Summer?

I've been living in San Francisco for several years but I still can't get used to the cold summers here. This morning, my thick sweater wasn't warm enough so I finally decided to turn on the house heater :(  I miss real summer..... At least this picture was taken on a super rare warm day in Golden Gate Park's Rose Garden with Haru♡

Foldable

I recently updated some new items on my Etsy shop. Foldable Totes and Pouches are made with 55% Organic Cotton and 45% Hemp, which is durable and suitable for everyday use. Since a majority of stores in San francisco started charging for paper bags, I always put this folded tote in my bag and "forgot my shopping bag today!" never happens anymore ;) The Pouch is flat when nothing inside but the bottom gusset shows up when you put something in it. Please check it out!

pastel colors

 It's been quite nice and warm in San Francisco. I heard that the cherry blossoms fully bloomed a lot earlier than usual in Tokyo this year. I had a chance to go see some cherry blossoms in the bay area and had a mini picnic under them. The pastel pink of the flowers made me happy :) I see many pastel colors everywhere in the city now. Spring is a fun season for colors. The other day,  I fell in love with the coral pink linen at a fabric store and I had to get it for myself and for my store!

Beautiful Garden

If you are a garden lover, you must go to Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco. I'm a huge fan now. It is such an inspirational and wonderful place!! I was so amazed the whole time there. The beautiful collections of succulents and tillandsias are beautifully displayed and made me want to decorate my house with a lot of plants. There is also a Ritual Coffee Roasters bar, so I was hanging out there for quite a while... I tried arranging my own Aerium. It came out pretty cute and I'm very happy with it :)  I also bought the cutest succulent I've ever seen ;) I will share more about it to you later. My photos are not good enough to tell you how amazing the place was......
You must check this place out!

 

Tohoku lacquer-craft

I would like to introduce one of the great things about Tohoku, the place I grew up. A few months ago, my mom visited me in San Francisco. It was such a short stay but we had a great time. She brought a beautiful broach for me which she got in Aomori ( one of the prefecture in Tohoku) . The broach has a lacquer-tree sap finish and its a Japanese traditional craft which is called Tugaru-nuri.  Tugaru-nuri lacquer work from Aomori has always been near me growing up, I love the beauty of lacquer finish look and the power of natural materials. Also I feel very strong spirits of the craftsmen of these. I appreciate Japanese traditional  craft even more since I moved to America...

It's been already 2 years since 3/11 (Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami). I won't forget it and I will continue to do my best to support them.

Spring is almost here

New Year's day felt like it was yesterday and now it's almost the end of February. Time flies! Lately it's been very beautiful in San Francisco and I feel the spring season is coming! I have been making some new items with organic cotton 55% / hemp 45%. I will announce the new items when they are ready in my shop. Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

How was your holidays? I used to go back to Japan and spend new years in freezing cold Iwate(my hometown). But the last few years I didn't have chance to go back there. So I tried my best to follow the Japanese/my family tradition here in San Francisco for new years:) like detail cleaning of our whole house and cooking Zoni(mochi soup) and so on... I had a great time! Hope all of you will have a great year with full of love and happiness in 2013:)