From what we’ve seen on instagram and pinterest, cactus- and unicorn-themed things are all the rage these days. I haven’t been into unicorns since I was about 8 years old, but cacti are a whole different thing. Tomiko and I first saw cacti when we visited Arizona around 1993, and we were awed by the […]
crafts
DIY: Embroidered arm warmers
These cashmere arm warmers are one of three projects I created out of a thrifted sweater. When I found this light grey knit treasure, I noticed it was super soft and beautiful but far too small for me. However, it was the perfect candidate for a DIY I had been planning so I bought it right up at […]
DIY: Leather Cuff with Secret Pocket
This leather cuff was designed for walkers. We are a family of walkers and some of us are also very competitive. To compare our progress, we wear an old school pedometer and proudly profess our daily count. Even as I write this in my pajamas, I’m wearing my pedomenter to capture every last step. How is this relevant? Well, with […]
DIY: Bowie-Inspired Leather Eye Mask
Donatello works at night and often has trouble sleeping during the day. Apart from noise and temperature, darkness is so important in getting a good sleep. We have blinds, a black out curtain, but the bedroom still wasn’t dark enough. The polyester eye masks from the airplane never stayed put, so I decided to invent my own. These two […]
DIY: Make Your Own Leather Key Covers
My leather obsession continues with these leather key covers. I wanted to customize our house and apartment keys for future house guests (though our apartment is still too small at the moment but I can dream). I refreshed my embroidery skills by labeling the house key with an ¨H¨and the apartment one with an ¨A.¨ Simple and obvious, […]