Narwhals, Narwhals!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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).