PaperLion

{ market, tags and leather }

2010-07-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

I had the urge to work on some new tags before the last Eveleigh market. I had a list a mile long of other stuff I had to get done in preparation but I got sidetracked which is easily done when you're a procrastinator of the first order.

Also had an idea of a new display for the gift tags. This is version one which is a great start, but still some work to go. I'd really love to find a big beautiful frame to edge the display. Previously I've only sold the gift tags in pre-packaged sets of four but I loved how this set up allows people to mix and match. They proved very popular too which was great. I didn't get to take a photo until part way through the day so (happily) it was looking a bit sparse by the time I took it.

This market was my first go at selling leather journals. I only had 3 made in time but one of them went home with a lovely new owner which made me very happy indeed.

{ working with leather }

2010-05-12T02:55:00.001-07:00

I've just completed a new course with Rosemarie at Artwise Amazing Paper, this time learning to make leather journals. Rosemarie is an excellent book binder and teacher and I can recommend her classes if you're interested.

The first book binding class I took was with Rosemarie and I've continued to go back and learn more from her. Not all classes are about making books, the class I did on box making was taught by Rosemarie too so take a look at her website and see if there's anything that interests you.

This course was over 3 Wednesday nights and here's what I ended up with:

I'm really happy with it and look forward to working on it some more to perfect it. Is it strange that the best part of the process was the smell and feel of the leather? Mmm, probably.

{ lucky again }

2010-05-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

Yuko, the maker of beautiful screen printed towels and much more had a giveaway on her blog recently and I was one of the very lucky winners. I was too excited to open the package so it's a shame I can't share a photo of the beautiful packaging. You'll just have to take my word for it.

If you would like your own Pata Pri towel head over to Yuko's Etsy shop.

Thank you Yuko!

{ love letterpress ? }

2010-04-27T04:36:00.000-07:00

There's a whole week of fantastic letterpress work over at the oh hello friend blog. The blog is always a wonderful read but this week is extra special with lots of giveaways and really interesting interviews with amazing letterpress artists.

I'm especially enjoying the photos of the artists studios. If I knew how to post photos here from other blogs I'd do so, but since I don't, you'll just have to jump over to the blog and check it out for yourself!

{ come in spinner }

2010-04-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Pub Cha + bands + two-up = good times!

1. Place your bets, 2. Head em up, 3. Watching the spin, 4. How did they land?

How did you spend your ANZAC Day?

{ a new toy }

2010-04-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

I took delivery this week of a new camera. We've had the same Visa card for a number of years and never done anything with the Points but with a change of banks on the horizon I thought I should use them up, so I have a new DSLR. I expect it to be within hands reach all over this coming long weekend as I get my bearings.

Here's one of my first shots and I'm really happy with the quality already:

This cat is almost impossible to get good snaps of but I think the new noises coming from the camera got his interest. Mind you, only for a short time before he was off again. Oh well, I'll take what I can get!

{ market time }

2010-04-05T00:25:00.001-07:00

I had intended to post during the week but I had a very busy time of it getting stock made for yesterdays Eveleigh Artisan Market. Some work in progress shots:

Finished covers ready to have these paper signatures sewn in:

Boy, there were many hours of tearing and folding in those piles of paper!

The market was a bit quieter than most months, but I had expected it might be due to the Easter long weekend. A lot of Sydney-siders take the opportunity to get out of town for a few days.

I've been trying to think of ways to improve my display at markets. Currently it looks like this:

A couple of things I know I'll do - have more stock so the tables are fuller, buy some fabric to replace the sheets I'm currently using. I really like it when I make the effort to cover the table tops in brown wrapping paper, but it takes such a long time, I need a better solution than that.

Have you seen some great market displays in your time? What stands out to you, do you have any recommendations - general or specific?

{ yippee }

2010-03-26T03:59:00.000-07:00

Booked and paid - we're back to Japan in 2 months time!

Have you seen Jetstar's 2 for 1 special to Japan? A word of advice for Sydney-siders - even though their website only lists Osaka on the special from Sydney, select Sydney-Tokyo and they just add Sydney-Gold Coast to the selection, don't be put off if you want to go to Tokyo. Or do what we're doing, fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka (but you have to ring and do that over the phone).

Now, just have to work out where else beside Tokyo we'll spend our time.

(Mmm, Casual Frozen Food - just noticed what this vending machine says. Wish I'd tried it!)

{ PaperLion interview }

2010-03-24T03:22:00.001-07:00

I've mentioned before that I'm part of BEST - Bookbinding Etsy Street Team. Hilke runs interviews with BEST members and this week it's my turn! Take a look here.

I even managed to get a picture of this little cutie included - clever!!

{ alice }

2010-03-03T03:22:00.000-08:00

Just got back from seeing Alice In Wonderland. My advice ... run, don't walk to a screening immediately. It's such a visual feast and a movie that will need to be revisited time and again because you just couldn't possibly take it all in watching it only once.

Yay, so thrilled that it lived up to the huge expectations I'd placed on it!

{ alice is coming }

2010-02-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

I can't wait until Wednesday - I'm going to see Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland after work!

In honour, I've spent the best part of this weekend working on my most detailed papercut to date. Here're some progress shots:

And the final table centrepiece:

The design is from a book I picked up on Saturday - Paper Cuts: 35 Inventive Projects by Taylor Hagerty. The 35 designs are by a number of talented artists and this Alice one is by Cynthia Ferguson. Cynthia has a wonderful blog that I follow and encourage you to also if you like the art of papercuts, her work is incredible.

There are a lot of other projects I'll be trying out from this book, but not until I get the feeling back in the fingers of my right hand!

{ something new }

2010-02-26T01:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to spend a large part of my recent holiday making new things. Some time back I bought a kit to make pocket memo holders from Paperama on Etsy. They looked like so much fun to make, and they were.

Here's what I made from the kit:

And that got me all inspired:

And then on to some with a fold over cover:

There are a couple of other new ideas I tried out during my holidays and I'll continue sharing those with you. The purpose wasn't to necessarily come up with new products to sell (although some will progress down this path), it was to really enjoy the chance of having completely free time to do as I pleased.

I know how rare it is to have time like this in our busy lives and I was very grateful for it - especially since my first week back at work has been 'hectic' to say the least!

Do you get/make time to relax and go with the flow creatively?

{ the 80's are back }

2010-02-22T01:44:00.001-08:00

Went to a great exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum on the weekend - The 80's Are Back. Looking at the kids on the streets today, you might think they never left!

