Make Something Beautiful - Day 10

The good thing about this project is that when I'm strapped for time, I finish pieces that have been sitting around for a while.



I think I might list this one on Etsy...

Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique gifts, chainmaille fashion and art.

Make Something Beautiful - Day 9

I made a two-strand necklace with lots of scales. For someone who wears black all the time, I really like making colorful jewelry.



Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry gifts, chainmaille jewelry and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 8

Today I realized that the most important thing that any artist/bohemian/iconoclast can have is someone who understands why you do what you do. I have that, and I am thankful.

Oh yes, another pair of earrings... although I did work on the Tiamat dress some too. I'll take a photo of that when I'm not busy yawning and typing.



Facere pulchrum, lovelies!

Vanessa

Make Something Beautiful - Day 7

This will have to be quick, as I'll be out all day. Jens Pind 5 Bracelet in red. Oh, how I love red...



Facere pulchrum! The sun is out today! I feel excited!

Vanessa

Edgy, eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique jewelry gifts, fashion armor, and art.

Make Something Beautiful - Day 6

Okay, first things first: I'm going to have two pieces in the runway show at Exhibition in Motion, 2010. You could knock me over with a feather right now.

It was a long day with much teaching involved, but I did manage to squeak out a bracelet before the end of the day. Orange and pink scales remind me of sherbet.



Facere pluchrum, dear reader.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic, edgy chainmaille jewelry, unique jewelry gifts, chainmaille fashion, and art.

Make Something Beautiful, Day 5

Is it bad that I have to check my blog to remember what day I'm on? This is supposed to be my special project, shouldn't I remember? Oh well.

While I can't show all the neat things I've been making for Rebeca Mojica's book, I can show this: a custom ring I made with little 4mm cabochons. I really love it.





Okay, now I'm really going to design business cards before going to bed...

Facere pulchrum!
Vanessa Walilko
Edgy, eclectic chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing and custom jewelry

Postcard for eXtremities

It's hard to believe that in just about two weeks I'll be heading to the SNAG 2010 conference, mostly to see my works in the exhibits (I'm fairly narcissistic), but also to meet other designers and have a fun vacation. When I have a free moment, I'm going to design some new business cards with pictures of my chainmaille jewelry on them.

Here's the postcard for the eXtremities exhibit, where you can see my beaded talons. I love seeing my name in print when it's spelled correctly.



Vanessa Walilko
Edgy, eclectic chainmaille jewelry, fashion, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 4

I'll post the story behind this piece tomorrow, once everything has been sorted out, but in the mean time, here's the ring I made today--fine silver wire holding a 4mm carnelian cabochon in place. I really love the warmth of this stone.



Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Edgy chainmaille jewelry, custom jewelry, fashion and art

Lunch time feminist rant

In my noontime internet puttering, I came across a fantastic, and depressing article on male-dominated children's entertainment. It turns out that there are three male characters for every female character in children's movies, and 87% of narrators are male. I realize that cartoons like Jem and the Holograms and She-Ra: Princess of Power were really just vehicles to sell plastic toys, but at least they featured women doing things. For goodness sake, Jerrica Benton ran an orphanage on top of having a secret identity as the popular recording star, Jem. Is it any surprise that I want to be a polymath? Hardly.

In fact, I remember way back that when Card Captor Sakura was imported to the states, it was called Card Captors so as not to alienate the male viewership. Because we all know that girls are inferior and boys won't want to watch a show that features one, right?

A quote from the original article in the Sydney Morning Herald:

Davis argues that young girls (and boys) need to see female characters onscreen, or else they will grow up thinking of females as invisible or unimportant. The institute's motto is: "Kids need to see entertainment where females are valued as much as males."

I would add that we need a society where females are valued as much as males, too.

And this is also why, although I mistrust any philosophy that can fit on a bumper sticker, I'll be post-feminist in the post-patriarchy.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, and the occasional feminist rant

Make Something Beautiful - Day 3

I taught a really wonderful class at Briolette Beads in Forest Park. And I taught my favorite weave: European 4-in-1. (After weaving together over 45,000 jump rings to make a chainmaille shrug and chainmaille jacket the weave becomes your favorite by default, really.)

Of course, I'm still thinking about the Make Something Beautiful pledge I've made to myself, which is now also a daily blogging pledge, so I made a pair of earrings. Can you tell from the bright colors that I really want winter to be over? The colors remind me of an Arizona sunset.



In the spirit of Facere Pulchrum, I think I'm going to put some of my craft stuff away. I will have a house guest in a few days--she doesn't need to be stepping on open jump rings and pins.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic Chainmaille Jewelry Designs, Chainmaille Fashion and Art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 2

I'm happy to say that I finished this vest today. To be honest, considering how busy I was, I just added the button on today, most of the sewing was done during the week. You can't see it in the photo, but the vest has tails. Who doesn't want to wear clothing with tails all the time? That's what I want to know.

Random piece of information for the day: if you want something and pursue it with single-minded devotion, it'll be yours. Honestly, it never fails. I keep forgetting this, but thankfully I always accidentally remind myself.

Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille scales jewelry, fashion, and art

Make Something Beautiful, Day 1

I'm one of those people who wants a lot from life. Of course, when I'm thinking about all the neat things that I want (and what I have to do to get them), I can get overwhelmed and just end up checking my email since that's a concrete thing I *can* do.

I've come up with a project for myself in order to keep on track. My new motto and approach to every day is, "Facere Pulchrum." For those of you who aren't Latin nerds, "facere" means to do or make (it's one of those verbs that means pretty much anything in various idioms). The adjective pulcher means beautiful, or lovely, but can also convey a sense of being excellent or admirable. The quick translation is, "to make something beautiful." Every day, I have to make something with significance, or something that I just find striking. Schiller stated that, "All art is devoted to joy, and there is no higher, no more serious endeavor than making human beings happy." Why not create beauty every day if you can?



The first thing I've made is a bracelet for the silent auction for the Chicago Tap Theatre. One of my co-workers at Blue Buddha Boutique, Jenna, is a tap dancer with the Chicago Tap Theatre, and they are having what will be an awesome fundraiser, the Shim Sham Shindig on March 6th. (Who doesn't love a good shindig?) Arts organizations are struggling in this tough economy. I hope they raise a lot of money so that can keep dancing. Those of you in the Chicago area should check it out.

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Eclectic Chainmaille Jewelry, Fashion, and Art

Featured in a great Etsy Treasury

My latest creation, the Phoenix Empress Chainmaille Scale Fire Bib Necklace has just been featured in this fantastic Etsy Treasury: Fire!!! I love anything with a fire color scheme, so I think this Treasury is particularly dynamic.



Many thanks to AntoinettesWhims for adding my necklace to this great Treasury.

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Eclectic Chainmaille Jewelry, Fashion, and Art