Christmas Kanzashi (with a little tutorial)

Goodness, it's been so long since I last posted anything! As you can imagine, Helen and
I have been extremely busy. I had some....uh, digestive problems which needed two different courses of anti-biotics to resolve. Then, I had another sort of digestive problem which needed an antacid. Then, there was the matter of this one area I was using as a powder room, which apparently isn't a powder room. Helen got very upset about that....how was I to know? Meanwhile, Helen has been playing a million concerts this month. She managed to squeeze in as many as two kanzashi pieces since I last posted, a headband for her friend Robin, and a Christmas wreath pin!

We're starting to see more and more Christmas kanzashi....some inventive poinsettias and holly, as well as this beautiful snowflake from Ivanna on Etsy www.ivanna.etsy.com ....

and this fabulous Christmas tree from Designs In Blooms on Etsy www.designsinblooms.etsy.com ...

 

Helen loves wreaths, and decided to create one. Here's what she did, and you can try it too! First, she made 30 pointy petals (yep, 30, it's a labor intensive project). She used 1.5 inch squares, but you can probably use any size you want. She glued then together in groups of 3, like this...

 

 

...then, she glued the groups of 3 on top of each other at a slight angle, in the following manner...

 

 

See where I'm going with this? Just glue them on top of each other so that you can form a circle once you've got 10 of them.  OK, once you have your circle completed, decorate it with things like a bow, or some beads to represent Christmas ball ornaments or something! Helen made hers into a brooch...

 

 

The beautiful green taffeta that Helen used is really hard to photograph effectively, so Helen is going to sell this one at her friend Angela's craft fair in a couple weeks, rather than post it on Etsy. If you're in Milwaukee on December 22nd, find them at the Last Ditch Effort Holiday Bazaar at the Kings Commons Studio and Gallery, 2767 Martin Luther King Drive. It's hosted by The Zen Dragonfly. See you there!

 

 

Sakura Kanzashi

Sakura are cherry blossoms, and Helen has never made one. It's because Helen has Her Own Way Of Doing Things, and she has never once made a batch of rice paste. My understanding is that all you would have to do is to get some white rice and boil the crap out of it. Store it in the refrigerator, and you're done. But no, that's too hard, or she hasn't gotten around to it, or something.

So in today's post, we're going to look at other people's sakura kanzashi. They need a little rice glue or you just can't make them. They are April's flower. They have five petals, each with a little fold or dimple at the top.

Here's a luscious pair of sakura with leaves by Thea Starr. Her wonderful blog is here http://theas_soapbox.blogspot.com/ and her Flickr photostream is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/thea_starr/ . Her Etsy shop is here http://www.etsy.com/shop/theastarr This piece is made with hand-dyed vintage kimono linings, so the silk has a very simple weave.

Next, PolishedKanzashi on Etsy www.polishedkanzashi.etsy.com has made a gorgeous sakura with a pair of leaves from chirimen silk. Chirimen is a heavy-ish crepe (look for the ribbed texture). This flower has two pink layers and handmade clay stamens in the center.

Marissa Joanna Rojas www.mjrojas.etsy.com  has made an elaborate sakura, complete with leaves, buds, varnish-coated paper stars, wire stamens and birabira (aluminum jingles). The flower is mounted on a 2-pronged fork hair pin. The MJR designs Flickr photostream is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjrdesigns/ 

Bright Wish Kanzashi, or Hanatsukuri on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/hanatsukuri , has also made an elaborate composition of three hand-dyed charmeuse silk sakura with leaves, pearl stamens, and falls (shidari) of hanging petals, much like the wisteria we were talking about a few posts ago. Silver bells hang from the bottoms of the shidari. The Bright Wish Kanzashi Flickr photostream is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/brightwishkanzashi/ 

Finally, a layered sakura by Cuttlefishlove on Etsy www.cuttlefishlove.etsy.com/ , made from habotai (lightweight, simple weave) silk and a poly-silk blend, with Emily's trademark assemblage of stamens. Emily's Flickr photostream is here http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuttlefishlove/