Kumihimo Christmas ornament with Dazzle-it!

I'm totally addicted to Kumihimo, a Japanese braiding technique. I especially like how it looks with a thick cord. So when my friend Carmi asked me to be part of a blog hop using Dazzle-it! faux suede cords and tassles, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

Kumihimo is super easy to learn - this is the first time I used it to make a Christmas wreath ornament, as opposed to a necklace or bracelet. It takes 16 feet of cord to make this 7 inch piece - the braid is a little more than 1/2" in diameter.

After braiding the cord, I tied off the ends and tied them together to form the loop. I slipped some thick gold wire into the knot, threaded a couple of beads on to it, then bent a small loop at the bottom so it nested inside the knot and bent the top into a large hook. I colored the silver tassel head green with alcohol ink, put it on an eye pin, poked it through the knot and bent a loop on the back to secure. I trimmed the tassel ends just a wee bit so it hangs nicely inside the wreath. 

Lastly I tied a ribbon around the wire and glued on a large button to hide the knot. The ends of all the cords coming out of the knot are wired together in a bunch, pushed to the back and trimmed short so they aren't visible from the front.

Click here to visit the Dazzle-it! blog and check out their Facebook page. Happy holidays!