We have just finished the third and final session of our three-part Tsumami Zaiku workshop, and these beautiful pieces are now complete.
Over the three sessions, participants learned the basic techniques for making round petals, pointed petals, and leaves, and then completed their chosen pieces as either a framed artwork or a hair accessory.
Although the types of flowers created were essentially the same, the choice of colors and the final form resulted in remarkably different impressions. Both pieces turned out beautifully.
One participant chose to create a framed artwork. Colorful patterned fabrics were used, with a background paper featuring cranes, resulting in a well-balanced and vibrant piece. I hope it will brighten up the room wherever it is displayed.
The other participant created a hair accessory. As her daughter will soon be celebrating her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, she selected colors that would complement a traditional furisode kimono. Using only solid-colored fabrics, the finished piece is elegant and charming. It will be a lovely accent when worn with the kimono, and her daughter is sure to be delighted to receive such a heartfelt, handmade gift from her mother.
Both participants looked truly satisfied when their one-of-a-kind creations were completed. There is something very special about finishing a piece made with care and intention.
Thank you very much for joining the workshop.
✴︎ I am planning to offer the same workshop again in January. If you are interested, you can reach me via Instagram message.
✴︎ I am also planning to launch a Tsumami Zaiku course next year, where participants can create a variety of different flowers. Please look forward to it!
Today, two participants who had previously joined my miniature clay workshop came again. This time, one of them joined with her husband.
The two women are craft enthusiasts who enjoy other crafts, while her husband was experiencing miniature clay for the first time.
Everyone was very friendly, chatting happily, and at times fully focused in silence on their work, and small, adorable wagashi were created one after another.
They enjoyed the process of making them, and were very pleased with their finished creations.
It’s truly heartwarming when participants come back because they enjoyed their previous experience and want to try making something new.
Meeting such wonderful people and sharing these creative moments is one of the greatest joys for me.
Thank you so much for joining.
☆ I offers one-day miniature clay workshops on a flexible schedule. Please see below.
I am excited to announce the start of our tsumami-zaiku workshop series.
Until now, tsumami-zaiku has mainly been available as finished works for sale, but thanks to many requests, it is now offered as a hands-on workshop.
As the nights grow longer, it’s also the perfect season to enjoy making a warm and gentle washi paper lampshade.
Experience the calming beauty of handmade Japanese crafts.
🌸 Tsumami-Zaiku
Tsumami-zaiku is a traditional Japanese craft technique in which small squares of fabric are folded and assembled into delicate flowers.
It creates an elegant, refined, and timeless look.
While tsumami-zaiku is often known as hair accessories, at Coloratura you may also choose to display your work as framed art, so you can enjoy it in your home.
✔️ Choose from framed art, hair accessories, or a brooch
✔️ Select your flower colors, patterns, and background paper
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「Basic Flower」Course
Perfect for beginners — you will learn the essential techniques for round petals (maru-tsumami) and pointed petals (ken-tsumami).
《Course Schedule》 3 sessions, 2 hours each
• Session 1: Fabric cutting & making pointed petals
• Session 2: Making large round petals
• Session 3: Making small round petals & finishing
《Date》
[Weekday Workshop]
November 18 (Tue), November 25 (Tue), and December 2 (Tue)
10:30 – 12:30
[Weekend Workshop]
November 29 (Sat), December 6 (Sat), and December 13 (Sat)
14:00 – 16:00
《Fee》€108 for 3 sessions (includes materials, frame, drink & sweets)
Special introductory price — will be €130 next time
Details & booking ↓↓
🌷🌻🌸 More seasonal flower workshops coming in 2026:
Cherry blossoms, sunflowers, tulips, hydrangeas, roses, and more.
(One-time participation may be possible depending on skill level.)
Beginners are encouraged to start with the “Basic Flower” course.
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🌟 Washi Paper Lampshade Workshop
Create your own lampshade using traditional hand-crafted Japanese washi.
The natural fibers diffuse the light beautifully, bringing warmth and tranquility to your space.
Tear and paste freely, create floral shapes, or use die-cut motifs — design is up to you!
Fun for adults and children.
Enjoy crafting — and then use your lamp at home!
Winter school holiday sessions available for children as well.
《Date》
[Weekend Workshop]
November 22 (Sat) 14:00–16:30
[Weekday Workshop]
December 22 (Mon) 13:30–16:00
《Fee》: € 48 includes all materials, drink & sweets
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General Info (Both Workshops)
《Group size》 3–7 participants
《Language》 Japanese & English
《Location》2-min walk from Amsterdamse Bos bus stop (Address shared after reservation)
Recently, our popular “Miniature Wagashi” workshop has been attracting many participants.
