New Year's Resolutions...

Is it too late to talk about New Year's Resolutions? What are yours? I know a lot of people go on diets. Luckily I don't need to go on a food diet since I am blessed with a slim figure. I guess it also helps not being able to eat a bar of chocolate every day. I used to do that back in Germany, but my favorite kind is hard to come by in the US.

So instead of the food diet, my plan for the year is to go on self prescribed "fabric diet". It is really hard with so many wonderful fabrics around. So much temptation. I recently reveived a fabric catalog and had to hide it from myself. Oh dear, I have so many bins of fabric in the house. It will take me years to turn them into doll clothes. Why do I still feel the need to constantly add to my stash? Why, oh why, do they keep designing new beautiful fabric collections each year?

One of my favorite Fabric designers is a Japanese company called Kokka. See picture above. I can never get enough of these adorable animal prints...

I admit I am totally addicted, and it will be very hard not break down and buy some more of them when I stumble across them.

And then, once you get one colorway of a cute fabric, it leads to wanting the same plus matching fabrics. Sigh! Is there a sort of patch for fabric addicts? Tell me if there is a support group for people addicted to pretty fabrics...My husband would be very relieved to know that there is hope, and some day our house will be cleared of bins filled with fabrics...

More Kawaii Fabrics...

So check out this adorable green mushroom dress! I made the dress of a Japanese Fabric ordered recently on etsy. I hear they are also called Kawaii fabrics. I found the following definition of the word "kawaii" on Wikipedia in an article on Cuteness in Japanese culture:



" Kawaii is a Japanese term which means "cute". Cuteness (kawaisa) seems to be a highly valued aesthetic quality in Japanese society and particularly Japanese pop culture, and overpowering cuteness seems to carry less of the stigma of infantilization as it does in many other cultures. Kawaii is pronounced Ka-wa-ee (not to be confused with "kowai", Ko-wai, the Japanese term for "scary"). Kawaii can be used to describe animals and people, including fully grown adults; while attractive women are usually described as kawaii, young men are more likely to be described as "good looking" or "cool". Kawaii is also used to describe some men who are considered to have"cute" personalities."


When surrounded by some of the harsh realities of life. what better way to distract oneself than working with this cute fabric? One look at it makes me happy, HAPPy, HAPPY.

Like those CraZy dancing rabbits in my last post. =) I think the fabrics are just beautiful in design and color. I also found the name of this particular fabric quite humorous: it is called "The fungus among us". Cute wordplay!



Unfortunately I could only get a hold of one yard of this fabric. It will be used sparingly on special dolls only! I love the bright green color. The little mushroom shoes I made earlier this month go perfectly with this ensemble.

I hope you enjoyed my little exploration into Japanese culture today!

Have a happy day - blessed and surrounded by cuteness and beauty!