Around The World - Japan

Lately, all eyes had been on Japan and their nuclear crisis. Despite the dangers and worry about the spread of radiation, I am still touched by the inspiring stories about their country's crisis that came up on the news almost on a daily basis. Please do not forget about the wonderful things that Japan cultures had given us too - fantastic food, inspiring stories, and beautiful art.

So today I would like dedicate today's Around the World post to Japan, featuring Japanese sellers on Etsy.

Sakura II for Japan by photographybykarina

Coincidentally, it is the sakura blooming right now in Japan. :) I would really like to go see it for myself one day, so stay strong Japan!!

I remembered dadaya from a Featured Seller post on the Etsy blog ages ago, her products are just that memorable. :) Whimsical and detailed embroidered berets, the organic texture and the unique shape makes their products stand out. Although their prices are a little bit on the pricey side, but I think a lot of work went into making those wool berets. Now if only I am a millionaire!

Still in the category of fabric accessories, Yoko from Homako is a Japanese who lives in the states. Her specialty is making these fantastic and unique fabric jewelry, although there are a few beaded pieces in her shop too. ;) I particularly love her Kaleidoscope Felt Collage necklace above! She is also donating portion of her sales to help Japan as well, so check her out!

These miniature Food jewelry by SouZouCreations just boggles my mind! The fork lifting the spaghetti up, it's like there is an invisible hand holding that fork, like a motion frozen in time. They have one where they are pouring curry into a plate of rice. The amount of detail just boggles my mind! I actually felt hungry looking at the pictures lol. Makes me miss Japanese food... original, authentic food from Japan. :(

Planning a wedding and looking for cute cake toppers? You should definitely look into kikuike. :) They are a professional team that creates art dolls, dollhouse and wedding accessories. I love the collection of adorable and whimsical characters that they use for their cake toppers, reminiscent of iconic Japanese characters such as Hello Kitty. Owls, cats, bunnies, foxes, and even odd couples like an alligator with a rabbit, or even a shark and a penguin!

Of course, what would a Japanese feature post be without sharing some art done by the Japanese? Some of them have the most bizarre and creative of imaginations after all, and PlanetMomeko is definitely one of them. Colorful artworks riddled with detailed lines and patterns, the intricacy is just simply amazing! Furthermore, she is selling for a good cause. A large portion of her sales (some even up to 100%!) are going to be donated to UNICEF to help the victims in the Japan disaster. So what are you waiting for? Check her out! :)

What is better than art, is kitty art!! :D Natsuo from Kushun55 has tons of illustrations of cats sleeping, running, sitting among flowers, even floating! I love how the cats are executed with just simple lines and shading, giving the artworks a unique look and feel. Aside from black and white illustrations, she paints as well. And dare I say that it is almost if not better than her line drawings. Although personally, I prefer the latter. :)

Aside from cute accessories and illustrations, I also found this kick ass shop that makes steampunk USB drives! BasementFoundry they are called, and wicked looking USB drives they make! Just look at the amount of details on these drives, they don't need to look like the cookie cutter USB drives you buy from stores anymore. :D Plus they are donating $10 for the Japan relief also with every unit sold.

You know I love colors right? :) Yes I do! Imagine my glee when I found the colorful fabric shop that is Kalla. And best of all, these colorful fabrics are actually handmade! The patterns are designed by the seller and then they are screenprinted onto the fabric manually. So if you want unique fabrics for your craft, look no further. :) I can't make up my mind which is my favorite, Katsura pattern in teal or coral pink?