Purple = Blue?

So as I mentioned in my last post I was commissioned for a set of Purple Armor for a friend of mine. After my beautiful blue spotted hands, I went back the next day for the overcoat of purple which should have turned it into a royal purple.

Did you note the Should?



Should is not did. Not at all. It barely muted the blue. So, we ended up with a set of GORGEOUS blue armor. Thankfully the friend who ordered it also really loves blue. He says he is good with the color and since I am out of leather at the moment, I am taking it.

This project was very different than the last armor commission in so many different ways.
1) He didn't want his armor to be like either of Phydouxs which meant the entire sizing had to be original. The last commission was just for a matching set of the larger pauldrons, a MUCH easier task. He also wanted them to meet in the back, which I hadn't tried before and took a LOT of shaping work to make function
2) He didn't want a pre-drawn design, but did have a fairly specific idea he wanted. The last true-art piece I did was the phoenix waist cinch, which was drawn on command and edited as needed, but wasn't really directed much.
3) There is not a single truly good purple dye that I have found yet. They are all just a little to lavendar or almost pinkish if you layer them enough. I need to find a true royal purple or I am going to not allow commissions in the color.
4)The project kept switching details...which made it hard to keep up with. Many of the changes were mine, I didn't like how something happened to be working, or didn't like how something was turning out.
5) I am a little bit blue/purple color blind. This project was HARD.

But...I think it turned out well. It was a great challenge, and kept me working on leather for several months. YAY! Let's see what comes up next. Any suggestions? Kasha Armor? Spinal Armor? What would you like to see me create?

November Craft Day

Sorry dears for taking so long to work on the next project. I am still waiting on new leather projects since I am almost out of leather - so instead I did a few simple projects from stuff mom had stashed in her downstairs office. This is also part of my answer to the "Oh-GOD I FORGOT About the Craft Chain" that I had earlier this week. :)

Let's start with the books. Four white square books filled with graph paper - cute little cut out in the center front and two easily removable pages that said where they came from.



This summer I ended up with some amazing pictures of Kasha as a fairy at our local Renaissance Festival - so I took some of the tissue paper I had around the house and cut out different sizes, shapes and colors of leaf which would match the forest in the picture (I hope).

Kasha and I decoupaged them in several layers across the books covers and left the hole in the center open to put in the picture of her to send this book to one of her Aunty's. Hopefully the book comes in handy and the picture makes her smile (we'll have to see) We are waiting to insert the picture, but the book is done!

Took the same idea of "Forest" and added some red, orange and almost purple leaves to make one for another friend who loves leaves and added a beautiful copper leaf that I found on the ground a while ago and tossed in my jewelry box. I am looking at adding pretty clasps to the books but here is my Autumn Leaf book.




Mom also had the fabric and instructions for a pretty little fleece tie blanket (tiny little lap blanket size) which I put together and cut out and tied together. It was stupid easy but pretty and hopefully will make a good Solstice Present for someone else who is awesome...I in fact have a brilliant person in mind thinking of it now :)




Didn't take pictures of books 3 and 4 because I am not done yet...I just don't know what colors or Idea's to do and feel like the leaf thing is done. What do I do next? Any suggestions for a book with a hole in it to make it something useful and fun? They have graph paper which I have always loved! I am tempted to make one or both all jeweled and give it to a niece for Solstice....Any other suggestions?