Omiyage Blogs: September 2010

The Month That Was: September

Wait just a minute! The end of September already?!! That's alright, bring on October with it's apples, pumpkin pies, colourful leaves and warm scarves. We're ready! (But if you could hold off on winter... until maybe 2012 or so, that would be great!)

Here's a look back at September on Omiyage Blogs:

We shared some great DIY projects... both our own and from round and about the internet:

We introduced you to some of the wonderful products available on Omiyage.ca:

The Shishi Girl

We looked at some pretty things from Japan:

And we even gave you a sneak peek at some products coming soon!

Shinzi Katoh Calendars - coming soon!

There are lots more charming Japanese calendars en route from Japan. We are so excited to get our hands on all of them - hope you are too!

And don't forget - today's your last opportunity to take advantage of our free washi tape promo. Spend $30.00 on Omiyage.ca and you'll get a free roll of lovely mt washi tape. Even better? If you're a member of our Facebook Page or follow @Omiyage_ca, we'll give you a free roll for each $30.00 you spend. Deal ends tonight, September 30th, at midnight - don't miss out!

DIY: Vintage Sparkle

I'm Guest Posting over on The Girl In The Pink Wedding Dress today. Join us for some great ideas for adding a little vintage glam to your wedding day. Not a bride - no worries, join us anyway and be inspired to add a little vintage sparkle to any occasion.

P.S. My love of vintage extends beyond jewelry. Remind me to share my collection of vintage kimono with you some time!

A is for Apple...

We must admit, we've got apples on the brain! Can you blame us? October is just a few days away, and nothing's better than a juicy crisp apple to celebrate. Except maybe apple crisp bubbling away in your oven, fresh pressed apple cider, apple fritters ... and our selection of Kokka Juicy Apples.

One of my favourite fabrics we carry, this cotton canvas from Kokka would be perfect for aprons, bags, pillows and more. I've got a great project planned for this... just you wait and see! (But don't wait too long, quantities are limited!)

Oh, and in case you're now dreaming of a bowl of fresh apple crisp our favourite is Smitten Kitchen's Breakfast Apple Crisp. Because apple crisp for breakfast (lunch, dinner and dessert) really is as good as it sounds! What's your favourite apple recipe? We're always on the hunt for more ways to enjoy the apple harvest!

Pick your own Kokka Apples at Omiyage.ca!

Macaron Monday!

Image via Intimate Weddings

Is there a better way to start the week than with a delightful sweet treat? Well, maybe with a bucket of coffee... but that's not as pretty, now is it?!

Image via Crumb

Macarons have been hotter than hot for a while now - and have that certain ooh la la quality that comes from being cute, petite and French. We've mentioned before just how chic everything French is in Japan - and of course, Japanese stationery companies have jumped on the macaron trend with flair.

At Omiyage.ca, you can find gorgeous macaron stickers from Art Print Japan. These pop-up stickers with sweet rhinestone accents are perfect for scrapbooking and cardmaking. Why not whip up some macaron invites and have your best girls over for afternoon tea and a macaron taste test?

We also carry sweet macaron letter sets and postcards designed by Japanese watercolour artist Sachiko Iwabuchi. Perfect for sweet nothings! The postcard really is lovely - we say frame it and enjoy macarons everyday!

Macarons don't take your fancy? You can find other sweet treats at Omiyage.ca. Cupcake stickers, doughnut stamps, strawberry shortcake birthday cards - we've got them!

Stocking Up on Origami Paper

If you've been loving our origami and kirigami posts - good news! Our origami paper selection at Omiyage.ca has been replenished. Just in time for you to try out some of our DIY ideas!

Our 50 Colour origami paper is really popular (and is it any wonder? Have you seen the possibilities?!), so if you want some, don't delay!

Thinking Christmas? The 3" origami papers (50 Colour and Traditional Patterns) and Mini Origami Paper would make perfect stocking stuffers or Advent calendar treats.

Hope you're having a happy Monday so far!

Friday Favourites: Twitter Redux

Happy Friday! Hope it's been a good week for all and you had some time to admire the moon.

