making bags....

that is what I am up to.

Have you ever wondered what to to do with those little triangular bits that you cut off when you are making a square bottomed bag? Want to know what we do with them? Pop back tomorrow to find out!

A lesson on marketing

When Ebi-kun brushed his teeth I noticed that he needed a new toothbrush, I mentioned to him that we would get one when we went to the drug store. ' I want a character one' he said, I asked him why but he couldn't come up with an answer, so before we went shopping we did a little lesson, it was very impromptu and I just used what we had on hand.

I set out my shop with 3 types of Lego*, some were on a card with Anpanman, it was ¥30 a piece, some on a card with a cute helicopter at ¥20 yen and the others were on a plain card at ¥10, these represented the different 'branded' goods. Anpanman is big business here (although I think Pooh-san AKA Winne The Pooh was the biggest selling character last year).

I then gave Ebi-kun some money and a list of the Lego he needed to do a new project, all he had to do was buy all the pieces he needed. I did fix it somewhat by only giving him just enough money to buy all the pieces only if he bought non branded Lego.

It did backfire a bit because he didn't want Anpanman, he doesn't like him, he did want the helicopter Lego, he bought as many pieces as possible but realised he couldn't afford to buy all that he needed. he pondered the situation for a while then asked if he could get some more money out of his money box! After telling him that he could only use the money in hand, he decided to sell the helicopter Lego back to me so he could buy the non branded.

We talked about the lego and the fact that is was, in fact, all the same, just that some had a picture on it which made it more expensive and how companies splash pictures of kids favourite characters on it to encourage people to buy it. We also touched on things being more expensive because they are better quality but I didn't want to get too bogged down with that, we can save that for another day.

Later when we went to the drug store we compared the prices of character goods again the store brand and in most cases they were more expensive. Only time will tell if the lesson sunk in.

*yes, I know it is somewhat ironic to be using Lego for this!

On a completely different note, we did lots of painting yesterday, got 4 Christmas presents done, well they need a lick of varnish but mostly done. I also made a cute little bag and cut out 3 others, we have 4 little friends/relatives that were born within a couple of months of each other so I always make them gifts on a theme, this time, little bags. Photos to follow....

Would you do me a favour?

I am working on branding and marketing and would like your input. Would you mind popping over to my website jojoebi designs then come back and leave a comment with three words you would use to describe my 'style'?

Thank you!

Now help yourself to a cupcake.....

photo credit AllAboutCake

Discoveries

The last couple of weeks I have made some new discoveries which I would like to share. Firstly I discovered Sister Diane at Crafty Pod, not only is the blog full with crafty goodness she also has a crafty podcast, I have been listening to the back catalogue eve since I discovered it, LOVE IT. This week was with Rachel Klien, the face behind the wonderful One Pretty Thing. I have found listing to these podcasts is a great when I am home alone and crafting.

This week I had an A-HA moment when I read Melly and Me's blog post, she is starting a new section on tricks and tips, this is about turning small parts for softies/dolls, want to know how to do it, in a painless, no using foul language kind of way? Pop over here and have a read.

Another top bit of info for those who hand sew, this is quoted from Don't Look Now. I totally love her quilting style and I never knew this was the reason for knotted threads.

Do you sometimes have problems with your thread knotting up and becoming tangled while you are stitching? It may just be because you have threaded your needle with the wrong end of your thread!!! If you are left handed, like I am, you should thread your needle using the end that you cut ...not the end that comes off your cotton reel! If you are right handed you should thread your needle with the end that comes directly off your cotton reel.

I have also joined Skout Trade Fair and met some lovely peeps over there. Like many of the Scout members I plan to do all my Christmas shopping on line, for the things I am not making myself. Another point I read this week (sorry, I don't remember where) is that for a green Christmas we should also think about the kind of gift we are giving, giving something practical, that will get used is much better than something that will get shoved in a draw and eventually thrown out. Top tip to bear in mind when you are shopping :o)

I started on my list last night and made family calendars, since Ebi-kun was born I have made a yearly calendar for relatives but last year I didn't get round to it, as it got close to Christmas I started to get people asking for one! So I ended up doing a rush job, this year, they are already sent to print. (pats self on the back)

Today I plan to cut out a couple of little bags for a couple of little boys I know and if I have time I would like to get them sewn up too but I have a custom order to finish too so it might be pushing it.

Talking of custom orders, I sent this one off last week, it was for two large pouches and two smaller ones using fabric from my shop. They came out really well, there were some scraps left over so I whipped up some tissue holders too. The picture was taken in a light tent that I have borrowed from friend, I think I will have to invest in one.

