Art update- hair jewelry and a dragon

Here's more art that I've been working on lately; these are the things that aren't earrings (those were in my last art update) and not embroidery (that'll be the next post). I do make non-ear-related things sometimes. I swear!

Hair thing:



Not really sure what to call this so "hair thing" works. And... er... it was inspired by earrings (can't get away from those, can I?). I had someone ask me if I could make an earring like this much longer (this is about 8 1/2") and able to attach somehow to a braid. After much thought, I realized I could make the beaded part like I do my long keychains, and instead of attaching a large split ring loop at the top, stick an elastic hair tie to the smaller loop. It seems to work. :)

I likely won't sell this on a regular basis, though, because they use up more beads than I can justify having in my stash. I just can't afford to have a lot of each kind of bead, so usually just get them in small amounts for earrings. Luckily this customer wanted green, which I did have a bunch of.

Oh, and here's the prototype I made first to determine if the idea would even work. This one I'm keeping for myself because, hey, green!



This one is only about 5" long. After getting the pictures, I did change it around some- I switched out the top two coins with ones without holes. I didn't have a lot of holey ones left and didn't want to waste those on something for myself (the hole ones are cuter so I'd prefer to sell things with those). Hopefully my hair won't eat this because I have really unruly, curly hair and it likes to eat things that get anywhere near it. ;)

Crochet:
Dragon time!

This was a slightly-late Valentine's present for my fiancé, who usually gets a geeky plushie for a gift. ;) One of his main NPCs in his D&D game is a silver dragon, so I figured that would be the perfect surprise gift for him. (Although he had a guess since I was looking for silver yarn. Darnit, I stink at sneaky. Or maybe he's just psychic. Either one! Although he did also guess "gargoyle", so maybe I'll have to make one of those someday.)

I made this dragon a few years ago, but this time around I used thinner yarn and a smaller hook- not a good idea. This took me so long to do and I had some trouble with the smaller stitches (the hook wouldn't fit), especially on the wings. But it came out cute, so it was worth it.



My grandmother loved the two hats I made my mom recently, and asked me to make her one in beige to match her coat. I used really soft yarn and she loves it! :D I think my sister wants a hat like this, too, so I'm sure I'll be making yet another one again soon.

I'll blog again soon with the embroidery I've been working on. Yay, craft ADD! ;)

Trove Thursday - It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations...

'It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations...'

Fortunately not all of these are live dragons- it appears that the FAEteam has also mastered working with dragon claws, eyes, scales and skin. To find more items from the Fantasy Artists of Etsy team, search faeteam on Etsy. For all your fantastical creature needs, you can also find the current "Curiouser and Curiouser Creatures" exhibition here.

Gourd Art Sculpture... AnikasArt $55.00	Black Victorian Dra... lilacgrove $250.00	Custom Eye Ring gypsymoonart $30.00	Dark Copper Dragon ... SplendidFish $20.00
DRAGON CLAWS Carnel... SpinningCastle $95.00	Royal Wyvern Bracel... FaerieKat $30.00	Dragon of Rings Cas... 88Links $105.00	Saint George Dragon... mermaidencreat... $20.00
Artisan Lampwork Re... SEStudio $99.00	Dragon Tile ladymudwerkes $35.00	8.5x11 Fantasy Fine... FaeryDustArt $20.00	Gypsies Dragon Skin... lithiascreatio... $17.00
Copper Dragon Neckl... serpentsdanced... $60.00	Needle felted drago... Fairyspit $95.00	Gold Dragon Journa... TheGoblinTrade... $22.00	Dragon Sculpture Ha... PhenomeGNOME $39.99

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Assuming the code works correctly, you should be able to click the pictures to go to the listing. :) You can visit this treasury on Etsy by clicking the title above the blurb or click here.

It's been way too long since I featured the FAEteam, huh?

Art update- lots of cartilage earrings and cuffs

Been working on a lot of random art again- cartilage earrings, ear cuffs, embroidery, crochet, clay... I've also had the honor of making a lot of custom orders recently, so that always makes me happy! :)

It's been a while since my last art update, so once again I'll split it into two posts and share just the earrings now.

Cartilage Chain Earrings:

These two were custom orders. The one customer wanted the Snake of a Gorgon earring with four posts on the one and two on a matching lobe earring. The other earring was for someone who wanted blue and black with a moon charm.

I love how excited people get about these earrings and I have so much fun making them custom. I think it's neat that people ask for different colors and charms and have all sorts of different piercings. Makes things interesting!


This purple flower earring is a regular one I have listed- Etsy and Artfire.

Cartilage Ear Cuffs:

Lucky Ladybird Ear Cuff - Artfire
Thanks to my plurk friends for the name- I had no idea ladybugs were also called ladybirds. I made this to be kind of scarab-looking, but it's a ladybug, not the correct kind of beetle for that.


Blue and Silver Feather Ear Cuff - Etsy and Artfire
Yup, another earring that has a feather on it. I guess I have a thing for feathers?


