Wonderful stationery

MT tape for kids

Silicon A6 notebooks

Midori hello roll stickers

Domadayu pencil case

Jitensha pencil case

Gustave pouch and notebook

MT tape Okokoro

Midori Brass Pencil

MT Washi Tape 1P Wide – Encyclopaedia – Animals

MT Washi Tape 3P – two versions available

Midori Brass Stencil Set – Alphabet

MT Washi Tape 1P Wide – Map

MT Washi Tape 1P Wide – Butterflies

Roll Stickers – Orange Ticket Tape

MT Tape Cutter

Just had to share some of our new stationery. Brass stencils and pencil add to our brass stationery range from Japan, funky silicon notebooks (which are really really difficult to stop playing with!) are proving popular already, fine designs for the Japanese pencil cases and new Gustave notebooks and pouches.

We also have some great new additions in MT Tape include some children’s tapes which are fab based on the great packaging alone and of course a perfect fit for stockings! The site now has a wider selection of MT Tape, we are still striving to deliver great value as well as top quality here at raw dice… I’m busy busy in run up to Christmas (busy on blinds for flat – so more on that pain later!). Hope you like new stock… needless to say more coming including restock and additions to brassware from Futagami.

One brass mind

Shop fittings have always interested me and recently I happen to come across shelves made from copper piping. Can’t remember where it was, but anyway, I have mentally filed the idea away, to be used at a future date in some flat or house somewhere.

It is a shame that David will not totally let me loose on the Shoreditch flat. “Less is more” is all he ever seems to utter! Small brass items are easier to get past him and through the door though! We are in need of a Guest Book in the Shoreditch flat, for feedback of ideas for improvement etc. David got creative and sewed on the Brass Midori labels to the Cavallini Leather Journals that we sell on Raw Dice. Did I mention that we doing occasional letting of the flat through a company called One Fine Stay? More on this later.

Midori Brass Label sewn on Cavallini Tan Leather Journal

Hooks and more

I am pretty much hooked (sorry for the pun) on the Remodelista blog. I find out about new places to shop and eat in London and various other cities around the world. There are also some pretty good ideas to pinch as well in Steal This Look and DIY. This is where the inspiration for these hooks came from. Luck would have it that I was keeping the wooden toys that the kids had grown out of. My hoard of paint to be used for Stamping came in useful as did the MT Tape (used to separate the two colours) that we sell on Raw Dice.

So here are the pictures of the finished items.

Hopefully the wooden toy kitchen, dolls house, wicker pram, 3 storey garage and knights castle will come in useful one day too!

I must also confess that I first saw Japanese designer Oji Masanori’s products featured on Remodelista and Cool Hunting. We couldn’t find anybody that stocked them in the UK so we decided to have them for ourselves. Unlike the above which appeals to the whimsical side of my personality, Oji Masanori’s brass hooks symbolises purity and cleanliness to me. See for yourself.

FUTAGAMI Brass ZENMAI Hooks

The Life and Times of a Japanophile

It’s funny how over years one is influenced by the tastes and cultural tendencies of one’s life partner. I have been with David for many more years then I care to mention. When we talk of bygone days, we quite frequently refer to time as BC (Before Cigdem) and AD (After David)! Prior to meeting David, who is a most definitely a Japanophile, I did not know much about Japan and its’ culture. Now, I am a lot more learned.

We haven’t  embraced a total Japanese way of life but elements often come to the fore, often in small ways. For example, I wasn’t aware before that taking your shoes of upon entering a house was a Japanese tradition, as well as a Turkish one. Customs and cultures can often intermingle. When habits are natural, one is unsure where it necessarily stems from. Whilst decorating the Shoreditch pad, these elementals did bear influence. As it does when making decisions on what to stock on Raw Dice. So, here we have our long awaited Japanese products… with more to follow next week.

Brass Bottle Opener Mikaduki [Crescent]

Brass Trivets – Tsuki, Ginga, Taiyo and Hoshi

Brass Knife Stand – Designer: Oji Masanori

Turning Japanese: almost here

Carrying on the Japanese theme from the previous blog, we are eagerly awaiting delivery of designer Oji Masanori’s Futagami and Harimi range of products. It is been shipped over as we speak. here is a sneak preview;

FUTAGAMI Brass Knife Stand

Futagami Brass Bottle Openers on a Kakudo Walnut Dish

FUTAGAMI solid brass trivets with crude casting surface

FUTAGAMI Brass ZENMAI Hooks

Kake Tosaka Broom

Harimi small dustpan

KAKUDO Octagon-shaped, walnut wooden dishes in small and medium sizes

Turning Japanese: here and now

japanese brass fine ballpoint pen (packed)

In the Baker household we are obsessed with all good things Japanese. At home, we have a multitude of origami paper, on Raw Dice we stock copious amounts of MT tape in various colours and have recently added various types of Japanese stationery to our list. I think we are naturally drawn to the ethos of Japanese design. It seems that our purchasing decisions for Raw Dice are pretty biased towards finding objects that we like to have in our home and work environment. I would describe our style as not so much as ostentatious but we aim to be as honest as possible. A product to be of good quality is always paramount to us as individuals. I think we are naturally drawn to clean and simple lines, with a view of the aesthetic.

I am no expert on Japanese design but it seems that cultural differences are prominent in all aspects of Japanese aesthetics . Theories behind Japanese design are based on 7 principles of Kanso, Fukinsei, Shibui, Shizen, Yugen, Datsuzoku and Seijaku.

Isabella, who is our budding craft maker is always busy making origami boxes, cranes, frogs etc. At the age of 11, she is already pretty entrepreneurial, having set up stalls on a couple of occasions to raise money for good causes. Selling  origami boxes filled with sweets is always a hit with her client base!  MT tape gets used to make pencil cases and books etc. Once we have a good art and craft portfolio, I shall post some of her creations here.

Here are some new stylish products we have in stock, which include pens, kraft envelopes, rulers, pencil cases, notebooks and brass implements such as number clips, label and index plates.Visit the website (Raw Dice) to see the full range.

Japanese brass ballpoint pen

Midori Kraft envelopes – set of 6