YUZEN wooden clothes pins
Originally uploaded by karaku*
Aren’t these gorgeous?
You can buy these and other handmade items from the creator at her Etsy store.
Archive for Shopping
One Matchbox, One Craft Fair
The workshop for this month’s South Bay Craft Group meeting was making shrines, and you could either use a wooden box or a paper one, including making your own matchboxes. I didn’t really know what to put inside of mine, so instead I focused on making and decorating a matchbox, similar to the ones I’ve done before.
I used a scrap of cardstock to create the box, and then covered it with some origami paper I happened to have with me (for making envelopes, of course). I made the lid from a cardstock tag, then wrapped a piece of a Japanese map, more cardstock, and a bit of sparkly fiber around it.
I couldn’t decide what should go inside it, so I just brought it home in that state. Unfortunately, the box is coming undone on one end, so it might need a bit of fixing before I use it. It would be perfect for a Japanese matchbox swap though. (Not that I’ve been participating in any swaps recently.)
Speaking of Japanese designs, I went to a Japanese/Asian-themed craft fair this morning. It’s a regular event to raise money for a local Japanese-American senior fund, and pretty much everything sold there is Japanese, Hawaiian, or Asian in theme. Hanko Designs was there again, and I ended up buying a few packs of yuzen washi paper, as if I need more of that. 
Most of the other items being sold were handmade purses and art and things like that, but nothing really stood out at me as something to have.
I did happen to see a colleague of mine at one of the tables, as she was helping her mother sell rubber stamps. She just moved here from Hawaii and illustrates some of the rubber stamp designs, which are in Hawaiian and Asian themes. You can check them out and buy them at the Mari & Me web site.
Weaving 101
After my preparations for the craft fair, I sort of lost interest in crafting for a bit, possibly from having cranked out so many cards and things in such a short time. I decided not to push it initially, though eventually I thought I’d jumpstart things with a cross-stitch project. Unfortunately, that didn’t get too far.
I felt like I wanted to work with similar materials, but on a larger scale, possibly with yarn. I remembered the vintage “Weave-It” loom that I bought a few months ago, so I dug that out and started reading up on how to use it.
I messed up my first two squares, but then I figured out what I’d done wrong and have the hang of it now. It’s not too hard to do, especially since there’s only one long strand to wind around, rather than having several threads going each way. I’ve got a small pile of woven squares now, each just under 4 inches on each side. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do with them yet, but you can sew them together to make larger pieces. On their own, they’re about the size of a nice coaster, so there’s one idea.
The weaving itself is a nice process, without too much thought required. The fun part though is choosing the yarn and seeing how it’ll turn out. The variegated ones are best, since the changing colors create nice combinations when you’re done, but the textured yarns are nice to try as well, since I’m still learning what kinds work best.
Of course, the yarns I had to begin with weren’t that varied, so I’ve been doing a bit of shopping at a few local yarns stores. I’d heard about a few of them before, but hadn’t ever been in a single one, seeing that I don’t really knit or crochet or anything. It’s really great to see what they have, especially compared to what I’m used to seeing at the chain craft stores. The local yarn shops may carry more expensive yarns, but they’re definitely a lot higher quality, so it’s usually worth it. I’m even thinking about trying to learn how to knit and/or crochet again, but no promises.
For what it’s worth, the loom I’m using is called a “Weave-It” and I happened across it in a local crafters’ mall, sitting among some older craft supplies. They’re no longer manufactured by the company that created them, but you can find some older ones on eBay. Another company is actually making a new version called Weavette (update from 08/23/2009, the company is no longer in business), and there was a feature about them in Martha Stewart Magazine a few months ago. They’re definitely not like the hardcore looms you think of when you talk about weaving, but it’s not a bad place to start.
If you manage to get one of these looms, I’d highly recommend the web site eLoomaNation, which has full instructions, tips and tricks, and scans of old project booklets. They also have a blog with completed projects and how-to’s.
