Make Something Beautiful - Day 29

It was a freakishly warm day today. I love the weather, but I really miss Spring and Fall as seasons. One week of 60-degree weather does not a season make.

In any case, since I'm gearing up for a show on Sunday, I thought I make some more Dragon Tail Earrings.

Also, I added a couple hundred stars to the Tiamat dress, truly my most epic project.

I may also be working on a new project. Maybe the eye will tell you something.

Facere pulchrum!

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, bead embroidery, and beaded art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 28

I have a show coming up. Thankfully, I have plenty of inventory from the last few shows I've done, and the Make Something Beautiful project has kept me generating ideas and fully stocked.

I've also been doing some experimenting with designs. Here's my latest with chains and scales:

Facere pulchrum. I'm off to sew stars to a dress.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, beaded armor, bead embroidered art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 27

I'm in the process of making plenty of new jewelry for the April Craft Fairy this Sunday, and I made this. It's about time I put to use all those bats lying around.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, beaded armor, and beaded sculpture

Make Something Beautiful - Day 26

After making a pink and black chainmaille scales bracelet, the idea for a necklace kept buzzing around my head until I finally made it today.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille scales jewelry, custom chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille fashion, beaded armor and beaded dragon sculptures

Make Something Beautiful - Day 25

I've taken a small break from the Tiamat dress in order to finish up my first scale mail armor piece... which I've been obsessively working on when I wasn't teaching today (even on the train, where a woman named Miriam struck up a conversation with me about it).

In any case, I took a quick break to make some earrings. But I really must get back to work. Obsession calls.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales jewelry, chainmaille fashion, beaded armor, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 24

While prepping pliers for my class tomorrow, I realized that I forgot to make something new yesterday. I am working on a piece of scale mail armor, and a secret headpiece, but I'll post those when they're finished. (Yes, the rules of this project are arbitrary, but they're mine.)

In any case, today I made something cute: ladybug earrings with a little green scale serving as a leaf for the ladybug to rest on. I guess there were just no skull and armor impulses in me today.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, unique jewelry gifts and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 23

Some pearl earrings... trying to make use of all the supplies I bought years ago. Of course, the project I've been spending time on when I'm not working on the Tiamat dress is a piece of clothing made from black scales. Oh yes, it is epic.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille clothing, bead embroidery

Make Something Beautiful - Day 22

I am buzzing from a positively radiant day (hot chocolate and a cupcake for dinner are helping with the buzz, too), but I thought I would post this before my sugar crash. Here are earrings made with anodized aluminum pink roses. I love aluminum, I have to say.

Facere pulchrum. Seriously, the payoff is amazing.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic Chainmaille Jewelry, chainmaille clothing, beaded armor, beaded jewelry designs, and art jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Day 21

Ah, so I got caught up watching Highlander on Netflix and almost forgot to post a photo. From my new "Bubble" line, here's a bracelet:

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique chainmaille scales jewelry, beaded armor, chainmaille clothing, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 20

Okay, before it's a new day and before I pass out with exhaustion, here's a new bracelet: half-persian 5-in-1.

Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille clothing, chainmaille scales jewelry, custom chainmaille jewelry, bead embroidery, beaded armor, fashion armor

Make Something Beautiful - Day 19

Aside from working on the Tiamat dress (photo below) and a dragon headpiece (still a ninja-secret project), I also managed to squeeze in work on another piece in the bubble series: a longer version of the necklace. I'm tired from thinking of all these ideas. I think it's time to veg out and watch Highlander (the show is now streaming on Netflix... hooray!).

Facere pulchrum, dear readers!

Vanessa Walilko
Custom chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales jewelry, chainmaille fashion, beaded armor, and art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 18; and a blog about SNAG

I'm finally back in business. I started to come down with a stress-related cold some time last Monday and, in a desperate attempt to will myself healthy for the SNAG conference in Houston, I spent two days in bed, drinking fluids and overloading on vitamins. I managed to make it to Houston with a little cough, but otherwise asymptomatic. (No chills and no fever = joy and rapture.)

