Kanzashi bouquet - part 3

As soon as I have started a bouquet I get crafter's block!

Last week I had this in my hand.

It was pretty but it need something else.......maybe more flowers and made in a different colour as well.

Well I settled for teal because it is the one colour that went well with the dark navy blue that I had.  Then my mind went blank!

How was I going to decorate the bottom of the bouquet?  I didn't want to use lace as I didn't want to introduce another fabric into the bouquet and I really wanted to use the same white organza that I used to make the little dainty white flowers.  But how was I going to do it?

This sat in my mind for 3 days and it was very annoying.  I want it to be light and fluffy to contrast against the bold kiku that I made but everything I tried just didn't work for me.  Not fluffy and stiff enough for my liking but then yesterday it struck me!  Why not try some musubi folding techniques?

I spent so much time learning how to tie my obi that something must be suitable for finishing my bouquet and it came to me, make a series of round petal folds with the organza and voila!  

Well I am glad to report that it worked and here is the result.

I rearranged the original bouquet I found the rotational symmetry was not pleasing to the eye.  Normally a certain amount of symmetry is attractive but since all the flowers I made are all symmetric, I didn't want the bouquet arrangement to be the same.

A little bit of asymmetry adds a little bit of excitement.

I am also happy with the size as well, it is a nice round bouquet which will sit nicely in a bride's hands.

Here you can see how the organza round petals nestle the bouquet.  It makes the bouquet look softer.

And I can't resist a closeup of the flowers.  

This bouquet will be appearing in my etsy shop very soon and it is a truly one off piece. The chances of finding another scarf like this one is going to be impossible so whoever buys it will be acquiring a unique kanzashi bouquet.  I think I will be pricing it around the $300 if you are interested.

Kanzashi bouquet - part two

I have the main flowers for the bouquet but I need something else to fill in the gaps.

How about some little flowers!

They are not made using the tsumami technique because I wanted to add a little bit of "fluff" to the bouquet so I made pom-pom style flowers.

I tried to take a picture to show how large the bouquet is relative to my hand but unfortunately it didn't quite work out.  I had my hand spread out to support the kiku on the edge.

Now to think about adding a layer of leaf like creation along the bottom to set it off.  What should I do?

Being on TV!!!

So back in August I went to Jinney Ring Craft Centre in Bromgrove to film my segment of the Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution and today it was shown on BBC2!!!

I decided to watch myself on tv because when am I going to see myself on TV again and overall I am glad I came over not like a nervous wreak that I must have been on the day.

My friend took a picture of my on tv.

I was not the judges favourite but I do not mind.  It was a fun experience and I got a chance to show off my kanzashi on national TV which I never dreamed would happen when I started making them 6 years ago.

Time to get back to making more!

If you happen to want to watch the episode and you live in the UK then you can click on the following iplayer link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01nhgbq/Paul_Martins_Handmade_Revolution_Episode_7/

Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

Sometimes you do thing because you think "I have nothing to lose" well that was my attitude when I sent in my application for the Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution.  Well that was back in mid June this year and quite frankly once I sent the form I thought nothing of it.

Then to my surprise I got a phone call a couple of weeks later telling me they would like to interview me!  Eeek!

So off I went to do my 15 minutes interview where I talked about my craft and of course once it was over, I wanted to go home and forget about it.  Dwelling on success or failure is a vicious circle for me so better to forget about it.

Then what do I hear after a few weeks but a another phone call saying they would like to invite me to appear on the show!  Yes I was over the moon and a little bit dumbstruck at the same time.  

What was I going to wear?  What am I going to say?  Oh god I am going to be on TV!!!!

Well since I have already decided on the kanzashi I was going to show off.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/97785821/maiko-sakura-tsumami-kanzashi-set

It is pretty much a show stopper which is why I chose it.

Now what to wear?  Nothing too pale as it was being filmed outdoors and nothing too bright or my kanzashi would not shine so I went with my navy blue wool kimono!

I teamed it with my red obi as I did not want to make my outfit too busy and of course my favourite tan coloured boots.  Well the last thing I wanted was to be sinking into the grass now.

It is a nice and simply outfit but I like it.  The kimono has a nice retro modern feel to it and the obi is nice and stiff so I did not have to worry about the otaiko musubi shifting it shape which was good.

For hairstyle, I opted for a braided side bun as it was the most easy style to do and the most reliable.  The last thing I wanted was my hair to be blown across my face and getting caught in my glasses and the kanzashi that I was wearing.

I should be informed of the transmission date soon!

Oh if you were wondering who interviewed me well here she is!

http://www.maryjanemakes.com/mary-jane-makes/paul-martins-handmade-revolution