Hello, hello! Here we are, a few weeks into 2026. How’s it going for you? I’m nursing a slight cold, the weather is predictably grey and rainy in Seattle, the global news is afire. When the state of the world threatens to crater my inner realm, I turn to moderate making. The moderate part is important. Just-enough-creating of not too much, not too little. Steady, meditative progress and quiet enjoyment along the way. It’s so grounding. And I can’t be of any use if I’m not grounded first. ... Read more
2025 Free Printable Holiday Tags + Bookmarks
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