Kanzashi Flowers by Sakae

Ever seen nail polish flowers? Even i was surprised and in fact actually excited about making them since i had so many nail polishes that i was rarely using! While searching on google i came across these Kanzhashi flowers made by Sakae, a Japanese artist that has similar in technique but with synthetic resin and these flowers were like the most delicate n beautiful handmade thing i had ever seen.

I searched more about Kanzhashi flowers and Sakae and here is what i came to know.

Kanzashi flowers from Wikipedia:

Kanzashi are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles that some believe might also have been used for defence in an emergency.In the English-speaking world, the term “kanzashi” is sometimes applied to the folded cloth flowers that traditionally adorned tsumami kanzashi or to the technique used to make those flowers.Kanzashi were first used in Japan during the Jōmon period during which, a single thin rod or stick was considered to have mystical powers which could ward off evil spirits, so people would wear them in their hair.Kanzashi came into wide use during the Edo period, when hairstyles became larger and more complicated, using a larger number of ornaments.Nowadays, kanzashi are most often worn by brides; by professional kimono wearers such as geisha, tayū and yujo; or by adepts in Japanese tea ceremony and ikebana. However, there is currently a revival among young Japanese women who wish to add an elegant touch to their business suit.

About Sakae – Kanzhashi artist from Japan ( From various sources on internet)

Sakae, a dietician ventured into the field of handcrafting beautiful Kanzashi when once she saw a girl wearing a kimono and felt that the outfit would look so much better if she was wearing a blue butterfly hairpin. Sakae began researching the American Dip Flower technique and bought a book to help her learn the skill. She fashions the incredibly realistic petals out of the liquid resin, shaping them one by one and drying them using a hairdryer. She then colours them with her own secret technique and adds a thin brass wire to outline and hold everything together.

It takes between three and 30 days to make one item, with the sakura (cherry blossom) hairpiece – which is her favourite to make – taking 100 hours. As a result, she is only able to complete two pieces per month. Not believing she was skilled enough to sell in stores, Sakae decided to try to sell her first piece on Yahoo Auction. ‘I thought perhaps there would be someone out there who liked the blue butterfly hairpin as much as me, and I thought that it would be good to see how many people bid on the piece – if many people bid, that would mean that others felt the same way as me about the hairpin.’ The response, she says, was quite overwhelming, with her early pieces fetching around ¥14,000. These days, her hairpins sell for between ¥100,000 and ¥500,000, with one of the most popular pieces being the purple peony.

I am so impressed by her work and hence this picture heavy post 🙂

I was super excited when i found her works and right away contacted her but unfortunately she could share any tips with me because she doesnt speak English and the translator wasnt working right for her 🙁 Im gonna learn japanese and contact her again determined! Or if anyof you know japanese please help me out 😛

Anyhoo, dont you think they are really really pretty ?? Oh i wish i could have one of them 🙂 Do tell me if you have tried any flowers of this kind or even nail polish flowers because im planning to do one and i really need some tips.

P.S – All images ( photographed by OSAMU YAMAZAKI) in this post have been taken from Sakae’s blog (HERE) with permission. Please contact her before reproducing.

Sakae can be reached at –

Twitter　　▶http://www.twitter.com/sakae_e

Facebook　▶http://www.facebook.com/KanzashiSakae.fanfan

Flickr　　 ▶http://www.flickr.com/photos/sakaefly/
Pinterest　 ▶http://www.pinterest.com/kanzashisakae/kanzashi-by-sakae/