Thursday, July 7, 2011

Kumihimo...a new obsession!

We recently took a class at our favorite local bead shop, Pink Flamingo Beads, that focused on the ancient Japanese art of kumihimo braiding.  Kumihimo braids were originally used by samurai to lace their armor, wrap around their sword handles, and even used for their horses' armor.  Classic kumihimo is done with different types of cords, but we learned how to incorporate beads into our braids.  The result is gorgeous!

The braids consist of a combination of seed beads and Swarovski crystals.  The focal beads on both of these necklaces are handmade lampwork beads by Terri McGill of Rabbit Hutch.  Her beads are a-ma-zing!  Head over and check out her website.  She has her beads for sale, as well as kumihimo supplies.  After all, Terri was the teacher of our kumihimo class!  ...And it was fabulous!

Check out the store tab above to view all of our kumihimo jewelry.  And the best part...all of the kumihimo pieces are 25% off!!  Enjoy!