Sew in love

moved!

2010-08-20T21:44:00.005+09:00

Hi from Japan!
Hope you're having a great summer (or winter)!
I'm announcing that I've started new blog since this summer.
The contents will be more focused in my Japanese life and handcraft works.

If you're interested in my journals and willing to communicate online (like leaving comments), pls let me know so I can PM directly to you. I won't post my new URL here.

Oh, well. Thank so much for your support and see you somewhere!

xoxo
from your friend in Japan

my very first wearable knitting project

2010-06-18T10:26:00.003+09:00

I'm now knitting my very first wearable knitting piece. It's "February Lady Sweater" from Knitty. Guess what? This wonderful pattern is offerd FREE!!

Anyway, I'm just done with my first 200g linen yarn, and now into the second. I guess I can show off within two weeks from now.

baking Sunday

2010-06-07T10:24:00.005+09:00

My first baking rolls is about 6 yrs ago when my daughter was about a year old. Back then, I was working at a German firm in mid Tokyo taking 90 min. of commuting time (one way, of course)!! I was busy but had a passion to bake everyday's rolls with my own hands. After leaving the position, I somehow stopped baking, too.

Since my hubby bought some BIO whole wheat flour, my daughter and I had a bakins Sunday yesterday.

We both had a fun time baking, and the rolls tastes so yum!!!! Will do that again very soon!

weaving lesson

2010-05-24T11:00:00.004+09:00

Last Saturday, my daughter and I joined weaving lesson presented by my friend artist. This is my second time to try and it was the first time for my daughter.

It's a simple method using your own hand and a weaving needle, there's no machine or complicated stuffs. It's quite easy to draw stripes, but it's kinda hard to make the arrow line. I managed to do it but will need to spend more time co make it better.

There were eight people joined this weaving party. Each made different way and they're so lovely!

My daughter says she wants to make another one. We'll try at home very soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T10:57:00.004+09:00

I got a great gift from my seven-year-old daughter right before breakfast. Yes, it's Mother's Day today! Hooray!

She made the beautiful origami card at her "gaku-doh". I didn't know anything about it until now. She also picked up some fresh roses from our garden. So sweet! I'm so honored to be a mom!

masking tape

2010-04-22T14:04:00.005+09:00

I got lots of requests, so here they are!
Now they're in store.
Enjoy!!

Atelier Jade

crochet fever

2010-04-17T15:58:00.003+09:00

I'm so much into crochet once again. Hehehe, I know that I was crazy in handweaving a couple months ago. Now back to basic, and it's crochet time!!

sakura in Japan

2010-04-08T13:02:00.006+09:00

A new school year has started here in Japan after two-weeks of spring break. Jade is now 2nd grade and it's her first day of the new year.

Each school welcomes 1st grade kids with an official school event called "Nyu gaku shiki", meaning "enrollment ceremony". Bigger kids welcome 1st grade hand in hand. Jade goes to a private school and all kids must attend this ceremony. Almost all parent(s) and some grandparents also join the event to celebrate. For this special occasion, we need to have "sakura" tree in photo shooting time!!

People say eary April is the best time to visit Japan. I guess one reason is sakura trees. You see they're fully blooming all over the places everywhere in whole country. It's so beautiful!!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T10:01:00.002+09:00

In Japan, we don't have Easter. So there's no fun for kids to enjoy. Too bad.

Hope you're having a beautiful and peaceful Easter weekends!!

cool stamps

2010-03-19T09:50:00.009+09:00

I went to the biggest post office in Tokyo (near Tokyo Station) the other day and I bought these stamps. The Japan Post issue various kinds of stamps and it took me long time to decide which ones to buy.

Look at these! One is the cute Hello Kitty, and the other is manga "Kitaro". These are real postal stamps, not toys. So cool!!

White Day

2010-03-14T18:08:00.002+09:00

It's "Whiter Day" today in Japan. I didn't know about this day until I came Japan to live. Girls give chocolates on Feb. 14 as Valentin's day and boys give them back some sweets on Mar.13 as White day! What a sweet idea, isn't it?

I helped out my daughter to make some chocolates yummies last month. She handed to two boys at school and one for her daddy. And she got her small gift from one boy. Hehehe.

And my husband made his very first jelly this morning to treat our daughter. It was soooooo yum, full of his love to little one.

Have a sweet day to you, too!!

handweaving

2010-02-16T09:19:00.002+09:00

As I mentioned on my blog the other day, I started handweaving at home. So far, I use a table loom, not the big one. I'm hoping I'll get the wide and big loom one day. The table loom I bought is called "Sakiori" from Clover. It's quite easy to handle and practical. I guess there's no English instruction, they only offer in Japanese. That's such a pity!!

Here're some scarves I handwoven last week. The yarns are from Habu (avril in Japan). After washing, it becomes so soft. I'm so much into handweaving at the moment!

Happy Valentine!