My brain isn't working

Ebi-kun had me up in the night, at 2am I hear the patter of feet, he usually comes into our room but instead I hear him charging down the stairs, well the first few and then thump.... thump......thud........ aggggghhhhhh.

He was OK, I don't think he was properly awake, he said he wanted some water, so we sorted him out, gave the necessary cuddles and all went back to bed, not long after, I was just dozing off when I hear the familiar patter of feet again and him charging down the stairs again, both me and hubby shouted him to stop and daddy shot out of the door to grab him.

This time he was in a right tiz saying that the aliens were scaring him. So he came in bed with us, and I kissed the rest of the night goodbye, trying to sleep with Ebi-kun is like trying to sleep with an octopus wearing hob-nailed boots.

Last week Daddy-ebi was off Monday and Tuesday, which was great but it tends to throw a spanner into the works with my schedule but we did manage to get some things squeezed in. We tried the colour mixing idea that I saw on Itty Bitty love. She had laminated the sheets but since they were only likely to get used once I just placed mine in a plastic sleeve and wiped it clean after each experiment. We have done colour mixing before but this was a good way to show gradients of colour. I think we will do the colour wheel next time.

There has also been a lot reading going on, Ebi-kun often picks up two books, one English and one Japanese then goes and finds a spot that he likes, I can here him reading to himself, so sweet. This book he is reading has the outlines of the pictures raised so you can close your eyes and trace the shapes with your fingers.

We don't watch much TV, in fact during the day it doesn't get turned on but sometimes we rent a film as a treat. This time we watched Narnia, I had to pre warn him that Aslan would die but he wasn't really dead, it was a trick. If I hadn't he would have been sobbing and missed the rest of the film. He did enjoy it and drew a picture of Aslan afterwards.
We also got started on the continent swap, I hope to get on with it properly this week and I also introduced addition and carrying a number over. I think he will have to try it a couple more time before he truly 'gets' it, it is fun seeing his little mind tick over :o)

Well, I am off to brew another strong coffee, I think we might both be needing a nap by this afternoon.

waffle-snorts

There are a possie of waffle-snorts in the shop, I only have one of each made up but if you prefer a different colour combo left me know and I will make one up for you. Or if you are after twins, I can do that for you too!

Or, if you prefer to make your own, you can buy the pattern, it is easy to follow and suitable for beginners.

I have just received the next batch of space cadet dolls so if you would like a sew-it-yourself doll, I have plenty in stock just now.

And finally, Serenity The Mermaid has made it as a printed pattern, up until now it has only been available as a PDF.

If, you happen to own a shop and are looking for new stock, I am looking for wholesale outlets, please drop me a line jojoebi.designs at gmail dot com.

Winter is on it's way

So, I got on Etsy to find something warm to wear. I came across ideatolifestyle's shop, the clothes are all unique and I fell for this cape/wrap.

I had quite a few convo's with Gerald about sizing, I sent my measured measurements and my UK clothes size but they didn't match so in the end I decided to go with the UK clothing size and hope for the best! The package arrived yesterday and I was a bit worried that it would either be too small or way too big, I shouldn't have worried, it fits perfectly! And it is cashmere/wool blend which makes it oohhh so soft. I LOVE it. I almost made Ebi-kun get out of the bath last night so we could go for a walk to try it out :o) I will definitely be using Gerald's services again and there are some lovely designs in the store, go and have a look.

One of the things I hate about living in Japan is buying clothes. I do not have an Asian shaped body and the cut of the clothes is very different. Even if you are petite, it is difficult to find things that fit properly and many of the clothes for larger Japanese ladies just look like sacks and use the most awful prints! So, I spend my life in joggy pants and loosely fitting top. I try to stock up when I go home but I end up buying things I don't really like, just because they fit and I only have a couple of hours to do a years worth of shopping. Therefore, I have decided to learn how to make my own clothes, my theory is, if I can find a couple of basic styles that I can make and they fit well, I should be able to adapt them or jazz them up and make them more 'me'. I am starting with Meg's School House Tunic, I have the fabric all washed and ready to go, just have to muster up my courage to do the cutting out. I also have my eye on this book: Design-it-yourself Clothes, maybe Santa will get it for me :o)

Look at the time! I have 5 waffle-snorts to stuff and photograph. What on earth is a waffle-snort you ask. Well if you sign up to my facebook page you will already know (link is on the top left) otherwise you will have to wait a wee bit longer.....

