Mama Needs A New Pendant

Hold on to your hats and glasses folks, this is going to be a long one. 😅🎩🕶

A summation if you don't have patience for my verbosity: isn't this spectacular? You can't have it! 😆

Larkin and I have a standing agreement that I'm allowed to keep any one-of-a-kind piece I want. They know me well enough that they never bothered putting hard limits on the offer. 🤣Apparently I'm a bit scared of commitment because you know how many I've kept so far? Zero! There is one I sort of regret letting go. 🤷‍♀️

But this one ticked all of my boxes, and IT'S MINE! ❤️

Before I became a full-time homeschooling parent and (subsequently) on-line slinger of handmade jewelry, I got degrees in chemistry and environmental science. So the round-bottomed flask? Kinda perfect. The texturing Larkin put on the cork blows me away-- who knew solid sterling silver could look so porous and, well, corky?! (Of course, in labs we exclusively used ground glass stoppers, but I'm also a fan of all things fantasy and magical, so no hard feelings! 🧙)

Another sure-fire way to my heart? Slap a tentacle or a dragon eyeball onto something! 🐙🪼🐲 Larkin captured the fluid sinuosity of tentacles so perfectly here, and the detail on each tiny sucker is amazing.

Finally, the stone! This is the last cab from a chert we found on my parent's (Larkin's grandparent's) property in Humboldt, California. It's a stunning stone from a stunning place that our family holds dear to our hearts. The way Larkin created a gentle ocean swell on the surface of the stone and chose to keep some bubbly surface texturing complements the watery theme of the piece perfectly.

The one last-minute disappointment came in the last five minutes of setting the stone into the finished piece-- a small chip fractured from the stone at the bottom edge (I circled it here). The imperfection might make Larkin think twice about selling the piece, but doesn't make me think twice about keeping it. 😉

Look at me; proud new owner of an Idle Talons original! Thank you, Larkin! ❤️

A New Board Is Born!

Aaaaah we made it-- just in time for the 2024 Talent Harvest Festival tomorrow! Larkin will be at the Wagner Plaza Local Goods Market downtown and it seems like every business in town is offering up specials and fun activities-- don't miss it if you're local!

It turns out we made swapping all of Larkin's inventory onto new cards even harder than it could have been. 😅 As long as we had everything off of cards, we figured it would be a good time for Larkin to give everything a thorough cleaning and polish before re-carding them.

During this process, we were chagrined to discover that the masking tape we've been using to affix cords to the back of cards does leave a sticky residue if it has been on there too long. 😬👀 Larkin has a rapid enough turnover that it probably hasn't happened often, but if you've purchased a sticky cord please stop by Larkin's booth any time and they'd be happy to give you a new adhesive-free one! Meanwhile, fancy new tape that claims to be residue-free is arriving this weekend. ✨

We are super pleased with the end result-- Larkin's board has never looked more professional! 😁 The first picture is the new board, the second is the old board (with a few blank spaces right after a market).

Small Tree Clothing Pins

Have I mentioned that Larkin has been loving playing with different takes on these tree designs lately?

They made these clothing pins with a sharp pin that has been twisted for a little extra sparkle and hardness-- these pins are fashioned from 18 gauge wire and are about the same thickness as a standard lapel pin (or a thumbtack) so will work in any fabric that doesn't mind being stabbed by something that size.📌

Two choices... because, you know, sometimes you feel moon-y and sometimes you don't! 🌕🌳

New Product Cards!

Here's an Idle Talons business milestone that probably means more to me (Larkin's mum) than anyone else! 😅 WE GOT PRODUCT CARDS PRINTED!

Until now, I've been printing cards on card stock, ironing them (I know... but our laser printer always made the pages curve!), stamping them, and cutting them out.

These ones are so much better! It's a heavier, more durable card stock, we had contact info printed on the back so they also kind of act as business cards, they have rounded corners... and I didn't make them! 😁 I am still stamping them with the handmade silver dragon logo stamp so they retain a bit of that small handmade business chic. ;)

We won't have all of Larkin's products moved to the new cards in time for (tomorrow's!) First Tuesday Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market, but we hope to have an all-new display ready for the next Saturday market!

Moss Agate Wedding Set

Those of you who have been following along for awhile may remember the silver ivy circlet Larkin created last year. We had the idea at the time that it would make a gorgeous centerpiece for nature-inspired wedding adornment, and someone agreed with us!

They wanted a custom necklace to match the circlet and complement their champagne-colored wedding dress. Larkin had a piece of moss agate they had found on a recent trip to Washington that seemed the perfect blushing champagne color, and this set was born!

