While much of my recent work has been about incorporating tsumami zaiku into forms other than hair accessories, hair accessories are still very much at the core of my work. That said, this piece is the kind of traditional piece that brings me back to the roots of the craft; the kind of piece that centers me. It always feels good to return to kanzashi, and especially to create cherry blossom pieces.
Because cherry blossoms are such a popular motif, you might think I would get bored of doing them. But, to be honest, there are still quite a few variations of cherry blossoms that I would like to make – and they never get old.
I was originally going to make a tsumami butterfly to go with this piece, but after creating the base for it I realized it was going to be way too big. Luckily, I already had several resin butterflies of a good size that were ready to go. I have a tendency to craft a bunch of items at one time, instead of just making exactly the number I need for a piece, and although that means I sometimes I have extra bits and bobs laying around for ages it also means that when I need something there’s a high likelihood that I might already have it done.
With tight deadlines, this comes habit of making extra stuff during the less busy period comes in clutch.
That said, I am leaving for Toronto tomorrow and still have one more piece to complete – and there’s still a ton of work left to do for it! Thankfully, my plane doesn’t leave until the evening and I have all day tomorrow to get it done. It’s going to be a bit of a doozy, especially since I want to do some baking as well. At least I got all my clothes and most of my packing sorted out!
If you’re going to be at Anime North this weekend, do stop by Gallery Momiji and check out all the amazing artworks on display – including all these fanciful new pieces by yours truly.
