Nikki Skeleton: Articulating Crafts

Snowy Owl pillowcases

2011-12-09T13:58:00.001-06:00

It is an irruption for snowy owls this year; a favorite biological phenomenon our household. When winter food supplies are low these arctic birds travel south in search of food and show up in unexpected places like Hawaii. To commemorate it I made Snowy Owl pillowcases.

Read more about irruptions and snowy owls here
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/got-snowies
http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/533649/More-Snowy-Owls-in-U-P-.html?nav=5003

Bonus picture: Photo editing FAIL or WIN?

Darwin Glass Facebook Contest

2011-02-12T14:30:00.013-06:00

Today is Darwin Day, the day that we celebrate the man who gave us "On the Origin of Species" and also a good opportunity to celebrate and promote science in general.

In honor of the 202nd birthday of Charles Darwin. I made a set of hand-painted drinking glasses, two pint glasses and two shot glasses, depicting various iconic images from the Voyage of the Beagle. First up is a large glass depicting Charles Darwin himself:

Next up is one of Darwin's Finches, that group of related birds showing a variety of interesting adaptations to widely divergent lifestyles that played such an important part in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

This is the Large Ground Finch (Geospiza magnirostris), the largest of the finches, a bird primarily adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle with a very large bill for cracking the hard shells of the seeds that it feeds on.

Here is another species, the Warbler Finch (Certhidea olivacea) which is the most un-finch-like of all the Darwin's Finches, having adaptations similar to a warbler. It has a small warbler-like bill, and not only does it feed almost entirely on insects, but it is even capable of taking insects on the wing in the manner of a warbler (something unknown among other finches).

Finally, a more abstract figure, this is Page from one of Darwin's notebooks around July 1837 showing his first ever sketch of an evolutionary tree.

Here are some more shots of the set:

The exciting thing is that I'm offering these glasses in a contest on my facebook page - look up "Nikki Skeleton" on Facebook. My goal is to have 125 friends of Nikki Skeleton. So go to my facebook page and check the glasses out, friend me, and then invite all your friends, neighbors or strangers to friend my page. Then they need to write on the wall saying who sent them. The person who sent the most people when we reach 125 wins! The prize is a Darwin themed drinking set. Hand painted by me. We are starting today because it is Darwin’s Birthday (Well it is in England by now, we’re a bit early here.) So Happy Birthday Darwin! Let the contest began.

New Copper Jewelry

2010-12-14T10:55:00.009-06:00

I've been very productive lately making new copper pendants and earrings. Each piece that I make is etched copper that is then oxidized to highlight its beauty or left to its unaltered perfection. I design each etched image; these are not stamps or decal images. Each is an individual and can never be reproduced in the same way twice due to the etching process. All items are sealed, on both sides, to protect the wearer’s clothes and to prevent future oxidation. All items are beta tested before I sell them for appearance and wear-ability.

I start with copper sheets and then hand-cut each shape and acid-etch each image. After etching is complete, assorted finishes are applied and then each piece is sealed to protect the wearer’s clothing. Each piece is unique due to the chemistry of the air during the process. The back of each piece is an unaltered chemical finger print of the process often with beautiful greens or blacks.

All items are available at my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nikkiskeleton

Twilight Bats

Relaxing in the cool night watching bats emerge and cross the moon is a captivating experience. Whether you are up late watching bats or up late being up to no good, the charming a casual pendant is an excellent accompaniment for your late night capers. Etched and oxidized copper round pendant 1.38 inches (3.5 cm) with 24 inches (60 cm) standard weight black rat-tail with lobster clasp and jump ring terminal.

Spiral the Sun Lizard

Reminiscent of petroglyphs found in the southwest, this sun scorched pendant gives a bold and contrasting complement to casual adventures. Etched and oxidized copper round pendant 1 ¼ inches (3.2 cm) with 24 inches (60 cm) standard weight black rat-tail with adjustable Lover Knots terminal.

Geometric Burst Earring and Pendant Set

An explosion of geometery, this pendant and earring set is reminiscent of star quilt patterns. Etched and oxidized copper round earrings (3.2 cm) 1 ¼ inches with copper ear wires. Etched and oxidized copper round pendant 1 ¼ inches (3.2 cm) with 24 inches (60 cm) standard weight black rat-tail with adjustable Lover Knots terminal.

