Blue Is A Good Color

Especially when it shows all the places my jewelry goes. I updated the map of all the items I've sent orders out too -

Make yours @  BigHugeLabs.com

My master plan is getting closer - once I cover the US I'll move on to the rest of the world

What A Funky Time

Yesterday I got up bright and early and packed my car to head to the Everson Museum for the 3rd Funky Flea. By 8:30 we were finally parked (after circling the block twice) and unloading. I managed to get my tent fixed, so I was able to finally use for a show! I put the bent side at the back so hopefully it wasn't noticeable.

I was a little worried about the weather, but other than a few blustery gusts of wind, it was fantastic all day. There was a great crowd of people, both customers and other vendors I got to chat with.

It was a little different being able to set up TWO tables, since I've been so used to the limited space at the Indie Garage Sale. I almost didn't know where to put things - and I realized I really need to do some work on my display. There are two other shows I applied to for this year and they are also bigger sized booths, so  coming up with new ideas will keep me busy.

I loved that the event was at the Everson. Such a great location - 

There was a good mix of vendors selling vintage items, artwork, and other handmade crafts - I'm always tempted to buy so much, but this time I managed to keep my spending pretty low - I got a dress for little M from Sleevescape, and 2 silver trays from a booth 2 spots down from me.

The food vendors were fantastic - Darwin had the BEST turkey clubs, and Roji Tea Lounge  had some delicious libations to enjoy.

 In closing, here are some more photos of my booth -

Did you go to the Funky Flea? What did you think? What did you buy? I'd love to hear. Also, any suggestions for my booth layout are more than welcome.

Stay Funky

Useful and Beautiful

So the other day I finished something that was initially inspired by a comment someone left on my page. Here is what I made -

Can you guess what it is?

Give up?

It's a Chainmaille POT SCRUBBER. Why did I not think of this myself? Oh wait, even if I had come up with it, pot scrubbers like this have actually been around for a while - they're like the original steel wool. This is made in a 4 x 4 inch mesh of bright aluminum rings, which dont rust or tarnish so it will take the wear and tear of regular use. I attached it to a key ring for something easy to grab onto. If I plan on marketing these pot scrubbers, I'll be sure to source the bigger rings that will not rust or tarnish as well. It wouldn't suit to have the one part of it I dont make to not stand up to the rest of it, now would it?

This scrubber would be perfect for all your cast iron cookware. Don't tell me you're not using cast iron, or I'll tell you you're cooking it wrong. Since this is the first scrubber I made I decided to test it out on my own pan.

Before:

Scrub, scrub, scrub

After scrubbing:

I'd say it works - and it would look so pretty hanging by your sink when you're done, don't you think? It *almost* makes me want to wash the dishes. Almost.

Missing Links

Nothing more frustrating than when I'm working along happily on an order and then this happens -

"D'oh" about sums it up.

Be My Valentine

I thought I'd have a hearty (har har) feature today and showcase some of my many red and pink items in the shop. Besides Valentines Day, did you know February is American Heart Month?

Valentines is only a short week away, but there's still time to ship pieces that are in stock!
Check out my shop for more red inspired items here.

Bronze Beauty

I recently completed another custom piece and sent it off to its new home. It seems as though this year is starting out as the year of the handflower since I've already received a few more requests for one -

and the backside -

A handflower was the first piece of chainmaille I ever got. My boyfriend at the time bought it for me on a visit to the Renaissance Festival one summer almost ten years ago, and I still wear it to this day. They're very elegant pieces of jewelry. This last one I made was a custom order since I usually offer it in a silver metal, but this customer requested bronze. I'm not sure why I didn't think of making a piece like this in Bronze before, but I'm so happy I got to make this one. I see more Bronze and Copper pieces on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Project Byproducts

On occasion when I'm making a custom order and end up with a surplus of rings, I'll save them in hopes of using them (and sometimes never do..) or just scrap them out and put them in my big "Miscellaneous Jar Of Rings" (hey it looks pretty when the light shines through it). Once in a while I get just enough, or am inspired enough, to create something lovely with them.

I recently completed an order for a set of 8 Knot Wine Charms. They turned out fantastic, I think - I love the color choices my customer picked:

While I was making them, I had enough extra rings to probably make another 2 or 3 sets..but this pattern happens to be my favorite (It's called Persephone, created by Corvus Chainmaille), and I love linking the tiny knots into chains, so I thought I'd see what a pseudo-rainbow colored necklace would look like. Here's how it looks so far -

Quite the delicate little dish, don't you think? I still need to finish up the back side of the chain and clasp, but it will just be something simple. To be clear, the colored rings are the ones I had to cut myself. The silver colored rings I get from one of my awesome suppliers, and theyre made of whats called Bright Aluminum. It's my favorite material to work with, because it has all the shine and sparkle of silver, but without the high price -and- the BA doesn't tarnish. All plusses in my book.

