Goodies and the Like

Today was "Black Friday", so I bought a few books and doilies among other things. A few snaps of the goodies and other nice items. 

 An embroidery book I bought at Half-Priced Books

 My Grandma's old prayer book

A gift I wrapped for a friend, I cant wait to post gift-wrapping ideas~

 

Letters from my friends in Japan, I love the Air Mail border!

 My Grandma's old glasses, hopefully I can get my own prescription lenses :)

 Doilies to experiment making art with

A print set my Dad found in a box of old things

Glitter Limes

Thinking about holiday gifts already? This site may provide some inspiration. Glitter Limes creates one of a kind jewelry from actual preserved fruit slices and candy pieces. Choose from a variety of fruits from the usual oranges apples to more exotic choices like kiwano melon, dragon fruit and crab apple! I think their brooches would make adorable accents to a thick warm scarf or hat. The pieces are available as brooches, necklaces, rings, earrings, cuff links, barrettes, belts and more!

Mori Girl Fashion Video

Here's a cute little Japanese video on mori girl fashion~

DIY: Orange & Clove Pomander

I would like to share this yummy citrus treat to spice up chilly November days. You may be familiar with this winter tradition and maybe even thought of making one for yourself. Well, here you go; directions for your own orange and clove pomander! You can customize your piece to your taste, using as few or as many cloves as desired. The orange can be hung and displayed with ribbon or displayed in a pretty bowl on your dinner table. The yummy smells will invite the cool season into your home.

Materials:

• Large Orange
• Whole Cloves (available in the spice section of most super markets)  
• Toothpick
• Ribbon

Directions:

• Using a toothpick, poke holes in your orange so the cloves will fit easier - completely cover it or make a cute pattern (think about leaving room to tie a ribbon around the orange)
• Insert your cloves into the pre-made holes
• Tie a ribbon around the orange to hang and display
• Enjoy!

Forest Cottage Series Part 1

One of my favorite hobbies and artistic interests is interior design (did anyone guess that from my last post)? In this series, I want to present ideas and inspiration for mori and natural-kei inspired home decor. Though these items can all be purchased (or replicated by hand I suppose), I plan to also include more arts and crafts type projects as well. I found a plethora of perfect items to accent any room on a small scale and now I would like to share them. There are quite a few items, so I will not bother posting individual info and links. These items range in price and availability so look quickly! All of these products can be found at modcloth.com. What types of interior design posts would you like to see? Kitchens? Flower arranging? Bathrooms? Bedrooms? Gardens? Please reply!

Natural-Kei Interior Design Magazine Scans

Please enjoy my "dynamic" magazine scans XD The images are from natural-kei/mori interior design magazine/book/mook from Japan. (The first photo is the cover). Click on the images to make them larger. Enjoy!

November Lifestyle Ideas

• Make a list of 5 things that make you happy or grateful everyday (like curled ferns and baby squirrels), keep the list for the whole month
• Play photographer for the day and capture the changing colors of the season - even better, Send out vintage-style fall greeting cards or postcards to your family and friends using your art
• Frame your photos or other fall-themed art and display them all season
• Plan a camping trip to a rustic forest cottage while the weather is cool
• Rake piles of leaves with your friends and jump in them!
• Nibble on snicker doodle cookies accompanied by a cup of warm tea and a cute book
• Try your luck at water-coloring a fall forest scene 
• Search your local flower shop for special seasonal flowers and bouquets
• Make a fall-themed wreath of flowers to wear - experiment with both real and silk flowers and accents