Decorated cups

Some mugs I drew on with one of these pens I got at the local Blick art store.

The pens are locked up in a cabinet so you can't sniff them. Or steal them? I don't really know why. But I felt faintly embarrassed to have to ask for something in a locked cabinet. Like I might be a criminal or something. And of course I threw away the package a long time ago and can't remember the instructions for how to set the ink. I think you bake it for awhile and then it becomes dishwasher safe. I remember dishwashing something I drew on once, and it stayed perfectly. Now I'll have to go back to the store and read the package instructions, but to do that, I have to make them unlock the cabinet again. Sheesh.

Sorry for filing this under "tutorials" because it's not really, but I couldn't think of where else to put it. Once I find the directions again for setting the paint, I'll add them.

Update: Called the store to get the instrux. The upshot is I used the wrong pen. There's not a way to set this pen, and it will never be dishwasher safe. It's not food safe, either. Turns out I used another pen before (which I can't find now). It's coming back to me... I bought this DecoColor marker to use for drawing on canvases I had painted with acrylic— no need to put those in the dishwasher. Heh heh. So now I have a couple nice pencil cups, I guess.

Quiz: Identify the font

You might have seen the Rather Difficult Font Game floating around the internet lately... have a go at it! But don't feel bad if you wouldn't know a Frutiger if it came up and bit you in the, um, backside.

Last Update Before the Big Trip!

We're leaving for Japan in less than a week, woohoo! So this is the last update before we go.

We still haven't received confirmation of all our accommodation places yet! I'm still waiting for my first choice accommodation in Kyoto for a reply. But the rest are all booked. It wasn't easy, as I had to brush up my Japanese to write emails to the Japanese Ryokans and the local tourist associations in order to book some of the more traditional places. I even had to ***FAX*** a booking request to one of the villages as they still don't have email.

So it took some extra effort, but I think it will be worth it. Our final itinerary is:

Day 1: Kansai Int'l Airport - Osaka
Day 2: Osaka
Day 3: Osaka - Himeji - Kobe - Osaka
Day 4: Osaka - Nara - Uji
Day 5: Uji - Kyoto (Aoi Matsuri festival)
Day 6: Kyoto (Northern Hills + Arashiyama)
Day 7: Kyoto (Higashiyama)
Day 8: Kyoto - Kanazawa
Day 9: Kanazawa - Gokayama
Day 10: Gokayama - Shirakawago
Day 11: Shirakawago - Hida Takayama
Day 12: Hida Takayama - Kamikochi - Okuhida Onsengo
Day 13: Okuhida Onsengo - Matsumoto - Tsumago
Day 14: Tsumago - Magome
Day 15: Magome - Nagoya - Centrair Airport

So that is the big plan, a 15-Day trip concentrating on a small geographical area roughly 300 KM in diameter. About the distance from New York to Washington, or Paris to Brussels. But in my opinion these regions of Kansai (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) and Chubu (Central Japan) are the most culturally and culinarily interesting regions of Japan.

As usual I'll come back with photos and commentary. And of course the food pics!

Last Update Before the Big Trip!

We're leaving for Japan in less than a week, woohoo! So this is the last update before we go.

We still haven't received confirmation of all our accommodation places yet! I'm still waiting for my first choice accommodation in Kyoto for a reply. But the rest are all booked. It wasn't easy, as I had to brush up my Japanese to write emails to the Japanese Ryokans and the local tourist associations in order to book some of the more traditional places. I even had to ***FAX*** a booking request to one of the villages as they still don't have email.

So it took some extra effort, but I think it will be worth it. Our final itinerary is:

Day 1: Kansai Int'l Airport - Osaka
Day 2: Osaka
Day 3: Osaka - Himeji - Kobe - Osaka
Day 4: Osaka - Nara - Uji
Day 5: Uji - Kyoto (Aoi Matsuri festival)
Day 6: Kyoto (Northern Hills + Arashiyama)
Day 7: Kyoto (Higashiyama)
Day 8: Kyoto - Kanazawa
Day 9: Kanazawa - Gokayama
Day 10: Gokayama - Shirakawago
Day 11: Shirakawago - Hida Takayama
Day 12: Hida Takayama - Kamikochi - Okuhida Onsengo
Day 13: Okuhida Onsengo - Matsumoto - Tsumago
Day 14: Tsumago - Magome
Day 15: Magome - Nagoya - Centrair Airport

So that is the big plan, a 15-Day trip concentrating on a small geographical area roughly 300 KM in diameter. About the distance from New York to Washington, or Paris to Brussels. But in my opinion these regions of Kansai (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) and Chubu (Central Japan) are the most culturally and culinarily interesting regions of Japan.

As usual I'll come back with photos and commentary. And of course the food pics!

Etsy window shopping

I've added a little Etsy mini widget in left sidebar, in case anybody has spending money that's burning a hole in their pocket. I can't buy everything I like, but it's fun to window shop.

Automatic photo oldifier

In the unlikely event you ever need to age a photo, here's a site that will do it for you. Upload your picture, press the blue button, and you'll get back a low res antique-looking snapshot. Via Photojojo.

How to make cut paper frames

It's like making paper snowflakes, only better! I made these cut paper frames with big pieces of origami paper (got them at Blick; they're 9 3/4" square. Not quite this, but close). On your bulletin board or fridge, you could frame postcards, photos, poems, you name it.

Inspiration came from a Japanese book. I can't read it, but you don't need to. Just fold your piece of paper into quarters, colored side to the inside. Sketch your design on with a pencil, making sure it runs off the edge on the two sides with the fold. (See where I marked "FOLD" on the book's example.) If you don't do this, your frame will fall apart. Then cut it out with an X-acto knife and carefully unfold it.

The photos I printed came from the Condé Nast gallery. They sell reproductions of all the gorgeous magazine images there. Have fun browsing.