Kuro

Having just emerged from his egg days ago, Kuro is looking for a warm spot to curl up in, the safety provided by a dedicated guardian, and maybe some sweets if they happen to be laying around.  You couldn't deny him sweets, could you?

I had this gorgeous scrap of the most beautiful deep, dark crimson silk velvet, and naturally my first thought is "dragon wings".  I don't know, I can't help it.  Kuro is fully poseable, though his wire skeleton is comprised of thinner wire.  This allows for slightly easier movement than the larger crocheted dragons, but he's a touch more delicate.  (Well of course he is--he's just a baby!)  Even so, he's got a great range of motion.

His belly and the bottoms of his feet are all sparkly too, thanks to fabric paint medium and iridescent pigment; so it's not going to rub off.  He's also got a few beaded accents along his back, tail, ears and toes.  The gemstone beads used for his eyes seem to be jasper, but don't quote me on that one.

("Kuro" is "black" in Japanese, by the way.)

(Sold.)

Aithne

Aithne's an explorer.  From the moment she was out of her egg she's been out to explore the world, one tree at a time--but she's always sure to be back in time for dinner.

"Aithne" is Celtic for "little fire", and that is absolutely what she is.  I had no particular plans when I started, but clearly she asserted herself easily so it wasn't a problem.  The inner wire structure as been improved and reinforced from spine to toes, and that includes the real silk velvet tail, making her fully poseable.

And then there is that fur.  I've been wanting to do fur like this for forever, so finally getting the opportunity to try it is nice.  A major pain and very time-consuming, but the end result is exactly what I was going for.  Plus it's incredibly soft to the touch, much like the velvet.

I have no idea what stone that is for her eyes, though.  They were beautiful and perfect and part of an assortment, so if anyone does know please feel free to tell me.  (Best guess so far: fancy jasper.)

(Sold.)

Benny

Benny's a pretty normal adolescent chocobo.  He likes to hang out, eat, see the sights, chase cats, dig for... whatever it is he likes to dig for.  I bet he'll be a real ladies chocobo when he grows up, though.

There are plans for this guy, oh yes.  He'll be available in the near-ish future...

Pray for the Planet

And so two fascinations come together: prayer beads and Final Fantasy 7. ...No, I didn't think the connection existed before now, either. It was all because of these beads, discounted in the bargain bin and totally unwanted. I can't find them anywhere else, and there's probably a reason for it--it looks like someone swirled bright green paint into white cats eye beads, so there's a distinct glow to them. Otherwise known as (to me and me alone) Lifestream beads! Hey, why not. The "symbol" is Aerith's flowers with a ribbon around them. The rest just fell into place taking the general concept of a Catholic rosary and the background concept of the Sephirot.

And in case you're interested in the symbolism... Three groups of ten beads represent the three pillars/columns/"the three lines", and the ten steps/branches of the Sephirot. The white materia is just that--but the drop from it represents the "11th step/branch" which represents the abyss (but it's kind of blasphemous, ha ha, but then so am I). It must be acknowledged even by the protectors of the Planet, you understand. (Obviously I am not affiliated with any religion.)

(Sold)

Pray for the One-Winged Angel

And so two fascinations come together: prayer beads and Final Fantasy 7. ...No, I didn't think the connection existed before now, either. It was all because of Pray for the Planet's beads that I got this idea in the first place. These particular beads are black and beautifully textured, with tiny silver "cracks" running through them. Much more beautiful in person. So is the rainbow obsidian "black materia", which actually manages to have a silver glowing accent to it. Awesome.

And in case you're interested in the symbolism... Three groups of ten beads represent the three pillars/columns/"the three lines", and the ten steps/branches of the Sephirot. The black materia is just that--but the drop from it represents the "11th step/branch" which represents the abyss (but it's kind of blasphemous, ha ha, but then so am I). It seemed... appropriate for Sephiroth's symbol to rest on the edge of the abyss.

The original is sold, but I can take commissions for more.

Dissidia Charm Bracelet

And now that the gift has found its way to its owner, I can talk about the hell I went through to make this bracelet. *grin* Well, it was... a trial. A very, very big trial. I was juggling techniques, trying to figure out exactly how I wanted to do this and what I wanted to make it out of. I was actually disappointed at first, because a few things couldn't be exactly accurate due to what the clay kept doing/annoying me with, but now... yes, I've had time to step back and appreciate it. I want to make more, but the charms will have a slightly different style. This is definitely one of a kind.

And because I am me, and have to interpret everything, I rather liked the idea of the silver wire wrap around each crystal. It sort of represents Cosmos' energy and influence, the silver working its way through the chain and the eternal loop. ...Yeah, stop looking at me like that.

If you're not familiar, Dissidia is a "Final Fantasy fighter" that I keep meaning to take breaks from but keep picking back up for "just another couple of battles", so that should tell you something.

Marluxia Pendant

You would not believe how long and hard I worked to get the roses just right. But wow, did I learn... a lot more than I cared to. Heh. Sculpey roses over a silver-plated wire frame surrounding a lovely rose quartz sphere. And I am so happy with it... but I wish the pictures would do the iridescent pink highlights justice. Ah well.

This was done in the style of my Aeris pendant, and was something I'd been wanting to do for a long while. Finally got around to just before (the good) Anime USA, and now it belongs to the fabulous SchalaKitty (whose web site needs pimping, since geeky 8-bit cross-stitch is awesome) as very minor thanks for all of her help with the panels. We could not have one it without you... or Kadaj.

Glittering Triforce

Painstakingly wire-wrapped luscious Swarovski crystals make an absolutely perfect display of geek pride.  I've bene so happy to do so many of these over the years, both in gold-plated and gold-filled gold.  I can always take a commission for them.