How come all the handicrafts that come out of Japan are so darn cute? They even have a cute word for cute - kawaii.

from Design Collection for Kids 365There are lots of Japanese craft books in print, but they are mainly written in Japanese. So it's a matter of looking at photos/diagrams and working it out from there. My sister-in-law Kia found this cute bag, but couldn't decipher the Japanese instructions.

It's not quite the same, but I managed to make my own version of this one handled bag.

It was so easy, I'll post how-to photos shortly - it's a great project for raw beginners, providing nearly instant gratification.

Not to mention it fits in with our green theme - what better way to quell the uprising of the plastic bag, than by making your own re-usable cloth bags.Make them any size out of scrap fabric -this one's recycled from an old cushion cover and pillowslip!