Ear Muffs and Snowflakes

Yesterday, I was able to complete my earmuffs! Plus a little panda stuffed animal for one of my friends for Christmas. I got the pattern from a cute Japanese book called "Palm-Sized Softies". I most likely post a few scans at a later post. I also managed to do something I had wanted to do for weeks, but couldn't find the time for... paper snowflakes!

Aren't they cute?

On my mirror

Finished earmuffs!

Lil' panda

 Here are a few other things I picked up 

Cards with little strawberries

A Victorian Christmas-themed tin

Detail shot

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!

Room Tour

My room is one of my favorite places because I put a lot of effort into perfecting my aesthetic vision of interior design. It is never stagnant; constantly changing, just like my tastes. I feed that it is an excellent representation of the mori aesthetic, though I didn't plan this. I simply assemble collections of my favorite things and display them appropriately. My room is not a representation of my life, by rather the aesthetics of my life. I can guarantee next week my room will not like identical to these photos, but for the moment, this is my room. Without further rambling, here are snapshots from my room.

I really enjoy interior design so expect many more tips and inspiration to follow!
Interior Design Tips

• Bring the nature in! This is defiantly the most important aspect of natural-kei. Collect leaves, acrons, bones, dried flowers, coral, fresh flowers, insect remains (like cicada shells) to display
• Use natural materials like wicker in place of plastic bins and containers
• Arrange treasures on stacks of vintage or antique books
• Vintage zoology and botany prints make excellent wall art
• Glass mason jars are an attractive way to store small items 
• Lace doilies in antique or tea-stained colors add a feminine touch to natural materials
• Frame dried flowers and plants to hand as mori art
• Antique, well-loved stuffed animals add a whimsical feel to a room
• Create a mini forest scene with tiny hand-painted ceramic and porcelain critters
• Add silk flower/leaf garlands around mirrors, bulletin boards and windows 
• Create a tiny indoor garden by plating small plants (succulents are hardy) in mason jars and place near a window with adequate sunshine. Don't forget to water!