B.O.B. Robot Necklace

This funny little guy's name is B.O.B.  He starred in the cult film, The Black Hole (1979).  Though I have never seen the movie, there was no denying that this little bot needed to be made into a necklace.  I adorned the vintage charm with a double vintage brass chain, aqua candy jade, carnelian heishi, and a cobalt blue faceted crystal and packaged him up as a gift for a dear friend's birthday.  I'm not quite sure why, but every time I see a cartoon robot, I usually think of her.  So, here you have it: a B.O.B. (noble robot assistant to Dr. Hans Reinhardt of the USS Cygnus) Necklace.  From what I've read, this character has a southern drawl.  Excellent.

 

The stones are meant to hover below B.O.B. as if they were planets, stars, or his very own little galaxy. 

 

B.O.B.'s close up.

Bunny Rabbit Necklaces

Here are a few photos of some Easter themed necklaces I made for Dan's three nieces.  I had a hand full of adorable little vintage bunny rabbit charms in my stash so I decided to put them to good use.  I adorned the wee bunnies with wasabi hued Czech glass flowers, fuchsia candy jade faceted rounds, and ivory seed pearls.  I love them and secretly want one for myself...  good thing I have one more bunny charm! :)

Freshwater Pearl and Turquoise Necklace and Earrings

I've been wanting to share this creation with you for quite sometime now but I had to wait until the recipient received it, as it was a birthday gift and I didn't want to ruin the surprise.  Dan's mom commissioned this necklace and earring set as a gift for her daughter-in-law's 40th birthday.  As she described her desired palette to me, it became evident that the colors of the sea were her true inspiration. 

The result is a set that I am very, very happy with.  It's quite different than anything I've done before, especially because it incorporates so many pearls.  I am not one to wear pearls but I think this necklace has changed my mind.  I hope to make more, in different color schemes and media- perhaps incorporating brass, gold vermeil, or wood. 

 

This multi-strand necklace features a mélange of colorful pearls and semi-precious stones echoing the warmth of the sea. Freshwater pearls, Amazonite, Rutilated Quartz, and Turqouise are suspended from a pair of silver cones handmade by the Karen Hill Tribe of northern Thailand.

     

Sublime Stitching's Meaty Treats Patterns, and a Rather Epic Apron for Dad

My dad recently celebrated a birthday, way back in January.  I had the wonderful idea to make him an apron, since he's always cooking for someone- whether in the kitchen for family, on the grill, or for his fellow Masons and all the other organizations he's involved with.  The apron that I had in mind would feature steaks.  I searched and searched for the right fabric but nothing really caught my eye.  I wanted it to be quirky and fun, maybe a little retro.  Finally, with nearly one week to go and no steak pattern fabric in sight I realized it was time to seek out other options.  Enter the amazing Sublime Stitching patterns of Jenny Hart.  

Though familiar with Jenny Hart and her embroidery company, I had never used one of her patterns, nor had I done any major embroidery since I was in the 5th or 6th grade when I embroidered a colorful daisy flower on the back pocket of my most favorite jeans.  A quick Google search directed me to the company and her then newly released Meaty Treats pattern.  I hit the jack pot.  With designs for sausage links, and steaks, and hams, and hamburgers, and chicken wings I was equipped to make the most epic food-themed apron for my dad, ever.  I would not stop with a single steak.  Oh no, I had to add as many items on the apron as I could- complete with a sausage link pennant-like banner across the top from which various meat items would hang and a Sunday ham dinner flanked by two partially eaten chicken wings across the front pocket.

Labradorite and Gold Vermeil Necklace

Hello readers.  I haven't had a chance to work on new work for my etsy shop (hopefully to open in the near future *fingers crossed*) but I have been busy with a few custom orders which I am very fortunate for. 

This necklace was commissioned for my boyfriend's sister for her birthday.  I'm not sure why, but when I thought of what I wanted to do her for her, I could not get Labradorite out of my head.

