I am finally on holiday preparing for my month-long departure and enamored with the idea of living in nature–wearing loose linen dresses, baking soft buns in a wooden oven, and working on sashiko embroidery nearby a body of water. A quiet Japanese village would be one of those amazing vacation places, wouldn’t it? Thanks to Aron’s perfect little suggestion, I recently watched Bread of Happiness (しあわせのパン). With melancholic undertones, しあわせのパン is an idyllic story of a young Tokyo couple leading a slow life of baking amidst nature in a mountainous Hokkaido village.
So I wanted to do a little interview of Coco, a talented crafter and blogger from Japan. Whenever I visit her blog, Coco’s Day, she is doing something with her hands–gardening, picking wild flowers, making small jars of pickles, embroidering flowers, crocheting potholders, and sewing long cotton skirts. Her photos are full of wonderful texture–soft linen, tatami mat, balls of woolen yarn, and scatters of leaves and flowers from her neighborhood.
Without further ado, please meet Coco!
“I like making my own things, simply because I get to choose the material.
Linen, cotton, wool are my favorites. This becomes the “only one” item in the whole world. A special gift for yourself.
My embroidery is a result of the nature’s inspiration on my daily life.
Walking around the neighborhood, seeing beautiful green and flowers and birds singing.
It refreshes my mind and provide me with abundant positive energy.”
“Any special place to get productive? It is the nature surrounding me and my home.
As much I do like going out, I also like staying home and getting cozy.
Talking to friends and seeing beautiful things get my creative juices flowing.
And most of all, I have to be happy myself. Having good sweet days
always put me in a creative mood.
I like hearing from people around the world and sharing
ideas. I have learned so many good things from all
and it has been such a big part of my support and energy.”
*All photos by Coco.
P.S. My Paperlove Giveaway winner has been announced!
10 Comments
Winnie
December 16, 2012 at 5:34 pmCoco’s photos are lovely, the picture of her soup and bread looks so homey and delicious. I am a lot like Coco, as much as I love being outdoors and having fun, there is some times nothing better than sitting at home and being all cosy!
Barbara
December 17, 2012 at 3:19 amThis is really wonderful! I am following Coco’s Blog since a while, it is the calm and relaxing atmosphere she always catches in her photos, that makes me coming back again and again!
Jenny
December 17, 2012 at 9:29 amThank you for highlighting such a lovely blog!
jannese
December 17, 2012 at 11:04 pmGreat interview!!!! And I love your description of a vacay in the first paragraph, sounds devine.
ninnikuneko
December 19, 2012 at 3:31 amHey Sewon! ∩( ・ω・)∩ This month must really be me lucky month! Thank you so much for the lovely giveaway! I’m usually not participating because I don’t believe in winning… but when I saw you lovely papers and stamps I just couldn’t resist and gave it a try! (*≧▽≦) Coco’s blog has beautiful photos! I can see why you like her work. There’s a calm and satisfied atmosphere on each one of them. Totally matches your description of a quiet and rural vacation 🙂 I wish you to find just the spot that you described!
my email is: nekochan.sufu at gmail.com
Thank you again Sewon! It made me smile so much!! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) ♫・*:.。. .。.:*・
Sarita
December 19, 2012 at 5:05 amlovely interview, it’s refreshing to hear from someone who’s really enjoying life one day at a time, especially since I tend to get too caught up with stressing/thinking about the future to enjoy the little things in the now.
Cami
December 19, 2012 at 7:18 pmI don’t know that I’ll ever get my embroidery and cooking to come out as beautifully as this. And so simplistic. I like it when patience and appreciation are two of the main characteristics of a person. It makes you think they would make a great friend.
Niamh
December 22, 2012 at 1:03 pmWhat a beautiful blog, a little oasis of internet calm.
Elleannie
December 25, 2012 at 11:42 pmWow the embroidery is so pretty. It’s remarkable that people can have such amazing talents and abilities in this world!
kelly zarb
December 31, 2012 at 6:27 pmGreat blog post Sewon. Coco’s blog looks stunning. Thanks for sharing with us.