2010-02-13T11:00:00.000+09:00

my second knitted project

2010-01-12T09:36:00.004+09:00

During the holidays, I was knitting this hat for my 7-year-old daughter. She requested to have the ear covers. We bought the yarn in San Francisco when we visited there 4 yrs ago. She chose the one but she doesn't remember it. She was just 3 yrs old back then. I knitted, frogged and knitted again and again to fit her head. Gee, it took me three days. But I'm happy how it turned out! So is my daughter and wear is every single day!

Habu's Happy Box

2010-01-12T09:07:00.006+09:00

You know the famous Japanese handwoven yarn shop called habu? Here in Japan, it's knows as "avril" and they have shops in Kyoto (HQ), Osaka and Tokyo.

I've started hand weaving and now takes Swedish Weaving class once a month. My teacher spent some years in Sweden to learn weaving, and now she has her own studio in Tokyo. I'd bought a rigid table loom. As you can see, I'm so much into it!

Every year, avirl (or habu) offers generous Happy Box to celebrate the first sale of the new year. And here it is! I bought one for myself. Look how much I got!!!! The box was huge and it was hard to hold to take it to my atelier room. I'm so excited to imagine what I'd knit/weave out of these wonderful yarns!

These books are about handweaving at home written by avril CEO. It tells me a lot! They're my bibles.

New Year has come

2010-01-12T08:59:00.006+09:00

Hope you all had a great New Year Day. Yes, new year of 2010 has come. How're you doing so far?

This year is Tiger Year in Zoological Year here in Japan.

Happy Tiger Year to you!

daughter's cake

2009-12-27T17:13:00.003+09:00

How was your Christmas? Hope you all had a great time with your family and friends!

Mine was super great. Look at this photo!! My daughter is 7 yrs old and she did everything by herself along with her favorite cooking book to bake and decorate this cake!!! I was working all day on 25th (augh!), and my hubby and my daughter were preparing the special dinner at home. While he was cooking, she was doing her own task. She weighted the ingredients, whipped the cream, cutted the strawberries and etc. The cake looked perfect and tasted just so wonderful. I'm the happiest mom in the whole planet, right?

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T15:35:00.002+09:00

Wishing you all a happy holidays with your family and friends! Enjoy!

love and peace,

Kumi

weekends

2009-12-07T11:31:00.009+09:00

Here it's already Monday morning, no, almost noon!
Over the weekends, I enjoyed knitting and crochetting.
I'm now knitting my first sweater with Rowan's alpaca yarn.

And I made another pair of comfy room shoes! This time it's for my daughter as a Christmas gift!

now into knitting

2009-12-04T14:37:00.003+09:00

I just bought this book from Amazon.
Breeze by Kim Hargreaves
I like to knit something nice to wear from this book! I'll just enjoy reading it for the time being as I'm still working on something else right now.

Tunisian Crochet

2009-12-02T10:53:00.005+09:00

I made a pair of wrist warmer with Tunisian Crochet. I used Clover's double-hook Tunisian
crochet. This is a big BUY. I really like it as you can go both way! Now I'm making another pair now.

a crochet dress

2009-11-23T17:17:00.003+09:00

I just uploaded my crochet dress on raverly. I made this dress in June and wear it almost every single week. Yap, it's definitely one of my fave!
The pattern is my original, but nothing special. You make a granny square and keep crocheting one by one until it's about the size of the yoke of the dress!

visitng Asakusa

2009-11-20T15:40:00.007+09:00

I had a big show/exhibition over the last weekends in Asakusa, Tokyo. I opened workshop and sold handmade stuffs for two days. It was such a big success and great fun. Asakusa is one of the best and popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo.
There're many old and traditional Japanese restaurants in this area. We went out this traditional Japanese noodle called "soba" restaurant for dinner. It was my sister's recommendation. To be honest, I didn't like "soba" at all. I hesitated to go, but she insisted me to pay a visit. And guess what! It wa soooooo yummy and I have to say this is one of the best I'd ever visited!!! The name of this restaurant is "Owari-ya". My daughter loved it, too.
The Tokyo Tower was lighted in blue on last Sunday evening. I took this shot from my sister's flat.
And here's our breakfast my sis made for us!! Phew, I'd never cooked any traditional breakfast before. I thought she doesn't cook but looks like I was totally wrong!! It was so yum! Hehehe, we spent two nights at her flat and she must be happy now that we're gone!

knitting/crocheting

2009-11-02T12:52:00.004+09:00

These days, I've been enjoying knitting/crocheting.
This is my crochet room shoes. It's so easy to make as you just keep crocheting in circle to fit your foot.
I started to knit from this summer, and this is my very first knitting project. It was easy and fun. I'll soon make second one!! I'm so much into it now.
Work keeps me busy past weeks and I can only knit during my spare time at work. Hope things get settle down very soon!

dining-out in Asahikawa

2009-10-22T15:18:00.004+09:00

Asahikawa is situated in the middle of Hokkaido.
The town is famous for Asahikawa Ra-men (soup noodle). This place is one of the most famous one, called "San Toh Ka". I've seen a branch at Clarke Quay in Singapore as well.
These are their speciality.
I fell in love with this white soup noodle. It was just sooooooooooooo good!!

