Cherry Blossom Season in Old Tokyo 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

 

Disclosure: I was sent this puzzle in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I haven't shared a puzzle in a while so today I am sharing a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. It features the woodprint of Utagawa Kunisada. Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh collected Japanese prints? Almost half of his Japanese prints were Utagawa Kunisada's. (Source) The puzzle is Cherry Blossom Season in Old Tokyo 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle from Tuttle Publishing. 

Fun Facts about Embroidery with Book Reviews

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. Some of the links shared here will give me a small percentage of any purchase made by you at no cost to you. (Thank you for your support!) All opinions are my own.

I have had some craft books sitting on my review shelf for awhile and need to share them with you. I have been so focused on other things and diamond painting that I have not given much thought to embroidery, so I thought I would share all of the embroidery books with you as well as some fun facts today! Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric with a needle and thread. It has definitely changed over the years (centuries). Let's begin with some fun facts and a bit of history.

Fun Facts About Embroidery:

The Discovery of Anime & Manga Review as part of our Explore Japan

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Back in May we explored Japan with various posts to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Due to one of those posts Immedium contacted me asking if I would be interested in reviewing their newest in The Asian Hall of Fame Series, The Discovery of Anime and Manga by Phil Amara and Oliver Chin and illustrated by Juan Calle. I have reviewed many books from Immedium previously and have enjoyed them.

Exploring Japan Part 4 -- Fun Facts & Resource Round-Up

For the last three Mondays we have been exploring Japan. We started with some picture books, then looked at crafts and artists and then origami. Today we are looking at fun facts about Japan and doing a resource and activity round-up. But first some facts about Japan itself. Japan is called Nihon or Nippon in Japanese. It means "land of the rising sun". It was once believed that Japan was the first country to see the sun each morning. The country is made up of 6,582 islands, but has four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Three tectonic plates meet near Japan and cause many earthquakes. Japan experiences 1,000 earthquakes in a year. Some of these cause tsunamis. There are also 200 volcanoes in Japan. Sixty of them are still active. Almost three quarters of the land is covered by mountains and forest which make the land hard to farm or use for industry or residential. The Japanese Alps run down the center of the island of Honshu. Mount Fuji is the highest mountain/volcano in Japan and is considered sacred by many Japanese people. 

Japanese Arts, Crafts and their Makers

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This month is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and to celebrate it we are looking at Japan all month long for Multicultural Mondays. Last week we started with two picture books including one on the creation myth in Japan. Today we are going to look at the crafts and craftsmen/women of Japan as well as a round-up of Japanese-inspired crafts and artists. To begin this post I am sharing a new book that is being released tomorrow (May 12, 2020). It is Craftland Japan by Uwe Röttgen and Katharina Zetti.

Hokusai Prints Note Cards -- Product Review

Disclosure: I was sent a set of these note cards in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tell me how you feel when you get a surprise note from a friend or family member in the mail--you know a piece of mail that is not a bill or advertisement or magazine or invitation. How often do you receive a note from family or friends in the mail? I'm guessing you probably only get them for your birthday and the holidays. Am I right? With all of our technology we seem to have lost the art of sending a letter or note. It is funny because receiving those notes make us feel so special and loved yet we don't really send them anymore. It is too bad. Personally I love having beautiful note cards on hand in case the occasion to send one arises or the spirit moves me to send a smile to a loved one. How about you? I also have been known to frame some note cards and use them as home décor. I started this in college and discovered it to be a less expensive way to have my favorite artists hanging in my own space. 

Today I am sharing with you Hokusai Prints Note Cards. These beautiful cards feature a print of one of Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai was a Japanese artist in the late 1700s and early 1800s. He is known for his woodblock prints and especially his wave one. He is also most known for his views of Fuji prints. With this set of note cards you get to see twelve of his prints. Aren't they beautiful?

With each one you send you not only send a little love and news but you also send this beautiful piece of art and culture. On the back of each card is the name of the print as well as the series it is from and of course the artist and publisher information.

The cards themselves are a wonderful quality. They are a good thickness and the outside is that smooth gloss feel and the inside is the regular note card feel. They also come with white envelopes. My family often sends a note card now instead of a birthday card. I can see my mom and sisters loving these cards this coming year for their birthdays. I hope you will check them out and send some love this year too!! Or get a pack, a nice pen and some stamps and you have a great holiday gift! To see a bit more of what I have shared about Hokusai check out this post. 

A Look at Japan for Asian / Pacific Island Heritage Month

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Multicultural Kid Blogs is hosting a blog hop today for this heritage month and I decided to focus mostly on Japan. I have a bunch of fun books to share with you to help focus on Japan and its culture. It is a mixture of coloring books, origami kits, a novel and an Asian cookbook. The first book I am going to share is another book in the Friendship Dolls Series from Candlewick Press. I reviewed the other two previously. Today's book is Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau.