Monthly Archives: September 2019

Thinking of You Week Reflection 💌

September 29, 2019My ThoughtsThinking of You WeekYuko

How was your Thinking of You Week??

This past week has been about celebrating the joy of sending and receiving a handwritten note.

Which of course is something I can get behind 100%!

Someone commented on my Insta post about Thinking of You Week the other day, saying they try but it’s hard to keep up.

I hear you! I really do… because…I had a hard time keeping up, too!

To that, I said

Don’t let your perfectionism keep you from reaching out to your loved ones!

This “challenge” is just an opportunity to get you thinking about your connections to your community.

If you write every day, that’s great. But you could just send a few or even one card this week – or next month – or year, you know, this is not a competition, and nobody is judging you!!

Well, nobody except you, maybe 😉

I’m being casual about it this year, too – my brain has been a bit preoccupied these couple of weeks, so I’m taking my time thinking about a person and writing a card every couple of days… It’s still fun for me and not as stressful.

So far, I’ve chosen to write to friends who have moved away from Seattle, so my Birds of Washington card has been the go-to!

If you joined the challenge, how did it go for you? Is this something you’d like to do regularly?

Let me know in comments! I love hearing from you 💝

Happy connecting!

2020 Self-care calendar sneak preview!

September 22, 2019My Thoughts, self-care2020 calendarYuko

I meant to design a monthly calendar last year, but I had too high of an expectation for myself, ran out of time, so it didn’t happen 😑 sad.

However, I’m happy to tell you that it’s coming back for 2020!

My 2020 calendar will be all about self-care, self-acceptance, and confidence.

It’s a strange timing though that I’m working on this calendar now because things have been a bit chaotic in my life lately.

Don’t worry, no divorce or illness, thank goodness 😬 But, I’ve got a new studio space that I’m setting up (unexpected but exciting. more on that later), and a couple of other non-biz-related things have kept me feeling a bit ungrounded and scattered.

(As I write this email, I realized the core issue is my routine has been disturbed by these unexpected events. As much as I’d like to go with the flow and be spontaneous, I need routine for my well-being. Check.)

Needless to say, it’s taken longer to finish the calendar…😀 but I still aim to get them out to you sometime in October ✨

Here is the sneak preview!

So pretty, no?? 😻

I don’t know if you knew this, but I craft these encouraging messages for myself, first and foremost.

And they resonate with me so much more when I’m in a more uncertain space.

As I put together these designs, I remind myself to breathe, acknowledge that I’m in that space, and be present as much as possible.

Nothing lasts forever, and I’ve come out ok through 100% of the past difficult situations (and don’t remember most of them 🤷🏻‍♀️), so this, I shall survive also.

I’m trying to be gentle with myself and give myself permission to be “meh” in a meantime.

If you’re also feeling “meh,” it’s OK. Take care of yourself, my friend ❤️

Thinking of You Week is coming!

September 15, 2019ShopGreeting Cards, snail mail, Thinking of You WeekYuko

Thinking of You Week is September 23 – 29 this year 💌

It’s an international movement to celebrate the joy of sending and receiving hand-written notes.

Yes, emails and texts are so much more convenient, and it communicates the message just the same as a hand-written note.

BUT.

You know it feels different, right?

With physical notes, you can hold them, feel them, smell them, enjoy the artwork, and my favorite part is seeing their handwriting.

I love how people’s handwriting shows their personalities.

You may be self-conscious about your messy handwriting, but don’t fret! I think it’s quite endearing 🤗

When my hubs, Dave, and I were in a long-distance relationship (for 5 years!), we would send each other letters and notes, and seeing his handwriting was like hearing his voice.

(But better, because I don’t like talking on the phone very much 😬)

I still keep all of the notes he sent me. They’re such treasures ❤️

Every once in a while, I get the box of letters out of my closet and go through them to re-live the warm and fuzzy feelings.

Sigh.

Wouldn’t you like to give someone you love warm and fuzzies??

Join the movement and send a card every day during the Thinking of You Week, September 23-29!

I participated in it last year and had so much fun!

It gave me a pause to think of the people I cared about. And really focus on showing how much I appreciate them.

My friends are on my mind constantly, but it was refreshing to take 5 minutes a day to think of one particular person and what I appreciate about them.

And they, of course, enjoyed getting a surprise note from me 🥰

How about you? Do you wanna join me this year?

I’ve got 88 designs to choose from in my shop! Browse away and have fun picking your 7 cards 😽

Snail mails rock 🐌

pps. would you rather shop in-person? I plan to be at Fremont Sunday Market on 9/15 and 9/22 (weather permitting – check my Insta in the morning), and The Make Sale Fall Market in Monroe on 9/20 & 9/21!

Fall block printing workshop early-bird enrollment is OPEN!

September 8, 2019block printingblock printingYuko

Pssst… I just opened up early-bird enrollment to my fall Introduction to Block Printing on Fabric Workshop!

You can join the fun on the following two dates in October:

Sat. 10/12, 1:30-6pm at Seattle IGIMO

Sun. 10/27, 1-5:30pm at Redmond IGIMO

These classes are kept pretty small and will fill up, so sign up early! Tuition goes up on Tuesday, September 24. (hint: best value if you sign up with a friend 👯‍♀️)

let me know if you have any Qs. Hope to see you there 😉

Happy September,