Idle Talons

venues

Sword Ring

musings, product, venuesLarkin HamiltonComment

It's a sword... it's a ring... it's a sword ring!

These hand-shaped sword rings have a ton of detail, from the tip of the blade to the lab-grown garnet set in the pommel. Larkin even textured the metal of the grip to appear as if it is wrapped in traditional leather. Perfect for D&D players, SCA members, LARPers, cosplayers, aspiring knights, and other assorted fans of fantasy! ;)

The sword blade is 4mm wide and the ring's widest point where the blade tip meets the guard is about 1.6 cm. These will be custom made to size and available later this week at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!

Spring Soiree

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Today is the last day to get early bird pricing for this upcoming virtual bazaar preview party.

Why might you want to attend the preview party? Many vendors (like Larkin!) make one-of-a-kind products that will be available here first! And, all profits from ticket sales support a great cause. Hope to see you there!

Applegate Jade Lily Pad II

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Another take on Larkin's epic lily pad pendant! This time, in addition to the lily flower, there's a dragonfly tracing swooping circles. And the back! The leaves are the perfect complement to the cattail.

The stone is a dark, gemmy applegate jade (bowenite) found by our family, and the backlit picture shows how it glows green with light behind it.

If you would like to adorn yourself with this miniature silver sculpture, it will be available later this month at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! Preview tickets support a Ukrainian relief fund, and give you first crack at some of these one-of-a-kind treasures!

Copper Ivy Cuff Bracelet

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Remember those tiny ivy leaves on the petrified wood gate wrap? Larkin biggered them! This copper cuff bracelet is 16 mm wide, with leaves slowly tapering in size from one end to the other. Some leaves hang over the edge just enough for visual interest, but not quite enough to stab a flexed wrist uncomfortably.


It has just enough flex to fit a wide range of wrist sizes-- we still need to experiment to see what the outer limits are! This is one of several pieces Larkin will have exclusively available at the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!

Upcoming Event

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Larkin is excited to be participating in the upcoming Royaboya Handmade Bazaar!

There are some changes this time around that should make shopping a little easier. While there will still be lots of games, prizes, live videos and fun in the Facebook group, actual shopping will take place at http://www.royaboyahandmadebazaar.com.

And, for the first time ever, there will be a preview party! Proceeds from ticket sales to the preview party will support GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and I know Larkin and some of the other vendors will be offering some one-of-a-kind specials that may not last long!

Petrified Wood Gate

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As promised, here is Larkin's latest! If you were at the gem show on Saturday, you may have seen Larkin working on the wrap that is the base of this intricate frame.

Larkin cut this magical doorway from a piece of petrified wood found by our family near our home in southern Oregon-- it's amazing how much it still looks like... well, wood! Larkin hand-cut each of the ivy leaves from copper sheet and used a chisel to give them veins and dimensionality. Each leaf is attached to the larger vine with a tiny little stem, then also soldered to the frame for stability. Sometimes when fusing or soldering copper to silver, the silver liquifies and coats part of the copper. Larkin considered polishing the silver off the leaves, but decided they liked the two-tone effect.

Which brings us to that incredible little clump of mushrooms! Each fully 3-D mushroom is hand-shaped with solid copper caps. They are super solid and soldered to each other and the frame. The way they creep out from behind the frame looks so much like the way mushrooms behave in the wild! Both leaves and mushrooms are untreated copper, so they can be kept polished bright or left to develop a natural patina over time.

And how about that back?! A neat window and decoration that looks straight out of Tolkien!

Wire Wrapping Demo

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Local folks! Larkin was invited to demonstrate wire wrapping this weekend-- come check out all the purty rocks and say hi! Most of Larkin's designs require a fair bit of torch work these days, but they spent some time prepping torch elements so everything is ready to tie together. It's always fun to get a sneak peek at works in progress!

Milestones, Website News, More!

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Milestones, throwback... Wednesday, website news, a give-away... bear with me y'all!

