Shippon: A Self-Watering Plant

Get prepared to be blown away by the most "kawaii" item ever! Shippon is a tiny self-watering system that is incredibly cute. As far as I know, they are unfortunately only available in Japan.

As shown in this picture, there are three variations; a monkey, a cat, and a dog. Three different types of plants correlate to the three different animals. The dog grows clover, while the cat grows wild strawberries. And I believe the monkey carries basil.

The picture below demonstrates how it works. Step one is to put the peat soil pellet in the small basket on the animal's back. Step two would be to place the seeds in the soil and add water to the cup. Water is carried to the basket holding the seeds through each animal's tail. Step three is to watch and wait for approximately two weeks until you have a lovely little new plant! It allows you to have a new appreciation for nature by giving you the chance to sow your own seeds and later harvest your basil, wild strawberries, or clovers, if you chose.

Adorable Paper-Star-Bead Bracelet

Making a bracelet using small hand-made paper stars as beads was an original gift idea for a friend. I also included a matching hair pin with the bracelet because my friend likes that kind of thing.

The stars are made from thin, variously colored paper (just slightly thicker than computer paper). I used about a quarter of an inch wide strips of paper and folded each star 6 times to get the perfect consistency for pushing in the sides to shape the points. (If you don't know what I'm referring to, look at this tutorial, or search "how to fold paper stars".)

In total, I used 22 stars to make a decent size bracelet. The "star-beads" were strung onto an elastic string using a needle to poke holes through the paper and pull the string through each one.

Whether you want to make a creative accessory for yourself or surprise a friend with a hand-made bracelet, this totally awesome craft is sure to impress anyone.