Upon a Fold

a tear for japan... March 19, 2011

A tear for Japan by origami artist, Joseph Wu. This is his work in progress. To see it bloom into something even more beautiful, be sure to visit Joseph on Flickr.

love & hope for japan... March 19, 2011

Sakura or さくら (my hiragana improving everyday :) is the Japanese name for the cherry blossom. I’m yet to see a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, but a friend once described it as a spiritual experience. In Japan, cherry blossoms are considered a sign of good fortune, a symbol of love, and a lasting metaphor for the transient nature of life. As the cherry blossom season embarks on Japan, I feel their significance, will be more meaningful now then ever. I hope their presence will bring comfort and hope to the Japanese people, at this terribly difficult time.

This beautiful, limited edition Cherry Blossom paper model set, is by Terada Mokei from Japan.

P.S. Google has set-up a page, where donations to Japan can be made quickly and easily. To make a donation, click here.

earthquake fundraiser... March 12, 2011

My heart feels completely broken. Japan, I love you, we love you, and we hope everything will get better soon. The Australian Red Cross has now set up a Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal. You can make a donation here.

The image above is of one of our most popular products, called Make City Tokyo. It is a set of 5 postcards that captures the essence of this incredible city, and each postcard can be cut and assembled into miniature models of Tokyo’s city icons. For the month of March, all profits made from the sale of this postcard set will be donated to the Australian Red Cross, Japan and Pacific Disaster Appeal.

Also, there is a wonderful auction happening over at Li'l Magoolie, called the Li’l Quake Appeal. It’s to raise funds for the New Zealand Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake Appeal. There are loads of gorgeous products to bid on, including one of our own, by paper artist Ingrid Siliakus. Please tell your friends.

Upon A Fold would not exist without our friends in Japan. A huge selection of the amazing products we have in the shop are by Japanese designers and artists. To all our dear friends over there and to everyone in Japan and Christchurch – we send you LOVE and HUGS and HOPE that everything will be ok, very soon. xoxo

UPDATE – Thank you to all who contributed to our fundraiser. We raised $300 from the postcard sales. A donation has now been made to the Australian Red Cross Japan Disaster Appeal. Thank you so much, every little bit counts!

DB in STATION... March 10, 2011

My friend Yoko was in Sydney this week, so we spent the day together taking in the sights whilst talking, walking, eating, more talking, more walking, more eating…! Anyway, she knows how much I love D-BROS, so she surprised me with a little bag of goodies from their new concept shop that has recently opened in Tokyo.

D-BROS is a Japanese design studio who specialise in innovative stationery. DB in STATION is their new ‘STAMP it’ project shop, located at Shinagawa station. There you will find a selection of blank cards, envelopes, notebooks, bookmarks and more, all ready for stamping. With hundreds of stamps to play with, I reckon this shop wins 1st prize for collaborating with its customers! It’s mantra is to ‘Make it, feel it, do it in your own way’. It’s seriously art and retail therapy, rolled into one!

Yoko stamped the bookmark card above especially for me – how sweet! It even has my initials stamped on it. You really can’t buy and give a more personalised card than that. Just another brilliant idea by D-BROS. I can’t wait to visit in a few months time, when I’m next in Tokyo. I’m thinking someone might have to put a time limit on me though, because I have a feeling I could be in there for hours! If only I could stamp you all a card :) xx

DB in STATION
JR Shinagawa Station | Shinagawa 2F 3-26-27 Takanawa, Minato-Ku Tokyo

master of origami - dinh giang... March 9, 2011

There’s origami, and then there’s Dinh Giang’s origami. It’s truly magical stuff!
I love origami with its abundance of folds, and there is something really special about Dinh Giang’s mastery of this folding art. Maybe it’s the way he embraces the curve alongside the fold? Or maybe it’s his use of the wet folding technique, that produces such extraordinary pieces? I don’t really know what it is, but I’ve been an admirer for years, and often wondered, how in the world he can make a simple piece of paper come to life – time and time again.

yvette jacobs... March 4, 2011

I stumbled across these beautiful paper cups and bowls yesterday. They are by Dutch artist and designer, Yvette Jacobs. They remind me of paper pulp making as a kid. I used to love collecting milk cartons and other papery bits to make my hearty pulp. Dropping pretty petals and leaves into the mix, would always make me smile.

p.s. that hanging lamp in the second image is by Yvette, and it’s also made of paper.

tabi folds... March 2, 2011

Ok, I confess. I’ve been known to be sporting a Tabi or two, at home in the colder months. And even though on occasions, they have sent me sliding dangerously across polished floors, I continue to wear them, as a reminder of all things Japanese and unusual.

