Ever sent a card made out of sand before? You can with Naoshi!

When you buy a card it’s usually made from paper with a printed design on the front, but at Naoshi the designs are made using just a few different colours of sand.

Naoshi is an artist based in Yokohama, Japan; in 2004 she began making Sunae. Ever since, the creative Naoshi has been participating in a wide range of art projects and exhibits outside of Japan, including the US, Italy, France, Switzerland and Korea. The ultimate goal is to familiarise people with Sunae around the world! 

“I make art portraying surreal people living in a real world with various everyday thoughts and emotions, such as joy, happiness, sorrow and anxiety.” 

You can’t get more surreal than a girl sat on an upturned wellington in the sea fishing – “When I make Sunae, I’m always inspired to live life brightly each day just like the sparkly shiny sand. It is a very unique and meaningful material for me to work with, and I enjoy it very much.” 

You can buy Sunae kits from Naoshi’s website, such as this Twinkle Bird kit, which contains a pre-cut “twinkle bird” Sunae board, three colours of sand, a toothpick and a little clear bag and tie to display the finished piece in.

The prints at Naoshi are really quirky – the Rose Tea card, Bind print and Strawberry Jam Bath card clearly all have a story behind them. It’s up to you to decide what that story is though. 

Whether you want a Sunae kit or you just want a card with a cute Naoshi design, what’s important is that you visit UK stockist, Hannah Zakari. Click here and buy your first card made using sand.

Jenny Rodgers

For a better understanding you can watch this video below, so get creative and design your own sand masterpiece!