The Design Festa - The Cute Version

Here I am, safely in Japan and time is already slipping away, the first four days of the trip have rushed by.

My first port of call here was the Tokyo Design Festa.  It was truly amazing event with everything from cute toys and characters, jewellery, clothing as well as a lot of work by illustrators and artists.  With something like 3000 booths, I did a pretty impressive job at seeing a large percentage of the visual artists.  The event also has outdoor and indoor stages housing musicians and performance artists, so given time, I would have much preferred to do it over two days.

I took so many photos and they are going to take me a while to go through.  I have links to the artists for many of them and stories to tell of some, but in the meantime, here's a small taste of some of the cute versions of the Design Festa.

1. Embroidered Brooches, 2. Norah and Jam, 3. Oni Oni Town, 4. Button Lamp and Artwork, 5. Cuddle Me, 6. Monster Purses, 7. Stitching on a Sofa, 8. Tweet Tweet, 9. Kame

While here in Japan, I am getting less time to blog (and I have so much to blog about!), but I'm posting random pictures of what I'm seeing on my journey on my Facebook page.  Thank you to everyone who has joined me on there and has commented along the way, it really helps me feel like I'm not travelling so alone.

While I'm in Japan...

Only one more sleep (and a very short one at this rate) before I leave for Japan!

While I'm away I'll try to do regular photo updates on my Facebook page.

On behalf of a dear friend that I know misses them, I'll have a bath or two like this, but I'll probably skip the electric bath this time.

I'll catch up with this old friend and this lovely man as well as a number of other good friends over there.

I'll certainly be visiting lots of my favourite craft shops for fabric, paper and vintage kimonos.

In Kyoto, I'll have a little more free time and would like to try my hand at a few traditional crafts.  There are so many to choose from!  I'm considering maybe one at the Kyoto Handicraft Centre, or over here both the yuzen and furoshiki wrapping workshops look fun, and it's been years since I last visited the Nishijin Textile Centre.  I'd also love to try some shibori dyeing if I can.

I'll be staying in normal hotels, not ones like this or this.

I'm planning to buy some books and really hope there are some more recent issues of this one.

This will be my first time eating gluten free in Japan and with multiple food allergies, will be a bit of a challenge.  This sweet friend was kind enough to give me a lot of advice from her own experience.  I'll also be carrying one of these around with me or you can get a free version over here.  I chose to buy the first one as it specifies soy sauce, which is a very common ingredient in Japanese cooking.

So, the next time you hear from me, it will be from the land of sushi, sumo and kimonos.

My Creative Space

I'm playing with mixing some leather offcuts and old buttons with vintage kimono fabric today.  Challenging myself to create a piece with as much recycled material as possible for Reverse Garbage's New Beginnings Exhibition.

For more creative spaces, drop by Kootoyoo.

The Sakura Knucklebuster

Last weekend I had a ball in a silver and acrylic workshop run by Dan Cox at BIA.

When you do a workshop like this, you really appreciate the time that goes into handcrafting jewellery.  I spent two days cutting, filing, filing and more filing, sanding, rivetting, polishing and cleaning, all just on the single piece.  It's certainly a statement piece and one that no-one will want to mess with me while I'm wearing it.

I have to say though, that I found the process really addictive and can't wait to book into another class.

I loved the work completed by the other students in the class.  You can see picture of their rings here.

The One Thousand Crane Project - Wish #7

Today's Wish: May you always find the words for what you wish to express.

Today's Paper : Crane - From an old calendar with the quote "When the thoughts we think are the same as the words we speak, others will feel our integrity.  

The speech bubbles (empty, ready for the little one to fill) are from the same calendar.

Cranes to date: 36

We've been thinking a lot about language and speech, or lack there-of in this house for a while now.  The little one hasn't found her words yet.  She can communicate so very well and is certainly vocal and expressive, but can't seem to form words.  

With a background in applied linguistics (and language acquisition) for the last year I've listened to her with concern.  At the same time, I've also listened to well meaning friends and family assure me that she was just a late talker, that at one point it was all going to tumble out.  We've tried different methods to encourage language, but it just isn't happening.    I'm now going with my gut and after I get back from Japan, she will start with a speech therapist.

I know the words will come, but we may just have to take a longer road to get there.  And I must say, I'm really looking forward to hearing what she has to say.

"Kanzashi" Workshop and Saviours of the Lost Arts

Have you heard about the Saviours of the Lost Arts program happening in Brisbane? It's a fantastic event filled with craft workshops, talks and a market.

I'll be running a "Kanzashi" workshop, using vintage kimono fabric. Bookings can be made here.

