Kotori Flower Shop

I'm not at all a fan nor an expert for gardening. I seldom buy flowers for I never like it when they die out, and I'm not that good at remembering to water them either... I think that's why I rather like dry flowers or preserved ones that are nice to decorate and easy to take care of. ( You just dust them :p)

But this flower shop I came across from the net is so beautiful. The mood and taste is what I love♡ Through it, I got lots of inspirations on the idea to decorate my house! (Even if I may not be using flowers or plants...) I think their pictures are so nice that I really want to share. Hope you will like it too - Kotori Flower Shop (The Little Bird Flower Shop)

Slippers for a rainy day

It was a dreary, rainy weekend in San Francisco after l'il sis left. I hunkered down at home, and went to work with my hands. And here's the result! A cute footsie of smiles for a rainy day!

As a starting point, I found a cute pattern on Sugar'n Cream's website. But I wanted to use some odd skeins of leftover yarn, so I had to improvise in terms of the color patterns. My color scheme looked a little too old and "granny-like," so I decided to put the flower off-center to make it more lively. I also added a little Maryjane strap to make it look cuter—and also to help keep it on my feet better! This also allowed me to use some buttons that's been sitting in my craft box for over 10 years!

Napkin Sewing Project: Part 2

So this is how my sewing project came out. The napkins go beautifully with our straw place mats.

Inspired by my sister, here are a few websites/blogs that I found and now follow for crafting inspiration.

Contemporary Embroidery

I like the Ruanne's sensibility and style.

The Purl Bee

I love their projects—so much more interesting and in tune with my interests. Most other sewing/knitting websites feel so old-fashioned and ugly.

Embroidery as Art

Just like to see how avant-garde things can get, even if I may not quite do the same thing.

Atelier Vanira

Trying to start re-decorating my house by doing it bits by bits. As big projects needs big fund and time, I will try starting on the small ones as a warm-up. Maybe this will help me to focus and find out what I really want so as to gather everything into one!!

So here is the first piece of interior I bought which I like it very much. It is from 'Atelier Vanira', a lady I knew from 'twitter'. It was not an expensive art piece, but the lady who made it really loves what she does, which is what made it very special and neat. All are hand made with very good taste. Especially for the little sewing machine ornament, which is my favorite!! Exchange conversations on 'twitter' just lets me to know more about her. Knowing someone and her obsess on what she does allows you to understand more about her work, where you can really feel the power within the art piece. Looking through this little piece of art just makes me stop by to enjoy the moment of the day.

家をきれいにしようと思ってるので、少しずつ変えて行こうと決意しました。大物だと経済面の時間もかかるので、取りあえず小さいものから手を出してみました。これで、したいテイストも分かりやすくなり、まとめ方も統一しやすくなるかなと思っています。

なので、'Atelier Vanira'さんの作品を購入しました。彼女とは'twitter'で知り合え、彼女の趣味や情熱も写真や会話を通して伝わってきて、いつの間に彼女の作品は奇麗だけではなく、温かみのある商品にも感じてきました。作者（ひと）を知り、物がもっと美しく見えるってこういうことですね。手作りと言っても、とてもセンスのある作品で、とくにミシンのチャイムが好きです。眺めるだけで、心が和みます。

Labit Restaurant in Shibuya Tokyo

Went to this really unique restaurant in Shibuya the other day to celebrate the birthday of 2 very close friends of mine. It was about 10 mins walk from Shibuya station right after you turn the corner of a main street. Seems to be a bar in the night where they also serve lunch in the afternoons. It is called rabbit in japanese, but the english name is in 'Labit'. The interiors are a mixed of rabbits items & old english interiors. Gives you a little fantasy going up the stairs, bringing you back to the old days of childhood dreams.

Food were also served in a very unique way, having it beautifully decorated. I'm not so in to my main dish which was grilled fish. But the first plates were awlsome. Most of them were made with avocado, combination of western and japanese. Like the avocado tofu mousse that goes with the soya sauce and salted cod roe mixed with mashed potatos were so great that inspired me to try to make some myself too!! I think atmosphere also counts a lot for a good meal, where we did spend hours enjoying the food and the little lady talks!! Well, I think I must start up with the re-decoration on my house too!!

Report to sis: napkin sewing project

So, my dear l'il sis has challenged me to put my sewing machine to good use and commit to a project! So here is a simple project to kick-start, out of the Lotta Jansdotter sewing book I love but have never used!

I bought the cloth from Japan Town a couple of years ago, but never used the remainder after making a simple covering for our shoe rack. So this meets sis's criteria of not buying new things, and using what I already have.

The one thing I had to buy is an iron. We only realize our iron is missing when sis was here and in need of one! I bought a cheap one from Amazon that arrives tomorrow.

In the mean time, as preparation, I finally took the time to organize my mixed-up bag of sewing supplies and buttons neatly. Amazing how many buttons I have collected over the years!

Feng Shui California style

Growing up as a French-style-educated, scientifically-minded Catholic school girl in Hong Kong, I rejected all forms of Chinese tradition that smacked of superstition and backwardness. Never mind that my dad was a Tai Chi and Feng Shui master.

So it's oddly predictable that, as an adult living in San Francisco, I have embraced my roots and overhauled my home to Feng Shui principles!

While some die-hards will argue that Feng Shui in America is inauthentic and superficially lite, I'd argue that it is in many ways closer to the origins of what Feng Shui is all about—creating an environment that feels good and supportive to our goals, and that energizes and uplifts our spirit. Feng Shui here feels more like thoughtful and mindful home decor, than the black-box, alchemic school of Feng Shui I grew up with.

This feels much more empowering than the "traditional" Feng Shui of fear and anxiety of my youth. In Hong Kong, people become slaves to commercial Feng Shui gurus who often focus on the negatives, charging fortunes to advise folks on costly and inconvenient ways to correct "unlucky" layouts in their homes and offices.

Now that I'm more open to the true spirit of Feng Shui, I begin to understand the wisdom in my father's advice. That the most important principle in Feng Shui is being aware, and feeling and listening with our heart, mind and soul to what feels right and good to us. Paying Feng Shui masters to "trick" the universe is just a waste of money and energy.