Pirate Treasure Ear Cuff - Etsy and Artfire
The pirate one is definitely my favorite- I've found large gem-shaped beads in blue and green so I'll be making cuffs in those colors, too.

I've been wondering for a while what to do with these beads and they're really lighter than you'd think. My other plan for them is to do something Zelda-related with them since they look like rupees, but haven't come up with a good idea for that yet.

Okay, that's all for now, I think. I'll share my other new art in the next update.

'Tis the week for love

This week's Blogfire guild theme is love. The only problem with that is ... well, anyone who knows me knows that I'm about as far from sappy and romantic as you can get. I'd rather play video games than go out to a romantic dinner. I'd take D&D over a sappy movie any day (although I'd take D&D over most things, so that's no contest). And while I do like flowers (as an Elfling, it's a requirement that I like plants), I've never liked chocolate or getting dressed up, and I don't drool over jewelry (unless it's something unique handmade, of course). I'm just not feminine, and that's very much an understatement.

But I'll be sappy here: I absolutely love and adore my fiancé. Josh has been one of my best friends for nine years, we've been together for eight, and engaged for... er... three? four? At this point I'm losing track; I just know he's always there and will always be there, and that's what's important. :) He's entirely supportive of me and my art, he takes care of me while I fight through health problems, he talks geeky things with me (I think we're due for another Tempest debate, love), doesn't mind dressing in costumes, and he always knows how to make me laugh. I am utterly thankful to have him as a best friend and love. I honestly wouldn't know what to do without him- he's such an important part of my life. The downside of not being saccharine: I probably don't tell him all this nearly often enough because he's the romantic one and is better at saying this kind of thing. So, Josh: I love you. Always.

We celebrated Valentine's Day with sushi and cracking up over the Rifftrax of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and we kept calling it Poopy Suit Day instead of Valentine's (that's an MST3k reference, speaking of the Rifftrax guys). Our love is geeky, silly love. ;)

Vive L'Amour Tour / Musical Blog Hop

Music is a strong theme in Random Magic-- so strong, in fact, that one of the celestial characters Winnie and Henry meet is Efterpe, the Muse of music.

Love is another strong theme in the book, and so in honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a fun blog hop to check out, featuring songs about love.


For each stop, you’ll be able to listen to two love songs – one love song written by (or interpreted by) a man, and one by a woman, to be fair and give the fellows equal time to wax lyrical or poetic or happy-go-lucky or broken-hearted or philosophical, and so on...

You are here: #3 of 7: Elbit Blog


No quiero verla más - Estopa

He said:
I don't want to see her anymore, no, no...
I don't want to see her anywhere
I want to erase it all from my imagination

Song’s commentary on love: Can't win 'em all.
Lyrics: English translation



Bei Mir Bist Du Schön - The Puppini Sisters

She said:
I could say 'bella, bella,' (beautiful), even say 'wunderbar' (wonderful)
Each language only helps me tell you how grand you are

Song’s commentary on love: Love is a universal language, and love speaks when words are insufficient. Or: The love of beauty and the beauty of love can run simultaneously.


Shown above: Random Magic book trailer

Random Magic quote:
Hypatia spun round on her toadstool and giggled. Victory. "I think Morgoth has a crush on me," she said, grinning broadly. (More)

Watch Random Magic trailer
MoreRandom Magic: Browse

Check out music stop #4 of 7: Take me there


Bonus candy heart! Collect this sweet treat to play
Queen of Hearts tour game: Browse prizes

(If you enjoy a particular music pick, please consider buying the track to help support the person or group that created it for everyone’s enjoyment.)

This music hop is part of Random Magic Tour: Vive L'Amour. Feel free to browse other Valentine’s Day special features here. For the impatient, here are all the blogs on the hop:

Menu - vvb32 Reads
#1 of 7: vvb32 Reads
Twitter: @vvb32reads

#2 of 7: Willowdust Reviews - Tina’s Book Reviews
Twitter: @BooksAtTinas

#3 of 7: Elbit Blog
Twitter: @MeriGreenleaf

#4 of 7: This Miss Loves To Read
Twitter: @MissIrenne

#5 of 7: The True Book Addict
Twitter: @truebookaddict

#6 of 7: Fiction Folio
Twitter: @taramq

#7 of 7: The Bookworms
Twitter: @TawniBookWorm


Happy Valentine's Day!

Vive L'Amour Tour / Top Five: Mojo Magic

Yup, joining in another Random Magic blog tour- what can I say, I really like this book! ;) You can find the youtube trailer for the book here, its page on Amazon here, and my book review is here. Click the banner to be taken to the tour schedule.

