Japanese Young Artists' Books Fair, Part 1

How are you dear friends? Where I live, we're back to Daylight Savings Time and spring officially begins on the 20th. I'm hoping the weather will quickly warm up for us winter-weary folk.

Anyway, today let me tell you about an artist/book fair I went to.

It's called the Japanese Young Artists' Books Fair, on-going until tomorrow at the Kinokuniya Bookstore, Printed Matter and Book Court.

This is an annual book fair highlighting the works of Japanese contemporary artists curated by a Tokyo-based gallery called Pepper's Project.

On display {and also for sale} are these handmade books in limited quantities.

They showcase photography...

Colorful drawings...

Fun artwork...

Poetry...

Illustration...

Sketches...

Collage and assemblage.

I really enjoyed the mythical drawings from this book.

I also liked "Taberu" which, when translated, means "to eat". I love how a small fork is enclosed with the book!

Tomorrow, I'll share my other favorite books from the fair. Have a beautiful day!

Knit and Bead

I hope you're having a good day today!

When I travel, I carry things to keep me entertained during all the hours of waiting. I usually bring a book or a magazine. Sometimes, I take along a craft project like this knitting doll stashed in a project pouch that I made and updated.

Here is the strand I created from my knitting doll. I've decided to turn it into a necklace.

I found these purple beauties in my bead box.

I strung them together using a needle and thread.

Then I attached the beads to my knitted strand.

I kept to a monochromatic theme. Later on I can add beads in a different hue to change the look.

This is what the necklace looks like. TADA!

I can't wait to see what other things I can make using the knitting doll. If you have suggestions, please send them my way.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

My Project Pouch Revisited

Hello friends! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend.

Remember this linen pouch? It was a plain, blah pouch that I decorated with iron-on patches. The "K" is for the special nickname my family has for me, and it's also the initial of my niece's name who was born around the time I was making this. The coat of arms has no meaning. I liked it just because -- how often do you find one in pastel colors? The flower, well, I just happen to adore flowers!

The back of the pouch remained blank for a while.

Until I found a few more patches: the flower {I told you I love 'em!} reminds me of tropical destinations in Asia. The par avion patch is a nod to the thrills of snail mail. And the cocktail is a little reminder to have "happy hour" every day, however you define "happy hour" {mine would be "crafty hour"!}.

Here are the patches, now on the pouch. TADA!

In case you're curious, here is an easy guide to attach patches like these:
Step 1: Preheat iron to "cotton" setting.
Step 2: Pretest your fabric for heat tolerance at this setting {ex. fabric doesn't curl-up or discolor}
Step 3: Position the patch on the surface of the garment. Cover the patch with a cotton cloth. Iron for 10 to 15 seconds {put pressure on the patch and move the iron around}.
Step 4: Turn the garment inside-out. Iron this area for 20-25 seconds with some pressure.
Step 5: Allow garment to cool and it can be used. 

I use the pouch to store materials for crafty projects like this for French knitting. 

Here's the result of my first attempt. TADA!

Please come by on Wednesday. I'll show you what I used this knitted strand for. Meanwhile, have a beautiful day!

Party in a Tube

Hey, hey, happy Friday!

Today, I'm turning this empty paper towel roll from blah to TADA!

First I dressed it up with some snazzy paper.

Then I covered the bottom with a paper circle.

I manufactured a good amount of confetti with a craft punch and colored paper.

I filled the paper tube with the confetti...all the way to the top.

Then I covered this opening with another paper circle.

The paper wrapping on the tube and circles on both ends are easily attached with glue.

And look what we have -- a confetti stick! TADA! 

A fun idea: make a bunch of these for a surprise party or for a wedding.

Instruct guests to rip off one end of the tube.

Then, at the count of three, with a flick of the wrist overhead, an explosion confetti!

For more confetti inspiration, check this out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gift Enclosed

I hope your week has been off to a great start. Today, another crafty confetti project.

I'm rescuing this blah from the trip to the trash bin.

It's a plastic box that once housed a set of letterpress holiday cards. Now that it's empty, it's a perfect display case. Think of all the possible things to put inside!

I'm covering one side with card stock in a polka-dot print.

This is what it looks like now...TADA!

And here's what happens next:

I wrapped a miniature present {ex. a piece of delicate jewelry} and made tons and tons of confetti from construction paper and a craft punch. 

Then I stuffed these inside the plastic box. See how the confetti covers the gift?

If the box is shaken, the gift is revealed!

Time for a little Washi tape action {in a matching polka-dot, of course}! Tape at the seams will keep any confetti from escaping, apart from upping the cuteness factor.

Write who it's for {personalizing goes a long way!}.

And maybe a little hint to knock her party socks off.

A shower of confetti is all part of the surprise. Isn't that TADA!?

See you on Friday!

Confetti, Confetti

Hello dear friends!

This week, I have three posts for you and our theme is CONFETTI. Its name and meaning conjure color and festivity, don't you agree?

I was inspired by this tiny package I saw at one of my visits to Anthropologie. The product write-up makes it even more desirable: a small packet of hand picked confetti for when even the smallest victories need to be acknowledged. 

That in itself is blah to TADA!, no?

I decided, maybe, I can make my own version. Here goes:

This empty plastic bag was once packaging for some gift labels. It's clear and has an adhesive flap. It's blah. But I wanted to give it another chance.

So I added some printed card stock cut to size to fit the plastic bag.

Add a few teaspoons of glitter...

And some vintage sequins.

A shiny, merry mix of happiness in a bag. TADA!

And why not scribble down some wise words that tie in to the sparkly contents?

It's now a thoughtful gift for a friend who's applying for a job, going on an audition, or making a big deal presentation. 

It just may be the little push that she needs.

And every time she sees it, her day will turn from blah to TADA!

See you on Wednesday for another confetti project.