Banana Bread Studded With Persimmons, Raisins and Chestnuts

I had some dried persimmons, raisins and chestnuts from Japan and I thought that they would be nice in a loaf of bread, but I didn't want to make kneaded, yeast bread to try my idea out. I opted to make a simple banana bread (my Mom's recipe) and add the chopped fruits and nuts.  My cooking experiment turned out attractive and yummy.  The recipe usually makes one large loaf but I divided the batter into two small loaves...one to try and one to freeze for later.  Because I like giving baked goods for gifts, I am happy that this test bake was a success.  Time is always short during the holidays so having a quick but special looking treat to give to friends and family is always swonderful.  To me, baking like crafting is full of experiments.  Please share the results of your creative ideas!

Japan Hobby Show 2026

Always a highlight of my craft year, this is the entrance of Big Site where the Japan Hobby Show has been  held for over a decade.  This year as always... rain or shine, tired or not I move my feet through the long walk to the showroom doors.  Once inside I forget all the time and effort it took to make it through to the giant craft area.  

One of the first incredibly irresistible handmade crafts I spied were these dessert cats.  I thought I would circle around and buy one later, but I forgot....sigh, maybe I can figure out how to make one myself.  If only I can find some miniature dessert dishes I'll be in business!

Another booth that I was entranced by was one that had  a variety of paper products. Some of the items for sale are already in our HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I especially love the paper dioramas...so intricate and beautiful. Japanese crafters are also very talented at creating gorgeous cards.  I think they do way more correspondence by mail than we do in the U.S.

If I could have gotten a bonsai plant arrangement back to Hawaii, I would have purchased one.  They were so fantastic and artistic in a refined, simple way.  The seller had most of the bonsai arrangements encased in plastic like individual greenhouses.  I loved the way that the arrangements were so perfect that I had to go up close and touch the leaves to realize they were real.  I'm sure the booth owner really loved me touching everything....my hands were clean...really!

Another favorite booth was the one with ceramic bowls and handmade wooden utensils.  If I didn't just buy a bunch of wooden spoons and gorgeous tea bowls from the Toji Shrine fair, I would have made the booth owner very rich and happy.  Sadly, I really couldn't add more weight to my suitcases.  I didn't have an inch or ounce to give to the acquisition of handmade Japanese treasures.  Ah, but there is always next year and I understand that the Japan Hobby show will be at Big Site again. Hopefully, the show won't be at the tail end of my trip when my suitcases are bulging. LOL! I don't think I've ever left Japan with even the tiniest space in any of my many suitcases! I hope that this post has whetted your appetite for Japanese crafts and you'll make an effort to attend the show nest year.

Confetti Gel Card for a Dog Man Fan

Since I had fun making my confetti gel cards and loved the look of them, I decided to make one for my grandson. He is a big fan of the Dog Man book series so I made a copy of a Dog Man image, sprayed it with a matte clear coating and cut it out. Like the previous gel cards (see earlier post) I placed gel and confetti in a small baggie before sealing it with glue.  This baggie was then glued into a decorated window card which had a piece of white card stock behind the gel bag.

I couldn't resisit making a Dog Man gift card with the extra image that was printed. I sized the image to fit a small card and envelope that I had in my stash. The result of this card was so pleasing that I think I'll find out the favorite characters of other relatives to make them gel birthday cards too! What other gel crafts can I create?  Visit this blog site to find out!

Japanese Hula Festival

While in Japan we stayed in the small town of Kinshicho. By accident we came upon a Hula Festival in a nearby park.  Who knew that Japanese have such a big interest in Hawaiian hula dancing? There are approximately 2 million hula dancers in Japan! These three pretty ladies were some of the festival royalty.        

There seemed to be an endless stream of performers, all dresses in authentic looking costumes.  The dancers and musicians were really good and the crowd was thoroughly entertained.

Also there were many booths selling colorful Hawaiian wearables. The prices and styles were great so I bought a couple of 'Hawaiian' outfits to wear back home.
 

We were surprised to see local Hawaiian plants for sale too.  I rarely see ohia or pikake plants for sale even in Hawaii.  The plants were healthy and sold for a song....wish I could have taken some home on    the plane.

