Design This – Custom Keepsake Feather Earring

What to do with the pretty peacock feather that you received as a keepsake/favor on a family member’s wedding invitation? Have your jewelry designer turn it into a statement feather earring of course!

Now this feather was not just the eye and a bit of quill like I have made earrings out of before, including a custom set for my customer in the past. It had a much longer portion of quill with many pairs of filaments below the “eye”. My customer wanted to keep as much of the peacock feather intact as made sense for her earring. I had some macaw feathers whose color I thought coordinated nicely with her peacock feather, my customer agreed and ok’d the design that I suggested.

To keep the design stable, I first sewed the macaw feathers together. I then added a black leather wrap to cover their white quill ends and provide a better foil for the peacock feather. I laid the peacock feather on top of the macaw feathers and attached each to a jump ring that was in turn attached to the bottom loop of the post earring.

It brought a smile to my face when Miss Cheryl of the John E Dosher band shared with me that she was wearing this special feather earring in her avi photo on one of her sites. Please contact me if you would like to inquire about having a custom piece designed just for you.

Artist Spotlight – Daryoush Ababaf

With this post I am standardizing my articles for sharing the amazing art that my husband and I purchase from artists whose work we admire and have added to our home. This past April, I wrote about two pieces we picked up at the beginning of this year. We have purchased from more artists this year than we have in the past several combined. I will be sharing these wonderful finds with you over the course of the next several months.

I want to start by sharing photos of this wonderful wooden sculpture by Daryoush Ababaf. We saw his work at the Christkindl Market in Arlington last year and were very impressed. Even though we saw several pieces that we admired, none asked to be taken home. This year one did. When we saw the sleeping lioness, we both fell in love with it. The relaxed beauty of this fabulous feline kept drawing us back. She is such a great accompaniment to a couple of bronzes that we purchased in Arkansas many years ago.

Daryoush’s skill at what is essentially 3D inlay is something I have never seen an equal to. He had some examples of different stages in his work at his booth to give visitors an idea of the process he goes through to construct his pieces. He picks from various woods to create the shadows and colorations needed to bring his creations to life. In addition to amazing depictions of nature the other works of his that I thought had outstanding form, movement and grace were his dancers. You can find examples of his work on his website and facebook page as well as keep up with where you can see his work in person next by liking his facebook page.

Thanks for the Treasuries - November 2012

Three different Etsians let me know that they had featured one of my items in a treasury during November. Four November Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my creations. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during November. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below (in alphabetical order) links to the 3 Etsy sellers that let me know that they featured one of my items, as well as an item from their shop that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the shop links of anything that catches your eye.

AfrochaDesign
This artist's shop is stocked with train and subway maps, and fabulous water colors of Chinese paper cuts, goldfish, and cities.

TheYellowRoses
Rag dolls, teddy bears, stuffed animals, pincushions, & quilts, are handmade with love & great care by this seamstress!

WhatsHerName
Handmade craft supplies, hair accessories and more are found here.

Happy Holidays Gift Market 2012

I will be at Happy Holidays Gift Market with over 50 artists, crafters and collectors presenting their creations and collections for your shopping pleasure. The range of fabulous finds is tremendous, from "rocking horse" dinosaurs to original artwork to jewelry and much, much more. You will find links to some of the artisans on the event page to be able to get an idea of the range of products that will be there.

You are sure to find unique gifts to satisfy even the most difficult person to shop for on your list. Unlike much of what you find in department stores, many of these items will be one or few of a kind, so don't delay. Come early to grab your gorgeous goodies before someone else does. Some of the vendors may even be able to create a custom piece for you, just ask. I'll be in booth 51, stop by and say hi while you are there.

Happy Holidays Gift Market - Friday (noon - 7 pm) & Saturday (10 am - 4 pm), Dec. 7-8, 2012
500 W. Nedderman Dr., Arlington, TX 76013