Hi everyone!

Due to a move to the West Coast, along with full time work and other various special projects over the last couple of years, PuchiMaiko has been retired for the time being. This is not to say we'll never work on PuchiMaiko items again. Oh, no! It just means that right now we are unfortunately far to busy with other things to devote the time and attention needed to produce high quality items. When we are ready to resume, though, you'll hear about it here first!

In the meanwhile, if you would like to see what I've been up to, please feel free to visit either my kimono website:



Or the Immortal Geisha Forums:



Thank-you for all the wonderful support over the years, and I hope to see you around on my other websites.

Tonight at 5:30pm PST I'll be taking all current PuchiMaiko stock down to be sold at Hatsume Festival at the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, South Florida.

If there is anything you've had an eye on for a while and don't want to miss it, today is your last chance! Go and visit PuchiMaiko and nab your favourite items!

New product updates to PuchiMaiko will be done over the course of the next 2-3 weeks - so be sure to keep an eye out!

Sorry to those who have seen this in harunoame!

So both Arian and I have been sick with the plague. While he is better, I'm having a hard time kicking it off...so I decided to spend my weekend at home for a change. Which meant I could finally make something. I haven't had the time to do any crafting or sewing since I started working full time.

A few weeks ago, Arian came home with these cool cigar boxes for me to cover. I decided to tackle it on Saturday. This particular craft I've never really done before.

So with lots of cardboard, batting, glue, blue shibori, red shibori and gold cord - I spent my entire day Saturday making this adorable guy:

(please pardon the photos - they were taken lat at night and are not the right colours...the blue and reds are very nice and rich in person).





( Two more photos under the cut )

New tote bags have been added to PuchiMaiko. Go and check them out! :)

Brand spanking new Victorian inspired wristlet clutches have been added to PuchiMaiko!

I finally caved in and pulled out some of my absolute favourite pieces that have been stowed away in my special fabric stash for years to create these.

Go check them out! :D

All the cute new head scarves have been added to PuchiMaiko!

A few weeks or so ago I was helping Arian go through his closet sorting out clothing for keeping, donation or tossing. We came across a rather beaten up black t-shirt with a crinkly looking Daruma print on it. It was about to go in the toss/donate pile when I thought about using it to create a wall hanging - so Arian gave it to me. I cut the Daruma out and put it aside until I had time to work with it.

I had ideas of using some of the vintage indigo fabric I had to create a wall hanging and had a perfect long, but narrow piece of indigo with raw edges that would work well. I was determined to not use my sewing machine and hand sew the entire thing to keep with the hand crafted and rustic feel. I cut the fabric into three even pieces and spent a few hours carefully hand stitching it making sure the raw edges showed. By the time I was finished - my hands were dark blue from the indigo dye - so I decided to soak the body of the fabric overnight to try and remove some of the excess dye. In the morning - the water was pitch er, blue... and when the fabric dried - it dried with a fantastic crinkled texture. I decided to keep the writing on the back of the wall hanging - mainly because I had no idea what it said - but also I felt the solid white of it at the front would detract from the Daruma too much.

I then hand stitched the Daruma on and the asanoha fabric at the top and voila! I'm quite happy with how it turned out and I especially love the fact that it is not 100% perfect. I fought against my natural urges to make sure I measured everything so it was completely even and worked with flow of the fabric instead. I also like the subtle hint of the writing showing through to the front. It now hangs above one of the windows in our house.


Another View

I think this is quite possibly the first thing I've actually sat down and sewn just for myself - rather than for PuchiMaiko and I'm glad I spent the many hours hand sewing it. I put a lot of love into making this, and I think it shows.

Cross posted to harunoame

One of the new headscarves I made which will be listed on PuchiMaiko later today:

A tiny peek at a few new kanzashi...



I've started using swarovski rhinestone and pearls for this lot...so purdy!

Now off I go and get ready for training.

Huzzah! Finally, new wristlets have been added to www.puchimaiko.com. This time - most of them aside from 2 have been made with brocade fabric.








Go and check the others out :)

PuchiMaiko.com has now been updated with some new kanzashi and puchi pouches.

The selection of kanzashi is small at the moment because I sold most of them at Hatsume Festival just passed....I need to make more!

:)

You know how strange it feels to drive by and see your face plastered on newspaper and magazine boxes and know that it is plastered all around South Florida?

OMG

I was actually pretty surprised and happy with the article. I was concerned I might get misquoted or things wouldn't be understood very well - but the interviewer did a great job. I knew she loved my editorial about Nightingale Droppings - so it is no surprise it is the opening paragraph. Heheh...I'll probably be known as the birdy poop face girl now.

It is a shame they flipped the photograph for the front cover - I look like a corpse!

Seeing the magazine is too big to fit in my scanner - you can read the article here:
http://www.southflorida.com/citylink/sfe-cl-022206cover,0,2385691.story?coll=sfe-cl-top-promo



( Four more pages under the cut! )

Now - back to work for me - I have a massive weekend coming up with bebemochi and mojuko visiting from out of state and going to festivals with them.

If you live in South Florida - you should come along to Hatsume Festival at the Morikami Museum. mojuko will be there with her vintage kimono store and there will be brand new PuchiMaiko items on the table also. She will also be dressed as a maiko! Full make-up and all! bebemochi, her husband and I will also be at Hatsume on Saturday dressed to the nines in kimono - and Alex will be drumming. It will be a fantastic day! Then Sunday, bebemochi, her husband and I will be going to the Ren-Fest at Quiet Water Park. The theme this weekend is Pirates - so we are going dressed up as Japanese pirates! Alex will be drumming at the Ren-Fest on Sunday also.