Narwhals, Narwhals!

2010-12-14T10:10:00.004-06:00

Narwhal Halloween Costumes

So basically these costumes are pillows shaped like fins and safety pinned to our coats. This is a good costume method if you don’t know how cold it is going to be beforehand, and need to travel in it. The horns are made of rolled card stock cones with muslin glue over it and held on with an elastic and stapled head band. Cheap and comfortable. We wore them to the zoo for halloween pumpkin enrichment.

Halloween Crafts

2010-10-28T20:35:00.009-05:00

It's Halloween time again, so I thought I'd share a few Halloween-themed copper crafts that I've made Here are two different designs for witch-themed pendants. This first one one is a witch with a cat and broom flying against the moon. It's an etched and oxidized copper pendant 2.20 x 2.13 inches (5.6 x 5.4 cm) with 17 inches (43.18 cm) antique fine copper chain with lobster clasp and jump ring terminal.

The next design here is "Spiral Witch Flying Against the Moon". It's an etched and oxidized copper pendant 2.9 x 2.9 inches (5.3 x 5.3 cm) with 17 inches (43.18 cm) antique fine copper chain with lobster clasp and jump ring terminal.

And here are a couple of Halloweenish etched and oxidized copper cuff bracelets, one feeaturing a horde of bats and another featuring the Nikki Skeleton logo design.

DeWitt 4th Annual Harvest Festival

2010-09-24T02:02:00.003-05:00

This weekend I will be selling at the 4th Annual Harvest Festival in Riverside Park, downtown DeWitt Michigan. The festival will be held on September 25th, 2010, from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. In addition to the arts and crafts, there will be a talent contest, carnival games, pumpkin decorating, an apple pie baking contest, and food concessions.

So if you're in the area, please come out to the festival and look for the Nikki Skeleton table. I will have a selection of metal and clay jewelry.

http://www.dewittareacc.org/pdf/2010HF-Flyer.pdf

Go Team Venture!

2010-09-11T23:11:00.015-05:00

We've finally come to a new season of the Venture Brothers, the best animated series, if not the best series period, on television today. To mark the occasion, I present some Venture Bros themed crafts that I made some time ago as a special birthday gift. These are tile coasters, each depicting a favorite scene from the series with images and quotes. As you can see, they are fully functional for coasting drinks. Go Team Venture!

Catcraft

2010-08-21T19:49:00.009-05:00

I love cats. Now perhaps I'm predisposed to one day become a crazy old cat-lady, or perhaps cats just make excellent inspirational artwork, but either way I do enjoy cat-themed jewelry. Here is a picture of my Tonkinese cat Basil. I know that some people treat their pets like spoiled children...my relationship with Basil is more like a respected friend and long-term roommate.

And here is a piece I did inspired by Japanese/Chinese style brush-painting and woodcuts. This is a collage that features 12 cats, in a variety of cat poses (including perennial cat favorite, napping). This is a 4.5 inches x 2 inches (11mm x 4.5mm) etched copper barrette with spring clasp.

Here I am walking through the neighborhood randomly making friends with the local neighbor cats. I like to name the surrounding cat populace wherever I live. I have often considered starting up a neighborhood walking tour of local cats, but that is somewhat weird.

And here is a second barrette I call "Japanese Cat with Kittens" in a similar style to a Japanese woodcut. The depth and shadows on the piece give it a haunting yet serene look. Also a 4.5 inches x 2 inches etched copper barrette with spring clasp.

DeWitt new town new events

2010-08-13T11:32:00.006-05:00

Last week we moved to DeWitt, Michigan. They have a great farmers' market. So this Tuesday I set up at the farmers’ market. It was hot but I had a blast. Here are some random farmers’ market pictures. I will be there next Tuesday as well.

Weathered Ponies

2010-06-10T02:24:00.004-05:00

Weathered Ponies

This pendant's design is a little more abstract and stylized...this is a weathered image of horses running in a lightning storm. The design came about almost by accident but I liked it. I enjoy Western motifs, especially images of horses; I have been riding my entire life, since the time I could walk, and it reminds me of my childhood. This was one of my first copper pendants - an etched and oxidized 1 1/2" x 2" pendant on an 18-inch spiral-braided hemp cord with a pounded copper S-clasp. And also here are a couple of pictures from my home-town rodeo (which I still faithfully attend every year).

