Dragonsglass

Tonight I was surfing Flickr looking for inspiration in a “colorful” group when I saw this picture of a kaleidescope. Of course, since it is purple, I was immediately drawn to it. As I looked at it longer and longer I saw skinner blends, I saw speckled logs, I saw a cane being built. So…..the first big cane I make after my wrist heals will be an attempt to create this….

So…..anyone else want to take this one on with me? I have a feeling I might do a wee bit of judicious editing on parts of it….or not. I guess time will tell eh? Happy claying every one!

I finally have gotten some new canes and beads up in my store. The newest cane is the SW Butterfly I posted about earlier. There are also some floral canes listed now. I also added some fun funky faux paper beads. thanks for looking.

I just finished a new SW Indian design cane that is waiting for reduction. I am, of course, nervous about the reduction, but that is so normal for me Here is a picture of it pre-reduction so you can see how big it is.

I was shooting for faux turquoise, fax MOP, and faux fire agate. Lets see if it works once reduction happens.

I also I just listed a new cane covered turtle on Etsy. If you have a turtle lover in your life this might be a good gift for them. It is half a goose egg shell. I made all the canes and laid swarovski crystals on the waves on the top. A sneak preview for you

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Last week I was working on a few hamsa for the Judaica shop at my Temple. I finally got to finish them up this weekend. The canes I used were some of mine and some of Elaine Robitaille’s obtained off the ClayChicks Etsy Shop. Her partner in floral caning, Carolyn Jordan, added one of her beautiful flower canes to my collection too. Being as that I am NOT a flower caner, being able to purchase these canes from these two amazing artists was a blessing for me.

The fist hamsa is a smaller version which could be hung in a house, or studio, or where ever you would like one. The clay portion measures 3 1/2″ from top to tip of the finger. It also contains the Jewish home blessing, partially in Hebrew and then in English.

The next three Hamsa I made are of the larger version, measuring 5″ from the top to the fingertip of the clay portion. These too have the Jewish home blessing on them, and are decorated with beads and micro macrame’ and a hanger, either a ring or a small piece of mesquite wood.

A little history of the Hamsa for those who do not know what they are.

The symbol of the hand in Mediterranean cultures is ancient as in far east cultures. There are speculations that the Jews were among the first to use it as a protective amulet, also called “Hand of Miriam”. This tradition predates the Muslim use of the Hamsa (called the hand of Fatima, daughter of Mohammed) by at least a thousand years.

The hamsa, hung on a wall, is a very common ornament in Morocco, Israel and the Middle East. The use of the Hamsa is part of the Jewish and Israeli folklore and superstition, but it has nothing to do with the official Jewish religion. Of course, many people today display or wear hamsas as ornaments, without giving any thought to their supposed magical properties.

The symbolism of the Hamsa: The hamsa hand (Arabic) or chamesh hand (Hebrew) is an old and still popular amulet for magical protection from the evil eye known to draw positive energy, happiness, riches and health. The Chamsa’s (semitic root meaning five) includes five digits and symbolizes the Creator’s protective hand. Five is by itself a number which is known as a protector.

So I already told you about the weekend with Jean and Cat. Now it is time to show the canes I created. I know you have been holding your breath for this haven’t you?

The first cane I made is a PNW style cane. Imagine that! Someone asked me to make a sea otter so I did. The background is different then I normally do for my PNW images. Cat suggested to make it like the sea with waves. So, this time I used trans and white chopped with small bits of blue and green. each slice will give a different aspect of the otter floating on the water. I think it will look great as an overlay on a nice background, which is something I have on my “to do” list.

The next cane I made was a flower cane. Yep…you read that right. Cat made a gorgeous one and I whimpered until she gave me a few hints and tricks on what to do with my blend. She responds well to whimpering and begging, even though her husband was looking at his non-exiting watch because they were almost ready to head out to Sacramento. I am really happy with how it turned out and had a few ideas on how to tweak it to make it more *mine*.

Once I got home I decided to see if my tweaks would work in this style of flower. So I whipped up a new blend and started to play. I am happy (sort of) with how it turned out but can see things to change about on the next one. Yep, read that right too. I need a break from the PNW style since they are so concentration intensive. so here is the second flower cane I made.

So, there are the fruits of my labor dduring the clay weekend. Soon, these canes will be coming to my Dragonsglass Etsy Store. I want to thank you for taking the time to look at my site.