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.

Flash sale, nothing earth-shattering.

Howdy sexy ladies. Yesterday a friend from my old day job came by and was a guinea pig for my cuffs class. It was super useful and edjemacational, and like the professional blogger I am I forgot to take even a single picture. 

 So check it. I think I figured something out with my night pics. Turning the contrast way down. I thing it's working. What do you think? Well, it's better and some of the subtlety is back... Being the subtle lass that I am, I may have overdone it some.

 I dunno. I dunno what I think of these. I dunno how to make shit. My head feels like it has its own inner pillow.

 Well these I like. Maybe cuz the big clamshell locket that I get to put a whole buncha solid perfume into. Cuz when I went to fill the tiny ones it was like only the bittiest dollop fit.

Look at these. Who wouldn't want Lyndon B. Johnson swinging from their lobes? Girls are always like, "Not enough ex presidents in jewelry, if you ask me." 

These I think I pretty much don't like. I think I've decided that. They started as an experiment in strips of metal and ended in a wire-stravaganza. A wire-tastrophy.

And these I like alright except for the big ass blotch all over the queen lady.

 Here's a picture of Solome which reminds me of Kim (nee Flotsamtide, now Wildthorn) because she's always loved this painting.

Nothing earth-shattering here but I am having a flash sale. I'm gonna try putting it just on the shop announcement (which no one ever reads- including you, admit it!) and not in every item description/title which is a crazy pain.  So click on 'apply coupon code' under 'how you'll pay' and enter code SALE20 for 20% off everything EXCEPT FOR TUTORIALS. 



Oh, I lost the comment but someone said something about mixed media... to clarify: I'm in the book as a jewelry artist but, you know, it can count as mixed media too, so... yeah. I don't have a secret life as a 2-D art maker that I'm keeping from you all. And yes, the kitty was distressed but sometimes pets are such drama queens that it's adorable.  Also, I've put pix of my doggie here before... I worry he can't compete against the type of animal cute found all over the web, though... Today he's mostly recovering from the emotional high that was having a visitor over (for hours!) yesterday. He's been dead asleep all day.

Giveaway winner, what I do when not sleeping.

dgmidkiff- congratulations! You win the giveaway necklace. Which is fitting since they're sort of raku colors. Why, you all don't recognize dgmidkiff? Of course not, why would you? I bet you recognize the wonderous and strange wonderousstrange though, hu? Remember gals, if your facebook/flickr/etsy/blogname/blogusername/tweets/etc identities match up, everything that you do on-line will re-enforce your brand identity. That means it's basically free advertising. I told you this before. I'll get off my soapbox now. Go look at wonderousstrange's blogpost celebrating a year without cancer, showing a bunch of awesome new work, AND going on about yours truly for a bit there. *blush*

Some of the colors she achieves hurt my heart.

Haven't been sleeping, which leaves a lot of time free for my new addiction, awesomephilia.com. Here's some of the treasures found there.
"Argument I heard on the bus: no, n*ggah, gay bros can raise babies. Look at that warthog motherfucker and that ferret thing that raised Simba. And that n*ggah became king of motherfucking Africa."

Most of the stuff on awesomephilia is not animals, I should emphasize. Somehow though, animals is all I got. That and the gay bros raising Simbah.Meanwhile, the lovely Sharon Driscoll wrote a lovely post about a little package I sent her. Lovely.

So Jordi, about planting an avacado from a pit. I was 6 years old and I still remember dad did some fancy cutting to the pit then balanced it on some toothpicks before putting it in water. Here's a horrible doodle of what I mean. I remember because we were at the dinner table and I didn't know what he was doing. I think it was spontaneous on his part because he's like that. And now, all these years later, after seeing it grow from nothing.... sigh. It's his fault too he berated me into changing the pot. I miss that tree.

Susanne asked how I "treat the pictures you use in your jewelry?" Well, if you mean the moons, those are antique paper from a book that's been coated in resin then cut with scissors. Just resin! I use the cheapo easycast stuff, not the expensive ice resin stuff. I put a heat gun over it to be rid of any bubbles, making extra sure not to breathe in fumes. 

Here's some penguins chasing a butterfly.
I don't have any jewelry to show. Turns out you need to be awake to make it. Now worries, I'm still a happy, if murkey, camper.
Here's a bunch of redonk kids imitating a bunch of redonk owls.