Mar 14, 2014 | DIY
While I was in Tokyo last year, I picked up another felt macaron coin purse kit. (I think I’m a little addicted!)
I made a cute little half-and-half cookie macaron coin purse the year before, and within 6 hours of hanging it from my handbag, I promptly lost it somewhere on the streets of Tokyo. I did look for it, but never found it. (T _ T)
So the next time I went I intended to buy another kit and re-make the purse…except I couldn’t find the same kit again. So I bought a chocolate chip cookie version. 
Here are photos of the process of making these cute little purses. You need yellow and brown felt, a thread and needle, a 5cm-long zipper, 2 pieces of stiff cardboard (like cut from a milk carton), some fiberfill stuffing, scissors, a pencil, brown eyeshadow, and a small ball chain to make these.) 
Hope you like it! Have fun making your own version 🙂
Happy DIY’ing!
xo
Carly
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Feb 9, 2014 | DIY
Last week I shared how to make some easy pastel-colored French macarons, and today I’m going to share what to do with the ones you’ve made. You don’t want them just sitting around, right? How about making them into something even better, like a cute little stack holding a message of love for your sweetheart? It looks adorable sitting on a desk, makes a great gift for children or teachers, and is quite easy to make as the clay is soft enough to poke holes into without power equipment. Here’s how:
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Feb 2, 2014 | DIY
Who isn’t obsessed with French macarons lately? They seem to be everywhere: flooding Pinterest, on inspiration boards, in recipe guides, and all over Instagram. Though I love love love the real ones as an occasional indulgence, sometimes I want to have some around as sweet little objets d’art, and as the basis for another fun craft for Valentine’s Day I have coming up. 
They could also be used in jewelry and accessory projects too! (More on that later.) In the first of my series on Japanese-inspired Deko Sweets, here is how to make your very own (extremely realistic!) pastel-colored French macaron out of clay:
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Feb 19, 2013 | DIY
I picked up this iron-on decal set last Spring when I visited Japan.
Japan is such a treasure trove of nonsensical English. I find it summarily hilarious.
So of course I could NOT pass up this “Beau Chat” iron-on decal. I am a crazy cat lady at heart (who happens to unfortunately currently reside with this crazy Ewok-lookalike dog instead of a big pile of cats, which is my someday personal goal).
So I can only surround myself with cat-themed items and try to be consoled in the meantime. A stern-looking tabby sporting the crown jewels is an excellent addition to my collection.
I figured the title of this iron-on image was French. “Good Cat,” I believe, unless my French is really terrible (which, okay, it is…a kind reader told me it is “Handsome Cat.” Whoops.). “Since 1902” it also proclaims in English (making it one very OLD handsome cat, apparently).
And then follows a chopped-up paragraph in German. I don’t speak German, but the online translator says it is something about being outdoorsy, wine, and making a blunder over a duration of time. Maybe.
But the back of the bag is the best.
My cat is only active at night.
YOU ARE BLOWING MY MIND
I mean seriously, who could resist a bag that accuses people of blowing the owner’s mind??!? I always feel that my mind is blown by the amazing-ness (and sometimes craziness) of other people. I think this accusation is excellent in a proactive sort of way.
I made the bag following a pattern from a Japanese pattern-book I have; you could also use this pattern here and come up with a similar result. 
The faux leather handles were also from Japan; you can buy similar ones here. The grey Essex linen I used for the outside I bought from this Etsy shop (I LOVE this stuff!), and the toile-print lining I bought from the fabric store. 
The iron-on is of course uniquely Japanese, but you can find something similar here and add some crazy paragraphs in a variety of languages on the computer if necessary.
This little, crazy tote is the perfect size for a quick run out, or just a wonderful conversation-starter.
From one crazy cat lady to all of you~
xo
Carly
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Jan 4, 2013 | DIY
While I was in Japan last April/May, despite the unhappy circumstances of my visit I did manage to go to some craft stores to see the latest trends and products. One thing I came across were these beautiful vintage-style iron-on decals by Eruberu Co, Ltd. They’re a company that manufactures a number of craft-related supplies, and these decals were just so lovely and whimsical I couldn’t help buying a few to play with. Victorian-style kitties, bunnies, little girls, roses, and birds, oh my!
So I brought them home to Oregon to my trusty old iron and ironing board, and decided to whip up some quick little keychain charms using some scrap leather I had lying around. And if you can wield an iron, you can easily make these pretty little keychain rings and cell phone charms too! Here’s how: (more…)
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