Today, a close group of three friends joined us.
Although it was their first time working with miniature clay, they enjoyed making dango, dorayaki, senbei, daifuku, and more, carefully crafting each piece one by one.
As longtime friends, they chatted happily while working with their hands. They chatted happily while creating the piece, and were delighted when it was completed...
I also had a wonderful time with such lovely participants. Thank you very much for joining the workshop.
One of the great things about handmade crafts is that you can learn how to make them, enjoy the process of creation, feel the satisfaction of completing a piece, and continue to enjoy it afterwards by displaying or using it.
Using your hands and trying new things is also great brain exercise.
You can enjoy it with friends in a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere, or join alone and meet new people.
At Coloratura, in addition to miniature clay, I am preparing a variety of craft workshops for you to enjoy.
Tsumami-zaiku (traditional Japanese fabric folding) workshops will be starting soon—stay tuned!
They had first joined Coloratura’s miniature clay workshop at the Japan Festival in Amstelveen this June, and since then they became interested and came this time.
At the Japan Festival workshop, the sushi toppings (tuna and salmon) were prepared by me, and participants sliced them. But in this workshop, we created the toppings entirely from scratch.
In the first lesson, we focused on making nigiri sushi and prepared ingredients for miso soup and gunkan sushi.
In the second lesson, we made sushi rolls, gunkan, miso soup, chopsticks… We also painted chopsticks, applied varnish, and assembled everything on plates and boards to complete the set!
The girl is 6 years old.
This sushi project is one of the more challenging ones among the miniature clay workshops. Some parts were difficult to make, but with help from me and her parents, she was able to finish such an adorable and delicious-looking sushi set.
Thank you very much for joining !
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☆ I hold one-day workshops from time to time. Please see below.
On Sunday, September 28, the event “BUNKA-SAI” will be held in Amstelveen, organized by JACOP (Stichting Japanese Communities Platform), and Coloratura will also be joining to sell handmade items.
This event takes place at Nemo Sabo / SAKB Kunstlokaal in Amstelveen and recreates the atmosphere of a Japanese school festival (bunkasai). There will be many food and goods stalls, stage activities, and a lively program for everyone to enjoy.
A girl who had previously joined one of my miniature clay lessons came back for her birthday and wished to make wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets).
It was a birthday celebration with a Japanese child and friends who hadn’t eaten wagashi very often, but they all enjoyed the process so much and worked with such skill that they finished well ahead of time. They all seemed to love crafts and were so skillful—it was hard to believe they were only ten years old!
The pieces turned out beautifully, and the children were delighted with their creations.
It made me so happy that she chose a miniature clay workshop to celebrate her 10th birthday.
Today, a pair of siblings joined to create miniature Japanese sweets (wagashi).
The older sister, cheerful and friendly, looked after her younger brother like mother. Both of them seemed to really enjoy making things, and they worked quickly and skillfully!
The younger brother, who is still in primary school, not only did a great job with the clay work but also folded a tiny origami crane using a 3cm-square paper — with impressive precision.
She said that there are some Japanese sweets that they have never tried before, such as dorayaki, and I feel that they will love their pieces(they created today) even more when they once tastes them.
She mentioned that they would love to visit Japan someday. I truly hope they’ll have the chance to enjoy authentic Japanese food, wagashi like the ones they made today, and experience Japanese culture firsthand.
They seemed to enjoy the entire process and were very happy with what they had made. They even said they would love to join another workshop again — which made me so happy to hear.
It’s such a joy for me to meet people like this and to be able to offer these kinds of creative experiences.
Thank you very much for participating!
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☆ I hold one-day workshops from time to time. Please see below.
This time, we made rolled sushi, gunkan sushi, miso soup, chopsticks...
We also painted the shrimp and added a glossy finish. Participants concentrated to craft each piece one by one.
There were some difficult parts this time again, like the sushi rolls and chopsticks, but everyone created such cute and, delicious-looking sushi. The nigiri pieces are especially thick, large(they are still very tiny though)!
The process of making each items is fun, and when everything is finally arranged on a plate or a display base, it's the most satisfying thing.
The sushi turned out beautifully, and I’m very happy that the participants were pleased with their creations too.
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☆ I hold one-day workshops from time to time. Please see below. ↓↓