It's a snowy day here in Central New York, but I have to brave the cold to ship orders and then come home and work on some more shiny new things. I can't wait to share more with you soon!

Fresh Stuff

Welcome to a new year! I hope everyone celebrated in their own satisfactory way. I ushered in 2012 with a quiet night at home with loved ones and I would not have it any other way. I've been trying to get back into the swing of things, and been lucky enough to start off the month with some custom orders.

One of my favorite recently completed commissions is this rainbow cuff that a friend ordered at the house party she held -

The colors vary through the whole spectrum - red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple and black. The ends are all bright aluminum.

This piece was a nice challenge for me - I used whats called a "Dragonscale" pattern (it's sometimes also called Mermaid Mesh) which is a little tricky to begin with, but I also altered the it into a sort of fringed, zig-zag wave too. This is my favorite weave and though to be honest I had to put it down a few times because it was making my eyes buggy, I just loved working on it.

I've got plenty of new ideas for SCC this year. I'm hoping to get a few bigger shows in, including one or two outside of NY state. Also in the works are some new designs and one of a kind items, plus some larger scale  projects I've been meaning to get to for a while (chainmaille belts, anyone?).

Keep your eyes pealed, as I'll be updating the Shop and the blog here with lots of shiny. I can also be contacted by email for any custom requests.

Happy New Year!

Hip To Be Square

I am always on the lookout to incorporate unique materials in my work not only to expand my skill level but also to give an updated look to chainmaille as people know it. One of the newer trends among chainmaillers is to use rings that are made of square wire. These are a little bit tougher to work with sometimes, because even when they are the same size as round wire rings they don't always work for the same patterns that "normal" rings can be used for.

As an example - One of my favorite patterns to make is a dodecahedron ball ( I call them my "Porcupine Balls"). It looks like this -

 When I tried to create the same thing with the square wire rings I was using, even though the size was similar, the pattern was not coming together properly. I almost got discouraged that I'd have to take it all apart and start over, but then something about the shape got my brain moving. The rings were stiff enough to keep the pearl inside captive, so I thought it would work out well as a ring design. I attached it to a simple mesh band and here's what it turned out like:

It's not scratchy like you might think from the edges. The mesh has loosened up a little bit, but that is normal for most rings. I wore it a few days in a row and it was quite a conversation piece! It makes me think of a geodesic dome, like at epcot or an observation center. It's very sci-fi in my opinion.

The reason I bought the square rings in the first place was actually for a custom order - The request was for a stainless steel byzantine bracelet in a heavy gauge. It was going to be a Christmas gift for a man. I am not a fan of working with heavy gauge stainless steel. Rather than turn the customer away, I made the suggestion for the square rings and it was accepted. Here it is:

I'm happy with how my experimenting has turned out lately. I'm working on some modifications of the ring design, and I have some smaller sized square rings that I'll be using for other projects as well. The square rings may be a new favorite of mine - they give the pieces more of a modern edge, which is what I gear my style towards. Stay tuned and I'll be sharing even more fun developments with you.

Chainmaille Wine Swag

The other night I got around to photographing and listing some new items I've been working on lately - Wine Glass Charms and Bottle Necklaces.

As we head into holiday season for many that means an upswing in the festivities. Wine glass charms are a great for hostess gifts or a housewarming parties, and especially fun for your favorite wine-lover. Also, they're one size fits all! How can you go wront with that? I made a few different sets of four, and theyll also be available in larger quantities here and there, too (like sets of 6, 8 and 12)

I also made some single pieces that can be mixed and matched

Citrine is a big trend stone for november since it resembles Topaz - Novembers birthstone

The bottle necklaces are a personal favorite, though - even if you aren't a drinker, they'd look great draped over a vase, or a bottle lantern. I have a gorgeous cobalt blue bottle light that I'll be hanging one on that I bet it'll look fantastic with the candle light shining through at holiday dinners.

I made them with and without crystals - I like items that can be color coordinated to your decor. The first offering has some chic black sparkles but they'll be available in other combinations, too.

I'm so excited about this line of items - I've been wanting to do more than jewelry for a while now, and I love that I'm getting to branch out a little bit. I'll have more new items soon, but in the mean time you can check these items and more out in my Shop.

Happy Weekend!

The Process, In Photos

This is just a short pictoral discription of my general jewelry making process-