Happy Monday

Happy Monday to all. I hope the weather's better wherever you are. Here in London, the weather has been very English - cold, grey and rainy - and I'm already dreaming of long summer evenings!

Today I thought I'd mention something to brighten the day, this rather lovely little plate I bought in Tokyo recently. Whenever I do the International Bazaar I'm always tempted to purchase items from other vendors while I'm there - beautiful washi paper ornaments and intricately woven temari balls. This time I was quite reserved in my spending and only came home with this rather cute little plate in the shape of a Japanese lady's face.

She has a happy smile and is based on the traditional masks used in Japanese Noh theatre.

She fits in perfectly with my kokeshi doll collection.

What a stunner!

I've just added this little stunner to my Etsy store. It's a blossom design made out of a gorgeous obi fabric in shades of black, blue, terracotta and gold.

I decided to match the lining to the blue of the blossom on the outside of the bag.

You can find it in my store here.

I was very lucky to be given the fabric as a gift. It was given to me by a lovely old Japanese couple who have a stall next to me at the annual International Bazaar at the Tokyo American Club. They sell modern kokeshi dolls and I bought this little Japanese fella from them last year.

I call him matsuri (festival) man and I think he's so sweet!

New home

I finally feel like I am now happily settled into my new home after a few weeks of nesting! This included having the whole apartment repainted, in a fresh white, with a soft grey for the bedroom. I even got the kitchen cupboards repainted in a very light grey colour. They were a wood laminate before and had a slightly dated feel to them. It really lifts the feel of the kitchen and I'm so glad I chose to have it done.

In the living room I have a lovely charcoal grey three seater sofa and instead of getting a matching two seater sofa, I decided to use two armchairs in a light grey. These two were from Ikea! I love the symmetry, with the chair artwork above to match.

All the Japanese items I gathered over my time living in Tokyo have fitted into my new home very comfortably. The kokeshi dolls above sit on a red lacquer tray, and the Japanese chest below works wonderfully with my modern lamp. 

I managed to gather a small collection of fans when I was in Tokyo.

The red and white one below has been framed and fits beautifully above my white lamp.

I chose grey for the walls in the bedroom as it has a very calming feeling.

My pretty Japanese scenic print looks perfect above the bed.

I even have a spare bedroom! And it's all ready for guests, with a  fresh blue and white ikat-inspired duvet cover. I'm looking forward to covering the bedhead in a similar blue and white ikat fabric. Maybe a little project for when I have a bit more time?!

I haven't shown any pictures of my studio yet as it is in a bit of a state! I didn't quite realise how many fabrics I had until I had to schlep them into my new place.

They will all eventually find a home and then I will post some pictures.

Fave fabric Friday

Fridays come around quickly!

This Friday's fave fabric is a piece that I picked up on a trip to Vietnam many years ago. I bought it in the hills of Sapa, in Northern Vietnam. There is so much work involved in it, using a combination of techniques including embroidery, printing and appliqué.

I wasn't sure what to do with it for a long time. I wanted to make it into bags, but was loathe to cut it up. In the end I used some of it for making bags and the rest I stretched over a canvas and hung it on the wall in my home. It is now sitting beautifully with my Japanese kokeshi doll collection.

You can see the clutch bags I made with the fabric here and here.