There are so many fun workshops, you can see the full program here. Book in early, spaces fill up pretty quickly.

My Creative Space

Once upon a time there was a girl who lived in an exotic land.  Every couple of months she would take a train that snaked past patchworks of rice fields, tea plantations, industrial estates and one gorgeous snow-capped mountain.  The train would transport her from the little town of vegetable fields and bicycles she now called home to a metropolis of buildings that touched the sky and people that moved in waves.

This not-so-young girl was a Japanese-fabric-ophile and she had arrived in the promise land.  A place that had an entire "Fabric Town" where five story buildings were filled with gorgeous print after gorgeous print.  A city with craft stores so large they needed seven whole buildings to hold them.  Somewhere that you could not only buy materials for almost every craft imaginable, but also be inspired by all around you.

That girl wanted to share her new-found knowledge with the world.  To map out the places to go and how to get there.  To help those navigate the foreign language and customs of the land.  With each trip, she would explore a new area, madly writing notes, subway exits and drawing maps.

But alas, while she had filled notebooks with her excited scribblings, before she could put them in order for others to read, life took over and the guide was carefully put away, but never forgotten.

But now, the not-as-young girl has only eight more sleeps until she visits this exotic land again.  The maps, the writings are all seeing light again and are being put into careful order.  It has been a number of years since the girl has visited the fabric promise land so with the guide in hand, she can see it with new eyes, check her maps, add new findings into the book so that she can then finally share it with the world.

There are many more magical creative spaces to explore, Kootoyoo is where you'll find the map.

The One Thousand Crane Project - Wish #6

Quite a while ago now, I started my "Wish a Day" project, and not long after, daunted by the daily requirement I had set myself, it was cast aside.

I'm now ready to pick it up again.  No longer in a daily format, but trying to create something regularly until I reach 1000 cranes.

Today's wish: May your imagination always be ripe and may it always bring you joy.

Today's paper: Taken from a drawing that the little one and I did yesterday that inspired today's wish.

The little one and I sat down to do some drawing.  With crayons in hand I decided to draw a story, one of the house we'd like to have one day.  We (I) drew a house with a red door.  I drew our little family.  She gestured that daddy had to be wearing a hat, and she and I hairclips in our hair and then hats on top.  We drew the pet dog we'd like to have and then she suggested a pet purple elephant as well, because every family needs a pet purple elephant of course.  We drew trees and grass, a strawberry patch and flowers.  And from the tree hung a swing.

The little one loved the swing and gestured that she was going to do something.  I didn't quite understand until she promptly sat on the drawing where the swing was and pretended she was flying back and forth on it.  With a little suggestion she picked the strawberries and they were declared delicious.  She smelt the flowers and patted the dog and elephant.

We played with the drawing for quite a while and mummy was also given a number of goes on the swing while she pushed.  The whole time I loved watching her interact with our little, simple illustration and the wonder and joy that it created in her active mind.

Cranes to date: 35

It's been quite a while, you can see the first cranes and five wishes here;

Wish One

Wish Two

Wish Three

Wish Four

Wish Five

While I'm in Japan... Antique Markets

One of the main reasons I'm heading to Japan, and what I schedule my trip around, are the antique markets.  It is there that I buy my vintage kimono fabric that I use in my jewellery.

The antique markets are held in temple grounds around the country and are such a feast for the eyes.  With a gorgeous backdrop of an old temple or shrine, often the soundtrack of monks chanting in the background and the scent of incense carrying people's prayers to the heavens, it makes the experience even more enjoyable.

As well as gorgeous old kimonos, there are stalls filled with antique toys, painted scrolls, cameras, pottery, candy moulds, kimono pattern stencils, swords and coins. 

It was at one such market that my love and obsession for vintage kimono fabrics first began, and another that I just happened to "coincidentally" plan my Kyoto honeymoon around.

1. Kingyo + Kewpie, 2. Ultraman, 3. Netsuke, 4. Kimono Fabric, 5. Obi, 6. Tsuba, 7. Writing, 8. Astro, 9. Kimono, 10. Japanese Banners, 11. Paddle, 12. Kokeshi, 13. Mon, 14. Hina Dolls, 15. Flowers, 16. Hina Doll

Here's hoping for some lovely blue skies to go with the markets while I'm there!

Feed Your Soul - The Free Art Project

Today, via 74 Lime Lane I came upon the Feed Your Soul Free Art Project.  It is filled with beautiful artwork kindly donated by the artists, free for you to download, print out and adorn your walls.

I think these pieces would be gorgeous in my little one's room.