Larkin is closing in on a milestone number of website orders and thought it would be fun to celebrate the occasion with a give-away! Warning: Larkin is a weird kid so their milestone number is not one of the obvious ones! 🤣 Larkin made this septarian piece at 13, back before they were old enough to cut their own cabs at the rock shop. This is not an original design and if Larkin was going to do it over they would use thicker gauge wire. That said, it's a pretty piece and a fun little chunk of Idle Talons history!

And here's the give-away: when that milestone website order is placed (could be this week, could take a couple of months) this pendant is going to be tucked into that package! So if there's something you've been eyeing it might be time to place an order-- who knows what could arrive at your door! ;)

Speaking of the website, we've made some changes! Larkin removed some older designs (including almost all the beadwork) to focus on the direction and feel of their current work. But don't fret! (🎵You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone!🎶) If something disappeared that you suddenly can't live without, shoot us a message and I bet Larkin will be willing to hook you up.

Market Season

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So... February always feels like a short month, but when the first Tuesday in March is March 1-- well, let's just say market season took us a bit by surprise this year! 😅 Local folks: Larkin will be back at the Rogue Valley Growers & Crafters Market first Tuesdays at the Ashland Armory... starting tomorrow! New hours this season: 9am-1:30pm. Larkin would love to see you there!

The last few days have been a blur of re-stocking, finding findings, making space on the board for new designs, stamping bags with the Idle Talons logo and lots of other preparations.

I also included a photo of one of Larkin's recent "wind-down" projects, pictured next to that sweet tiny silver lily before it was affixed to a wrap. Meet "Crumb," a baby amigurumi octopus crocheted with a single strand separated from 6-ply embroidery floss. This craft is recommended only for the young of eyes. ;)

Vining Rose Doublet

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Hot off the workbench! This piece is currently exclusively available over at the Royaboya Handmade Bazaar! There's also a poll going in that group and Larkin might win a prize if you respond that we're the ones who sent you there! (Shameless, huh?)

This cabochon is a doublet that Larkin formed from a face of rose quartz backed by obsidian, resulting in a really unique grey-lavender tone. Wrapped in argentium silver roses and vines, the back is simple to showcase the translucence of the stones. The bail is designed so the cord will thread through the looping vines.

And, yes! That second picture is backlit-- the stones look So. Cool!

Green Lagoon Applegate Jade

fun, process, product, venuesLarkin HamiltonComment

Larkin cut this cabochon from a piece of applegate jade found by our family in southern Oregon. Some of the stone’s crust is included at the bottom of the cab and we keep seeing a frog-like face: a creature from the green lagoon!

The main frame is sculpted, wrapped and soldered from copper wire, and the back plate is fused and wrapped in argentium silver wire. I can't decide whether the back looks more like kelp or a Tolkien-esque tree! Plus, the stone glows brilliantly when backlit— this is a gorgeous piece from any angle!

This piece and much more will be featured this evening at Larkin's trunk show with Dancing Beads! Tune in at 7 to see what's new :)

Crooked Mile Gallery Opening

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Our family attended the Crooked Mile Gallery opening last night in Phoenix, Oregon. The wine was flowing (Larkin had special permission to attend the 21+ invite-only event as a featured artist), the snacks were tasty, the art was spectacular, and there's something surreal about seeing Larkin's work just casually hanging out with all the big kid art!

If you're local, we highly recommend checking out this fun new artistic addition to our community!

Brick and Mortar, Yo!

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Local rock shop Dragon Crystals invited Larkin to return as their October artist of the month! If you're local, this is a great chance to see some of Larkin's work in person. These good folks lost their Talent shop to last year's Almeda fire and have re-opened at 107 W 1st St in Phoenix. It feels so official to have a display in a local brick and mortar shop!

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First Wholesale Order

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<Phew> This little bin represents a ton of work! This is the first batch of Idle Talons stock purchased by a local art gallery-- we'll let you know when they open! If you or someone you know would like an Idle Talons display in your brick and mortar business, send us a message and Larkin will fill you in on wholesale pricing. Larkin has two commissions to finish up, then it's time for some well-earned creative free play.

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