Hello, my friends! Hard as it is to believe, it’s that time of year when Christmas is just around the corner. For this year’s free printable holiday tags, I decided to use some illustrations from my latest book, SHIBUI: THE JAPANESE ART OF FINDING BEAUTY IN AGING. Most of the illustrations didn’t make it into the book, but I enjoyed painting them so much that it seemed a shame not to use them for something. I also doodled a few somewhat more holiday-esque illustrations and made them into tags ... Read more
SHIBUI LAUNCH DAY + PARTY!
Hoo-ray-ray-ray! Today, November 4th, 2025 is the birthday (aka launch day) of my latest book, SHIBUI: THE JAPANESE ART OF FINDING BEAUTY IN AGING. What a wild ride this one has been. It survived a number of tumultuous changes with publishers, editors, deadlines. I am so, so, SO happy it’s out in the world! Thank YOU, you wonderful encouragers out there. As you know, I’ve been at this book-making thing for a long time, and let’s just say it’s not for the faint of heart. If nothing else I’ve ... Read more
Preorder Time for Shibui: The Japanese Art of Finding Beauty in Aging
Yes. Another book. This one feels extra auspicious because it's my 13th book in my 13th year since I started this book-making adventure. If you can't tell, 13 is my lucky number (I was born on a day with that much maligned number). I can't even begin to express how extraordinary it is to see the physical, actuality of this book that almost never came to be. But that story is for another day. Let me start by saying that I have been feeling the impacts of the passage of time -- psychically, ... Read more
GOOD NIGHT, NINJAS + GIVEAWAY! {CLOSED}
[Update: the winners are Maki and Jennifer! Congrats!] Today is the day!! GOOD NIGHT, NINJAS is all about shinobi-style bedtime (shinobi is another word for ninja)! This marks my 12th book, which boggles my mind. To be quite frank, I’m a little hazy about the details of working on this book. There was a lot of fun, to be sure. Excitement about commemorating Little Kunoichi’s 10-year anniversary, without a doubt. As always, I included a lot of Easter eggs and references to Japanese culture in ... Read more
Zip-up Hoodies + Summer Tiered Dress
Hello! Summer is in full swing around here, and I'm getting back into sewing mode. I know that this hooded jacket (windbreaker? hoodie?) doesn't look too summery but it's perfect for the cool mornings. I had just enough olive/khaki twill for this, and I love it. I started off with this PatternCouture zip-up hoodie pattern from etsy, and cut out the large. Then I futzed with it and made quite a few modifications. First, I sewed a wearable muslin out of knit scraps I had on hand: That ... Read more