Larkin feels especially honored every time someone chooses to wear their jewelry for an especially momentous occasion and we are hoping the bride (you know who you are 😉) will share pictures of their big day!

Tomato Blossoms

Larkin couldn't help adding tomato blossoms to their tomato design!

Each blossom features the same fuzzy calyx as the tomatoes, plus paper-wrinkly petals surrounding a realistically segmented silver stamen. It's hard to do justice in photos to all the tiny details Larkin includes in their work!

Larkin is super excited about the mixed pair of earrings featuring one tomato and one blossom, but has matching sets available as well. ;)

Silver Tomatoes

🎶"Only two things money can't buy

That's true love and homegrown tomatoes"🎵

'Tis the season and Larkin's tomato plants are sprouting some unusual fruit. 😉

Larkin really packed a lot of detail into these little cuties! They dust-textured the calyx to closely resemble the fuzzy surface of tomato leaves. But I think my favorite detail is the little lump they added to the stem that is the spot it separates when the fruit is picked.

I did a lot of googling trying to figure out of there was a name for that lump, but came up short. I did, however, learn that the section of stem below the lump is a peduncle! I'll be casually trying to work that term into conversations for a long time to come. 😅

I also captured a rare shot of Larkin wearing their own work! 🍅❤️

Dragonfly Update

The dragonflies are swarming!

Larkin needed to re-stock these critters and decided to update their original design. They gave each textured wing a slight tweak so they are slightly off planar and better capture the essence of dragonfly movement.

They also added necklaces to their regular line-up so they can adorn clavicles or earlobes!

Silver Inchworm Stud Earrings

Inchworms have long been on Larkin's short list of top favorite cute insects!

Larkin hand fabricates each of these sweet little creepers from sterling silver. Each has a wee bulbous head and a slightly tapered tail, and is caught in the middle of that characteristic inchworm scrunch.🐛

These inchworms will sit differently depending on earlobe size and position of piercing— they will hang slightly off a small, attached earlobe (pictured on Larkin's ear) and perch fully on a larger detached lobe (pictured on Larkin's younger brother Finn's ear).

They are light enough they can also be positioned to creep sideways up or down the ear!

I also had to include a shot from the photo shoot when I caught Larkin and (large orange cat) Pippin gazing adoringly into each other's eyes. 😻🐾

International Ladle Week Is A Wrap!

Well, folks, we have made it to Day Seven-- the final day of International Ladle Week! We considered extending the holiday another day or two, but I don't think that poor little cauldron could take another ladle. 😅

Today, Larkin has added a ladle growing a trio of mushrooms, each in a different stage of development. Stew or potion, mushrooms definitely belong in that cauldron!

Thank you for joining us on our week-long celebration of the lowly ladle! Please let us know which ladles you think make the cut for the final collection! And what was missing? Are there other ladles you'd like to see Larkin try their hand at making?

Larkin says posting daily makes me less entertaining, so I feel a need to leave you with a ladle joke: A fork says to a spoon, "Who was that ladle I saw you with last night?" The spoon says, "that was no ladle, that was my knife."

And on that note, see you ladle, alligadle!

International Ladle Week Day Six

Day Six of International Ladle Week brings us to what may be the most completely edible plant in the collection! Did you know that virtually every part of the cat tail is edible-- from roots, shoots, and stalks, to flowers, pollen, and seed heads-- when they are harvested at the appropriate time in the plant's development. Even the leaves can be eaten, although they are more commonly used to weave baskets.

Larkin has duplicated the plant at its most recognizable hot-dog-on-a-stick phase (pretty sure that's the scientific description 😅) with its velvety flower spike shaped from copper. The plant rises from a sheet of silver that Larkin textured to mimic the dappled, flowing surface of a pond. 💦

International Ladle Week Day Five

Many happy returns of the day to you on this International Ladle Week, Day Five!

Today, Larkin has added a wee sprout to the collection. This green dynamo could become anything-- its true leaves haven't developed yet, although their beginning can be seen at the tiny growth tip on the main stalk. 🌱

Larkin made two of these as prototypes, one with a visiting inch worm and one without. I was a big fan of the inch worm so took more pictures of that version, but please! Let us know if the unadorned sprout is more your style! 🐛

International Ladle Week Day Four

When you just started making isopods, it turns out that everything round looks like a place for a roly poly to take a nap. 😅😴

Larkin couldn't help plopping an isopod into a ladle when they had one on hand that was a perfect fit! While we did hear from a surprising number of people who confessed to eating these little crustaceans in their younger years, I don't expect them to become a culinary phenomenon. They may be land shrimp, but do they really belong in this collection?

International Ladle Week Day Three

Today, a ladle with a creeping ivy vine joins the other two.

