When I was a child, I didn’t realize that the month of February was still considered winter. My birthday is in February, and I would be very upset that I could not have my birthday party at the water park – which was generally closed in the winter not just due to temperature (February is still pretty warm in Florida) but also because of maintenance.

It wasn’t until I moved to Japan that I actually experienced winter in February, and one of the first flowers that I saw beginning to bloom were these – plum blossoms.

Plum blossoms are a symbol of resilience in Japan, because of their ability to survive the winter. Often, they bloom before the cold has completely given way to spring. The image in my mind of bright magenta buds opening up even as the snow flurries floated down is one that I hope will never leave me.

This piece is another that was created as part of my teaching certification through the International Tsumami-zaiku Association. This corsage clip uses modern findings, as opposed to traditional u-pins that we associate with tsumami kanzashi, and was part of the Advanced course.

I’ve been working in more saturated tones for my own original pieces recently, so it was nice to work on a piece with a delicate pastel color scheme.

With my birthday coming up, I always like to take some time to work on pieces that are personal to me. I am, as ever, looking forward to sharing some of these new pieces with y’all.

This project was made possible by support from SK Arts. Without grant organizations like these, many artists would not have access to the resources that move their artistic practices forward. Thank you SK Arts for your continued support!

Anyhoo, if you’d like to have a piece of my work, this will be part of my end of month product drop! 🙂 Keep an eye on this page or follow my Instagram for more crafty chill updates.