RavensCreations.com

Update on Nikki

I am doing an update to share with all of you wonderful people who have bought from my shop during this time of my sale for Nikki! I want to thank each and everyone of you and let you know that it has been so touching the out pouring for this little sweetie. I love Nikki, he is a real blessing. There has been a great outpouring and people have just been wonderful in buying things so that we can pay for these vet bills. And it has made a significant dent in them, but I still have more to come. When Nikki was injured, the gravest concern was for his head injury. That is still the main reason they have him on meds, ones that will hopefully prevent any further seizures from occurring in the future. He is getting around without assistance now and his personality is making itself known again. It does my heart good to know that he is no longer the listless stranger that the injuries and medications made him.

I will try to keep you updated more frequently on his progress and let you know, as he hopefully completes his recovery and rehabilitation.

Celebrating My One Year Etsy Anniversary!

Celebrating My One Year Etsy Anniversary!
I have to admit that it seems almost impossible to realize that I have been selling on Etsy for on year! That is a reason to celebrate in my book so I have decided to share the celebration and discount everything in the shop by at least 20%. This way those wonderful folks that have made my year on Etsy a special one, have as much reason to celebrate as I do. The sale starts Jun 7th and runs through Jun 9th, midnight CST. So be sure to check it out! Here

Living in My Forest

I live in the middle of a forest. It is on the edge of East Texas and Louisiana. It is a forest that is undergoing a sad change.
Way too many of our trees are being cut down. Not just cut down, but clear cutting.

It makes me sad.

I understand that we need lumber, I work with wood. I understand that. But in this day and time, I feel that it is incumbent upon those cutting the trees to at the very least, replant. Leave the land in good shape so that the forest can recover. But they don’t. They come in and cut down the trees and leave all the trees that they decided were not commercial just strewn about.

So many of those trees could have been left standing. But aren’t. And replanting could have made the forest come back faster, but they don’t.

It is sad, they don’t see that they are doing harm to the planet and all who share it. But they just see their bottom line. Today they made money.

I am not against making a profit, but we need to ask ourselves at what cost.

Please lets be a little greener in our outlook today.

Think a little harder about the consequences of your choices, make choices that make sense for the future of our planet.

I Now Have My Hair Daggers Up!

I have been working for several years on making workable designs on hair daggers. I love all kinds of swords and daggers and have many hair swords and daggers, some that I have bought and many that I have made.

I have worked on the designs that are based on actual swords and daggers and I have used beads and other things over the years to create the look and feel of a real sword or dagger.

I started with beads in the beginning. Mainly because that is what I started working with at a very young age. But I then went on to other mediums.

I feel that the best way to grow as an artist and not become stale, is to branch out and try new things and designs. So that you stretch yourself and grow, both in scope and knowledge. To stop learning as an artist is the beginning of the end to creativity.

I have worked very hard learning to master the art of beading, and I have learned a great deal and will continue to learn new techniques and methods, but in making swords and hair daggers, I found that beading would just take you so far. I wanted more. So I branched out and learned to carve wood and other materials. I learned to work with metals and other materials have been used to create swords and daggers for centuries. Now I am happy to say that I have arrived at a place that I am happy to share more of them with my customers rather than just family and friends.
I also wanted to create a line of hair daggers that would be made for those who loved the idea of hair swords and daggers but only wear wooden hair sticks and accessories.

I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed making them and bringing them to life.

This one is bone copper and aluminum.

This is cracked glass beads and spacer beads that I welded together, on an aluminum hair stick.

This is a dragon shelot and katana. Katana’s are interesting in that the original designs were copied from Korea and China and were straight and not the curve that we see today.

Here is the top of the katana. Showing the tsuka and tsuba which are the grip and the hilt.

Here is a pirate cutlass.

A sword and wand set.

The same sword and wand, with matching shelot.

This is actually a Viking Pin, but it is very dagger like.