What memories it bought back! So much to see, but even better so much to do as well. Had a great time playing Donkey Kong, Pacman and Galaga on proper old arcade machines like they used to have in the fish and chip shops!

The biggest 'oh my' moment for me was when I rounded a corner to see a fully decorated bedroom circa the 80's - it looked just like my bedroom, even had the exact doona set. The only differences were my tape player was pink and instead of Dirty Dancing and Star Wars posters, my walls were full of Michael Jackson posters! [Little known fact - I used to be able to spell his name backwards as quickly as forward. No, I don't know why that was necessary either]

The exhibition runs for some time yet but don't put off a visit and miss out. If you're a kid of the 80's you'll have so much fun reliving your childhood/teenage years. If you're younger, go and check it out for a proper reference of 80's fashion!

2010-02-21T02:19:00.000-08:00

Seems there's a bit of an understandable hiatus going on over at the Sunday Stash blog but I didn't realise that until after I took my photos etc so thought I would post anyway.

Took a trip to the sale at Quiltsmith sale last week and picked up the following:

The intention is for making more bookcloth for albums and possibly notebooks but I needed a project with a quick resolution for the bee fabric and couldn't wait out the full process so I decided on a little drawstring bag to placate myself:

I really love that fabric! Can't wait to see it on an album cover but as I'm back at work tomorrow that might be a ways off.

{ fabric bookcloth }

2010-02-17T21:57:00.001-08:00

One of the techniques I've wanted to give some time to is making my own fabric bookcloth. It doesn't work to just glue fabric straight onto boards, the glue will seep through and ruin the fabric. To fix this you paste the fabric on to thin, Japanese paper, creating your own bookcloth.

I did a day course last year at the NSW Guild of Craft Bookbinders but this week has been my first solo trial. Besides the course, I also referred to instructions in Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman.

Here's a snap mid-process, just about to paste the paper and fabric together:

After drying, it's time to start making the book. I had a couple of text blocks I made ages ago so I thought I would put them to good use and make some case-bound books:

It's been so wonderful to have the time just to go with the flow and try new techniques. I now have to work out a way to continue doing that as I head back to work on Monday - boo! Anyone have some advice?

{ robot album }

2010-02-15T14:41:00.001-08:00

A new photo album made and delivered to be filled with photos from the first six months of a new arrival. Looking forward to seeing it filled with photos.

I used a different technique for this one than I normally use on albums. A couple of tweaks to make, but I like it!

{ shop update }

2010-02-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned, I spent the last couple of weeks making books to re-stock ready for markets this year and also my Etsy store. My first market on Sunday was a lovely day. I had no idea how it was going to go but I was pleasantly surprised! The organisers have done a great job over the last year or so building up the Eveleigh Artisans' Market and there's a solid base of visitors that's growing each month (first Sunday of each month, remember?!).

I've taken some time today to list some new books in my Etsy store, here's a sample:

So that was my last couple of weeks. Fun times, but I'm looking forward even more to the coming weeks as I'm working on some new projects which is very exciting. I've got quite a list and I've already started to work my way through it. I'll post some of my new work over the coming days and weeks for your comments etc and I'm thinking of a bit of a giveaway so stick around!

{ sunday activity }

2010-02-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Looking for something to do in Sydney on Sunday? Why not drop by the Eveleigh Artisan Market? It's on the first Sunday of each month (that would be tomorrow) and it's undercover so no need to worry that it's likely to be rainy tomorrow!

I'm grateful to be able to say that I had a good couple of markets in the lead up to Christmas so the last couple of weeks have been a joy of making new books to re-stock.

A small selection of new coptic bound books coming along with me:

And I've also been working on some new little 'scribblers':

I've had fun covering these little notebooks with everything from washi tape to health instructions for entering South Korea!

{ making stamps }

2010-02-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

I spent a lovely couple of hours yesterday afternoon in a nook of the Hondrake Japanese book store on Kent St. It was a fabulous location for my introduction to the craft of stamp making.

I'm holidays at the moment so when I saw this workshop on the very talented Riyo's blog, I thought why not? So wonderful to be able to do something like this during the week.

Riyo moved from Japan 2 years ago, in part to be inspired creatively by a different country. I was amazed - all I want to do is move to Japan as it's such a mecca for much of the craft I like (not to mention this, this, this, this, and so much more but I'm probably boring you now with all these links), and here's someone moving from Japan to Australia!!

I started really basic with my first stamp making a tree. It was in two parts but as you can see below, two really basic parts! The camera was a little trickier and the button was just at the end to use up a small piece.

We finished the afternoon with some homemade deserts. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me so go to this post of Riyo's to see the amazing green tea cheesecake! Apparently all workshops of this style in Japan finish with some sweet goodies like this.

Apart from me, all the participants were Japanese and reflecting later in the afternoon I realised how much I loved being part of something where I was totally included and part of something but also like I was a fly on the wall observing at the times they conversed between themselves in Japanese - I loved it! I often feel like that when I visit non-English speaking countries and it was so wonderful to experience similar right in my own backyard.

Just to round out my Japanese afternoon, I stopped by Kinokuniya as they have 20% off all craft books in February. This includes Japanese craft books as well. On 27 February they're holding the Kino Craft Fair from 12-4pm. I'll definitely be going along, hope to see you there!

{ winner }

2010-01-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I was very excited to win my first ever blog giveaway! It was from Lisa's lovely blog - The Red Thread, I recommend you only check it out if you have room on your blog list because you will want to add it for sure!! Lisa is such a wonderful artist and super lovely to boot!

Want to see what I won?

Beautiful Gocco'ed notebooks and gift tags, thank you Lisa.

{ thank you at work }

2010-01-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

My first order to go out with the new wrap including the thank you cards I made on the Gocco.

I used to send out orders wrapped in white tissue paper with ribbon but I really love brown paper so I've been looking at ways to use that instead.

It's so great getting things in the post and I especially love it when care has been taken with the presentation. What about you - does the way an online order arrives to you make a difference?

{ thank you }

2010-01-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

I finally got my Gocco out last night. A bit embarrassed to admit that I've had one since late 2007 and this is my first solo go. Late last year we had a demo at my craft group and I think that really helped. I also wasn't sure what I wanted to print until now so that held me back.

For some time now I've been throwing together little thank you cards to go out with my orders, always thinking that I wanted to have something set up and easy to write a little handmade message on and attach to orders, and now I do - yay!

