Very Busy Holidays

Hi everyone who actually makes it to my blog. I have had a busy fall and holiday season, happily making a few pottery pieces for a holiday show Wyandotte, Michigan at the Biddle Gallery and making a few gifts for family. The most fun was making fuzzy toys, monkeys and monsters, for my kids, my niece and my nephew. I also beaded bracelets for my mom and my mom-in-law. I hope to have pictures of the monkeys (patterns were from Aronzo Aranzi) and the monsters here this weekend. The monsters were my first shot at a design-a-softie-toy.

(added monsters, which no matter where I upload these they come out sideways. why??)

I came across a cool website, buyhandmade.org where thousands of people pledged to buy handmade gifts for the holidays. Lots of interesting links there to be found as well.

Before Christmas we (my family) went to Japan. This is a culture where people make things, a lot. I didn't get to go everywhere I wanted, but I got to a few places. I visited the beading district in Tokyo (great buys, great things) at the Asakusa Bashi subway stop. I stopped at one of the smaller Tokyu Hands in Ginza, and wish I had more time there. I went to Maruzen bookstore across from Tokyo Station-- I recommend taking ISBN numbers for Japanese titles from amazon.co.jp to get the crafting books you want from a very, very, very helpful staff. I went to Nomura Tailor in Kyoto (got a few cute fabrics), but did not get to the fabric district in Tokyo.

Just another quick note-- if you go to Tokyo for any extended period of time, and you love Ghibli films, go to the Ghibli Museum. It is a thing of beauty.