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. 

Working Again!!!

After a week with no ornaments I am back at work.  I just posted 3 new ornaments to the store, an orange and gold, a reversible red and white, and a white and gold.  They are getting some traffic, but not nearly as much as my made-to-order chrysanthemum in spiral setting.  I was actually thinking of taking the section down, but with as much traffic as its been getting lately, I will keep it a while longer to see what it does.  I have only ever had 1 person order from it in 6 months, so not really sure if its worth the money to keep it up.
I am definitely on the waning side of ornaments.  I don't have the passion for them as I once did, and that means a different hobby for a weekend.  And since I am about to be kanzashi inspired, it will probably mean back to a new piece.
I am meeting kanzashian for coffee today! I hope for good things, but I am overly eager and I hope I am not being overbearing.  I get like that when I am excited about something new.

I have one new ornament ball I finished recently that I need to wrap and I have started a new purple with butterflies, but I think that will end up being my last one. Then I will work a few kanzashi pieces and then go back to sewing again as I have a project I MUST FINISH by the end of November.  Its the gifts to my nieces and nephew living overseas.
Here's a pic of what I just posted to the store this week.
Make sure you follow me on FaceBook cause I post everything there first.
Oh, yeah, and I am thinking of a black Friday sale from black Friday to cyber Monday.  Good idea? Bad idea? Let me know what you think!!!

Sprained Wrist = No Work

Short Version: 3 new balls coming and then nothing for a while.  Maybe a custom order.  November should be more productive, after my wrist heals.  Going to meet another kanzashi artist soon. 


Long Version:  So if you have been following me on facebook, you will know that I managed to sprain my wrist the other day making ornament balls. These new pins (I just bought in bulk off amazon of course) are complete trash.  They are dull, thick, and difficult to work with.  I managed to sprain my wrist Thursday night, and by Friday it was very painful.  I have a brace for it, to keep me from making twisting or pinching motions or to lift any objects over 3lbs.  Which is just horrible since I am a mother of 2 young children and its my right wrist (obviously right handed). Even driving is difficult at times. But I keep the brace on and a steady diet of ibuprofen, and it is getting better. But it is still easily stressed so no ornament balls for a while. :(

Enough complaining, down to business.  I had a custom order inquiry today, and that is ALWAYS exciting. I also still have 3 balls to wrap with ribbon and photograph and list, so I am still working on something at least.  But I had to take the entire weekend off just to rest my arm.  I am not even certain I can do kanzashi properly since I have to use a pinching motion with tweezers to make the petals.  But I am not going to pass up a custom order, I enjoy working with real people way too much.

My fellow kanzashian has agreed to meet me for coffee! So INCREDIBLY excited! I am totally going to learn her spider mum design that she has offered to teach me.  I can't wait to learn how it is constructed so I can adapt it to my own wire wrapping techniques.  And she has excellent dying techniques I hope I can learn as well.  I love learning and adapting new techniques, and I hope I can share some with her, too! Not to mention, it would be so nice to have a friend that can just craft with me. I don't have many people around that share my interests. I am so eager, I am positively bursting with exuberance.  YAY!!