Kanzashi

At CHA I walked by a counter that was covered in lovely flowers. Well, who doesn't stop to look at pretty flowers? Upon taking a closer look at the flowers, and the lady behind the counter who was in the middle of making another one, I realized that they were sewn.

Sometimes when you think you are keeping your thoughts in your head, they actually pop out of your mouth (or am I the only one who experiences that?). So, aloud I said (probably with a scrunched up nose) "Oh, that's sewing". The lady behind the counter replied, "No it isn't, it is connect the dots." So I paused a little longer and watched her make a petal with a Kanzashi template. Sure enough, it was connect the dots using a needle and thread. It looked so easy. When I got home I ordered the templates to try it for myself. My creations are pictured below. They are a bit chunky for a layout, but so cute for a card.

At CHA there were a number of people pushing the idea of adding to cards something that the receiver could remove from the card and use, such as a pin, or a hair accessory. The Kanzashi flowers would be perfect for that. So fun!