Snowballs

are in the shop, I only have one set left, grab them before they melt....

Culture Day

Monday we went to the yochien to sign Ebi-kun up, we got there at 9am, no queues, just handed the paperwork and the money over and that was it. We expected to be there for quite a while and Daddy-ebi had taken the day off work. Oh Well. It was his birthday, we decided to go over to Kodomo No Shiro, I have talked about this place before, it is fantastic. It is a massive kids play centre and it is all free, we spent all morning there. In one of the rooms they alternate the toys, I don't know the schedule but it is something like Lego on a Monday, play food on Tuesday etc. It was Lego day when we were then, not only do they have big tubs of Lego they also have these giant Lego blocks. Each brick is about the size of a normal house brick. Daddy-ebi and I had great fun building a castle :0)

Tuesday was a national holiday, Culture Day, we hadn't planned to do anything, daddy-ebi got on the internet and discovered there was a festival of sorts at the super arena. It was an education expo and was actually must better than I expected. There were lots of stalls set up with hands on things for the kids to do. Ebi-kun got to make a fish hat, a key chain, play some games, try on an astronauts suit...
and he met Asimo, Honda's cool robot. What more could a 4 year old boy ask for?

I'm dreaming of a green Christmas

The theme this week over at That Little Bit Greener is green Christmas. Christmas isn't really celebrated in Japan, yes, they put up pretty lights but the whole gift giving isn't really big, in fact, it is more of a romantic day/night, couples walking around all starry eyed and it next to impossible to get a table for two at a nice restaurant. Of course, because we are in Japan and the majority of our family are overseas we have to get presents out early to ensure that they arrive on time.

Last year I joined in the Handmade Holidays movement and well, nearly went insane trying to get everything made in time. I swore I wouldn't do it again, not in the same way, that's for sure. So, this is how I am going to have a greener holiday....

• Either made or BUY mostly handmade. I love Etsy and the location finder is a great idea to find something closer to where you are sending the gift, cutting down on overseas parcels can only be a good thing. I am also looking at Folksy this year, I have never tried Folksy, anyone else tried it? I have used DaWanda, even had a shop there for a while but it wasn't for me.
• Sending friends/relatives a book wish list and have them send the books here directly, I will wrap them for Ebi-kun and put the right labels on, plus, if they order through the Book Depository the shipping is FREE worldwide. Which has got to be good, postage from the UK is expensive, I always feel bad when we get gifts and the postage costs more than the gift!
• Not buying wrapping paper, I still have some in the cupboard, so I will use that up, the rest of the gifts will be wrapped in gift bags (see the tutorial if you want to make some) or a furoshiki, the Japanese wrapping cloths. You can wrap almost anything in a furoshiki, there is even a new book out, Wrapagami, showing you how.
• Christmas cards - it is difficult to buy packs of cards here and single cards cost a fortune, so for the last few years we have made our cards, we also make postcards rather than cards because the postage is much cheaper ¥70 for a postcard ¥110 for a card, when you are sending out a tonne of cards that is a big saving!
• Not to stress over the difficult! I am sure EVERYONE has at least one of those people, in my experience it is usually a bloke, the person who is impossible to buy for without going down the socks/tie/cufflinks route! In my case, it is my step-dad and Ebi-kun's Japanese cousin is pretty hard to buy for too, this year he is really into football so we will just get him some footie related goods. I am not going to beat myself up about not getting everyone handmade goods. Any gift ideas for my step-dad are much appreciated.
• Not buying plastic junk toys, not that I do anyway, I would much rather pay that bit extra and get a good quality wooden toy or a jigsaw puzzle, a book, softies for little ones, art supplies - there are so many better options. The only plastic toy I do go with is Lego. Lego is a great toy, open ended and lasts forever and the children can learn many skills from playing with it.

I have been looking through my crafty/sewing books for gift inspiration and have a couple book marked already, I won't be sharing what I am making unless I am sure the person I am making it for doesn't read my blog. If you want to know more about the handmade holidays, click on the badge.

And if you are planning to sew something, pop over to my shop, I have some lovely fabrics in at the moment.....

something for the boys

lots of cute prints for the girls

something for the animal lover?

or how about a pattern or kit - free shipping on patterns and kits for Novemeber, just tell me in the message to seller box that you read my blog and I will refund the shipping costs.

and if you don't sew, how about a softie, purse, bag or zipped pouch. I do take on custom orders, drop me a line if you have something in mind.