ATTACK of the FAIRY FLIES!!!!

Yes I know it has been awhile since I "blogged" (one of these days I am going to set my ongoing spell checker to accept the word Blog, without beeping at me!) and, well I get busy, and actually typing is not the easiest thing in the world for me to do...so I tend to look at a LARGE blank screen with misgivings, but I endure, I endure. The other day though I was going thru my pretty darn large cache of completed jewelry pieces and I spied some tumbled gemstone material and got totally inspired to create, though I *had* sat down at my workbench on the pretense of Cleaning it up!! I have often told people that even on a good day my bench area looks like a bomb went off and then a troop of rabid drunken squirrels had an impromptu orgy amidst the rubble. So, the need to create was probably more of a procrastinatory gambit on my part, and it certainly worked because said area still looks uhhhm, well lived in! I will get back to straightening and rearranging .. hopefully :) What I saw that interested me was a tumble stone of Rhodonite that I had picked up probably in a little bagged collection parcel. Looking at it I saw a tiny little gnat or bug perched on it.. it was one of the very small house plant gnats that a lot of people call "Fairy Flies" as I brushed my hand quickly near it, trying to drive it away, it just sat there on the stone.. calmly cleaning his antenna. I blew on him ( just a guess here on it's gender) and he decided the winds of change had come and he was gone.

Picking up my wire and stone, falling into the zone of creating for a few minutes I became aware that the little Fairy Fly was back, running back and forth across my overhead adjustable light shade. In little zig zaggy patterns he seemed to be watching what I was doing. So I stopped and watched him.. all of a sudden he flies and then lands back on the Rhodonite stone that was partially set in the wires.. Little Bugger! Be Off with ya! For the next hour he showed up and flitted off several times, even landing on my finger and dancing his way down to the stone and back up and then away. I have no idea why this little thing was attracted to this particular stone, it looked clean, there was nothing I could smell or see on it.. Eventually I just ignored him and finished the initial wire sculpted wrap and wove the bail. Cleaning and tumbling it to work harden and polish, then antiquing it and the last step wiring in the one small pearl in the top swirl. At last, the photography. I set up my light box and lights, tripod and got ready.. set my stage and,, there he was again!! Sitting in the middle of the stone as it lay on the White Board. I NOW wanted to get this little critters Picture!! He had been dogging me for at least 4 hours.. zoooming in the viewfinder ... and poof he was gone. I waited and waited and after 1/2 hour just took the picures.. and I have not seen him since. Very strange. And here is what he was so obsessed with. Rhodonite free form flatish tumble stone, antiqued and darkened copper wire and a pearl. Listed at my Etsy store www.atabbycatarts.etsy.com

Saki Sox She really Rocky Rocks!!!

The other day I finally got some decent pictures of the feral cat that we have sort of supported over the last few years. We recently discovered that He was in fact a She...though we have never seen evidence of her having kittens so she is either fixed or sterile.. I don't think she is fixed as every so often we have male cats that come around and spray all over our porch to mark territory... so Mr. Socky Sox is now just Saki Sox. Saki as in Sake the Japanese wine.. I just boo booed the spelling. This cat is very adorable, and has obviously been socialized at some point in the past, but she is a little wild and very reactive. She has nipped me on three occasions the little bugger.,., I want to paint a couple of jewelry pebble pendant rocks of her and sell them on my Etsy shop.. maybe doing a sale to give to a cat rescue group.. Anyway here are a couple of pictures of Miss Saki Sox.






Note in the first picture the coy look and her darling little feet!!! She is quite the Cutie :)




Saki says "I am Sooooo Adorable!"

Ginger Cat

This is one of my newer pieces, the cat picture was painted on a flattish river rock in 2003, but I didn't use it as I didn't like the way the cat ears came out, but I like the eyes so I just stuffed it in a drawer and found it a few weeks ago, I usually will scratch the "offending" painting off and reuse the rock. But this one was perfect for what I wanted to practice which is a style of woven bezel, taught by a cool Lady, Sherry Dancingfether... the woven bezel style called the Toodles Weave which was published in a Step by Step wire jewelry magazine last year.. the technique can be time consuming to do but it is wonderful for fragile stones or items that need a little more protection versus regular wire wrapping.

Gus and her Halo

This bracelet can be seen at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14381353
Byzantine chainmaille bracelet woven with black Anodized Alum. rings, BA or Bright Aluminum

is also used for the dangles and the hook clasp.

BA looks very similar to Silver, but does not have the tarnish problems, there can be some slight greying over time but a quick wash and rinse brings it back up to Top Sparkle.

The beads are agate and jaspers in greens, mauves and pinks with gorgeous 8 mm or larger freshwater pearls.

The painted rock is of my beloved kitty who passed on last year... her name was Gus. She sits on my work bench and keeps me company while I make jewelry. The bracelet is for sale at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14381353 My Etsy shop AtabbycatArts

Autum Essense Bracelet

I love Chainmaille jewelry... and my favorite to make are chunky pearl and gemstone beaded ones. Anodized Aluminum rings in a dark warm coppery brown woven in the Tryzintine pattern, which is an off shoot of the Byzantine one of the most popular and beautiful chain designs. 8mm Unakite beads blend with baroque copper colored and golden hued freshwater pearls.

All the pearls were re drilled by hand to use on 20 ga copper wire. A handmade copper hook clasp creates a bracelet that is Fall inspired.

The bear, I painted on river rock in acrylic paint.