Here's a mid print shot to prove I really did use the Gocco!

I'm really loving what I call the Wild West font - do you have a favourite font?

{ my sunday }

2010-01-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, my desk is often this messy. I do clean it up, but I often wonder what the point of that is when it just gets messy again the minute my back is turned.

Lots of cutting today. My stock levels dropped in the Christmas lead-up, something I'm very grateful for -thank you to my wonderful customers. Making lots of sales also means lots of fun making new books. I'm right in the middle of that today, most of which I spent cutting down the boards and then selecting and cutting down the paper for the covers.

Also, I found my camera so here are some shots of the box I made last weekend. I'm really happy with it despite 2 mis-measurements. I managed to over-come them to the point that probably (hopefully) only I can see them and I'm going to keep it that way and not point them out!

{ i need a deadline }

2010-01-03T02:21:00.000-08:00

It's taken me until my last 2 days of 10 days leave to get cracking on my creative to-do list. It's not news to me that I need a deadline to get into action, it's always been that way, but it's surprising when it's things I actually want to do and don't have to do - why is that?

Here's what I've been up to:

* Attempt 1 of a display folder for kids artwork. Covers are sandwiched within drying boards at the moment, will check them tomorrow night, put them together and see how they look

* Two months ago I did a course on making boxes, today was my first solo go. Just 3mm off perfect! Box making, like book, making is a precise endeavour.

* Re-teaching myself to knit. I've had it in my head that I'd like to make a knitted blanket for on the couch in winter, nothing too large. Also need a new project for craft group and I think there'll be others there who can help and motivate as needed.

* Finished Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (great read). Moving on to one of my Chrissie presents - Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion.

Battling some last day of holiday blues tonight, but there's no putting it off I guess.

Sorry for no photos of my works in progress - can't find my camera!

{ knee deep in christmas tags }

2009-12-02T03:06:00.000-08:00

I've been measuring and cutting and pasting and playing with ribbon etc putting together a little stockpile of Christmas gift tags for my stall on Sunday at the Eveleigh market.

Drop by and say hi if you're in the neighbourhood.

{ virtual market }

2009-11-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

Looking for some handmade goodness for Christmas this year?

Hop over to the current Poppytalk virtual market to check out lots of wonderful Christmas gift ideas including some goodies from yours truly.

{ thoughts on what to wear to a concert }

2009-11-23T02:28:00.000-08:00

Between support acts at the Pearl Jam gig on Sunday (Liam Finn was awesome), I got to people watching and it was pretty amazing to see what people were wearing on a 40+ degree afternoon/night. I've never been convinced that there is a ever a place for high heals at a gig and I continue to stand by that.

I'd like to take the thought out of what to wear by making it mandatory that all concert goers must wear what they wore the first time they saw the band. I thought back to my first PJ gig and while I can't remember exactly what I was wearing, the date gives me some clues - 14 March 1995.

Probably a band t-shirt (Alice In Chains? Soundgarden?), possibly Levi 501's, definitely my black Doc Martens. Or perhaps a baby doll dress, black leggings and black Doc Martens. The one constant during that time were my Docs (I still remember thinking that if I ever got married I would wear them to my wedding - still a bit sad I didn't carry through on that one!) so I know for sure I would have worn them that night.

What were your must wear staples in 1995?

{ one of the (many) signs of aging }

2009-11-23T02:17:00.000-08:00

Thankfulness upon opening tickets for Pearl Jam gig that we had seats and not general admission standing! Yep, gettin' old.

But even after all these years it's still possible to go to a gig and have it rate in your all time top 5 - good times!

{ time zapper }

2009-11-13T02:32:00.000-08:00

I found a brilliant iphone app last night and it's been zapping all my spare time since then. It's called CameraBag and it has a range of special effects to apply to your photos. Here's a couple I've done, many more to come I'm sure!

1 Helga 2 Instant 3 Fisheye 4 1974

{ more papercutting }

2009-11-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

My most most ambitious papercut to date.

Gift for our friends wedding yesterday, hope they like it.

{ tag ... you're it }

2009-10-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

I've long liked paper cuts but I've only just started playing with doing it myself. I've started on a small scale with gift tags.

It's a fun process staring from the design to cutting to gluing to my favourite part of the gift tags selecting the ribbons from my stash!

I've had some repeat buyers in my store already (the best feedback of all!) and they got great responses at a market I participated in earlier in the month.

{ sunday stash }

2009-10-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

Fabric fresh to me as of just yesterday. Spent a lovely morning with this crafty birthday girl: garage sale/pop up shop, breakfast, fabric shop followed by another fabric shop - good times!

More about Sunday Stash here

{ craft cupboard disaster ... averted }

2009-09-27T04:05:00.000-07:00

I've never been entirely happy with how I was storing my fabrics and other crafty bits and pieces. I've got a great set-up for my paper obsession, I'll share that sometime soon, but my sewing related stuff - not so much.

Last weekend I was doing something or other and heard an almighty crash. Here's what I faced with when I opened the craft cupboard door:

Hmm, a complete mess. I'd been making do with one of those hanging shelf things but the weight got too much and it snapped off. I spent a large part of the week wondering what I was going to do with it. Should I get another one - cheap, and it did actually last a number of years but I never loved it. So I was checking out Ikea, nothing there that suited, when the Howard's Storage World catalogue landed in our mail box. Talk about perfect timing.

So my afternoon (actually more of my afternoon than I had anticipated) was spent getting everything out, culling (not as much as I possibly should have), building the new shelves (that took a bit longer too since I put the first shelf in upside down and had to start again!) and then finally stacking it.

I'm pretty happy with the end result but the process did pose a question - how should I stack my fabric? By colour, by weight, by design? What do you do? I'd love to hear, photos would be even better so send me a link to your stash if you have one.

Some photos of my helper today ... okay maybe not helper, more of a hindrance but good company none the less!

{ sunday stash }

2009-09-13T04:38:00.001-07:00

I love text in fabric. Another of my haul from Japan.

{ road trip }

2009-09-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

A quick trip down to the 'Berra on Saturday. It's always interesting to visit the city you grew up in isn't it? There are little changes but really not too much changes and perhaps that's for the best. Canberra was a great place to grow up in, lots of fresh air, open spaces, pretty amazing facilities and as I got older only 3 1/2 hours drive from Sydney!

