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From steampunk to kimono

From steampunk to kimono

If shoppers are looking to set themselves apart after Saturday’s Art-A-Fest, Toleka King may have something to offer them.

“I try to do Japaneseinspired theme and steampunk, and we have geek-related merchandise,” King said of her shop, Sakura’s Blossoms.

Anime hair ribbons, resin work jewelry, diffuser necklaces, kanzashi accessories –– there will be something for everyone at the booth King shares with Leah Borja, of Pop Arts in Cedar Rapids — Borja creates accessories out of found toys.

“She has the superhero earrings, it’s super cute,” King said. “I bring all the steampunk necklaces.” It’s King’s third year showing at Art-A-Fest, and although she doesn’t have an exact count on how many pieces she’ll be selling, “it’s hundreds”, she said.

“I keep on making it, and I don’t have any organized method of doing the jewelry. I grab my couple of pieces and just start building around it,” King said.

King’s journey as a jewelry artist led her through her many interests: after ten years of going to anime and pop culture conventions –– first as a fan, and later as a Japanese collectible retailer –– King started making kanzashi flowers out of curiosity.

“In Japan, it’s commonly placed in a headdress for geisha. This is my modernized, cotton method,” King said. “Learning about kimono and the accessories drew me to the kanzashi, and I was like, ‘I can probably do this.’” From there, her craft bench at home kept calling. King expanded into wire-wrapped and resin jewelry. She also sells diffuser necklaces that she creates to hold natural oils of the owner’s choice — the necklaces come as either made of lava stone, or a cage with a leather pad that can absorb the oils.

Her resin jewelry is typically inspired by steampunk — “bird skulls, gears, you can see I have a wishbone in that one,” King said as she sorted through a few necklaces. “Found pieces, and I take apart watches and make something new out of them.”

Rings, diffuser bracelets with lava stone — they come depicting anything from keys to octopuses (or Cthulhu for fans of Lovecraftian literature).

“I thought, ‘I’ve seen some really cute jewelry and I want to try my take at it,’” King said. “I ended up getting a whole bunch of jewelry supplies from someone and I started making things for my family, and then I decided to sell a couple online because I had a lot.”

Her store Sakura’s Blossoms grew out of that love of crafting and her love of Asian toys, especially dolls and collectables from Japan and China. King and her family have been attending geek and anime conventions for 10 years, and started selling items five years ago — now, her accessories have joined the sales stand. King sells primarily online and at conventions within Iowa and neighboring states.

“You get about, the count (at Anime Iowa) was about 4,000 people,” King said. “That’s a lot of people to have in the hobby, and because of that I also decided to sell my jewelry. That’s why I never know exactly how many pieces are in my stock, because I’m always going to a convention.”

“It’s kind of a hobby that became something more.”

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