Trip to Hokkaido - Haneda Airport

2009-10-19T09:20:00.005+09:00

Hi there. We visited Hokkaido (Japan's North Island) for the weekends. Right after school, we headed to Haneda Airport. A lot of people prefer Haneda to Narita as it's much closer to Tokyo Central area. It doesn't take much time to go to Haneda if you live in Yokohama/Shonan area. But you don't wannta take trains during the heavy rush-hour, though.

This is my favorite bakery, Paul. Not only in Paris, they also have shops at Tokyo station, Shinagawa station and at Haneda airport!!

There're a lot of shop at Haneda, mostly gourmet shops. You don't need to shop around before departing from Tokyo. Simply go to Haneda to buy famouse Tokyo sweets!!

missing teeth!

2009-10-14T10:15:00.002+09:00

Yesterday, my daughter pulled out her wobbly upper teeth. Hehehe, now she looks sooooo funny!

WIP: cross-stitch Day 8

2009-10-09T09:48:00.003+09:00

Yesterday, we were hit by a big typhoon here in Japan. Kis stayed at home and I closed my zakka botique, too. In Shonan region, we had very strong wind in the morning, but not really badly. Sky got cleared out by noon. In other region, they had more serious damage. Oh, no....

My work is almost done as you can see. I'm getting kinda bored. Aha!

WIP: cross-stitch Day 7

2009-10-07T09:22:00.002+09:00

I keep posting the same project. Getting bored, eh?
Stick with me until I finish this! It won't be long, I promise!!

WIP: cross-stitch Day 6

2009-10-06T08:07:00.001+09:00

So far so good, eh?

WIP: cross-stitch Day 5

2009-10-01T09:53:00.002+09:00

A bit more has been added. Way to go, ah?

WIP: cross-stitch Day 4

2009-09-30T10:19:00.001+09:00

Now you can guess what I'm working on!

WIP: cross-stitch Day 3

2009-09-29T10:43:00.000+09:00

my one-week-project

2009-09-26T09:45:00.007+09:00

It took me a week to finish this project. The front has crossstitched floral border, and the back has my initial "K". So happy that I'd completed! Hooray!

autumn is here

2009-09-25T11:34:00.002+09:00

How're you doing? Here in Japan, autumn season has started. Hope you're doing great out there! Pls give me your hello after reading this blog! Thanks!

my daughter's craft project

2009-09-18T09:11:00.002+09:00

While my daughter was attending summer camp, she enjoyed various craft works. This hemp accessory was one of them. She made three bracelets and this pretty pink with Jade stone was for me!! A perfect gift from my little one!

hooray!

2009-09-17T09:02:00.005+09:00

From this coming Saturday, we'll have five-day-holiday here in Japan! Hooray! No school and no work!

We're visiting my mom's house. My daughter will challenge fishing for the first time. Will be back next Thursday! Ciao ciao.
:D

just finished!

2009-09-16T09:56:00.001+09:00

I just finished my new crochet project. I really like this kind of design. I'll place it in my favorite glass shelves!

new stamp set

2009-09-11T09:00:00.004+09:00

We'd uploaded some stamp supplies at our webshop, Atelier JADE. Some lovely stmaps and cute ink pads! Pls enjoy your shopping with us!

Atelier JADE

Geneve

2009-09-10T09:36:00.008+09:00

I've been to Switzerland several times during I was working in Romania and France. But that was only Zurich where I had busienss to do. I didn't know any Swtizerland outside of Zurich.
This summer I traveled together with my mom, my sis and my daughter for two weeks.

Hehehe, don't ask about my hubby!! If you're working for a Japanese company, you cannot take a holidays
longer than ten days!! If you do that, your desk will be gone! My hubby told me that when we got married. Ha! I'm so lucky that I've never worked for any Japanese firms before! Enough for that, eh?
The scenery around Lake Geneve is so beautiful and peaceful. We stayed at Montreux for 3 days. We wer so lucky to enjoy sunny days while in this region. After Lake Geneve, we moved to the Swiss Alpes region.

projects done this week

2009-08-28T17:01:00.011+09:00

A birthday gift for my sister. I made a crochet motief and sew on a linen cloth.
Lovely but simple, eh?

A half dozen coasters of Swedish weaving for my own zakka boutique.

A hawaiian white bag for my customer.

A tablecloth with cotton-linen textile for my customer.

Back from holidays

2009-08-19T14:23:00.002+09:00

Hello!
We're back from our two-week-holiday in Switerland! It was such a great time. Now back to work...

new project (crochet)

2009-07-08T08:30:00.003+09:00

It's another wetty cloudy day here in Japan.

I'd started a new crochet project from last week. Here it is. Can you guess what's gonna be???? The answer will be shown next week (or maybe in 2 wks! Hehehe!!)

Tanabata Day!