 

Oliver + S: Birthday Party Dress

One lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon way back in September, I grew stark raving bored because I had nothing to work on.  I had been admiring the Oliver + S patterns and decided to give one a whirl, even though I have no children of my own to sew for.  I do, however, have a friend with a wee little girl who I knew would appreciate a handmade garment.  So, off to the fabric shop we went where I picked up my pattern- the Birthday Party Dress by Oliver + S and my fabrics and notions.  As soon as I got home I got straight to work, confident that I would have a dress completed by the end of the weekend.  Silly me, I was a bit over ambitious as I did not finish the dress that weekend. Nor the next.  Or the next after that.  Life got in the way- that lazy weekend in September was a thing of the past- we adopted our little Heidi, Halloween arrived, and then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas and New Year's.  Each weekend busier than the next.  I did not finish the dress until last week- approximately 3 months later.  Life does that to you sometimes.  

It was well worth the wait and the time spent because I am so proud of the finished piece.  I don't mean to lead you in to believing that this dress took me 3 months to sew- I just spanned it out that long.  It probably would have taken me a week to work on if I stuck with it every night.  (I am a very slow and cautious sewist- often staring at the pattern and searching online for examples before I make the plunge into the next step.)

A bracelet of Snowflake Obsidian

I've completed another custom order and I must admit, I really love custom orders!  I whipped this bracelet up this week after a friend of mine requested that I make a bracelet for the "team mother" of her sons' football team.

I didn't have much time to work on it, as she needed it by Saturday, so polymer clay beads were out of the question.  When discussing the style, my friend explained to me that it would be great if I could create the bracelet in the team colors- red and black.  (The most excellent of ideas in celebration of a great season.)

Howl-o-ween Scarf

A festive scarf for our little beagle, Heidi.  I had no desire to dress my little one up in an uncomfortable costume for her first Halloween with us, but I did think she needed something to show the spirit of the holiday.

This scarf/bandana was a snap to make, and best of all, I was able to utilize my stash.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out but I do wish I had made it to fit over her collar.  She didn't seem to mind this new accessory, but I do think she wore it to humor me.  (According to Dan, at one point when I wasn't looking she attempted to eat it.) 

I'm thinking a turkey-themed scarf is in store in the coming weeks.  However, it will be a fit over the collar scarf which should allow it to sit peacefully and comfortably at her back, without falling forward like this candy corn scarf.  Also, this should prevent her from being tempted to eat it for lunch.... or dinner.... or breakfast :)

Jewelry for an autumn wedding

I recently had the opportunity to create custom jewelry for a friend's bridal party to be worn in her autumn wedding.  Aside from the bride wanting a pendant style, gold-toned necklace with matching earrings I was free to create what ever I wanted.  I gathered up images of a broad range of styles and materials and showed them to the bride to gauge the aesthetic that she was going for.  She ended up really loving the idea of using chocolate and ivory fresh water pearls to match her ladies' chocolate, ivory and mango colors. 

A new necklace

Here is another necklace I recently finished.  One of my favorites, it is a double stranded necklace composed of handcrafted polymer clay beads and vintage brass components.  The brass spacer beads came from an amazing brass necklace made in the 1970's that I picked up at an antique market in July.  I love them so much.  They've incorporated quite well into my new work and I will be sad when they are all used up.

The polymer clay beads were featured in a previous post as they basked in the sun after a final dip in the glaze.

Again, I promise to take more professional photos rather than using my Hipstamatic app and my iPhone :) But I must admit, the Hipstamatic photos seem to have captured the warmth of the brass rather well.

More to come! Be well dear readers.

Resin and Polymer Clay Pendants

Well, I am delighted to write that I survived my very first craft fair.  I plan to post a nice recap for you, but I think I'll save that for Saturday morning when I am sitting on my couch all cozied up to a giant cup of coffee and a blanket.

Today, I thought I'd share a few photos of the pendants that I made.  If you remember from this post, they were constructed using the Klimt cane.  The cane slice was then set in an antique copper bezel and encapsulated under resin, which domes above the cane, magnifying and slightly distorting the design.  I just love them and am happy to report that they were a huge success at the Celticfest this past Saturday.  I wish I had made more, but they were, initially, an experiment.  Since they were such a success, I have plans to make a slew in antique brass as well as copper and sterling silver.  I can't wait to get started.