tede blog english

Collecting

2011-11-25T14:24:00.002+09:00

Yukine and I have been taking walks around our new neighborhood. Here are some of the things we have been finding...

This pine cone fell out of a tree right in front of our eyes! It is quite large and it made quite a noise as it crashed to the ground from the very tall tree it fell from. I was so happy to witness it's decent.

The lighter pink berries are actually peppercorns that we picked from a pepper tree. These trees are all over and they are dripping with peppercorns. When you crush the peppercorn it is so fragrant and fresh! I didn't even know that pepper grew on trees.

I have been fascinated by the different kinds of trees and plants we have been seeing. It is so different than Japan.

We are in San Diego!

2011-11-21T09:35:00.004+09:00

Hello! TeDe blog has been sleeping for quite some time now but I think it is finally waking up. For those of you checking in, thank you! I know 6 months is a long time to wait for a post. I will be more consistent in the future. From now on I, Kristina, will be writing this blog, as well as the Japanese TeDe blog. My kind teacher has agreed to help me translate my English writing into Japanese. It is a good way for me to keep studying Japanese while I am away.

So, we have arrived in San Diego! It has been 5 weeks since we arrived and we are slowly starting to settle in. My first impression of the city is that it is big. We live on the south side of the city, our town is called Chula Vista. Mexico is quite near, only 20 minutes by car. There is so much city to explore and we have hardly even started.

I finally made it out to see the ocean. This picture is from Ocean Beach. As I was walking up to the beach I was struck by the smell of the ocean. It was lovely. The air is so fresh and invigorating. For the first time since I arrived here, I really felt like I live near the beach! It was pretty late in the day when I came, but next time I want to walk all the way down the beach to the end of Ocean Beach Pier.

moving to California

2011-06-04T13:18:00.006+09:00

We are moving to California!

The cafe and gallery is now closed.

We have an internet store at etsy.com where you can purchase our work.

Thank you very much for all of your support over the years.

We will keep you posted about our life in California.

spring sale

2011-04-28T20:41:00.000+09:00

We are having a sale. Please come by and check it out!

Spring!

2011-04-01T21:49:00.002+09:00

Hello, we survived winter and spring is finally here! Come on up for visit.

shoveling snow

2011-01-07T21:51:00.002+09:00

It has been snowing like crazy up here! This is the most snow we have gotten since we moved here...I got out to shovel a little path the other day. Snow is heavy.

happy new year!

2011-01-01T19:28:00.000+09:00

and more...

2011-01-01T17:05:00.000+09:00

more snow

2010-12-31T13:41:00.000+09:00

snow

2010-12-30T14:54:00.001+09:00

kyoto-group show

2010-12-18T00:14:00.000+09:00

Kyoto Exhibition Location

2010-12-11T00:15:00.001+09:00

View Larger Map

This is the map of the exhibition in Kyoto.

first snow : cafe closed for the winter

2010-12-09T19:41:00.003+09:00

Winter is here! It is snowy and cold up here in Handa. We have closed the cafe for the winter. If you would like to come up, please give us a call first and we will let you know how the weather is.

AURA Show Flyer

2010-11-30T16:40:00.003+09:00

I am excited to be showing work in a group show at Aura Shop in Kyoto. Eight fabric artists will be showing work from December 4- January 17. If you are in the area, please stop in!

show in Kyoto

2010-11-23T21:22:00.001+09:00

Kristina will be showing her work at aura shop in COCON KARASUMA in Kyoto from Dec 4.

If you are in the area, please come visit.

display shelf photos

2010-11-22T00:53:00.003+09:00

The display shelf project is finished. Just to recap on the project, Tetsushi designed the shelf and I designed the flower motifs. The client requested that each of the shelf doors represent spring, summer, fall and winter. I chose to use cherry blossom, lily, chrysanthemum, and camellia for the flowers. Then Kanegae-san, a marquetry expert, crafted the panel doors based on my drawings. I am very happy with the outcome. Kanegae-san stayed very true to my design and his craftsmanship is excellent. Tetsushi designed the shelf for the client and Suetsugu-san, an excellent wood craftsmen built it. You can see some of his process pictures on his blog at sun set laboratory. It has been a great experience working with everyone. Thanks for all for the hard work!

