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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Happy 2019 + Secret Valentine Exchange Hiatus

January 4, 2019

Happy New Year!!! I hope 2019 has started off in a good way for you, my friends! K and a friend baked these lovely macarons a few days ago, and they're so delicious -- a perfect way to begin the year. She tells me that they used this video and it must be a darn excellent tutorial because the macarons came out very profesh. So I've been mulling over how to make this announcement. Typically, my first post of the year is all about the Secret Valentine Exchange and I was keeping my fingers ... Read more

Filed in: cooking, secret valentine exchange • by sanae • 15 Comments

Holiday Tags + Wrapping Paper Designs Round-Up

December 21, 2018

Hello, hello! In an unprecedented display of organization, I've managed to get all of my holiday preparations done well in advance of the big Christmas day. This feat required some hustling on my part, and I paid the price by getting a teensy weensy bit sick. I'm almost 100% but I was pretty sniffly there for a few days. I have big book deadlines coming up so I worked extra hard to clear my calendar — I want to focus on work while my mom is visiting and having loads of fun with K during winter ... Read more

Filed in: download • by sanae • 2 Comments

2018 Advent Calendar + Free Holiday Tags

December 7, 2018

Hello, my friends! I'm testing out different blog posting schedules to see what feels right and so far, once or twice a month seems the best fit. I'm all about not overdoing anything nowadays, and methinks it's the ticket to not getting sick. Both K and M came down with the sniffles in the last few weeks and I've been impervious to the germs (knocking furiously on wood as I type this). Let's talk about this year's advent calendar shall we? I'm quite proud of this one. About five years ... Read more

Filed in: crafts, download • by sanae • 8 Comments

Black Wool Dolman Top + Some Forgotten Sewing Projects

November 23, 2018

Happy Friday! If you're in the U.S., I hope you had a Thanksgiving feast shared with loved ones! We went to watch Ralph Breaks the Internet (M and K made fun of me because I cried. I cry at every movie, regardless of genre) and capped our quiet, low key T-day at a bustling Taiwanese restaurant and it was awesome. I’m a big fan of stress-free holidays - they're pretty rare, wouldn't you agree? So I finally got photos of the dolman sleeve top that I made out of the remaining fabric from the ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for me • by sanae • 2 Comments

Destashival + Big Announcement

November 16, 2018

Hello, my friends! I apologize for the not-so-pretty photo, which was taken in the dim lighting of my basement a few months ago. This is the crazy fabric/yarn stash situation that's been assaulting my conscience for years. Bear in mind that this is only about half of what I actually own. The yarn sitch isn't awful; it's just that one bin in the top row. But the fabrics!!!!! Luckily, I have a solution. It's to pretend that my stash is as soothing and contained as it is in this photo. ... Read more

Filed in: book • by sanae • 12 Comments

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Giveaway time, my friends! So, 2026 is starting ou Giveaway time, my friends! So, 2026 is starting out in a very exciting way. My latest book, SHIBUI: THE JAPANESE ART OF FINDING BEAUTY IN AGING, is already in its second print run — deepest thanks to every person who purchased a copy, then got more copies to give as gifts!! Speaking of gifts, I have a little giveaway today that’s different from my usual kind. Shibui is available in audio format (a first for me!) read by the talented @edelynokano, and I have SIX free Spotify codes. Please note that you do need a Spotify account to utilize the code. Interested? 

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below. Any comment would be lovely but if you have an audiobook recommendation, I’m all ears! No pun intended. I’ll leave the giveaway open until Friday, January 30th and will DM the winners shortly after. Good luck!🍀 @sasquatchbooks #shibui
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