This is a hair dagger that is shaped like an Indian dagger. It is made of acrylic countertop material and is very strong. It looks just like an Aloe Vera leaf. It almost feels like one too.

Here is a Celtic Wooden Hair Dagger, I love the copper spirals and the copper serpentine design down the blade.

This one is from copper that I beat and beat until incredibly hard. It turned out lovely.

Here are a few things from my shop. Thanks for looking.
Raven.

I love Egyptian Jewelry! All Right, I just love Almost All Things Egyptian!

I am working hard on some new shelots and hair sticks that I am in love with….. They are Egyptian in style and color scheme. I love them.
I wanted to be an Archaeologist when I was younger, but I let others talk me out of it… But I still love the art and history that is Egypt.

There are not very many places that have so much history, unless it is maybe China. Which I like, but I Love Egypt. So that brings me to the shelot I am working on, and a set of hairsticks that I have just finished.

The interplay of turquoise and coral and lapis against gold is just gorgeous. I cannot believe that I haven’t made a shelot with these stones all together until now.
I will post picks when I am finished.
It reminds me of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who was a woman.

Way to go girl! Not bad for that long ago.

But many may not know that Egyptian woman had more freedoms and rights than European woman of the day.

Something to think about.

Not all Handmade Items are Created Equal

Handmade items can become treasures that will be well loved for years to come, or they can be things that are made quickly with no thought as to creating something that will last and be a well loved item that might even eventually be passed on to another.

When I create a piece of hair jewelry I am always thinking about how to make the piece as beautiful and as long lasting as possible. That is the way that I was taught to make any thing. I come from a long line of craftsmen. My family have created things that generations later are still being enjoyed. My family were woodworkers and carpenters and other craftspersons. My grandfather taught me that if you are going to create anything, you should do it to the best that you can. That may be an old fashioned principle for today, but it is one that I adhere to with a passion.
There are some who always strive to create masterpieces each and every time they create something. Each item made with focused attention and effort on each step. Then there are those who are trying to sell handcrafted items, and they are nice, but in many ways not as well made as something that is mass produced. The reason is, that the mass produced ones have many of the problems ironed out. And then there are those, that while they are handmade, they are still in a sense mass produced. They are the ones that are made by hand, but at wages that are less than what a person can truly live on. In other words sweatshop wages. That is not what you want to support when you support things that are handmade. You want to support giving the artist fair trade wages. In other words, no matter where they live, you should pay the artist and creator of handmade items enough to support themselves by their art and labor.

Just something to think about the next time you buy handmade.

How To Cut Aluminum Knitting needles to Make Hair Sticks

This is a tutorial on creating hair sticks from knitting needles.
Years ago, I came across a web site that gave really helpful hints on making hair sticks.

That was the first place that I had ever heard of anyone using knitting needles for making hair sticks.

That was the beginning. From that small beginning, I have learned alot. So I thought that I would share some of what I have learned with other aspiring hair stick creators.

I buy the knitting needles at Micheals in the knitting section. They have lots of different kind and sizes. The size that you chose is up to your personal preference. They also have rosewood and bamboo knitting needles at one of the stores by me. But you cut those with a regular saw. Hobby Lobby also carries knitting needles.

If they don’t have those stores where you are, any knitting shop or fabric store usually carry them and will have a nice selection. At least that is what I have found.

I use a very good metal pipe cutter to cut the metal knitting needles.

I wrap the stick and mark it where you want to cut it, to obtain the length you want. The reason that I wrap the stick is to prevent marking it or scratching it in any way.

I mark them on the tape or what I am using to wrap them.

What I do is this. If the stick is small, I will place a straw over the knitting needle and then mark the straw in the right place. Then, using the cutter, I very carefully, and slowly, cut the stick.

If you do it too fast the straw, or tape will rip and you risk marking the stick up.

If the tape or straw begin to twist or roll up as you do this, back up a little and loosen the cutter a bit. And straight it out and then go forward.

If you tighten the cutter wheel too quickly, this is usually what happens.

You will need a pair of gloves to hold on to the stick.