2009-07-07T15:05:00.001+09:00

It's July 7th and it's called Tanabata Day today. Hope we can see the clear sky this evening to enjoy the milky way up in the sky!

hydrangeas from backyard

2009-06-25T09:04:00.003+09:00

I love hydrangea.
It's said that hydrangea is originally from Japan. We call them "ajisai" in Japanese. Lovery sounds, doesn't it?

facebook

2009-06-18T10:46:00.001+09:00

After so many years, I finally started facebook. Ha! If you're around, look for me and say "hi". Looking forward to seeing you there!

Good morning!

2009-06-16T08:40:00.004+09:00

Hope you have a good start of a brand new day!

xoxo
Kumi

Origami

2009-06-08T09:31:00.009+09:00

Do you know Origami? It's a Japanese paper craft. Japanese learn how to enjoy one piece of paper in childhood time.

The first photo is made by a young Japanese girl at my shop. She's now into Origami so much and made this panda bear for my daughter. So adorable!!

The second photos is turtle family made with just one piece of origami paper.

This is made by another customer at my shop. She's a Origami professor. Amazing, isn't it?

And these cute tulips are made by my six-year-old daughter. Sweet, eh?

Hydrangea Season

2009-06-05T09:16:00.003+09:00

June has started. It means almost half of this year has gone! Oh, no!!!!!

We are now in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan. It's called "tsuyu season". I don't like rain, but I love hydrangea which symbolize this wet season.

my favorite shoes

2009-06-01T10:00:00.001+09:00

I bought this in Singapore in March, and now I wear it almost everyday. This is light and very active. Love it!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T11:06:00.005+09:00

It's Monday morning here in Japan. Hope you had a nice Mother's Day!

I got a drawing of flowers from my daughter. Can you tell what kinds of flower? They're mix of tulip and carnation. Wow, eh?
And a sweet cake for the dessert! It was such a special day for me! Yum!

Trip to ISE/SHIMA/TOBA

2009-05-09T12:22:00.010+09:00

We had 8-day -holiday here in Japan called "Golden Week". Nice, eh? We visited Ise area.
Ise is famous for Ise Shrine, very spiritual place for the ancient Japanese. The last time I visited here is back in 1990s during my university time. Gee, time flies.

Anyway, we drove down from Kamakura to Irago Cape to take the ferry. It was the first time for our daughter to hop on a ferry and she was sooooo excited! I took ferry the last time from Spain to Morocco when I was a Senior. It took
55 min. to cross over Ise Bay. Guess what? We came across dolphin's family!! WOW!

Belated ....

2009-05-09T11:41:00.000+09:00

New cute fabrics are here!

2008-09-04T12:26:00.003+09:00

Hello, hello, hello!
Finally I uploades some cute fabrics like these along with some other Japanese craft books on my little webshop, Atelier JADE. Pls check 'em out if you're interested. Thanks!

Atelier JADE: http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/

outfit for the little one

2008-08-21T17:01:00.009+09:00

Hello out there! How're ya? Again I was silence for such a long time. I'm such a bad writer. Hehehe!
I've been busy sewing up this
and that for my daughter and myself these past months. I made this one for her in July.

Look at her! She always make faces ever time I try to take a shot on her! Gee, is this five-year-old thing?
And today, I just finished making this one in different color! She hasn't seen it yet. I wonder what she'd say???

just uploaded on etsy

2008-06-16T14:32:00.003+09:00

I just uploaded some Decole cute zakka and other goodies on my etsy shop.
See you there!

My latest white work

2008-05-12T09:53:00.002+09:00

I just cannot help stitching it!

sachet

2008-04-24T12:18:00.002+09:00

I made a sachet with the crochet I made yesterday. Isn't it so lovely?

crochet

2008-04-23T16:51:00.004+09:00

This is fun!!

Voila!

2008-04-17T13:51:00.001+09:00

Here I am with the outfits!

my new outfits I made

2008-04-08T16:28:00.003+09:00

with black pure-linen
with cotton

Happy srping!

2008-04-04T13:57:00.001+09:00

April is here and now we're having the most beautiful season of the year! Enjoy!

smile!

2008-03-23T20:17:00.000+09:00

Have a happy easter day!

xoxo
Kumi

back from holidays

2008-03-21T16:26:00.004+09:00

We were in Okinawa, the South tropical island of Japan for five days as spring holidays. It was already beginning of summer down there. It's been five years since we visited the last time, and it was her first time for our daughter to visit the island. We all had a relaxed holidays. Feel so great now!

I am now into ...

2008-03-12T14:34:00.005+09:00

I'm now so much into drawn thread work. It's a simple work but takes sooooooooo much time! Gee, it took me more than a couple hours just to finish those cross motieves on linen. I really like it. I guess this handwork is not popular any longer, but I wonder if anyone out there enjoys the work just like I do???

with the same fabrics

2008-03-11T11:57:00.006+09:00

I made a bag for my daughter using the same fabrics I used for her new skirt. I really love the cute red pompon tape. I've been selling the tapes ever since I'd opened my online shop, Atelier JADE. But it's my first time that I myself use it! Hehehe! Now I'll keep using it since it's super cute!

