Package from Japan

Ever since I left Japan, I’ve tried to keep in touch with the wonderful Japanese friends I’m blessed to have met during my stay there. One of the things we do is to send each other a little package during the Christmas and new year period. Well, actually “little” more appropriately describes my packages to them. They on the other hand, are the most generous! I tweeted not long ago about a package full of Muji snacks I received from one of them. Now, look at all the love another of my sweet friends put into this AWESOME package she sent me!

She must have found out about my weakness for snacks. Haha! Super cute packaging! Learning about my craze over Japanese masking tapes, she also went out to get some to include in this package! There was a little handwritten note in the box and amongst other things, she told me to “enjoy the snacks and remember Japan”. Don’t I have awesome friends?!

Little Chef

Design and identity work for a British institution, Little Chef, by venturethree. I adore how they’ve injected fun, freshness and vibrancy into the brand.

[images: venturethree]

Playtime

Yesterday was T’s birthday and we spent the day doing simple but fun stuff. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that we went to a fish spa. It was interesting! Haha. And right now, as I type, my arms are aching from our game of Wii.

The day before that, I prepared two packages for T. I had fun playing with my MT tapes, stamps and recycled magazine cut-outs. The result was cutesy and girly. Oh well, I guess the packaging was more for my own enjoyment :)

Handmade Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day may be over-rated and way too commercialized but we continue to mark the day because it’s an extra excuse to celebrate and to shower our significant other with gifts. I recall in my schooling days, Valentine’s Day was not exclusive to lovers or couples. We celebrated love between friends and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly as well. Why not, right?

Happy Valentine’s Day, lovelies! I hope you have a wonderful day, however you are spending the day. Here are some beautiful handmade Valentine’s Day gifts and ideas from the online world. Simple but so genuine! (Click to enlarge)

[images clockwise from top left: Misako Mimoko, Gloria Garcia, Kristena Derrick, Creature Comforts, knotsandbow]

My Love for Taiyakis

A little while ago, 2 lovely Japanese ladies (friends of T) gave me this little basket of taiyakis. The packaging was so beautiful I couldn’t bear to tear it open and when I finally could find it in me to take a bite at one of these little fishes, I found it stuffed full of red bean goodness all the way to the tail end (no empty floury bit at the end)! Oishii!!!! Thank you very much for this little bit of heaven :)

A Friend in Another City

I was in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days last week. Since I’m in the city, I couldn’t pass up the chance of meeting up with sweet Jacqueline of So Cute it Hurts! We arranged to meet one afternoon and I turned up at the agreed time and venue. I stood there looking around at the people walking by and wondering if that was she. It felt a little like an old-school blind dating scene sans red rose pinned to my top etc. Haha.

We spent a really lovely afternoon chatting non-stop. It was our first time meeting face to face but it felt as if we’ve known each other for a while (credit goes to blogging!). Before we went our separate ways, Jacqueline took me to a little craft shop she frequents. There, we hugged goodbye, not sure when we’ll meet again, but I’m so touched by being connected to a kindred spirit living a distance away.

The sweetie that she is, she gave me a little gift from Delectable. I love the cute packaging and am savouring the goodies as I type this (trying not to have too many at one go). Thanks, Jacqueline! I hope there’ll be a next meeting. Meanwhile, keep crafting!

Letterpress - Did I say I love it?

It looks like a lovely day today and I’m wondering if I should work outside. Afterall, I was pretty much indoors the whole of yesterday (you might have read my tweet about the kim chi fried rice I made for dinner). I need to find someplace with good internet connection though. It’s a total drag when I find a comfy seat, buy myself a drink/snack and am ready to start work when alas, I turn on my Mac to realise that the connection is unstable!

One of the things I enjoy doing when taking a break from serious work on the laptop is to browse Etsy. Before you jump into thinking, it’s shopping again, I’ll like to clarify that it’s pretty inspiring too! Just earlier on, I was looking at letterpress. I am always as ever, blown away by this traditional craft. Here are some pieces I’m hearting:

[Images: 1 Ink+Wit, 2 Paperdragonfly, 3 & 4 Pistachio Press, 5 Smock Paper, 6 & 7 Sweetbeets, 8 White Elephant Collective]

Have a Fling

Designed by Anchalee Chambundabongse, Fling Chocolate isn't only beautifully packaged, it's perfect for the "calorie-conscious, chocolate-loving fashionista"! If you click to enlarge the images, you will see immediately that each stick is under 85 calories. Now you can have your chocolate and not worry about being decadent!

I love that it's feminine with a lovely colour palette which differs from other conventional chocolate packaging.

[via The Dieline]

Packaging Love - Allison Newhouse

Lovely packaging for Thymes by Allison Newhouse.

I especially love the baby range! Can almost smell the powdery warm scent!

[images: Allison Newhouse Flickr]

Barcodes Revolutionised

You know that barcodes sit on almost every product but you don’t ever bother with them. Why should you? They’re just blah. They all look the same. Not these barcodes! With design elements integrated, they certainly made me sit up! What a creative way to utilise something that inevitably goes on your product packaging!

Designed by Japanese firm, Design Barcode. They’ll selling their designs and you can have it customised too.

[via Popsop. Images: from here]

Remember PEZ?

Do you remember PEZ? Candy in pocket mechanical dispenser? Look at this wonderful collection adorning a plain wall!

Other than being drawn to this interesting décor idea, the image also calls to mind my childhood days. As a kid, PEZ was one of the things I bugged my mum for when we were out. The candy itself was alright but it was the dispenser that I was really after. Could I help myself? They came in countless designs! Many of which are familiar cartoon figures (those marketing people are good, aren’t they?). And I loved seeing the tiny candy brick being dispensed automatically whenever I tilt the heads of Bugs Bunny/Donald Duck/random I-don’t-know-you character.

Obviously I have not been keeping my eyes out for them these days but PEZ is still around. I wonder if they still have a hold on the kids now? Any mums here reading this? Do your kids know PEZ? Oh, their website is pretty cute with sounds and animation.

An interesting tidbit: The all-uppercase spelling of the PEZ logo is drawn to look as if the letters were built out of 44 brick-like PEZ (14 bricks in the P and 15 in each of the E and Z).

[2nd image: Boopsie Daisy]

Lovingly packed

I had my first international sale from my little shop over the weekend!! It was for this journal. To show my appreciation, when I packed the item on Monday, I threw in 2 of my fabric cat notecards! I hope she likes it! This is what the packaging looks like now. I’ll look to improve it when things stabilise a little. I’m all for packaging. It makes so much difference doesn’t it?