Something I don't remember noticing in such profusion when I lived there were all the beautiful blossom trees. Looks like the upcoming week might see them at their peak.

Why go all that way for the day? Just had to welcome little CT to the world in person. Just 9 days old when we saw him - cute!!

Beautiful colours in the sky as we drove home (yes, we did spend more time driving than in Canberra but it was worth it!).

{ sunday stash }

2009-08-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Aww, cute little sheep!

Another Tokyo purchase earlier in the year. It's a lovely weight fabric, should be perfect for some projects I'm hoping to have for sale in the next month or so - stay tuned!

{ i have no idea what to expect }

2009-08-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

I'll be offline for a couple of days, off to Seoul in the morning for a work conference. Seoul has never been on my radar and I'll have very little time, but I'm curious to see what it's like.

Fly all day tomorrow, conference Saturday and then finally some free time on Sunday until 4pm when we head back to the airport, overnight flight and straight back to the office Monday morning - told you it was another quick trip! Fingers crossed to the jet lag gods for an awesome sleep on the way home.

Will post some photos next week in case anyone else is curious like me.

{ sunday stash }

2009-08-16T03:21:00.001-07:00

Some traditional Japanese fabrics purchased in Tokyo earlier in the year.

Join the Sunday Stash gang here

{ unique shopping experiences }

2009-08-10T04:14:00.000-07:00

What have been your most memorable shopping experiences? I bet it’s not the rabbit run of Ikea on a Saturday lunchtime. Thinking back, my most memorable have been either coming away with an incredible bargain or when what I was browsing has been unique, well made and well presented.

I had two real shopping highlights in Barcelona recently. First, I was wandering down an alley in the old part of town. There really weren’t many shops around at all in fact, I was really just enjoying the wandering.

Up ahead I noticed a small pot plant out the front of a door and a warm and inviting light emanating from within. Stepping inside I was blown away to find the most amazing softies store! It was just wonderful. What I loved was the creator had her desk in the corner of the store, so the shop was also her studio. I’m kicking myself for not taking down the name of the store or checking if she has an online presence as well.

On the same day I also stumbled across a fantastic jewellery store. You could tell that they were displaying the work of many designers but what made the store unique was that this shop keeper was also creating! At the back of the store I could see different types of equipment so this too was a studio as well as a shopfront. Some sort of jewellery makers collective I imagine – fantastic!

Had to make a purchase – this fabulous ring:

The bands of colour are a type of elastic which you mix and match to suit, I’m enjoying it immensely.

{ sunday stash - tessuti spots }

2009-08-09T02:19:00.001-07:00

Decided to join in on the Sunday Stash - you can too, join here

I've been covering buttons with the orange fabric, very cute. Decided I better get another half a metre while still in stock. The white one was an impulse buy, I find it very difficult to go past spots at the best of times but when it's on sale? Impossible!

{ down to work }

2009-08-03T03:55:00.000-07:00

After my couple of days wandering Barcelona, the reason for my being there came to pass. Saturday morning was our conference but really it's a morning of entertainment, there's little to no work to be done.

I've mentioned previously that in the lead up to Global there's lots of debate about who would be the guest speaker at the conference. We've had Lance Armstrong and Bob Geldoff in recent years but it is really all guess work beforehand as it's all kept top secret. During the festivities some flamenco dancers came out on stage and I was thinking, nice a bit of the local culture but from behind them appeared someone in a cape and jeans - weird! Well, it was actually the entrance for the Virgin Group head honcho Sir Richard Branson.

Small selection of the 1500 or so of us

He had a pretty responsive crowd with travel agents filling the room, but even so I was a little surprised to hear some notes of nervousness in his voice. It was an interesting chat but in that setting he's not the most charismatic orator (not that I would even get in front of a group of 100 let along 1500, I do keep it in perspective!).

The highlight for me was the emcee. In the past it's been staff that have done it but this year we got a professional, and what a professional - Lenny Henry. He was awesome! So funny and brilliant at keeping things moving and interesting.

Sorry about the poor photo, my little camera doesn't do indoors at a distance!

We finished up at the convention centre at about midday (told you it wasn't an exactly taxing conference!) and I headed into town with a group to hit Zara. There are so many outlets it's just insane. I came out of one store, walked past 3 shops and there was another Zara outlet! The specials in all shops were brilliant, none of this 30% or 40% we get here in Australia, most was at least 50% off with many shops 75% off. How can you say no to a $6, good quality, t-shirt?

We had a lunch of tapas, paella and sangria for lunch - yum!

Back for a nap and quick change before the formalities of the evening Ball. Lenny Henry hosted again which was a godsend because we needed something to lighten the 4 hours (yes 4 hours) of awards! It got pretty tedious, I have to admit.

Entertainment was another pre-Ball conversation point. Previously we've had Jet, Shaggy, Ronan Keating - very eclectic and some hits and some misses. A number of people had been scouring online for what bands were in or around Spain that week and there was some serious odds on the Kaiser Chiefs and Snow Patrol, either of which I would have been very happy with, so there was a general huh? when the stage was revealed. It took some working out before we discovered it was DJ's Groove Armada. Kind of went over my head, I'd heard of them but had to do some internet searching on my return to find out who they were - whoops. Sorry for the Groove Armada fans out there that are just embarrassed for me not knowing them!

Yes, we were sat behind South Africa!

{ B E S T }

2009-07-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'm part of a the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team - BEST - and we're holding a virtual BBQ Scavenger Hunt this weekend, August 1-3. The winner gets a $30 gift certificate! All you need to do is browse the amazing offerings at 18 participating shops, locate hidden items and submit your finds to enter. You also get a chance to win for each purchase you make during the event.

Check our this post on our book team blog for details: etsybooks.blogspot.com

Most of the team members are in the Northern Hemisphere but with the beautiful weather in Sydney at the moment, it's not too much of a stretch to dream of summer BBQ's.

Here's a selection of some lovely books made by my team mates (note, these aren't necessarily the participants in the scavenger hunt!):

{ walking the streets }

2009-07-27T04:11:00.000-07:00

I spent my days in Barcelona wandering, it's a really great city to do this particularly in the old town. Often I did this on my own but I did do two walking tours which were wonderful. They went for 2 - 2 1/2 hours each which is the perfect time for a tour I think. Enough time to learn lots but not too long to get bored.