There are no real words for how incredible the SNAG conference was. Even if I didn't have pieces in the shows, it would have been worth the trip. To be in a room with that many serious artists/artisans was divine. Being around other artists is one of the most incredible experiences, and gave me the sense of, "Hey, this is what's been missing from my life." And everyone was so nice. Really, where else can you find out that Andy Cooperman is not only insanely talented, but also a really awesome person? Where, I ask you?!

Of course, the biggest thrill was seeing my pieces go down the runway in the eXtreme Exhibition in Motion show. (Click for the short video of all the pieces.) In fact, I was initially only supposed to have two pieces in the show, the Dragon Lady beaded armor, and my chainmaille shrug, however, because one of the designers wasn't able to make the show, the Egyptian collar I was wearing was given to another model to wear. It was a Cinderella moment.

My beaded talons were also featured as a part of the eXtremities: Exploring the Margins of the Human Body exhibit. I really loved this show. Many of the pieces captured this longing to overcome the limits of the human body. While I always wanted claws, someone else wanted to be a unicorn, and a lobster. I guess we're all looking for something a little more magical.

I'll wrap up this post about SNAG by giving a big thanks to Andy Cooperman, David Gooding, Barbara Kile, Angela Gleason, and
Suzanne Ramljak, all of whom I was able to meet, and all of whom made my conference experience that much better.

Oh, before I forget, I made something today, too: a choker from my new "Bubble Series."

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Chainmaille armor, beaded armor, and art jewelry

Make Something Beautiful - Day 17

I learned two things today. 1) I don't particularly care for working with titanium, and 2) if the rings you bought to make dragonscale don't quite fit, you can always improvise and make something else.

Vanessa Walilko
Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales, chainmaille fashion and beaded art

Make Something Beautiful - Day 16

A ring made with anodized aluminum F20s. I love the combination of violet and black.



Vanessa Walilko
Chainmaille jewelry, chainmaille scales, chainmaille fashion

Make Something Beautiful - Day 15

I made another found object necklace. I really like playing with the materials for these, even though I create a huge mess when I make them.



Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko

Make Something Beautiful - Day 14

Today I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to make a piece a little outside of my usual aesthetic, and use some materials that have been sitting around (I have a lot of beads and rings sitting around). The result is this necklace, which strikes me as some sort of talisman for a dark goddess. I'll use any excuse to use skull beads.

Many of the components of this piece are used in the Tiamat dress: the onyx talon, the star bead, the seed beads. They are also reminiscent of my skulls and scales chainmaille earrlngs.

Scales come up a lot in my chainmaille jewelry. I love the texture of the scales aside from the noise they make. Now, if only I could sit down and finish the scale body piece I'm working on... That's the goal after the Tiamat dress. Oh, an obsessive's work is never done.

Facere pulchrum.

Vanessa Walilko
Kali Butterfly - Eclectic chainmaille jewelry, unique handmade gifts, chainmaille fashion and art.

Make Something Beautiful - Day 13

In just under the wire, the Harlequin Shaggy Scales Necklace. I've had this on my mind all week, and it's finally finished.



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

Make Something Beautiful - Day 12

I'm an Aquarius. We aren't fans of discipline, unless we're this guy. We're generally the outlaw type.

But I'm trying to keep up with this Make Something Beautiful project. Almost two weeks in! Today's offering is a pink and black scale bracelet. After posting this, I'll get back to work on the Tiamat dress. I also wanted to retake some shots and upload them to Flickr. Of course, I sold some of the pieces, so I might just have to use the old photos. Oh, well!



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

Make Something Beautiful - Day 11

Finally! I got some D20 ECS rings from Blue Buddha Boutique. (I went in for brownies and left with jump rings--I'm so easily tricked by chocolate things.)

In any case, I finally finished this elf weave bracelet that has been sitting around on various counters and other flat surfaces for months. I'm pretty happy with the photo, too. I've ben making good use of my swanky new Pantone sweep. Yum.



Facere pulchrum! Elf weave is awesome!

Vanessa Walilko
Unique chainmaille jewelry, beaded armor and art