Kabunza @ The London Fetish Fair

Kabunza: Bullwhips

As usual, I seem to be incredibly busy lately. But here is a picture of something shiny to make up for it!

Anyone who knows me, or follows my blog, knew that I would end up building these eventually. I have made 4 bullwhips so far (of varying lengths) and while I do not plan on taking any custom orders for them yet, I will be building one on occasion to be put up for sale in our Kabunza Etsy shop. So, keep your eye out for them if you fancy grabbing one for your toy bag.

At the moment, I simply do not feel that I am good enough to be building them to specific measurements and criteria given to me by others. Hence why I will be building them at my own pace.

To date I have only been playing with nylon, but as I improve in skill, I am sure that I will end up wanting to experiment with kangaroo hide. So keep your eyes open for more posts along similar lines.

The whip in the photo is a 5 foot 12 plait black nylon paracord bullwhip with 2 bellies (one 8 plait and one 6 plait). Stainless steel 402 grade ball bearing shot loaded braided polyester core with a waxed nyltex shot blocker, 4 point nylon fall hitch and a 10 inch stainless steel rod handle. Stainless steel 8mm ring chainmail transition and pommel.

Flogging workshop at Dream Visions studio – Instructional video 05/10/14

Once more, I popped along to the Gatwick Dungeon in Surrey to teach a flogging workshop. Due to the amount of new people, I found myself repeating a few techniques that were shown in the previous workshop that was hosted 6 months ago. However, in this video there is a couple of pointers on sensation play and rest techniques that I often overlook in a workshop but which tend to come in really handy.

Let me point out again that nothing compares to actually going to one of my workshops and learning from me personally, there is an insane amount of information that simply cannot be covered by watching a few videos or having me there to guide you through the steps and nuances when I finally stop talking. But for those people who are overseas or who are too nervous to attend one, I hope this helps a little.

A big thankyou to Dream Visions Studio for filming this video at the workshop and to my play partner, Jinx, who did a little bunnying for me.

And, of course, if you want to get yourself a decent pair of floggers or a Dragons tail, check out my Kabunza Etsy shop!

Kabunza: Headquarters!

Kabunza has finally moved into it’s own headquarters!

We moved in last month and aside from putting up some room dividers (which I am hoping to do as soon as possible to section off our areas), we have pretty much settled in and made ourselves at home.

Our workshop and office is located in the heart of Swindon (the address can be seen on the Kabunza Facebook page, or you can message me and I will relay it to you) and is open most weekdays (depending on what events we will be attending) for visitors to come along and browse our current stock or even have a look through our leathers to order something custom to be made. I am also willing to give tuition at this location for anyone wishing to learn techniques from me privately.

Because we share a building with a kink friendly publishing firm, we have access to a lot of space, so with a little luck we will also be hosting a few workshops and events here (I have even been thinking about hosting a small but regular peer rope event). I will keep people posted about these through my Kabunza page on this blog as and when we plan them.

Of course, you will still be able to purchase our items through our Etsy shop, but now everyone has the added option of popping by the place where everything is made, having a look at our construction process and browsing through it all in person!

Officially open to the public! Come along and check us out!

Photos courtesy of Dark Desires photography.
Photography by Dark Desires photography.
All images are copyright © Dark Desires photography

A Velvet Thought – Mistresses Musings: Update 09/06/14

My blog has been going through a little neglect as of late due to life being incredibly busy.

Kabunza has moved into its own offices and we are trying to get everything up and running while also trying to keep the business stocked with lots of groovy creations (a Kabunza bullwhip being one of the things currently being tested), I have been going through some serious Japanese rope bondage tuition, a lot of events (many of which I am doing workshops or demonstrations at. See my Events page for listed ones near you), discussions and meetings about possible future photoshoots and talking at BDSM conferences, and this is to name but a few of the things on my list.

But, rest assured, I will be writing blog posts about everything I can as soon as I get some free time to do so!

In the meantime; watch this space, keep safe and stay kinky 😉

Kabunza: Hyperlights, Tri-Layers and Whumpers. Oh my!

During the process of designing the improvements that I have recently been introducing into all of our standard Kabunza floggers, I have also been working on optional variations of flogger styles. I am happy to introduce the Kabunza “Tri-Layer” Floggers and Kabunza “Whumper” floggers to bolster our ranks of impact toy options.

Our flogger selection now consists of the following variations:

Hyperlight:
Hyperlight floggers are incredibly light and perfect for tickling or gently dragging across areas of sensitive skin. 48 luxuriously gentle 14 inch falls created only from silk suede or nappa. These floggers are super soft and intended to be used for sensation play rather than serious impact play. We normally create these floggers singly with a wrist loop and short 3 inch string of chainmail unless otherwise requested.

 

Minipoi:
To put it as simply as possible, Minipoi are essentially miniature versions of our standard poi floggers. 24 falls (16 inches in length) that are half the width of our standard and a 3 inch string of chainmail with lighter hardware and rings. Due to the thin width of the flogger falls (half a centimeter), these very light and quick variants tend to pack more of a sting than a thud. We normally make these floggers available for purchase singly unless otherwise requested.

