Kokeshi

I went shopping over the weekend, and found some really cool stores! The first stationary pack I had seen online before, and really liked. I was excited to find it in a store where I wouldn't have to pay shipping!

The Japanese notecards are based on little wooden Japanese dolls called kokeshi. Kokeshi dolls first appeared in northeast Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867). They were thought to have been sold to tourists visiting the hot springs. As they spread throughout Japan, different regions developed their own styles. All traditional kokeshi don't have arms or legs, have cylindrical bodies, and large round heads. They are painted now, but are thought originally to have been left unpainted.

traditional kokeshi

After WWII, creative kokeshi were developed. They have to restrictions on size, shape, or design. This type of kokeshi are more commonly found in cities.

creative kokeshi

I think the kokeshi dolls (and notecards!) are so cute!

Oh, and I decided to use my little Pride and Prejudice notebook to record all my ingoing and outgoing mail. Sometimes I forget if I've written a letter to someone new, or if I sent someone something already. I used the Missive Maven's post about how she keeps her mail notebooks as a guide. My entries look something like this:

Sent/Received 3/4/12 - if I got it in my P.O. Box/occasion (thank you, reply, etc.)

Name, location

- anything that was receive/sent with the letter