Fabric Giveaway

The plan today was to get up at a reasonable hour (done-ish) and to use as much natural light available on these winter days, to photograph kimono. Alas, it's a dreary day outside and not really enough light to work with. So that means.... I have a free day! Yah! I can't decide what to do first.... I have some jewellery making techniques I'm trying to perfect, some photoshopping of images from our Christmas trip to Matsumoto, a load of new bag and purse patterns to play with, some more softies I want to make..... Where does one start??

Of course, I COULD go and clean the kitchen, put away the Christmas tree, do some washing... but really, that's not going to happen.

The night before last, I stayed up until 3am sorting fabric. Just the smaller pieces mind you. I really thought it would only take me a day or two to sort my purchases from the latest kimono auction, but it's taken over a week! Below is preview of some of them that will be going up in the store soon.

While I was sorting, I thought I'd share the love and put together a large pack (about 350 grams) of vintage kimono fabric to give away. You can see the fabric in the picture below. If you're interested, please leave a comment telling me what you'd do with a free day. If you're not a blogging person, you can just leave your name in the comment. I'll draw a random number on January 21st and post the name of the winner then. Please don't forget to come back and check to see if you've won!

Now I'm off to play!

One More Day!

Tomorrow is a big day for a few reasons.

Firstly, it is the day we have to give our final decision as to which country we'll be living in next year, Australia or Japan. It's a big one to make, staying in Japan has a lot to offer but it also means putting off baby plans for another year. While we pretty much made up our mind a couple of weeks ago, I did tell the universe that it had until December first to send me a sign if it wished.

Tomorrow is also the day that a dear friend leaves Japan to move back to Australia, this time with her Japanese husband and three gorgeous children. She was one of the first people I met when I first arrived to Japan in 1999 and has been such a support ever since. Jodie, you'll be sadly missed!

Being December first, tomorrow is also the day I can put up the Christmas tree! Is December first the day everyone puts it up, or is that just my family? Anyway, I've been dying to do it for the last month, so I can't wait to do it tomorrow. We still have no idea what we're doing for Christmas, of course we have no family here, most of our "gaijin" friends are going back to their respective countries for the holidays and our Japanese friends will be working on Christmas Day, as it is just a normal business day here. We're thinking of it as a chance to start our own traditions.

Tomorrow is also the final day to sign up for my mailing list, and to have friends sign up for extra entries to win this bag. I'll try to draw the winner on Sunday, or Monday at the latest. I know a few people thought they had signed up, but hadn't responded to the confirmation email, so if you're not sure, check your inbox, or possibly your junk box, it may have been filtered into there.

I'm going on a date with my husband tonight. Nothing too exciting, just a spot of shopping, dinner and movie, but they're always a treat.

The Up-For-Grabs Bag

Yesterday I was finally home during sunlit hours! I always photograph my bags and fabrics under natural light, so I finally got a chance to take a couple of shots of the prize being offered for signing up to my mailing list before December first 2007.

Don't forget, for each person you refer that puts your name in the "Referred by" box, you get an extra entry into the competition. I already have a few people with multiple entries.

The bag has been lined with kimono fabric has a small pocket just right for keys and a mobile phone. The back of the bag is plain black, the original backing of this fabulous obi.

Good luck! I'll be announcing the winner December 2nd-ish.