New year, new growth!Larkin is starting to feel recovered from the gloriously diverting distraction of year-end holidays/birthdays/merriment at our house and getting back in the studio!
This sterling sproutling design is one Larkin wants to continue to play with-- possibly adding some rootlets and/or seed remnants/cotyledons.
As it is, it's a pretty powerful symbol of new growth-- and the circular bail is a nice nod to the sun's role in this business of life.
We've been a bit quiet lately as Larkin is working on some holiday gifts that can't be posted until after the holidays. There’s a bit more action happening over on the Idle Talons Facebook page! If you’d like to take part in a raffle to win one of Larkin’s pendants there are just a few more days to make it happen! See pinned post at www.Facebook.com/Idle.Talons for details, and please let your friends know if you think they'd be interested.
Larkin needed to restock these wild rose stud earrings for a few orders, and we're still charmed by how they look in a bouquet (in this photo they're straight out of the pickle and not shined up yet)!
Larkin loves the idea of making some tiny botanical stalks for bunched display-- do you or someone you know make tiny glass or ceramic vases that you think would pair well with Larkin's work? It could be fun to partner up!
Larkin's doodling with wire again! These sweet little snow people are a perfect celebration of winter! Their bodies and ear hooks are argentium silver and their hats are copper. Copper is untreated and can be kept polished bright or allowed to develop a natural patina over time.
Talk about down to the wire-- Larkin finished the final polish on this piece after dark last night and we grabbed some quick photos before it disappeared off to market this morning!
Larkin cut the terrarium cabochon from a piece of petrified wood found by our family, leaving the top rough to show the original exterior of the wood and mimic the rough surface of soil.
The sweet-as-all-get-out sproutling is hand-fabricated from sterling silver with so much detail! Check out its tiny terminal bud between the two leaves! Larkin kept the frame and back simple and clean, highlighting the stone and sprout.
Larkin made the custom bail with a stylized sun, the perfect accompaniment for new growth. They were amused that it also looked much like the stereotypical sun you see in the corner of so many kids' drawings. :)
Zoinks, y'all. So far all of my favorite pieces of Larkin's work have involved stones and metal, but this piece of pure silversmithing has me converted!
You may recall that Larkin fabricated this apple blossom as part of the Ringgold workshop-- well, now it has been paired with an apple leaf and transformed into a gorgeous clothing pin!
This set involves so many different techniques and textures that combine to form an amazingly realistic result.
And look how perfectly shiny the back is! Zoom in if you ever have a need for my fingerprints.
This lovely will be at the RoxyAnn Winery event tomorrow!
These holiday markets are looming (remember the RoxyAnn Winery Holiday Bazaar is this weekend!) and Larkin is hardly coming up for air and food!
This cabochon is a piece of petrified Saddle Mountain bog wood that was gifted to Larkin. They cabbed it in a unique shape that is just perfect for the top of this sweet little mushroom house. The front has a tiny door and window, and it's easy to imagine the wee field mouse or fairy that calls it home!
The back finds a couple of butterflies resting above blades of grass, and the whole thing is topped with a custom vining leaf bail. I'm going to go ahead and use a word that seldom comes up in my vocabulary: this piece is positively Darling.
And we’re introducing a new addition to the Idle Talons market booth! This wood-framed screen is kind of like a real-life version of the website gallery-- it holds 8 x 10 photos of past work. I'm sure some of you will see some familiar images. ;) We hope this will be a larger-than-life eye-catching draw to Larkin's booth full of tiny treasures.
That photo also has some unintended easter eggs! You can see some pretty cute photos of Larkin and younger brother Finn in the background, plus a reflection of Larkin in the window hunched over like a jewelry goblin.
Another sterling silver oak leaf clothing pin!
This time Larkin fabricated a pin-style closure so it will work with virtually any garment.
This one is much more diminutive than the others, just like the leaf from which it was modeled. I still get a kick out of seeing the finished silver piece with the original leaf!
Aaaah! The holidays approacheth! 😅 Larkin has three events coming up! Local folks have two opportunities to check out the Idle Talons booth in person: at RoxyAnn Winery next weekend Nov. 19-20, and in the Talent Holiday Market at the Talent Elementary School Nov. 26-27.
Not local? Never fear! the virtual Royaboya Handmade Bazaar is back, with all the fun and games we have come to expect! The Favorite Things Holiday Bazaar runs this Nov. 25-29.
Bonus picture of pretties: Larkin redesigned the ivy hair pins slightly and I had an opportunity to photograph them with their wild brethren. ;)
This cab is a beautiful green serpentine (we sometimes call these stones undercooked applegate jade). Larkin created a pretty dreamy nighttime scene with hand fabricated mushrooms and ivy, topped with a shiny crescent moon.
And that mushroom at the top? It's actually the bail! The wee 3d shroom has a loop on its back for a cord to pass through. The back of the stone is secured with a lovely little hand-shaped branch.
This piece will be available at the upcoming holiday markets!
The tools inspired by the Nicole Ringgold Jewelry Designs workshop have arrived and Larkin is hard at work. This hand-fabricated sterling silver clothing pin is extremely versatile-- it could add a flash of fabulous fancy to a dress shawl for an evening out, yet won't look out of place on a warm cap at the farmer's market!
The shots with the original leaf and twig are fun-- you can see how Larkin incorporated details like the surface texture of the twig, and they even matched the look of the hard core and softer surface of the original twig. Larkin used an actual leaf from the forest around us as inspiration, and plans to press it and include it with the final piece!