Kamakura Trip Day 3

2010-10-02T20:53:00.001+09:00

We stayed with Shinya and Seiko in Tamagawa Friday and Saturday. Yukine had all kinds of fun playing with them! She got to play the piano, strum the guitar, and beat on a tamborine. Then we went to the park. Yukine picked some Higanbana flowers and used it for a baton. We all had a really nice day and then headed out to Kamakura for the opening. Shinya and Seiko were kind enough to play for us. Thank you everyone for coming out, we hope you enjoyed the beautiful music and delicious food! (Sorry there are no pictures from the actual event...we have no documentation.) Our work will be up at the Shonan Club for the whole month of October. If you have a chance, stop by the Shonan Club and enjoy their delicious food!

Kamakura Trip Day 2

2010-10-01T20:52:00.001+09:00

We stayed in a hotel in Yokohama on Thursday night, which is near Chinatown. We were eager to find some good dumplings for lunch. We ate at this great little restaurant called San Tung. We were lucky to get there before the lunch rush, it turned out to be a popular place. Their dumplings were delicious! After lunch, we headed back over to the Shonan Club to finish setting up. Things went a lot smoother with a good night sleep and a full belly!

Kamakura Trip Day 1

2010-09-30T20:51:00.001+09:00

We went to Kamakura to set up our show at the Shonan Club. We started our day very early on Thursday morning. Yukine was great the whole way to Kamakura...first an hour in the car to the airport, then an hour on the plane to Tokyo, then a bus ride and train ride later and we had finally arrived. But that was only the beginning. We then had to unpack our boxes and set up the show. We started out kind of slow and before we knew it it was 6pm. We all were exhausted so we decided to call it a day and come back on Friday with a fresh start to finish up.

new work for upcoming show

2010-09-21T01:24:00.001+09:00

kamakura show flyer

2010-09-10T22:06:00.000+09:00

printing apron

2010-09-07T19:29:00.001+09:00

We are having a show next month in a very cozy restaurant in Kamakura called Shonan Club. Our theme is "Dining with Tede." Tetsushi put together this video which shows me printing an apron. I am designing a series of aprons as the main for the show; we will also have place mats, coasters, cutting boards, and other odds and ends.

Shelf Project Update

2010-08-28T22:41:00.004+09:00

We made a trip to Okawa to see the progress on the shelf project. Tetsushi and Suetsugu examined the wood and determined which pieces to use on what parts. We also visited the marquetry artist, Kanegae-san, to see how he interpreted the flower motifs. I was so impressed to see his fine craftsmanship and to see how true he followed my designs. At this point the pieces have been cut out and next he will start carving them. I am really excited to see the finished piece!

new project

2010-07-26T11:29:00.002+09:00

This picture shows the wood that the client has already purchased. It's name in Japanese is kuwa. The client has requested 2 shelves made from this wood. It is pretty challenging to work with this material, as the wood has many cracks and is curved. Tetsushi's design will accentuate the natural shape of the wood. The client has also requested 4 doors with a flower motif representing each of the four seasons to be made using marquetry and incorporated into the shelf design. Kristina is designing the flower motifs. We will post updates as the project progresses.

We are back!

2010-07-13T11:39:00.000+09:00

We are back from US. We are open again. Please come visit and enjoy the beautiful summer of Handa Kougen!

San Francisco

2010-07-12T08:30:00.000+09:00

St. Louis

2010-07-08T08:28:00.000+09:00

tobias

2010-06-27T08:27:00.000+09:00

omaha

2010-06-24T08:26:00.000+09:00

wedding

2010-06-22T14:16:00.001+09:00

beach house

2010-06-21T06:03:00.001+09:00

Day2

2010-06-19T16:00:00.001+09:00

Saratoga

2010-06-18T03:33:00.001+09:00

US trip

2010-06-15T17:08:00.004+09:00

We are going to the US to visit my family. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we will be closed from June 16 ～ July 13.

