Japan

I think for so many of us crafters and admirers of all things beautiful, Japan holds a very special place in our hearts.  We've poured over Japanese craft books, soaked up Japanese blogs, relished the traditions, the simple beauty and the long history of aesthetic appreciation.  It's a place we've dreamed of, and for those of us lucky to have visited, it's a place we've fallen in love with. 

Every news bulletin at the moment brings fresh heartbreak.  The numbers, the scale of damage are near inconceivable.  I have lots of blog posts planned this week, but I couldn't write any of them until I wrote this one.  I'm sure you are all helping in whatever small way you can, and you know the usual ways to do so.  There's also a bunch of Etsians who are donating all or some of their sales to relief efforts (like the shop above, Made By Jo) - try searching for tags like 'Japan' 'earthquake' 'tsunami' 'charity' 'relief'.  Or you can have a look at this beautiful treasury by zoetropa which features sellers who are supporting the relief efforts.