the idea started when i had a leftover ikea curtain material that i wanted to put to good use 🙂 the curtain was just enough fabric to make a full teepee! i patchworked my favorite fabrics and used a chic gray alphabet pattern + chambray to keep it adult-aesthetic-friendly. it was a great challenge but tons of fun to make. i made a second one for keeping or leasing out. (feel free to email me if you are interested in leasing)
for the 2020 tokyo summer olympics, the japan olympic committee decided to ask the general public for emblem designs. i have been exploring and expanding my artistic abilities this year and i decided to let this be another challenge on that path. unfortunately, i didn’t make the shortlist, but i feel i did my best work that i could at this moment. as for the next step, i plan to enter more contests in the near future.
my tokyo 2020 olympic games emblem design i n s p i r a t i o n : ukiyoe, overcoming the tsunami (disasters), connecting with the world beyond the waters (borders) イ ン ス ピ レ イ シ ョ ン : 浮世絵、災害からの復興、海（国境）を超える
my tokyo 2020 paralympic games emblem design i n s p i r a t i o n : traditional japanese fireworks, rising above expectations, exceeding limits イ ン ス ピ レ イ シ ョ ン : 伝統芸術の花火、期待を超える、自身を超える
my most recent handmade item, is this upcycled clutch bag! there are only two in this world and i am so proud of them (only one will be sold)!! there’s a little story behind them that i want to share with you today 🙂
i teach english on the weekend, and one of my students and i talk about the importance of making clothes last (or rather he made me realize so: see my 2016 resolutions!). he tells me how he wears his clothes until they are worn thin and even then, he uses them as rags before tossing them. (side note: in japanese history, when materials and food were scarce, kimonos were used the same way: resized to fit children, upcycled into handbags or accessories, and eventually used as rags.) except, until this sweater–100% alpaca wool and made in ireland, it was the best quality–whose wool made him itchy and was unwearable. he told me that he had thrown this sweater away! i asked him immediately if it was still salvageable and fortunately it came into my hands.
after fashion college, i used to work for an italian clothing brand, where i was allowed to take home unneeded denim from pant alterations. i decided to combine this and the sweater to make clutch bags. two more things were needed though… instinctively i knew that pinstriped wool would be spectacular with it PLUS an “a-ha” moment led me to hand-weave a lemon yellow friendship bracelet specifically for the bag.
i added these super cute floral pin badges from the POOL AOYAMA (which closes tomorrow, march 21st, 2016 *GASP*) and “OMG” light-bulb brooch from niko and…. ／ 私のには、the POOL AOYAMA（明日、２０１６年３月２１日閉店なんですー T^T）のピンバッジとniko and…の『OMG』電球バッジをつけて、ポップにしました。
the lemon yellow and silver friendship bracelet, lightens up the otherwise dark clutch, so it’s usable in the spring. denim and knit goes well with casual looks, while pinstripes go with cleaner minimal outfits. ／ レモンイエローとシルバーのミサンガでダークめのクラッチバッグが一気に明るくなるので、春使用でも全然使えます！また、デニム＋ニットでカジュアルに、ピンストライプでキレイめにと様々なコーディネートで活躍するワンポイントになります。
in this illustration (by yours truly) ／ イラスト内のアイテム（私作です♥） : short sleeved shirt ／ 半袖シャツ : Acne Studios ready-to-wear SS16 “Morag pop white” rusty orange skirt ／ パンプキンスカート : ZARA SS16 mid-heel leather shoes ／ ミディアムヒールレザーシューズ : ZARA SS16
in december alone, i’ve had 3 friends and a cousin in law that had babies. with all the newborns, i was running out of baby gifts to send! last month, i was asked to make a diaper pouch/sheet with a detachable diaper wipe case. this is where i came up with the idea of giving diaper wipe cases! they’re quite useful and can be used for pets, hand wipes, and even around the house.
there were a couple of points that i based the design on. ／ デザインポイントは２点ありました。
1. this bitatto removable, reusable plastic lid that keep wipes moist. bitatto attaches to smooth surfaces, like vinyl or the plastic bags that wipes come in. incorporating this type of surface became the main point. ビタットという、直接ウェットティッシュの袋などに取り付けられて、繰り返し使えるプラスチックの蓋を使用したいと思いました。ビニールやプラスチックの袋などのツルツルした表面に一番くっつくので、デザインにこのような表面を取り入れる事が必要でした。
2. this fabric!! well i had saved this fabric for a rainy day, but color coordinating was fun!!
この生地！以前に一目惚れした生地を使う最高の機会でした！カラーコーディネートを考えるのも楽しかったです。
to add some contrast to the outer fabric, i chose a simple striped pattern for the inner layer. ／ 表の生地と変化をつけるため、シンプルなストライプの裏地を使用しました。
the zipper in the back makes for a clean and sturdy closure. ／ ファスナーで取り出しが楽でありながら、しっかり閉まります。
the main point. sewing on vinyl!! ／ メインのビニールを縫いつけました。
tracing the bitatto window. ／ ビタットの窓口をトレーシング。
FINISHED! ／ 出来上がり！
*i am planning to sell these on one of my shops soon! ／ 近日中にショップにあげようと思います〜！
*after much thought, i won’t be selling these… i am happy to take commissioned orders, so please do not hesitate to contact me. ／ いろいろ検討しましたところ、販売はいたしません。オーダーは承っておりますので、お気軽にご連絡くださいませ。
**since the bitatto lid is attached to the case itself, unless to switch colors, the bitatto never needs to come off! ／ ビタットは、ケースに直接つけているので、特に取り外す必要がない為、より長く使い続けられます。
right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, bustling around for presents, preparing the house for the freezing winter months and the streams of expected guests, i of course had to think up another diy decoration project (well it was more because i had come across these dreamy fairy lights that i’ve been looking for all year) and thanks to my overly ambitious creative mind, i always lose a lot of sleep … but the results are worth it.
クリスマスシーズン真っ只中の今、家族のプレゼント探しから、大掃除、クリスマスパーティの準備などなど、やる事が途絶えない師走のこの時期に、新しいDIYを思いついてしまいました。実を言うと、インスピレーション源は一年中探していたフェアリーライトを niko and… で見つけた事です。睡眠時間削ってでもどうしても作りたかったスターガーランドが完成しました。
what you need ／ 材料：
1 A4 size card stock (for 6 stars) ／ Ａ４サイズ厚紙や画用紙１枚（星６枚）
white acrylic paint ／ 白いアクリル絵の具
sponge for painting ／ スポンジ
gold spray paint ／ ゴールドスプレーカラー
printed template (1 sheet=6 stars) ／ 型紙のプリント（１枚＝星６個） CLICK HERE FOR FREE TEMPLATE ／ 無料型紙は、こちらをクリック
all purpose glue ／ 糊
scissors ／ ハサミ
needle or pointed tool ／ 目打ち
ruler ／ 定規
cutter ／ カッター
cord ／ 紙紐
tape ／ テープ
1. use a sponge to paint card stock. this adds a marble-type of effect for the first layer! then spray a thin layer of gold paint. (i used strips of leftover cardstock.) ／ スポンジでアクリルペイントを厚紙に叩くように塗る。マーブル調になります。次にゴールドのスプレーカラーを薄く塗る。(私は余り物の厚紙を使用しているので紙サイズが異なります。)
2. after at least 24 hours of drying the paints, the sheets are ready! i purposely left a couple of sheets uncolored. ／ ２４時間ほどペイントを乾かしたら、紙の準備が終わります！あえて数枚ペイントをしないでいます。
3. glue the template to the back of the prepared card stock. make sure to glue the entire surface of each star. since i had irregular sized strips i roughly cut the individual stars out. ／ 型紙のプリントを厚紙の裏に糊で貼る。しっかり星の中全体を糊付けする事がポイントです。私は余り物の紙を使っていたので、先に型紙を荒く切り分けてから貼りました。
4. cut the individual stars along the outside lines. ／ 外側の線に沿って星を一つずつ切り抜く。
// set aside the B stars (the plain stars) and we will work on the A stars (the ones with glue tabs and dotted lines) for STEPS 5-7 //
// 一度 Ｂの星（無地のシンプルな星）をよけて、ステップ５〜７では、Ａの星を加工します。//
5. for the A stars (or the stars with tabs) poke a very small hole where the lines meet in the center of the star. ／ Ａの星の線が重なり合う中心点に目打ちで小さく穴を刺す。
