My sweet husband was out shopping the other day and stumbled across some Christmas decorations he couldn’t help but bring home to me. I’d never seen them before and they were so pretty I had to share them with all of you.
They are called Mino Washi Paper Snowflakes and believe it or not these delicate paper designs are reusable window decals. Crazy, huh. You just spray a little water on your window and then place the snowflake on the water. Pat up the excess water and the snowflake dries to the window. At the end of the season they peel off to use again.
I did a little research and found this article about the history of the paper and how it is made. Apparently, mino paper was first mentioned in the 14th century and known for it’s durability. So, even though they look quite delicate, these snowflakes stand up well to getting wet and being patted dry.
Matt got a couple of sets for me at the American Swedish Institute (they have snowflakes and nordic themed borders), but if you Google them you can find them for sale in many different places.
© 2005 – 2013 Kathy Lewinski & Susan Cornish
These are beautiful. I have never seen this before in all of my travels to Japan. Major Score. Well done, Matt
Dr Russ,
I totally expected you were going to tell us about all the beautiful ones you found throughout Japan. Interesting that you have never seen them before. Apparently, the same paper is used to make lanterns and parasols, but the snowflakes have become the most popular item.
Wow! These are just gorgeous! I’ve never seen anything like these before. I have a soft spot for snowflakes (we used them in our wedding theme) so I’ll have to track some down. Thanks for sharing. 🙂