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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Seeking pattern testers for my next book!

January 31, 2020

[UPDATE #2: All testing materials have been sent out! If you don’t see an email in your inbox, please check your promotions tab or junk folder. Let me know if you have any questions and I’m so excited to see all the feedback!] [UPDATE: I'm so astounded by the number of and grateful for all the people who signed up!! THANK YOU. I'll be sending confirmation emails soon! Sign-ups are now closed.] Hello, my friends! As you may or may not know, I've been tucked away in my atelier (read: my ... Read more

Filed in: book • by sanae • 17 Comments

Another Year of Magical Thinking

December 31, 2019

Hello, my friends! Here it is, my last post of the year, squeaking in at the very last minute. Overall, 2019 was a profound year for me. I changed a lot, accomplished so many goals. I failed and failed and failed, too. One of the biggest changes of all: I am no longer afraid of public speaking. In fact, I might even go as far to say that I enjoy it now. That's not to say that I'm any good at it, but I've stopped caring that I'm not. Just last month, I stood in front of two hundred elementary ... Read more

Filed in: e-book, life • by sanae • 10 Comments

2019 Advent Calendar + Even more holiday tags!

December 13, 2019

"I wonder when this Advent Calendar tradition will end?" As K grows older, this is the question that pops into my brain every time I embark on yet another design for the holiday season. She'll be starting high school next year and I don't know if she'll enjoy it quite as much. This was a fun one, my friends. The idea first came to me when I was -- as per usual -- shopping at Trader Joe's. I saw the garland with the felted balls ($8.99! What a steal!), and I immediately knew that it would be ... Read more

Filed in: download, watercolor • by sanae • 10 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving + Free downloadable holiday tags

November 28, 2019

Happy T-day to all my US friends!! Just a quick little hello today since I'm still working on K's Advent Calendar and tying up a few other fun projects. Today, K and I had a leisurely Thanksgiving brunch, strolled around Greenlake, and now we're getting ready to go out for our annual Taiwanese family dinner at this delicious restaurant. I have given up trying to be "normal" in any way, shape or form and love love love how stress-free our holidays have been these past few years. Also! I ... Read more

Filed in: download, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 3 Comments

It’s that time of year…

October 25, 2019

Hello, hello my friends! How are you? I'm flooded with relief right now since I've just wrapped up some major deadlines and have a few days to prepare for my mom's visit next week (my parents are in Los Angeles at the moment to take care of some U.S. paperwork but will be returning to Japan again during Thanksgiving week). K told me what she wanted for her costume and I made this quick sketch in Procreate today, and she said, "So pretty!" This one is looking like a relatively simple costume ... Read more

Filed in: sewing for K • by sanae • 7 Comments

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Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your loved ones! I’m spending time with family in the Midwest and there is much to be grateful for, not the least of which is the slower pace this week. Sending big hugs to you! 🧡🧡🧡🧡 Incidentally, this ikebana floral arrangement is one of the illustrations that didn’t make it into my book SHIBUI — I painted a lot of extra illos!

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