Day 10: J is for Joy

I am still rounding up things that inspire me as part of my More to Love: A to Z series.  My mom’s name starts with the letter J (hi Mom!), so I always think of this as her letter.  Maybe I should have asked her for some hints.

I am pretty sure she would not have come up with this one –

J is for Japanese Craft Books

We are lucky to have several Japanese bookstores nearby, and browsing the craft section is a wonderful way to get lost for an hour.  Since I don’t read Japanese, I never go in with a plan.  I just meander and see which books and magazines find me.  On the handful of occasions where they have relocated the craft book section, this has caused some minor panic – but eventually you develop a bit of a routine.

My favorites are probably the embroidery books.  They are unlike anything I’ve seen in English.  However, I also have a mini-collection of Japanese magazines (like Cotton Time and Cotton and Paint).  Sometimes they are sealed in plastic at the bookstore, so you never know quite what you’re going to get (although you have a pretty good hunch it’s going to be good).

These are just pages I selected at random.  I always see something new when I flip through these magazines.  There is an attention to detail and a precision that I find refreshing.

(And no, I don’t really understand this picture of a goat/sheep either.)

On that note, next up for the letter J, we have –

J is for Jewelry

I don’t wear very much jewelry, and most of the handful of things I have are from my grandmothers.  It is a mixture of highly sentimental pieces and some sparkly costume jewelry.  One day I finally got rid of all of those mismatched earrings from Claire’s and other $5 jewelry purchases so that my jewelry box is really just the pieces that I wear or that make me happy.  There is something about having a jewelry box that is organized that can make a girl feel very special and decadent.  (A worthy task for a lazy Saturday!)