Tabi are traditional Japanese socks. They are usually ankle-high, with a separation between the big toe and the other toes – kind of like mittens, but for your feet. Cosy!

Dutch designer, Annemarie te Stroet says her series of folded gloves were inspired by this traditional Japanese footwear. Her Tabi Series consists of 6 pairs of gloves, that have been folded and pressed in various ways, to produce 12 different hand gestures. I’m not really sure what they communicate, but I really love those folds!

hina aoyama... February 25, 2011

Can you believe these paper cuts were made using scissors? Japanese born artist, Hina Aoyama came to mind this week, as I was busy working on something that required loads of patience and steady hands! She works with small scissors and meticulously cuts out all her designs by hand. Some of my favourites are shown above – aren’t they just incredible? This year, I’m looking forward to introducing her creations to the Upon A Fold shop. So if you’re a fan like me, keep an eye open for them. They will no doubt be amazing!

and the winners are... February 24, 2011

Far out, more than 230 comments! Can I just say, that pointing at my screen (with eyes closed) knowing I could only pick 5 winners, was not easy! Sorry I can’t send everyone who entered a gift, I really wish I could do that :( But seriously, reading each and every comment truly made my week. So many kind words – it’s really great to see so many people enjoying the shop and blog.

Ok, so I better announce the winners now! I’ll be contacting you guys via email today to organise the delivery of your paper goodies. Congratulations!! xo

The winners are…

Bronwyn Lloyd has won prize 1 Sweet Treats
Priscilla T. has won prize 2 Black/White
Antonio G. has won prize 3 Back to Nature
Kim from shipbuilding blog has won prize 4 Craft Time
Hailey MC has won prize 5 Post-it/Pockets

the upon a fold birthday giveaway 2011!... February 16, 2011

Wow, take a look at all those papery things to be won! This is the first giveaway on the blog and it’s to celebrate Upon A Fold’s first birthday. Mostly though, it’s just a small way I can say thanks to everyone who reads my blog. I am so grateful for your visits and I’m encouraged by your lovely comments everyday!

Ok, so! Here are the details to enter. It’s really, really easy. Just leave a comment on this post and be sure to include your email. The winners (there will be 5) will be selected at random and contacted via email, a week from now. This giveaway is open to everyone! There is nowhere I can’t post to, so get commenting :–)

There are five prize packs to be won. You can find the details of each pack below.

Make sure to get your comment in by 11.59pm Sydney, Australia time on Wednesday, February 23.

PRIZE 1 – SWEET TREATS (Clockwise from top)
Chocolate Ice-Cream Card, D-Bros Chocolate Card, Lollipop Card, Spots and Stripes Party Bags, Happy Memo Pierrot.

PRIZE 2 – BLACK/WHITE (Clockwise from top)
1/100 Architectural Model Set, Ori-hagaki Penguin Postcard, Lox + Savvy Barbershop Card, Hello Birdie Garland, Craft Log Writing Pad.

PRIZE 3 – BACK TO NATURE (Clockwise from top)
Popcard Tree, Hana-Kotoba Flower Cards, Cherry Tree Card, Flower Paper Packs, Leaf-it in Autumn.

PRIZE 4 – CRAFT TIME (Clockwise from top)
Make City Paris Postcards, The Golden Rule, Freestyle Stitching Postcard, Envelope Maker Set, Mt. Fuji Tatebanko.

PRIZE 5 – STICKY NOTES/POCKETS (Clockwise from top)
Match Sticky Notes, Tracing Paper Pockets, Seki Mihoko Papercut Stamp Set, Musical Animal Pockets, Puzzle Point Zoo Markers.