I just booked the tours through the Tourist Information Centre in town my first day. The company I went with are called 'Barcelona Walks' and they have 5 different walking tours. The two I did were:

"Gotic - Stroll through Barcelona's Gothic Quarter where past and present meet and discover the charm of its streets, squares, hidden corners and hundred-year-old buildings.

Gourmet - Enjoy a flavour-filled journey through the old town and discover Barcelona's gastronomic culture. During this walk you will find out about the history of Barcelona's cuisine as well as some of its flagship shops and food outlets, and sample some of their produce."

There's nothing quite like having days of unstructured time in a different city - no working, washing, cooking, cleaning to think about (let alone do), just days full of time to do whatever the mood strikes. One day I sat in a park in the sun watching the world go by for about 3 hours - wonderful!

{ en route }

2009-07-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

I’m back after a wonderful week in Barcelona, arriving at my hotel 42 hours after leaving Sydney! I travelled British Airways via London and had a 12 hour transit there. Long transits are usually a pain but I took this as a wonderful opportunity to wander London for a couple of hours.

Flying is the only time when I'm grateful for being short! Infrequently on work trips I'm lucky enough to travel in Business Class, but the vast majority of times I travel I'm in Economy. I can't imagine what it would be like being really tall and squashed into an Economy seat all the way to Europe. Even short distances must be a nightmare.

It’s about an hour each way from Heathrow on the Tube so I had about 6 hours after travel and re-check in time.

My first stop was breakfast – Club Sandwich from Pret a Manger! Probably a strange choice in most peoples minds, but I love these sandwiches - the bacon is insane!

Went initially to Covent Garden but was a bit early for the shops so wandered around, through Soho, Tottenham Court Rd up to Oxford Street. Not completely knowing my way between these points, I just walked down whatever street looked interesting.

I must say, the shops in Oxford St have really deteriorated. Not that they were ever all that good I guess (mostly chain stores), but it now seems really run down and cheap.

From there I made for Liberty. What a beautiful looking storefront! I was kind of surprised how little fabric there was. The floors were filled mostly with bags, cosmetics, jewellery, homewares and even carpets! I did eventually find the fabric and made some purchases. I’m not really a traditional floral pattern kind of girl so the fabrics I bought weren’t actually Liberty but it was a nice shopping experience.

Fish and chips for lunch in a pub and some more wandering before heading to the airport and onward to Barcelona.

{ barcelona bound }

2009-07-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

Every year the company I work for holds it's 'Global Gathering'. It's a celebration and recognition of high achievers for the previous 12 months. They really go all out with a brilliant party somewhere in the world and this year it's Barcelona. I'm lucky enough to be attending as the representative of my team as we were the most improved shop in our area. I head off on Monday afternoon, spend Tuesday in London and then the rest of the week in Barcelona.

Each year there's lots of pre-talk and guesses as to who our guest speaker will be at the conference that's held during the day on the Saturday. Last year in Honolulu we had Lance Armstrong and in Dublin the year before it was Bob Geldof! The main money is on a European as there seems to be a pattern of having a local, possibly a Spaniard but who could it be? All will be revealed in a little over a week.

A couple of years ago my husband and I spent a wonderful couple of weeks travelling through Spain however we didn't make it to Barcelona so it will be all new to me.

I've been super busy at work and only found out a week ago that we made the cut, so I haven't had any time to research and plan my days in Barcelona. Once I give it a couple of minutes thought, I'm know filling the day on London will be NO problem, but do you have suggestions for either city? I'd love to hear them.

{ custom order + a new design }

2009-06-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Very proud of myself - finally remembered to take some snaps of a just completed custom order. A friend picked up a fabulous holder for the recipes you accumulate from magazines, friends and family, etc that usually end up in a pile somewhere. Upon seeing it I thought to myself - ‘I can make that’ in the true fashion of crafters the world over.

The process for new designs is a fairly consistent process for me. I think through the technical aspects of what’s needed (measurements, etc) then have a first go. I make a few more with modifications as necessary and farm those out to close friends or my mum to put into use and give me feedback on anything that needs altering.

A final run past the in-house quality control supervisor:

And then all things go.

The first version of my recipe holder went as a birthday present to my friend and then she ordered this one for a relative.

I thought this paper was spot on for a recipe holder and I have another couple in my paper draw that will be excellent too. I haven’t yet worked out pricing so once that’s done I can get a few made and in my Etsy store for sale.

Of course there has to be a link to Japan and for this one it’s the plastic sleeves inside. I haven’t been able to find good quality ones here at a reasonable price but I found them in Tokyu Hands - no wonder I was over my luggage limits coming home!

{ new book }

2009-06-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

At some point I'll move on from my current Japan obsession, but until then here's a book I made out of a manga comic picked up over there:

{ whirlwind japan trip day 4 }

2009-06-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

The pace of the last few days caught up with me a bit on our final day and I really didn’t get as much done as I could have. A later start today with a group of us heading to Shinjuku for some retail therapy and lunch.

I left the group after lunch to head to Okadaya again and thankfully the sign on the shutters yesterday must have said closed for that day only because, thankfully, all was a go today.

I was pretty restrained as I had purchased so much fabric just 2 months prior but still managed to come away with 10 metres of fabric. This time it’s not all for me as a friend sews beautiful clothes for her daughter so I picked up a small selection of fabrics for them to play with. It’s fun trying to find prints you think others will like, but I felt a certain degree of self-imposed pressure too - I hope they like them. Oh well, even if not the thought was there!

Really should then have set out for Fabric Town but I was too tired and headed back to the hotel for a brief time before heading for the airport and on the overnight flight home. We were very spoilt by JAL and were treated to Business Class on our return. A quick shower at home on arrival and straight back to the office - did the last 4 days really happen???

A random photo, but how awesome is this guys hair?! I'm pretty sure if I stood next to him, his hair alone would be taller than me.

{ whirlwind japan trip day 3 }

2009-06-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today was my designated shopping day. I started in Harajuku, with mixed success on my list:

CROSS - Harajuku girls (I think they’ve moved to somewhere else for their Sunday showings)

CROSS - Kit Kats in awesome glass jars in vending machines as I found in this area last trip

TICK - great purchases at the MOMA Design Store and Kiddyland

TICK - delicious lunch at the hole in the wall restaurant we found last trip.

Then to Shibuya for stationary purchases at Loft and clothes, stationary and storage purchases at Muji (am I the only person who comes home from trips with storage contaniners for in the bathroom cabinets at home??).