Here's one of Larkin's collection that is a little less traditionally culinary! English ivy is toxic to humans (and many other living things), but it's a pretty impressive air purifier and apparently has been used in small amounts by herbalists for years to combat breathing problems and other complaints.

One of Larkin's favorite aesthetics is man-made items being slowly re-claimed by nature. Ivy is certainly a master of this, which may explain why it shows up in their work regularly. 😉

Larkin likes ivy's tenacity and clingy creepy crawly growth habit, but is wondering if it really belongs in this particular collection. What do you think-- should they stick with more traditional culinary elements or embrace the invasive creeper?

International Ladle Week Day Two

Day Two of International Ladle Week! (Check previous posts if you're kerfuffled by our rampant random rejoicing. 😅)

Larkin modeled this wee sprout after the oaks in our southern Oregon forest home. The acorns produced by these trees are crucial to local wildlife, and were a staple food for the original Native American inhabitants of this land. 🌳

I remembered to include a quarter for scale with this one, because I realize how hard it is to fully grok the scale of eensy weensy detail Larkin puts into every piece!

International Ladle Week Day One

Welcome to the first day of the Idle Talons celebration of International Ladle Week! 🎉 Just kidding, we made up the holiday... but aren't all holidays really just human inventions? 😅 In the spirit of our week of festivities (it may be slightly more or less than a week... Larkin is still coming up with ideas!), we'd love to see your favorite funky ladles!

This line is for all you kitchen witches, herb magicians, and plant whisperers-- and we thought we'd start the week off with a... bean. First in Larkin's series of whimsical ladles is a twining, fruiting bean vine— complete with two little beans and three sets of leaves. The vine is rooted in textured silver, mimicking rich garden soil.

As always, Larkin's work is entirely hand fabricated, never cast. This piece is solid sterling silver, but copper components will be showing up this week as well! Stay tuned, and let us know your favorites as Larkin refines the line! 😁

Shameless Teaser Post

Larkin made this sweet round-bellied copper cauldron as a table display/photo prop for their most recent line. 🧙 Any guesses what they've been working on?

We're going to be unveiling one new piece daily until... well, until Larkin stops coming up with new ones. 😅 But we need your help! We'd love to narrow them down to 5-ish styles that resonate with good folks like you. So please, follow along and let us know which pieces are your favorite!

A Happy Accident

Larkin was re-stocking their wild rose stud earrings when a few stud posts refused to solder properly. So they pivoted, added a couple of leaves and turned the stubborn studs into sweet little tiny necklace charms.

These aren't part of Larkin's regular line, but are something you can find on their ever-evolving market display. Next opportunity to visit in person is this Saturday August 3 at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market in Ashland!

At a recent market, someone told Larkin that one of their favorite perks of supporting Idle Talons is that Larkin is willing to break up pairs of earrings. Not everyone has symmetric piercings, and as a handmade business Larkin is always happy to provide a single earring!

Silver Slimers

Larkin came up with this charming snail design quite a few years ago-- these whimsical gastropods always have a surge of popularity in the spring and it was time for a re-stock! 🐌💦 Since Larkin makes all their own findings now, it was also time to update photos to include their handmade ear wires.

I took advantage of Larkin's grandparents' epic vegetable garden to get some photos of these silver slimers in their natural habitat. 😄🐌

The Legend Of Froon

[Today we are introducing Larkin's latest piece with a guest post from Larkin's grandpa Jim. Jim has never actually been on social media but is pretty confident that he knows what the people want. 😉]

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a small furry froon. As you know, froons are friendly creatures and normally live together in underground communal groups, often in caves where precious jewels abound, and decorated with secret, precious treasures. Froons are very observant, and often find such treasures in hidden forest glens, caverns, and dragon nests.

But, this froon had traveled far from their homeland in search of arcane knowledge and adventure. It was now too old to travel back to its homeland. It settled in a cave hidden in a remote corner of the shire. The froon made friends with many hobbits. It was particularly enchanted with Bilbo's magnificent home, and in particular Bilbo's fine entrance.

Crafting a comparable door for his home was sadly beyond the froon, for while his imagination was unbounded, his craftsmanship was limited by age. When his friends, the roly polys, discovered the froon's longing for an artisanal entrance, they pitched in to create a charming, vine-covered edifice, both useful and inspiring. The door was created in ancient wood, surrounded by silver vines. It was soon renowned throughout the shire, and even beyond, with rapt stories of the door told by adventurers in far lands.

From the mists of time and legend, Larkin has created a facsimile of the legendary froon entrance, using petrified wood (rumored to be part of the original froon creation) and sterling silver. The diligent roly-poly craftspeople are depicted as well, proudly showing their handiwork.