If you're in lock down, isolation or just needing a pick-me-up, I'm here to serve! The world has been turned upside down and we've become obsessed about the news, which let's face it, is making us feel downright sad.

I'm predicting terrible sales for Biku in April, so instead of moping about and feeling sorry for my business, I'm here to brighten my own (and hopefully your) days.

The whole of April will see me doing things a bit out of the ordinary. If you're in the VIP Club you'll be invited to play ZINGO! (the Biku version of BINGO but in a Zoom chat) with loads of prizes. There'll be jokes, giveaways, a trunk show, kimono colouring and probably some dancing also this month. There will definitely be lots of making in the studio and hopefully a Zoom Make-Along thrown in too. 
I need to keep busy, so let's GO!!!!!!! Are you with me?

P.S. Oh, I almost forgot, there will also be free shipping this month.
Just enter the code: WASHYOURHANDS at checkout. (Not applicable to Kokeshi Boxes sorry!)

It seems to be all doom and gloom throughout the world at the moment. We're terrified of getting sick, losing loved ones or losing our livelihoods. Anxiety is at a high and we are constantly watching the news or reading reports about the Corona Virus.

So I'm here with a positive spin on this. No, I'm not going to deny the gravity of the situation, it's clear that this is serious stuff, but I refuse to let it terrify me into inaction. That doesn't mean I'm off out on packed trains, going to clubs (too old anyway) or meeting up with friends for hanami. Quite the opposite. I'm hunkering down with the fam for a while, doing my bit so I don't spread this thing to the vulnerable in society.

First off, I'm picturing a moment in time when this thing has all blown over. Which it will, at some point. That gives me enough strength to keep going. Going out less means spending less, which means I can earn less for the time being.

Just before the triple disaster on March 11th 2011 I made an ikebana arrangement featuring early flowering sakura (cherry blossom) branches.

The devastating earthquake at 14:46 on that day triggered a deadly tsunami taking more than 20,000 lives in one wave and the following explosion at the nuclear plant in Fukushima left Japan reeling. We were terrified by endless aftershocks and distracted by where to buy uncontaminated water and (of course) toilet paper.

Those little sakura branches lay forgotten in a bucket of water on our terrace for months. And when the earth had settled enough for us to finally get life in order, I realized that the branches were still sitting there. The blossoms had long since disappeared and in their place, bright green waxy leaves had sprouted.  Underneath the water, the branch had grown thick white roots.

Fast forward nine years and one of those little branches is now a tree that blossoms every year. It sprouts the same waxy leaves in the summer and turns golden in the Autumn. After dropping its crisp leaves in the winter, within a matter of days tiny pink buds appear. The cycle is seamlessly endless.

It feels like the world is in a similar place again. This time, a slowly unfurling disaster of epic proportions. But I know we can endure if we all work together. How can I be so sure? The sakura told me so.

Hi! My name is Lena, and I am the owner of and maker at Root and Blossom. I sell personally handmade, high-quality cash wallets that equip people to be organized with their finances, whether it's for budgeting, currencies when traveling, or staying tidy. 

Root and Blossom was a brand name I remember hitting me square across the back of my head in 2009 one night while walking through a parking lot to my boyfriend's (now husband) truck. In retrospect, my life lacked many advantages growing up but for whatever reason, I never saw it that way. I've always lived with the mentality that life is what you make of it; regardless of your situation, you need to take root and blossom to thrive.

In 2014 my husband and I were young, newly married with a one-year-old and pregnant. We were overwhelmed with the world of money, investing, saving, and spending. We took a financial class that focused on cash budgeting, the idea being that it's critical to physically feel the painful emotions associated with giving money over and seeing money leave your wallet each month that wasn't present when mindlessly swiping a card.

I was already quite overwhelmed with switching away from social spending norms that I needed to find a way to make it less of a hassle at the checkout stand fiddling with my money, so I designed, constructed, and began using my wallet! Having all my budgets organized into simple zipped pockets in one place allowed me to organize and handle my money and budgets with ease and confidence.

After two years, my husband and I were able to rid ourselves of debt because we now truly felt and saw the value of a dollar. Throughout that experience, I'd got checkout employees and other customers in line asking me where I bought my wallet and how they could get one. I started making individual sales here and there, but then those people had friends or family that they wanted to pass my information along to, which eventually led to my first Etsy wallet sale on September 2, 2014.

Over the last five and a half years, I've learned that people around the world desire these wallets for more reasons than my intended purpose, and I adore that! I set out to solve the problem of simplifying budgeting, but I also helped solve the problem of organizing currencies for people who are traveling through multiple countries and thrifty shoppers wanting a practical way to divide their coupons. 

What I want potential customers to know about my business is that when you buy from Root and Blossom, you're not only supporting a single small business, you're supporting multiple!

It's my business philosophy that there is room for everyone, and the success of my business is because of the other team players in the arena. I also find it beautifully poetic that financial frustrations and burdens led me to a place of financial freedom where I now have the means to donate and support charities more than I was capable of previously! The bigger my business grows, the more I can give, and that's what keeps me in it. 

If you are interested in checking out my cash wallets, please visit my shop at www.rootandblossom.etsy.com! You can also find the latest Root and Blossom information through Instagram, @rootandblossom. XO

My name is Tanja Bach, the Founder of Contents Bridge KK, a learning and development company providing action-inspired soft skill training for corporations as well as executive and entrepreneur coaching. We will be adding graphic recording services to our offerings as soon as I have completed the certification process. 

I'm originally from Germany, grew up in Switzerland, studied in the US and have lived in Japan longer than anywhere else in the world. (Long enough to see that slivers of silver are starting to add sparkle to my dark hair). 

It's difficult to summarize why I love Japan so much.  For starters, my soulmate is Japanese. I also love that Japan is a country of contrasts, modern and old, innovative and traditional.  If you open your eyes, there's so much to see.  I learned  to appreciate the small things and look for beauty everywhere. That's also one reasons I love Bikudesigns. Victoria manages to transform old things into modern jewelry in an innovative and wearable way.

A few months later, Bikudesigns (aka Victoria), started to advertise the Leap Collection 2020, a collection of "unique and never to be repeated" earring designs. I mean: UNIQUE and NEVER to be repeated?!  Who doesn't want to wear one of those around town! Plus she turned it into a treasure hunt, only revealing the new designs on the day of. And so I woke up in the morning and checked the Bikudesigns webpage while I drank my cup of coffee.  `Cause, you never know, there might be pair I just need to have....