Standard:
Our standard floggers are what I consider the best medium. During a process of over 3 years of testing, I have found that this weight and fall count to be the best average for general use. Not too light and not too heavy. Good for prolonged play and packing a decent impact at the same time. 24 falls, each at 1cm in width and with a length of between 16-18 inches depending on the style of flogger. We normally create this type of flogger in Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

Whumper:
Our Whumper floggers consist of a larger fall width of 1.5cm and include wider and heavier hardware and rings. These floggers pack significantly more weight and wallop with each impact. In the hands of a strong arm and sadistic nature, expect severe bruising when used. With 24 falls, we normally create this type of flogger in Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

Tri-Layer:
Our Tri-Layer floggers are a little different in that they consist of 36 falls instead of our standard 24 and are made from 3 separate hides, usually one leather, one suede and one nappa. Offering a veritable plethora of sensation options. The falls have a width of 1cm, are usually created in the Nunchaku (16 inch falls) or Poi (18 inch falls) styles and are purchasable in pairs unless otherwise requested.

And, of course, our current style types consist of:

Poi (as seen above):
Designed with some of the more creative or aesthetic styles of play in mind (including Florentine), our standard poi floggers consist of 18 inch falls, a 5 inch string of chainmail that has been created with 8mm rings in metals of stainless steel, blackened steel, brass, bronze or a mixture of the aforementioned metals and ending in a pair of leather or suede finger loops. This style of flogger is usually created in matching pairs.

Nunchaku (as seen above):
Each of our Nunchaku are built with efficiency in mind and some techniques (such as ricochet flogging) can only be done effectively with this style of flogger. Well balanced with 16 inch falls, a solid red oak handle, a 3 inch string of chainmail that has been created with 10mm rings in metals of stainless steel, blackened steel, brass, bronze or a mixture of the aforementioned metals and a plated steel ball bearing swivel connection. The falls of these floggers will never tangle and are easy to keep spinning for prolonged play.

With hard work and determination, Kabunza has been improving in leaps and bounds over this past year and once again we are almost ready to jump up to the next level. But I will announce the news as we progress. All I will say for now is that new designs are constantly being imagined, expect more BDSM and impact play creations to fill our ranks in the very near future, we will be expanding into new areas of creativity and, with a bit of luck, new literal areas as well.

If you do not see something you would like to purchase already up for sale in our Etsy shop, do not hesitate to contact us with a custom order request.

Until the next update, happy shopping!

And don’t forget to join our Facebook page for the chance to win free goodies 😉

Flogging, dragon tail and impact play workshops for 2014

Every year I tend to get many requests to do workshops where I teach people safety and techniques on various styles of BDSM play.

I do not charge anyone for doing a workshop. All I ask is that my fuel/travel expenses are covered and that I am allowed a Kabunza trade stand at the event in question.

Having a trade stand at a workshop/event allows me to earn the money for my time separately as well as allowing me to share safe knowledge as freely as possible. Essentially minimising what an event needs to charge people for having the good sense to actually do the research and learning in their BDSM interests.

My events page has been updated to include all events that I will definitely be attending in 2014.

This year seems to be filling up unusually fast and I still have several requests to consider, so I thought it might be best to publish a blog post reminding people to get their requests for workshops in as quickly as possible.

My contact details can be found: Here.

Don’t delay if you want me for a specific date or event. Once I place an event on my blog page, it is pretty much set in stone unless the event itself is cancelled.

Kabunza: More “whump”

At Kabunza, I am forever trying to improve our creations. Our range of floggers have gone through many ‘upgrades’ over the past year and personally using them on a frequent basis helps a lot when it comes to the refinement of our designs.

With the recent success of our Minipoi floggers and their steady introduction into our permanent products, I thought it was time to upgrade our normal floggers once again.

This weekend, Sunday 9th March, will be our first ever trade stand in London at the LFF (London Fetish Fair). I thought it might be a good place to introduce the latest upgrade. I have worked out a new measuring system to squeeze in as much leather into our flogger O-rings as possible, adding extra weight and thickness to all our standard ranges of Poi and Nunchaku floggers.

I want to bring you more “whump” with every spin!

Even better will be the fact that our prices will not budge! Instead, I will be placing all the older sets of our floggers on sale at a reduced price until the last stock of our previous design are gone.

In the words of Austin Powers: “London, baby, yeah!”

Quotations: 2013

Continuing the quotations of the year posts, here is the selection for 2013.

You can see the ‘Quotations 2011’ post: Here
You can see the ‘Quotations 2012’ post: Here

Favorite quotations of the past year (including some that I have not been able or bothered to ‘tweet‘) in a single blog post purely for fun.

As usual, no names will be mentioned (with the exception of my own) and people will be referred to in an anonymous fashion or title. Of course, you will all know who you are from being present when I had said the quote in question. Try also to bear in mind that almost all of these quotes have been said in the heat of the moment and are not meant to offend any readers of my blog.

