Arrrrrt Starrrr Craft Bazaarrrrrrrr

I've come up for air after the Art Star Holiday Craft Bazaar, if only for a moment.  The weekend was a success and I feel pretty good about how my first time at the rodeo went.  It didn't hurt to pair up with Art Star veteren Maria Eife wh also has an international show plus the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Show under her belt.



I presented (and sold!)  an assortment of combs, pins, picks, joined earrings, hats, and talon charms.  Below is a smattering of the pieces I've been toiling away in my ivory tower creating:



A chicken feather hair pin with vintage jewelry elements,







More chicken feathers with more vintage jewelry,







And look!  An equestrian flair!  I finally got around to creating those horse shoe themed pieces I promised my polo buddies so many months ago!  Perhaps this Summer I'll actually follow through and sell some at the Friday Night matches...







Some of the combs were feather based while otehrs were built around entire taxidermied wings.  Below is an in betweener, comprised of the taxidermied tail of a chicken.







Oh look!  A frizzle chicken wing!  Perhaps now would be a good time to let you know that 90% of my feathered elements come from my dear friends Bailey and Thomas.  They are quite possible the sweetest, kindest and most compassionate farmers this world may ever know.  Yes, My opinion is totally biased.  They keep an outstanding blog in which they document their adventures in farming, please give it a read: The Farmers Husband.







Another winged comb.  I would also like to give a shout out to my dear friend Daniel who owns Wilbur Vintage for letting me purchase his odds and ends of vintage gems.







For those who choose not to sport a long mane, fret not!  Stick pins are always within reach.  Pop one into your hat, your lapel, blouse, sweater, bag, etc.







This one belwo didn't sell, much to my surprise.  Instead, it and one cimilar to it are en route to a faraway city as I write this, where it will make Christmas gifts for a pair of very special friends.







The gang!  (some of them, anyway)







I also made a trial run of these fur bangles with tails for the show.  People responded quite positively so I intend to tweek the design a bit and create a series.







Perfect for gesticulating wildly at cocktail parties...







I also created three new higher end head pieces for the show, as my little neon signs to lure in passers by.  They absolutley did the trick, and had many a lady tryign them on.



Right here is a vintage rabbit fur pillbox hat to which I added a chicken tail, with feathers from other birds.







Here's a view of the side.  Can you guess what that super fluffy soft yellow plush is?







It's gosling!  Compliments of another farmer friend of mine, Jeannie. I sewed another patch on the opposite side:







Next up: A vintage velvet fascinator base with a pair of chicken wings on one side and down on the other:







It's hard to see form these photos (all of these hats need to be reshot on a model's head, but I also added a small metal crown jewel charm to each side; a reference to my new logo, which you'll see below.







Laslty, my fave piece of all, this vintage black felt hat base with chicken wings, vintage jewelry adn a tassel made by yours truly.  I have a thing for fringe and tassels, and I think you do too:







That's actually the side view.  Below is the hat, straight on.  The curved shape frames the wearer's face beautifully.  I just adore this hat.







On Friday night my husband came and got a few shots of our booth.  Here it is, our gypsy caravan in all its glory:







My "side" of the booth:







Like that fox? I worked with the very talented designer Dave Seater to create it and a more cohesive look for all my online presences, which you will be seeing soon.  He's the best.  The fox with the crown was entirely my idea though; I think it really embodies the Diamond Tooth philosophy.







Here I am making a sale!  Yippee!  Like I said, I feel pretty good about how I did this weekend, as a greenhorn.  I visited with Sue Eggen at her booth, Giant Dwarf where she not only promised to play hat model for my next set of shots but also to toss some much needed (my words, not hers) pearls of wisdom my way in regard to navigating through this wild and wacky craft show life.  Sue, I'm holding you to both these things!







And that is all for the craft bazaar, now its time to work on my entry for this year's Carniverous Nights competition.  If you plan on coming, buy your tickets now!  ALso coming up: A cat, a fox, a hamster, a rabbit, more bridal pieces and the next 20for20 gift which is going to a mystery man that some of you may have dressed as for Halloween as children...

Twenty for Twenty, # 4: Georgia Pellegrini

When I first heard of the mythical creature called Georgia Pellegrini, I thought "NO WAY."  It was as if someone took all the things I wanted to be in an alternate life and made them into her.  Does that sound creepy?  I hope not.



I came into contact with Georgia through her brother, whom I met via mutual friend.  He told me (and rightfully so) that somehow, someday, our worlds should collide.  So I looked her up.  DANG.  She hunts.  She prepares exquisite meals out of what she hunts.  And she looks amazing while doing all of it:







While so many of us (myself definitely included) are experts at talking the farm to table, local slow food talk, she is living it.  And writing about it.  Her first book, Food Heros, details the noble endeavor of 16 food artisans from around the globe striving to honor their respective culinary traditions.  Her second book, Girl Hunter, is out now and in it she shares the stories of sourcing all her own ingredients for a great meal.   I am starting to feel like a sixth grader writing a book report so I'll just sum up my geekery with a simple "Shes rad."  I hope someday to do some of the things Ms. Pellegrini is doing, with as much gusto and panache.



Another great thing about this gal: she's approachable.  When I initially contacted her about this project, she was completely receptive and eager to participate.  I knew she would be a bit different to design for, given that she is constantly on the go and leans toward all things practical.  What I'm trying to convey is, Georgia isn't wearing a large feathered headpiece out in a field while trying to shoot a turkey.  So I made her a brooch, imagining that she could pin it to the lapel of a blazer or on the band of a small, sensible cap.







The foot is from a chicken which was once part of my friend Bailey and Thomas' flock, and it's wedged tightly into the brooch base along with feathers of pheasant, chicken and peacock.  There is also the tip of a red squirrel tail in there, just for fun.