6. use a cutter to gently score along the lines as shown in above picture. for the lines that need to be scored from the outside, 1. score from the center hole to each of the five points of the star and 2. connect the two points of the glue tab folds. ／ 上記図の通りにカッターで優しく、浅く溝を切り込む。表面の線は、1. 中心の穴から星の５つの頂点まで一つずつ線を引く。2. のり代の折り線は、端点の間を線を引く。
7. fold the scored lines. see the picture in step 6.: for the blue lines, the fold (or mountain fold) should be on the outside. for the red lines, the fold (or mountain fold) would be on the inside. ／ 溝に沿って折る。ステップ６.の図の青い破線は表面が山折りになります。赤い破線は内側が山折りになります。
8. returning to the B stars (the plain ones), lay out your cord and plan where to attach the B stars. tape the garland cord onto the insides of these stars. ／ ここからＢの星（無地タイプ）に戻ります。ガーランドの紐とＢの星の位置を決めます。Ｂの星の内側に紐をテープで固定します。
9. find the corresponding sized A star for each B star from step 8 (star sizes 1-3). place a small amount of glue on the glue tabs on both sides of a single star point and attach to B star. this step takes a lot of patience: hold the point in place for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. then move on to the next two glue tabs, and repeat until you complete the star. remember, PATIENCE IS KEY! ／ テープで固定したＢ星のサイズ（１〜３）に合うＡ星を探す。一つの頂点の両のり代に少量の糊をつける。丁寧にＢ星にのせ、３０秒〜１分間手で押し付ける。このステップでは、一回に一つの頂点を終わらせてから次の頂点へ進めます。気長〜に丁寧に進めるのがキーポイントです！！
FINISHED! ／ 出来上がり！
they really are dreamy when combined with these fairy lights! ／ フェアリーライトと組み合わせて暗い部屋でも暖かくて夢のような空間に仕上がりました。
this is what it looks like with the christmas tree. i plan on keeping them up through the winter (or maybe through the year…) though. ／ クリスマスツリーと組み合わせています。クリスマスだけでなく、少なくても冬の間はずっと飾り続ける予定です！
it’s the holiday season! which means many people around the world are rushing to get their holiday greeting cards in the mail and on their way to loved ones. as i mentioned before, i originally began selling the cards i personally made for myself to send, and this year i’m using these from my Etsy shop. take a look below to see how i personalized the simple minimal holiday cards.
![[CREEMA] PATCHWORK TEEPEE](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0744.jpeg)
![[CREEMA] PATCHWORK TEEPEE MOCKUP](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/teepeemockup.jpg)
![[CREEMA] UPCYCLED CLUTCH](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/knitclutchfinalcrop.jpg)
![[CREEMA] UPCYCLED CLUTCH](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/unnamed-1.jpg)
![[CREEMA] UPCYCLED CLUTCH](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/knitclutchfinalcropclose.jpg)
![[CREEMA] UPCYCLED CLUTCH](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/knitclutchillustrationfinal.jpg)
![[CREEMA] UPCYCLED CLUTCH](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/P1010133editsize.jpg)
![[ETSY] HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2015](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/image5-400x300.jpg)
![[ETSY] HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2015](http://www.peacelovetokyo.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/image4-400x300.jpg)