Winners!

Oh my goodness!!
I can't believe how many people participated
in the little giveaway event I threw! Thanks a lot
for total 115 people (wow!) who took their time to
look through all my Japanese fabric pictures
and gave a shot for it.

My school started this last Monday, and I went to
some crazy classes where literally 50 people
were standing in class trying to add the class.
I was one of those 50. A instructor did a lottery
and only 20% of those people actually got to
enroll in the class. Other 80%, sorry, take it
next semester. I was one of those 80%.

I felt really bad to have to say sorry for 98%
of you who are all excited for possible winning
of Japanese fabric which isn't attainable.

One day, if I ever become super rich, I'll spend
an entire month in Japan just for fabric shopping
and do a huge giveaway on this blog. One day...!!


Ok, so here are all the entrees in the bag.
I let Joe shake the bag and pick 3 winners.


The first winner is....




Dawn! Congratulations!




The second winner Joe picked is..

loves2experiment! Congratulations!





The third winner is......??




Joanna! Woo hoo! Congratulations to the 3 winners!
Please e-mail me your mailing address so that I can
mail the Japanese fabric package right away!

Thanks again for all of you who participated again!
And thanks a million for those of you who gave me
sweet comments on my jetlug and homesick issue.
Some of you really almost made me teary.
I sure love who come to visit my blog!!!!!!!
I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm over the jetlug!




Time to look at what others are making?

Fabric Baskets by Darlene

Fabric Basket by Jamie

Fabric Basket by Susan

Fabric Basket by Lorraine

Fabric Basket by "T"

Fabric Basket by Passionate Quilter

Fabric Basket by Sandra

Fabric Basket by Mar

Fabric Basket by Michelle

Fabric Basket by Deb

Fabric Basket by Maree

Fabric Basket by Kristi

Fabric Basket by Indigo Blue

Fabric Basket by Molly

Fabric Basket by Rachel

Fabric Basket by Erika


Thanks so much for creating beautiful baskets and
sharing them online. So much fun looking what you've made!

So, I created this flickr group:
Made it Based on Pink Penguin's Tutes!
Feel free to join this group, if you have a
flickr account and send your creation to the
pool. This way, it's easy for all of us to
find what others are making using my tutes!


Thanks for reading!

I'm back!

Hello, friends! Thanks so much again for lots of
comments and e-mails while I was on vacation.
Joe and I got back from Japan on 8/21.
We're fighting with heavy jet lug we've got.
Waking up at 2 am is not surprising and
going back to sleep at 2 pm isn't surprising neither!

Today I want to show fabrics I got on the third
trip to Nippori Textile Town in Japan and give
chances for you to get some of it as omiyage
(Souvenirs). Yup, my first ever giveaways! woo hoo!


Did I just say it was my third time in Nippori?
Why did I go there so many times during the
short trip? Well, I thought Nippori doesn't like me.
The first time I went there, they gave me
only an hour to shop, which was absolutely no time.


So I went back there again one day, getting ready
to spend a whole day there shopping, but unfortunately
it was holiday! Oh my goodness! Almost all the fabric
stores were closed!!! I knew I didn't want to give up,



so I made it again a few days before leaving Japan.
I felt like in heaven. Stores all open, plenty of
time until they would close... what a pleasure!
I knew the next time I could visit Japan would
be another 2 or 3 years if it's not longer.



Knowing that, I surely knew I had to take advantage
of the opportunity to buy beautiful rare fabrics
for inexpensive prices.



While shopping there, I thought it would be nice
to live in Nippori. Yeah, being able to obtain
fabrics/supplies right away would be a great part,
but also it is somehow not that urban area
considering it's located in Tokyo.



If I ever have chance to go back to live in
Japan, I would really like living in Tokyo.
People say Tokyo isn't a place for living.
Too busy for that. But I like it. I have many
friends living near Nippori too!



I made bruise on my right fore arm carrying
too much fabric on the way back to my home
in Gunma, but I was even happy seeing it.
"Proof that I got enough fabrics!!"


This Japan trip overall was good!
I spent a lot of time seeing friends who
I get to see very infrequently. Some of
them I saw on this trip were like ones
I hadn't seen for 5 years,, no! Some
are like even 10 years!!!


Time spent with my families was nice too.
They never change, so it was hard to believe
it had been 2 years since the last time I saw
them, but it was sure nice seeing them and
knowing how they had been.