It has been 2 and a half years since I have been home. Needless to say, I am very excited to be going home for a visit but I am a little nervous too. I am not sure how it will feel to be "home" again. I have changed alot since I have been away, I became a mom. I am looking forward to seeing lots of family and friends and letting them get to know our newest member of the family. I hope Yukine is ready for a crazy trip full of excitement!

Apron Design

2010-06-06T00:12:00.004+09:00

We are designing an apron for our upcoming show this October in Kamakura. We are planning to use the apron as a blank canvas and either print or paint each one individually to make a special edition of "one of" pieces. This is just the beginning phase. I am looking forward to sketching and thinking about how to put pattern on this form.

Curtain

2010-06-06T00:12:00.003+09:00

I am working on a curtain right now. It is nice to be printing in studio again.

kaba table 2

2010-05-16T20:57:00.001+09:00

kaba table 1

2010-05-16T20:56:00.000+09:00

mahogany table 1

2010-05-11T23:19:00.001+09:00

Tetsushi has been working with his friend, Suetsugu, on 2 table designs. This table leg was designed for a very special piece of wood. The top is one piece of Mahogany that is 4 meters long, 90 cm wide, and 6 cm thick! On this project, Tetsushi is the designer and Suetsugu is the maker. These pictures show the work in progress.

new t-shirt design

2010-04-28T23:17:00.001+09:00

We have new T-shirt designs for spring! It has been great to be back in the studio printing again. Please stop by TeDe and see the new designs.

happy new year!

2010-01-01T18:19:00.002+09:00

mochi-tsuki

2010-01-01T18:16:00.001+09:00

We did mochi-tsuki on Dec 30th. They were delicious!

snow storm

2009-12-20T12:19:00.003+09:00

It has been snowing for last 3 days. I was -8C yesterday. It is cold... It is cold...

snow

2009-12-16T12:50:00.004+09:00

We woke up this morning to this...the first snow of the winter! It is such a beautiful day today. If you are driving up to TeDe be careful.

drive

2009-11-20T18:04:00.005+09:00

It has been such a long time since we have posted anything. Life has been a little crazy, but we are adjusting well to being parents. I had been itching to get out of the house, so we decided to go somewhere on Thursday, just out. By the time we were ready to go it was already lunchtime, and Yukine was sleeping so peacefully so we decided to wait until she woke up so she could drink milk and then we would go for a drive. She slept for hours! It was 4pm when we left but it ended up being a beautiful drive and a beautiful sunset. It was such a nice time.

Home!

2009-10-16T01:19:00.002+09:00

Kristina and Yukine came home today from the hospital. We are starting our new life!

I made a blog for Yukine.
http://yukine-karina.blogspot.com/

I am going to sleep.zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Yukine!

2009-10-10T22:18:00.007+09:00

Our baby girl, Yukine is born! 46.5cm 2416g healthy baby. Kristina is doing well, too.
It was an amazing experience. I cried..... Kristina and Yukine is coming home on 15th. Cannot wait. Keep checking the blog for more pictures to come. Daddy is sleepy...

Fall T-Shirts

2009-10-02T23:13:00.002+09:00

We have new T-shirts in the gallery. Please stop in and take a look. Just a side note, we are still waiting to have our baby...any day now.

baby

2009-09-28T23:25:00.002+09:00

Our baby is due on October 3rd, so we will be going to the hospital soon. If you are coming to TeDe, please call to make sure that we are here.

Fall is here!

2009-09-25T18:28:00.002+09:00

There are signs of fall in the garden. This is a kind of chestnut. It is called kuri in Japanese. These trees grow naturally all around this area, when the nuts are ready the prickly outside opens up and the kuri nuts fall to the ground. We can hear them popping out of the trees throughout the day. It really makes me feel that fall is here.

Kagura

2009-09-17T22:23:00.002+09:00

Last night we went to the shrine in our village to see the Kagura festival. Everyone gathers around the shrine to watch the dancers act out ancient stories through dance and music. There is no speaking or singing. The music is a steady rhythmic drumming and a flute. It is quite a special event. We are so lucky we can just walk down the street to see it.

