I uploaded 2 tutorials today for those who dream of decorated,  super big hair!

With cherry blossom Season right around the corner the only thing you need to go with your super Cute Salad outfit is kanzashi!! I've added a tsumami kanzashi tutorial to kanzashicore, there is also one on how to make a maiko style kanokodome from easy to find items!

As any lolita knows the best accessory, no matter your style is over the top hair! Since it's hard to sell that over at Candy Violet, I've added a "how to" on making a big Georgian style hair piece over at Fancy Girl. I hope a few people will use it to spice up their Candy Violet outfits!

I got hit with the kanzashi bug again lately. I think I'm a big fan of the Maiko winter kanzashi because that seems to be the season with the most unusual designs maybe? Either way my hair is now set for New years!

( 5 kanzashi under here!... )
All Maiko style again, (one day I'll complete the collection of all the different motifs!) The 1st one is a January kanzashi with Chinese Aster and Hagoita, one of the cutest motifs!

The 2nd I've been wanting to do for years, it's a New years kanzashi with plum blossom, paper pigeon, and unhusked rice! (finding the rice was hard work, it's still not perfect, but better than nothing)

In the 3rd photo are these great little tiny kanzashi, again worn by Maiko for the New year, they are a lucky bamboo with cute models of the Chinese zodiac animal for the new year. I made an Ox for next year, and a snake and rabbit because I thought they would be cute.

It's been about 6 years since I first started making kanzashi, I might not turn them out as thick and fast as I used to, but it's still a lot of fun when I find the time to work on a new one. I've added these and a BBS to Kanzashi Core for any one who needs  more of a kanzashi fix!

Here's a little heads up for all the kanzashi fans out there! I wrote a tutorial for Shojo Beat a few months back and it;'s out in the April Issue at last! I just got my subscriber copy, so I'm not sure when it'll be out on the shelves.

They managed to get as much info as possible onto 1 page, and there is the answer to the question I hear so often "How do you make cherry blossoms?" (Bellflowers work the same way just in the other direction).

So there you have it, for any one who wanted to give kanzashi making a try, pick up the April Shojo Beat.

I just finished off a new kanzashi which is part of a project I've been working on lately (and no I'm not building up to selling them again sorry).




I thought something a bit more poptastic  would be fitting, and fun to do. So these two are some fun everyday kanzashi I've been working on. The first is on a kind of winter theme, and the 2nd is cherry blossoms done 3 ways!

I also started a new gallery over on Kanzashi ♥ Core with these guys, would you believe there are 86 different kanzashi to look at on that site these days!?

Here's a quick post to show off a new kanzashi. I made the flowers over Thanksgiving and just bound it all together to day.


It's a good old Plum blossom kanzashi, haven't made one of these in a long time. It's funny, the flowers are rather basic on this one, but as a result it can be hard to make it pop? I tired mixing up colors and sizes a little and adding lots of budding branches!

I have been bitten by the kanzashi bug again lately and this weekend I worked on one of my most favoriteist favorite kanzashi of all! (yeah I know I keep saying "favorite kanzashi" all the time, but if I had to pick just one, and my life depended on it, I'd chose the December kanzashi)


I'm a sucker for this particular kanzashi motif because it's so different form anything else, and really playful! It took a while to make all the little toys, and sadly I couldn't get them all in the photo,  but you get the idea? The maneki (the little 'tags") have the name of my husband (he's the red one) and Kenji Ishida the kanzashi master I admire the most.

It's really hard to photograph this one, but I'm pretty happy with the finished pin, Hope you like it too!

It's been a while since my last kanzashi post I guess, maybe people forgot about them! Well here is the first kanzashi of 2007!


It's a mini crown kanzashi to go with my lolita outfits! I'd planned on making one like these years ago, and it was going to be my "reward" after selling some of my favorites like the skull kanzashi. I started it a loooong time ago, but just finished it off today ready for my trip to San Fransisco.

These photos are so wonky and don't do it justice at all :( I can't seem to get a good photo of it today, but will keep trying before I add it to Kanzashi♥Core. I can't wait to wear this kanzashi for it's big debut!

Over the weekend I put the finishing touches to my bellflower kanzashi, seeing the months jump on Kanzashi♥Core from August to October was starting bug me!



Kanzashi♥Core has really been coming along these days, we have something in for every month from March to October now, hopefully every month of the year will have some representation soon.

We've been psyching up here at Vivcore for the beginning of one heck of a week, with site launches and line launches impending it's going to mean some hard work for the final push.

To try to relax before the new week starts I sat down again with my silks and worked on a new kanzashi.


The large chrysanthemum pin has been the one I most wanted to make from the very first time I even saw kanzashi. In the past I'd hit a few set backs with this less curved design, but I feel pretty happy with this little guy!


I think the sunny yellow will keep me happy as I get my head down to work.

Long time no kanzashi some might say. I have to admit to not really having had much time for kanzashi exploits recently, but I do have a few I made a while back share today!

I'd been holding out on posting them till they were in a full set, but since the full sets never make it onto the site I thought it would be ok to share these today...


It's one more April cherry blossom pin, this time with Bombori, and a super sweet March peach blossom.


I still hope to carry on making full sets for my collection, but may have to keep on with single pins to keep kanzashi Core growing strong, and re-visiting past motifs to finish the sets. I'll also be adding a little chart for each month with the kanzashi motifs for that month regardless of if I have any photos yet or not, that way people know whats coming!

Any way, I hope this little update satisfies anyones kanzashi cravings for now!