Category: Fun stuff

My Kokeshi Collection

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I didn’t set out to start collecting kokeshi ( 小芥子, こけし) dolls, but let’s be realistic — if you’re in any way involved in Japanese traditional arts it’s going to happen eventually. Whether it be gifts, souvenirs, impulse purchases, or any other myriad options, these charming little figurines will find their way into your heart and your home.

I’ve already posted about my Kimmidolls, which are a more modern Australian take on kokeshi-style figures, but as my actual kokeshi collection continues to grow, thanks in no small part to this incredible mystery bundle I got from the Los Angeles Toy, Doll and Amusements Museum, I figured it was time I gave these lovely ladies (and occasional gentleman) their moment in the spotlight.

Dento (Traditional) Kokeshi

Starting with the classic Tohoku-style lathe kokeshi most folks are familiar with, and including regional variations and tourist souvenir types. These tend to have the most “vintage” style faces and decorations.

Traditional Togatta (遠刈田)-style kokeshi

gifted by a local kimono vendor in Montreal, QC
 Yukinko (雪ん子) – Child in Snow kokeshi

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Koke-shoe? Yukinko (雪ん子) – Child in Snow kokeshi

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
Three Fude (筆こけし) – Ink Brush kokeshi

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Tall stylish kokeshi with packages and hat

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Tall skinny kokeshi

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
Twin girl kokeshi-nodda (nodding/bobble head)

gifted by restaurant owners in Montreal, QC
 Charming pair of kokeshi-nodda (nodding/bobble head)

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Couple on wooden base

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
Adorable small kokeshi with landscape

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Small kokeshi with charming crab motif

LATDA kokeshi mystery box

Sosaku (Modern) Kokeshi

Still crafted by Japanese artisans, these fall under the modern style that became popular in the fifties and sixties. Their designs are more fluid, the shapes are more organic. This is personally my favourite style. I love how shapely they are, and tend to have an excellent and comforting feel when held.

Ume kokeshi with interesting shape, unmarked

thrifted in Oak Glen, CA
 Slender Usaburo kokeshi

thrifted in Montreal, QC
 Petite kokeshi with bob, unmarked

gifted by a friend
Carved kimono kokeshi by Takamizawa Kazuo

LATDA kokeshi mystery box
 Hanakasumi kokeshi by Artforum

gifted by a friend
 Diminutive unpainted round kokeshi

gifted by a friend

Alternative Kokeshi

These may include Japanese dolls that don’t fit elsewhere or kokeshi-inspired art dolls from around the world.

Kokeshi stacking block toys by House Industries x Uncle Goose

purchased on Etsy
 Kokeshi stacking block toys by House Industries x Uncle Goose

purchased on Etsy
 Kokeshi stacking block toys by House Industries x Uncle Goose

purchased on Etsy
Kokeshi stacking block toys by House Industries x Uncle Goose

purchased on Etsy
 Kokeshi stacking block toys by House Industries x Uncle Goose

purchased on Etsy
 Elegant kokeshi by Canadian artist Christiane Bissonnette

thrifted in Montreal, QC
Frida Kahlo art doll Kokeshi by Lucie Kaas

purchased at Palm Springs Art Museum gift shop

Kokeshi-style trinket box, girl

purchased at Palm Springs Vintage Market
 Kokeshi-style trinket box, boy

purchased at Palm Springs Vintage Market
Mass-produced tourist kokeshi I bought because it looked like me in this outfit.

purchased in Montreal QC’s Chinatown district
 Teeeeny Tiny Kokeshi. You can view a close-up here. This one lives in this diorama now.

gifted by a friend

I do intend to get full 360 video of each of these beauties, since some of them have writing or fun details on alternate sides, but that’s a project for when I have more free time.

Because I am nothing if not shameless, I do have a wishlist of easily-available kokeshi on Amazon right now too. I am also on the hunt for the Usaburo Kuromi and may snag her soon, as well as Lucie Kaas Vincent Van Gogh but it’s not available at any North American retailers I can find at the moment.

Review – Sakura Signatures Fidget Toys

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“Don’t play with that!”
“Put that down!”
“Stop fidgeting!”

