Let me take you on a trip.

Here's some new stuff, though it isn't the trip alluded to in the post title.

The trip's at the end.

I made these little milagros with embossing sheet brass, painted them with acrylics and glued them onto tin on which I'd scratched little lines raying out from the center. Oh yeah, that reminds me- someone asked how my tin always looked so perfectly grungy at some point. Well, that's actually a big chunk of what my cuffs class is about- getting your tin to look authentically aged. Tin comes with a protective surface treatment, but if you just sand it off... it just looks sanded off. That's where the ball-peen hammer comes in. Whack that mofo to death (but evenly, remembering to include edges) on both sides, then hammer it back flat. Then sand it in circular motions with lots of variation in stroke. You can also sand up/down, side/side. diagonal one way, diagonal the other, but mostly circular. Then oxidize. You'll think you sanded too much but after oxidizing the metal shine recedes and the pattern of the paint re-emerges. Phew. Now it's ready to use. I was too lazy to do all this on these so I just glued paper to the backs.

Oh you know what it's been forever since I made? A singlette pendant, that's what. This is a million year old trilobite with a beautiful hand sent to me by Sparrow.

Problem was, it came to me with the hand waaaaay too angled, a la Thai dancer, see doodle. I cut it along the dotted line with, like, wire cutters or some equally inappropriate tool, twirled it around 180 and the angle was perfect for re-attaching straighter. Used resin, filled the thing with plumber's putty, cuz it was hollow, then added more putty where the thumb had broken off. When it was cured, I used an exacto knife to carve a rough thumb, painted it with black alcohol ink, then leafed. Why is this post so chock full of instructions?

This was a singlette pendant but I gave it a new patina treatment which I think better highlights the medal's awesomeness, as well as a wrapped/ waxed wire choker and some kuchi dangles. Changing topics....

Remember how a loooong time ago I mentioned a giveaway Jorji was having where she'd make you a custom top? Well, guess who won? There I am with my new favorite item of clothing. And there it is layered under a sweater. Very low-key with the grey. I think if I layer it with something bright it will bring out the wacky color aspect.

 On to new business.

OK, I've decided the idea of a triple wrap bracelet made out of all kinds of bits is just not viable... And trying to get it the right length for whatever an 'average' wrist is is driving me to distraction. Not to mention trying to make it hang in a way thats at all reasonable. So I'm selling them for the sake of my sanity. However, I'm selling them here at a reduced price because it will take a maker to make this work for herself. Someone that can take out the pliers and get the right fit, or wind some wire to keep the buttons from flipping, or take it apart to cannibalize for ingredients. 

If you're interested, click on some pics, I'll call this "The floral one." Here's the second one:

 
 This one I'm calling "The non-floral one." Now, I'm charging $30 for this one, $35 for the floral one. That's to cover parts really. Maybe no one in their right minds will want them but if you're in your wrong mind, convo me through etsy and I'll send you an invoice.

Finally, I just wanted to show you... lets call it a vacation photo slideshow of a trip the interweb recently took me on. First, in case you didn't know, this is Legolas

Which leads to:

Inevitably:

Variations include:

But best of all:

 Not only is my brain all bonkers from insomnia, this madness is what has been occupying the sleepless hours. There's, like, a whole world of people putting it up on line. I believe they're called teenagers. Just thought you should all be alerted.