I use latex as they have the grip that I need to hold it steady. It takes a very strong hold to do this process, I don’t cut too many at a time or I hurt my hands.

Also if the cutter is an old or a cheap one you risk marking the stick.

I know that this may sound confusing but it is really simple, you just have to do it all very carefully.

On working with this stuff your tools are critical and I don’t buy cheap one’s. They will let you down.

After you cut your hair stick to the size that you need, take a piece of sand paper and sand the very top of the stick only, making it smooth, but not too smooth.

A little roughness makes the glue bond better.

I use glue to fasten the sticks to the beads, but I also use a headpin that goes down the middle of the bead and into the stick and is then glued in place.

I prefer epoxy, it is harder to work with but gives a stronger and long lasting bond.

If you are not used to it, get the 5 to 10 minute epoxy to give yourself time to work. But not too long, the thirty minute kind will seem like an eternity if you are holding it in place to dry straight.

I know this from experience.

I hold the piece upside down so that the glue stays where you want it and I get a nice bond.

Remember when you want to use the sticks that you make, don’t grab them by the tops.

It might be okay once or twice but in the long run it will break down your bond and the stick topper will break.

With this short tutorial you should be able to make your own one of a kind hair stick creations.

There are findings and beads available at many stores. Even if you and some one else use the same beads, your hair sticks will be different, because you will put your own spirit and view point in each one. Enjoy! But for something different, you can visit my shop on Etsy
I hope you have a wonderful day!

Being an Artist is fun, selling your Art is hard work.

I love being an artist. In many ways it defines who I am. I love that I create the things that I see inside my head and they come together in ways that make me happy. But as an artist there is a flip side that is much harder. That is the part when it comes to selling your work. Selling your work can be difficult or it can be rewarding. If you sell your work to someone that you feel will appreciate your work, then it is easier to let it go. But sometimes the letting go is harder. Many times it is simply because you have put so much into the piece that it feels like you are giving a part of yourself away.

I understand why many artists have others to sell their work for them, because it gives them some distance and makes it easier. I however, like the interplay with the person to whom I am selling my work. I then have the chance to talk to them and get a feel of how much they will love my piece. It is a joy when you have customers that understand that you have put so much of yourself in what you do. Those are that days that make selling your art worthwhile.

Here a fork that I made from repurposed maple.

Oiling My Hair for Regrowth

I am experimenting with oiling my hair to get thicker hair. So far it has been a hit or miss thing. I love the smell of the oil when I put it on my hair. It can be very relaxing. But in some ways it can be a mind game with yourself. You try to see, did I shed more today than yesterday? Did I leave it on too long? Or did I leave it on too short a time? These are all good questions. Sometimes I think that I have found the perfect answer, other times I feel like I am still searching in the dark.
I am trying to get a good handle on it all, but I am not sure that I even understand the direction that I am supposed to be going in.

Check out my new listings on etsy at I think you might enjoy the visit.

I Made a Rock Maple Fork!

I made my first wooden hair fork. While I have done hair sticks and the like, and have made ones from bone, this is my first wooden fork.

It turned out really nice, and silky smooth.

But wow, is rock maple made from real rocks?

I broke 6 blades on my scroll saw trying to get the shape cut! This stuff is really really hard! And did I mention that changing blades on a scroll saw is a pain?

I started out by choosing to use an old table for the wood. It is at least 25 to thirty year old wood, it may even be older than that, as the style is like some 40 year old furniture that my grandparents bought. It had come apart at the glue seams and so I decided that it was fair game. Just my little part of being green!

I chose to use a favorite ebony fork as a pattern and that was where I started. I cut out the basic amount of wood that I needed for the fork, and then traced the shape out on the wood.

The first cut was with a skill saw and was no problem, but cutting out the tines was a big problem.

I have a great deal of respect for wood workers that work this wood on a regular basis. It kept snapping blades like they were dental floss. (.) (.)

Well it just goes to show what you can do when you don’t give up!