Flower Mandala Pendant

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.

Improved Copper

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.

Jellyfish Panel Bracelet

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