Introducing: One of A Kind, by Hieropice

  I feel I often begin posts by talking about how excited I am, and am probably getting dangerously close to sounding like I'm perennially hopped-up on something, so, despite the fact that I AM really excited about this announcement, I'm going to refrain from stating that.  At least, not first.
  I've so appreciated all the love folks have shown me, and support for Hieropice.  I think, as an artist, you've got to keep innovating, changing, doing new things, to keep your brain from atrophying, or burning out.  As I was making one of many made-to-order terrarium necklaces recently, I thought, man, I am working SO small, the vessel is so tiny, I really wish I could expand this and create a whole landscape in this thing!  And my next thought was, um.....I can!  So, I started thinking about ways to create miniature landscapes under glass, and for some reason, the first thing that came to mind was Tucson, Arizona, where I lived after high school.  The desert there was the most surprising place I'd been to-date; contrary to my impressions from back East, it was not "deserted" at all, but full of life, and amazing shifting color palates that revolved around the movements of the sun.  I saw more shapes, colors and textures in the desert than any landscape I'd encountered previously, and an abundance of plants with romantic names like "agave" and "ocotillo."  And weird things, inexplicable stacks of boulders balanced on the edge of a cliff, oversized cactus blossoms that only bloom at night and just once a year, and an aspen forest, covered in snow at the peak of Mt. Lemmon in the middle of the city, while miles below, it was eighty degrees and sunny.

Barrel Cactus Detail

   Yeah, all kinds of weird and wondrous, but memories of the desert haunt me now that I've moved back to the northeast, and it seemed fitting to create my first landscape from those memories.  And so, I am introducing the first of Hieropice's new one-of-a-kind Landscape Terrarium Necklaces, the Sonoran Desert Terrarium Necklace.

   My goal with this new line is to experiment with vessel shapes and sizes, creating miniatures incorporating a variety of techniques, like re-creating miniature plants from bits and pieces of other ones, hand-painting, dyeing, etc., with a focus on realism.
 
   This first piece includes a miniature barrel cactus that I impregnated with a slew of little wire spines, a stack of stones that I created to match my memories of Mt. Lemmon, lichen tumbleweeds and layers of sand that I hand-dyed, to recreate the changing landscape of the desert.  Red-tipped agave, cholla, and of course, the iconic Saguaro cactus, that the Arizona desert would be bereft without.  There are a lot of other goodies tucked in there, and the piece so reminds me of the Sonoran, I wish I could crawl into it!

Agave Detail

  The new one of a kind (ooak) pieces will be just that, never to be reproduced, so when they're sold, they're gone.  But I hope their new owners will enjoy having pieces that are unique, and knowing the one they own is the only one in existence.  I'll be listing the new pieces on Etsy as I make them, so stay tuned for future landscapes!

Etsy Gift Cards Have Arrived!

Bienvenue, folks!

If you have a wonderful group of friends with diverse and quirky tastes like I do, you've probably been there.  A birthday rolls around, an engagement party, a baby shower.  You know that busting out the Target gift card or the generic bath-salt/foot scrub set as a gift for this particular friend just won't cut it.  You want to give them something super-cool and unique but, alas, the risk is purchasing something that will result in an awkward, blank stare or expression of horror.  A gift that they awkwardly push aside and you inherently know they just don't like.  Unique gifts can also mean you just plain get it wrong, and end up with something that originated in the best of intentions, but landed in future-re-gift territory.  But now, Etsy has a solution!
Introducing, Etsy Gift Cards!  Now, you can purchase a site-wide gift card on Etsy, that can be used in many of Etsy's shops (all shops that feature Direct Check-out, which Hieropice does!).  Now, you don't have to know EXACTLY what that quirky/custom/unique/one-of-a-kind gift your bff wants is ahead of time, you can let them choose for themselves!  And, your sister can get a custom-made nursery-sign for her baby-on-the-way without giving away its gender before it's born.  It's all kinds of neat.

  I have a good friend who was recently engaged and is definitely an off-beat bride, but I couldn't, for the life of me, think of what to get her to celebrate her engagement.  She had pinned all kinds of Etsy items to her Pinterest wedding board, but I didn't know if she actually WANTED that bright purple flower/feather fascinator for her wedding, or just thought the concept was cool.  Now, you can avoid the dilemma I had, and get your independent-thinking friend an Etsy gift card, and let her deck her whole bridal-party out in purple fascinators if she wants to!  I am so excited about the gift cards, and pretty much all of my family-members can expect one in their Xmas stockings this year!  You can read more about the details here, and purchase the gift cards at etsy.com/giftcards.

Happy shopping!

Dara

Pig in a...Glass?

 Recently, a customer requested a mini terrarium necklace for her sister, who has a pet pig.  The customer had an existing terrarium she loved with a tree and blue eggs inside, so I created a pendant incorporating elements she mentioned with some Hieropice twists.  The miniature pig was a particular challenge!  The opening of the glass vial is only 3 mms wide, so creating a pig with enough signature details (a coiled tail, miniature snout, etc.) that could be maneuvered into the vial without being damaged.  I'm pleased with what I created, and really hope the customer, and her sister, are happy with it!