Lego Kirigami

Now that I've got some of the basic kirigami principles down thanks to my new book, I've been experimenting with different shapes. I thought it would be fun to take the traditional person paper cut and change it to a Lego person. Below is a template with instructions on how to make your very own Lego kirigami.

Supplies:
Yellow paper ( 4" x 11") - light weight
Scissors
Lego template
Right click image, copy, save, and scale to 4 inches in height. Print and cut out for template.

Fold yellow paper as directed above.

Trace template on folded paper. It should look like the above image.

Cut out shape, unfold, done.

How to Make Cupcake Liner Packets

Cupcake liners come in such pretty colors, shapes and prints now. Have you noticed? Well I have and it makes me wonder what else I could use them for. Oh, how that wondering always gets the best of me. So, I decided to make some sweet little packages with the cupcake liners. You can tuck little cookies, candy, or whatever else you want into the packets. They're inexpensive, simple, and quick to make.

Supplies:
Cupcake liners
White glue - make sure it's non-toxic

Gently flatten two cupcake liners to about half their original height.

Fill one liner with treats. Run a small amount of glue all the way around the edge of the cupcake liner.

Place the second cupcake liner on top and press the edges together, working your way all around the liners. Let dry.

*It's easier to make the packets if there's just one cookie in the packet opposed to loose candy. Making the packets with candy inside just takes a little more patience because it moves around.

Other options: label cupcake liners first with contents, add embellishments, enclose a sweet note inside the package

Japanese Kirigami Book

One of my weaknesses is Japanese craft books. Call it my crafty kryptonite if you will. When I see one of those glorious books I go weak in the knees and feel the instant sensation to buy, buy, buy! And so was the case last weekend when I walked into the Kinokuniya bookstore. I had met my match with this Japanese Kirigami book. Like a tractor beam, it locked on to me and pulled me in with its exquisite crafts. Below are a few pictures from the book which should illustrate why.

ISBN978-4-579-21042-8

Old Jeans That Rock

Lately all of my son's jeans have been ripping. In fact, even today I discovered a new hole in a pair of pants. It's as if we have some hole making monster living in the house. So to make the pants last till summer, I'm applying patches to them. My son picked out this guitar patch; he was so excited about it. He's already making suggestions for other patches I can buy.

If you've never used a clothing patch before, they're really easy to apply. Basically, you just iron it on to the clothing. I also recommend sewing around the edges of the patch to ensure that it does not come off. You can find these patches at dollar stores, craft stores, and sewing shops. I purchased the guitar patch at Daiso.

More places to get your fix

Fix it Friday's on Maya Made

How to Extend Sleeves on A Coat by Maiden Jane

Turn Pants into shorts by Make It and Love It

Turn Short Sleeves into Long Sleeves by Squiggly Twigs

How To Make Domo-kun Pocky

WARNING: You might consume a lot of sugar while making this.

Some people dream of flying or winning the lottery. As for me, I dream of strange things like Pocky with Domo-kun faces. Yes, this idea came to me in a dream. So what did I do? I went down to the store and bought some Pocky of course. I had to test the idea out, right?

Supplies:
1 single pack of Pocky (will yield 2 Domos)
Small marshmallows
Frosting
Red fruit roll-up
Black food marker

Line up 9 Pocky. If you want them to stick together, try melting the chocolate until they stick together and let dry.

Cut out a rectangle from the fruit roll-up for the mouth. Attach it to the Pocky with frosting.

Flatten marshmallows and cut into 8 small triangles for teeth. Attach with frosting.

Cut out two small circles from the marshmallows. Color black with food writer marker. Attach to Pocky with frosting. Done.

* You could also use frosting for the teeth and the eyes instead of marshmallows.

Recipe: Shell Pasta Salad

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. It was so nice out that we were even able to sit outside for dinner (love days like that). Too bad that was just a teaser, it's supposed to rain most of this week. Anyhow, that sunny day got me thinking of picnic food. And, one of my favorite picnic recipes is this Shell Pasta salad from my Mother in Law. It's a dish that can be made overnight and can feed a crowd. It's perfect to bring to a potluck. Enjoy.

