Archive: Japanese Crafts
April 24, 2008
Paper Crane Mobile
Craftster member Jeebles created this inspiring, modern-looking mobile from nothing more than hand-folded paper cranes, thread and ribbon, and a few chopsticks. Paper Crane Mobile
Related:
• HOW TO - Make an Origami Mobile
• Nursery Mobile
• HOW TO - Make a Paper Mobile
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Apr 24, 2008 12:00 PM
Home and Garden, Japanese Crafts, Paper Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
April 23, 2008
Tentacled Finger Puppets

Check out these tentacled animal finger puppets with... cute hats? Ok, I admit it, I have no idea what animal these are, but they're certainly neat!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Apr 23, 2008 04:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, Crochet, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (3)
April 16, 2008
3-D Origami Finger Puppet

I just finished up a fun, quick craft tutorial on the HP wiki, the Bunny Hop 3-D origami finger puppet. Just download the pre-printed origami paper and fold away. You can also make a cute bear or puppy. It's the perfect project for kids to make too.
I'm also excited to announce that HP will be at the Maker Faire (May 3 - 4)! At the HP booth, you'll be able to get hands on and make some fun printable craft projects like the 3-D origami finger puppets, crafty cards, photo matchbooks, and more! Kids can also get a free photo taken with Po from the movie "Kung Fu Panda". Visit the HP booth when you are at the fair and get ready to get your craft on!
Related:
Craftzine Projects on the HP wiki
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 16, 2008 04:45 PM
Japanese Crafts, Kids, Paper Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
April 12, 2008
Hand Braided Scarf Tutorial

Ah-Yi shows you how to make this hand-braided scarf, a technique she found in a Japanese craft book. The end result is beautiful! [ via Whip Up]
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 12, 2008 05:00 PM
Fashion, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
April 10, 2008
HOW TO - Make an Origami Mobile

Derek and Lauren on design*sponge show you how to make this nifty origami mobile!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Apr 10, 2008 08:00 AM
Home and Garden, Japanese Crafts, Paper Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
March 5, 2008
Amigurumi Wood Hand
Here's an incredible crochet glove that makes your hand look like a forest of fallen logs and mushrooms. I can imagine it being used very well in a puppet show. This creative lady's blog is in Japanese, but her pictures aren't hard to translate! - Link.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Mar 5, 2008 02:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, Crochet, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
February 13, 2008
Bizarre Chocolate from PingMag


PingMag has an amazing roundup of bizarre and wonderful chocolates from Japan. I'm drooling over the gyoza stuffed with bean paste and chocolate ganache. They say:
Valentine's Day is upon us, again. Now in Japan, the custom of women giving chocolate to men on this day has been quite strongly established: Thanks to clever marketing campaigns, the girls have to buy a lot at special items at department stores across the country. There, you find all sorts of cacao temptations, from luxury truffles by chocolatiers to "all-you-can-pack" types. So if you want to impress the boy next door you have been eyeing for a while, PingMag recommends you to get some very special, uniquely shaped chocolate that might leave an impact...
For those of you who don't know it, PingMag is an amazing online design magazine based in Tokyo with articles ranging from Brazilian carnival costumes to Malaysian seal engravers to, well, weird chocolate. They also started a cool series of interviews with rural Japanese craftsmen. Link.
Posted by Arwen O'Reilly |
Feb 13, 2008 08:00 AM
Food, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
January 30, 2008
Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival 2008

Moonstitches has posted up a gallery on her Flickr of some of the most beautiful images from Tokyo's International Great Quilt Festival 2008. Get ready to be inspired! [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jan 30, 2008 09:00 AM
Events, Japanese Crafts, Quilting |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
January 25, 2008
HOW TO - Make a Mizuhiki Heart Knot

Zakka Life writes:
It is said that Mizuhiki connects the hearts of the giver to the receiver. With Valentine's Day approaching I thought this would make a lovely gift/keepsake. Mizuhiki knots are also great to use for cards, wrapping gifts, embellishments, or even a valentine swap.To find out how to create your own Mizuhiki, visit the Zakka Life blog here. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jan 25, 2008 08:00 AM
Holiday projects, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
January 24, 2008
Gocco Prints Galore

A while back, The Wurst Gallery in Portland held a great show called We Heart Gocco, which centered on artwork created with the much-beloved Japanese tabletop screenprinting device. It's so impressive seeing how different artists have utilized the gadget's capabilities. Amazingly enough, you can still nab some of the prints online at the gallery's website--what a great way to grab some fun and affordable artwork from some of today's coolest artists. Here are two examples of the 14 prints available, "Little Love" by Mizna Wada (above) and "Love with a Needle" by Evan B. Harris (below). Link.
Related:
• We Heart Gocco - Link.
• Print Gocco Tutorial - Link.
• Save Gocco - Link.

Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 24, 2008 07:00 PM
Arts, Gadgets, Japanese Crafts, Printing |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
January 11, 2008
Shoes Made of Wrapping Paper

8tokyo gives us a glimpse into a Japanese craft book I am now dying to get. A book that shows how to make decorative shoes out of wrapping paper. It even comes with patterns in the book! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Jan 11, 2008 08:00 AM
Bazaar, Fashion, Japanese Crafts, Paper Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
January 9, 2008
Mr. Funky Bear Class

Mr. Funky creator Narumi Ogawa will be teaching a crochet class at The Little Knittery in Atwater Village on Sunday, February 3, from 3-6pm. Students will learn to make their own super cute bear like this one--Narumi is even providing the plastic eyes and nose. Narumi has given me crochet lessons before (here's a link to my very first-ever amigurumi project, made with her help) so I can personally guarantee she's a great teacher. Don't miss it! Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 9, 2008 05:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, Classes, Crochet, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
3rd Annual Blythe Beauty Contest

If you've ever wanted to customize a Blythe doll and have her actually get manufactured, you may want to consider entering the 3rd Annual Blythe Beauty Contest! The details:
We are pleased to announce the call for entries for the 3rd Annual Blythe Beauty Contest! The three categories of this competition are: "Miss Natural Beauty" a competition to select the most beautifully enhanced Neo Blythe with a presentation of both casual and formal attire; "Miss Special Beauty" to select the most beautifully enhanced Neo Blythe using creative customizing skills with a presentation of either casual and formal attire; "Miss Petite Beauty" ( a new category) to select the most beautifully enhanced Petite Blythe with a presentation of either casual and formal attire.
Visit the Blythedoll website for full details and rules, plus some amazing photos of past winners. Link.

From the pages of CRAFT: 03.
Read Queen of the Misfit Toys by Jenny Ryan, pages 40-42. CRAFT subscribers can read the full article at the Digital Edition. Link.
To subscribe to CRAFT and receive 4 quarterly issues and access to the digital edition go here. Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Jan 9, 2008 03:00 PM
Amigurumi and Toys, Contests, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
December 24, 2007
Vintage Fabrics for Men's Kimonos
Molly at Ambatalia Fabrics brings us a bit of inspiration by showing us this beautiful old Japanese book that has swatches of vintage fabrics for men's kimonos. See more photos at her Ambatalia blog. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Dec 24, 2007 05:00 PM
Fabric, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
December 21, 2007
Clairigami

Clairigami creates colorful and intricate origami sculptures from a variety of papers and vintage advertisements. She'll even personalize a sculpture with the color(s), size, and message of your choice. Link.

Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Dec 21, 2007 03:00 PM
Japanese Crafts, Paper Crafts, Recycle |
Permalink
| Comments (1)
| TrackBack
December 18, 2007
Sister Diane's Temari Ornaments

Sister Diane of CraftyPod recently made some intricate and beautiful Temari ball ornaments for a mutual friend, and I had to snap a photo to remember them by. Seeing them inspired me to try making similar ornaments for myself. There's a great tutorial in CRAFT: Vol. 3 (available here), or you can check out the TemariKai website for more info and inspiration. Link.
Posted by Jenny Ryan |
Dec 18, 2007 03:00 PM
General, Holiday projects, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
November 27, 2007
Kokeshi Doll Ornament

Zakka Life shows you how to make an easy Kokeshi Doll Ornament made from a wooden clothes pin. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 27, 2007 10:00 AM
Holiday projects, Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
November 18, 2007
Origami Gift Box

Lisa at U-Handblog shows you how to make a quick and easy origami gift box. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 18, 2007 05:14 PM
Holiday projects, Japanese Crafts, Paper Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
| TrackBack
November 13, 2007
Zakka Style Owl Pennant

Moonstitches shows you how to make the cutest zakka style owl pennant with their pattern and tutorial. A perfect decor for the holidays. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 13, 2007 12:00 PM
Holiday projects, Japanese Crafts, Sewing |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
November 9, 2007
Japanese Pattern Translation

My Little Mochi gives us some much needed Japanese pattern help with her handy PDF of some of the most commonly found words on pattern pieces inside the books. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 9, 2007 02:00 PM
Japanese Crafts |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
CRAFT: Features & More
CRAFT Newsletter
Sign up for our bi-weekly CRAFT newsletter that covers popular topics from the blog! You can also see the archive of past newsletters.
CRAFT: The First Year Box Set
In this special limited re-release, all 4 Volumes of Craft's first year are combined in a Special Edition Boxed Collector's Set. Box slip case is included in this set.
Natalie Zee Drieu
Senior Editor
Jenny Ryan
Community Marketing Manager
Michelle Kempner
Tech Craftologist
Arwen O'Reilly
Staff Editor
Becky Stern
Craft Technologist
Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor, Makezine.com

Why advertise on CRAFT?
Read what folks are saying about us!
Click here to advertise on CRAFT!
Current Podcast
Build Your Own Roller Skates - CRAFT Video Podcast
This week's CRAFT Video Podcast comes courtesy of the fine folks at Skates.com where Luanne Teoh and Richard Humphrey show us how to build a pair of roller skates as featured in our current issue of CRAFT: 07! Download...
More...
