Another middle of the month, another birthstone. This time we have the beautiful rich hues of September's birthstone, the regal sapphire. Funny that my brain went to some of the most casual pieces in my collection for this one! But come on, if anything I own looks like a faceted blue gem, it's this modern synthetic komon. I did try to dress it up a little by improvising a sort of 💎-shaped musubi, but I'm not sure I was particularly effective.

I came across this omusubi zipper pouch from Sample by Matsuda on Instagram a while back and fell completely in love. Every item in the shop, referred to and catalogued as Articles, are incredibly clever and well-designed, but this one captured my heart. I knew I wanted to build an outfit around it, and red, white, and black was a no-brainer.

I've been trying to post these in the middle of the month, but It's still August. I'm not late yet! Honestly, it's been a heck of a month and I haven't been in a good state physically or mentally. Thankfully I'm working through it and starting to feel a lot better now that the weather is starting to cool down and dry out.

I've been trying to post these in the middle of the month, but It's still August. I'm not late yet! Honestly, it's been a heck of a month and I haven't been in a good state physically or mentally. Thankfully I'm working through it and starting to feel a lot better now that the weather is starting to cool down and dry out.

Originally, I had planned to do a larger post reviewing several alternate/fantastic historial anime that have come out recently. That post is still in the works, but I've been so smitten with Sparks of Tomorrow that I knew I had to give it a little feature before it finishes airing! The Japanese title (Nijuuseiki Denki Mokuroku - 二十世紀電氣目録-ユーレカ・エヴリカ-) actually translates to…

I fell in love with this komon as soon as I saw a close-up of the pattern — stylised roses made up of tiny dots. It's got a Charles Rennie Mackintosh art & crafts meets Roy Lichtenstein pop art feel to it and I couldn't say no. I already have several other plans in mind for her, including something for Halloween, but I knew for her debut I absolutely had to honour the pop art vibes.

One beautiful vessel. One delicate blossom. Does it get more simple than that? I feel like this is a very zen "arrangement", if you can even call it that. It reminds me both of an enso, and the concept of mu. I actually spent far more time than I'd like to admit getting it to feel like a cohesive, balanced unit instead of just a stem stuck in a vase.

Another month, another beautiful birthstone! For July, we have the bright and bold ruby. If you saw my sneaky little addendum to the series last week, you'll know that I just did garnet for January, and I wanted to make sure Ruby was a much flashier and more vivid ensemble despite them both being red. I was also feeling the urge for a bit more contrast, since so many of these outfits have been very monochrome.

It's July, which means... time for January's birthstone? Don't worry, July's ruby ensemble will be coming soon, but I mistakenly grabbed the wrong things while getting ready and decided I may as well get January (and February eventually) done, since I started this series last March and am still a little behind. January's stone is garnet, a beautiful wine-red gem. I knew these pieces would be absolutely perfect, even though I used this obiage in the last coord.

Kumiko is the millenia-old Japanese art of exquisitely fine decorative woodwork. It relies entirely on precise cuts and is held together with carefully calculated pressure-fitting - no glue or nails. Typically, kumiko is used in windows and shoji screens, allowing a breeze and dappled sunlight to filter through. It's something I've been fascinated by for a long time but I always thought it was way beyond my skill-set and I was certain I didn't have time to learn such a delicate new skill.

When did I become a fragrance blog? No complaints, it just amuses me. I've been so incredibly lucky to receive a lot of these from the creator or manufacturer, and today's collection of kimono-themed eaux de toilette from Decorté are no exception. I've been wanting to try them for eons, but was unable to afford the full set. I saw a box of travel sizes online so I reached out to Decorte asking if it was still available for purchase somehow.

Yes, I am in the process of getting a US green card. Yes, I plan to move to southern California full-time once that happens. However, I am Canadian through and through and nothing will ever change that. I don't have blood, I have maple syrup in my veins. Since today is Canada Day I decided to celebrate with a thematic outfit.