By Rachael Smith of Penelope and Pip

By Majorie Ann Velez

By Cori Dantini

By Angela Vandenbogaard of Jellybeans

You can find these and so many more beautiful works of art that to feed your soul here.

My Creative Space

My stack of crocheted flowers for the rug continues to grow, as does my speed for making them.  I'm really enjoying the relaxation that comes with playing with the wool and hook.

I'm thinking of taking some yarn on the plane to Japan with me in a couple of weeks.  I have a nine hour flight on my own, so am thinking I could make real headway with the project.  I think I should be able to take it on, shouldn't I?  The hook is blunt and maybe I could take some nail clippers with me to cut the wool.  What do you think?  Has anyone tried it before?

It's funny, my very first flight to Japan was pre-September 11 and I took needle, thread and scissors on with me.  Being a Queensland girl, I had never needed an overcoat, but I was to be arriving in the middle of a Japanese winter where I would freeze without one.  I had this funky old coat of my mums from the 60s/70s.  It had a great cut, a cool collar and was a deep maroon colour, but had ugly buttons.  I sat on the flight, trying to distract myself from the nervousness that came from moving to a country on my own, one where I didn't know anyone and could hardly even speak the language, and gave the coat a lift with new buttons. 

It's a bit funny to think that once again, I'll be on that flight, twelve years later, again on my own, but this time heading to a country I know well, while crafting something for my daughter.

For more creative spaces, drop by Kootoyoo.

In the Moment

I love resin pouring days, all the little pieces lined up waiting to be filled with liquid light.

I love how when I pour I have to be so in the moment.  The measurements have to be precise, the pouring perfect.  There is a do-not-disturb policy in our house while I'm working with the resin.

I think it's a bit like when I used to work in my darkroom.  Everything had to be exact, I was on my own, I couldn't be interrupted and I'd wait for that magic of an image appearing on the paper.

There is something wonderful that happens when you're in the moment.  Life seems quieter and lighter somehow.

Bunny Fun

Games to play, fun to be had...

All until a tired little bunny decides it time to go home for a nap.

Hope everyone is having a lovely bunny day.

Happy Easter

In the quiet of the night, a special someone has snuck into our house.  

With his long ears flopping as he hopped he's scattered decorated eggs and a few presents in different rooms for the little one to hunt out when she wakes up.  All the bunnies in the house have set up for a tea party with tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny to keep them entertained until morning.

And before we knew it, all we saw was a fluffy tail bouncing down the street.

Happy Easter everyone.

While I'm in Japan... Alone Time

The hardest thing about my trip to Japan next month is that I'll be going without my family.  We had originally planned to go together, but on the flight on the way back from New Zealand, the Man turned to me and said "We can't do this".  

We could grit out teeth for the long flight to Japan with a toddler, but travelling from city to city, hotel to hotel with her while I'll be working much of the time, we decided was going to be too much.

I'm going to miss them terribly, am disappointed for the Man as he now loves Japan as much as I do, and am sad that I won't get a chance to introduce the little one to many of my friends over there.  Hopefully next year, or at the latest, the year after they'll come with me.

But even though it's going to be the hardest thing, in some ways it will also be one of the best.  As well as the shows I will see, the shopping I need to do and the friends I want to catch up with, I'm planning lots of alone time.  Lots of alone time in quiet temple gardens.  Lots of alone time with my camera, and most importantly, lots of alone time with my notebook and sketchbook.  I do my best designing while I have time to myself and so that's what I'm planning for this trip.  It's going to be a bit like my sabbatical if you will.

Isn't it funny how sometimes in life, the hardest things can also be the best?

While I'm in Japan... Tokyo Design Festa

Surprisingly I haven't talked about it on the blog yet, but this time next month I'll be in Japan!  The trip has been planned for ages and booked for a while, but over the last month there has been a little umming and ahhing about whether it would go ahead or not.

I'm really happy now to say that it is!

I'll be in Japan for 18 days.  I'll be travelling about a bit, mostly following the antique markets to stock up on vintage kimonos.  But there are a few other must-dos while I'm there.

The first one is the Tokyo Design Festa.  It's a truly amazing, inspiring, mind blowing international art event, held twice a year.  I plan to plan my trips to Japan to ensure that I'll be able to go each year.  The show has over 2850 booths of work by indie designers and artists as well as performance artists and musicians.  This much creativity and creative freedom all packed under one roof is astounding. 

Here are a few pictures from when I went a few years ago.

You can see these pictures  and more, in a larger size over here.  And a few posts on a few of the artists here, here and here.