Shell Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients:
1lb elbow or shell macaroni
3/4 cup Bernstein's Italian dressing
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup sweet pickled relish
1/4 cup chopped green onions - white part only
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup imitation crab
salt & pepper
1 cup mayonnaise

Make overnight, mix everything except mayonnaise to marinate. Add mayonnaise before serving.

Meeting Miki

Basic & Fun! by Miki Usui

Perhaps one of the best parts of blogging is meeting people you may otherwise have never known. Such is the case with Miki Usui. I first met her online via Twitter. Then we got a chance to meet in person in San Francisco. Below is little bit of information about her.

Editor for books and magazines. After graduating from university, I began working for a publish company. Since then, I´ve edited various magazines, such as `weeklyPIA´ (Tokyocityguide), `Shufunotomo´ (lifestyle), `ef´ (fashion), `PLUS1LIVING´ (interior decoration) and as editor in chief for `zakka catalogue´ (life style and design). I´ve also edited a wide range of books in the lifestyle field on cooking, Interior decoration, antiques , handmade, postcard etc. I now live in San Fransisco.

Image from Basic & Fun!

We met at Blue Bottle Coffee (image above) which is also mentioned in 'Basic & Fun!'. Her book is all about items she discovered and liked while living in San Francisco. Miki pointed out that she writes about American items that she likes from a Japanese perspective and I do the opposite. When you think about that, it is interesting to see what aesthetically appeals to someone from another country.

Below are couple of images from Basic & Fun.

You can find more photos of American zakka over at Miki's site, Zakka News. I hope you'll get a chance to check it out.

Upcycle Craft: Doddle Pads

Anyone like to sit by the phone and doodle? Well, I'm a chronic doodler. If there's a piece of paper in front of me, chances are I'm going to draw on it. So, I decided to make these fun doodle pads out of old magazines and catalogs. These are perfect for adults or kids to make and use.

Supplies:

Magazines, Catalogs, or Junk Mail
Scissors
Stapler

Cut out about 15- 20 3" x 5" images (index card size). Look for images that have plenty of space to draw on plus light colors. The images above I picked out for my son's doodle pad.

Cut out a 3"x 10" piece of paper, fold in half. Place all pieces of paper inside the cover, Staple at top or side of your doodle book.

The cover above actually came from a craft store advertisement.

Start doodling!

Cherry Blossom Festival

Over the weekend I attended the Cheery Blossom Festival in San Fransisco. Here are few pictures I took from the event.

The most popular food booth was the takoyaki balls (fried octopus). It's a combination of octopus, batter, and seasonings. I know it sounds strange but you're going to have to trust me on this one, it's the best.

Okinawa Soba

For dessert we had azuki bean filled pancakes. I admit, this is an acquired taste but I've grown to love them. They're best fresh off the griddle.

From my understanding this is a Zen Buddhist Priest playing the Shakuhachi for meditation and alms. That's all I know about this.

Women performing a bamboo mat dance. Here's a video on YouTube that shows what they were doing.

I took this picture of the back of the kimono's to show the obi. Often you see the kimono from the front and never get to see the beautiful obi (sash).

Every year at the festival there's a room dedicated to Japanese crafts. The day I was there they were demonstrating Japanese embroidery. I like how the embroidery frame is set between two tables so the artists' hands can be free. It seems like it would be easier to use compared to the hand held hoop.

Japanese Embroidery

"Mom, don't look but I think Hello Kitty is standing beside me!"

Yes, even Hello Kitty was at the event, it was that popular.

Rainbow Decorated Cupcakes

I came up with this idea to make rainbow cupcakes about a year ago. The only thing holding me back was finding twisty marshmallows, until now. I discovered the marshmallows selling at a local Asian market, yipeeee! So needless to say, the hardest thing about this project is finding the marshmallows. Otherwise, making the cupcakes is simple. Enjoy.

Rainbow Decorated Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcakes - I made mine with a basic chocolate box mix.
Chocolate Frosting
Shredded Coconut
Green food coloring
Twisty Marshmallows
Toothpicks
Plastic bag

Add shredded coconut and green food coloring into a plastic bag. Shake bag until the coconut is all green.

Frost cupcake with chocolate frosting. Dip cupcake in coconut to cover the top. You could also replace the coconut with green sprinkles if you wanted to.

Place a toothpick on each side of the marshmallow. Place toothpicks in the top of the cupcake to form a rainbow.