Ornament balls 10-20

Balls 1-3

Balls 4-6

Balls 7-10

It has been a prosperous thanksgiving here at the Temple.  A little vacation time goes a long way to catching up on some major projects.  This was the next hurdle to overcome, and its over and done and I don't have to worry about it anymore except where my customer has disappeared to.

The next few projects I am going to accomplish are mostly personal.  I have a pillowcase to sew for my niece, and a few ornaments to make for some family members.  Then its back to more kanzashi work, finishing up that orange and cream piece I mostly completed forever ago.

Surprise!

Another 10

Side 1

Side 2

 Keep in mind that in both of these pics, the balls are in the same order, so one pic is one side and the other pic is the opposite side.  I think they came out really well, and I will trim them probably tomorrow after my stay-cation starts.  I have another surprise I will be presenting later, so stay tuned! Its going to be an active week!

8 Going On 9

And this has been my life for the last two weeks, multicolored ornament balls. There are 8 here, and I am working on 9 out of 10 to finish.  I am in the home stretch and definitely feeling the lack of want to finish.  But I have to, even though it's highly possible my customer disappeared.  Again.  (don't ask)

Because of this concern I am forced to start a new policy at Kanzashi Temple that if your order is $100 American or above, I will require a deposit up front to cover supplies and security, at a rate of 50%. 

It does feel good to have almsot finished this project though, and I am going to be VERY happy when it's over. 

One Set Down

The next set will be a random pattern assortment of magenta, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.  I have patterned them out so that no ball is a duplicate.  I really wanted the same for this set, but could only manage a few.  I am happy with them though, and it seems hard to believe I finished them in a week's time. 

Half Way

OK! So I have finished half of my ornament ball order, and it's practically a miracle that I am on schedule since I have been out sick for 3 days with a virus that acts like strep. I have to wrap and trim all 10 tonight, take photos in the monring and set up a listing at midday before I crash for my afternoon still recovering nap.

Then it's get started on the next batch of ten, which will be done in christmas tree light colors (a kind of rainbow).

THEN, its back to kanzashi and finishing that bright colored piece I was working on.  Its still sitting on my desk, mocking me with its incompleted pieces.  Grrr.....

So Much For Plans......

Ok, so some good news, I have an order for 20 ornaments. 

To be completed and shipped in two weeks.

No Pressure.....

So if I can manage 2 balls a day for now 13 days left, I should be able to finish in time and not flare up my wrist. I am taking percautions, like wearing my brace, taking ibuprofin, that kind of thing.  But I will not feel good about myself until this project is finished. 

This also means that new kanzashi I had almost finished won't be completed until I can finish up this custom job.  I don't feel right dedicating my time to another project until this one (that I am actually get paid for) is done.

I saw kanzashi girl on Friday, and it was awesome!! She pulled out a Gion Matsuri piece that took my breath away.  The amount of time she dedicated to her tiara was amazing.  I was completely in awe.  But I learned alot and she has some amazing creative skills.  She also makes me want to try silk again, with dyeing techniques.  She gave me some great tips on that, and I am very grateful to her.  I really hope she wants to hang out again.

I just finished searching every Joanns in town and let me tell you their inventory system is a lie.  They discontinued several satin blues in the Casa Collection that I use for my ornaments. I researched and found the ones I wanted listed online, and located a store with seveal yards supposedly instock.  Drove half an hour across town in heavy traffic to get there.  They didn't have it. Computer said they had seven yards in stock that morning, but nothing on the shelf. So, I don't know, and am no longer going to rely on that system.  I am just going to have to start recognizing when stuff gets changed out and order appropriately
Oh, and that was time number 2 that happened.  The first  instance wasn't so detrimental.

So I am disappearing for a while.  I will let you know when I am back and working on the shop.

New Piece!!!

Ok so I had to take some time off from ornaments, especially when inspiration strikes.  And it hit like a bolt of lightning as soon as I saw the orangish-yellow cherry blossom print fabric I ordered forever ago and never used.  I forgot I even had it, which is another problem I am tackling all together.  Inventory.
But I cut it and it is just a lovely tie-dye looking mix of light blues and bright greens, deep pinks and orange and yellow.  I absolutely love the way this piece is coming out, and you can see why below.

hana design

Shidare (incomplete)

Most of the colors came out a little too vibrant when all put together, so I cut the brightness a bit with some pearl colored chirimen.  The shidare below is not complete, but it is the design I have finished thus far.  I have decided to not wrap the wires on this one, and even used the old reliable heavy 22 gauge.  I really want to try a 24, but that will require a trip to the hobby shop. I have not wired or built the frame for the shidare, that is still to come.



Next week I will be catching up on paperwork and doing business things like inventory of supplies (which honestly I have never done) and prepping my documents and receipts for expenses. 

I am also meeting with my fellow kanzashi artist, Friday.  Should be lots of fun, and I am very much looking forward to it. I should have a new post this weekend about how that went and new pics of the final piece.

No new work this week

I sold the orange ornament, YAY!!  I haven't had the energy to replace it yet. BOO! 

Frankly I am adjusting to a new body schedule with ALL my kids going to school, forcing me to get up at the crack of dawn, literally.  And I am so blasted in the evenings I haven't had the energy to work. I am still working on the same ornament I started last week.  But when I finish I will have 2 to wrap, and I think I am done with ornaments for a bit.  I want to go back to making kanzashi especially since I have instructions on how to make a spider mum.  Very excited about that project, though it will be long and involve lots and lots of wire wrapping.  I am guessing about a 20 g wire wrapped in my nylon crochet thread in cream or even pink.  Then a knotted gold center from the gold foil wrapped wire I use for the spirals in the blue and pearl kanzashi.  I am still going to remake that I think, now that I have recovered from the shock of having to start several pieces over.  And I have a friend to help me construct the tiara I think.

Yes, I am talking about my fellow kanzashian!

We had a wonderful first meeting, and I am very much looking forward to sharing ideas and getting tips from her. She has already helped me immensely, even after a short discussion.  She is far more normal and sensible than I could have ever hoped for.  So YAY!!!

Meanwhile I have found out that my Top Hat artist, who makes the blank top hats I decorate with kanzashi, is moving out of state! It makes me sad, but she is happy so I am happy for her, but it sucks cause it probably means no hats for a while.  I grabbed my order of 4 from her 2 blacks, a white and a brown, and said my goodbyes.  I hope she will still make me hats in the future, but shipping is expensive as hell with those things since they are of size. So BOO!!!!

Anyway, all things come and go, life is nothing but cycles.  I do not see it as mere circumstance that as one friend makes and exit another enters my life. It it bittersweet, that kind of change, but comforting at the same time, that things are cyclical like that.