(no subject)

[alustrialcrafts.livejournal.com]

With my 2 week trip to Australia coming up terribly fast (13th July I leave - argh!) I've been crafting up a storm trying to get a bunch of stuff finished before I go. Well...that is inbetween playing Katamari Damacy though. (Damn, I am totally addicted to that game - all I can think of is what I can roll up next....I even started rolling my cat around the apartment until she bit me).

Anyhow. Being the dorky ol' goth I normally am I decided to challenge myself to make cute, bright and summery kanzashi flowers rather than the subtle ones I tend to make. Let me tell you - I'm glad I did that, because I am totally happy with this batch of flowers. I really needed a bright candy coloured infusion!



I also made these two spring clip barrette using scraps of fabric I had left over from a previous project:







And last, but not least - my new favourite project! One of my absolute favourite traditional Japanese motif is the Chidori (or, plover, in English). It is the crest of the Pontocho geisha district in Kyoto - along with being a very popular pattern on kimono. I normally don't like bird motifs much - but, the chidori is so happy and plump- I cannot help it! So, I decided to make a line of chidori goodies - starting with a brooch:




I made it from super sculpy. When I finished baking it - I sanded it down with super fine sand paper and then painted it red with black and gold accents. I then coated it with a clear glaze (well...my husband did that part, not me). I'm very happy with how it turned out. Next, I'm going to make a midori chidori! Ha!

x-posted to my journal and to tezukuri