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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Rain. Grey. Technical Difficulties and Good Memories.

March 7, 2013

The rain, it is constant. So are the grey skies and the technical blips and beeps and blog outages. My tech support, aka my husband, has promised to rectify the recurring problems once and for all. Exciting stuff, but I have a feeling no one's noticed? This blog is quite incognito after all. This is my favorite photo, and I've had it for almost 15 years. When I lived in San Francisco, I went to a rather well-known little venue called Cafe Trieste daily. Purported to be the hangout of the ... Read more

Filed in: life, writing • by sanae • 9 Comments

Tutorial: Zipper Pockets

March 6, 2013

Remember the peachy top with zippered pockets? I heard the clamor for a tutorial (do two people count as a clamor?), and I am a woman that delivers. This, my friends, is my first sewing tutorial and I'm going to throw the disclaimer out there that it's a bit rough. First of all, I had some challenges editing down photos so warning: endless photos coming up. At the same time, I seem to have missed taking photos of some key sections, but c'est la vie. Anyway, if you're feeling the need to add ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 13 Comments

Only the necessary and beautiful

March 5, 2013

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. - William Morris   This is a minuscule corner of my minuscule kitchen in my minuscule house. The uniformity and functionality and zen-ness make me happy. It is the only section that looks this organized in all 1500 square feet of space we call home. I use this small pantry every day, and I love how I can tell at a glance what requires replenishing, especially critical ingredients like dark ... Read more

Filed in: life • by sanae • 10 Comments

Monday Outfit: Winter to Spring Transitional Dress

March 4, 2013

Good morning! How is your Monday treating you so far? I had a grand time this weekend, partying it up with K's little friends at a horse-riding birthday party. It sounds rather highfalutin but was actually very un-fancy and super fun. Held at a city park with a tiny animal farm, 10 girls got to ride a gentle pony for a couple of minutes each, and I have to say the show was stolen by Sunny, the 500-pound pig, snoring loudly in her pen. This week's outfit is a simple dress with vintage ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 6 Comments

Happy Friday + Art Show Wrap-Up

March 1, 2013

Happy Friday, everyone! What a good week it's been. I taught ceramics to kindergartners yesterday, and they are the best. I love how there's no inhibition to ask for help, how they are all naturally brilliant artists. I say, "make an animal" or "create a story with just symbols and images" and there is no shortage of inspiration and they dive in with gusto. Not an iota of hesitation. So great. I have much to learn from these five-year-olds. My art show is wrapping up next week! I made ... Read more

Filed in: crafts, illustration + art • by sanae • 7 Comments

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I’ve been swimming in nostalgia these past few day I’ve been swimming in nostalgia these past few days, wading through my blog and Pinterest board of the clothes I made for K, who is not so little anymore. what a wild, fun time that was! Remember the old school days of sewing blogs?? I’m back in deadline mode for a number of projects so sewing will have to be put on hold (though maybe I’ll get lucky and sneak in some stitching time). I’m also putting Instagram on hold for the summer, as I do every year. I’ll be back in September with some exciting updates! Have a lovely season, my friends! 💙💙💙💙💙💙
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