Atelier JADE
http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/

a new skirt to my girl

2008-03-07T09:47:00.002+09:00

Here I made a new skirt to my five-year-old daughter using linen and cute heavy cotton flower print. What do you think? It'll be a treat for her as she'll move on to the eldest grade at her pre-school from April. Here in Japan, all school starts new school year from April.

Happy Hina-Matsuri Day to all girls!

2008-03-03T13:03:00.006+09:00

March 3 is Hina-Matsuri Day here in Japan. It's a girl's festival day. The photo is from our family hina dolls. When I was born in 1974, my grandpa bought a beautiful and gorgeous set of Hina Dolls, one Princess, one Prince three female servants, three male servants and five male musicians. Now they all belong to my daughter who is five.

Happy Hina-Matsuri Day to all girls out there!

do we look alike, eh?

2008-03-03T12:58:00.002+09:00

Last Saturday, my five-year-old daughter stayed with me at my zakka botique, and my best friend dropped in with some goodies. She made crochet hair accessories with linen yarns for us. So here we are! Can you tell which is me???

Liberty fabrics from London!

2008-02-28T17:04:00.001+09:00

My husband was in the UK for a week on business and brought me back some gorgeous fabrics from the Liberty in London. We do have made-in-Japan Liberty, too. But those are different and more expensive to buy in Japan. Hooray, what am I gonna make with these? Umm...

Workshop: Zakka Style Covered Button

2008-02-20T14:36:00.006+09:00

I now have classes at my own zakka boutique. I started it last fall. And now I'm opening new classes for English speakers, too. Would you like to make linen and lace covered buttons in zakka style at our zakka boutique?

If you're interested, feel free for inquiry.
atelierjadejapan at gmail dot com

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you out there!!

2008-02-14T13:30:00.004+09:00

HELLO, hello, HELLO!!

How have you been? Hope you guys are doing great! Here in Japan, we're having a cold winter this year. We already had some snow in Tokyo/Yokohama area, which is quite unusual!!

It's Feb. 14 today and ... Yes, it's a day to celebrate our love, right? Wishing your day is filled with lots of love and joy!

bunch of love from Shonan,

Kumi

a little helper

2007-10-10T17:31:00.000+09:00

HELLO, hello, HELLO! How're you doing? I've been tied up wiht my own shop. We've started to have our own workshop to enjoy handmade/tezukuri projects for beginners. We'll have classes for cross-stitch, Huck's weaving, zakka making and etc. It should be fun, eh?

On Saturday, we sometimes open the shop and we have this little helper! Hehehe, she's my daughter and she does enjoy displaying the shelves, wrapping the goodies and other stuffs. WOW!

My shop in Shonan

2007-06-23T20:15:00.001+09:00

My little zakka/handmade boutique is now having the third month now. Gee, it keeps me so busy!!

Time flies!

2007-05-19T09:52:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the long silence. Yes, my own little shop opened on April 2, 2007. Here's some shot I took a couple days ago. The dark brown drawers are from Edo era (about 200 yrs ago) and I store linen and cotton fabrics in it. When an elder customer comes to my store and see the drawer, her face instantly glints. Those generation used to have these at home and they haven't seen them for the past 60 - 70 yrs as most family thrown away. For my generation, it's something "new" and looks "cool". I also have broken old SINGER sewing machine with the beautiful iron legs as a display. It's from 1930s. I enjoy mixing old and new.

still under construction...

2007-03-15T19:47:00.000+09:00

Hi there! Yes, I'm still working on my zakka boutique. I now finished painting the plain aluminum door and the window with this color. What do you think? So I finished the wall, floor, ceiling, door and window. Now what? I need to make a sign, shelves and what else? Thanks God that I have IKEA not too far from home!! I'll find some shelves and furniture to go with it, I hope!

plastering

2007-02-28T20:41:00.000+09:00

Here's a shot to show you what I've been doing for the past weeks. First of all, you tear off all the old wallpaper. This takes such a long time!! Some parts don't come out easily and you need to spray over to make it easier. I cannot attend every single day to do those DIY works as I'm already busy with my online shops and sewing works, so things are so slow. What I found out is plastered wall looks much more bright even without any lights coming in. I didn't choose brightest color, though. And it looks so "chic". I just love the texture!! Here in Japan, you can buy the real plaster in a can. It's already mixed up with water, so all you have to do is just apply on the wall right after you open the can! I hear to mix up the plaster and water by yourself is not so difficult but you need to have a great muscle to do it!! heheheh:D

February is almost gone...

2007-02-27T12:04:00.000+09:00

Gee, time flies!! I've been busy like a bee again. I say this every time I write my weblog, don't I? Hehehe.

The craft fair was over with lots of success for me. I met bunch of new creaters and customers there and got inspired from them. I sold many bags and goodies, and got lots of flower bouquets and yummies from friends and my weblog readers who had visited the place. It was just wonderful.

