I love my culture. I try to display my Asian heritage in every aspect of my life. Yeah that's right. My mommy is Japanese. My babies even have Japanese names. Yep! I'm so Asian I have the 20 lb. bag of rice and the rice cooker always on. Being that I was raised by my mother and grandmother, my life was integrated with many Japanese traditions as well as many American customs. One of my favorite Japanese customs is Furoshiki.

Spanning as far back as the Nara period which was about 710-784AD, Furoshiki , was not limited just to gift giving. In fact, it started as means to carry goods, foods, and even clothes. Furoshiki can make an ordinary gift an extraordinary gift. The recipient is not just receiving the gift. They are receiving the gift and the beautiful wrapping. The best part is, since the wrapping is fabric it can be reused verses thrown away like traditional wrapping paper. Furoshiki makes the recipient feel extra special because you went the extra lengths to do "fancy wrapping". Although there are special fabrics out there, you can get away with spar fabric that you find around your home. Now if you want to purchase the Furoshiki fabric I wold recommend it. The fabric is beautiful. But if you are working on a budget or your just looking for a fun craft project consider tie dye or just some spare fabric from around the home.

All in all have fun with it be creative and you will see an ordinary gift become extraordinary. Go green Asian style!!!!!!