Kintsugi is the 400-year-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold.
It's about emphasising imperfection and celebrating flaws. Instead of just fixing something that was broken, it creates something beautiful and unique.
There's a lot more to Kintsugi than I am qualified to share and you can read more about it here. But I love how it's helping to shape my thinking when it comes to repairing things.
Same bowls, but better
We have a small congregation of chipped bowls in our kitchen. They're perfectly functional, but they look pretty rugged. Short of smashing the dishes up and turning our driveway into a mosaic artwork, I was at a bit of a loss with what to do with them... until I decided to celebrate their imperfection.
My effort is far from the complex and skilled art of kintsugi, but I'm pretty stoked with how they turned out. I followed this tutorial if you want to give it a whirl.
Or you can check out this channel for authentic kinstugi techniques.
*Just check whatever materials you're using are food safe if food is going to be coming in contact with the repair - safety first people.
Fancy Pants
I'm pretty freaken proud of the repair that I did on my jeans - and am stoked that it's added a bit of
a statement and story to my already well-loved strides.
If you're keen to give sashiko stitching a go check out this video.
Here's to embracing the power and beauty of repair.
