Spring is in full bloom here in Saskatchewan – finally! And my studio is in bloom as well. This week I spent some time working on irises in different colors – blue, purple and yellow. While wisteria are often one of the best loved May kanzashi motifs, I really enjoy working on irises. While the movement of fluttering wisteria is beautiful, there’s something very satisfying about the dimensionality of these irises – which I make by stacking petals in three distinct layers.
I have a tendency to work on irises in stages, letting the previous stage dry before moving on to the next. It might take these pieces take a bit longer, but I have so many pieces to work on that I just work on other items while the layers dry.
But, there are times when I think I’ve been creating things in the same way, or even in the same color ways, for too long. There are so many varieties of irises – including some really interesting frilly ones. I think maybe for the next set that I make, I’ll experiment a little bit with my crafting technique.
While I enjoy working on irises, that doesn’t mean I won’t be doing some wisteria. Au contraire! I have plans for some new wisteria pieces in the very near future – definitely before the month of May has come to a close.
That said, wisteria and irises aren’t the only kanzashi motifs for the month of May. What other May kanzashi would you like to see? I definitely want to expand my repertoire.
I’ve always wanted to do a lily of the valley piece, and even attempted it once – but I gave up when it started going sideways. I’m also a huge fan of gardenias, so that’s another option. And, of course…there’s always butterflies. Not that I haven’t done butterflies before, but I’ve had this huge butterfly base sitting in my ‘to do’ jar for ages. It already has silver leaf on the bottom and silver wire on the edges of the base; I just haven’t started on the actual tsumami-zaiku.
Since this is supposed to be my year of getting things done, well…maybe it’s time for a single, ginormous butterfly. And, I can some of my new sparkly organza fabric to use. Which reminds me…I have some dye work that needs finishing too. There’s always so much to do and never enough time!
Anyhoo, that is all I’ve got for today. I hope to see you guys again next week with more crafty creative projects.
If you like these pieces and want to see more of my work in the future, be sure to join the Mailing List to get notified whenever an update is posted. You can also follow me on Instagram and check out my Youtube for videos showing my crafting process, travel, shopping, and gaming. 🙂 Check back here again next week for more crafty projects, and at the end of the month when this set and more will be dropping into the Shop!
