Japanese Artist : YUMIKO HIGUCHI

I discovered a lovely artist that I thought I would write about. I can’t remember how I found her but her work is marvellous. She is an embroidery artist.

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Bookoff Craft Section

One thing I didn’t mention in my article earlier were the sections I perused in the book store. So if you are interesting in crafts you may want to look for the sections that say:

手芸 (,手＝hand、芸＝skill)
Pronunciation: syugei しゅげい
or
kurafuto クラフト
(craft)

Just a little note that may make the bookstores a little easier to get around.

Japan Crafting: Magazine Review

Other keepsakes I brought back from Japan were a few copies of a magazine named Stitch Ideas. (ｽﾃｯｷ idees). Magazines and books are really some of my favourite keepsakes from our visit to Japan. I find them so lovely to review and then to make something from them is another way to have a little keepsake of Japan.

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Japan Craft: Hat Making Book Review

Once again, Japan fills a niche that I found lacking back home. I love hats….pretty much any style, or colour of hat. However, in Canada I have always felt like making a hat, is way beyond the skills of the average person. And only professionals could be capable of making hats. In Japan though, I found a book that made me believe that I too could make a hat.

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Cute Things From Japan: Sewing Book Review

Photo by EssG on Flcikr

So I guess you get the idea that my favourite souvenirs are books…lots of books. I like that I can remember where I bought them, and they aren’t just a knickknack, but rather actual useful information. And hopefully, the information in that book showcases Japan in some way.

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Cute Things From Japan: Wool Felting

Book review: フェルト羊毛でつくる かわいいプチ雑貨

Or as Google translates it to English: Easy first shotgun! Cute petite wool felt to make goods. (Thank goodness my first shotgun will be an easy one.)

So another book review or as I like to call it, “a great excuse for me to talk about the stuff I bought and get all excited about it.”

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Cute Things from Japan – Paper Crafts

The Japanese are whizzes with paper. Chiyogami for paper crafts; Shojigami for housing fittings; Karakami for sliding panels, clothing and waterproofed raincoats. And they continue to see it as a useful and playful item. Canon is perfect example of that. Look at the brilliant things they have come up with, just with paper and a printer.

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