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Total matches for wire: 125

ch0c0b0

ch0c0b0

Codename: ch0c0b0. Charlene to her friends. Cybernetically enhanced after... some dramatic thing that happened, Charlene is part machine but still all chocobo. Her wings were replaced with solar panels, her leg enhancements allow her to outrun even the Hardy Daytona, can pick up hundreds of radio stations, and of course she gets WiFi, like, anywhere. She prefers organic oil, by the way.

My second and final Desert Bus for Hope 2014 chocobo! For once, this design was actually greatly simplified. I'd had the concept of "chocoborg" in my head since last year's Desert Bus, and I had every intention to go full-on RoboCop with the body... until I realized maybe that was a little disturbing for a chocobo meant to raise money for charity. So I cut way back, went "mostly organic with enhancements", and now you have a ch0c0b0. The beak is static, but her head, neck, legs, toes, and individual tail feathers are all poseable. While I'd meant all of the "hardware" to be silver, I kind of stopped at leaving some of the gold and copper components "silver frosted" because it looked nice. Artsy reasons.

As for the wings... I'd meant for them to have a much wider range of motion. I even had a demo rigged up, and it worked, and I was all set to use it on the chocobo body, but... then I realized it would be just a little bulkier and a bit more fragile than I was comfortable with. (Maybe next time?) So, alas, the wings are now mostly static, though they can be moved back and forth, and up and down with a gentle hand. The wing materials themselves are flexible, though I'd recommend some delicate handling.

The only metal used here were the screws and a touch of wire, by the way. I had a little fun playing with other materials for a metal look.

She was sold for $600 and I watched the snipe happen while I was eating dinner. Heh.

Date: 27 August 2014
Baby Jewel Dragon Pendant and Bracelet Set 2/10

Baby Jewel Dragon Pendant and Bracelet Set 2/10

Preferred element: earth
Current favorite food: flowers (violets in particular)
Sex: male
Size: 2 inches long, 1.5 inch wingspan

Jewel dragon mothers are the most notorious for gathering a pile of shiny stones with which to circle their nest. Once their clutch starts to hatch, the babies naturally gravitate toward one stone in particular, partially "feeding" from it for the next several months. Here you'll find all you need to care for a baby jewel dragon, should you choose to take one into your home.

Accidentally made an EVA dragon.  2/10 completed.  I sure don't want to say this little guy was any easier than the last one, but at least I've kind of developed a little muscle memory for them now.  Enough.

Funny/tragic: while I was coating the stone with clear enamel, some green dye started to come off on my brush.  (That hadn't happened with the previous stone.)  I was close to being enormously frustrated until I realized that the dye was mixing beautifully with the enamel and of course the effect is impossible to properly photograph, but the green is so very, very GREEN everywhere rather than in just certain places.  It worked out beautifully.  And thanks to the fully cured enamel, there's no worry about the dye running ever again.

(For Sale)

Date: 02 June 2014
Baby Jewel Dragon Pendant and Bracelet Set 1/10

Baby Jewel Dragon Pendant and Bracelet Set 1/10

Preferred element: water
Current favorite food: fruit (all of it)
Sex: female
Size: 2 inches long, 1.5 inch wingspan

Jewel dragon mothers are the most notorious for gathering a pile of shiny stones with which to circle their nest.  Once their clutch starts to hatch, the babies naturally gravitate toward one stone in particular, partially "feeding" from it for the next several months.  Here you'll find all you need to care for a baby jewel dragon, should you choose to take one into your home.

Baby Jewel Dragon Pendant and Bracelet Set 1/10.  Yup, 10.  Ten.  First.  Of ten.  What am I doing.

I had this idea in my mind for a very long time, picking up an intensely gorgeous set of "fancy onyx" (brilliantly heated and dyed onyx to make the most spectacular color combinations).  It was a spiral of inspiration and insanity from there, I suppose.  I enjoy the result: a reversible, adjustable bracelet and a little dragon pendant which can also be converted into a bracelet.  Full disclosure: the baby dragon pendant is so comfortable with the satin cord that I forgot I was wearing it while I was dumping and editing the pictures right up until I went to scratch my neck and had a "WHAT THE HELL IS--oh" moment.

