keats's (my cat) birthday

I am 16 years old, I don't like wearing Woolen cap.

Merry christmas to me.

Keats talk to themselves.

pass me a smile Christmas card

I made Christmas card.

If you would like to purchase this card please e-mail me.

A$1+postage

mail address is on my web site http://www.passmeasmile.com/

birth day

Today is my friend's birth day

SUN LIGHT

If light is refracted and it becomes a rainbow.

The mind might become similar too.

I found my self

My boom is making minimini crochet animal with Expression of feelings.

Blow in the cat

How many scratch must I received before I call her as a friend〜

pass me a smile histry of winking cat tea cosy

2007

My friend Mark ordered me "Could you make tea cosy which looks like chooky (his girlfriend's cat)". And I made 2 (I thought he can choose be favourite one ) and he said "Could I have both of them?"

And he teach me "your work is special and you better charge more" (He doesn't speak like that but I could not remember the special word it was kind of Equivalence to appreciate) .

2008

I asked Mark to photograph chooky and tea cosy because I would like to intrudes chooky tea cosy in my book and he did perfectly (It wasn't easy because chooky is super shy cat).

2009

Mark is father now and his son's head size just fit tea cosy.

We're still using them as tea cosies -- we just put one on Reuben for fun! by mark

thank you Mark passing smiles

pass me a smile Exhibition work2

Thank you who spend the time to see my work.

I wish some good things happen to you today.

Have a nice week end...

pass me a smile light box

I like this light box.

These photos took in my bed room and kitchen.

pass me a smile: creatures of peace and calm work

I photograph a lot today.

pass me a smile: creatures of peace and calm

I am going to show you one by one from my past Exhibition Pass me a smile creatures of peace and calm.

introvert rabbit with her Protection soul on the head.

hanging object A$160

pass me a smile: creatures of peace and calm

From 5th of August I will have an exhibition at kinokuniya book store gallery in sydney.

There are 16 animals from pass me a smile and I cerate new animals too.

Toyoko Sugiwaka is a Sydney based Japanese artist and graphic designer. In her latest book pass me a smile, published in April 2009 by Murdoch Books, Toyoko made 16 creatures with felting, embroidery, crochet and fabric painting techniques. With the step-by-step photographs and instructions, the book is designed to make your own special creature with a feeling of warmheartedness - this will surely make you smile. And that smile will be passed onto your special 'someone'.

In this exhibition pass me a smile: creatures of peace and calm, Toyoko exhibits these 16 little wonders with some additional works. For Toyoko craft making is a reflection of her spiritual journey. “With hand made felt combined with embroidery and crochet you can virtually make any shape. So often my heart, ‘kokoro’, takes shape into my creatures”, she says.

Toyoko was born in Osaka, Japan. As a small girl she and her sister learned craft techniques from her aunt, a skilled expert in crochet. She studied graphic design at the Osaka College of Design. Whilst keeping her day job at a design studio, she began making various artworks. In 1993 Toyoko had her first exhibition at Gallery T.K.Art in Osaka. Later in the year she moved to Sydney to work as the art director for a printing company before going freelance as a graphic designer.

In 2001 Toyoko received training in felting techniques from internationally renowned South Australian artist, felter and dyer India Flint. At India's beautiful farm Toyoko discovered a life of her dream living with many animals. She was so impressed by India's large-hearted human nature that she wanted to share her experience in craft making with other people. With India Toyoko co-wrote her first book, Handmade Style: Felt for Murdoch Books in 2007.

Toyoko draws her inspirations from every little, good thing in her daily life. Her life in Sydney's Balmain East with her cat Keats and her exquisite artworks were featured in two Japanese mooks, "World Dog and Cat Interior" and "Lovely Kitchenware" by Tokyo publisher X-Knowledge. Her artwork was also handpicked by a leading stylist to be featured in the popular "an an" magazine published by Magazine House in Japan.

Toyoko admits that discovery of her artistic talent was somewhat a result of misfortune. "While working as a graphic designer in Osaka, I lost the photograph leased from a famous Japanese photographer Sakae Takahashi whom I respected very much but found hard to work with. Making an apology for the loss, I created the brass wire object of him with a cat. He seemed to be impressed. That moment I vaguely felt that my creature may have touched his heart. This feeling became the basis of my work."

pass me a smile book launch

It was 27th of May at kirribillibookshop

http://www.youtube.com/user/Toyokeats

pass me a smile Exhibition

July in Sydney cold and lot of raining days.

I am holding hot Bancha tea in my hand to warm the body and the mind.

I am going to have an exhibition in Kinokuniya gallery on 5th of August to 18th August.

I will exhibit 16 pass me a smile's member and now making some more new creature and things.

Reason for book name "pass me a smile"

reason 1

I like movie called "Easy rider" and one of the sound track (music) say

"Don't Bogatt that joint my friend pass it over to me"

(Bogatt mean Hanphrey Bogart who used to always have a cigarette tapped between his lips=form you-tube)

I think praise "pass it over to me" is really cool.

reason 2

Like a "Pass me a salt" we can say "pass me a smile" very naturally almost idiom.

reason 3

If you say "pass me a smile" you already smile, you could not say "pass me a smile" with angry face!

lisa LARSON

My friend brought this book from Japan. I love Lisa Larson's work and after red this book I impressed a lot of her personality too. This book contain lot's of her works, life, family photos and her interview.

She wrote "Creation as a part of everyday life" and I like this word.

Good sprit can make good things.

another time past created won The best design of the year

Another time past created written and photography by Brett Hilder 

won The best design of the year and The best designed general illustrated book!

(Australian Publishers Association)

This book is my first book design work (I mean whole, not only cover design).

Brett is my first Australian friend, we met around 1992 in Sydney and I came to Australia 1993.

Photo is Annual book design awards catalogue which I designed, and my new felt work little doggy purse.

My friend's family made three musketeers

Three musketeers hold flower.

frankie magazine

I am very pleased to find pass me a smile's small article on frankie.

I read on the road and the article make my nose little pain (harbinger tears).

I made pass me a smile's web site.

www.passmeasmile.com

contents page of pass me a smile

Can you see little black cat stick on the edge of book?

This is called Kutusuta Nyanko (THE SOCKS CAT) index sticker from Japan.

good book shop in sydney

Yesterday my friend call me  "I saw your book in the show window in the Ariel book shop!"

So I went there and took the photo.

I like Ariel book shop in Paddington they have same nice Japanese book too.

http://www.arielbooks.com.au/

next to Ariel photo is my cat keats and twin black dog (they are in pass me a smile).

pass me a smile

My first book pass me a smile was published by Murdoch books. This book is a kind of animal motif craft book but each animal have individual character like a human. I write how to make animals step by step with photos. Smile will born when you are make something for someone, and you can pass the smile with your work to someone. Smile are all free enjoy your smile.