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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Sartorial Musings

August 13, 2013

Pink+Grey Striped Knit Top | Lace+Navy Tank Top | Coral-Striped Kimono Top |  White Linen Blend Skirt | Ikat Knit Tank | Pink Scoop Top | Brown Linen Tank Top |  Stripey Scoop Top | Textured Maxi | Navy Chevron Maxi  Contrary to the impression I'm making on this here blog, I'm actually a pretty organized and very reliable person. I've always been pathological about meeting deadlines and following-through, but lately...hmmmmmmmmmm. Let's just say I'm working on getting back on track. Maybe ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, gouache, illustration • by sanae • 35 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 31, 2013

  Happy Friday! Friends, the giveaway comments are awesome. I am having so much fun reading everyone's unique/secret talents! I can't wait to do a round-up of my faves when I announce the winner next week! On another note, above is my tentative plan for my (mostly) handmade vacation mini-wardrobe, scrawled in my sketchbook. For travel and comfort purposes, it makes the most sense to keep the garments to knits, and being me, there will be a lot of solids and stripes. Maybe some ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, life, writing • by sanae • 18 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 3, 2013

Happy Friday! What a week! I'm pretty wiped out from sewing like a madwoman and cajoling a six-year-old to model constantly, but I also feel very satisfied with my efforts. I did miss doing my usual other creative pursuits though, particularly drawing/painting, writing and baking. I love to sew, but I find that baking and journal writing are the ultimate forms of stress release for me. I'm also a big walker. That's a little illustration up there that I doodled - wishful thinking really, because ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, life • by sanae • 8 Comments

On my mind…

April 10, 2013

I've been thinking about these words by Theodore Roosevelt a lot lately, so I made a simple paper cut. I don't like to compete. Deep deep down, I'm sure I'm fiercely and frighteningly competitive and will claw my way to the top while gnashing my teeth and leaving detritus in my wake, if given the chance. But I clearly remember the day I consciously decided not to compare myself and not to compete if I could help it in any way. I was about eight or nine, and like many first-borns of ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, life, papercuts, writing • by sanae • 39 Comments

Oh Laundry…

April 3, 2013

...how you overwhelm me. I can't keep up and I need a better system. Do you do laundry every day? Are you keeping up? How do you do it?? I think I would be a lot more motivated to do laundry if my utility room looked like this or this or this instead of like Gollum's natural habitat (a terrifying place, our basement). I have a friend who lived in Manhattan for a spell and she sent out her clothes to a laundry service regularly. "What about your underwear??!" I asked, scandalized. She shrugged ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, life • by sanae • 8 Comments

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The holidays are upon us!! 🎄🎁 I’ve posted The holidays are upon us!! 🎄🎁 I’ve posted this year’s free printable holiday tags on my blog - link in bio! Can you believe I’ve been creating these printable tags for over 10 years?? This year I included outtake illustrations from my book SHIBUI so these tags and bookmarks could be used for gifts all year round. I also painted a few holiday-ish ones too! Enjoy, and have a lovely and celebratory season! I’m taking my usual winter social media break, and I’ll see you back here in 2026 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
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