custom creations, custom explorations

i spend a great deal of time making gifts and filling custom orders for friends, family, and customers.  One of the things i love about these heartfelt endeavors is the opportunity to explore new color palettes, and create beautiful things which are useful in ways i've not experienced or imagined.  These are adventures in giving, stretching my creative wings, exploring others' life experiences... And it's so much fun. How lovely to be alive, how lovely to be aware.

"the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware"

-Henry Miller

These are pictures of a dice bag a family member ordered as a gift for a friend.  Oooo the regal richness of the array of crimson hues contrasting with the fulvous magnificence of golden accents. The variegated cotton threads used to create this bag of beauty provide a sumptuous palate of color and texture. 

This is a full circle mandala of texture and vibrant color, lovingly and painstaking crocheted from size 12 crochet thread. Next the lining was crafted from upcycled cotton jersey knit (one of my favorite Ts). The diamond center was painted using acrylic fabric paint, and a celestial motif of golden stars playfully dances across the rich maroon plane. The lining was handsewn in place, and theproject was finished as the hand-crocheted drawstrings were woven through to create the neck of the bag.

These are not colors i usually work with, so the project was a personal exploration and a great adventure.  We were all VERY pleased with the result.

This custom order soft sided stash box  was another adventure in color.  Navy blue and TARDIS blue.  This customer helps me get my geek on.

i learned to solder jewelry in creating these post earrings for my sister.  i make all my silver jewelry with ArtClay Silver, and sterling silver wire.

i have a dear friend, a young woman with a beautiful soul.  She found a man with a beautiful soul to love.  They married.  We discovered that these two beautiful souls make a beautiful baby.  i made this little sweater, hat, and random booties for my newest little friend.

This custom order is a "very special gift" from a friend to her mother.  Crocheted with turquoise and cream cotton crochet thread, these little dresser accessories are for a special person.   Tiny vessels created to hold trinkets, jewelry, buttons, beads, whispers, wishes...