Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー)

Do you know the story of the 1,000 origami cranes (千羽鶴)? It's a famous story in Japan about a girl named Sadako Sasaki (佐々木禎子), who tried to stave off her death from leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during the World War II by making 1,000 origami cranes. She folded 644 and died before she could reach her goal, but her classmates went on to fold the remaining 356 cranes in time for her funeral.

Her story of folding paper cranes has resonated around the world as a universal symbol of peace. Cranes also represent a gesture of caring and sympathy. In Japan, many elementary school students learn how to fold paper cranes in school, often before a trip to Hiroshima, and as a class fold 1,000 to bring with them.

I made 100 (but not 1,000) cranes for my friend last weekend. Not because she is hospitalized or anything like that but for her wedding! It's become more and more popular to use paper cranes as wedding decoration here in the states. But do you know about Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー)? In Japan, the crane is also a symbol of honor and loyalty, so it makes perfect symbol for a wedding. In the past 2 years, it's also become more and more popular for the newlywed in Japan to do Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー) instead of Flower Shower. I like this idea very much, You can ask your family and friends to make the cranes for you, or with you, it's a good chance to get your family and friends involved and bring them closer. It also save some money, and you can have the cranes in any color you want. M friends told me that little kids also had fun picking up the cranes after the wedding.

A thousand paper cranes is also traditionally given as a wedding gift by the folder, who is wishing a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple. It can also be gifted to a new baby for long life and good luck. Hanging a Senbazuru (千羽鶴) in one's home is thought to be a powerfully lucky and benevolent charm.

If you are going to have a wedding, maybe you should think about doing this Paper Crane Shower (折り鶴シャワー). You don't have to make 1,000 of them, 2 to 3 hundred will do!

Edible Crayon「Crayon Luxirare」(食べれられるクレヨン)

{images via luxirare.com}

Yes, you are seeing it right! These are Edible Crayons! These are not the normal crayons we see everyday, but made of dried fruits and dried seeds, such as peas, green beans, dried kiwi, green fruity pebbles, dried pumpkin seeds for green crayon ingredients. Each crayon was made with color divisions. Yes the flavor is based on colors, not actual flavors...

I don't think it's on the market yet. If it was, I definitely would buy some and draw with my niece and my baby! I think I can control my urge not to eat my crayons, but I can't promise we won't lick our drawings!

My Baby Shower Invitation!

Oops. Somehow the month of August flew by without many posts. Why? Cause my 8 month pregnant belly doesn't allow me to sit in front of the computer too long. Actually, my big belly doesn't allow me to keep doing anything too long. Here I am at 33 weeks today. It definitely feels like the bump got a lot bigger just in the last 2 weeks. The baby is healthy, and I've just been feeling a little more uncomfortable than before, also a bit more tired and low energy. So far so good, this baby has been treating me pretty well, not much hard time. I'm starting to feel like I'm running out of time to do all the things I want to do before the baby comes, and yet I don't want to be running around just checking things off my list. I'd like to enjoy being pregnant and spend time with J and friends. Actually J and I just got back from Montreal Canada last Sunday, we wandering around town and enjoying some fancy meals. It might be our last trip before the baby comes.

Also, my mother-in-law is throwing me a baby shower this month! Actually, there is no such thing as baby shower in Japan, nor in Taiwan or Korea. We do announcement, but nothing before the baby comes. The invitation is designed by myself. I know it might be a little bit strange to design your own baby shower invitation. But I am a designer and I like to design, so why not design my own baby shower invitation, right? I am happy that I could also apply my Masking Tapes on the invitations!

Wall (壁)

{image via Unstitched}

I wish I could have a wall like this for our coming baby boy, so he can draw freely...but I think it's difficult to do so in our tiny NY apartment...

Happy Friday!

Yesterday I finished folding 50 of the Origami Boxes and hand cutting 750 pieces of the heart shape Chiyogami Stickers for a custom order. I am very happy to know that people want to use my origami boxes as party favors!


The other happy news is that my Cute Japanese House Wooden Rubber Stamp is featured in Etsy's treasury page! This is the first time my goods get featured, I feel very good about it.

Have a happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!