Enjoy.

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Aemilia Hawk: “You know something is seriously wrong with your karma when you manage to poke yourself in the eye with a duvet while searching for a chainmail earring that somehow managed to get stuck down the back of the living room radiator.”

Aemilia Hawk: “People may not realise this, but I have difficulty navigating certain aspects of daily life. You know, feigning interest in others, not being able to talk about BDSM as much as I want, putting up with everyday mundane stupidity. It is incredibly exhausting.”

Aemilia Hawk: “There is something about forcing a man up against a wall, shackling his arms and legs wide and forcing cold metal rods down his manhood that I find very erotic.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Ribbed for his pleasure.” (In reference to a sounding rod)

Aemilia Hawk: “If you are going to be a smart-ass, first you have to be smart. Otherwise you are just an ass.”

Aemilia Hawk: “You can tell a lot about my mood if you watch my extremities. For example; If my claws are pressed against your throat in a threatening fashion; I am probably annoyed… Or aroused… Or both.”

Aemilia Hawk: “I have made it through the entire morning and only managed to insult two mundanes. I think my people skills are improving.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Quit being so facetious.”
Friend: “I do not know what ‘facetious’ means.”
Aemilia Hawk: “Do you know what ‘Google’ means?”

Aemilia Hawk: “I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off your hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots.”

Dentist: “You may feel a little discomfort.”
Aemilia Hawk: “I am a sadomasochist, Sir. I think I have a pretty good idea of when something will inevitably ‘hurt like hell’.”

Aemilia Hawk: “You would be surprised at how fast people can run when they hear the crack of a Longeing Whip a few inches behind their head.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Appreciate what you have, because basically; I am awesome.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Pretty Pooky pleasantly pacificates pectorals, pandemian pallesethesia permitting.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Darth Vader hole invader?”

Aemilia Hawk: “Kin chasa du Jedi!”

Aemilia Hawk: “I suddenly have images in my head from the “Queen of the Damned” movie. Except with floggers and more blood.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Give a man a fire and he is warm for a day, but set fire to him and he is warm for the rest of his life.”

Aemilia Hawk: “When I was a mundane, I spoke as a mundane, I understood as a mundane, I thought as a mundane: but when I became a kinkster, I put away ‘mundanish’ things.”

Aemilia Hawk: “I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person!”

Aemilia Hawk: “Must you leave so soon? I was just about to poison the tea.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Clearly you are not yourself today. I noticed the improvement almost immediately.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Is the vegetarian option 100% real vegetarian? Why are you laughing?”

Aemilia Hawk: “Forged in the fires of Mount Kabunza, there were made rings of power! Fashioned with a secret formula now known only to the makers of hitty things, these fabulous rings gave their users untold powers! Originally, there were twenty in all: six for mastery of the female orgasm, five for rule over erection dysfunction, three for dominion over anyone shorter than 1ft (length, not height), two for the conquering of bad breath, one was lost down the back of a radiator and we can’t get it out, two were recalled for factory defects because they tended to short-circuit in the rain, and THE ONE RING… Which didn’t really do anything, but we kinda liked the way it looked. So they are now mass produced for our floggers.”

Aemilia Hawk: “I still get horrible flashbacks of a tall, grey, bearded guy, pointing a cane and what looks like a BD10 violet wand to the heavens and shouting “YOU SHALL NOT FLOG!” at me.”

Aemilia Hawk: “There are onesies in M&S. Society has finally crumbled.”

Aemilia Hawk: “I absolutely did NOT threaten to punch him. I threatened to spank him.”

Aemilia Hawk: “You need to laugh. Everyone does. What is life if you cannot moon it with a wink and a slightly crooked grin?”

Aemilia Hawk: “Don’t fuck with my chi.”

Aemilia Hawk: “I am not saying that you are stupid. I am simply saying that you have extremely bad luck when it comes to thinking.”

Aemilia Hawk: “Of course your opinion matters. Not to me, but I am sure we could find someone suitably empathetic. Have you tried posting it on Facebook?”

Aemilia Hawk: “I would like to apologise in advance for my behavior tonight.”

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Kabunza: Here, there be dragons!

For the past couple of months I have been adding dragon tails to our complete impact play sets and (finally) I have managed to get around to procuring myself a set of twins.

The thought of florantining dragon tails sent pleasurable shivers down my spine, so I decided it was mandatory to build a matching pair. They fly, wrap, roll, flick and flow as fully intended and I have hardly been able to put them down since creating them.

We have now started taking custom orders for individual dragon tails to be created. So if you fancy getting your hands on one (or a matching pair) created just for you, feel free to contact us through our online Kabunza Etsy shop.

If you would like to see more photos of our Dragon tails and other products that we have made in the past (perhaps to give you ideas for your own custom creation), check out our Kabunza blog at: http://kabunza.wordpress.com/, our fetlife profile at: https://fetlife.com/users/1764274 or our facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Kabunza