My oldest daughter, Lauren is fascinated by Japanese culture. She has gotten me interested in it as well. So, I was recently on a search for Japanese fabric to make some cute things for us. We like the fabric with little animals and mini-mushrooms. As I was looking through Etsy, some of the sellers referred to using my new fabric in my zakka projects. What is zakka? Is zakka the Japanese word for quilt? Well I had to google it and now I am fascinated with the whole zakka concept. Below is the wikipedia listing for it. Let me know what you think of zakka.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zakka (from the Japanese 'zak-ka'（雑貨）or 'many things') is a fashion and design phenomenon that has spread from Japan throughout Asia. The term refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and outlook. It is often based on household items from the West that are regarded as kitsch in their countries of origin. But can also be japanese goods from mainly fifties, sixties and seventies. In Japan there are also so called asian zakka stores, that usually refers to Southeast Asia. The interest in Nordic design or Scandinavian design, both contemporary and past, is also part of this zakka movement. Zakka can also be contemporary handicraft.
Zakka has also been described as "the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane". The zakka boom could be recognized as merely another in a series of consumer fads, but it also touches issues of self-expression and spirituality. Cute, corny and kitschy is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, and laden with subtext.