Two New Kimono

I won two new kimono for only 99¢ a piece on eBay over the past week. I've been paying more for kimono recently, so I miss getting deals like this!

The first one is a reddish purple tsukesage. I has some fading/stains, but for only 99¢, I don't mind. I plan on using this in my steampunk ensemble this spring, so the fading/stains might actually fit in just fine with the look.



The second is one of many yabane odori kimono that Ryujapan had listed last week. I'm partial to warm colors, so I opted to the red over the blue ones. The kimono is quite large already, so it should be a good candidate to adjusted to become a hikizuri...maybe. Or I may leave it as is. We'll see. =)

Steampunk Shamisen

I've been working on this piece for a couple of weeks now, and just finished it last night. I had this shamisen made of lucite that I bought on eBay some years ago for $11, and it has been sitting around my house ever since. It is technically playable, but the sound quality is poor, so I decided to turn it into an art project. Since I plan on doing a steampunk ensemble for some anime conventions this spring and summer, I decided to go that route.

The first step involved painting the whole thing. Since it was originally clear, it took several coats to get it opaque. Then I cut pieces of leather to simulate the skins. I made the neo (string retainer) and pegs out of sculpey; I painted those after baking. The koma (bridge) is actually a large square bead with a pin backing on top. The strings are thin gauge bronze colored wire. I decorated the top and pegs with cogs and a stamped compass. The dou (body) got a variety of cogs and a pair of stamped wings. All in all, I'd say it came out okay for a first time project. =)

Steampunk Inspired Kimono Hime

The Middle Tennessee Anime Convention is coming up in only one month now, and it's definitely the highlight of my year! I have been trying to come up with three kimono ensembles to wear for the weekend, and I decided to do one kimono hime at the request of some of my friends. I have some vintage-look items hanging around, so I made a steampunk inspired ensemble. I used my brown yukata and brown floral obi, as well as my brown and red obijime and dark red obiage, and of course, Victorian style boots! I added some accessories, and well, here it is...