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.

Ramen - Kaede (楓)

Had japanese ramen for lunch today. This store is call 'Kaede' and as a ramen store, the interior is quite modern and chic. They have a very rich soya sauce base soup with very strong dried skipjack tuna flavor which makes you sipped off all the soup. Noodle is in medium thickness, which is very chewy and has a perfect chemistry with the soup that gives a perfect balance in your mouth. (Not too salty, not too light!!) Really big recommend♪

Disaster Prevention Day

1st Sept is the 'Disaster Prevention Day' in japan. This day is established to mark the Great Kanto Earthquake that happened in 1923. This day is to remind everyone to take precautions to natural disasters like earthquake and typhoons. Since Hong Kong don't have earthquakes, sensing the little shakes from time to time actually frightens me sometimes. That's why I do have a bag packed under my bed with water and emergency food. A lot of supermarkets will have a corner selling preserved can biscuits and packs of water so as to remind you to check on the due date of the things you have prepared before. Unfortunately, not a lot of people takes precautions... they always have a way of thinking that it won't happen to them. But luckily, at least the radios kept talking about natural disasters for the whole day, encouraging people to be more concern. Here are some tips I learned today, hope if will be useful to you too! (but better that you won't need to use it...)

- When an earthquake occurs and you are having the kettle on. Don't go and try to switch off the fire or leave the house, first of all find a safe place that objects won't fall over on you until the quakes stops. Trying to turn off the fire might cause burns from the fire or hot water instead. And leaving the house might cause big objects to fall on you.

- If you are stuck in a car in a sudden flood, stay calm and don't try opening the door. The pressure outside is bigger then inside the car where you won't be able to open it and in the other hand you will use up all your strength and you may panic more. Wait until the water is about your height, the pressure will change and you shall be able to open the door of the car.

- When earthquakes occurs, pay phones are easier to connect than mobile phones.

- If you have a pet with you, and you running away from objects falling over you. Be careful that you don't crush your pet while grabbing hold on her. A lot of pets died because of that, while you are panicking, you may not be good at controlling your strength. The best is to have a carry bag ready with your emergency goods.

Hope these tips can be useful to someone when it is in need. Of course, the best is to bless everyone to be safe and sound.