One of the central themes of Random Magic is love, so this blog tour theme is definitely apt! As much as I enjoyed the budding romance between the two main characters of this story, Winnie and Henry, my favorite couple is two of the more minor characters, Callie and Nevermore. Callie is actually Calliope, the muse of writing and poetry, and Nevermore is her sarcastic (but helpful) shakeshifting sidekick. (As you can probably guess from his name, he's a raven.) As we discover from Nevermore at the end of the story, Callie is a closet romantic, which writers certainly take advantage of. Ah, inspiration.

My personal theme for this tour is "Mojo Magic". This may seem random, but let me explain. I'm using it to not just mean magic, but the creativity that goes into it, and how, through creativity, even the most normal of objects can become magical. Callie may not be the muse of artists, but as the muse to writers, it's much the same thing. She gives the inspiration to create, from nothing but a single idea, anything. Books may appear on the surface to just be paper and ink and letters, but it's through the author's creativity that those things turn extraordinary and magical. Books take the reader to another time and place. They provoke emotion and thought. The way the author arranges those letters can make one happy, sad, angry... all through just the power of his or her creativity.

Throughout the book, Winnie (yup, back to her- she's the main character who happens to be a witch) uses her wits, magic and creativity to turn ordinary objects into the extraordinary. Her small rubber duck becomes a boat that can turn into a submarine. A feather she picks up along the way becomes the best weapon against bloodthirsty pirates. Even her knitting needles are used for something unusual: they're her story-weaving needles, and, using a strand of her hair for yarn, she knits magic to get herself and Henry out of a dangerous situation.

As an artist, turning something mundane into something unique is my forte and... well, obsession, so I really enjoyed how Winnie was able to use her magic this way. There's nothing like the feeling of taking something that others would overlook or ignore and, using just your imagination and hands, turn it into something unique that had never been created before.

This is something all artists (and yes, writers, too, of course. Have to say that so as to not offend Callie!) do- simple supplies combined with the imagination (okay, and some help from those ever-fickle muses) mixes into art. And sometimes that almost-magical result can be put to actual magic: amulets, divination tools and magical materials, for example.

Top Five: Mojo Magic
I'd like to share five magical items, handmade by artists. (Didn't think I could post about art without sharing some, did ya?) Here are some items from my teammates who took simple materials and turned them into extraordinary, lovely, and unique magic- hopefully they won't mind me sharing the love. ;)


Faerie Triple Goddess of Love Choker with Pentacle by FaerieKat


Rose and Garnet Polymer Clay Pendulum by intothedawn


Come to Me Lover Amulet with extra bottle of Come to Me Lover Oil by TheWellAndSpindle


Be Mine Knitted Heart Love Charm by Greenfingers

And here's my contribution to the theme:

Purple and Pink Heart Elder Futhark Runestones - Love Magic by merigreenleaf


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Bonus: Sweet treat – Classic love poem

"The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott...

The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A redcross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott...

Free MP3 download

Art update- Ear cuffs, geeky charms, gloves...

Random assortment of randomness time. ;) Here is the mishmash of art I've been working on lately:

Cartilage Earrings:

I recently started making simple ear cuffs that are like some of my chain ones, only without the chain. What can I say, I love making earrings. :) "Asian Zen" can be found here on Etsy and here on Artfire, while "Slithering Serpent" (yup, that's a subtle Harry Potter reference) is here and here.

And this pair of earrings was a custom order for someone who liked that Asian Zen one, but wanted the cartilage chain:

Yay, custom orders! I love getting to make those. :D


Geeky Charms:

This druid cell phone charm (I can switch it to a keychain, too!) was actually finished months ago, but I forgot about it. Whoops? That's here on Etsy and here on Artfire. I'll be making more D&D-inspired keychains and charms soon. :)

And here's the keychain that snuck into the picture with my embroidered fox in the last art update:

One good thing about my fiancé still drilling some dice wonkily- I get to use the reject dice for myself. Since I don't really want to sell something where the dice has a chip missing or a crack in it and the like, ya know?

Crochet:
I'm taking part in the guild challenges over on the Discworld group on Ravelry (joined up with the Guild of Librarians- yay, books!), and the first challenge was to make winter gear that's sappy. I decided on fingerless gloves/mittens since I'd wanted to make them for a while. :)




The right one is on the small side (I crochet too tightly- I'm too used to making dolls, I guess), but I loosened up my crochet and the left fits better. I also had to add rows since the mitten parts were a bit short, so now they have odd knobs at the end. Ah well, they'll keep my hands warm, which is the important part. :)

Oh, and to fit the sappiness part of the theme, I painted silver hearts onto the backs of them. I wanted to embroider those, but the yarn kept eating the embroidery thread.

Art in Progress:
And here are some random projects that are in the works- earrings and embroidery. Here's one of the embroidery things I'm working on:

This'll be a Bag of Holding. Right now I'm just hoping for "bag" and not holding my breath on "holding". ;) This is my second try at embroidery (my first with words), and I'm going to try to sew it into a dice bag. (I also want to try tea staining it to make it darker.)

And here's a pile of charms that will be ear cuffs at some point soon:

I'll get better pictures once they're actually earrings.