New Cafe Menu

2009-09-11T17:15:00.002+09:00

We have changed the style of the menu in the cafe! Instead of having the same menu every week, we are trying a more spontaneous approach. We added a few new items for this weekend, such as open faced sandwiches, pumpkin soup and homemade ginger ale. We will be trying lots of different dishes throughout the year and will only make food from the old menu occasionally. I am hoping that everyone will enjoy a little more variety in the cafe. Please come visit soon!

tommy guerrero

2009-09-09T14:41:00.002+09:00

Hi there. This is Tetsushi. Kristina is usually in charge of the English blog, but since I am the only one who went to the live, I decided to write.
I went to Tommy Guerrero's live in Fukuoka last night. I would never guess that I would see him in Japan. The opening band was terrible and I hated every second of it, but Tommy Guerrero was awesome! It was definitely better than listening to the CD. He played for about two hours. In the end, it was a great live.

2 New T-Shirt Designs

2009-09-04T23:11:00.003+09:00

We printed some new t-shirts and ecobags today just in time for the weekend. We will keep working on new designs for this fall and little by little we will put them in the gallery. We hope you can visit soon!

t-shirt design

2009-09-02T22:51:00.003+09:00

We are making a couple of new t-shirt designs. We tried something different this time and are playing with text. I am looking forward to seeing how the final product turns out.

Track Bicycle Racers

2009-08-31T21:17:00.003+09:00

Today we had a group of track bicycle racers stop into the cafe. It was really interesting to hear about their profession, something I didn't even know existed. It sounds like an extremely competitive sport where you have to be both mentally and physical tough. These guys are obviously tough guys, yet they were so kind and fun to talk to. Maybe we will try to see them race sometime in Beppu...sounds like it would be a lot of fun.

New Signs

2009-08-28T21:55:00.006+09:00

Because TeDe is so hard to find, we made more signs. Hopefully, this will make it easier for people to find us. This time we made screens to print all of the writing and the making process went very well.

Garden Vegetables

2009-08-23T16:50:00.002+09:00

The garden vegetables are looking healthy. We are happy that they are making a comeback. After all of the rain and so little sunshine in July, things weren't looking so good. It finally feels like summer is here with the sunny weather!

Baby Chair

2009-08-19T23:01:00.002+09:00

Tetsushi just finished a baby chair for a client of ours. His challenge was to make the seat adjustable so as the baby grows the height of the chair can change. When the child eventually does grow out of the chair it could be used as a stool or a stand.

Summer Walk

2009-08-17T21:01:00.004+09:00

It was a beautiful day today so we got out for a short walk. As you can see, I am quite pregnant. We are expecting a little girl in early October. We are excitedly waiting to meet her!

Furusato Matsuri (Local Festival)

2009-08-15T22:31:00.002+09:00

Yesterday was the summer festival in our village. It is a great event for the community. This year they did kagura, a type of ancient story telling with drumming, music, and dance. The picture on the bottom shows the dragon before the warrior sleighs him and saves the town. After kagura was taiko drumming and then dancing. The finale every year is the fireworks. It was quite an impressive show.

Exhibition at Rin

2009-08-04T22:12:00.003+09:00

We had an exhibition at Rin last week, these are some shots of our work in the space. We would like to thank everyone for coming, and also thank all of our friends for helping out. It was a great experience showing our work in Tokyo, we hope to do it again.

Solar Eclipse

2009-07-22T21:23:00.004+09:00

Today we so lucky to see the solar eclipse. I wasn't expecting to see it at all because it was raining most of the morning. It started to clear up just in time to see this amazing event! From here, the sun was covered about 90% at the fullest. It didn't get dark, but the light was eerily beautiful. It was quite a special day.

Potato harvest

2009-07-12T22:01:00.004+09:00

Today Akemi-san harvested all of the potatoes. We ate some for dinner and they were delicious!

Friends in the garden

2009-07-12T21:41:00.002+09:00

It was a beautiful sunny day today... it was a nice break from the rain. Walking around in the garden I couldn't help but notice all of the little creatures peacefully being in their element. Here are a few shots I was able to get.

Tokyo Show at Libre

2009-07-09T11:05:00.012+09:00

On Monday we went to Tokyo to set up our show, Tuesday was the opening and Wednesday night we came home. It was a busy trip and the time flew by. Setting up went well, it was nice to see all of the new works in one space for the first time. At the opening party, it was nice to catch up with some old friends and meet new people too. Thank you to everyone who made it. Now that we are back home, we are getting ready for the show at Rin at the end of the month. We will be posting more details about that event soon.

