Pig tusk jewellery

When I was chosen for a Sneak Attack a few weeks ago I was also contacted by Pigatopia Studios about making some jewellery made from pig's tusks.

My first thought... interesting! ... and odd!! LOL but definitely interesting. I love the concept of using natural objects in jewellery. I have a good collection of shells and sea glass that I will be using in pieces once I have enough materials.

Of course I was up for the challenge and PS sent me pigtures of the tusks she had as well as a beautiful tusk necklace she had made by an artist who used a wire wrapping technique. Very beautiful.

My mind went in a different direction. Some of the pieces were about an inch around and I thought if I could drill holes in them I could use them as beads in hemp bracelets or necklaces.

That had me wondering how I would get fine holes in these tough pig's tusks. Thankfully my husband is home this week and he brought out his power drill and smallest bits and after a rough start he was able to get the perfect size hole in one of the tusk pieces. Eureka! I was able to easily slide a piece of hemp through the hole. Not too tight. Not too loose.

So far we just have the one piece drilled through but I will be making a plan for each piece over the next day or two and will continue to update this blog for anyone interested in my following the creation of pig tusk jewellery.

Molly is home

I wanted to keep the focus of this blog on creativity and artisans but I am so happy I have to share.

My cat Molly went missing two and a half weeks ago. She's an older, lazy cat that sits on my balcony or the complexes steps during the day. She's social and everyone knows her so we were all shocked when she just disappeared. I searched everywhere, put up notices, went to the SPCA and the city shelter. Nothing. I walked around the neighbourhood calling her. Still nothing.

I never realized how much I enjoyed having her around until she was gone. She's a gentle, easy-going cat. She's wonderfully patient with my toddler and tolerates my rambunctious dog.

In my mind I have been looking for her every moment, even dreaming about her. I knew it was possible that she had met some ill fate but I just didnt' feel like she was really gone.

The SPCA had called before saying they thought they might have found Molly but it was never her. Today I got the call again and said I'd be down to look. I didn't want to get my hopes up since it had never been her in the past.

We went there with little hope and there she was. In the bottom cage. My heart just jumped into my throat and I almost started crying. Fiona, my 21-month-old daughter, stuck her fingers in the cage and pet her and said 'molly molly molly molly.'

We filled out the paperwork and took her home as fast as possible. Fiona was ecstatic. She chased Molly up and down the halls, sobbing when Molly walked away. I'd hold Molly for her and she'd do a little tap dance and try to reach out and hold her. Poor Molly was exhausted and had lost weight so I took Fiona swimming and let Molly catch up on some rest.

When we got home Molly was sleeping peacefully under the kitchen table with her head propped up on Fiona's high chair.

The most surprising thing is that the people who turned her in lived only five blocks away and said she had been wandering around the area for over a week. It boggles my mind that she couldn't find her way home. I guess her internal compass is a little weak.

Mobius flowers - chainmaille

Last year my sister got married and I offered to make the jewellery for her wedding party. One of her best friends was a guy that ended up being a 'bridesmaid' I made pink pearl bracelets for the rest of the bridesmaids but for him I was at a loss.

I searched the net for ideas and finally decided to do a boxchain chainmaille bracelet. It was so much fun and came so naturally. It was almost therapeutic as I wove these little metal links together. No one was nearly as impressed with my work as I was!

From there it started to spiral and I made more and more chainmaille adding a few different patterns here and there. I still consider myself to be an amateur but I really love it and I'm proud of how my work turns out.

A couple days ago I added the "Mobius Flower" pattern to my repetoire. First a pair of earrings and then a bracelet. I think they are just beautiful. It's hard to describe how they look and feel without seeing them in person.

Marilyn Gardiner has some excellent beginner chainmaille projects. She gives a thorough description of each project including pictures.

Chainmaille is so flexible and versatile. You can make a fine, delicate, pure gold necklace for a lady or a stainless steel bracelet for a man. You can use coloured links, and many metal choices. Some people even add rubber rings to give their pieces a bit of strech so no clasp is needed.

I think that many people don't know what chainmaille is all about imagine the armour that was used in the past. There are still people who still enjoy armour... but most of the chainmaille I see is jewellery or fun creations like baskets and candle holders.

You are really only limited by your imagination.

Kanzashi - Japanese hair ornaments

Traditional, beautiful, elaborate hair ornaments from Japan are called Kanzashi. They have been worn since the Edo period and are still seen today during Japanese wedding ceremonies, on traditional Kimono wearers and they are gaining popularity in modern culture.

There are many types of Kanzashi and the style and placement on a Geisha could tell the audience their position in society.

Kanzashi comes in all forms, colours and shapes. They can be long and dangly, short and neat, have fabric, shells, pearls, etc. Imagination is the only limit.

The majority of the Kanzashi I see when I browse Etsy and other sites are made with from fabrics. Usually silk. The creations are folded and glued onto a hair comb or fork. The art is almost like fabric origami.

Hanatsukuri is an Etsy artisan that has a variety of Kanzashi up on her site. Her Kanzashi comes in muted pastels and bold, vibrant colours.

These pieces are definitely eye catching and worth looking into if you want to spice up your hair style or are getting ready for a formal occasion.

The Kanzashi piece that first caught my eye was particularly astounding, both in the colours and form but also the photography.

It was featured in Make Magazine and is a visual delight. I believe, but have not confirmed, it is made by Etsian artist KurokamiKanzashi.


Check out this web page for learning more on Kanzashi.