Those of us on Team Neurospicy have heard these lines all through our lives. Thankfully people are becoming much more understanding of things like fidgeting, and focus disorders in general. Enter the fidget toy. Designed specifically to fill that need, they’re available in all sorts of fantastic permutations and designs, catering to every type of movement. And nowadays, with the advent of things like 3D printing, making them has become more accessible than ever. Which also means making designs to cater to every aesthetic!

Enter Sakura Signatures, a small business designing and making all sorts of fantastic fidget toys and other custom products. They make a variety of products, but of course I was drawn to these.

First off, how adorable is this takeout bento packaging?! If you purchase two fidgets, you can select a third one for free and get them packaged like this. Since I wanted a few different mechanisms, I had to go for it.

For my bento, I selected three different designs with three different fidget methods. The matcha whisk is a nice loud ratcheting spinner, the bao is a quiet magnetic slider, and the tuna maki is a soft clicking key button. I love that they offer multiple styles and volumes, for all your fussbudget needs. You can also choose to get them on a keychain, like I did, or without the chain. I’m just very prone to losing things so I knew being able to attach them to a keychain or zipper would be best.

If you would like to see these in action (and really, isn’t that the most important part?) here’s a video of me testing them all out. Ignore the giggle. I just really enjoyed them!

@kimono_tsuki

Check out these absolutely precious fidget toys from @sakura_signatures! fidget fidgettoy kawaii matcha bao sushi

♬ original sound – Kimono Tsuki 着物月 – Kimono Tsuki 着物月

The dumpling is my favourite, due to the mechanism and the general quietness of it, but they’re all going to get a ton of use. If you’re like me and need to play with things to focus, and want something that suits your style and would not look out of place as an obi-kazari, be sure to check out Sakura Signatures. Personally, I’m really hoping they bring the Advent Calendar back for next year.

 I purchased this item myself and chose to review it.If you have a topically appropriate craft, product, or service you would like me to review, please contact me. 

Festival Asiasie at Time Out Montreal

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of dragging Lynn and Sophie to the Festival Asiasie Pop-Up at the Time Out Market here in Montreal.  The market was great, but incredibly crowded. I suspect they got way more foot traffic than initially anticipated, and I hope the vendors all made some fantastic sales. I just hope that they find a larger venue if they do this again next year! I tried to capture the vibe and the chaos without focusing too much on strangers, but it was nearly impossible.

My initial plan was to share all the amazing goodies I brought home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, along with those goodies I brought home some miserable virus or other. I’m still sick but semi-functional, so I wanted to make sure I took the time to recommend all these amazing small businesses and craftspeople bringing both modern and traditional Japanese (and other Asian) goodies to us here. Wherever possible, I have linked to their socials and online shops as well!

 

Atelier Tsubaki

Atelier Tsubaki focuses primarily on gorgeous, handmade origami jewellery, but when I saw this necklace I fell in love. It’s an actual ume & uguisu (plum & warbler) hanafuda card coated in resin so it’s nice and sturdy and durable, and I already have the perfect outfit in mind for it, but it’s currently in California. I’ll be sure to take photos when I wear it!

If you’re looking for some unique handmade pieces, definitely check out their works.

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Bask Hour

Bask Hour make some incredible, elevated scented candles and diffusers focused around a variety of Asian fragrances. They’re made with soy, coconut, and beeswax for a nice clean burn and have crackly wooden wicks.

I know my mother is a huge fan of bright, citrusy smells so getting the Yuzu for her for mother’s day was a given. It’s deliciously balanced with grapefruit and rounded out with hinoki cedar to prevent it from being too sharp. I also love the mini paint can packaging, and their branding in general is great. I can’t wait to try out a few more of their fragrance offerings.

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Boutique MeiCo

The owner of MeiCo takes the beauty of kimono and transforms pieces that are too small, too fragile, or too damaged and turns them into stunning, wearable and useable items for modern life. I selected a keyring strap for my mum and a little lip balm holder for myself, since I am forever losing lip balms in the depths of my purse. But these are just a very small sampling, she makes absolutely stunning bags, hats, and my personal fave, bomber jackets. They’re out of my budget at the current time but hopefully one day I can splurge. She’s even offered to make some using pieces in my collection that are unuseable, and I am very tempted.

