Origami Kimono Ornaments |
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Ornaments Copyright 1996, 2000 Alyen Creations All Rights Reserved |
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Origami Kimono Ornaments
Design and Packaging
The elegance of a Japanese kimono in miniature. Each Origami Kimono Ornament measures 3.25 inches across the shoulders, and 5 inches from collar to hem. (The bamboo dowel is about 4 inches long.) The ornaments are finished front and back, and appear neat and attractive from either side. Every ornament has a gold (or sometimes silver) cord for hanging and comes mounted on a heavy, textured white linen card, protected by an extra-clear zip-seal bag.
Each Origami Kimono Ornament is unique. No two ornaments look exactly alike, even if they are made from the same fabric. The ornaments shown on these catalog pages are samples of available fabrics, and the placement of the colors and motifs will differ, depending on the scale of the fabric. See "Tips for Choosing," below, for more explanation.
Ideas for Using
Although I designed them as ornaments, most people buy them (often in twos or threes) to frame in a shadowbox, or to give as gifts. Many just hang them by the gold cord on a wall year-round. I like to prop them up, still mounted, on my mantle. And of course, you can always hang them on the Christmas tree. I have also been told that they are the proper scale to look great hanging on the wall of a dollhouse! However, they are decorations, not doll clothes!
Origami Kimono Ornaments make unique gifts for Mother's Day, Fathers' Day, Valentine's Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, birthdays and housewarmings. They are also a good choice to give to dinner hostesses, teachers, bridesmaids, people you visit, etc. And they would be just the right touch for your feng shui corner. I have lots of lovely rich, dark ones for the men in your life, and you know how difficult it is to shop for them....
Tips for Choosing
Although all computer monitors differ, these ornaments were all photographed with the same digital camera, so they should be color-consistent among themselves. If they look good together on the screen, they should look good together in person, even if the colors are slightly different. Make sure to click on each Origami Kimono Ornament for a popup window with a nearly actual-size photo. I have listed the lining color in bold on each, because lining colors are constant. If you pick three ornaments with burgundy linings, they will at least coordinate to that extent.
Large-scale fabrics produce widely varied and dramatic abstract effects as the colors and motifs are rearranged in each ornament, so they make excellent candidates for buying more than one to use together. Small-scale ornaments will be a lot more consistent, one to the next.
See the link to Ebay auctions below for examples. There are two photos in each auction; the first is the ornament for that auction, and the second, at the bottom, is another ornament in the same fabric that is being used as a gallery photo for the auction. This will give you some idea of the variation to expect.
Origami With an Iron
The process of making each Origami Kimono Ornament involves 30 steps of sewing, turning, measuring, folding, ironing and tying. There are no shortcuts, (no hot-glue guns, either!) and each ornament is painstakingly coaxed into being, by hand, here in my studio. Each one is an individual, and just as no two vintage kimonos are alike, no two Origami Kimono Ornaments are alike, even if they were created from the same fabric.
Ebay Auctions
I usually have several specific ornaments on auction on Ebay at any given time. If you would prefer to buy an exact ornament, rather than order from a representative sample, please look at my auctions and see if there is one that you like. In that case, you can place a bid, or use the Buy-It-Now option, if no one else has placed a bid. The link below will open in a separate window, so you will still be here on my website and can compare to see which you like best.
If you end up buying an ornament from the website, and another from an auction, just email me to let me know, so I can combine them to save shipping costs.
Retail Shops
If any of these shops is near you, please call and ask if they have any Origami Kimono Ornaments by Alyen Creations in stock. (If they don't, ask them to order some more!) If they do, please go by and see the ornaments in person. Most of these shops have been carrying my ornaments for years, so please patronize them if you can. They carry different ornaments, for the most part, than I do here on my website, so you may find even more that you like!
Philadelphia Museum of Art Gift Shop
Morikami Museum Gift Shop, Delray Beach, Fla.