The big problem is that I'm going to the show my first weekend there, I could blow my entire 3 week budget in the first two days!  Luckily many of the painters and illustrators also sell postcards of their work, last time I came home with quite a collection.  Many of them used to hang on my Japanese studio/office wall, and a smaller collection is in my current office/workspace still.

I'm afraid after this trip, I'm going to need a lot more wall space to hang things on!

Watch this space for some more hints of places I'll be visiting next month.

In My Dream House

Have you ever seen a piece of furniture that you could imagine planning a whole room around?  I have a few such piece in my dream house list and these are some of them.

This gorgeous stool could also serve as a small table and is designed by Brisbane designer Fukutoshi Ueno in collaboration with designer Akira Isogawa and made by Blok Furniture.

I think my biggest problem would be to choose just one...

Hanasho have a number of them in their store and each time I'm in there I can't stop admiring and well quite frankly, coveting....

All photos are from the Blok Furniture website.

What's in your dream house?

Happily Hooking

I had a ball at Brown Owls this morning and the flowers for my rug are now slowly stacking up.

The rug pattern is from an old issue of Better Homes and gardens, though I'm not actually using the flowers they made, their instructions did my head in.  Instead I'm using a flower by my lovely teacher today.

Here's another similar and very cute flower tutorial.

So now, I only have another 474 and a half flowers left to do!

Kimono Girl on Polyvore

I love this "Kimono Girl" collage on Polyvore.  

I just stumbled across it and thought I'd share.

Getting out the Hook

Don't you just love the rush of a new project?

This poor lonely hook is one that I bought about 2 years ago and has sat neglected for almost as long.  I enjoyed my short-lived foray into crocheting whilst I was pregnant, making a few baby hats that alas, were never to fit our not-so-little little one.  Pregnancy induced carpal tunnel soon made my fingers numb and the hook was packed away.

But now, it's out again!  New wool has been purchased and a long-filed away, but never forgotten inspiration has been pulled out.  It's time to try to crochet again!

This lovely lady has been kind enough to offer to help me along.  The poor dear, I'm not sure she knows what she's gotten herself into.  I'm quite dyslexic when reading patterns and following instructions...  

Fingers crossed I'll have some small results to show you next week.

Refreshed

There is something so magical about watching a child learn, explore and enjoy life.  Their laugh is so pure that you can't help but feel it resonate through your own soul.

We had a couple of short family days and I'm now back feeling perfectly refreshed.  The little one had a ball frolicking in the water and sun, as did we along with her.  

It's wonderful to be reminded of a time that so much around you is brand new.  New sensations, things all around you to see for the very first time.  Walking along the beach we found a pristine white feather.  I explained what it was and how it probably came from one of the birds in front of us.  She held it up high and walked towards the seagulls wanting to return it to its rightful owner.

After an early morning play along the beach we told her that we were going to a place to see lots of fish and other water animals.  Each time she told me (or rather gestured - she's not really talking much yet) that we'd see a crocodile, with a "snappity-snap" with her hands.  I didn't think there would be one there, but to my surprise, it was one of the first creatures we encountered.  She was delighted and sat by its enclosure as it lay basking in the sun. 

She marvelled at seals, was enthralled by fish and amazed by sharks as they swam beside and above her.

Our lovely little trip ended with delicious (gf) fish and chips in the park beside the beach.

Home again, we feel like we've had a week's holiday rather than just a couple of days.  We're refreshed, revived and have vowed to do this more often.

Holiday Reading

I'm taking a couple of days off, or two half days truth be told, but I'm really looking forward to some family time and internet-free time.

While the the little one sleeps, it's a perfect time to sit down with a glass of wine and some inspiring reading.

Included in the book bag is Peppermint, The Handmade Marketplace and Bespoke.

See you in a couple of days!

The Blog Tour Version - The Reincarnated Kimono Project

The Reincarnated Kimono Project exhibition has been in full swing for a week now, we've had our artists' night to celebrate and I'm so chuffed with the response we've had.

So now dear blog readers, would you like a tour?  Get yourself a cup or glass of your favourite beverage and join me for a wander through the gallery....

Each of these artworks have been produced using and inspired by fabric from the same two vintage kimonos.

The first piece is by Thea Samios of Thea and Sami, titled "An Aussie in a Japanese Garden".  Thea is a screen printer whose work has a strong Australian natural feel to it and her piece is a beautiful meeting of the two.  You can read more about the process of the work over here.

I created a couple of pieces for the show.  The first is a pair of "Kimono Cranes".  The wings have been embroidered with the words "Love" and "Joy". 