I didn't set out to start collecting kokeshi ( 小芥子, こけし) dolls, but let's be realistic — if you're in any way involved in Japanese traditional arts it's going to happen eventually. Whether it be gifts, souvenirs, impulse purchases, or any other myriad options, these charming little figurines will find their way into your heart and your home. I've already posted about my…

I found this charming rose furisode at the same time as I got the absolutely unctuous brown houmongi recently. As a married woman in her mid-forties, did I need yet another furisode? Heck no. Was I going to let that stop me? Also no. I love how subtle and demure it is, especially for a furisode. And the price was fantastic.

"Don't play with that!" "Put that down!" "Stop fidgeting!" Those of us on Team Neurospicy have heard these lines all through our lives. Thankfully people are becoming much more understanding of things like fidgeting, and focus disorders in general. Enter the fidget toy. Designed specifically to fill that need, they're available in all sorts of fantastic permutations and designs, catering to every type of movement.

Alexandrite is my favourite of the birthstones, and it holds a special place in my heart. Not because I'm a June baby — far from it, my birthday is in November — but because I love the unexpected intersection of physics, chemistry, and aesthetics that cause it to change colour so much that my engagement ring and wedding band feature it heavily.

I have been wanting to try out Tokusen.store and their incredible selection of imported products for a long time now. They had a booth at the Asiasie Festival I went to recently and I figured it would be the perfect time to grab a variety of things to try. I then managed to haul them across the border in my suitcase and have been using them all regularly since I settled back in here in California and I am very excited to share the experience with you!

When Forest Decor reached out to me about a collaboration, I admit I was a bit stumped (pun absolutely intended). Their products are lovely, but not exactly in my realm of expertise. I was about to thank them politely for the offer but refuse when I saw this raw edge three-candle holder and my brain reimagined it as a vessel for ikebana with the help of this set of…

Just a little entry today, but I was so inspired by the Oshiroi perfume that I knew I had to make an outfit worthy of it. I knew it had to be something timeless and elegant, so using a kurotomesode was the way to go and this gorgeous hamaya piece fit the bill. It's quite long and the design comes up very high.

I have something incredibly special for you today. Sometimes I cannot believe how lucky and privileged I am that my passion gives me the opportunity to experience things like this. Oshiroi, created by small-batch artisan perfumer Matthew Meleg, is the first fragrance to be made officially in conjunction with geisha, specifically the house of Umeno Okiya of Kamishichiken. If you're reading this blog, you likely already know what oshiroi is, but for any new readers or people who found me through unusual channels, it's the traditional name for the classic white face paint used for centuries by maiko and geisha (as well as other theatrical, aesthetic, and celebratory performers — but in the modern day it's most commonly associated with the flower and willow world).

It's (roughly) the middle of the month, which means it's time for another birthstone ensemble! This month, the queen of green gems, the emerald. Emeralds are often treated with oil to fill in microscopic fissures and fractures, and in certain lights those fill-ins can flash yellow or orange, so I knew this green odori piece with orange and gold accents was the perfect choice.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of dragging Lynn and Sophie to the Festival Asiasie Pop-Up at the Time Out Market here in Montreal.  The market was great, but incredibly crowded. I suspect they got way more foot traffic than initially anticipated, and I hope the vendors all made some fantastic sales. I just hope that they find a larger venue if they do this again next year!

One thing you may not know about me is that I am descended from hockey royalty. Newsy Lalonde was my great-grandfather. While this isn't something that generally overlaps with my kimono interests, sometimes a girl's just got to represent hometown and familial pride, in the form of a coordination evoking the Montreal Canadiens team colours. Especially now that we've made it into series two of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

I've generally been pretty good about not buying kimono lately, but when I saw this absolutely lush warm-brown houmongi with wisteria – a motif I've been wanting more of – on Etsy for a fantastic price I had to have it. I also got another piece I'll be featuring soon, more on that later. I love how elegant and subtle this piece is, it feels very "quiet luxury" to me.

Back when I had my little shopping trip to Wabi Sabi in Palm Springs, one of the treasures I brought home was this lovely set of five kayuragi incense fragrances from Nippon Kodo. It's a great option for anyone who isn't ready to commit to a larger box of one scent, and the beautiful packaging with ukiyo-e art makes it an excellent gift as well.