Kimono cutie

Here's another kimono cutie I've just added to my Etsy shop. It's a decorative kimono scarf made from vintage Japanese kimono fabrics that I've pieced together. I love using a variety of fabrics within one scarf and often like to add a decorative border to the ends of the scarf in a contrasting coloured fabric.

The main body of the scarf is made from a gorgeously soft silk fabric in shades of red, yellow and white on a deep blue background. There is a floral pattern that includes stylised chrysanthemums, maple leaves and blossom.

The scarf can be worn in many different ways. I like to drape it loosely around my neck.

The border design is made from a vibrant red and white geometric design, made up of circles and dots. It also includes floral elements.

This scarf can be worn in many different ways and is a great way of adding colour to an outfit.

All my scarves are wrapped in pink tissue paper and sent with a Cheeky Leopard postcard. They make a great gift for someone special and can be sent straight to their recipient with an optional gift message included.

 

Japanese maple leaves

 Every now and then I dip into the drawing challenges set by @ellolovey on Instagram. I really enjoyed creating this challenge a while ago which was 'maple'. I decided to use Japanese maple leaves as my inspiration and created a selection of stylised leaves in a rich colour palette. It looks great as a repeat pattern and is now available to buy by-the-metre in my Spoonflower shop.

Each leaf contains at least two tones of the same colour and includes simple pattern detail.

This print looks great on a scatter cushion, available in various sizes in my Spoonflower shop.

It also looks great on a throw which can be bought on minky fabric or on performance velvet, which really brings out the colour of the leaves.

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Adventures in Japan

The latest Spoonflower design challenge is called Adventure Ditzy Prints and I decided to create a print based on my adventures in Japan. I've included all the things I love about the city including sushi, torri gates and blossom. Which is your favourite?! You can vote for my design here.

You can buy this Japanese fabric by-the-metre in my Spoonflower shop or as ready-made items.

You can also find this print in my Etsy shop on this cute cosmetic bag and matching tissue holder combo.

There's also the option to buy this design as a cute Japanese artwork for the home. It's printed onto a thick watercolour paper and comes gift wrapped - the perfect gift for a Japanophile.

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Juicy threesome

I've had a little break in creating some of the large clutch bags, but now I'm back and have three juicy ones to showcase. Each one is made from a beautifully soft vintage kimono fabric, all of which I picked up on my last trip to Tokyo. I love the variety of colours and gave each one a suitably contrasting lining for a flash of colour when the bag is opened.

I love the smoky blue of the fabric on the clutch bag below, and its use of traditional Japanese motifs of maple leaves and blossom. It has a lovely contrasting mustard lining.

The fabric of the red blossom kimono clutch bag below is stunning! It has a rich brown lining and (like all the large clutch bags) a long chain that fits across the body or over the shoulder. It can also be tucked away if you'd rather not use the chain.

You can also find this fabric in one of my small clutch bags.

I do love the purple kimono fabric used on the clutch bag below! It is such a vibrant colour and the flowers have touches of gold on them. This bag has a fabulous golden yellow lining.

Autumn leaves

I love this time of year! The foliage is starting to change colour, the days are getting crisper and it's my birthday month! The natural colour of the changing leaves is very uplifting and inspired me to make another clutch bag using this wonderful vintage Japanese obi fabric. The obi is the 'belt' that goes round the kimono. 

Its design consists of an array of orange and green Japanese maple leaves sprinkled across a cream ground and I can only imagine how stunning it would have looked as an obi teamed with a rust silk kimono. This time I decided to echo the green of the leaves and give the clutch a vibrant green lining. You can find it in my store here.

A lot of Japanese artwork depicts the maple leaf and these are just two of a selection I have. In both cases the images are simple and graphic and have been screen printed onto thick handmade paper. The image on the left is a beautiful calendar I brought back from Tokyo with me last year. I'm pretty sure the large round object is a sake ball. The sake ball is made of tightly packed cedar twigs and hangs over the door of sake breweries to let customers know that the season's sake is ready to purchase and drink.

When we lived in Japan, the autumn leaves were always stunning. One of my favourites were the Japanese maple leaves that look so delicate. They create a lace effect when seen from below.

Green maple leaves

I recently added this clutch bag to my Etsy store. I was instantly drawn to the pretty green and white maple leaf kimono fabric and decided to piece it together with a vibrant green obi fabric. The leaves remind me of the beautiful maple trees we have seen on our trip to Koya-san.

You can find the clutch on my Etsy store here.

Juicy

I just added this juicy cutie to my Etsy store. It's one of my smaller clutch bags and is made from a vibrant obi fabric - silver maple leaves on an orange rust ground! I decided to give it a mustard yellow lining as a contrasting colour.

You can find it in my store here. 

                                         

Valentine Clutch Bag

I finished this clutch bag just in time for Valentine's Day, and love the vibrancy of the red on the soft vintage kimono fabric. One side uses a pretty printed silk with the iconic Japanese maple leaves and chrysanthemums. The other side consists of a soft pink vintage fabric with a pretty blossom print in shades of red, white and duck egg blue. Perfect for a night out with your sweetie! You can see more clutch bags here.