I just spotted the muu muu I purchased from one of the vendors in the lower right of this photo. Hahaha!  Anyway you can tell I had fun browsing and being entertained at this Japanese Hula Festival.  Apparently, they have a hula festival every year in this Kinshicho park. I think the people of this little town are doing a wonderful job of promoting the charm of Hawaii and the ftradition of hula dancing.

Confetti Gel Birthday Cards

After watching Joy and Ren demonstrate the 'gel in a jar' prduct on Joy of Crafting, I knew I HAD to buy some.  After playing with the gel for awhile, I decided to try incorporating it into a card.  I started by putting some gel (about 1 Tablespoonful) into a small ( 3-1/4 "x 5-1/2 ") plastic zip bag. Next I added some confetti to the bag. Don't use confetti that are too big or have sharp edges.)  After getting just the right amount in the bag so when zipped closed just a thin layer of gel is encased, I sealed the bag with glue so that gel would not leak if the bag was squeezed too hard.  For the card I used matte white card stock (available at HM BFC in a pack) to cut a 11" x 5-3/4" piece.  This piece was folded into three panels and the center was cut out with a 2-3/4" x 4" Spellbinders rounded corner rectangular die.  Stamped images and words plus printed paper were used to decorate the card front. The corners of the cards were cut with a Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper (one of my favorite tools).

As you can see, the variety of confetti gel cards is endless and they make a wonderful, playful surprise for the recipient.  I know I'll be making more of these cards in the future and perhaps I'll try making a confetti gel cover for a gift box.  Now I've got to buy more colors of gel to play with....off to HM Ben Franklin Crafts!  

Toji Shrine Fair 2026

I was lucky to attend the Toji Shrine Fair again this year. It is held on the 21st of every month...rain or shine.  In good weather it is a rather large event with delicious local foods, gorgeous, resonably priced antiques, and lovely craft items for sale.  

I tend to concentrate on the old dishes and handmade items as I am a collector and always on the hunt for new craft ideas. Japanese crafters are meticulous, clever, and seem to undervalue their crafted items.

Over the years my husband and I have collected way too many kokeshi dolls.  I love the ones that bob their heads!  Due to house space, we've stopped collecting the really large dolls and try to limit our purchases to only special looking kokeshi dolls.  On this trip we found a much desired doll with a secret note space in it's body....of course we bought it....a steal at 200 yen!

I mostly spent my time (at the fair) acquiring tea bowls and even though I never drink tea from them, I love the look of their shape and variety of glazes.  Some of the sellers put outrageous prices on their ceramicware, but here and there a true bargain beauty can be found.

I wish I had taken more photos to show you the breadth of the fair but I was so engrossed in searching for new treasures.  I even tripped and fell flat on my face into a display of bowls spread on the ground....I didn't break a single bowl! Of all the things we do and see in Japan, I enjoy attending the Toji Shrine Fair the most.  I guess I'm a treatsure hunter at heart and enjoy meeting/chatting with the talented crafters. I hope someday you will be able to attend the fair and find your own handmade goodies, both antiques and edibles!

 

Washi Paper Covered Notepads with Japanese Fabric Charms

 

Recently, while looking for something in my super messy craft area, I 'discovered' two undecorated notepads. They were purchased a long time ago from HM Ben Franklin Crafts. The notepads were made from kraft paper cardboard and had simple magnet clasps. I'm sure you can fashion one yourself using a self-stick note pad, kraft construction paper and some Velcro tabs. Anyway, it was simple cut and paste to cover the notepads with printed Japanese washi paper (lots availiable at HM BFC).  The fabric charms were made from kits purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  At first the small parts may seem overwhelming but trust me they are really simple.  Although the instructions are in Japanese, it is easy to translate using Google Translate on your phone.  The kits are for making charms but I thought they would make great decorations for washi covered notepads.  All you really need is a sharp pair of scissors (small) and 3-in-1 glue. This is absolutely my favorite glue because it had the right viscosity to grab quickly but still allow for sliding the parts around to adjust into place.  Also this glue dries clear and permanent.The padding on the charms is just perfect for giving some dimension and interest to the notepads I think making a bunch of these notepads would be perfect for party favors or just small gifts for no reason at all. Don't you love giving and receiving unexpected surprises?