tiny fellows

Hey, little my. What color bear should I make?

"You should think it yourself!"

That's right. I started to making white bear.

"You don't have face yet..."

Two days later, it done. :)

By the way, Moomin theme park will build in Saitama, Japan on 2017! I'm exciting! Moomin is very popular in Japan. Japanese people likes Moomin characters very much. :))

miniature show & Tokyo views

I exhibited in Tokyo dollhouse miniature show in Asakusa, Tokyo last month. :) This is five times exhibit to me. Oh, the advertisement is far....

This is my table in miniature show. It's simple display, but I guess this is good.

I put some photos on flickr. :)

A lot of customers came to this show! Hall was very crowded with customers, every exhibitors were surprised! 

Asakusa is one of the sights of Japan, there are a lot of sightseer of domestic or foreign countries. Asakusa has very famous temple, there is big lantern on the gate. I forgot take the photo. But I took some photos of night view.

Tokyo sky tree. 

I went to a wonderful cafe with my friends. We had cakes and iced coffee in a terrace. It was very comfortable! You can see big object in the center of photo. This building is very famous in Tokyo. The design of object is flame. Unfortunately, it has miserable nickname. It's called... caca building by people. I'm sorry the low story, but it's true.

A roofed pleasure boat go under the bridge. They will are enjoying, I was enjoyed too. :))

When we has walked in the main street of Asakusa, we can see a lot of rickshaws. oh, this guy who pull a rickshaw has cool hair style. :D

My favorite sweets, sweet potato! I love this. :-9 There are my favorite shops of sweet potato in Asakusa.  When I go to Asakusa, I bought this surely.

Thank you for reading and seeing. :))

Next, I will exhibit in Teddy bear convention.

Magazine cover

I made miniature ladies' shoes, little bird and flowers to magazine cover. This is health magazine and the theme is how to cure about the trouble of foots to busy women.

It also appear the inside of some pages. 

When I found this magazine in books store, I'm happy. :)) 

Cake pops cart

I made a cake pops cart. :)

 Ants found a cake pop dropped.

I will take part in exhibitions this year. I have to prepare miniatures to those exhibitions. I have a lot of to do list.  I'm very busy now. sigh...

I will make a display of miniature bakery. It needs various bread, I made a lot of bread. I have to cut excess clay and paint. I need a lot of patience....

Needle felting exercise. Final

Ta dah~! Finished! XD It could make cute. :D I guess it's not bad for my first made doll. :) I thought her heigh size is be about 10 cm, but she was be about 7.9 cm. (3.1102 inch)
This is trial, so I don't paint the shoes.

Back form. I wanted make her hair in braids, but it's a lot of knitting wool. It can't make it. I understood it not need a lot of transplant hair.

Eyes are by my handmade. I chose dark green, but I guess brown is better. It will mach this hair.

I will make a clothes by cloth next time, because I don't like make the clothes by felt wool.... And I found a lot of improvement part to make a doll by felt.


I put her on a dollhouse of a corner type. :) Oh! How ideally! :D

Thanks for reading Needle felting exercise series. :)

***

"We found a giant girl! I have an exclusive interview with her!"

*Extra*

"They try to break the Guinness World Record, Mr. Frog and Mr. Bear. They has challenged put a blindfold, it been nine days since started challenge. Mr. Frog show composure, 

but Mr. Bear said "My eyeballs are limit, it may crash...." .....Good luck!"

These toys "a reporter and a cameraman" are capsule-toy vending machine. Millions of various cupsule-toy are sold in various place in Japan. People "from grown-ups to kids" enjoy them.

others

One capsule is about 200~300yen (about 1.68~2.52US$ at Feb 23, 2015)  It's not expensive one capsule, but it will be the expenses come to a large sum if it bought a lot of capsule without attention. I guess capsule-toy is like a gamble. It want to try to come out a toy that oneself hope from vending machine. 

Needle felting exercise. Part 2

I make part of feet/shoes of needle felted doll. This is model, I made these with clay. This is large to body, because it's to steady oneself.

I understood somehow about needle felting.

Ok,  I challenge to make one needle felted doll on trial.

The left side is new head. It's smaller than right head, because felt wool was lesser and pierced many times than right head.

It's new body. I still study.

Clothes put on body. Of course, panties too. :) I didn't have a plan that make wear it, but I thought it's not good.

I will cut her hair. I wrap her body up in wrapping film, it's to protect from fiber of orange knitting wool.

Finish soon! 