Exhibition works

2009-07-02T23:20:00.002+09:00

We are all packed up and ready to go. Tomorrow morning everything will be on its way to Tokyo. We just have a few little things to finish up, but the main work is done. We will be meeting our work in Tokyo Monday morning and then setting up the show. The opening is Tuesday...it's really amazing how fast the time goes by!

Final Pieces

2009-06-21T11:54:00.003+09:00

We are finishing up our final pieces for the show. We will be shipping everything in less than two weeks! Amazing how fast the time goes. The top picture is fabric for a light shade...and in the shop some pieces being oiled.

vegetable garden

2009-06-20T11:19:00.004+09:00

kabocha (pumkin)

zuchini

tomato

The vegetables are starting to grow! This year's veggies are looking pretty good so far. We are looking forward to a delicious harvest.

exhibition

2009-06-19T23:36:00.002+09:00

After the exhibition at the Libre gallery, we will be showing our work at Rin 3F space in Omotesando. We are currently making the schedule, so we will post more infomaion once we decide everything. Most likely we will be showing our work from July 28-August 1.

Rin
http://rin.smrj.go.jp/

garden updates

2009-06-16T22:07:00.011+09:00

potatoes...

mini sunflowers...

hydrangea...

cute little weed...

Things are growing like crazy in the garden. It really feels like summer lately with all of the sunshine we have been getting. I have been loving the weather...it's nice to feel warm sometimes.

Another beautiful day

2009-06-14T21:31:00.002+09:00

We have been going on alot of walks lately, this is one of our favorite roads that cuts through the fields. The news said that rainy season has started, but we only had one day of rain and now the forcast is sunshine all week. Maybe rainy season will be short this year?

Bicycle

2009-06-06T15:08:00.004+09:00

One of our regulars gave us this bicycle. It is really hard to ride beacuse there are no brakes and it is extremely hard to stop. Tetsushi has mastered it, he can even ride it all around the neighborhood.

Bud

2009-06-05T11:22:00.005+09:00

This is such a beautiful flower bud. We both decided we like it almost better than the flower itself.

New piece

2009-06-05T11:22:00.004+09:00

This is a close up of the new light we are working on. Tetsushi figured out how to mount all of the essentials for the light...now it just needs the fabric shade. I better get to work!

Making progress

2009-06-05T11:21:00.004+09:00

Tetsushi's mom, Akemi-san, has been busy sewing all week. The new set of pod sacks will probably be finished next week!

Problem Solving

2009-06-02T08:47:00.002+09:00

Tetsushi is working on a light...it is always a challenge to figure out the best way to mount the light fixture and deal with the cord. This will be another collaborative piece, I will start the fabric for the shade very soon. I am really curious to see how this piece will look finished.

flyer for the tokyo show

2009-05-30T22:50:00.004+09:00

Tomo and Chiyo from Tuesday designed the postcard for our show. The July 7th opening day is right around the corner!

Pod Sack

2009-05-30T00:07:00.002+09:00

I am working on a new batch of the pod sack. I am just about finished with all of the fabric. Now is the cutting phase, then I will hand the cut pieces over to Tetsushi's mom and she will start sewing them up.

BBQ

2009-05-25T11:37:00.006+09:00

Yesterday was our barbeque. We grilled burgers, enjoyed the garden, and even played a little ping pong. Thanks to everyone for coming!

Hamburger Buns

2009-05-23T23:46:00.002+09:00

We are getting ready for BBQ tomorrow! We baked buns all day and we are super excited to eat our own burgers.

evening walk

2009-05-19T23:58:00.003+09:00

The weather has been great up here. We have been enjoying walking in the evening. The ricefields are all full of water, this one is still waiting for the rice plants.

garden updates

2009-05-19T23:56:00.002+09:00

The almond tree is making almonds! We will probably get about ten this year. And the Yukianagi is blooming. Everything is green and happy around here. We are loving springtime.

