Chainmaillers Guild Challenge - June

So for the month of June, the Artfire Chainmaillers Guild Challenge theme was Persian Weaves. This is where I have a confession to make.

I have been doing chainmaille now for quite a while and I honestly *still* have problems with the Half Persian. I have no problem whatsoever with the Full Persian but the Half just destroys me...

So I still decide to do the challenge and of course do a Full Persian. Now I have had these really beautiful Swarovski drops for almost a year and now this gave me the perfect excuse to use them.

So my plan was simple, I would do a Full Persian chain at the top and then dangle these drops from the bottom. They are a slightly different color tone but the crystals in the flowers blend perfectly, so it acts as dual color combo. This is how the finished project came out.



I have to admit that they turned out amazing. So much better than I thought when I first started the project. At first, I was a bit worried about the color difference but after I got the first one together it still blended in its own way.

It is now happy and listed in my Artfire Studio and hopefully finds a loving home soon.

Wreck This Journal Project

So along with all my other crafting ventures, it has come to my attention that several of my online peeps were doing a fun collaborative project. This project is a Wreck This Journal. For those who have no idea what this is you can view the Amazon page by clicking here.We are doing a group effort on the project and are taking it step by step each week. Since I just got my journal, I had to take a photo with it. I think this actually shows my devious side as I look like destruction is my middle name...

Now the current project was to Write or Scribble on the edges of the closed journal. I thought okay, no problem, just need to think of something that would be a tad interesting and specialized to me. So I finally figured out what.

This is the side of the journal:

It has some playful scribbles on the ends and then "Cap'n Tightpants". Now for anyone that knows me, I am a huge Browncoat and is very quotable. So here is a bit of the back story about this for anyone who is not familiar. In the episode "Shindig" of the Joss Wheden show, Firefly, Captain Mal Reynolds needs to attend a fancy ball. He is escorted by his ships mechanic, Kaylee. As he walks into the room, he asks Kaylee if his pants are too tight. So after some back and forth with her about unrelated things, he asks her to keep an eye out for someone to which she replies, "Yes sir, Cap'n Tightpants." So this has always stuck in my mind and always gives me a giggle. The marker is in brown, naturally, as he is a Browncoat and you don't wanna confuse that with the Alliance...

Here is the bottom of the journal:

This one is labeled as Capt. Jack. Since I love Doctor Who and Torchwood, this just seemed right. The end of it has a heart with the word No... above and But... below. In the Doctor Who episode Utopia, Capt. Jack teams back up with The Doctor. Every time Capt. Jack would attempt to talk to a chick, dude, or alien, The Doctor would stop him mid Hello and tell him No, just no... In which Jack would always reply, But! There were to be no love connections with Jack while The Doctor there that time. (Good thing The Doctor at least let Jack meet Alonzo at the bar in the episode The End Of Time) I used a blue marker for this one to match Capt. Jack's signature shirt.

Here is the top of the journal:

For the top, I had to have some River Song... So, instead of writing this little catchphrase on the oldest cliff face in history (which River actually did), I thought the better option, along with keeping me out of jail, would be to place it here. The marker was a glittery teal which I believe sums up River pretty well... But the phrase is how River always addresses The Doctor when she sees him.

So that is my scribbles on the journal edges as it is closed. I did however start some doodlings on the inside instruction pages and all that good stuff. So the first doodle I did was this stick figure:

This little figure is actually a reproduction of the figure that River Song drew on the wall of her cell after drugging the guard with her hallucinogenic lipstick. So instead of holding her at gun point, she was long gone and this is what she left behind. This is pretty close to the actual drawing, I tried to get it as close to her original one as I could.

So that is what I have done so far and there will be more pages coming every week!

The Addiction Begins

So over the past little while, I have decided to begin not 1 but 2 new product lines, Metal stamping and Glass Tile pendants.

Well, metal stamping is a tad pricey to get a full initial investment, so I am slowly building up my supplies. I have already determined that this will be a wonderful stress relief when my husband pisses me off, I can whack away on some metal. Not too bad, unless he decides to try and talk to me with a hammer in my hand... But really I think it can really help since I do have a bit of a hot temper and anything constructive to turn my heated anger on is really a good thing. The only downside that I can see to this will be the inevitable hammer to my finger when I miss the strike tool... I know this will happen at some point in time, I can just smell it...

The glass tiles are already sucking me in. I only got a trial packet from a wonderful Etsy seller, TheGlassConnection and I have already made 3 pendants. Now I will have to buy more supplies to keep up with my massive addiction of these little suckers. Now I say, trial package, since I want to make sure that I have the hang of the process before I start making them to list in my Artfire studio. So I am starting with some simple designs. The first thing I did was to cut out a flower that is from some scrapbooking paper. This turned out really well:



Next up was The Weeping Angel. (Yes, I am a Dr. Who nut)



Then I decided to do a reference to Calvin & Hobbes. This was my favorite comic growing up and was something that was very special to me and it still reminds me of my Uncle who passed when I was 13.

I have so many ideas that I want to get made up with these that I am sure it will a never ending project for me. I have even been caught looking at collage sheets now too. So I guess you can really say I have caught the fever!

With all these projects going, I still need to list the things I finished before I got these. I am working on a Firefly/Serenity piece, a Zoe necklace, kinda along the idea of what she wore during the show.

So, off I go to find something else to get into and I don't know when I will surface... But at least one thing I do know, I am having fun. And that is the only thing that matters...

Ringing In The New Year

As 2010 ended and 2011 is here, there are so many things that are going to be in the works for me and my studio.

Over the past few months, I have several (ok tons) of new stuff to list. I will be re-introducing my Firefly/Serenity inspired lines again!!! I may even be destashing some supplies making room for some new ventures and new lines.

So, what are these ventures... Well, I will be introducing metal stamped pendants. I will also be introducing glass tile pendants. However, these pendants will not be just commercial images, they will be unique and original art drawn by my husband.

Now, I will be working on tweeking my studio and the current items. I may be doing daily sales or special promotions throughout the remainder of the winter. This will be making room for the newer items and lines.

It may be slow going though as my Fibro flares really bad in the winter with the cold weather. So, I'm trying to do what I can and hope that the days are kind to me.