My Life As A Magazine: Japan

Japan

Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Hello! Wowzers! We are experiencing a heat wave during spring here in Australia. So I'm currently hiding indoors with the cool air conditioning. Which also makes for a good time to write a blog post and share with you what I have been loving and working on in a few photo snapshots.

Hiya! Today I am sharing a few snaps (sorry about the images did not take my SLR camera on the day) of my stall at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art Zine Fair that was held last Sunday, May 25th. What an amazing day it was!! A huge thumbs up to the MCA crew for hosting such an amazing event. BIG thank you to those who popped by and said hi at my stall or who bought one of my zines! Hope you are all enjoying them. Also met and made a few new lovely pals who were fellow zine stall holders.

Konichiwa! Today I'm going to share with you how to make Japanese onigiri!(a rice ball like sandwich) Yummy!

Super easy to make, healthy and great for packing in your lunch bag/bento for work/school or to enjoy on a picnic.

Ok. Let's get started.

Do you have any favourite sounds you enjoy crafting to? I like to get creative listening to movie score soundtracks and music by artists Birdy, Sia, Lisa Mitchell, She & Him and Japanese band Lullatone - check out their new album Falling for Autumn released today! Cover art by the talented Grace Lee. I just love all the cute and quirky name titles Lullatone's have for their songs such as: New stationery for a new semester and The biggest pile of leaves you ever did see. Would love to know what tunes you like to give a spin while you get creative - Let me know.

A month back I was interviewed by my local city paper on Kawaii businesses sweeping OZ. It featured in all the Aussie papers around the nation, running in the Sydney Morning Herald, Canberra Times, Brisbane Times, WA Today and The Age Melbourne in the small business section.

Eeep!I was so excited to find out that French artist Isabelle Boinot is a featured artist in her very own Japanese Paumes book!

Naturally I quickly snapped up a copy. Again this latest book from Japanese publishers Paumes is a visual feast. Isabelle gives us a glimpse into her home studio sharing with us cute ways to organise paper items - souvenirs and mementos, DIY's for picnic Furoshiki's, gift wrapping and more. Wouldn't it be a dream to have your very own Paumes book?

It's a good day in mt land! A few posts ago I wrote about a DIY idea for making a washi tape memento to make of your fave washi tapes to record in your scrapbook or send to pen pals. It seems that mt had a similar idea with their new mt maki maki tool. I would love to thank Vivian (her blog is super sweet too)for leaving a comment on my washi tape memento post and letting me know about this amazing device - it was something I just had to share with you all as well.

Oh boy I just hope this gets to Australia super fast! Check out the video and pictures below from the official mt website. I also love the idea of using them as decoration for a tote bag - totes amaze!

Just like in the movie You've Got Mail, I let out a gasp of excitement when I hear those three words said to me by my hubby when I arrive home from work.

Here are my latest treats from my letterbox.

I like making mini photo flip books! They make a cute treat to pop in the post to friends. I created this little "Kawaii Pop" themed one using some pictures of my crafty projects, purchases and pretty packaging. Why not make one yourself? All you need is a theme, paper, printer, scissors, staples and washi tape to bind!

Eeeep! I turned 29 on Saturday. On the same day that I get a little older, the Aussies are also celebrating Australia Day! It becomes a long weekend here - score! So it makes it a perfect time to catch up with friends, have a lil chill out time, watch movies, read books and craft. I enjoy baking so I made this vanilla tea cake - with sprinkles off course and crafted a tissue paper tassel garland topper. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and have a fab week ahead.

Oh wow! Is a phrase that springs to mind every time I see pretty kawaii Japanese food and product packaging. They often come in bright colours with a cute critter or mascot as well as bubble kanji and Kana typography splashed across them. They always bring lots of inspiration to my work and I enjoy collecting them and pinning them to my inspiration board.

I love getting a glimpse of peoples creative studios, rooms and workshops. This week I thought I would share some snaps of my studio shelves filled with books, magazines and a few other nooks.

Team ladies are known for their multi-tasking talents (sorry gent readers!So while I have been watching the Olympics I have also been tucking into some new Japanese books. It appears that all the latest releases have a similar theme - Party craft!- and I couldn't be more happier. Let your eyes be entertained by these colourful creations!

Konichiwa! For a couple of months now I have been busy working on some themed kits for my online shop. I have recieved some lovely emails and comments about my zine mail and gift packages over the year, which in turn has inspired me to create a'My Life As A Magazine' themed Mail Art Kit.

Make mail cute, colourful and fun with seals, polka dot envelopes, kawaii pop collage paper and confetti.

Here is a little sneak peek.

The internet can be a really amazing place. One afternoon while getting a photographic feast on Instagram I met Imogen. After commenting on her amazing Uniqlo mt shirts she offered to buy me some and post them over!! They arrived today and I have been jumping up with joy ever since!! Thanks Imogen!! They also came with limited edition mt tapes and Imogen was also kind enough to give me some of her doubles. This has made my year!

It was one of my favourite days of the year today - the Sydney MCA 2012 zine fair! Here are some of my favourites from the day.

Birthdays and special occasions are a great time to experiment and get creative with gift wrapping.

The process always starts with me raiding my hoard of newly purchased craft materials. The above is a Neko (cat) and gingham themed wrapped gifts for a family birthday. Pink stripes and Hawaii was the inspiration behind the above Mother's Day wrapped present. I also made a 'Paper tissue pocket'and attached it to a card.

Let me introduce you to my first sewing project and plushie character - Mr Omuraisu!! You might remember seeing him in paper form in my 'Paper Peko and friends' post. A little character I created inspired by the Japanese food Omurice - a omelette filled with rice and meat and decorated with cute ketchup faces served with lettuce! I always envisioned him in plushie form so I just had to make him my first sewing project!

I just adore Japanese fashion, fabrics, accessories and zakka label Curly Collection! How can I not love their kawaii polka dot designs! It will be my first place to visit when I am in Japan next, to stock up on fabric! Lots of sewing craft inspiration here; sweet tissue pockets, book covers, bags and pouches.

I watched the Japanese film 'Patisserie Coin De Rue' last weekend. It follows the journey of Natsumi (Yu Aoi) who heads to Tokyo to find her boyfriend, but instead falls in love with the art of making delicious, mouth watering sweets and desserts. A beautiful tale, filled with scenes, in the quaint back streets of Tokyo and lots of glimpses of yummy treats and cosy cafes.