A visit to Daiso (The "Japanese Dollar Store")

I want you to imagine for a moment that IKEA and the Container Store had a baby.

Now imagine that somewhere in the gene pool there were also hints of Michael's, Sur La Table, and maybe even your favorite party store.  

That my friends, is the best way I can think to describe DAISO, also known as The Japanese Dollar Store.

My first trip to a DAISO was several years back while visiting my brother and sister-in-law in the Bay Area.  My sister-in-law is one of those people who knows all the fun spots. (If she ever invites you to go shopping, say yes.)

Needless to say I fell head over heels for DAISO (where most items actually cost $1.50) and was thrilled to hear that one was opening five minutes from my house.  

Below is a picture-tour of my most recent trip.  

(It opened five days ago.)

(And I may or may not have been three times already.)

Enjoy....

First up is the extensive selection of dishes. These pieces remind me of the bowls I've been seeing lately at Anthropologie and West Elm.

The decoration on this teapot (which is kind of pricey at $4) reminds me a little of the Cathrineholm Lotus Pattern.

Of course there are tons of basic white dishes.  

These are great to use as staple pieces.

They're also incredibly tempting for people like me who like to paint on ceramic and glass...

This next item is a beautiful drinking glass.  There were several sizes to choose from and pictured below is one of the smaller ones.  The wider version is virtually identical to the one that Emily Henderson discusses in this post.  Unfortunately DAISO was out of them when I stopped by with my camera.  (Apparently someone who made three visits in the last week bought them all.  They will make their blog debut in a future post.)  Admittedly, the CB2 version is only forty-five cents more expensive than these but for those of us with no CB2 nearby, this is an excellent (and less expensive!) alternative.  

Of course if thin glass isn't your thing there are plenty of other glasses to choose from:

Speaking of glass, I recently replaced all of my plastic tupperware with glass.  I was thrilled to see so many glass storage containers at DAISO (in case I ever need more), and they're cute to boot!

If glass storage isn't your thing, maybe you'd like metal.

(I might have to get that polka dotted beauty during visit number four...)

From metal we move to paper.  Just look at these cupcake wrappers.  I'm dying from the cuteness. 

And check out these great paper loaf and bundt pans.  I know where I'm headed when the holiday baking season rolls around.  

Oh my word was I obsessed with these brightly colored plastic cups!  Made in Italy, they will be perfect for serving the kids drinks by the pool this summer.  (I may or may not have bought every color...)

These polka dotted paper cups look an awful lot like this more expensive version from one of my favorite party shops.

And the utensils?   C'mon!  And not only are they gorgeous, they are also super-sturdy!

Now let's turn our attention to organizing.  

No matter what your storage needs are, DAISO has you covered.

There are sturdy (but colorful) baskets,

plastic bins in every size and shape imaginable,

cabinet shelves,

(I bought two.  They're a significant savings compared to the Container Store version and I like them better.)

buckets,

gorgeous cardboard boxes,

and office storage.

I am in love with these colorful book ends.  I bought a set for each daughter and look forward to embellishing them with my Silhouette. 

Another item that caught my eye was this beautiful pressed flower wrapping paper.  

There were also these colorful rolls.

These bows are actually teeny-tiny. 

For bigger gifts there was plenty of ribbon.

And how fun are these twist ties?  In addition to being colorful and cute, they are also thicker and sturdier that your average twist tie.  I picked some up to use on treat and favor bags.  

Although I don't do Origami, I absolutely loved the selection of Origami paper.  

And there were notebooks galore.  

Am I the only one who has a thing for sticky notes?  These colorful beauties had me at hello.  

Of course a girl who can't stop making pin boards can always use more thumbtacks!

Bunting washi tape?  I'll take two, please!

(There was a ton of Washi tape--it is, after all, a Japanese paper tape.)

I think we all know how expensive craft punches can be.  It was great to know that DAISO carries them.

Look at all of these paint supplies.  

A thirty marker set for $1.50.  Wouldn't this make a great party favor?  (Perhaps paired with a fun pad?  So much nicer than a bunch of trinkets...)

I got one of these knives to use for weeding vinyl on my Silhouette projects.  

I did not buy an under mat.  (But I should have.)

I did get some clothespins as I like to work with them.  

And I will leave you with these colorful rolls of felt.

(Because just looking at them made me happy.)

At the present I think DAISO is primarily located on the West coast here in the US.  THIS is a link to their Facebook fan page if you'd like more information.