Ladybug

2009-05-16T14:20:00.002+09:00

I found a ladybug in the garden this morning. Most of the ladybugs around here are black with red dots, this one is the more traditional red with black dots.

Onpaku

2009-05-12T21:16:00.004+09:00

We had an event at TeDe with Onpaku. 12 people came for coffee, dessert, and a brief lesson on loop braiding!

Productive Day

2009-05-10T23:02:00.004+09:00

Tetsushi and his mom finished up the garden project today. They made steps into the slope, which before was full of rocks and clay. Now we can plant flowers and veggies in the beds. They both worked hard all day, even though it happened to be Mother's Day and Tetsushi's birthday.

Garden

2009-05-09T14:20:00.004+09:00

We started this year's vegetable garden. We are growing tomato, peaman, jalepeno, lettuce, eggplant, potato, basil, and rosemary. We are really challenging ourselves this year, we'll just have to see how it goes.

We asked our neighbor to help us dig to expand the garden. We are thinking to plant flowers along the slope and vegetables in the flat area. We still have a lot of work to do!

Sunset

2009-05-09T14:19:00.003+09:00

We caught a beautiful sunset on the way home from Oita yesterday.

BBQ

2009-05-06T20:51:00.000+09:00

We are having a barbeque on Sunday, May 24th from 10:00-17:00. Please join us! Feel free to bring your own food and drink, we will have a hot grill waiting. If you don't want to bring anything, we will be serving American-style hamburgers for 600yen. We will not be serving the usual cafe food. We are hoping for good weather, but even if it rains we will have the party. This event is for everyone, so please bring your friends.

New painting

2009-05-02T14:32:00.001+09:00

Mark gave us a new painting, we have quite a collection of his work. The title of this piece is "Bull becoming flowers, flowers becoming bull."

Studio time

2009-05-02T14:31:00.002+09:00

We have both been busy in our studios lately. We have a lot of work to make for our upcoming show. The nice weather makes it so much more pleasant to be working.

Leaf

2009-05-02T14:30:00.001+09:00

I noticed this interesting leaf in the garden today...the flower and the leaf are one. I love it.

Itchou Tree

2009-04-29T12:12:00.002+09:00

The itchou tree is coming out. This is my favorite tree in the garden, every year it grows at least a foot. I am looking forward to seeing how tall it gets this year.

sumo wrestler

2009-04-25T16:47:00.001+09:00

Our friend, Kunimoto kun traded these paintings for some of our work. It is a nice addition to the art work in the cafe.

baby clothes

2009-04-25T16:45:00.004+09:00

We added new baby clothes in the gallery. They are small and cute!

Spring!

2009-04-22T17:53:00.005+09:00

The flowers are out all over the garden. It really feels like spring is finally here. The top picture is our almond tree. We had no idea how pretty it's flowers were. The bottom picture is tara, a springtime delicacy we can't wait to eat!

Exhibition

2009-04-21T09:31:00.008+09:00

We will be having an exhibition at the Libre gallery in the Nezu disctrict of Tokyo form July 7-26. The opening reception is on July 7 from 5pm. We will be posting more information.

LIBRE

2-29-4 nezu bunkyouku

tokyo 113-0031

tel:03-3827-1925

see the link below for a map

http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=ja&geocode=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%87%E4%BA%AC%E5%8C%BA%E6%A0%B9%E6%B4%A52-29-4&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=A

Event at BEBENKO

2009-04-12T07:29:00.002+09:00

We will be participating in the BEBENKO's fourth anniversary event on April 18 and 19, so the cafe will be closed on the weekend. We will be showing some T-shirts and eco bags. BEBENKO is our neighbor's restaurant and located along the side of Yamanami Highway. It is about 5 minutes from TeDe. For more info, click the link below.
http://www.eaglefarm.net/bebenko/index.html

Tetsushi in the Shop

2009-04-11T18:35:00.001+09:00

Tetsushi is working on a new table for the upcoming exhibition in July. It is nice for him to be working in studio with this nice spring weather.

Picking Colors

2009-04-11T18:08:00.003+09:00

When I am trying to pick new colors to print, I spread out all of my old samples to come up with new recipes for colors. I am printing fabric for zabuton covers for the cafe.