The Muse's Return

Tangaroa by Second Renaissance

Well, I finally got an idea for my Emerald Isle contribution this month. It's still in progress and I'm not telling what it is :) I also got the urge to maille a whole lot and have been cranking out bracelets (why is it, whenever I try a new weave, it turns into a bracelet?). I can't find my sketch book but the doodle sheet at my desk is working overtime. And I signed up for CWJ's Year of Jewelry inspirations and have ideas for the first several. Ideas, yay! I also finally settled down and photographed a bunch of my stuff yesterday so expect to see lots of new listings in both shops over the next few days (including the bangle above, named after a Maori god of the sea, and the cuff below).

Aurelia by Second Renaissance

My shops are undergoing something of a re-organization. I've decided to move most of the wire work to Second Renaissance (except for ear cuffs, circlets, and anything else that has more of a Renaissance feel... I know, it's kind of ironic). There they'll be joined by Obsession Number Three -- bead weaving. I've done four of these peyote cuffs in other people's patterns, and the next one I do will be my own design. Like chainmaille, these have to be touched to be fully appreciated. I'm also doing some net-weave chokers that will have a very Victorian feel.

Projects on the bench and in the doodle pad:
1) Secret Emerald Isle item - See The Wire Artisans Guild blog and be blown away by the ones already there, or the guild Flickr page
2) Secret Romance Blossoms entry for The Chainmaillers' Guild spring contest
3) More braided wire bangles and viking knit in colors, copper and silver
4) My first Year of Jewelry contribution, based on this painting by Katushika Hokusai
5) In the process of graphing my first original design peyote cuff
6) Finishing a net-woven necklace with Swarovski crystals in amber and wine - ordered the wrong color crystals though.
7) Whatever chainmaille strikes my fancy :) I'm doing a beaded choker in electric blue enameled copper at the moment.

For sneak previews of all the new items that will be headed to my shops in the near future, check out my Flickr page.