Tibetan Mandala Pendant - Chainmaille Style

I don't stand a chance when it comes to colors.

The more, the merrier!!!



A circle of all inclusiveness, as a symbol of compassion for all.

More pix?  Come visit my online albums on Google+.

This cheerful pendant/necklace is now available in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Come by for a visit!

R&D - Triple Layered Scale Maille Flower via The Ring Lord

Pretty cool, huh?

Want to learn how to make a triple layered scale flower?  Watch this TRL's video tutorial by Bernice.

I saw it a while back, but never had all the parts on hand, until now:-)

The only detail I added are the additional 18 swg 1/4" rings that go thru each punched hole of the middle layer large scales and the center of the flower; without these extra rings, the top and middle layers tend to shift freely; with these added rings, the scales remain in place and the whole piece stays well in flower shape even when thrown around or dropped.

Oh btw, if the plan is to make a triple layered flower, I'd recommend weaving the rings as such from the beginning, because when fiddling with those 18 swg aluminum rings one too many times, they tend to get marred, and the scales get scratched:-(

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Genie Bottle Pendant in Raven Black

One of my favorite Genie Bottles in monochrome black.

It's difficult to photograph black on black ....

See what I mean?
But this black beauty is totally versatile.  Be it raven black, jet black, onyx black, or black galaxy, it's a little bit of everything, reserved, goth-looking, mysterious, unexpected, still goes perfectly with any outfit, in any occasion, day and night!

I'm glad my friend Joanna asked for one of these; I might not have tried this color scheme on my own, mostly because I already wore so much black, LOL!!!

Took me way longer to prepare photos for this pretty pendant than to make it.  One day I'll figure this one out.

Available as customer through my online studio!!

More pix?  Please visit my online album.

Celtic Labyrinth, or December?

My very first contact with chainmaille was a Byzantine chain, as demo'ed by David Scott Plumlee on an episode of Beads, Baubles, and Jewels.  I was hooked by how the tiny little jump rings of exactly same sizes and shapes morphed into this mesmerizing pattern.

I'll bet I'm not the only one that started their chainmaille addiction, uh, I meant "journey", from this weave:-)

There's a reason for this Byzantine Effect; and this Celtic Labyrinth pendant is a good example.  Look closely and you'll see this weave is another play on the same weave but with rings of rather different AR's.

And I do like making this weave with the Byzantine flip method, which is building the pendant inside out starting from the center rings.  This allows for a sturdy, immobile structure if you wish.  The other method, which builds the 2x2 chain first, inserts center rings last, seems difficult for me to properly close the center rings, i.e., no room to land my pliers.

So, what about December?  Right, the other weave that actually works exactly the same way as Celtic Labyrinth, but with different number of points; December as it's recorded in MAIL weave library has 6 points; Celtic Labyrinth has 4.  Those who came to chainmaille before me had already discussed this on MAIL.

I experimented with a few 5 pointed ones in different AR combinations.

Isn't it amazing that while they are all made in the same manner, the results are quite different, even with some 3-D effect!

Be it Celtic Labyrinth (Unit) or December, the influence of Byzantine is not hard to see, and I now have a much deeper appreciation for Byzantine weave's versatility.

Any insight learnt from making this pendant?  When needed, square wire rings are quite excellent in increasing the stability of the weave.  Now you know!! :-)

More views of the pendant, as well as my experiments, are here and here in my Picasa web albums.

Two Genie Bottles in Classic Golden Mulberry

The smaller, more dainty one, in my original design.

Then the bigger, more showy one, in the second incarnation of my genie bottle design.

Both custom made for my friend Etsuko, in the same color scheme of golden mulberry that is most reminiscent of the "I Dream of Jeannie" bottle.

While I have created quite a few chainmaille genie bottles in lots of color combos, each time I completed one of these beauties, I still find myself falling in love with it all over again!

I wish I had one photo of these two side by side, so you may see how they are similar "and" different...  The next best thing, how about these two photos side by side?

I used the same colors and sizes of AA rings to weave the Whirlybirds, but in different number of rings.  Interesting to see the dramatic changes in the final sizes.

Over the time as I've experimented with incorporating other elements, such as beads, chains, wires, into my chainmaille pieces, one thing becomes clear:  Multimedia is much more than just the materials; it is even more about the techniques, and knowing when to use which material, what technique for their unique qualities and best contribution to the overall design.  Right, so glad that all the time I spent on bead-weaving and wire-wrapping, plus several other more :-) is now coming together nicely.  It's the quickening!!

For complete views of these two pieces, please check them out in

here and here.

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Pet Dragon Key Chain with Blue and Green Scales

A very special little dragon, custom made to order for a very lucky girl!!

No pink or red; but blues and greens are the fave!!

Super curious;

Always alert!

Happy with belly rubs;

Or curling up for a nap:-)

For a similar dragon as this one, I'll be happy to custom make one for you via this Chainmaille Pet Dragon Key Fob made-to-order listing.  For my other chainamille creations, please visit my online studio DaisyKreates.

For complete views of this cutie, please visit my Picasa Web album.

Thank you for stopping by!!

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Staggered Corduroy with Japanese Overlay Bracelet

Yep, that's a mouthful for a name!  "Staggered Corduroy" is the under structure, or backside, of the bracelet; "Japanese Overlay" refers to the large and small rings combination on the top side of the bracelet, which pale blue fresh water pearls are set in.  So it's really 2 weaves in one!