Japanese Garden Gift Shop, Portland, OR
Stone Buddha, Silverton, OR
BMW's Picture Perfect, (frame shop) Aberdeen, WA
Wholesale Inquiries
I sell three collections of Origami Kimono Ornaments, denoted by their fabrics. Japanese, Christmas and Exotic. They come in medleys of 6, and the minimum order is 4 medleys, (24 ornaments.) The makeup of each medley is predetermined, to provide a color-balanced selection. My wholesale ornament selection differs largely from my retail selection, both to keep my production manageable, and so that I am not competing with my wholesale customers when I sell my ornaments online or at art shows. I also will list your shop on my website, (see above) to encourage people to look you up and buy in person, if they are in your area.
Please check my wholesale catalog if you are interested in making a purchase.
Payment Options
This website uses shopping cart technology which allows me to accept payments online so that I can fill your order quickly and efficiently. Payments are processed through a secure server, provided by
, which offers the following payment options:
- Credit Cards and Bank Account Withdrawals: You can pay for your order with VISA, Mastercard, American Express
or Discover, or from your bank account, securely through Paypal.
Using Paypal is fast and free, (and if you haven't signed up, they will pay you $5 to open an account.)
Your order will ship as soon as possible after it is received, usually 1 to 3 days.
Checks or Money Orders: If you would prefer not to use the Paypal secure server to pay for your order online, you may pay with a money order or personal check. Once you finish shopping, click on the "send order" option on the order form, which will open a window asking for your email address, your name and shipping address. You will receive an email from me confirming your order and giving you instructions on where to send payment.
Postage
All Origami Kimono Ornaments are shipped in a box to protect them from the rigors of postal equipment. Domestic orders are shipped via Priority Mail. International shipping charges are calibrated to be as close as possible to exact postage as an automated system will allow. There are three options for shipping that you can choose from on the shopping cart when you are ready to finalize your order:
- * Uninsured Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation, (2-3 days) to anywhere in the USA, or Airmail Letter Post (4-7 days) to CANADA and MEXICO. The charge to these three countries is $4.30 (exact US postage for 1 pound), NO MATTER HOW MANY ORNAMENTS YOU BUY!
* Insured Priority Mail (USA only), (2-3 days) $4.30 plus insurance charges based on the total value of the order, NO MATTER HOW MANY YOU BUY!
* International Shipping by Airmail Letter Post (4-7 days) If you live in EUROPE, ASIA, CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA, the CARIBBEAN, AUSTRALIA or AFRICA, this option figures shipping in 8 oz. increments, starting at $7.10 for up to 6 ornaments, plus $2.60 for each 1 to 6 additional ornaments.
Return Policy
In 10 years as an artist (and 4,000 Origami Kimono Ornaments sold), I have never had anyone return anything, but Paypal requires me to set out a return policy on my website, so here it is!
If for some reason, you need to return an item, please send me an email within a reasonable time frame (7 days of receipt), and I will send you complete instructions. Please wait to mail the item until you have heard back from me (I am sometimes away at shows or out of town). When I receive the item, I will refund your purchase price, less a restocking fee of 15%. Shipping charges are not refundable.
Privacy Policy
Alyen Creations WILL NEVER GIVE AWAY, RENT OR SELL YOUR INFORMATION TO ANYONE! Alyen Creations is a small studio, trying to do way too much, so I don't have the time or inclination to bother you needlessly or to let anyone else bother you!
However, I would be happy to email you when there have been significant updates or additions to my website or catalog or to alert you to my new Ebay auctions, unless you tell me not to. Otherwise, your name, address and email will only be used to ship your order and to confirm that it arrived safely.
If you make a purchase, I will assume that you would be interested in seeing more of my work or future offerings, but if you are not, just email and ask to be taken off the notification list.
If you don't make a purchase at this time, but you would still like to know about updates, or new auctions of ornaments, vintage kimono fabrics or hand-painted and hand-dyed fabrics created in my studio, please email me, and ask to be added to my list.
Origami Kimono Ornaments
Copyright 1996, 2000
Alyen Creations
All Rights Reserved