March 3rd is "girl's festival" here in Japan. So I and little Jade finished putting our beautiful Hina dolls to celebrate the day!

In April, I'm opning my own zakka boutique here in Shonan area. To save $$$, I'm doing most of the renovation works. Right now I'm busy with applying the real plaster on the wall after tearing off the dirty wall paper. It's kinda fun, you know!

Craft Fair in Feb.

2007-02-01T19:20:00.000+09:00

During the three-day-holiday in Feb. here in Japan, I'm joining a big craft fair held in Yokohama. I was invited by the same crafter who is handling the biggest fair I joined last summer. What a pleasant invitation. This time it's gonna be a mixture of cafe people and handmade crafters! Doesn't it sound so yummy? Cannot wait to be there!! For this event, I'm now busy preparing goodies. Here's one shot. It's a pot holder using two kinds of polka dots cotton!

our holiday

2007-01-24T19:30:00.000+09:00

How I miss the weather in Siganpore!! It's cold here in Japan. We don't have snow yet in Tokyo Metropolitan area, but still it's cold!! We visited Singapore for our winter holidays. That was my 20th time or more. It's one of our favorite place for holidays with so many yummy foods and fruits!! Jade was so happy to jump into swimming pool whenever she had a chance! Oh, I hate winter!!! (but I was born in the middle of Feb, btw!!)

New goodies from Decole

2007-01-16T20:54:00.000+09:00

A new year has started and how're you doing?
Sorry for my bad writing these past months. I've been super busy as usual. Enough for my excues? Hahaha!
The shop has uploaded some cute fabrics and decole zakka again. Enjoy your shopping time with us!

Atelier JADE
http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/

Have a great holiday season!

2006-12-21T14:07:00.000+09:00

I know I haven't written up for the past months. So sorry... I'm such a bad writer, eh? Life is busy with this and that.

The shop, Atelier JADE http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/, will be closed from Dec. 30 to Jan. 9. We'll be opened from Jan. 10. We still have some Decole goodies and cute fabrics on stock. Enjoy the Japanese cute zakka with us!

Wishing you the best for this happy holiday seasons!

Long time no writing!

2006-10-20T20:39:00.000+09:00

Hello, hello, hello! Phew, what a long time I'd been away from updating my own weblog. Gee, I feel bad. I was so busy visiting the clinic after Jade's surgeries on her ears, working on some works and so on. Now she got so much better and we don't need to see the doc for a while! It was so frustrating to go to see the doc as we had to waste a half day each time for waiting at the lobby. I haven't done much handmade projects other than emproidery and cross stitching for up-coming holiday seasons. Hope you guys are doing great! Missed you!

absence

2006-09-22T13:28:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the silence. I've been so busy with my shops and preparation to be hospitalised with Jade once again. She had some operations on her both ears in Jan., but will have another one very soon. There're so much to do before that as a mom. I'll get back to you mix next week!
Have a great days!

hugs,

tagged...

2006-09-16T21:59:00.000+09:00

The other day, I was tagged by Sara, http://thewinemakerswife.blogs.com/ . It's my second time to do this, but here we go!!

Four Jobs I Have Had in My Life:
1. Diplomat-to-be (2 yrs in France and Romania)
2. Administrative Assistant (4 yrs at a German firm in Tokyo)
3. PR/Marketing Asst MGR (4 yrs at the same German firm in Tokyo)
4. Online shops owner (ever since 2003)

Four Movies I Would Watch Over and Over:
1. Charlie and the chocolate factory
2. Sound of Music
3. the Phantom of Opera (2004 version)
4. Roman Holidays

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Tokyo/Japan
2. Lake Mary in FL and Ellensburg in WA/USA
3. Paris/France
4. Bucharest/Romania
(... and New Delhi/India, Singapore/Singapore, Vancouver/Canada and now in Kamakura/Japan)

Four TV shows I love to watch:
Sorry but I don't watch TV at all...

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Greek islands
2. Mauritius
3. Bali, Indonesia
4. Tasmania

Four Favorite Foods:
1. Italian Pizza
2. New York Cheese Cake
3. Onigiri
4. Tempura

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Brazil
2. Cuba
3. Easter Island
4. Okinawa

Umm, done!!
Kinda fun. Hope you enjoyed, too!

Okay, then, I'd love to ask my dear Handmade Girl, http://handmadegirl.blogspot.com/ to do the next!

Summer had ended...

2006-09-14T16:01:00.000+09:00

Rain, rain, rain .... We're having rainy days here in Kamakura, Japan. And it's so chilly! Oh, it's so sad that summer has gone!
Since the temperature is not high at all, I started to bake rolls for our breakfast again. I'm doing this ever since Jade was one year old when she was ready to eat what adults eat. I know what I'm using for our rolls, and I feel so safe. Three years ago, I treated myself to buy brand new Kitchen Aid from the US (I paid exactly the same amount for shipping!!!! Awwww!)
Ingredients? Whole grain, butter, milk, brown sugar, yeast and a bit of salt. And you can add anything like chocolate chips, walnuts, raisons and so on. Today, I baked roll with fresh grinded parmesan cheese. Umm, yum!

