I lived in Tokyo for four years (over ten years ago now) and have very fond memories of my time there. Japan still has a lasting effect on me and many of the products I sell in my Etsy shop are made using Japanese fabrics or are inspired by Japanese design. While I was living there, I managed to travel around Japan a bit and went to Kyoto several times. One time was with my parents, when they came to visit me from the UK. We spent a few days enjoying the city and seeing the sights.

One of the most impressive sights was the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine that has hundreds of stunning orange tori gates that form a tunnel up the 233 metre mountain.

The temple is dedicated to the rice god Inari and many local business pay to have a torii gate added to this stunning sight.

Visitors can write prayers, wishes or thanks on the back of these 'ema' which are wooden plaques in the shape of fox heads. They can also draw a face on the front of the plaque.

Kiyomizu-dera Buddhist shrine has stunning views of Kyoto.

It's great to go in blossom season when all the trees are in full bloom.

Geisha in the Gion district stroll the streets in brightly coloured kimonos with bold designs.

The Arashiyama forest consists of avenues of bamboo, that are very tall and tightly packed.

We came across these women in the forest, wearing stunning kimonos.

You can read more about my time in Toyo on my blog here.

Japanese tea towel

The Japanese icons print I designed for my Spoonflower shop has now been made into tea towels that can be bought in my Etsy shop.

The icons include kimonos, kokeshi dolls, luck cats, origami birds and pink blossom.

This tea towel is made form a lovely thick linen cotton canvas fabric

The perfect gift for a Japanophile.

Purple kimono clutch bag

 I'm loving this purple kimono clutch bag which uses a combination of vintage Japanese kimono pieces from my collection. Each piece has been carefully considered to create a truly unique accessory.

On one side of the clutch bag there is a combination of florals and geometric motifs. The floral on the left looks almost hand-painted and has a variety of shades that give it depth and detail. The middle print is a stylised version of a chrysanthemum. The right hand fabric is a simple geometric motif.

On the other side of the clutch bag I've used two patterned fabrics, one is the geometric motif, the other creates a criss cross ikat pattern in shades of red, teal and yellow.

I've added a fabulous matching purple tassel to the zipper pull.

This clutch bag is perfect for storing essentials for a night out and makes a great wedding accessory. Team it with the purple kimono scarf to make a great gift combo for someone special.

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Red kimono clutch bag

 I'm absolutely loving this recent addition to my Etsy shop! It's a clutch bag made from vintage Japanese kimono fabrics in shades of red, pink and orange. I have a wide selection of kimono pieces in my collection and this is the perfect project for bringing them all together to create something truly unique and different. This would be a great wedding clutch or evening purse for a summer party.

The clutch bag is lightly padded and has a red lining and matching red zipper. 

I'm loving the addition of the red tassel attached to the zipper pull.

The kimono pieces are stitched together and then top stitched to help keep them neat and flat.

This pink bird fabric is one of my favourites.

Each side of the clutch bag has a different combination of fabrics.

The kimono clutch bag makes a great gift combo with one of my kimono scarves. The perfect gift for a Japan lover!

Shop clutch bags here

Kitani Chigusa

 I love the @monthofmasters drawing challenges and this month's challenge really appealed to me as it showcases the work of Japanese artist, Kitani Chugusa who was known for her delicate art dedicated to beauty and women.

I chose to recreate her 'Kuchi-e' painting which shows a delicately-painted woman wearing a loose kimono. I love the red butterfly motifs on her kimono and finely-painted strands of hair.

I chose to draw a modern version of this painting.

So soba

 When I first moved to Japan, the idea of eating cold soba noodles wasn't very appealing, until I tried them for the first time on a hot Tokyo summer day, and I loved them! The noodles are clean and fresh-tasting and are served on a bamboo tray, with a dashi, soy and mirin dipping sauce and garnish such as spring onions and daikon.

Whilst living in Japan I collected the soba cups that the dipping sauce is served in. They are the perfect size for serving dips in, or for serving snacks such as nuts. Needless to say, I stocked up on a few whilst I was living there.

I love the soba cups so much that I decided to create a soba cup design for my Spoonflower shop. I've included an array of designs from simple geometrics to pretty florals and bamboo leaves.

I've created two background colours, one on a clean white ground and the other on a dark navy ground.