Year: 2026

A pop of sentiment

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Isn’t it funny how cyclical life can be? The last kitsuke coordination I did before leaving Montreal last time involved poppies, and now the last ikebana I’ve done before leaving California involved poppies.

Last weekend, Keith and I were in Palm Springs (doing an escape room – unrelated but super fun!) and I figured while were there we’d check out one of the local florists. I was running under the assumption they’d have more variety than the supermarket near home and typically I’d be right but they’d done a big event that morning and were running low on stock. I found this bundle of pink and white poppies in various levels of bloom and decided I could do something neat with them once I let the buds open up a bit.

Unfortunately, the following day I learnt the very important lesson of Don’t Put Your Hand In The Blender While It’s Plugged In. Thankfully I only pulsed one finger for a fraction of a second, and while there’s a fair bit of gnarly tissue damage it could have been so much worse. But I couldn’t exactly use my hand, or even hold the scissors I needed to cut the stems. I was worried they’d wilt before I had the chance to feature them.

So imagine my surprise when a beautiful set of proper wide-handled ikebana shears showed up in the mail on Tuesday, courtesy of my lovely friend Andrea.

I decided to just let the flowers shine, featuring them at different heights and different levels of open. I love the contrast, and how sculptural the stems are. A bit of foliage to balance things out, and the arrangement essentially put itself together. I could not be happier with it!

Mini Washitsu 2026

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I am no stranger to making Japanese-inspired dioramas (see here and here), but until this time they’ve not been particularly accurate. The first one was assembled from literal junk including a cardboard box, and the second was a kitbash into an “inspired” home. But I was itching to do something a bit more detailed, proportional, and accurate than my previous attempts, so I hauled some of my miniature supplies from Montreal to California and got to work.

I started out with a basic MDF room-box kit with two walls and a floor. From there, I constructed the inner walls to create the tokonoma, butsudan alcove, and decorative shelving using square balsa dowels I hand-staned, and pine craft rectangles. I wallpapered the whole thing in decorative rice paper. The tatami ended up stumping me for a while, and then I remembered I had this beige textured shelf liner left over from organising the pantry. A bit of beige paper underneath it and some washi tape to form the borders, and voila. Itty bitty tatami committee! I divided it into typically balanced proportions, ending up with a room that’s four and a half tatami, plus the toko and shelving spaces.

Once the room structure was complete, it was time for the fun part – decorating! This is always my favourite part of making a miniature or diorama, since it’s where things really start to come to life. They go from looking like boxes to looking lived-in. I like to imagine the resident of this room is a young woman trying to balance modern and traditional life based on her hobbies (calligraphy, reading poetry). She knows she’s too old for it, but she still puts her childhood hina dolls out for Girl’s Day and still pays her respects to her family altar, but she’s also busy enough that she picks up pre-made meals on her way home from university. I don’t generally imagine this much of a resident in my scenes, but every detail I added here just kind of helped flesh her out, what can I say?

The details are a combination of printables from Etsy (links to the shops below), Re-Ment miniatures (the hina dolls, zori, and butsdan set, as well as the onigiri in her bento box), and a few small items I picked up from specialty shops on our recent trip out to Torrance. The tiny blue and white ginger jar was quite possibly the most expensive individual element here, at nearly twenty dollars, but it’s so stunning in person I knew I had to have it.

The greenery is all from MGA’s MiniVerse DIY sets. The ikebana was a kitbash of a few flower sets, the bonsai trunk was handmade and the leaves came from a strawberry kit, the fig tree and small plants in the shelving unit were just placed in as-is, and so was the tiny koi in the bowl with lilies. They’re not quite to 1/12 scale but I think there’s a lot of leeway to be had with plants, since they’re never one fixed size anyway.

Please enjoy exploring this tiny space as much as I loved creating it!

Printables came from the following  Etsy shops, but I’m afraid I’ve lost the references as to what came from where.

As for the Re-Ment miniatures and MGA’s MiniVerse; they can both be found on Amazon.

 This post contains affiliate link(s). If you choose to purchase, I receive a small rebate or commission which goes to the continued maintenance of this site. 

Field Trip – Wabi Sabi Japan Living, Palm Springs CA

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If you follow any of my social media where I post short-form videos, you have seen my quick 360 tour of Wabi Sabi Japan Living in Palm Springs recently. If you’re not following my socials, you might be missing out on fun things!

I have been wanting to check out this store since I first started visiting Keith here in southern California, but it just never worked out until recently. We’re typically in the Palm Springs area in the evenings and the shop closes at 5. But recently we made a point of heading out that way specifically so I could browse, and I’m so happy I did!

When you first walk in, you’re greeted with a beautiful abundance of handmade ceramics and a wall of more adorable chopsticks than you could begin to imagine. There is also a fantastic selection of books, from art and ikebana to a huge variety of cookbooks. I fell in love with Japan Style but could not justify it at the time, and then Keith sneakily grabbed me a copy for Christmas. As they say, to be seen is to be loved. ♥

 

Facing the back wall, there is an absolutely breathtaking assortment of Japanese ceramics and dishware, in a very reasonable range of prices. You can purchase individual plates or full sets if you’re setting up a home or redoing your entire kitchen. There were so many pieces I wanted to take home, but both money and storage space are at a premium in my life right now so I had to exercise restraint. I particularly fell in love with some of the more earthy, textured pieces and some delicate mino ware floral bowl sets. If and when we’re ever lucky enough to have a larger kitchen and room for entertaining, I know exactly where I will be going to stock up!

As you head deeper into this little treasure trove, you’ll find the food and drinks. There’s a fantastic selection of dry goods, condiments, teas, sauces, and then a more grown-up section featuring Japanese whisky, gin, and sake options as well as a few specialty liqueurs. I’m a sucker for whisky so I’ve added a few to my list of things to try when my current selection has run dry. Let me know if you’d be interested in reviews of Japanese brands of alcohol, particularly sake and whisky!

At the far end of the store you’ll likely find the staff. The shop is owned by partners Darrell and Osamu (Sam). I spoke to Sam briefly on the phone and met Darrell in person when I went, along with a few other lovely store employees. Everyone there is incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They’ll be happy to welcome you in and either let you browse or offer up suggestions if you’re overwhelmed by the beautiful variety of products!

If you’re curious to see what treasures made it home with me, here is my haul!

As you can see, I couldn’t wait to crack into the crystallised shoyu. I put it on tamagoyaki and it’s so good. I can see it working with so many different foods! I will likely do more detailed reviews of the incense sampler and the tea in the future if you are curious!

If you’re in the Palm Springs area, I highly suggest checking out Wabi Sabi Japan Living! They’re open from 11 to 5 every day, and can be found at 300 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262.

Just for clarity, I was not compensated in any way for this post. I contacted them beforehand to make sure they would be alright with being featured, and making sure I had permission to photograph, but there was no other discussion or promotional agreement of any sort. These opinions are all straight from my heart, as always!