Long time no writing!

2006-09-12T14:03:00.000+09:00

Hello girls. How're ya doin'? Sorry for my long silence once again. I've been super busy with my shops/translation work/etc...
I've been making lots of stuffs these days. This pure linen book cover is my favorite for the week. I used the fine Lithuanian linen with red DMC floss for monogramming. I like it a lot because it's so simple. It took me some hours to do the cross stitching an "M".
And the shop has new notions like this cute linen tape.
I haven't sent out the newsletter yet, though!

Atelier JADE
http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/

Trip to Singapore

2006-08-31T11:50:00.000+09:00

We have decided to travel to Singapore from Jan. 2, 2007 for a week. As my sister used to live and work there for some years, we've been there more than 20 times now. We just love the small beautiful island. And this will be Jade's first time to step on any other Asian countries besides her own country, Japan. So far, she's visited San Francisco when she turned to be 2 yrs old in 2005. We have so much plans to enjoy! Cannot wait to meet some of my friends I met online during our trip :D

Some refreshments!

2006-08-25T19:59:00.000+09:00

Hi friends! How have you been? Sorry for my long silence. Ever since I came back from summer holidays, my shops keep me so busy. But I sneaked out to have some refreshments for myself at AVEDA salon near our house. I had a hair cut, applied "digital permanent" and aroma treatment. Oh, I feel so freshed now!

hula

2006-08-10T15:34:00.000+09:00

Since I have more free tim now, I decided that my daughter and I take hula classes once a week. A new class for mom and the little one just started here in Kamakura, so we jumped in last Friday to try out. Jade is just 3 yrs old, but she does a lot of activity at her preschool where she spends 8 hours every day. Her teachers say she likes to dance a lot, so I thought she'd enjoy it. And she did enjoy the entier one hour in our first class.
So mommy was very busy making our new "pau" skirts to wear when we go to hula classes. For an adult, you need 4 yards, and 2 yards for kids. That's a lot of sewing, eh?

my exhibition at a zakka shop

2006-08-08T15:32:00.000+09:00

I had my first exhibition at a zakka shop in a local area on the last Saturday. There were 5 artists/creaters including myself from Shonan area. I brought my Hawaiian bags just like the first craft fair. It was a very hot day and we had less customers during the daytime. I guess nobody wanted to take a risk to dry up in the heat! But we had a lot of customers in the evening just before the fireworks started. I was there from 11 AM to 9:30 PM. What a long day it was! I got a cold and now I'm sick in bed right now. Gee, I'll be better soon! I just wanted to tell my friends that it was over. The result? I didn't make much money, but it was so great that I met new creaters in the local area. They say they'll invite me again quite soon for another exhibition. I'll think about how to improve to earn more $$$! :D

busy like a bee

2006-08-03T16:46:00.000+09:00

On July 31, I said goodbye to my work, a German firm where I had workd for 7 yrs! Yes, now I don't belong to any company and I'm free! Hooray, I feel so relieved and free. I had a great last day at work. Had fancy Italian lunch with some co-workers, my boss bought some yummy cakes and pies for all of us in the afternoon, got some farewell gifts from good frineds, and my sister treated me a great Chinese farewell dinner in central Tokyo, called Turandot. Here's a photo of pretty yellow flowers my husband gave on that day. Happy! :D
And now I'm so busy like a bee again as I have an event coming up on the weekends. I was invited by a big zakka shop in Chigasaki to have a kind of exhibition of my works
on Saturday. I'll show ll kinds of my Hawaiian bags there and sell them at the same time. I'll have to stay there from 11 AM to 9 PM!! So it's gonna be a long day for me. It's my first time to have this kind of event, but the owner told me to bring 20 kinds of bags. So I'm working so hard to make a lot of bags using Hawaiian fabrics. Phew!

Shin Enoshima Suizokukan (Enoshima Aquarium)

2006-07-31T10:09:00.000+09:00

Two weeks in a row, we visited the local aquarium called, Shin Enoshima Suizokukan 新江ノ島水族館 as we bought annual passport. It's a short drive way from our home towards the Pacific. In front of the building, you can see beautiful small island called Enoshima. We're now so much into this fun place. The most interesting part is the dolphins show!
There're some 4th generation dolphins that were born right here and this is really rare in the whole world. Including those, 5 dolphins swim, dance, sing and jump along the young staffs who does great entertaining. It's so dynamic and fun. Even adults can enjoy every single moment of it! Last time, we enjoyed the show twice in a day! We strongly recommend to visit here!
If you don't have a car, don't worry.
You can take Shonan Monorail, bus, Enoden and Odaky line to get there. Just head to Enoshima 江ノ島, and you won't miss it as it's the one of the biggest building along the beach side! The admission fee is JPY2.000 for adult and JPY 600 for smaller kids. Enjoy!

Craft days again!

