Life with beads

 

Every day, I simply enjoy creating. ☺︎

I found these old photos on my private Instagram.

 

 

As an aside, this is how I use Instagram.

While using it as a portfolio looks cool and wonderful, I prefer to keep a record of photos and my feelings at the time.

I love looking back at them often, feeling nostalgic, thinking "Oh, that outfit was cute," and always feeling a little thrill. I hope Instagram never disappears!

Long live Instagram! I want to keep looking back at these memories even when I'm around 70.

 

Anyway, I've strayed from the topic, but oh, the nostalgia is overwhelming!

You can really feel the passion for how much fun and how cute it was to create these.

I imagine my past self had a lot of fun back then.

It was truly enjoyable, and I was so absorbed in it.

 

However, at that time, it was just a hobby, and I would only make things for friends who wanted them, to the extent that it was just for fun.

The turning point came when a friend (Q-chan), who does photography as a hobby, said to me,

"I'll take pictures of your bead bags for you."

It was a slightly cloudy day, and we went into the city of Osaka to do a product shoot of the bead bags.

I brought about five or six brand new bags in a paper bag.

 

After the photoshoot, I thought since we were already out in the city, we might as well stroll through Amemura.

Then, suddenly, it started raining!

I didn't have an umbrella, and the paper bag holding the bead bags was getting wet and starting to tear. It was a complete disaster!

I rushed into a vintage clothing store I occasionally shopped at.

 

After browsing for a bit, I picked up a cute leather jacket and pink slacks, went to the register,

and said to the staff member, "I'm buying these, could you please put them in a big bag for me? I want to transfer these..." and placed the tearing paper bag with the bead bags on the counter.

(I must have looked like a desperate, weird customer, lol.)

 

At that moment, I remember Y (who later became my friend, lol), who was at the register,

was a bit taken aback by my actions but looked at the bead bags and exclaimed, "Wow! They're cute!"

She kindly gave me a large bag, I put my bags in it,

and I flusteredly said, "Thank you so much! You saved me!" as I left the store.

 

Then, on a later day when I visited the store again, Y called out to me.

"We're opening a new store, how about doing a pop-up there?" she asked.

At that time, I was only making them as a hobby and selling them to acquaintances for the cost of materials plus a little extra,

so I thought, "Me, a pop-up?!?"

But I simply thought it sounded fun since I'd never done it before, so I immediately replied,

"Yes, I'd love to!"

 

And just like that, I was going to have my first-ever pop-up!

(I probably didn't even know the term "pop-up" back then...)

 

 

In June 2021, mizuebag held its First POP UP!

Q-san did this photoshoot as well,

and the visuals were drawn by my friend S, who had been supporting me since I first started making bead bags.

(S contacted me right after seeing the bead bag I made for myself, saying "I want one!",

and was the first person to buy a bead bag from me.)

 

I intensely dislike rain and love the sun;

I'm the type of person who (exaggeratedly) curses the rain just because it's falling.

However, I believe none of this would have started if it hadn't rained that day.

Thank you for that rain (sorry for being so opportunistic).

And a big thank you to Q-san who did the photoshoot that day, and to Y who found me!

 

 

That's how mizuebag began, by chance. ☆