As I mentioned previously in my family blog, I’m currently going through a Japanese-arts-&-craft-funk at the moment and am spending some of my free time looking around the Net and places in the city for some Japanese inspiration. I have really enjoyed looking at the Japanese craft books that fellow craft-bloggers have posted up on their sites and thought it was about time I purchased my own.

I wanted to get a book on softies since I eventually want to start making Ava (and the soon-to-arrive bub) some soft toys in the future. Now, saying it is difficult to find Japanese craft books in Melbourne is an undertstatement! I finally turned to my trusty shopper - eBay - and found a seller in Australia who not only sells bags hand-made from vintage Japanese material, but also sells a range of Japanese books. If you’re interested, here is her online store on eBay: B’s Bagarama

I purchased a Japanese Felt Mascots Book from her and experienced a very smooth, hassle-free transaction - it arrived a few days ago and I am reviewing it with delight.

So many cute little mascots! And most could be adapted to bigger softies! Granted, I have no idea how to read the book since it’s all in Japanese, but thankfully there are tips like this one on the Net to help me out.