(For Sale)

Date: 29 May 2014
Jude

Jude

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad/ Take a sad song and make it better..." - "Hey Jude", The Beatles

I'd waited quite a long time to get around to using this epically gorgeous seraphinite cabochon.  So it was with dismay that I'd decided all it really needed was a simple sterling silver wire wrap, only to find... it snapped in half as I was setting it.  Solution?  Make it better, of course.  I "glued" the broken pieces back together and then coated the entire pendant with clear enamel, waited until it was cured rock-hard (harder than the stone itself, it would appear), then beaded and built around it with an additional tiny seraphinite bead.  "Hey Jude" was playing in my head pretty much the whole time I was working on this project, hence the name.

Could I have hidden the break altogether?  Yes.  I could have.  I did not.

(For Sale)

Date: 05 April 2014
Lani

Lani

Lani's the curious type. She'll follow a stream to its source, then turn right back around and follow it to where it ends. The problem is, she's still small and young, in need of a traveling companion (and a place to rest).

At this point in time, this is what I'm calling a "simple project".  Her body was beadwoven, then gently "stuffed" to keep her dimensions (and so you can gently squeeze her while pinning or unpinning without worry about changing her shape). Her wings are handmade paper (that I've had and not made much use of for way too long) over a wire frame, strengthened with several layers of a clear material that leaves a lovely gloss behind. Of course she also sports 10 genuine Swarovski crystals (yes, her eyes are two different colors) and 5 absolutely lovely green goldstone beads. Her wings and body are somewhat flexible, allowing her to move and flex along with her chosen companion, whoever that may be.

(Sold.)

Date: 28 March 2014
Vel and Rox

Vel and Rox

Vel and Rox are from a species of swamp dragon that science has yet to  name.  The term "swamp dragon" isn't particularly descriptive, either,  though "jewel-headed swamp dragons" sounded vaguely insulting, so that  was vetoed.  Regardless, Vel (blue) and Rox (pink) are a pair of relatively young siblings who seemed interested in traveling outside of the swamp, so they really didn't mind hitching a ride out of there.

I hadn't meant to make them so big.  And I hadn't meant to make two.  So I guess I haven't learned my lesson about not bothering to plan quite yet.  It was really a project to use up some old yarn and play with various colors, and then... well, everything I do snowballs.  I must simply accept that.  Both lovelies are comprised of acrylic yarn, fully wired along the spine, tail, legs and feet.  Their eyes are brilliant red dyed jade, forehead jewels are "cat's eye" glass, and the super sparkly accents are permanently painted on thanks to fabric paint and iridescent pigments.  They both measure approximately 14.5 inches from nose to tail tip, and when their back legs are fully extended perpendicular to their bodies, they span approximately 10 inches from foot tip to foot tip.

(For Sale)

Date: 25 January 2014
Goodnight Summer

Goodnight Summer

The rich, lush colors of the last summer evening are tinged with just a touch of gold amongst the greens, a little hint of copper amidst the silver moonlight and dark blues and purples before twilight.  Alas, I will wait for summer's return under a warm blanket with plenty of hot drinks.

Just a little experiment.  I sort of accidentally decided to return to a simplified bit of chainmaile, at first planning to make the entire necklace that way... but then there's always the possibility of pinching, and that's no fun.  I decided instead to simply (FOR ONCE) and make the necklace easily adjustable with less work, less weight, and still keep the look I'd wanted.  Success!

(For Sale)

Date: 25 September 2013
Adariel

Adariel

Adariel is most certainly independently-minded, truly appreciating the people who know the difference between having a strong will and being pushy or closed off.  Even so, she's happy to encourage the uncertain and the timid to find their own voice and sing.

Well.  I had something completely different in mind when I started this project.  It's all the better for running off in a totally different direction, though.  The wings from start to finish were a wince-inducing four-day project, in part due to the several different types of stabilizing and reinforcing necessary to make certain that two points could distribute the weight without problem.  (Sure she only weights 0.8 ounces, but I'm thorough.)  And after the project shifted dramatically, I was aware that I would probably need more beads only to find... those exact type/color combination were no longer manufactured.  Well.  That's where the lovely light mint green diamonds on her back and stomach come from.  Necessity is the mother of... something.  Beads?

Ultimately, she's designed to hang somewhere.  Around a neck as a necklace, on a hook somewhere to show off her loveliness; whatever.  And with Swarovski crystals for eyes and two swirled green "moonglow" beads as tail accents, there's quite a lot of sparkly loveliness to show off.

(Sold)

 

Date: 27 June 2013