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Brasserie San-O Sake

Brasserie San-O focuses on using koji, or the fermented rice used to make sake amongst other things. They have a wide offering of drinks, condiments, and products and starters for making your own fermented goodies.

They were offering samples of their non-alcoholic ume sake and it’s absolutely delicious and refreshing. Please ignore the weird-looking cans, they were selling these at a discount due to a technical hiccup with the can-sealing machine. It had no impact on the flavour, I assure you!

I also grabbed a jar of their shoyu koji condiment, and it’s added a delicious salty umami balance to chicken so far and I intend to put it on a pork loin as soon as I have the energy to cook!

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Eliane Oba Ceramica

Since I live between two households at the moment, I am trying to avoid buying large housewares, especially fragile ones, so my original plan was to buy two handmade hashioki, or chopstick rests. These lovely black fan-shaped ones have an imprinted seigaiha design and I thought I was set. Until this teacup called my name. “Diaaaane,” it said. “Look at my beautiful glaaaaze. Taaaake me wiiiith you.”

How could I say no to such a gorgeous cup? I’ll just have to make sure to pack it well when I bring it to California! Eliane also included two sets of lovely bamboo chopsticks, which I don’t need but still appreciate!

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KotoAn Wagashi

I’ve had KotoAn’s wagashi offerings before, and they never fail to impress. They typically make a variety of nerikiri sweets with different flavours of filling, from anko to yuzu to raspberry. They’re always a pleasure to eat – the only negative is cutting into the beautiful designs!

I shared this box with my folks, don’t worry, I did not eat them all by myself in one sitting!

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Lam Atelier

Kat, the artist behind Lam Atelier, makes adorable prints, shirts, pins, stickers, and all sorts of merch based on traditional and kawaii imagery from all over Asia.

I of course selected this adorable maneki-neko pins, but I was very tempted by the hilarious Buff Sanrio character stickers.

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Miya Candles

Miya Candles is a one-woman operation, and she makes the most charming variety of hand poured, scented candles. I could not resist the funny little  Daruma face here. The scent throw on these is excellent – he’s been sitting on my dresser since I bought him and the fragrance is still noticeable in my entire bedroom.

All of her candles are at least this adorable, if not cuter, definitely worth a look!

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Sakao Tea

This tea could not have come at a better time! I’ve purchased from Sakao before and am always happy with their offerings, but this yuzu-pepper-sencha blend has been a gift from the heavens with my congestion this week. It’s bright and crisp without being uncomfortably spicy. I would drink this by itself, especially as a sick-day pick me up, or with a nice spicy meal. Something it could stand on its own with. I would bet it would also be lovely used in a rub or marinade!

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Thé Gurus

Thés Gurus is another brand I have tried before and know I enjoy, but when I saw this little set of pre-measured matcha and cute little shaker, I was influenced, as they say. As someone who spends so much time travelling back and forth, it will be really nice to have an in-transit option that isn’t an over-sweetened coffee chain matcha latte. This is proper, high-grade ceremonial matcha, just packaged for convenience.

Admittedly I’m not a huge fan of single-use packets but at least they are recyclable!

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Tokusen.Store

Tokusen is a high-end direct-from-Japan importer of sauces, marinades, and cooking products. I’ve been wanting to review a selection of their offerings for quite some time now and never got around to it, so when I saw they were going to be selling at this market I made a point of grabbing a variety. I will be doing a proper review of these all when I’ve had the opportunity to use them all a few times. The products I purchased are:

This entry will be updated once the full review is live!

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There was also a booth with tons of gacha machines, and I’m proud to say that I did not succumb! I also stopped by Kimono Yuki‘s booth but behaved and only bought a fan because I was overheated, no textiles. Mostly because I just have no dang space at the moment.

After shopping we grabbed dinner at the Time Out market. I just had to share how beautiful this dang poke bowl from Le Blossom was. Look at it! So fresh and bright, and the flavours absolutely lived up to the aesthetic.

Please forgive any typos or nonsense in this entry – I read over it and spell-checked multiple times but I am still very sick and also incredibly distracted by a hockey game.