2006-07-28T10:54:00.000+09:00

I'm so happy that I'm back again to have crafty days once again. After the fair, I kept working on the follow-ups with new customers. Now things get a bit slow down and I have my own time to
enjoy what I want to make. I wanted to make some beaded necklaces for myself and my little one. Here they are!
Doesn't Jade look so happy with it? She wants to be a princess in the future(!), and she thinks this necklace is just the right ticket to be closer to her dream! A three-year-old has such a cute dream!

It's getting so hot and wet with high humidity here in Japan! So my bags with Hawaiian print fabrics sell quite well to my Japanese customers. I'm now recognized as a Hawaiian bag maker! :D

The craft fair in Tokyo on July 19

2006-07-21T10:26:00.000+09:00

The fair was fantastic. I met a lot of new people who shares the same work with me, "handmade". It supposed to open at 11, but there were such a long que, the organizer
decided to open at 10:30 AM. Before that, we creators had a chance to take photos and exchange shop cards and chat. I met great artists who does super great works. You can take a look on some
shots I took with the permission.

Of course, Jade was with me and she did a great job, handing the wrapped items to customers with a big smile! She and I had a great time and I did make a great $$$. Happy :D
I'm now invited to join some fairs in Tokyo and the local Shonan area. I won't hesitate, and will definately join to enjoy myself!

Craft Fair in Tokyo on July 17

2006-07-10T13:54:00.000+09:00

It's a national holiday called "Umi-no-hi" (Sea Day) and there's a big craft fair in downtown Tokyo on July 17, Monday. You can enjoy 45 shops with all kinds of goodies for variety crafting projects.
It is supported by the Japanese biggest craft publishing company, Nippon Vogue Inc.
If you're gonna be in town, make sure to visit this one of the most popular craft show in Japan!!

The Name: Home Couturier vol. 3
The Date: July 17 2006
The Time: 11:00 - 16:00
(they'll restrict admission when it's too crowded,
so make sure to arrive before 13.00)
The Place: 12th floor of Nippon Vogue Inc. in Ichigaya
(near Shinjuku area)
Admission is free, but too many people will visit this fair from all over the nation. I hear some line up before 9:30AM!!

See you at my booth!

Cuties from the shop

2006-07-07T13:59:00.000+09:00

Here let me introduce some cute zakka from Atelier JADE.
The first photo shows hedgehog stationeries. I've been looking for these kinds of cute goodies with hedgehog for months, and finally I found them at a shop in Tokyo!! Aren't they so cute??? All are made of wood (MDF). You can use the calendar forever as you only have to change the small wooden dice-like part every day!! Eco-friendly, eh? The middle one is a set of 3 magnets. And the right one is a tape dispenser.

And then you can see 2 photos of cute Cram Cram adhesive tapes. They're really popular at my shop, and I've been uploading new tapes one after the other. The pink cookies are coming back to the
shop again and yellow froggy is brand new ones.

And the cute goldfish stickers!! There're 2 kinds and you saw the other one in my previous journal entry. When we exchange the summer greeting cards in Japan, we can put those cute stickers on it!
And you see two kinds of cute Russian dolls. These are painted on the wood pieace and you can hang up anywhere.
There're new fabrics, too.

Enjoy shopping at Atelier JADE, Japan.
http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~atelierj/

Summer Greeting

2006-07-05T13:47:00.000+09:00

Here in Japan, we have a custom to exchange a card in the mid-summer saying "Good wishes in this hot summer" for years. The weather is really hard to survive, the heat and high humidity!!
Here I found some cute stickers of the summer greeting. Goldfish is one of the symbolic animal for the summer. Very popular during the season and you see it everywhere you go, on postcards, ads, magazines, books, etc. Cute, eh?
Have a great summer days, girls!

working for the show!

2006-06-30T12:53:00.000+09:00

These are new item to be introduced for the show next month. They're 10 sets of a placemat and a coaster with comination of Hawaiian print and Lithuania pure linen. I made them dreaming of having a cozy meal under the tropical weather in Hawaii. I think it's quite interesting to mix those two different kinds of material. What do you think, gilrs?

lately...

2006-06-28T10:15:00.000+09:00

Sorry for a silence. Jade has been sick with flu, and we're still visiting to the otological clinic to check her ears. And I started to work on the bags I'll take to the show. I set my concept on "Holidays in Hawaii". As I mentioned to you before, my living area "Shonan" is called Japanese Hawaii, and my bags with Hawaiian print sell very well here. Now I'm making 2 kinds of the most standard styles in my shop with different colors of fabrics. Also I'll make some
Home & Decor items later on. Oops, I'll have to prepare shop's card and other promotional materials, too. But I'm now concentrating on sewing up all kinds of bags! I need more time!! You know, I still work for the German firm and I go to work to Central Tokyo almost every weekdays as I'm managing a big project to publish our latest catalog in Japanese language. So I cannot take days off at all... Need more time!

These photos are from the local botanical garden here in Kamakura. They're both Japanese wild hydrangea. Isn't it so beautiful? I love the way they displayed them, too!