Saturday, January 7, 2017

Mother of Nothing Really - AE Dragon Challenge


Dragons.  Beast of fantasy and fire.  They have been central to popular fiction in novels, film and more recently, television (OMG...Game of Thrones!!!) and lets not forget mythology!  I have been fascinated by dragons since I read The Hobbit as a child.  Smaug, in all his sinister glory, is fantastic character.  And who could forget Dragolin?  Our fascination doesn't stop there...now we have everything from How to Train a Dragon, Eragon all the way to the upcoming Pete the Magic Dragon.  I was even given an AWESOME dragon bottle holder for Christmas!

For the month of December Art Elements blog challenged its members and readers to create a piece inspired by dragons.

Initially I had intended to use one of my 2 phenomenal dragon beads by Mary Lockwood, however, that is going to take me some serious time to create the perfect beady environment for them.  So, I opted to use one of my reptile-esque cabs by Jo Hoffacker.  I did not get before pics, of course, but I have a couple other cabs of hers so I have posted a picture of them below.

Mary Lockwood's Dragon Beads
Jo Hoffacker's Eye cabs
I recently purchased a really nice maroon blazer and have been thinking I needed a lapel pin so, I decided to make this cab into one.  This is the first time I have made one of my embroidery pieces into a pin but I figured it would be a perfect project during the holiday season.  This means I can sport my artwork, be quirky and freak people out during my “day-job”…all things I enjoy the thought of.  Even my macabre mother shuttered at the thought of an eyeball lapel pin.  *giggle*

The first thing was to bezel the cab.  I opted for a double bezel – an inner white bezel and an outer green bezel.  I actually haven't done this before either.  One thing to note - for whatever reason I could not tighten the thread enough at the rim on the outer bezel.  I am not sure if this is because I ended with a jagged edge or not.  More experimenting is needed here.
Double Bezel
 I played around with the idea of using jewel beetle wings for the scales, however, to get the look I would have wanted with those I would have ended up with one honkin’ big pin.  Big, in my book, is never an issue...UNLESS your lapel just won't hold it all up!  I opted to go with some long magnatamas instead.


While attaching the backing I nearly screwed completely up – I forgot to cut the holes and attach the pin!  Thankfully, I remembered in time to rescue it and get the pin back on appropriately.  Panic averted!  Unfortunately, I did end up getting a little bit of the glue onto the outside of the ultrasuede but I am hoping I will be able to get that off once it dries a bit.  I went ahead and finished the edges and tada!  I may end up adding something more to the scale aspect of the piece but for now it will rest on my lapel.  I may be a mother of nothing really...but I have a cool dragon eye!  #whatwhat!


Please don't forget to visit all the other artisan's blogs!

Guests:
Shai Williams
Kathy Lindemer
Anita Rao
Kelly Rodgers  <-----you are here!
Tammy Adams

AJE Team:
Susan
Jenny
Cathy
Jen
Niky
Diana
Laney
Caroline
Claire

12 comments:

  1. Freaky and cool! For the longest time, I've been resisting the urge to wear weird jewelry to my day job, but I should just go ahead. ;)

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    1. Thanks! I say go for it! It's a part of who you are. I think it celebrates uniqueness and it's just plain fun. Just expect a lot of comments!

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  2. I love eyes and dragons so that ticks all my boxes :)

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  3. Very cool! Love your dragon eye. I also opted to make a brooch but mine is rather LARGE! I won't fit on a lapel but maybe a huge scarf :-)

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  4. Love your dragon beads and those cabs are stunning! I love what you've done with them!

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  5. The double bezel idea is very intriguing! I like it. Id wear that on my lapel. Go for it! Well done, and thanks for joining us!

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  6. That is a great pin. I don't think there's anything weird about wearing eye jewelry. It's long been considered protection from evil in various cultures. But then, I too like to wear "weird" jewelry to my day job. People's reactions are always entertaining. Some give me a look but won't say anything. Others ask me about it, which is my chance to shamelessly promote my online jewelry shop.

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  7. That is the perfect pin to 'freak out the mundanes'! I love it!

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  8. Love this pin! This will surely garner attention on your lapel!

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  9. Wow Kelly, that's pretty awesome! I have wanted to try the double bezel as well - great job! Love your beads!

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  10. Wow I love what you created Kelly, that double bezel is just fab! thank you for joining us

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  11. The double bezel is really cool! Great job on your dragon eye piece!

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