At last, this custom Journey cuff commission is complete and in the hands of its rightful owner!  Whew.  It features a personalized design and a 14ct gold bar clasp.  As well as… *pauses to do the math*  2,611 beads.  Woven together over the course of 8 days (HOW DID I DO THAT).  I wish I hadn’t just figured that out, but it sure explains why my hands and wrists still hurt.

Regardless, I’m gonna get a little sappy here.  The fact that I had a request for a personal symbol just… makes me so happy.  This game, Journey, was an incredible adventure.  Impossible to describe or explain.  It inspired me to make my original Journey Cuff, which in turn inspired someone to have me make their very own unique Journey cuff.  Sure my hands are going to need a a little more rest before I get to my next project, but… I’m honestly moved.  To my commissioner: thank you for the opportunity.

To thatgamecompany: flOw, Flower and Journey all have the honor of being “I just need this every so often" games.  I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.  I’m there, whatever it is… but it’s gonna take me a few years to be able to afford a PS4.  Just sayin’.  Take your time.

I don't know why, I'm just a sucker for Shyguys.  You can imagine how happy Yoshi's Island made me, then.  They're bouncy and colorful and make delightfully terrible noises--what's not to love?

(For Sale)

Glowing symbols, songs, grand visions and movement.  This is not a journey soon forgotten, the echoes of it still drifting across the dunes.

There are very few video games that have actually taken my breath away.  Journey managed it multiple times.  The specific beads used were inspired by a certain scene where there is just such glorious light suddenly, such intense beauty that's almost hard to look at... I couldn't resist trying to reflect that.  It's so difficult trying to photograph the full color and sparkle of these beads, not to mention how the white ones really do seem to glow at the right angles.

2,741 beads comprise this bracelet, each individually woven together by hand, from 4-8 threads going through every, single, bead.  The clasp itself is a gold-plated copper smooth-working slide or tube clasp.  (It's actually a lot easier to work with one hand than it looks.)  The bracelet itself would fit a wrist up to 7.5 inches in circumference, but I can be commissioned for custom sizes.

(For Sale)

So there’s another little exchange going on between the fabulous Schala-Kitty and myself.  Since I already made her a kitty... shouldn’t I make her a Schala?  Well, made sense to me.

Another interesting beaded pendant test.  Yay learning techniques!  That I have to teach myself.  That I have to learn I actually need in the first place.  Mother of invention or something.  Point being, SUCCESS and LEARNING!

(I am willing to take commissions for pixel pendants, by the way.  You know, just so everyone’s aware.)

Long ago, there was a place I visited that was like a dream.  It was endlessly beautiful, inhabited by magnificent giants--that I was tasked with killing.  Many times I questioned the slaughter, but still I pressed on, eager to see what would become of me and the world around me, and it was when I saw the giants all laying motionless that I felt the weight of what I'd done.  From that day on I left the realm, swearing a self-imposed exile; I no longer deserved to see such beauty.  Maybe one day I can return to the Forbidden Land, to witness the landscape again... but there will be no more killing.

Shadow of the Colossus left a lasting impact on me that I'm not sure was intended by Team ICO.  I cannot do the epic right with words, but maybe in a beaded peace offering?  I'd been wanting to do something with the Eye of the Colossus (an item that doesn't actually appear in the finished game, but the model and function code still exist in preview builds; yes, this is how much of a geek I am) for quite a long time now, and it all just sort of crashed down around me with a large, round fiber optic cabochon.  Then came paint.  And beads.  Lots and lots of bead and many days of weaving beads to more beads.

I'm so happy with this.  Not only did the Eye of the Colossus come out beautifully, but the dark gray beads frame it perfectly, and the "serpent creature" astounds me.  Of course those are Swarovski crystals for the eyes.  The clasp is one of those hook attachments that I normally use for dragon bracelets, but in this case it was the best choice.  There are also sixteen "spines", one to represent each Colossus.  They're not actually spiny in any way, as they're held together with thread and flexible.  Just thought I'd say so.

("Ramum olivae" is Latin for "branch of olive"; an olive branch.  A peace offering.)

(Sold.)

I've had this idea in my head for months, so it's kind of nice to finally make them.  Little awesome Super Mario Brothers mushroom rings!  You've got your Super Mushroom (in blazing, blinding red), your 1-Up (in bright frosted lime), and your Poison Mushroom (in dazzling purple and brilliant blue).  Pretty sweet, right?

(For Sale)