Finally to Shinjuku for paper and stationary purchases at Tokyu Hands, craft book looking but no purchases at Kinokuniya, a special request purchased in heavy metal CD heaven at Disc Union and finally time for Okadaya fabric store.

Unfortunately shutters down and a sign on them that of course I couldn’t understand! Most stores are open on Sundays, in fact if they’re going to close it’s more likely a Monday they do so, so I was worried the sign was saying the store had closed for good.

Back to the hotel for a gorgeous hosted dinner. The 2 hotels we stayed at on this trip really went above and beyond in looking after us. If your budget can stretch to it, I can highly recommend the ANA Intercontinental and The Strings Intercontinental.

And finally,

TICK - karaoke!!

{ whirlwind Japan trip day 2 }

2009-05-26T04:01:00.000-07:00

DAY 2: A choice of tours had been arranged for day 2 of our trip. As I was a very last minute ring-in to replace a colleague, I had to do the tour he selected which was a day trip to Mt Fuji-Hakone. I don't mind organised tours but I tend to prefer half day ones as the full day ones can be pretty exhausting.

This one started at 8am and we didn't return until about 7.15pm so certainly a full day.

In the bus first off and a couple of hours on the road to the visitors centre for a quick stop and then on to Station 5 which I think is the highest you can drive to.

The best time to see Mt Fuji is in the winter as most of the rest of the year it's covered in cloud - or being shy as our guide said. Here's the view we had:

Mmmm...I promise the top of the mountain is there somewhere! We had a little bit of snow where we got off for a quick wander around the gift shops and some snacks to warm us up:

Back in the bus and down the mountain for lunch:

Back in the bus and off to the lake, through another gift shop and onto a boat for a very quick 15 min cruise up to another area. Past some more gift shops (yes, a theme appearing here) and up into a gondola thing up another mountain (not Mt Fuji). Unfortunately not the best day for this type of mountaintop viewing:

A quick turnaround and back down the mountain where we luckily had another 30 mins or so to wander the gift shops - hooray!

Back in the bus and onto a nearby town to catch the Shinkansen train (bullet train, but the local one, not the SUPER fast one - although that did zoom through the station while we were there and it was incredibly FAST!).

A super quick change of clothes and off to another hotel for site inspection and hosted dinner. We had planned on hitting karaoke after dinner but were all too tired from the day.

Phew - exhausted!

{ whirlwind Japan trip day 1 }

2009-05-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

DAY 1: Departed Sydney 0820 Friday and landed Tokyo Friday evening at 1700 local time. A great flight with JAL and lucky enough to be in Premium Economy. Not a cabin they sell from Australia, but rather one they keep for high status Frequent Flyers etc.

Our hotel was the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo in Aksaka. A fairly quiet area after the business day but a wonderful hotel with good sized rooms (not that common in Japan). After a quick freshen up, hotel staff showed us through a couple of suites and the top of the line room as well - man that's how the other half live and my only chance of ever seeing rooms like these are on trips like this!

After the site inspection the hotel staff hosted the most AMAZING dinner. I can't believe it but I left my camera in my room so unfortunately no photos to show but I did take a souvenir copy of the menu:

Aperitif
Zensai (assorted appetizer)
Suimono (clear soup)
Sushi
Beef shabushaba hot pot (beef, pot herb mustard, enoki mushroom, rice cake)
Yakizakana Igrilled silver cod)
Tempura (prawn, white fish, three kinds of vegetable)
Gohan (mixed tempura topped on rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles)
Green tea icecream

I'm not a very adventurous eater day to day, but when I'm given an opportunity to taste such unusual and amazing looking food I give it a good go! The hot pot was sensational. Super finely shaved meat that you barely touch through the boiling water in front of you to cook - yum!

I REALLY wish I had photos to share!

Due to none, here's another fantastic ad in the subway:

{ eeeek }

2009-05-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't even finished blogging about my March trip to Japan but I just found out I'm flying back to Tokyo on Friday!! It's a super short trip, will be leaving there on Monday night but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Now I have to work out what I "need" to buy! Any suggestions?!!

So unexpected.

{ things I love about Japan #7.2 }

2009-05-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

PART 3 OF FABRIC SHOPPING
TOKYO

My hotel was in Shinjuku and very conveniently located between the hotel and the train station was the wonderful Okadaya. This is a great store for linen and cotton fabrics. They also stocked Echino. Okadaya has a number of floors (maybe 4?) but the more everyday fabrics on the upper levels weren’t of the ‘crafty’ nature I was after.

In front of the fabric store is another Okadaya and this one is about 5 or 6 floors high full of all different crafts - bag making, beads, buttons, embroidery, wool, etc. The top floor has a great collection of books and magazines. I remember spending the last hours of my previous trip pouring over the books here.

Through my research, I’d come to hear of Tomato and by all accounts this is a biggie! I suspect I picked the worst time to go - Saturday morning - as it was packed and took away from the enjoyment a bit for me unfortunately. I’ve read this store only takes cash so I came prepared in that regard.

One of the challenges/enjoyments of different cultures is working out the basics, like how do I buy this? I can help you here - at Tomato you have to pay on each floor and you queue first to have your fabric cut and then proceed to another queue for the cashier!

Tomato is about 5 floors high and every one of those floors is packed with fabric! Come prepared - I suggest trying a weekday, perhaps that would be quieter, and take snacks and water as you’ll probably be there ages!

Something I hadn’t seen elsewhere was the use of the same design but on different types of fabric. So you would buy the same design in normal cotton fabric, then on an upper level you’ll come across it in a laminated version (I guess you would use it for table cloths, bags, aprons, etc) and then on another rlevel it will be in the light weight fabric used for handy shopping bags that fold down small enough to sit at the bottom of you handbag for unexpected purchase (do you know the ones I mean?). Ingenious!

Tomato is in an area of Tokyo called Fabric Town and around are lots of other fabric stores but I didn’t get time for them this visit.

So to prices. I didn’t find much variation between stores or even between Tokyo and Kyoto. From this I think I did the right thing by just buying what I liked when I saw it and not running around trying find cheaper prices - too much stress, too time consuming and ultimately not worth it, in my opinion. Prices ranged from JPY380 per metre to JPY1365 for the fabrics I was buying which were cotton, or cotton/linen blends. The JPY1365 fabrics were the Echino and at the time that was approx AUD22 per metre (AUD1 = JPY62, unfortunately a bad time for the dollar against the Yen when we were there this trip).