Kimono-inspired Nails with Maniology Stamping Plates

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Back when I wore kimono regularly, I used to love matching my nails to my outfits. Obviously in recent years that’s gone out the window, but when Maniology released a set of very clearly kimono-inspired stamping plates I knew I had to give them a shot. Nothing wrong with having a fresh set even if they don’t match your outfit, right?

I knew I wanted to make a set that match this blog, so of course I grabbed the Sashiko Stitch plate. I also fell in love with the Draped in Elegance plate that featured a variety of kimono design motifs.

Where possible, I have linked to the polishes I used. However, I’ve been hoarding collecting nail polish nearly as long as I’ve been hoarding collecting kimono so many of these colours are no longer available. In one case the brand doesn’t even exist anymore! I do recommend getting a good white polish if you plan to use it for stamping, especially over dark colours, but the selection for the yuzen-style manicure has a ton of room for interpretation.

Sashiko & Kintsugi Blog Manicure

Plate used:

Maniology M650 – Sashiko Stitch
(plus the asagao from the plate below)

Polishes used:

Navy – Expressie Feel The Hype
White – Maniology Bam! (B170)
Gold – Maniology It’s Lit (B262)

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Golden Yuzen Manicure

Plate used:

Maniology M677 – Draped in Elegance

Polishes used:

Plum base – NARS Tokaido Express
Gold stamping – Maniology It’s Lit (B262)
Red – Nubar Sultry Red
Orange – OPI Totally Tangerine
Green –  Zoya Midori
Blue –  Revlon Blue Siren
Purple – Revel Nails Whirled View
Pink – CND Tutti Frutti

@kimono_tsuki

Kimono nails featuring @hellomaniology stamping plates マニキュア #着物

♬ original sound – Kimono Tsuki 着物月 – Kimono Tsuki 着物月

Other tools & products used:

Medium almond nail tips
Polish stamper and scraper
Nail art liner brushes
Nail stand
Silicone mat

I did standard straight-to-nail stamping for the sashiko manicure, and made my own transfers for the yuzen-style one. If you’re curious I did make a little video of the process for the transfers, but there are plenty of incredible videos out there that explain how to use stamping plates far better than I could. I would suggest starting with Maniology’s own YouTube page, they have tons of clear and helpful videos.

These plates were a dream to use and the stamping polish made things so smooth and intuitive. I’ve tried some very basic stamping in the past and didn’t have nearly as much luck, and this was my first time doing anything layered or complicated, and I can’t get over how well they turned out. If you want to give yourself a manicure to match your favourite kimono, or just bring a little bit of Japan to your fingertips, I highly recommend these! My only regret is that I didn’t buy more of them. I’ll have to snag some other ones from this collection in the future.

If you buy anything from Maniology, you can use my code TSUKI for 10% off!

 I purchased this item myself and chose to review it.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. 

Kokeshi Picrew for Hinamatsuri!

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Today is Hinamatsuri! In the past, I’ve usually either done a coordination, displayed dolls I’ve collected, or done some sort of DIY to celebrate. This year, I had bigger plans; Sophie and I were going to attend a gathering at a local tea house over the weekend. Unfortunately, I woke up with the most miserable cold and sore throat I’ve had in eons, to the point where I could barely swallow. I wasn’t up to doing much and did not want to risk spreading the ick. I was at a bit of a loss on what to do for today but then I realised it would be the perfect time to share my newest long-term project!

You all know how much I love finding and reviewing picrew avatar creators, and I figured it was high time I make my own! Presenting the official….

Kimono Tsuki Kokeshi Doll picrew maker!

 

It’s been a labour of love for the past few months, puttering on weekends and after work. I still have plans to continue updating, adding more hairstyles, more hand-held items, a variety of kanzashi, maybe a haori layer… if you have any other ideas or suggestions please don’t hesitate to let me know! For fun, here’s a variety of dolls that have been made using it, by myself and my friends.

 

If you need a primer or a refresher on how to use the Picrew.me interface, I broke it down in my first post about the site, which you can read here. I hope you have fun with it, and if you make any cute dolls please show me! I would love to see!