By the way - what do you see when you look at the moon? Here in Canada, there's talk of the Man in the Moon, while in Japan, they say you can see two rabbits pounding mochi. How about you? What can you see when you look at the moon?

This week's links? Some of the great links we've spotted, posted and retweeted on twitter. Not following @Omiyage_ca on Twitter? Here's what you may have missed!

Tokyo Apt via Today Tomorrow

On the hunt for a great 2011 calendar? We have some fabulous calendars coming in from Japan. Should be listed in the shop in early(ish) October. Shinzi Katoh, Sachiko Iwabuchi, Karel Capek, and more! These will make wonderful gifts - to yourself or someone else!

In the meantime, if you're on Twitter and you're not following Omiyage - what are you waiting for? Go on, click here and follow away!

DIY: Putting Kirigami to Use - Part 1

Yesterday, we looked a little at the arts of kirigami and monkiri - Japanese paper cutting. Today, we'd like to share our own adventures in kirigami in hopes of inspiring you to try it out yourself. It really is doable - so long as you have a sharp(ish) pair of scissors!

While there are a myriad of tutorials on exactly how to cut a kirigami flower, or templates for cutting monkiri, (go ahead and google if you must!) we think half the fun is in the experience. In folding a piece of colourful paper into 4, 6, or 8. Snipping away with great expectations. Unfolding a beautiful surprise. We encourage you to find the joy in the surprise!

For our kirigami, we turned to a selection of origami papers carried on Omiyage.ca . Origami paper is perfect for kirigami since it is so thin.

Of course, now that you've got yourself a pile of beautiful paper flowers - what do you do with them all?

Have one (or several) that you're particularly proud of? Frame it! Celebrate your own art. (Something we seem to rarely do!)

String them together into a garland. These would be lovely for a party, or even wrapped around your Christmas tree!

Combine different sizes, shapes and colours into glorious paper flowers. Wouldn't these flowers look wonderful used as gift bows?

Or how about decorating plain gift bags with a variety of kirigami?

We'll be back with some more ideas for putting your kirigami creations to use. In the meantime, why don't you get started? Have a great idea for using kirigami flowers? Let us know in the comments.

Don't forget to check out our selection of origami paper on Omiyage.ca (if you're favourite is out of stock, not to worry - we're expecting new stock in the next couple of weeks). And remember, our Washi Tape offer ends at the end of September!

DIY Inspiration: Kirigami and Monkiri

Today we're feeling inspired by kirigami or monkiri. The art of paper cutting.

While monkiri is more focused on Japanese family crests...

Image via Springspoon

Image via Web Japan

Kirigami might remind you of snowflakes you cut as a child. But more intricately beautiful!

Image via Rhodia Drive

Kanako Yaguchi via PingMag

Inspiring, yes? So, what are you waiting for? Grab some paper and a sharp pair of scissors and get snipping! (But be warned - this gets addictive!) We think origami paper is simply perfect for kirigami - check out our selection at Omiyage.ca

We'll be back tomorrow with our own kirigami and some ideas on how to put your new art to use!

Yubinuki: Japanese Thimbles

While cruising around the internet, researching something altogether different, I've come across something quite wonderful. Yubinuki. Japanese thimbles.

The Shishi Girl

Visit The Shishi Girl for more info on this delightful Japanese craft. And Ma Mercerie for tutorials and inspiration.

It's a Jungle Out There... Animal Origami

We have some interesting critters hanging out in our garden.

There's one with funky black and white stripes.

One who stretches high above the rest.

One who pulls off the long nosed, big eared look with flair.

One who sneaks about in the grass.

And one who'd rather eat it!

We're oh so charmed by the paper menagerie lurking about in the grass. Hope you are too!

Pick up your own Animal Origami set at Omiyage.ca and have fun folding up your own zoo. Each set includes 40 sheets in 5 patterns. Enough paper to make 20 animals as seen above or 40 origami creations of your own.

Friday Favourites... on Monday!

Whoops! Would you look at that - it's Monday already! Is it just me, or are they making weekends shorter than they used to? Here's a look back at some of the things we clicked and loved last week:

This clever teatime tablecloth / bag.
DIY gorgeous soap. Perfectly giftable.
For iPhone lovers, this delightful app will prettify your texts and emails:

Cartolina iPhone App

A goodlooking DIY storage solution.
New dream material in digital magazine form.

Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours involved a bowl of ramen in our local J-Town and some much needed R&R. Onwards and upwards for a great week!

We're Giving it Away!

This could be yours!

And remember, until the end of September*, we're giving you a free roll of mt masking tape in one of those fabulous patterns above when you spend $30.00 or more at Omiyage.ca

What a great excuse to pick up some charming Japanese stationery, sweet Japanese paper balloons, traditional chiyogami paper, a great pair of chopsticks or even more Japanese masking tape!

*Until the end of September, or until we run out of tape... whichever happens first!

Picture This: Images of Japan

A Brazilian in Japan!

Hmmm... it's been a couple of hit the ground running days. Thinking we'll have to postpone our Friday Favourites till tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few (unedited) images from our last trip to Japan.

Kyoto

Paper Parasols

Kyoto

Meet me at the Gold Clock - Nagoya Station

Make Your Own Furoshiki

As we looked at yesterday, a furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth) can be both beautiful and functional. Whether you're looking for a lunch bag alternative, a eco-wrapping technique or simply want to inject a lovely bit of Japanese culture into your everyday, the furoshiki is for you!

Making your own furoshiki, really couldn't be easier! There are only 2 difficult steps - the first is deciding which fabric to make your furoshiki from, the second is deciding which size to make.

For our version, we turned to a lovely Japanese print picked up a few years ago in Japan (sorry, we don't stock this one and don't even know who made it - if you know, please let us know!)

Having only a half metre cut, we went with a 50cm x 50cm furoshiki. This size is perfect for wrapping around your bento / lunch or other smallish things. If you're looking to wrap a wine bottle (or 2), or to make a furoshiki that can double as a bag, you'll want to make something closer to a 100cm x 100cm version.

To make your furoshiki:

1. Cut a square of your desired fabric. (Or just use a fat quarter, should you have some of those lying around looking forlorn!). You'll want to choose a fabric which is thin (easy to tie) yet strong.

2. Finish the edges. You can serge, go with a rolled hem (depending on your fabric, I s'pose) or do as we did and do a simple hem with beveled corners. Check out this tutorial for more specific instructions on those corners.

3. Give it a good press and you're good to go! (I said it was easy!)

Otsukai tsutsumi - basic wrap

4. Have fun trying out all sorts of different wrapping styles. You can refer to this handy guide or even check Youtube where you'll find furoshiki demonstrations.

Yotsu musubi - 4 tie wrap (2 hidden!)

Don't forget to check out our selection of fabrics (and Shinzi Katoh bentos) on Omiyage.ca. We think you could make some fab-u-lous furoshiki out of our Kokka Giant Strawberries:

Or for something a little more traditional, why not some of our Maiko prints:

And if you're looking for that perfect gift, why not whip up a matching furoshiki and chopstick / utensil wrap (tutorial here)?!

Happy sewing... and wrapping!

Do You Furoshiki?

Image: Mottainai

Let's get a little furo-chic this morning by taking a look at the Japanese furoshiki.

Essentially a square of fabric used to wrap... well, just about anything! The possibilities seem almost limitless. But could we expect anything less from the country that brought us origami?

Ministry of the Environment, Japan

The furoshiki has been around for a long time (a long long time, to be exact!). But the name has been around since the Edo Era, when the cloths were used to transport clothes and supplies to the local bath house (sento) for your nightly soak. Furo meaning bath. Shiki meaning spread. But now furoshiki are used for bundling up so much more than clothes!

Elegant when used as wrapping. Perfect for securing your lunch. And of course, clever when disguised as a bag!

Fashion Kowaza

Planning a trip to Kyoto? Make sure to pop into this shop. Their designs are sure to inspire you to try it yourself!

Certainly, there has been a bit of a renaissance for the furoshiki over the last few years, and it's had some good press in the Western World. Why, there are even books on the subject! But have you tried it for yourself?

Tomorrow, let's make our own furoshikis and see what all the fuss is about!