DIRECTIONS

OKADAYA, Shinjuku: Take the East exit of Shinjuku Station. As you exit you’ll see a massive TV screen on the Alta department store. Head to the left of this and then look down the first alley to your left and you’ll see the outside tables with discount fabrics. Head inside for more wonderful goodies!

TOMATO, Nippori: Take the Yamanote line to Nippori Station. From the platform follow the North Exit signs. At the gate you’ll then see signs for the East Exit, take this. Take the 3rd pedestrian crossing on your left and the street Nippori Chuo Dori will be on the left of the shop ahead of you. After about a block you’ll start to see banners for “’Fabric Town’ hanging from the light posts. Tomato is on the left hand side as you walk down this street.

{ things I love about Japan #7.1 }

2009-05-11T02:58:00.000-07:00

PART 2 OF FABRIC SHOPPING

KYOTO

I started my fabric buying in Kyoto in a shop called Nomura Tailor. I really only hit 1 store, well 2 outlets of the same store. Walking down a shopping mall area I saw from the corner of my eye some bolts of Echino fabric - I was so excited because this fabric was top of my list so I was so excited to come across it.

The shop was a treasure trove of fantastic fabrics. I had to send my husband away for an hour so I could wander without distraction. Luckily there were some nearby CD stores so I didn’t have to twist his arm.

That hour is a bit of a blur now, just images in my mind of carrying bolt after bolt to the counter and walking away with a bag full of fabric. As it was my first store, I didn’t know if I should buy up big because I wouldn’t find the same fabrics elsewhere or if I should look around to check if prices differed. As it was I went somewhere in between that first night.

Of course the next day as we were sightseeing my mind was back at the shop wondering if I should get some more fabrics or wait until Tokyo. Decisions, decisions.

That night I found the 2nd outlet while wandering so I felt my decision was made - I better check this shop out too and it would be remiss not to come away with a little bit of fabric, right? This shop was the larger of the two with an upstairs for haberdashery, books, etc.

DIRECTIONS

NOMURA TAILOR, Kyoto: Shop 1. The Shin-kyogoku Shopping Arcade is 2 under cover streets running parallel to each other in the main shopping area of Kyoto. If you stand on Shijo dori, facing the entrances it’s on the arcade on your left. Walking up the arcade Nomura Tailor on your left hand side.

NOMURA TAILOR, Kyoto: Shop 2. Come back down the Shin-kyogoku Shopping Arcade back to Shijo dori and turn right at the end, this other outlet of Nomura Tailor will be on your right (on Shijo Dori).

{ things I love about Japan #7 }

2009-05-01T04:20:00.000-07:00

FABRIC SHOPPING

Fabric - a new obsession for me. I’ve always loved fabric and coming from a ex-fashion teacher/now avid quilter-mother, there has always been fabric and sewing in my life. I did study fashion until the end of school but haven’t really made much since then. And ‘then’ is suddenly a long time - as the invite this year to my 20 year school reunion testifies, yikes!

Anyway, I digress….I’ve been looking, obsessing and fantasizing about lots of the beautiful fabrics I’ve seen lately but didn’t know what I would do with it so have held off buying.

When I came across a tutorial for making fabric covers for notebooks I knew I had finally found a way to justify buying some fabric!

I knew then this trip to Japan was going to have a heavy focus on fabric buying. I did quite a bit of online research before leaving and had a list of places to visit.

I came home with 34 metres of fabric! Jetstar was as enthusiastic about my purchases in Japan as I was so I ended up carry most of the fabric as carry-on to avoid excess baggage fees. I don’t like travelling with heaps of carry-ons but making the exception this time was totally worth it.

Coming up - posts on my fabric shopping expeditions in Kyoto and Tokyo, stay tuned!

{ things I love about Japan #6 }

2009-04-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

VENDING MACHINES

They're everywhere! We tried most days to buy at least one thing were we had no idea what we were getting. Most were hits.

I'm not sure how Tommy Lee Jones fits into the picture here, but it reminds me of Bill Murray's character in Lost in Translation and also Vincent Chase on Entourage - don't worry if it doesn't make any sense, take the photos, get the cash and no one will ever see it right???

My favourite vending machine purchase was this one:

Thought we were getting a Kit Kat flavoured milk drink, but no it was the most over packaged purchase I have ever made! Four baby Kit Kat's in a glass jar:

Well the Kit Kat's were yummy of course, but the best bit is the jar - so awesome! It now holds all the loose buttons I had lying around. So, it might have been a ridiculous amount of packaging for a couple of baby Kit Kat's, but it's actually extremely handy.

The only downer to the vending machines was that Coca Cola seems to be the drink of choice - not great for a Pepsi fan, but there was thrill in the chase and each Pepsi tasted even better because I had to work for it!

{ things I love about Japan #5 }

2009-04-10T02:11:00.000-07:00

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

The blossoming of the cherry trees in Japan is a very special time, a time for celebrating with friends and family. This trip we were a couple of weeks too early but there were already a few trees starting to blossom. If you are planning a trip to Japan I would strongly recommend trying to get there in spring to see the blossoms. They flower at different times throughout the country but I believe the peak time is normally late March to early April.

{ things I love about Japan #4 }

2009-04-07T03:49:00.000-07:00

CRAFT BOOKS

They’re so beautifully styled and very inspiring. I just wish I could read Japanese or they had English versions!

Good shop for craft books is the Kinokuniya outlet in Shinjuku. Actually, there are 2 outlets there, the one I found to have the best selection was near Tokyu Hands. Go to 2F and when you alight from the escalator the craft section is to your left.

DIRECTIONS

SHINJUKU (outlet near Tokyu Hands) : The closest exit would be the New South Exit I believe however I always get lost going that way so my directions are probably the long way! Take the East Exit and at the exit turn hard right, walking along the side of the building. After the department store ends you’ll pass the Kirin Beer Pub and then Gap, both on your right. Next on your right is a large set of stairs which takes you up and into the station eventually. Ahead will be an underpass, take this and continue straight, you’ll pass a Uniqlo outlet and then the next main building is the Takashimaya department store. Walk alongside the store and at the end you’ll see Kinokuniya across the road to your left.

{ things I love about Japan #3 }

2009-04-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

TOKYO SUBWAY

I admit, the rail system can be pretty confusing but once you get a vague understanding you’re off! Besides its immense size, and sheer number of rail companies the system is really faultless - efficient + clean.

