Left to right: Morning dew, spider web by Yoko Noguchi [のぐちようこ], Morning in Snowy Mountains by Yuruliku Design [ユルリク], A Delightful Moment by Miya Suwa [スワミヤ]

These are just 3 designs from the “Tenukore” project for the Summer 2008 and Winter/Spring 2009 tenugui collections, where 8 graphic designers were invited to each design a tenugui. Printing on the tenugui is done by hand, using a dyeing technique from the Edo era known as “chusen”.

Tenugui (手拭い) is a traditional Japanese thin hand towel made of cotton. It’s light and very absorbent. It can be used as a washcloth, dishcloth, furoshiki, scarf, bandanna, bandage, decorative wall hanging or treat it like fabric to make a wristlet. The usual size for a tenugui is 90cm long and about 34cm wide.

Both collections are available at AssistOn for 1890 Yen (about SGD 31.37/USD 20.90) per piece.

Just finished watching another episode of Cooking in the Danger Zone on TV. I haven’t been checking the TV guide for a long time and so one night when I was in between switching channels, I caught the trailer for this BBC documentary series and since then I have been glued to the telly for every showing on Thursday night. It’s humbling and disturbing to learn how the scratchy political situations in Ethiopia, Haiti, Mexico and even Afghanistan have affected farming, food prices and food supplies, resulting in food scarcity. This means the poor has to suffer the most. In fact for the Afghan army, *3 meals provided* is an incentive to attract recruits .

Normal cooking shows are about what to cook, what ingredients to buy and how to choose the freshest…all in an environment of abundance, but this cooking series is the opposite; a gross lack of ingredients and the uncertainty of one’s next meal. And even when there’s some food available, the same meal is eaten every single day.

This dainty sewing machine brooch by Chatnoir77 is just *sew* adorable and clever!

Got to love that spool with blue thread! But wait, it doesn’t stop here, you are going to love the rest of the chic wirework collection available in the shop!

Nate Berkus 26-piece Gift Wrap Kit

Wishing you a blooming and blessed Lunar New Year! 新年快乐!

[The peasant painting was taken from a poster in Heeren.]

Gift Wrapping Tutorial

ASOS Fashion Picks and Lovely Gifts