Gill Pyke of Catamation works a lot with origami as well and created these amazing modular origami atlas beetles.  

I knew that Robyn Dixon was a talented quilter and begged her to whip up a piece for the show.  At the artists' night she talked about how quilters love to cut fabric up and then join it all together again.  And boy did she do an amazing job on this piece.  It's even more beautiful in real life.

The second piece I did for the show was a large statement "kanzashi" necklace which I've called "Blooms at Midnight".  It's been made with a collection of folded flowers on a laser cut wool felt base.

The other jewellery piece in the show is by silversmith Emma Kidson.  The stunning piece has been inspired by one of the motifs in the fabric and has a tiny snippet of it preserved in the corner.  You can see the inspiration in this photo here.

"Elements" is the title of the beautiful mixed media artwork by Chrissy Foreman C.  As well as the kimono fabric, she's used pen, watercolour and crayon to create the vibrant piece.  You can read more about this piece here. 

Most Brisbane lovers of Japanese fabric will know the local and very popular design label Maiocchi.  They created a piece especially for the show that lets the fabric's beauty really shine.

Rachael Smith of Penelope and Pip is an illustrator and showed us that her talents extend even further.  Her ikebana piece is titled "I Heart Autumn" and was inspired by her time spent visiting a (mutual) friend in Japan.  Rachael put into words so beautifully what I've felt for years working with these gorgeous fabrics; 

“What inspires me about the project is transforming a piece of material with its own history and journey into an artwork completely different to its original intent, but still every bit as beautiful. The piece I am creating takes the material into a new path in terms of its use, but still pays homage to its history and the loving work of its original designer in creating it. Being given such a small amount to work with makes the process all that much more special as you know you are working with something precious that has a life of its own - fabric is not necessarily an easy beast to tame either! When you work with fabric, its tactile nature tends to make you feel connected to the material and its past, and this means often the result is a surprise for you as well.” 

I'm trying to come up with an occasion that I can clothe my little girl in this stunning dress by Amelia of Nan's Garden.  If you look closely, the bodice has been embroidered with a crane design taken from the kimono fabric as well.  Truly these photos don't do it justice, but there is a much more magical picture over here.

"Reincarnated Geisha" is the title of this stunning multi media work by Samantha Gilkes of Jetta's Nest.  And I just love it even more for the fact that it's been done on a recycled skateboard!  “The attention to detail in kimono fabric is almost overwhelming!” she said.  “The colours, the layering of fabric and print... it’s like a dream woven into every piece.”

I loved the fact that Kate Allan of Dash Robin was really eager to embrace the marks that time had left on the fabric for her work.  “I love using materials which have had a life before... small marks suggest stories, who wore this kimono, how did they feel, what memories were made, where are they now?  Time passing, impermanence, memory; marking these somehow into the piece is important to me and inspiring me.”

Nicole Lacey had some very beautiful things to say at the artists' night about the inspiration and process behind her work that related to the discipline needed to create simplicity that is evident in Japanese art.  In her artwork "Koryu", you can see how influenced she has been, not only by the Japanese sense of design, but also by its culture.

Catherine from Made by Maisie creates beautiful dolls and her "Kokeshi Doll" using the kimono fabric is just so sweet.

Stephanie Morris of Wimcee is a painter as well as a crafter and I think her use of colour and pattern really brings that across.  In her range of bags and pouches that she made for the show, she combined the vintage kimono fabric with modern Japanese, and vintage and modern western fabrics.  She said about the work;

"What was significant for me during the construction of the pieces for this exhibition was the sense that colour and pattern are more universal than we generally realise, both in time and space, so that the combinations of fabrics that I was working with all came together effortlessly, almost joyously, despite such varied provenance." 

And lastly in the tour we have Danielle Wood of Manx Minx's adorable critters, called "Nomoki".  She tells us a little about them; "Nomoki are sofa travellers of film and literature.  Indeed, they love a good comedy and especially like Bill Oddie from "The Goodies" because he is small and furry like them.  Often you'll find them dancing along the back of the couches, making scrap books with comics, or going off like Mr Squiggle with a new box of crayons."

I have to say that I have truly enjoyed putting this project and exhibition together and have been blown away by everyone's gorgeous work.  

If you're in Brisbane, the show runs until the end of April and is at;

Hanasho 

5/235 Boundary Street West End.

The Reincarnated Kimono Project Blog Tour.... next week...

The exhibition is hung... the pieces are looking amazing... it's all ready to go...

...but I'd decided not to spoil the surprise for the people coming to the opening night and to the show the first week... so the blog tour will be next week.  Hope to see you then!