The twig passes through two soldered arches on the back of the leaf to hold it in place and will work on virtually any knit or crocheted garment (it may be a little loose if used on veeery thin garments).
We tried it on hats, scarves, and even as a buttonhole decoration on a coat!
Larkin is working hard on stocking up for upcoming holiday markets, so you may notice we're not adding new work to the website right now. This is one of the items Larkin will be offering at the ROXYANN WINERY HOLIDAY BAZAAR !
I am so excited about these leafy hair decorations! This is the first (hopefully) of many. Larkin plans on making a whole line of leaf hairpins, each unique and modeled after actual individual leaves in our forest and surroundings.
Larkin hand-shaped and textured this oak leaf from sheet metal and wire. The wire base is bent and shaped into waves like a bobby pin for greater staying power.
This pin can be used alone for a small amount of hair (it will hold slightly more than a bobby pin and less than most barrettes) or added as decoration to a hair tie.
This is the leaf Larkin made in the Ringgold workshop and is solid 0.925 sterling silver. After lots of experimentation and frustration at home, it became clear that argentium just doesn't behave as well as sterling for these kinds of sculptural projects-- it gets brittle and tears and cracks very easily. While Larkin will continue to use argentium for some projects, they bit the bullet this week and placed an order for sterling that essentially meant replacing all the metal in their home workshop.
And the samaras got their final polish!
These are currently a one-of-a-kind pendant, but once some new tools arrive Larkin hopes to make repeatable designs for earrings and pendants. Larkin hand sculpted these detailed maple seed pods from 0.925 sterling silver.
In our childhood, these “whirligigs” or “helicopter seeds” had a special place in our hearts! Immortalized in silver, these seed pods are remarkably sturdy while appearing amazingly delicate.
Next up in workshop results is what (I think?) is Larkin's most purely sculptural piece yet!
Larkin entirely hand-sculpted this pendant (I've been calling it Still Life With Twig 😅) from 0.925 sterling silver. It is truly three dimensional and can be appreciated from all angles!
The twig itself is impressively realistic, and made even more so by the cluster of cup lichen at its base. A wee silver inch worm making its way toward the bail is the perfect topping for this sweet little piece of nature-inspired art.
I suspect that the right person will know this unique piece needs to be theirs as soon as they see it!
Larkin is slowly putting final touches and polishes on the results of last week's workshop and we'll be listing them in the next few days! First up is this super sweet mushroom pendant.
Larkin cut this uniquely shaped red jasper cabochon from a stone found by our family in Humboldt County, California. All metalwork is done in 0.925 sterling silver. Larkin is having a small crisis of commitment after working in sterling at the workshop. They vastly prefer the color/quality of argentium, but it's not clear if the ease of working with metal at the workshop was entirely due to using sterling or the quality of the tools. Lots of experimentation ahead!
The sweet little rounded mushroom base frames a cluster of young mushrooms, and the back of the bezel setting features a trio of hand-cut and textured oak leaves.
First day of the Nicole Ringgold workshop! This is what's currently on Larkin's bench:
Also, a reminder that this workshop means that Larkin will not be at tomorrow's Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market, but will be there next week-- probably with some brand new treasures in tow. ;)
A sweet little mushroom family portrait!
Larkin formed the mushroom caps from copper and they can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.
The mushroom stems and veils/skirts (I learned these are called annuli!), and the frame are all shaped from argentium silver.
These little guys have so much personality! 🍄💕
Larkin's latest portal looks like it leads straight into the Octopus's Garden!
Larkin cut this cabochon from a plume agate stone with striking red and yellow markings and two sparkling druzy pockets. The agate agate material means the cabochon is quite translucent when back-lit.
Tube coral stretches up from the bottom left of the solid silver frame, each tip painstakingly drilled to appear hollow and accented by a column of bubbles rising to the bail. Another coral plant on the right completes the front of the frame.
... Which brings us to the back, and a new element Larkin designed that I hope to be seeing again soon! Larkin sculpted a graceful row of pneumatocysts, the buoyant bubbles that keep kelp floating at the surface of the ocean.
This piece has a very dynamic, flowing feel for something made from cold, hard silver and stone!
One of Larkin's market customers brought in one of their favorite earrings that had lost its mate wondering if Larkin might be able to make a new match. The job was a bit tricky since the original wire had thinned and changed shape over time as it was worn. Here is the finished pair, with Larkin's replacement on the right!
Larkin is adding to their hair pin designs, with visions of similar designs as tie pins, hair clips, and cloak/shawl pins coming soon!
These are both designed in the bobby pin style, with the framing wire bent and shaped into waves for greater staying power.
Solid silver hair pins can be used alone for a small amount of hair (they will hold slightly more than a bobby pin and less than most barrettes) or added as decoration to a hair tie.
After losing a battle with kelp (silver kelp... more on that soon!), Larkin needed to switch gears for a bit and designed this super sweet, solid silver hair pin!
Larkin hand-shaped the ivy leaves from sheet metal and attached them to a beefy 12 gauge wire. They bent and shaped the wire into waves like a bobby pin for greater staying power, and balled the end for comfort.
This pin can be used alone for a small amount of hair (it will hold slightly more than a bobby pin and less than most barrettes) or added as decoration to a hair tie.
Here, Larkin's dad gamely demonstrates that, while this hair decoration is very versatile, it is not suitable for *all* hair types. 🤣
The hair pin measures 5.0 cm long and 2.4 cm at its widest point.