The puffy soft feathers are from  the tail area (read: butt) of the chicken; these have been a favorite of mine lately because they have a fur-like appearance and move so nicely with the wearer.  I'm constantly astounded by the range of color, shape and texture of the fathers all coming from one bird.



For an embellishment on the brooch base, I found an old pin from my street gift collection that apparently was some prize or medal for 25 years of faithful service in the state of Georgia.  Perfect!  I filed down the back, bent it to the correct shape and attached it to the brooch.







I left the talon colors as is and didn't fuss too much with the natural state of the elements in this piece.  Although we've yet to meet, Ms. Pellegrini strikes me as a true creature of her own element, grounded and proud of it.



Cheers, Georgia!

Art for Animals, pt. 1

I recently made this Starling Fascinator as a donation for an event called "Art for Animals", a fundraiser for the Pennsylvania SPCA.  It's a "silent auction of art, design, and offerings from leading cultural institutions (like Diamond Tooth!)".  It's tomorrow night and if you've got some shekels burning a hole in your Birkin, by all means stop by and place a bid!  The proceeds shall go to the Pennsylvania SPCA in partnership with Michael Garden of CITYSPACE Real Estate.



It might seem odd that a taxidermist would be asked to donate a piece to an SPCA event, but I hope my participation in such things drives home the point that I (like most in my field) have a deep and profound love for animals.   Why not invest the time, blood, sweat and tears into preserving something so beautiful, and celebrating it?



No matter, if you're reading this I'm most likely preaching to the choir so I'll just tell you about my piece.  I toned it down a bit (read: no heads or feet) and used several pairs of Starling wings on a vintage fascinator base.



Here is the 3/4 front view:







And turning towards the back:







 



I embellished it with a chunk of antique bracelet from Wilbur Vintage.







The back.  Along with the bracelet I added chains from another antique necklace.  They are attached on either end but can swing a bit with the wearer's head movements.  Perfect for haughty walking, which is my favorite kind.







 



The back right side. Chains are attached to the bracelet link, which is layered atop a patch of starling feathers.







And here is the right front view.  Pretty nifty, huh?  I think whomever bids on this piece and wins is an individual possessing impeccable taste.  Could it be you?







 



I plan on taking a break from all my Craft Bazaar prep  and stepping out for a bit tomorrow night at this auction.  I'll post part two on Thursday with some photos from the event as well as what you'll all be dying to know which is WHO walked away wearing the most stunning head-gear (next to me, of course) of the night.







Until then, xoxoB

Without you, I'm nothing.

 



My hands are the one part of my body of which my opinion will never be swayed by  magazine photo or trend. No matter how many chipped nails or cuts, my hands, to me, are the most beautiful part of my body.  Every day I thank each nimble little finger for all it does.  Just the sound of them typing right now brings me pleasure.



There are times when I'm doing super fine, detailed work, and I need to steady my hands because they tremble a little.  This could be the caffeine, or it could be a sign of looming hereditary issues on the horizon.  Whatever it is, I felt inspired to make a public declaration of my undying love for the best tools I could wish for, while they are in their prime.



People say that you don't know what you've got until its gone and I couldn't disagree more.  I can't think of one day that's gone by without me marveling at how fucking awesome it is to have eyes that see and hands that do what I tell them to, with grace and panache. Sight and touch are easily in the top five list of things for which I am most grateful.  So thank you hands, and thank you eyes, for making it possible to do what I was born to do.  I promise to take care of you as long as you take care of me.

 



 







 



 







 







 



 







 



 







 



 



 



 

And now for something completely different.

While taxidermy is my main squeeze, I have several mistresses.  I'd like to believe they all somehow relate to one another but to articulate that at this point would be impossible, so I'll just let them all exist for now, independently of one another.  I will say this, however: I am drawn to rituals.  Whether it's daily (stretching and facersize among the many habits I practice 365 times a year), weekly or monthly, I relish in rituals.  I feel like sharing this one with you now; I'd like to say it is weekly but when it all shakes out, the kombucha brewing time tends to fall every 7-10 days, depending on the temperature.



I like brewing kombucha because I am hooked on the stuff, and to buy enough to support my fix would require a new tax bracket and complimentary back braces for the guys who collect my recycling.  Plus I'm a control freak so I can make it exactly how I like without placing my taste buds in the hands of some gross corporation.



A friend of mine recently brought up the topic of legacies, and what we leave behind.  I am clueless as to what I could ever pass on or leave for those to remember me by but it did remind me of my kombucha culture, which I've been using since 2005.  I got her as the offspring from a friend who got hers from I don't know where, and since then my baby has produced hundreds of babies.  The thought that she will be around years after I'm dead and rotted, still making offspring, is a marvel to me.  It's as if I'm just one handler in the eternal lifespan of this blob.



Anyway, here's a short little video:

Crack is Whack, especially when it comes to antlers.

 



I was recently contacted by a friend of a friend of a friend with a Caribou mount that had suffered a cruel demonstration of gravitational force, resulting in a chipped and cracked antler.  When I stopped by to inspect it, it became quite clear this part had been broken before and undergone a sub-par repair job with mis-matching paint to boot.







 



What I did first was use an industrial strength epoxy bond to get the actual pieces back together.  After it had set, I recreated the original surface with a sculptural epoxy.  I finessed it with water and my fingers, then allowed it to dry.







The view from the back:







After completely drying, I did a little sanding (like my tween girl nail polish?) to eliminate any hidden bumps or uneven surfaces that didn't belong on the antler.







 



Next came the painting.  A few coats, some blending, some magic, and voila!  Repaired antlers.







And that, my friends, is just another one of the things this taxidermist does.