Craft Confession

Sandwiches, look at this beautiful scrap paper city made by the clever At Swim Two Birds. (Thank you Justine for tweeting this! - By the way have you seen Justine's Tokyo Stationery Store round up? )

I also have a little craft confession. When I moved to Tokyo I packed...um...an entire box of scrap paper! When my mum read my packing slip with descriptions of box contents she was outraged that I was taking 'Scrap paper'! ha ha I know paper is so heavy but I had spent years collecting these pieces of paper which I use for everything from artworks to gift wrapping to making Christmas cards. I'd carefully collected snippets of paper from all parts of my life. The girls at VOGUE Living used to warn me when they'd just put all of the unwanted wallpaper samples and press releases in the bin and I used to rummage through the otto bin searching for floral and flocked wallpaper pieces. (glamorous I know!) There is something very inspiring to me about my scrap paper collection. I like arranging the pieces in nice combinations and seeing how the textures and colours react and relate to each other. In any case, that's my dirty little craft secret. And here are two little pics of my collection!





I may go now and construct myself a little scrap paper city!

Love Love
Sandwich
xoxo

Hello Sandwich at D ♥ Y

Sandwiches, do you remember the D ♥ Y event which I (perhaps a little too enthusiastically) wrote about here and here? Well, all of my dreams have come true and the other day I was in Utrecht bookstore and the lovely Hiroshi Eguchi asked if I would like to do a craft workshop at D ♥ Y!

The next D ♥ Y will be held on the 5th and 6th February at Claska. I hope you can pop along and get involved in some of the creative workshops and stop by the Hello Sandwich booth to say Hello. The last D ♥ Y was one of the most creative, inspiring days I've ever had in Tokyo, so I promise you, if you are the creative type, you won't want to miss it. And even if you're not the creative type, you should still come - the food, coffee and hot wine were not to be missed.


D♥Y

その場で作る、オーダーする、作って食べる、みんなで歌う。「D♥Y（ディー・アイ・ワイ）」は、相互が作用しながらその場でしかできないモノやコトを生み出す、体験、共感型の新しいイベントです。「D♥Y」という名前にはご想像の通りDIYという意味の他に、DOとYOUを♥でつなぐという意味もあります。昨年の第1回目には2,000人もの来場者を記録し大きな話題を呼んだD♥Yを、ふたたびCLASKAで開催します。40を超える参加者とあなたで♥な２日間をつくりあげてください。

参加者（アルファベット・五十音順）
4bonjour's Parties / affice / Community Design Council / deno Trattoria / FabLab Japan / food + things / gm projects / Hello Sandwich / HIMAA / KIGENZEN / kiokuh / Life Spread / mammoth school / Merce Death / NEWPORT / Productive Mind / Ribbonesia / Satoko Sai + Tomoko Kurahara / skunkin' mau / sparrows / SPREAD / this and that / Whatever Press / 秋山伸 / 安藤じゅん子 / いとう食堂 / 大原大次郎 / 華雪 / 珈琲暴走連合 / 台形（中村圭佑 / 谷本大輔） / 高い山 / タナカカツキ ＋ 池田晶紀 / 力石咲 / テクノ手芸部 / 『デザインのひきだし』＋『紙のひきだし』 / トム・ヴィンセント / トモタケ / 名久井直子 / 南風食堂 / （株）花宇 / フラクタス / 毛利嘉孝 /
and more... 
※参加者は変更する可能性がございます。詳細はウェブサイトを御覧ください。

日時
2011年2月5日（土）6日（日）（雨天決行）/ 午前11時～午後7時

会場
CLASKA 8F "The 8th Gallery"＋屋上 
〒152-0001　東京都目黒区中央町1-3-18
http://www.claska.com

入場料
無料
※会場内にて独自通貨「♥（アイ・1♥=１００円）」をご購入いただく事で商品購入や各種イベントへの参加にご利用いただけます。

D♥Yウェブサイト
http://www.d-ai-y.info/



Below is my bio from the D ♥ Y website (which by the way is super cute - you should pop over - loads of cute pics to inspire you to come and visit!)

紹介文
東京在住のオーストラリア人グラフィック・デザイナー、芸術家、創芸家、ジン作家。豪州立NSW大学COFA修士号。数々の個展・グループ展に参加し、2007年COFA Tim Olsen賞で最優秀賞受賞。母国ではヴォーグ誌関連で１１年間の経験を経て、直近ではヴォーグ・リヴィングの副アート・ダイレクターを勤める。現在は東京を拠点にフリーランス・デザイナーを傍ら自身のジン制作などを中心に、お気に入りのティファニー・ブルーのママチャリでデジカメ片手に都内を疾走している。エボニーはアートに活き、クラフトやデザインを主に東京で活動し、日本で感じる芸術を日々呼吸で感じ、自身の運営するハローサンドウィッチ・ブログではそれら全てを見事に反映している。2010年12月には自署二冊目となる「ハロー・サンドウィッチ・ギフト・ラッピング」をリリース。

Ebony Bizys is an Australian graphic designer, artist, crafter and zine maker currently living in Tokyo. Before moving to Tokyo, Bizys worked at VOGUE magazines for 11 years, most recently in the position of Deputy Art Director for VOGUE Living magazine. Now days, Bizys spends her days freelance designing, making zines, learning Japanese, and riding her cute tiffany blue mamachari bike around Tokyo taking photos. Bizys studied her Masters of Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) at The University Of New South Wales, Australia, and has had numerous solo and group art exhibitions. Recently Bizys has commenced 'Hello Sandwich Craft TV' how-to-videos and has hosted International craft workshops via Skype. Bizys lives and breathes art, craft and design in Tokyo and she shares her love of all things Japanese on her blog Hello Sandwich. Bizys also recently released her second zine ‘Hello Sandwich Gift Wrapping’.