Needle felting exercise. Part 1

I take up making miniature needle felted doll this year. I had wanted to make the needle felted doll, but I don't have any idea of design I want to make. I had considered the design. At last, I had an idea. :)

First, I start to an exercise and study. I have to know about wool felt.

I made a head. Oh, It seems Charlie Brown.

I transplanted hair of knitting wool. I enjoyed this exercise very well. :D I cut short, because it's obstacle to other exercise that make a body and other parts.

I made a body frame, but this was not good to my way. I don't use this. The frame seems say "Rush into my arms!"

uh~~~~ NO! This is different from figure I hope.

I make body except a frame.

I made a leg, but this is different too. :-(  This leg is too long and thick. I will make a leg and foot separately. I want to make stand except support.

I don't assemble each parts to make one body yet, I just study this time.

This is an arm. I wanted to make fingers, but I can't those. Because, a hand is small, it isn't possible to make fingers I hope design. I express only a thumb. I used the wool felt to base and covered wool felt with color. I guess the base is not necessary.

It except the base. It's good. :) It seems an arm.

To be continued.

Chocolate sweets

I made miniature chocolate sweets by clay.

marsh marrows, chocolate pie and donuts with stick. 

Done. :-9

February 14th is Valentin's day. There is a habit that woman gift a chocolate to man who she likes or love on this day in Japan. This habit was made to sales promotion by a confectionery company before long  time. This habit sometime is never wonderful, because there is a case of women has to gift chocolate to men in her office. But this is an according to the office, it is never all office. The chocolate is called "giri choco (obligation chocolate)." When woman gift chocolates to men who her boss, senior or  fellow workers and doesn't has goodwill in the office, those chocolates are called "giri choco".

This story is my experience,  In the office I worked, a woman who she entered the company earlier than I collected money with compulsion from each women, she bought chocolates to the number of men and gave them. She did it eagerly. sigh...

Why woman has to gift obligation chocolate. This is my opinion, there is a culture of "to consider others" in Japan. I think this is very good, but this culture often make unnecessary considerer. It's troublesomeness. 

And there is White day on March 14th in Japan, man return candy, marsh marrow or white chocolate to woman on this day. Yes, this habit was made by confectionery company too. 

Hello again :)

I started English miniature blog again. :) But, today is not about miniature. Let me introduce about tatami mat.

I think tatami mat is very important and necessary to Japanese people's life. Because tatami room is very comfortable  and can relax to body and spirit. We take a nap and lay down on the tatami and read books. :)

This is my tatami room. Tatami mat generally has to reface about every five or six years. But almost Japanese houses not do it, I guess. Because the cost is expensive and can living no problem do not reface. So, tatami of my room hadn't refaced about 15 years. It has very damage. I decided to have a tatami refaced. Tatami quality has various. If chose very high quality tatami, the cost will be very expensive. So,  I chose tatami not high class, it's enough to my house.

(before reface)

This border of a tatami is common design and color in Japanese house. I guess almost Japanese houses has green.

I visited tatami maker to ask reface. The workshop is small, there is an old craftsman. He is an owner of this workshop. Maybe he is about octogenarian. I thought he may come to my house with other craftsman, but the day of reface, he came alone. I thought "How does he move heavy wardrobe, I wonder?" But he moved it easily. He used special tools to move furniture with his wisdom. He came to my house at 8:30 am and he took tatami mats to his workshop to reface and he back to my house bring tatami mats refaced in the evening.

(the state of no tatami)

While he reface the tatami mats in his workshop, I cleaned a room of no tatami. 

He back to my house at 5:30 pm bring tatami mats refaced. How beautiful! I'm very exiting! The smell of rush is full in the room. The real color is green. It's different from photo.

(after)

I could choose some design and color from the sample of the border of tatami. I chose orange. Old craftsman said me "It's unique. I did it first in my craftsman history." I didn't want choose green. Because I  wanted change my mood.

This is professional work.

When he go back his shop, I said him "I will ask you have a tatami refaced again after a few yeas." He answered me "It will be impossible, because I may retire soon.  hahaha." He told me he decide to  retire every year, because he doesn't has strength. But he think about after retired, "What should I do after retired? I don't need free time." The craftsman of tatami is his job and also his hobby.
I said him "Sir, your move is brisk and your work is very beautiful. I think you can still working. Please continue your job. I hope it." He said me "I don't have idea. hahaha"

The demand of the craftsmen of tatami decrease in Japan, because Japanese room also decrease, increase to the room of only flooring. And young generation don't be craftsmen of tatami. It also has other reason to decrease, I guess. Anyway, it still need veteran craftsmen.

Today, I wrote about a part of Japanese life. :)

Thanks for reading.