Joe's Japanese skills increased too on this trip.
He gained more familiarity around my home and
was even able to ride a bike to go to a sushi
restaurant and stop by hot spring by himself!
He could come back from Fukui by himself using a
fast train (shinkansen) too, which took him 6 hours!



We were literally busy everyday doing something
fun for 25 days in Japan. Now back to America,
time to get realistic. Work, school..ugh..
that's life, isn't it?



Every time I come back from Japan, I have tough
time in many ways. Jet lug is one of them but mostly
I miss my families, friends, and everything about
Japan so much. I have to ask myself if this is
really what I am supposed to do.



Lots of questions come to my head and I become
uncertain about my life. I don't like this period.
I feel so emotional, indecisive, nonindependent...


I should be feeling more positive soon.

Oh! I almost forgot to talk about giveaways!
Oops! That's what you want to hear about the most, right?!

Ok, so here is my idea.
I pick random four kinds of fabric for you and you
choose one. You can look at here, here, and here
besides this entry to see if you like those Japanese
fabrics I've got and you tell me which one is your
favorite so that I can include that fabric as your
fifth kind of fabric. Count on me about the size of
fabrics! There will be 3 winners!

But if the winners happen to choose fabric that I
can't share for some reasons, I would have to choose
other fabric for the fifth for you. And I want this
to be an opportunity for someone who loves Japanese
fabrics but don't have a chance to obtain them.

Is this clear? Leave me a comment on this entry by
the midnight of this Saturday, August 30th, 2008
(Pacific time). One entry for each person, please.
I'll choose random 3 winners...

Good luck!!!

Thanks for reading!

Patchwork Drawstring Pouch

I was bored one day when everyone else was
gone for Tokyo and decided to do something
with those fabrics I'd got using my mom's
sewing machine. What comes to my head when
I want to make something super easy and quick
is always a drawstring bag.


I never have enough drawstring bags.
I feel like I've made a ton of them in the
past, but I still need more,,,maybe it's
because I always give my bags to someone and
most of my bags don't stay with me.


(Back view of the same bag)
And again, this little bag is gone.
My middle sister who usually doesn't
care about what I sew said she wants
this one, and I was absolutely grateful.


Oh, thanks a million for lots of comments/
e-mails ;) Your comments do make me realize
how precious this trip must be for me as a
crafter and encourage me to get aggressive
at fabric shopping!


I'm crossing my fingers that I'll make nice
giveaway sets out of everything I've got
for some crafters who love Japanese things
but don't have opportunities to obtain them.
Fair enough, right?


These craft related items I'm showing today
is from a chain craft store called Tokai.
I always remembered the store to be a little
boring and not really my type, but it impressed
me quite bit when I went over a couple days ago.

These white puffy things are something you
put in a handmade toy to make it sound when
pushed. Cute sound like Boo Boo.
There were many kinds of them and I thought
I had never seen anything like this in America.
I didin't know if I needed them, but they were too
inexpensive = irresistable!


I love chickens. I think they look adorable.
Chicken print fabric is great for making
something for kitchen/dining.
Lunch mat, coasters, tea cozy...


And what I can't lack is English lettered
fabrics! Without this kind of fabric, I
suffer very often. I think it makes
patchwork look very interesting for
some reasons... I love it!!


To me, Japanese craft equals linen.
I was not interested in linen before,
but I think it is such quality fabric
and extremely useful for any craft purpose.


Again, I have a few pictures from a zakka store.
These aren't yummy cakes but cacutus!
Aren't they lovely?


Pink penguin!!!!!!!!
I felt obligated to get this pink one
just for the sake of this blog, but
I decided to save money on fabrics.


Ok, today I have a LOT of links
I'd love to shre with you guys! a lot!
I'm usually pretty good at keeping track
of links to beautiful craft works by
talented people based on my tutorials
(Thank you!!), but I am not being that
good just because I'm on vacation.
If I forget to introduce your crafts,
I'm very sorry in advance! Please
remind me so that I can share yours
next time!

Fabric Basket by Nancy

Fabric Baskets by Nanette

Fabric Bskets by Des

Fabric Baskets by Stephanie

Fabric Basket by Jodi

Pen Case by Aneesah

Pen Case by Cindy

Fabric Basket by Randi

Fabric Basket by Lisa

Fabric Basket by Kay

What lovely creations!!!

Thanks for reading!