Sliding Knots

 I think...

 I am in love...

with sliding knots...

Took a little break from the wire wrapping to make these bracelets. They will be in the shop Monday afternoon, at the latest. I've been trying to make bracelets that could, in theory, be for a man OR a woman. What do you think?

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Tatonka

I'm not very good at making jewelry for men. I admit, I've only tried once to make something for my boyfriend and it ended in frustration and tears. But a friend who is dear to me is moving away at the end of the week so I wanted to make something for him.

At work, a select few of us have given each other code names. His is Tatonka (which means "buffalo"). I think he chose wisely and I accepted it as soon as I heard it. It fits him rather well. The buffalo is a strong animal with a deep meaning. The buffalo has come to symbolize strength, gratitude, stability, and prosperity. I found a silver charm and strung it on a simple piece of black leather. I added two stones, black onyx and brecciated jasper.

His mother turned me on to a wonderful book describing the power of stones and those two are protection stones. More importantly, the jasper will help keep him grounded which is important because a lot of people become jaded or lose track of what is important when chasing the dream he is going after. I don't want that to happen to him.

I made this bracelet for him as well. More black onyx. I don't know if he will wear it or if it will even fit (man hands are so much bigger than women hands) but I thought I'd give it to him anyway and if he needs it to be bigger, I can change it.

I'm hoping to give him his present today. I'm hoping he will like it. I wish he wouldn't move away because he and I have such great conversations and he is such a supportive friend. He inspires me quite a bit when it comes to my art. I want him to succeed. I hope we stay friends in the future.

Bracelets!

 

Busy busy. Had some commissions to finish up. The first one is my favorite but I don't know if it's the right type of bracelet for who it's for. Claspless, leather, and sea glass, I was told it's for someone who wears a lot of bracelets. I hope they like it.

These are dyed stone and glass bead bracelets. They finish with a simple lobster clasp.

These last two are the same style bracelet I've made in the past that I referred to as my "bread and butter" piece. These are made with stone instead of glass beads (red jasper and black onyx). I never even thought of using stones!

I'm tired but happy. It's been rainy rainy here in southern California and I love it. Christmas is almost here! YAY!

Hope everyone is well! I'm looking forward to having more time to blog hop once again.

Bread and Butter

I read somewhere that every handmade artist needs to have that "bread and butter" piece. The one thing that they can make over and over again and 1) not really get tired of it, 2) it's the piece that they believe will sell, and 3) they WILL sell it. I think this is that piece.

I had so much fun making this. And I made it during my lunch hour at work (well, technically 2 lunch hours...). I love the color of the seed beads and the feel of the leather on my wrist. It's so easy to wear and... GAH! I just love it. I know, I'm totally tooting my own horn here, but seriously. This is a piece that I drew and it came out exactly how I wanted it to.

...Well, that's not entirely true. I was going to add some dangles to the focal/clasp but decided against it. Do you think it's too plain? I was wearing a t-shirt yesterday at work and decided that this could go with it even though I wasn't dressed "nicely" (hey, I need to do laundry... so sue me :P). But I can see this working with a summer dress. Something white and flowy and pretty.

This one is mine. I'm working on others in more colors. YAY for staying productive! Bringing my jewelry kit to work is really working for me. I get stuff done in the hour I have to eat. It's really wonderful.

What is your "bread and butter" piece? I'd love to see them! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Didi Pendant

I was at a loss for words when I opened this window to write. Then "Are You That Somebody" by Aaliyah (which was one of my favorite songs in high school) came on Pandora... got me dancin' in Corner Bakery and ready to write!

You may recognize the above pendant from this post. However, it is not that pendant. The pendant from that post currently hangs from a simple black leather cord around my neck. The one above is an almost identical pendant. It's slightly bigger and has a better wrap job... it is, after all, the second pendant I finished (started and abandoned probably three other ones). This one is going somewhere special and I don't want to jinx anything by mentioning where it's going. Sorry, folks. I'll let you know when I can :D

I didn't want to just string it on a piece of cord so I linked some minty green glass bead with copper and added some dark purple crystals. I hammered a hook clasp special for this necklace and finished it off with some brown leather. The finished necklace is a bit asymetrical because of the clasp, but I like it. I'm hoping who I send it to likes it too.

BTW: "Didi" is sister in Hindi :)

Hey, do you guys have any special tips for photographing necklaces? I was having a bear of a time trying to get the whole thing into the picture so I ended up just photographing the main part of the necklace. Do you hang them off a wall and photograph them like that? I should have done that I think...

Bag Lady

I finally broke down and bought a grown-up bag. My sister and sister-in-law can vouch for me- I DETEST purse shopping. Sure, I like to shop for messenger bags for art things or because I have to carry my sketchbook with me but I've never EVER shopped for a purse.

The bag I was using before this bag was a messenger bag that I bought so I could carry my sketchbook and art things with me. It's time, however, for a regular purse.

I bought that cute bag from Kohls. They're having a 50% off sale and it seemed like the right time. It's actually the second bag I bought because the first one was too small and I had to exchange it for a bigger version. Still lovely and it fits my sketchbook, pen, planner, and wallet. It even has room for a book. The reason why I got this bag is I needed a purse that was smaller than my messenger bag which can fit a 11"x14" sketchbook. I throw waters and food and RH's books in my messenger bag. Receipts gather... its quite a mess. I'm hoping with a smaller bag, I can manage it better.

Also, I hate that with my messenger bag, I can never find my phone the first go. Or my sketching pen. This bag isn't very deep and I can find my phone instantly. *crosses fingers* Hope it stays that way.