Beetle Mandala Pendant

2010-05-17T20:19:00.006-05:00

Here is yet another mandala designs. This week's design is inspired by something a little different than the typical flower that most people would find beautiful - this one incorporates the shape of a beetle. Like the previous mandala this is etched and oxidized copper 1 1/2”(4 cm) diameter on a 36-inch vinyl cord with adjustable Love Knots terminal and copper wire bail, and as with the previous entry, here are some macro pictures that I've taken of beetles.

Flower Mandala Pendant

2010-05-10T19:46:00.007-05:00

For the next couple entries, I am showing off a couple of nature-inspired mandala designs. Mandalas are circular geometric patterns which represent the cosmos from a human perspective. Initially the purpose of a mandala was to focus and aid meditation in Eastern religions. In art, a mandala can be thought of as a microcosm of the universe. And using something from nature on a smaller scale, like a flower, as a representation of something large (the universe) is an appealing idea to me.

So this week's entry is my flower mandala pendant - etched and oxidized copper 1 1/2”(4 cm) diameter on a 36-inch vinyl cord with adjustable Love Knots terminal and copper wire bail, along with some pictures of flowers that I have taken.

Armadillo Pendants

2010-03-24T20:43:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of different etched oxidized copper pendants that I've made, both with an armadillo motif. Nine-banded Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) are pretty common in Oklahoma and I see them frequently. Armadillos are fascinating for a lot of different reasons - for example, they are the only known mammmal to always give birth to four identical young (which develop from the same egg and share a placenta). A female armadillo can also delay fertilization for up to two years. Everyone knows that armadillos are great diggers but they're also great swimmers and can jump straight up in the air nearly four feet as a defensive mechanism (which is also why they end up being hit by cars so often, as they tend to jump rather than stay put when a vehicle passes over them). The Nine-banded Armadillo has relatively recently colonized the U.S., not crossing the Rio Grande until the turn of the century, but is now one of our most common mammals in Oklahoma. Contrary to popular belief the Nine-banded Armadillo cannot wrap itself into a ball in its shell. Of the several different armadillos found in the Americas (family Dasypodidae), there is only one genera that can truly perform this trick - the Three-banded Armadillos of South America.

This is the first of two armadillo themed pendants I made. I call it "Rustic Armadillo". This is an etched and oxidized copper pendant 1½ x 2 1/8’’(4.5 x 6 cm) with armadillo motif on 36-inch vinyl cord with adjustable Love Knots terminal and S-clasp bails.

Here's the other pendant, which I call "Tribal Armadillo", an etched and oxidized copper pendant (1 1/2" x 2") with tribal armadillo motif on 18-inch leather thong with pounded copper S-clasp.

Here's a couple pictures of nine-banded armadillos, and a picture of me trying to chase one through the brush!

And here's a Three-banded Armadillo.

Horned Lizard Pendant

2010-03-10T00:32:00.008-06:00

This is another interesting wildlife-themed design for a copper pendant that I came up with - a Horned Lizard or "Horny Toad" pendant. This one was inspired by actual experiences that I have had doing field research in western Oklahoma. I have come across Horned Lizards many times doing that work.

Here are some pictures of the pendant which is an etched and oxidized rectangular copper pendant 2 x 1 5/8” (5 x 4.5 cm) on a 36-inch vinyl cord with adjustable Love Knots terminal and cooper wire bail. The actual size of the Horned Lizard on this pendant is about the size that they are about a month after hatching.

And here are some actual pictures of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) that I have taken over the years doing research. One of them is of a Horned Lizard posed on a Cheez-its box and another shows one outfitted with a radio transmitter collar.

Heron Earrings

2010-03-02T09:45:00.004-06:00

Another bird-inspired metalwork design - these are etched copper earrings featuring a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). These birds may be common but they are still beatufiul and make an interesting design. I depicted this bird standing in front of some cat-tails at the water's edge.

Here's a picture of a real Great Blue Heron:

Elf Owl Pendant

2010-02-23T14:05:00.007-06:00

Out of all my etched copper pendants, this may be the one that I am the most proud of for several reasons - 1) I created this image from scratch, based on my own drawing 2) I got an incredibly large amount of detail into such a tiny space and 3) I made this as a custom request for an 11 year old girl's birthday present - she is really into the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and her father is an ornithologist. She loved it and wears it all the time now.

