This week’s update might be a little bit on the small side – but hopefully it still has some impact. Last year, you may recall that I created an elaborate cherry blossom kanzashi set with butterflies and lanterns. I always intended on crafting a brooch that matched – and now that spring has come back around again I’m happy to be able to share that brooch with y’all.
This piece features a double-layered white cherry blossom, and a pair of two-tone pink and white cherry blossoms. I was originally going to do the sagari in two-tone petals as well, but felt like it was more balanced to do them in white with pink and blue a/b crystals instead. I normally use bead caps on the bottom of my buds, but this time I tried a technique that I learned from Tsumami-zaiku class a few years back – the base of the bud with cut silk that matches the accompanying leafs.
I struggled a bit making the lantern – punching a hole in the paper by accident when I was crafting it. But, in the end I think it turned out pretty well.
For The Afterglow Collection, I really wanted to experiment by creating pieces that interact with light.. For this piece, I used reflective a/b pink and white crystals, and glow in the dark paint on the lantern.
The Afterglow Collection also explores of the theme of resilience. In this piece, the cherry blossoms refer to that resilience – they are the symbol of the re-emergence of life after the long winter. And, the lantern lends the piece a feeling of hope; a light in the dark, the knowledge that even in the darkest of times you can find your way by following the light.
Anyhoo, that is all I’ve got for today. I hope to see you guys again next week with more crafty creative projects.
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