Mystery footprint

I spent my studio time today making some photopolymer plates for a commission.  Photopolymer plates are used to create the impression/texture/pattern in silver clay, a bit like a rubber stamp.

The commission is to make another animal tracks bracelet, but the customer wanted specific animal tracks included, not the ones that I used before.  Her choice includes elephant, rhino, buffalo, owl, etc.... Here's my original animal tracks bracelet:

I write on the reverse of each square, which animal made the foot print  - so it's a learning tool too!!

The bracelet is a gift for the customer's daughter who is graduating with a master's degree in animal science. She gave me the list of animal tracks she wanted, but helped out finding one of them.  Here is the track that she supplied: 

Any idea what animal made it?

I'll be working on the bracelet this week, so I'll post photos of the finished product when it's done.  Go on - have a guess at the mystery print .......

Paw prints in the studio!

Look who's been padding around in my studio today....


Yes, a little cat! Walking all over my metal clay......so I thought I might as well make some cufflinks out of her little pawprints :=D


Cat paw cuff links! Perfect for cat lovers - either ladies or men!


We are bottling our 2007 wine tomorrow. Four friends are helping us...hope they are feeling strong to lug all those cases around, full of wine! Fingers crossed it goes smoothly and doesn't all spill or something ......

Giveaway and new guild website

I joined ArtFire a few months ago - an online artisan marketplace - and more recently I joined one of the guilds on there - the Fun, Cute and Whimsical (FCW) guild.

This week, the great Deb - the leader of the guild - launched our guild website (http://fcwguild.com) and for the launch, I'm doing a giveaway. You have to sign up before July 16th to be eligible - but all you have to do is enter your name and email address. One name will be chosen from all the entries.

The guild has two giveaways each month - the first on the 1st of the month and the second on the 16th - so check back regularly and see what other members of the guild put up to giveaway.


My giveaway is a bookmark with one of my paw prints on it - well - not my paw print, but those of a mountain lion :-D - so it could make a nice gift for man or woman or child or....lioness!


The guild also has a separate blog which will be combined with the website soon. So go take a look at the blog, website and the giveaway to see lots of fun, cute and whimsical things and also to see if you are lucky! Good luck! Hope I know the winner.....

Paw prints bracelet......

or animals tracks bracelet? My husband always calls it paw prints!

Anyhow - just made another paw prints bracelet for my neighbour. It's very different making something for someone you know. I like the way that the person is always in my mind as I am creating it. It is like a special time to think of that person.....


No animals were hurt in this production - all very compliant!. On the back of each track is the name of the animal that made it (- no, not personal name like Tommy and Spike, but opossum, porcupine etc etc!!! ).

She seemed pleased and now can go down to the creek and see if those tracks are Mr Raccoon or Mr Mountain Lion!!!

Enjoy your wearable field guide Rony!

Gift from the cat

I was recently approached by a cat to do a commission piece for her owner! She wanted me to make her "mum" some cuff-links with her paw prints on them. So we discussed the idea.....found that she also wanted her name on them - and so I came up with some birthday cuff-links for her mum! Hope mummy likes them. Here they are:

How lovely to have cufflinks for women. I think I need to pursue this more...... Let's get those shirts out ladies and get some cool cuff-links in them! If a cat can start this trend - anyone can do it!


PS No cat was injured in the manufacture of these cuff links - and she didn't even get clay in her pads!!!! :0D

Animal tracks competition winner!!

And the winner is ........Karen!! Well done Karen. You got 8 correct out of the nine. You got all the animals I mentioned in the correct order but just missed on identifying the missing animal, which is the second square.

So the correct answers from left to right are:


Badger; Beaver; River Otter; Opossum; Porcupine; Skunk; Fox; Mountain Lion; Raccoon.

The mystery track was the beaver - I thought it was quite distinctive - but maybe not distinctive enough!!! Don't you just love the opossums little hands.....

Anyhow - well done to Karen - and to everyone else who entered. Hope you'll remember these next time you are out - or better yet, buy a bracelet for the perfect reminder! :-D

So Karen, please tell us what footprint you would like on your prize (- and looking at your profile - please don't make it the Loch Ness Monster!!!!) - it needs to be an animal or bird that I can find a representative print from. Then do tell us why you selected that animal. Also let me know if you want a key ring, book mark or pendant.

Then can you email me your mailing address so I can send off your prize!

Competition - identify the animal tracks

In my latest bracelet - "animal tracks", the tracks of 9 different mammals were used and impressed into the silver. Now your job is to identify which animals the tracks belong to. I know it's quite difficult, so I will tell you the animals used (apart from one) and you then just have to put them in the correct order and try and figure out the missing one.

So the animals are:

badger
fox
mountain lion
opossum
otter
porcupine
raccoon
skunk

plus one more mystery animal for you to guess. (PRINTS NOT TO SCALE)

Start listing from the first footprints after the clasp (on the left in the photo above). Please put your guesses in the comments section. You can enter as many times as you like. Go on - give it a try. This first person with all the correct footprints identified wins - or else I'll keep it going for a week and the person with the most correct identifications will win.

And the prize - I'll make you a key ring or bookmark with the footprint of your choice (as long as I can find one to replicate!). The piece could also be a pendant.... Your choice. With your guess, please name the animal or bird footprint you would like to win and why. And if you don't like leaving comments you can email me your guess instead!

Let's get tracking!

(PS the book shown in some of the previous photos isn't where I got the tracks from - so while it may help, you still have to be a detective!).