If you haven't heard of it before, the Elf Owl (Micrathene whitneyi) is the world's smallest species of owl. Elf Owls live in the Southwest U.S. and often nest inside cavities in giant saguaro cacti.

This is a two-sided pendant featuring a closeup of the adorable little owl in its hole surrounded by a cactus spine motif around the edges of the hole. On the reverse side is a wider view of the giant saguaro with the tiny owl visible peering out of its hole.

And here are pictures of an actual elf owl.

Stillwater Craft Show

2010-02-17T20:01:00.008-06:00

So I know that it has been a long time since I've updated this blog, but I intend to make a serious effort to start updating it on a regular basis again, and perhaps broaden the scope a bit. Where our adventures left off, I was excited to have a table at my first ever real craft-fair, the 2009 Fall Festival Craft Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma at the Expo Center. It was three days of fun, selling my metal jewelry and other items, and checking out the other tables (they had three buildings full of them). I made lots of sales. My friends helped me at the table and kept me from getting too bored or tired (sometimes you have to make your own fun). I cant wait to do another show.

Upcoming Craft Show

2009-09-15T21:15:00.003-05:00

I am very excited right now because my first craft show is coming up soon. I will have a booth at the 28th Annual Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I’m going to be selling etched copper jewelry – pendants, earrings, and barrettes, as well as other items. I’m a lot more serious about this hobby than I was when I started, and this seemed like the natural next step. Right now I’m still in the planning stages – mostly, I’ve been brainstorming new ideas and designs, but soon it will be time to really ramp up production of new merchandise. I invite anyone who will be in the area to come meet me and look at my stuff. The show will be close to the holidays, and casual hand-made jewelry makes a great and affordable gift. It’s the Fall Festival Arts and Crafts Show at the Payne County Expo Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma on November 6th, 7th, and 8th. If you’re interested in attending and you need directions or any other information, please email me. I’d love to see you there.

Improved Copper

2009-08-24T22:48:00.009-05:00

I’ve been continuing with my metalwork the last few weeks, making many new designs for copper pendants. I am ramping up production on these for my first big craft show in November. Here are some of my latest pendants: another smaller version of the Horned Lizard, two different variations on an Armadillo, an Insect design, and a Mandala (which is a Buddhist/Hindu meditative symbol representing the cosmos). The Insect and Mandala Designs are the first round pendants that I’ve made. I’ve been cutting the blanks myself from a sheet of copper, so round pendants are a little more work than square ones but I am very happy with the way these turned out.

Copper Pendants

2009-07-14T15:28:00.006-05:00

Being the kind of person who is not content to keep doing the same old thing, I like to challenge myself when it comes to making crafts. I love to experiment with new materials and techniques whenever possible, and I had always wanted to try metalwork…there is something irresistible about the shiny allure of metal. These etched and oxidized copper pendants are my first efforts in metalcraft. Each is a hand-cut copper plate (1 ½” x 2”) etched in acid. The portions of the plate that are not etched are coated in resist and the etched portions have the resist removed before the acid bath. The pendants are hung on 18 inch spiral-braided hemp cords with pounded copper s-clasps. So far, I’ve made four pendants: 1) A Horned Lizard (AKA Horny Toad) 2) Running Ponies 3) A Frog and 4) The Venture Brothers, Hank and Dean. The Venture Brothers pendant has two sides, with Hank and Deans faces on the front and their partially formed “Clone Slugs” on the back.

Jellyfish Panel Bracelet

2009-07-13T21:27:00.003-05:00

Here’s another jellyfish-themed craft to go along with the same motif of last week’s entry. This is actually one of the favorite things I’ve made and I put a lot of detail work into the design. This is a panel bracelet with metallic blue acrylic paint antiquing and image transfers of jellyfish in circular windows. I had the idea to do coral pieces to join the panels together and I think that’s the detail that really brings it all together. I did get a little carried away with them, though, and the bracelet ended up too big for my tiny wrist! But I loved working on this project a lot

Handrolled Jellyfish Bead Necklace

2009-05-30T16:18:00.003-05:00

This is a necklace of handmade black polymer clay beads with jellyfish designs. Jellyfish are beautiful and naturally lend themselves to designs in this medium. The black matte-look beads with the pink jellyfish made for a very striking design. In my day-job, I’m actually a scientist, so I can appreciate using something a little more unusual than the typical floral patterns and swirls in my designs. And invertebrates are a perfect source of infinitely strange and beautiful designs.