I will also be bringing along a few of my new Gift Wrapping zines (printed by the amazing Surutokoro) so if you'd like to see them please pop over to the Sandwich booth!

Well, I'm off to make some cute craft packs for the workshop!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

食堂ミタケ・オアシン

Pho, Rice paper rolls, curry, donburi, pizza, coffee and sweets. Add a super cute retro and pop style interior and you have 食堂ミタケ・オアシン (Mitake Oashin) cafe in Yutenji. A little bit asian, a little bit western and just the right amount hippy, this is one cosy little cafe to relax away the afternoon. Have fun spotting adorable nostalgic retro items like a crochet fan cover, a baby pink ukulele with folk embroidery strap, and for those with impressive Japanese, you can read some retro poi manga. For those who love granny square blankets this place is basically heaven for you. Mismatched retro tea cup and saucer sets are all the rage here too.





Getting there:
Take my favourite train line, the Toyoko line to Yutenji and pop out at the Higashi (east) exit. Turn down the street on your right - and follow the street alongside train tracks about 3 minutes until you hit a small t-intersection, and there you will find 食堂ミタケ・オアシン cafe. (Map here - Japanese only)

Enjoy!

(There are more cute cafes like this in my Hello Sandwich Tokyo Guide Zine)

Love Love
ハローサンドウィッチ

Wintery Tokyo Days

Another Tokyo day. Another set of front-on Tokyo neighbourhood photographs. I just can't help myself. It's become my most favourite hobby. Even in the cold weather, just riding around super slow, stopping to take photographs of shop fronts or pop into cafes for coffee. I have some lovely bike riding + photo taking friends too.

Today Mark and I rode around Kyodo, Shimotakaido and Sasazuka. I feel extremely lucky to be able to spend my days like this at the moment, to soak in the city and share it with you wherever you may be in the world. Don't you think it's fun to travel around the world through blogs popping up your google reader. At first you are in wintery Sweden and then you're on an Australian beach having a picnic on a handmade picnic throw. The Satorialist refers to this in his latest documentary as sitting on a 'digital park bench'. Ah, the internet, I love you.












Some other favourite relaxing Sandwich pastimes of late:

+ Wearing up to four Hokkairo heated packs at once. I've become a fan of the shoe ones.

+ Eating super sweet strawberries

+ Taking morning walks along the nature walk with Gracie and our thermos coffee.

+ Visiting neighbourhood markets and watching the locals eat hot sweet potato.

+ Spending hours in Sekaido buying art materials and spending the afternoon drawing.

+ Reading Murakami novels in the morning sun.

+ Painting my nails in colours like 'High Roller' by Kit. Thank you Lauren!

+ Drinking Spanish and French red wine until late at local bakery cafes with cosy ski-lodge interiors.

+ Cooking delicious western style salads from here.

I'm looking forward to Gusto Family restaurant nomihodai drink bar Nihongo study sessions with my friends too.

How have you been spending the start of the year?




Oh, and today we saw this little Fuji in Sasazuka, and the real Fuji-san from Setagayadaita. Today is such a clear Tokyo day!

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo

Sasazuka

Hello Sandwiches.

I just got back from a mamachari ride around a nearby neighbourhood called Sasazuka. It's filled with buzzy little shōtengai with obaachans selling fresh yasai and other dinner essentials. I really like it there. I think I'll try and do my shopping there sometimes. It's just a short bike ride from my apartment and it's such a lovely experience buying from the little street shops.








Bike riding is the best way to spend an afternoon! I had breakfast here with Amy, and then a warm cosy chai here with Ortolan (where I desperately want to work - if only they were in Tokyo!), and then topped of the afternoon with such a lovely bike ride.

I am going to try this cafe out tomorrow. Oh it's a hard life!

Hope you had a happy day too.

Love Love
Sandwich
xoxo

Smilebooth

I've always loved a backdrop photoshoot. And thanks to the clever bunnies at
Smilebooth you can hire your own photobooth and fun backdrop - no photographer needed. There are loads of backdrops to choose from, even some pretty special ones designed by Confetti systems. Now I just have to scheme up a party so I can see if they ship the booths to Tokyo!

I first spotted Smilebooth over at Bluebird Vintage.
And how cute are Bluebird Vintage's New Year family shots! Um, Adorable!






Adorable too was the photobooth at this wedding.



All this talk of photos...I'm off to ride my bike and take some photos. Be back soon.

Love Love
Sandwich
xoxo

mt x TEPRA Pro

Weee! Sandwiches I am so excited about mt tape's collaboration with Tepra Pro (King Jim)!. Together they have released a dymo-like printer that prints Katakana, Hiragana, Kanji and Romanji onto super cute patterned mt tape. Oh my! My kitchen cupboard and stationery section just got a whole lot cuter. Not to mention my envelope labeling system.









The tape cartridge comes in the above mt tape colours and patterns.

Depending on which country you live in, you can order via Rakuten but keep in mind too the AC point may differ to your country so you may need to swap the adapter.

Love Love
Sandwich
xoxo