Almost There
The employee craft fair is only a few days away, and I think I’m just about ready for it. I printed up some business cards earlier this week, and though they’re not professionally done, I think they’ll do. I haven’t made any more items to sell, but I need to make one item for a raffle they’ll be holding. And perhaps make up a sign for my table. Oh, and price everything. That would probably be important.
I’m still unsure about how it will go, but I will definitely keep in mind that I can always list things on my Etsy store if they don’t sell. (I’ve actually already listed a few cards there too.)
They’re very simple, but I like them that way, especially with how vibrant the colors are. And these are easy enough to reproduce, so I can always make more if they do sell. No takers yet though. 
Otherwise, I’ve just been collecting more lovely Japanese papers from various online sources. My favorite paper purchase came from Paper Jade; I bought the large kondo yuzen set, and it was filled with so many beautiful designs that I might have to buy another one eventually. I would definitely recommend this shop if you’re into paper though. The owner has shipped everything so quickly to me, and has been kind enough to exchange emails with me about the items for sale and even sent me a free holiday gift set.
Shopping for Handmade Things
I realized this morning, while getting ready for work, that I hadn’t posted any comments about my craft fair experiences this weekend. There’s not much to report, but I feel like I should at least say a little something.
The fair in San Jose Japantown was all right, with a few interesting things to look at. Some of it I’d seen before, and a bunch of it just wasn’t anything I wanted or needed, so I wandered around for about 15 minutes and just left. I headed up to San Mateo soon after, and found that the craft fair there was more like a secondhand sale. There were a few handmade items, including cards and baked goods, but the rest of the room was filled with used things, and nothing really interesting at that.
So, basically, the craft fair part of the day was a bit disappointing, but I ended up finding some items for my craft fair booth at a Japanese dollar store in San Mateo, so there was that at least. Not a very good start to the craft fair season though. This weekend, I’m thinking about stopping by the SF Craft Mafia trunk show, but otherwise I feel like giving up on the rest of the local fairs. Hopefully the shows in LA next month will be better.
Related to shopping for handmade items though, I came across an interesting challenge site the other day. It’s called 5-4-3-2…Etsy! (now defunct) and the idea is that you agree to buy something on Etsy (have you seen their new site?) each month. They suggest $5 or less per item, which sounds too little too me (why not set the $5 or another amount as a minimum?), but the idea of pledging to support craft sites and other crafters is definitely a good one. I’ve tried to do more of that, especially now that I’m working again, and since I now understand the work involved in making some of these items. I realize that I don’t have the time or patience to make everything myself, and if someone spends time making something by hand that I like and appreciate, then buying it at a fair price is the right thing to do.
Anyway, I’m still debating whether or not to join the 5-4-3-2…Etsy! (now defunct) challenge, but in the meantime, I have a personal challenge of my own. Though I’ve been working for just over 2 months at my new job, I haven’t really brought in anything to decorate my cube with, other than a pencil cup I received in a swap. Otherwise, my cube is pretty bare, and so I don’t feel very settled in my space. Especially now that we just moved to a new location, I really want to brighten it up a bit. So I’ve decided to try and do that with handmade items, at least as much as I can. They might be things I made or things someone else made, bought or traded for, but the key is that they’re handmade. I don’t intend to get it all right away, but here’s my shopping list so far:
- Push pins
- Magnets (for posting things on the metal cabinets)
- Postcards, art prints, etc., to post on the walls and cabinets
- Other decorations (artificial flowers or decorative piece to put in an extra pencil cup?)
- Small containers for holding paper clips, pins, etc.
- Mug for tea
This list might expand as I go on, but for now I’m starting with simple things to keep an eye out for. If I shop for some online, I’ll start with these sites, but will also check out individual crafter sites:
- Etsy
- Cut + Paste
- Shana Logic (formerly “Pixelgirl Shop”)
- Copacetique (No longer online)
- My My
- Wren Eleven (No longer online)
As always, I’m definitely open to recommendations for cool sites or particular items to check out. And I’ll post whenever I’ve found something on my list. Maybe I’ll need to take some before and after pictures of my cube too.
