Edgy Filigree Jewelry

What do you get when you cross geometric polygonal shapes with scrollwork? You get edgy filigree (filigree with hard edges, literally).

As often happens, I bought some supplies a while back that I really liked but life was busy and they got tucked away for future use. I was looking for something else when I came across them recently and decided I really needed to make some jewelry from the geometric cutout brass shapes and get them listed in my EclecticSkeptic Etsy shop.

The novel pose, coupled with the polygonal cutouts of the brass unicorns seemed an unconventional take that screamed strength and attitude but still needed some rainbows. I thought they would be perfect as long, dangle earrings. Each unicorn is topped with two faceted, rainbow colored beads.

The geometric T-Rex seemed perfect for a simple, short necklace that would sit about at the collarbone. I paired the dinosaur charm with a golden cable chain and spring ring clasp to create the necklace.

Additional mythologically themed jewelry, accessories and art can be found in my Math and Myth Geekery shop section. More dinosaur jewelry can be found in my Science Geekery shop section.

New Cardinal Art from Eclectic Design Choices

Images of northern cardinals have been a popular subject with my customers. I have created two new photographic art images recently to celebrate this iconic bird. Both of these images are of male cardinals, which a lot of people refer to as red birds (for obvious reasons).

I developed one of the images for my most recent substrate for my artwork, vinyl stickers. Like my other stickers, these cardinal stickers are made from durable, weather, scratch and fade resistant vinyl with a laminate coating. A male cardinal stands on a rock slanting towards the flowing water in my backyard stream. He is looking around warily before dipping his beak into the water for a drink.

The second image was developed for one of my traditional offerings, a matted print. (The unmatted, signed 4x6 image is shown here.) I seem to have unintentionally chosen a theme for the photos I have developed this year. This picture is also of a male cardinal coming to my backyard for a drink. He stands on a branch just above the surface of the water in my pond. The water is still and allowed me to capture a great reflection of the cardinal and its surroundings.

I expect to have each of these items with me the next time I am able to do an in person show. Until then, you can reach out to me to inquire about purchasing these or other images in my portfolio.

Dig Native Plant Month (April) by Planting Some Native Plants in Your Garden

Native plants make great choices for your garden. They are usually more insect and disease resistant and better adapted to your climate than non-native species. They also are more likely to benefit local wildlife populations. Hurray for the U.S. Senate passing a resolution declaring Apr, 2021 - National Native Plant Month.

Fragrant prairie phlox is a perennial that I have growing on one side of the berm in my backyard when we had a waterfall installed. It is a true Texan, transplanted from a pasture an hour or so away. It has established itself and does not require any additional water. Its leaves appear when rains return in the fall and blooms profusely for several weeks this time of year and goes dormant over the summer. It spreads by underground stolens.

Giant spiderworts are another plant I brought to my waterfall berm garden from the wild. They flower in a wonderful assortment of colors, hot pink and various blues and purples. They reseed easily but if you do not want more plants, just cut off the seed heads when they're done blooming. They also go dormant during the summer and do not need watering once established.
The last two native plants I am featuring are wild on my property. I mow around pink evening primrose. I learned the hard way that if you do not, it gets unhappy and dies out. The blue-eyed grass is a bit more resistant to being mowed. It is a tiny member of the iris family. I do mow around them this time of year to make sure I get to see their flowers which open up when it gets bright enough during the day. (Note: This blue-eyed grass plant was in my garden, but they do not usually last long as they don't seem to like mulched gardens.)