Don't let the terms backside, topside fool you; they're both beautiful on its own.  Even when done without the beads, the pattern is already mesmerizing!  But setting the pearls softens the chainmaille edginess, adds an undeniable flair.

For closure, I selected one of my original design of hand forged heart shaped S hooks in anodized niobium in blue-green color fade.

As a first go around on this intricate design, I'm pretty happy with the result!  Lots of potentials!!  Very exciting!!!

Complete views of this lovely experiment available in my Picasa web album.

Credits

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Thanks to Anne E. Mitchell for creating this beautiful design!

Vertebrae Finger Ring

Ring made of rings.  Circles into circles.  That's the magic of chainmaille finger rings.

Many times, I started out weaving a bracelet, or a necklace; then somehow when I wrap it around my finger......

Oh look, a perfect size for a finger ring!! :-)

Vertebrae is the name of the weave; or technically, it's known as a basic European 4 in 1 Scaled, with the "scale" referring to the smaller rings nestle inside the larger ones.  But enough of the maille-tech lingo!

Try this ring on for yourself.  It's substantial at 1/2" wide, but still nimble, fits comfortably with a low profile shank at 5/32" thick.

At ring size 7 1/2, it is a popular medium size ring for most gals, or a fashionable pinkie ring for the guys.

This ring is currently available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Matching style of bracelet and pendant are also in the plan.  Stay tuned:-)

Visit my Picasa web album for more views of the ring, as well as my other handmade creations.


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Red Genie Bottle Pendant with Easy Change Clasp Bail

I've been asked if I make my chainmaille genie bottles for uses other than pendants; say like, key fob, zipper pull, ceiling fan switch pull, etc., etc.

Well, I'm a little protective of these babies, for their colors and shine.  The colors from anodized aluminum is sturdy but they can be scratched off against sharp objects; and the brilliant shine on the Swarovski crystals is too precious to mess with.  So, as the way this line of the genie bottles are made, key fob idea is out.

However, I see no reason why it can't be swapped out of the neck chain and be used as ceiling fan pull; or, light switch pull.  With the newly updated clasp bail, you decide how you want to carry your genie bottle!!

The stainless steel lobster clasp is very smooth, easy operation.  It will keep the unique tilt that sets it aside from others.  When used as a ceiling fan pull, the long slender tassels with blingy Swarovski crystals bring oh so much more movement and liveliness!

Want to dress up your favorite outfit, or your lamp pull??  Drop me a note via Contact Me at my online studio www.DaisyKreates.com.

And let the magic begin!!

More views of the genie bottle?  Come visit my online photo album.

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R&D - Sierpinski's Triangle

Sierpinski's Triangle - What's is it?  I Googled it, still it's something I don't understand:-(

But, it looks pretty awesome in maille, don't you think?!

On one of those days when I had a serious case of mailler's block (like the kind I'm having right now, sadly....), I flipped through MAIL's weave library looking for inspiration when I came across an interesting triangle shape thingy created by ElementalDragon.  If you've not done any mailling, it may not be obvious to you, but achieving a straight line with round jump rings is not exactly straight forward (yes, pun intended!)

And triangles are made of 3 straight lines!  So how does this work?

Very carefully; like this!

These are tiny, at AR 2.3 for 18 swg rings.  Very hard to keep hold of.

How about with thicker wire?  Like this.

Then this.

Then back to the first photo on top:-)  

And from a different angle.  Interesting, don't you think?!

Oh, didn't mind the gaps; this is a just test:-)  But I see potentials in this!!  A dainty pendant, perhaps....  OK, will need to fire up my Ringinator to make some tight rings; AR 2.3 is not exactly common....

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Dutch Spiral is Cool!!

You're seeing this right; this is not chainmaille; it's seed bead weaving, one of my favorite crafts.  Been a while since I last did any...  For a new year, some new ideas brewing in my head, something mixed media...  First one to revisit is Dutch Spiral.

This odd-count tubular peyote weave is fascinating!  Yes, it's known as Dutch Spiral, but it's not woven in the typical spiral stitches.

It's done exactly as any odd-count tubular peyote, except it has a "floating bridge" added to each round.  This is where the magic beings!!

My test piece is just a short segment of size 11 mixed with size 6 for the ridge effect, followed by a string of 3-bead, size 15, "floating bridge".  The starting rounds can be a bit confusing, but not as tricky as some other spirals or tubular weaves.

Not too many chainmaille weaves that I know of can do spirals as dramatic and flexible; Markovian Helix may be one, but it's not exactly a quick weave to put together.

This short strip of test piece took longer than I planned; very tactile but still need work before production feasible.

So yes, more R&D, as always.  But I'm very excited about Dutch Spiral; I see lots of potential!!!

:-)


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Byzantine Stars Earrings

There's something magical about anodized niobium.....

and sterling silver:-)

Light bounces of them giving off such brilliance few other metals can.

Words are unnecessary.......

Very happy these pretty little custom ordered stars are going to their new home, yay!!

Interested in custom ordering for my handmade jewelry?  Send me a note or visit my online shop DaisyKreates.com for more styles and options:-)

Complete views are also available in my online Picasa web album.