a red-eye flight brought me back to japan on sunday morning. i'll be honest, there have been a few naps, snacks, and catching up on bad tv.
i feel like i have a lot to catch up on, but at the same time i feel ready to focus on a few projects. like this little boat, i'm working on charting my course. i hope to get back to daily blogging as part of a time-balanced life.
all the photos in this post are works by yellowgoat; i love this ring that holds a photo, and can even be a tiny pictureframe on your desk.
and here's something sweet for your valentine.
wow, how did it get to be the end of january so fast? i'm leaving tomorrow (which is in a few hours) for a week long research trip to indonesia. but i wanted to leave you with another little valentine's day craft-woven felt hearts.here's my valentine's day needle felted conversation hearts project from last year. using a heart shaped silicone ice cube tray, these are so easy-a perfect first needle-felting project!
the full tutorial is here, and also in the list of tutorials on the top right of this page!
for the last 6 days i've been busy with a conference that my office organized. the last event was last night, and my computer is up and running again with a replacement power adapter, and i am trying to catch up on everything that piled up in the meantime.
the earthquake in haiti happened right before these days. my words can't do justice to that tragedy, at least not words from my tired brain. tonight, my heart goes out to the people suffering.
i think i may have jinxed myself by wishing for a new computer while i still have a computer...now my power source isn't working and i think i may have an idea about what made that electrical pop noise earlier this evening that at the time was quite mysterious.
hopefully this can be resolved soon, and i can share the (very different!) post i had in mind.
january is passing quickly (at least it feels that way to me!), but it does not feel like winter is going to be over anytime soon. i've been noticing some lovely cozy wintery things online recently. above is the beautiful mast humidifier made of japanese cypress via spoon and tamago.
a traditional japanese way of staying warm (with no central heating, most warming strategies are very very localized) is the hot water bottle, or yutanpo. in the olden days, yutampo were made of metal, could be warmed on the heater, and then you can use the water in the morning for washing up. these days, they are popular again, especially the plastic or rubber kind also used in europe. these super soft looking yutampo covers are from this sweet zakka shop.
this one was handstiched by the talented melissa at tiny happy.
and this one was knit by a stealer of hearts. i think i want to knit a hot water bottle cover of my own, i like how the stretchy collar is perfect for the neck of the bottle.
there's a lovely post over on decor8 filled with great ideas for refreshing your home for the new year.
there's also a beautiful post on design sponge all about poppies, which are one of my favorite flowers.
in 2010 i am going to be more organized with my accounting. it's time for a new system; i'll let you know if i find one i love. in the meantime, if you are a small business owner thinking about such things, a good place to start is this recent article on the bakery blog by holly of the accounting spot, which is another great resource!
and this one is from tinymeat on etsy.
another new year's tradition in japan: osouji- a big and thorough housecleaning. literally the word means 'big cleaning'. and...this year i actually did it! it felt great to organize everything in my apartment, and clean up some messes that had been hiding behind closed doors.
and while we are on the subject of fabric, here's the tiny elephant cotton print, in even more colors! these are in the shop, along with more colors of elephant cotton canvas back in stock too.
these lovely cards are made by drenculture on etsy.
in japan, there is a lot of importance placed on the first (of almost anything) of the new year, including the first dream of the new year. in order, it's lucky if you dream about the following: #1 mount fuji; #2 an eagle; #3 eggplant! i don't think i've ever had a dream about any of those things, but maybe one year i will have a lucky eggplant dream on jan 1. hee. hee.
and one more cutie: a handmade upcycled eggplant from nataliemae.
balance is a big goal. balance in play and work and study, time, sleep, healthy food. these felted rocks are by reya, by the way, and aren't they beautiful?
one specific balancing goal is to start doing yoga again, i need to! and i know myself: i need to join a class to keep motivated. the vintage post card above is from 47th street supply company.
today i went for a hike on mount konpira, near ohara, north of kyoto. another one of my goals for 2010 is to go hiking, and i thought it would be perfect to spend the 3rd day of the new year (japanese new year's includes jan. 1, 2nd, and 3rd), outside in a peaceful natural place.
ohara is one of my favorite places, near kyoto, but with beautiful fields and farmhouses. it has a few lovely temples, and some natural dye workshops. and pickles and shiso, which i love!
the approach to the summit.
along the ridge.
on the top of kompira mountain, there is a small very old mountain shrine, this is the shrine gate,
and the shrine itself.
one of the stone lanterns
and another small shrine in the rock on the way down. i definitely think i will be able to keep hiking in 2010!
new year's is one of the most important holidays in japan, with many associated customs, including sending new year's cards, or nankajo. the one above is my design that i've been working on, while enjoying a few cozy days at home.
2010 is the year of the tiger, and this amazing tiger stamp is the work of sachi on etsy.
another new year's tradition is the 1st shine visit of the new year. this is the imamiya shrine in kyoto, which has a unique display of a gigantic version of arrows on either side of the door. these arrows, or hamaya, are a traditional amulet bought at temples at new years to ward off bad luck.
they also had a huge ema, which is usually a much smaller wooded plaque where you can write your prayer and hang it at the shrine. in this case, it has a new years tiger too.
this is the special fire from yasuka shrine; people light straw rope from this fire, and carry it home with them to cook the first meal of the new year.
lanterns at the shrine on new years eve.
view from kiyomizudera.
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