Some personal favourite subway moments:

* English information on board for every station - what lines intersect with each station, which side of the train the doors will open on, what the next stop is, what line you’re on, etc

* Heaters in the seats. So great on a cold day, not sure if they’re cooled in summer but I wouldn’t be surprised.

* Route finders - not in all stations we but we made great use of the one in Shinjuku. It’s a touch screen monitor and you type in where you are going from and to and it will give you a selection of routes on the screen. Select the one that suits best and print it out to take with you. It gives you departure time, rail company, platform number and price!

* Okay time for my favourite! Besides the information above, the voiceovers tell you to ‘not talk on your mobile phone near the restricted seats (for the elderly, pregnant, less mobile, etc), turn your phone to silent and refrain from talking on the phone on the train at all’.

Absolute bliss! In 10 days I recall hearing 2 mobile phones ringing and only once on public transport and when the phone did ring the owner nearly jumped out of their skin with embarrassment. Not once did we have to sit through someone telling someone their most intimate secrets at the top of their lungs.

Don’t imagine that phones weren’t being used, quite the contrary as I think we were practically the only ones not texting or playing a game. It’s just that everyone has a great respect for others and culturally putting others before yourself is the norm so disrupting other people is frowned upon.

A note for those using a Japan Rail Pass - you can use your pass on all JR trains within Tokyo, not just to get around Japan as a whole. There were only a couple of trips we used other rail networks and therefore had to buy tickets. The Pass can also be used between Narita Airport and the city (approx JPY3500 which was about AUD55 when we were there if you buy it as a stand alone ticket).

{ new additions }

2009-04-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

Some new additions I've been playing with lately - gift tags. I've always loved the shape of tags like this and when I found some in a shop recently I knew I wanted to make some.

The same shop also has a fantasic range of beautiful ribbons at a really reasonable price. I've been selecting a ribbon as a starting point and then chosing the design and colour of the papercut or printed paper to compliment.

The cutting process is quite meditative however I have made the tips of my fingers numb for days following a long cutting session!

Like them? Check out the current range here.

www.flickr.com

{ things I love about Japan #2 }

2009-03-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

DESIGNATED SMOKING AREAS

Not only do they have designated smoking areas but people actually use them! No walking down the street through clouds of the smoke from workers standing outside every building or inhaling smoke every breath as you walk behind someone smoking (both these things I HATE and have to endure every work day).

The streets are also free of cigarette butts - beautiful!

{ new additions to my ETSY store }

2009-03-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

I've just listed 7 new books in my ETSY store, all of them using papers purchased on my recent trip to Japan. A sample below or head over here to check them all out.

{ things I love about Japan #1 }

2009-03-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

PAPER + STATIONARY SHOPPING

Japan is of course home to beautiful Chiyogami papers. In Tokyo, Tokyu Hands in Shinjuku has a nice little selection and the prices are very good. The Chiyogami papers can be found on the stationary level, on the back wall about half way along.

If you love stationary, you really need to set yourself some time to wander this whole floor - it’s full of things you need and want and plenty more that you didn’t even know you wanted! It’s a pen enthusiasts dream come true as well.

I also went to the Tokyu Hands in Shibuya but didn’t find that as good as the Shinjuku store. There are about 7 floors to this ‘Creative Life Store’ with pretty much everything you could ever want - furniture, hardware, homewares, luggage, craft supplies, and on and on….

Loft is another great store for stationary. The store in Shibuya is wonderful with the ground floor full of beautiful diaries, pens, folders, bags, stamps, stickers, cards, etc. I’m not sure if this happens throughout the year in Japan or not, but being there in March I thought I had missed the opportunity for a diary. No, they have them starting in March - Spring diaries! They truly think of everything!

Ito-ya is a huge stationary store in Ginza. The main shop (building 1) is 8 floors of stationary, office supplies and a small but beautiful selection of Chiyogami and other traditional Japanese papers. Building 2 is out the back and stocks scrapbooking supplies.

Kyoto has a lovely area with a number of Chiyogami stores. Many artisans set up shops near Kyoto Imperial Palace and some remain there to this day. I don’t have the names of the shops but wander along Teramachi and you’ll come to them.

Kyoto also has a great Loft store.

DIRECTIONS

TOKYU HANDS, SHINJUKU: The closest exit would be the New South Exit I believe however I always get lost going that way so my directions are probably the long way! Take the East Exit and at the exit turn hard right, walking along the side of the building. After the department store ends you’ll pass the Kirin Beer Pub and then Gap, both on your right. Next on your right is a large set of stairs which takes you up and into the station eventually. Ahead will be an underpass, take this and continue straight, you’ll pass a Uniqlo outlet and then the next main building is the Takashimaya department store. Tokyu Hands is at the back of this store. Either take the outside escalater that you will see at the entrance and at the top walk left all the way to the end - this is an outside walkway. You can also access by walking inside and upstairs within Takeshimaya.

ITO-YA, GINZA: It’s on the main shopping thoroughfare in Ginza - Ginza Dori/Chuo Dori near the Matsuya department store. There’s a big red paperclip hanging off the building!

LOFT, SHIBUYA: At JR Shibuya station take the Hachiko Exit. This will bring you out at the main crossing with Starbucks ahead of you (by the way, recommend a quick stop here on the 2nd floor for a fantastic view of the main crossing - sounds like and odd thing to look at but it’s amazing at rush hour, you’ve never seen such a mass of people!). Anyway, take the road to the left of Starbucks as you’re facing it and Loft is in between the Seibu stores A and B. Look for the large yellow sign with ‘Loft’ in black.

LOFT KYOTO: Sorry, I didn’t take down the street name for Loft, but starting from Shijo, walk up the Shin-kyogoku Shopping Arcade and down one of the laneways you’ll see the distinctive yellow and black sign.

KYOTO: There’s a number of paper shops on Teramachi, between Nijo and Takeyamachi

{ hello... }

2009-03-25T03:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you for stopping by. Most of my time is spent at my day job (travel agent) or my night ‘job’ (bookmaking) so it’s no wonder I expect this blog to be about travel and books!

I’ve recently returned from a trip to Japan so I’ll start with some of my experiences in this wonderful country. I’ve been to Japan twice before this recent trip and I think it’s the most wonderful place. For anyone with an interest in paper and fabric, as I have, it’s pretty close to how I imagine heaven would be!

I hope the posts that follow might even help some of you planning a trip there - if there’s anything else you have questions about let me know and I’ll try and help.