Monday, November 17, 2014

Kokeshi Doll

Always, always a long hiatus, but here I am, back in the swing of things. So.

This lovely video displays the calmness and precision of this Japanese craft. I can only wish to be in this state of focus and quietness.

video discovered in thisiscolossal.com

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Astier de Villatte

Last weekend, a friend told me about this short film. I've been looking at AdV's exquisite ceramics and I can't wait for the day that I'll be able to afford them. Sigh.

Handmade ceramics, typesetting, bookshops, Snoopy, having fun. They just hit the right notes for me.


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Motion Silhouette

Looking around for craftsy things to see and do in Tokyo led me to this:


It's not a 'see' and 'do' in Tokyo thing, but I love that this Japanese book is a pop-up of some sort. What an exquisite work of art.

More of this here.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Craftsy Tokyo

So I've been busy planning a trip to Tokyo later this year and naturally, I've been sniffing around for things and places to check out, crafts-wise.

I know that Japan has a very craftsy culture, and I still can't get over the fact that they love to make their own stationery. As a matter of fact, I was pretty impressed by that culture that I bought my own Gocco - read about it here, here and here. So here are the places I've listed down so far:

1. Tokyu Hands - I read that the branch in Shibuya has 8 floors plus a mezzanine on each floor, so a total of 24 levels of items to satisfy every handmade craving! Reviews state though that navigating through the Shibuya branch can get a bit confusing and they recommend going to the Shinjuku branch. This one also has 8 floors but with slightly larger floorspace, no mezzanines and easier to find stuff.  I think I'll hit the Shinjuku branch first since we'll be staying in the area for a couple of days.

2. Nippori Fabric Town - While I don't sew, I do like stocking up on nice bolts of fabric for sudden embroidery urges, or maybe try some furoshiki (I downloaded an app for this.) Also, where there's fabric, there's sure to be notions! Buttons, ribbons, lace and colourful zippers are things that make me feel giddy. Tomato is pretty popular, but I plan to visit smaller stores like Mihama.

3. Kappabashi - Wouldn't want to pass up the kitchen supplies street. It would be nice to browse through the fake food aisle - I hear they're expensive - and maybe, just maybe, attend that workshop on how to make fake food. Here's  a pretty good blog entry on the experience with tons of pics.

4. Loft - Similar to Tokyu Hands and good reviews on their stuff. The Shibuya branch is recommended for first timers.

5. 100-yen Stores - Daiso is the most popular one. We have similar stores here that sell selected Daiso products and I absolutely love them! I'm pretty sure I'd be blown away with the stuff they have in Daiso motherland. Seria is supposed to be really good too, so I'll drop by a branch to see what they have to offer.

I'm sure I'm still missing a lot of must-visit places for crafts, so please drop a line at the comments section for your recommendations. Arigato in advance!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Stupor

It's been many months of nothing noteworthy happening in my life, and my creative life is terribly affected.  Shortly before this debilitating slowing down of things, I've had an explosive burst of creativity - creating, reading, cooking, etc., but now, it has fizzled out and I'm left with nothing but ashes.

I'm trying to wake myself up from this stupor, and hopefully, I get to make something soon.

While I'm waking myself up, let me share something I've been following on Instagram: the progress of the film The Boxtrolls from the wonderful folks at Laika.  Amazing handmade stuff.