Akino Sato on Iichi

I love handmade goods from all around world.  Maybe it's because I'm Korean that I have some sort of natural affinity with Japan but when I see crafts handmade from Japan, I love them even that much more. 

Stamp pendants seem to be all the rage these days.  You can wear a whole bunch of them as charms or make one simple personal statement with one representing the country you are from or special memories from a place you have visited.  A lot of my customers make pendants but these particular ones are made by one of my favorite etsy customers.  She was one of my first customers from when I first opened my shop and I've really enjoyed doing business with her through the years.

At the moment she is only doing business in Japan.  You can view her Iichi shop HERE .

I really like how Akino incorporated stamps into the gift wrap tags for her items.  You can easily create your own stamp gift tags with a punch, some stamps, card stock, a whole puncher and some twine.

Best of luck to Akino and her shop!

About Me Updated on Etsy

Recently, etsy created a new space within each seller's shop where you can share the story of your business with the world. In this new About page, you can upload pictures of your workspace, yourself and your projects.  It's a place, separate from your profile (which is pretty limited with how much content it can hold) where you have plenty of space to tell the world how you got started, what inspires you, and what your shop is all about. 


Today I published my About page and you can view it RIGHT HERE.


Here is a larger version of one of the self portraits taken to represent myself.  This photo was taken this afternoon in our bedroom.  I'm crocheting an afghan while surrounded by afghans I've crocheted.  I started the patchwork squares afghan I'm working on in the photo when I was 5 years old!  Unfortunately it's still quite a long way off from being finished but I plan to keep you posted with my progress.

Create your own Congratulations card

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I DJ-ed the wedding reception of two of our very dear friends.  It was a wonderful celebration and despite it being the hottest day all summer, it was a very special day that I won't soon forget.  In these situations, it's my personal tradition to always make my own handmade greeting card.  A little bit of handmade always goes a long way!

Here's the Congratulations card I made for my friends.

With only a handful of supplies (that you probably already have laying around), you can create your very own.  When it comes to supplies, I used only the basics to make this card:

• a few sheets of colorful cardstock (scrapbooking paper)
• thicker off-white cardstock
• ribbon
• Sakura pens
• Calligraphy pen
• scallop edge scissors
• my paper cutter
• regular scissors
• a glue stick
• Tacky glue

I embellished the envelope with a LOVE themed postage stamp, Chartpak permanent maker, glitter gel pen and prima blossom fastened with a brad.

I find that using calligraphy gives every personal greeting, that extra touch of decadence.

I first learned calligraphy in 1st Grade, from my teacher, Mrs. Petersen who seemed ancient then but surprisingly is still alive.  My mom often bumps into her at craft shows and she still asks about me.  She was one of my craftiest teachers and a great inspiration to me growing up. 

When it comes to calligraphy, all I can advise is the tried and true proverb - practice makes perfect.  I haven't stopped practicing calligraphy since I first learned it and believe me, I get plenty of practice as I still use it daily to address packages to my lovely etsy customers.