New in My Store---More Sticky Stick it Markers and Memo Pads

I've been busy adding new stuffs to my store, here are more cute sticky stick it markers and memo pads. I still have more things to add to the store, so please do come back and check again time to time!

New in My Store---A Boxful of Japanese Hand-screened Chiyogami/Yuzen Paper

A Boxful of Japanese Hand-screened Chiyogami/Yuzen Paper---there are 200 pieces assorted Japanese Chiyogami in a beautiful chiyogami box.

The box measured approximately 6.5 x 6.5 x 5.5 cm (about 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.125 inches), and the papers measured approximately 5.8 x5.8 cm (about 2.25 x 2.25 inches).

These beautiful papers are perfect for wedding and party invitations, place cards and thank you cards, scrapbooking, jewelry making, greeting cards, or, use them as little notes, and for any other craft projects. I'm sure you'll think of many more uses! It also makes a perfect gift!

These are Hand Screened Printed in Japan. I have only the blue one and the red one left. Leave me a message to let me know which one you preferred when you place the order. Thanks.

New In My Store---Sticky Stick It Note Pad

{Sunday Cooking}

{Bear}

{Good Fortune Boy}

{Good Fortune Girl with Cat}

{Boy & Bear}

These super cute Sticky Stick It Note Pads are finally added to my store. I have been a big fan of Propeller Studio, they have the cutest designs ever! These little characters and their innocent English make me smile!

If you want to add some to your collections, you can click on my Etsy store on the right hand side, or you can click here.

Alice in the wonderland

{Alice's Tag Set C}

{Alice's Tag Set B}

{Alice's Tag Set A}

How amazing are these? Letter pressed and die-cut Ornaments/Tags inspired by Alice in the wonderland. Ready to hang on a tree or use as gift tags, as well as bookmarks. Printed on super thick coaster stock. These are designed by katazome artist (型染め作家) Mihoko Seki (関美穂子).

Katazome (型染め) is a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil. With this kind of resist dyeing, a rice flour mixture is applied using a brush or a palette knife. Pigment is added by hand-painting, immersion or both. Where the paste mixture covers and permeates the cloth, dye applied later will not penetrate. As with many everyday crafts of Japan it developed into a respected art form of its own. Nowadays the stencils are sometimes sold as artworks, attached to hand fans, or used to decorate screens and doors in Japanese rooms.

If you like Japanese Masking Tapes, the chance is that you probably already familiar with her works.

{ Masking Tapes Designed by Mihoko Seki}

{ Stickers Designed by Mihoko Seki}

If you are interested, please click links above.

Chiyogami Stickers in Origami Box (折り紙ボックス)

I was looking at the Chiyogami stickers I made the other day, just by looking at these beautiful papers sooth me. Then suddenly I had an idea: what don't I make some Origami boxes so I can put the stickers in? So I did and here they are! I like them, these made me happy, again.

I also put some in my Etsy shop. If you are interested, please click here.

Chiyogami Stickers (千代紙シール)

In the package I received couple days ago, I got this---Assorted Chiyogami Set! Even though I already have a lot of Chiyogami in my studio, I still love them, never get enough of them. Since I had some time yesterday, I decided to turn these beautiful papers into something. I've seen many talented people turned these end papers into beautiful Chiyogami pendants, magnets and coasters...etc. I don't know how to make those things, and these papers were not big enough to make tags, so I thought I would make them into some beautiful and useful stickers!





Little tips on how to recognize the real Chiyogami:
(source from The Japanese Paper Place)

1. Intense color and resistance to fading. The pigment-based inks used in authentic Chiyogami create a distinctively intense color that stands up well to fading and use.

2. Color layers. You can often see or feel the different layers of color applied on the base sheet.

3. Paste residue. On the back of each sheet of genuine Chiyogami you will often find a harmless paste residue. This comes from the papers being temporarily pasted to boards as they travel from one color station to the next.

{Right: Offset reproduction; Left: Hand-silkscreened.
image via The Japanese Paper Place}

Now on the market you can see digital-print-out Chiyogami, Offset -pint-out Chiyogami, Hand-screened and Woodblock Chiyogami, and the price varies.