Lost Art

Pomrie

It was a temptation I tried really hard to resist, but alas, I was weak and I knew that I would eventually give in.

While in Tokyo, I visited this electronics haven called Bic Camera. Not only do they sell cameras and accessories, they have floors dedicated to mouthwatering gadgets and other odds and ends you could think of. While looking through the printers section, my husband led me to a hidden spot and excitedly pointed to this nifty little gadget (yes, I have a very supportive husband).

Lo and behold, it was a Casio Pomrie.

A Pomrie is a small printer that makes stamps. Yes, you can create your own rubber stamps!

It has two versions - wifi and USB. I got the USB, since printing stamps wirelessly isn't something I see myself doing anyway. The tiny printer comes with a CD for the app (which I downloaded over at the Casio site anyway), an instruction manual (in Japanese), power supply and a USB cord. The box also contains a 15x15mm stamp sheet with block holder, and a bottle of black ink to start you off. Not bad for its price. I didn't think I'd find Pomrie supplies in my neck of woods, so I also stocked up on stamp sheets and blocks, refill sheets, and inks. Good thing they were on sale when we were there.

I'll post another entry when I figure out a nice stamp to print out.

In the meantime, in case you're interested in getting one, Amazon Japan sells it and I found a really neat site that explains how to order from them.

Kappado

This is making my heart yearn once again for letterpress.

Craftsman: Mitsuro Yuge of Kappado.net
Short film by Yutaka Yoshida.

I will always want one.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

Henson Stitch

A couple of nights ago, while watching Kevin Clash's Being Elmo, I saw a snippet on how muppets are made. It fascinated me that most of the muppets are made by hand and that some muppet-building techniques were developed by Jim Henson himself, such as the fabled Henson Stitch. A mental image of a group of bearded guys sitting in a circle and sewing muppets was a bit too funny for me, but who knows? Henson and company probably did that while trying out different voices and throwing around dialogues for Sesame Street segments.

In any case, I found a really helpful tutorial for doing the Henson Stitch:

Tesla Tribute

So here's an amazing video I found while rooting through paper engineering videos (yes, I'm still at it):

Nikola Tesla in Sound and Light from Marco Tempest on Vimeo.

While the video uses 3d projection mapping, what's amazing is that they combined this with amazing paper engineering pieces designed by Peter Dahmen.

What a lovely birthday tribute to Nikola Tesla. Enjoy!

Crocheting Anxieties Away

Last year, at the height of Habagat, we got stuck at home anxiously monitoring the news and checking up on my mom who lives in a flood-prone area. So with one ear on the news and the other ear glued to my phone, I picked up my crochet hook and a ball of yarn, and started to crochet.

On the fly, I decided to crochet cozies for our drinking glasses.  The pattern I found was simple enough to almost-mindlessly crochet through, yet the finished project looked pretty enough to actually use and not relegate to the dreaded useless junk cabinet:

Having something productive to do with my hands and head, the anxiety I was feeling, the worries I had for my mom and brother's safety were crocheted away, and effectively calmed me down enough to come up with emergency and contingency plans, should my mom's house get flooded.

While Habagat went on to become one of the  most devastating storms in the last couple of years, and left most of Metro Manila submerged in floodwater, my mom, my brother and his family were thankfully spared from the flood and devastation.

Now that stormy season is here again, I think it's time I dust off my crochet hooks and get more balls of yarn.

May the storm gods be more kind to us this year.

Photo taken today. Check out the storm clouds.

Popup Tutorials

Okay, so I'm still infatuated with popups.  I have other entries I want to post but I can't seem to get over popups.

Here are some helpful, easy to follow and interesting resources I found on making popups:

1. Robert Sabuda's site - simple to intermediate popup projects, with downloadable templates. I love his books.

2. Little Green Box - she makes really pretty popup cards that she features in her blog.  She posts detailed tutorials too.

3. Extreme Cards - 23 lessons on popups with a list of helpful books
4. Patchwork and Paper - this entry gives a really great behind-the-scenes look in making a popup book.  Plenty of awesome popup goodness as well.

I think I'll be embarking on a popup project soon.  

Popup Cities

And since we're on the topic of paper engineering, check out what Dutch artist Ingrid Siliakus created using  single sheets of paper:

photo from Architizer blog

photos from Ingrid Siliakus

Amazing.

Robert Sabuda's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I know it's been years since I've updated, but what the hey, I'm back! Heeee.

Even if this blog has been ignored for the longest time, I gotta say that every time I see exquisite, interesting and provocative handmade things, I tend to make mental notes of them, and given the opportunity,  take photos to accompany the (imagined) blogpost.  So, I think it's time to unload those mental notes, get my ass in gear and start posting!

First things first - my brother-in-law recently gave me a wonderful gift, Robert Sabuda's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland pop-up book.  Unopened, it looks like any other children's popup book, but when you open it, it's breathtaking.

photo from Amazon.com

There are huge popup pages representing significant scenes from the novel.  The text is thoughtfully printed at the side of each page, with mini surprises containing little delights that accompany the text.   

I was especially astounded by the page where Mr. Sabuda represented Alice being chased by the Queen of Hearts' army. The page crackled and popped when I opened it - I was afraid I would tear it apart - so verrry carefully, I completely opened the page. A jagged rainbow of playing cards unfolded and Alice, with a look of anger and terror, appears beneath the Queen of Hearts' pack of playing cards.  Needless to say, I was breathless when this paper engineering wonder greeted my eyes.

I have to admit that I haven't finished reading the book.  Yes, I have seen all the main pop-up pages, but I have yet to explore the little treasures on the side of each page.  Somehow, I get so overwhelmed by the beauty and genius of how the big pieces were engineered that I need time to absorb everything and quiet my overly stimulated senses.  

Someday, I'll be able to finish this jewel of a book.

Bazaar

Uh-oh, I've partnered with a friend to have a booth at a crafts bazaar. I don't even have time to make stuff but I guess I have to make time before Dec. 9 comes around. If you're in the area at that time, drop by, look for the Fikafikafika booth and say hi. Watch out for pics! :D

Holiday Treats

Oh yes, it's the season for shopping, shopping, shopping! But why is it that I feel a lot better giving out gifts I made by myself? It's not cheaper than store-bought gifts, but it sure darn feels more special. This holiday season, yummy lemon curd is my holiday/thank you gift to friends.



This easy-to-make lemon curd is so simple and super delicious, it's genius. I modified an allrecipes.com recipe and published it here.



Surprise your loved ones with something you made with your own two hands. Happy holidays, all!

Must Love Dogs

No special effects, no elaborate costumes -- just some dogs, ikea stuff and a bunch of creative minds.

You Can't Hear The Clock Ticking

It's been ages since I last used my Gocco. I had this terrible drought of ideas and the very thought of Gocco-ing the paltry designs in my head didn't seem worth the trouble.

Good thing a friend's birthday came so I just had to make her something since she's the type who values and appreciates most things handmade and straight from the heart :) I made her some notecards with a line from one of Jens Lekman's songs, Gocco-ed on pale pink cards with white ink:

every heartbeat...

all doilied up

Cookies, cookies, cookies

Sharing a link from my other blog, Domesticity in the City:

Made some Cook's Illustrated's Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Chewy indeed. Yum.

Too Cute for Words

by Maya Rota Klein