Yes it's true...I've blown my ENTIRE STASH of very best clock gears...hand-harvested and cleaned up by yours truly....on ONE necklace! And I must admit, I'm preening like a pea-hen over the(almost...not quite finished) results...it's a break-thru! Over the years, I've often used larger, more industrial-sized gears in my sculpture(always did love their symbolism), but with this necklace, I think I finally figured out where I'm coming from...aesthetic-wise...jewelry-wise...or refigured it out.....after forgetting....for a long time......whatever. As I worked on this necklace, I found myself picturing a tribal society, prolly after some terrible apocalyspe...mining for artifacts leftover from the industrial past...rather than mining for raw metals and stones. Simple machine parts, hardware, and bits of shaped metal become the diamonds and gold. To be polished and treasured. With this in mind, I carefully formed each link to give this piece a carefully-crafted, elevated look...something of value, even though all of the metal involved is just our ever-trusty, workin class friend...solid brass...made more valuable in my (imaginary?)post-apocalyptic world, because it doesn't rust. No matter how humble the metal, I still see a fierce, elf-like, warrior princess creature, out in the rubble, totally ROCKING it! (...being all badass...with her bow and arrow....you GO, girl!) The contrasting geometric shapes & planes of the gears catch the light so they glitter independantly of one another, making the whole necklace sparkle & flash, despite the absence of faceted beads or modern day bling....sure to draw many a curious eye! I think I'm on to something with this one, although I definitely need to figure out my long hours for making those gears presentable. They were a mess! Many of them were covered with nearly a century's worth of dark, black grease, when I first laid eyes on them.

COMING SOON to UncommonFolk--Pyramid Power Plate-Mail

So this super cool dude, Sensei Dale, gave me the idea to do a plate mail version of my hexagonal body chain and I was immediately en-ARMORED (heh heh) with the idea. The wheels started a'turnin and I soon set about making it a Reality. I decided to go with pyramids, since I've already done the whole hexagon-thingy (and cuz they look so Klingon/SciFi) and designed a sweet bib-style necklace...totally Warrior Princess chic. This project is on the back burner, for now, since I've also been learning how to stamp metal lately, but I took a few pix of the work in progress cuz I'm thrilled with how it's turning out. Doing linkwork in those tight spaces has been kinda rough and slow-goin, but I prefer a permanently closed loop for longevity (jumprings suuuuck) and the attachment pattern is kinda cool, too. It really lends to the piece's geometrical awesomeness, I think. (((Loves me some geometry!))) Can't wait to see this lil sweetie come to fruition...Thanks, Dale..you da man <3

ETSY NERD ALERT!

Okay--I'm geeking out hard. I just found the most fantastic design for a rubber stamp to decorate all of my outgoing jewelry boxes with. Check it out...doesn't it look just like a Divine Hammerstrike? I'm sooo in love <3. I can hardly wait to start a'stampin, hee hee! Coming soon to a boxtop near you.

BARBED WIRE BUTTERFLIES

I just got my copy of the new novel Barbed Wire Butterflies by Jessica Kristie and am already completely engrossed! Great Job, Jessica, on tackling such a heavy issue with so much empathy. In Elani, you've given slavery a very brave and realistic human face. As I read, I found myself really relating to what it must be like to be held in bondage. I am so pleased that someone so sensitive, and with such a deep understanding of human emotions, has decided to take on this nearly invisible issue. Jessica is the right person at the right time! Her portrayal of modern day slavery rings true. I am also tickled pink that the wire butterfly that Jessica approached me to make has been given a place of honor in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book-->Woo-Hoo! THANK YOU, Jessica, for choosing lil ol ME as your wire-worker ;) I am highly honored to be a part of this project. And special thanks to Genny Heikka for the sweet mention in her blog, too! http://gennyheikka.com/2012/11/barbed-wire-butterflies.html I'm glad you're enjoying your butterfly jewelry. May it spark many interesting conversations in the days to come! <3 Divine

I AM THE QUEEEEeeEeeeeeeeEEeeEeEN!

Queen of Etsy with Rachael Leigh Cook, Mark-Paul Gosselaar & Tracey Gold from Rachael Leigh Cook

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Danika

This is another mixed media/wire sculpture I'll be finishing soon, a portrait of a good friend of mine who passed away almost ten years ago now...dang--has it really been that long? Before she died, she'd given me a beautiful antique picture frame...HUGE...to store temporarily. I never got the chance to give it back to her. So I decided to give it back in another way, by turning it into her portrait.

Fast forward a decade...DOH! I still haven't finished it because something about doing justice to Danika's beautiful face was holding me back...and I think I've just discovered the missing piece! It was jewelry, all along. In learning to do jewelry-quality work, I think I inadvertantly just made myself a better sculptress. FINALLY I am ready to bring this piece to fruition. Sorry it took me so long, Danika, ol pal. But I think it will be worth the wait.

Viking Weave Rulz

Here is the last of my "practice rocks"...I sure wish the lighting was better in my lair at 2:30 a.m... sos I could show it off properly, heh heh. Ah well. I really started getting the weave nice and tight and have finally moved onto those special stones that I've had stashed for just such an occasion... Yay--for viking knit! I'm completely hooked...there is nothing I can't set now and the ideas jostlin around in my noggin have resorted to throwing knees and elbows, scrabblin for the front of the line...and a cheap DVD player?br /> Anywhoo--this modest, mottled, polished green and white river rock was set in all brass wire, except for the last two rows, which I did in tarnish-resistant copper to frame the visible portion of the stone. I really like the way it turned out and know just who I'm going to give it to...I sure hope she likes it! And wait'll ya see the stones that'll be coming yer way from UncommonFolk...they--uh---ROCK! hee hee