Earrings!

2009-03-18T20:24:00.007-05:00

One weekend I decided to go on an earring making kick and experiment with a whole bunch of different earring styles and findings. All were made with polymer clay. The first pics are round bead earrings with abstract shapes in green, purple, and white clay. Then a pair of flower earrings in purple, black, and white clay. Then a couple of gray and white swirl square pendants. The next few pics show several different experimental designs I made, all using the motif of comets in blue and orange clay…I made round, tubular, flat square, and flat flower-shaped comet earrings. Finally, I made these snail-shaped earrings in several different colors, blue-and-black, red-and-black, gray-and-black, and purple-black-and-blue. These snail earrings are my favorites (invertebrates are awesome!).

Tye Dye Star Necklace

2009-02-24T23:24:00.007-06:00

Tye Dye Star NecklaceI wanted to make a nice hand-made gift for my future mother-in-law, so I had the idea to make a hemp necklace with flat polymer clay beads along the lines as my Rose Necklace that I love so much. For her necklace, I decided to use yellow, green, black, and white polymer clay beads, a star-shaped centerpiece, and an easy-to-use magnetic clasp. Initially, I’d had the idea to make bead designs in the shape of trees…but the cane I made came out more abstract and tie-dye looking (this was one of my early forays into making my own canes of polymer clay). The unexpectedly pleasant color combination, together with the unusual-looking abstraction of the shapes actually made for a cool, unique necklace that seemed to go really well with the star-shape motif of the centerpiece. So you could call this whole design a happy accident, but my fiancé’s mother really liked it.

Rose Necklace and Earrings

2009-02-24T23:15:00.007-06:00

Rose Necklace and EarringsNow this is one my absolute favorite things that I’ve made so far…a hemp necklace with handmade polymer clay rose beads. Each flat bead is in the shape of a red rose, with the centerpiece a cluster of a dozen red roses. I also made a matching pair of rose earrings to go with it. I wear this all the time, and like I said, I am very proud of it.

Dethklok Glasses

2009-02-23T23:44:00.012-06:00

I made this set of Dethklok glasses for my friend’s birthday. I had not done any glass etching in years, so for being out of practice for so long, I was really happy with the way these turned out . If you’re not familiar with Dethklok, they are the animated death metal band from the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse on Cartoon Network. We are big fans of this show. I etched five glasses with the five band members: Skwisgaar Skwigelf (Taller than a Tree), Toki Wartooth (Not a Bumblebee), William Murderface (Murderface, Murderface), Pickles the Drummer (Doodily-Doo, Ding-Dong-Doodily, Doodily-Doo), Nathan Explosion! And for the sixth glass, I decided to make the band’s manager, Charles Foster Ofdensen…it was a detail I knew my friend would really appreciate. He said this was one of his favorite birthday presents ever, and that made me happy.

Toki

Skwisgaar

Pickles

Ofdensen

Nathan

Murderface

First Adventure in Polymer Clay

2009-02-23T23:22:00.008-06:00

My First Adventure in Polymer Clay
Here are images from the first things I ever made with polymer clay. I discovered this stuff almost by accident…this winter, I wanted to make things with resin but found that it was too cold for it to set up properly and still have ventilation in my house…so instead I started looking into polymer clay. I have been in love ever since! Right away, I was really impressed by the medium and have now made many things using it. If you aren’t familiar, polymer clay is a blendable polymer compound of PVC chemicals suspended in plasticizer, not an actual clay. What I love about working with polymer clay is the versatility of the art…the clay comes in many colors which can be blended, like paint, into an even wider selection of colors. The clay can be used to create beautiful effects such as marbling and caneworking simply by putting different colors together in patterns…in this single medium, you can borrow techniques from everything from textile arts, sculpture, and glasswork and make beautiful things right in your home with a minimum of equipment. These two bracelets were the first things I ever made with this technique, and I was really happy with the results! Both are woven hemp bracelets with flat cylindrical polymer clay beads. The first one is done with red and tan clay. The second one I made for my sister using black and white clay.