We've met our Matcha

High on our list of places to visit is Japan. With all the amazing designs and just the culture you see online, the allure of Japan is undeniable. We already love Japanese food so we need no convincing to hop on the next plane out of Singapore and head over. Fortunately for us, we have contributors and friends who are generous enough to share bits of their journey with us! Recently, Adinda from Wolves Table headed to Japan and here is a little slice of her trip.

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It's been two weeks since I came back from a 3 week trip to Japan. And Japan still has its powers over me. During my stay in Japan I ate and drank a lot of matcha and other tea related snacks, drinks and meals. I've always been a huge tea fan but my trip to Japan really thought me a lot about different kinds and flavors of tea and I experienced my first Japanese matcha tea ceremony. 

During my stay, I bought myself a chasen (a handmade bamboo whisk) and a lot's of pretty matcha-chawan's (Japanese tea bowls). Because: one can never have enough tea bowls, or anything Japanese and ceramic related (duh).

More Matcha this way..

Making matcha is really easy and I enjoy drinking it so much. It's really healthy for you too: it's high in antioxidants, it relaxes your body and mind and it boosts memory and concentration. So if you, like me, can't wait to make your own bowl of matcha tea, here's how to do it:

Step 1: Firstly, collect your matcha accessories: the bamboo whisk, a tea bowl, a tea cup, a measuring handle, a tea strainer and of course, the matcha powder.

Step 2: To brew 1 cup or matcha tea, scoop 2 grams or 1 1/2 teaspoons of matcha powder into your tea strainer.

Step 3: Sift the matcha powder into a tea bowl, make sure there are no clumps so your tea will be smooth.

Step 4: Pour about 2 ounces of boiling water into an empty teacup to let the water cool down and let it sit for 1 minute.

Step 5: Now pour the hot water into the tea bowl with the matcha powder.

Step 6: Use your chasen to whisk the tea and the water together: relax your wrist, then whisk in a gentle circular motion for thin, smooth tea, and in a brisk "M" or "W"-shaped motion for foamy tea. Whisk for about 10–15 seconds until the tea is bright green.

Step 7: Carefully pour your matcha into a teacup.

Step 8: Make sure to drink it right after you've prepared it—the powder will settle at the bottom after a while.

For more gorgeous shots from Adinda's trip to Japan, here's her post about her time in Nara. Thank you for sharing this quick recipe with us. We're craving some matcha too!

.. Wolves Table

DIY Golden feathers

Hello Bloesem readers, this is Nancy from Nicenancy and I am excited to share a little craft tutorial with you today. 

I’ve got a thing for feathers at the moment. They are so tactile and beautiful I could look at them forever. And once you start painting them gold, you’ll want them even more. I used mine to decorate a package, but they are best friends with interior decorators as well. Put them under a glass and let the pretty things shine!

What you’ll need
*Textile painting (I used Royal Talens Decorfin gold, nr 801)
*Water color for any other color
*A small brush
*A match (if you want stamp dots)

 

Well, this is probably the easiest DIY you’ve ever seen. Just grab those lovely feathers and start exploring your favorite patterns. I like dots and graphic lines. My 6 year old daughter Josi painted just the upper part blue (like a dip-dye) and I loved it. Just follow your heart and it will turn out beautiful!

All images by Nancy

.. Nicenancy 

 

DIY notebook madeby Pien

Hello there! I’m Pien Neve from Amsterdam and I am very proud to be the brand new guest blogger on Bloesem Living. Irene invited me to become the new DIY/craft contributor after seeing my DIY wall hooks.

For this first edition, I made a DIY notebook which is very easy to make ... just a few simple steps.

I got this idea when I caught my boyfriend using those horribly boring, cheap-looking and old fashioned school notebooks. Remember those? The kind you didn’t even want to use during college :).

About thime to give these notebooks a fresh look. I have to admit that my boyfriend is now going to work every day with a big pile of loose papers, while I am using his notebooks now. They have become to beautiful to bring to the office!

Read the steps and see the result by clicking here... 

 

Step 01: Get rid of the staplers!

Be warned! Do not do this with your nails! I tried to do it 3 times because I was too lazy to look for another option. For instance, you can use tweezers to undo the staplers and your fingers won’t be bleeding.

Step 02: Sew the new cover

Fold your new cover (a beautiful color cardboard or a self-designed cover) and sew it with a needle and thread through the tiny holes of the staples. 

Step 03: Stamp

To finish it off, I stamped words on the new cover with alphabet stamps.

If you want to give it as a present, this Is a nice way to wrap it up!  

Thank you for reading my post, hope you enjoyed it! I am looking forward to sharing more with you in a couple of weeks! See you soon!  ~Pien

DIY wall hooks

An absolutely wonderful DIY idea from Pien ... just thought you would't want to miss these...

Photo credit: Pien

..Made by Pien 

Guest Post: The Home Behind by Nord

I love seeing the homes of artist and designers, there is something so intriguing about seeing the space created by someone who works with visuals every day. This home is no exception and belongs to Hanne Berzant who mixes natural comforts with luxurious accents and truly exemplifies Nordic style.

Hope you enjoy! ~Jennifer Hagler

..Photo Credit
..A Merry Mishap Blog

KNOT, a new magazine

... and we are liking this guest-post over at BKids today too. It's about a wonderful new magazine called KNOT from France. Thanks Jantine for the guest-post. ~irene