her day and Kokeshi dolls

A busy weekend lays behind us,
my 12 year old had her feast on a very beautiful sunny day.
She was overloaded with lovely presents:
- some money to save for her first (adult) bike,
- her very first 'adult' perfume :-)
- a pile of tickets for the movies
- very sweet and lovely wishes from many friends
- and a lovely cushion (which she had an eye on for some time) from us :-)
made out of a sweet japanese kokeshi doll fabric.

The cushion is made by a talented lady in our neighbourhood, she recycles old stools into new, beautiful pieces:have a look at her website Les feauteuils de bonheur!

Maia (my daughter) is a big fan of Kokeshi Dolls, a Japanese wooden character doll.
Kokeshi dolls are originally from Northern Japan. They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face.


The body has a floral design: kimonos, and other traditional patterns covered with a layer of wax. Colors used were red, yellow and purple.One characteristic of Kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist.
As all the dolls are hand painted, no two faces are alike. This is perhaps the greatest charm of the Kokeshi. Some dolls are whimsical, happy and smiling, while others are serious.