Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- Jewelry Fan Art

Does that logo mean anything to you?  No?  Well it should.  It's only the logo of one of the biggest, most iconic fantasy videogame fanchises in history!  LEGEND OF ZELDA!  OCARINA OF TIME!

The first Zelda game came out on the NES console in the 80's, before I was born!  Lucky for me, my mom is a gamer/sci-fi nerd, so I grew up with the console in the house.  Friday nights were for family games of Tetris, Mario Brothers, Ninja turtles and tidbits of the original Legend of Zelda games.

When I got my N64 to play videogames on my own, I found that I was pretty much terrible at everything Legend of Zelda.  I could only go so far before frustration and fatigue got to me.  Still, stubborn to the end, I poked at it.  I never finished any of the games, but I have fond memories of coming upon insane enemies that were either too powerful for me to kill or too terrifying to behold (Thanks for the nightmares ReDeads!).

One of my favorite bits of the Ocarina of Time game was the fact that they introduced Navi, a little helper fairy to give you clues to the puzzles, dungeons, and infuriating quests.  Although, there were points when her catchphrase, "Hey!  Listen!" started to make me bonkers.  Sometimes, I wish there were Navis in real life to give us clues about how to get around real world obstacles....  We could all use a nice, fairy companion, whether we're Zelda fans or not.  That's why I made one....some... 

I started with this. 

I was in Michaels (of COURSE I was) when I breezed passed the instruction books that are so carefully placed within the jewelry supply section.  There was a book suggesting different jewelry making technique combinations.  Their design was a bit...interesting, but it sparked an idea in my head.  Then, I saw a filigree style that I'd seen dozens of times before and had overlooked.  I even had one in my stash that I had been thinking of giving away or tossing.  The fairy wing stamping.  It was PERFECT for Navi.  This is the first one I made.

Ooh lala Swarovskis!

It LOOKS like Navi.  Except you know, the wrong color.  With the success of this little experiment, I sought out MORE SUPPLIES...at the lowest price possible, of course.  It's perfectly fine to give into your excesses as long as it is within reason!  Indeed.  Soon, I'd made another

This time in 'Traditional' Navi colors.

 I'd had to purchase more of the fairy wing stamping.  I found the absolute BEST stampings at DimeStoreEmporium on Etsy.  Not only are their stampings consistent, sturdy and brilliant.  They are SUPERBLY dapped to give the piece more depth and weight.  Check them out when you have the chance.

See the lovely curving details of the wings?

 I even experimented with doing a less labor intensive Navi by using rhinestones.  The rhinestones are cute, but I think I like the first way better.  More sparkle, harder to duplicate, more elegant..  Yes.  I like the first method better....

When it doesn't come out like this...

Still, purple rhinestone Navi is pretty cute.

 If any of you guys are interested, you mosey on over to my Etsy and adopt one of these babies.  Tune in MONDAY for my next post to see what these pendants look like as necklaces!

Thanks for reading!

Bookoo

About a week ago, I received a message from a Bookoo representative, Kellin Smith.  Apparently, they are looking to promote their new Chicago branch.  I was quite surprised, of course, but I opted to reply to the message with some questions.  I'd never heard of Bookoo before.  Naturally, being a curious little ferret, I asked Mr. Smith lots of questions.

First off, Bookoo is a garage sale style listing site for artisan crafts and other goods.  Unlike craigslist, it primarily trades goods and services.  There's no job listings and very few ponzi scheme listings that tell you how you can make up to $400 dollars per day selling widgets and policies to other people.  It's easy to navigate and you don't have to filter as much because there's less spam. 

Here's how the short interview went down. 

How long has Bookoo been active as an organization?
     About seven years. The owners started Bookoo in Texas. As it kept expanding, they moved to Illinois to be closer to family.

What sorts of transactions does it support, besides online 'garage sales'?

     You can post about online yard sales, you can also list items of service, items to trade, and wanted ads.

Does Bookoo have any special features for crafters or artisans?

    You are able to offer the service of "$5 painting of whatever" or something like it.

Are local artisans benefiting from Bookoo now that it has come to Chicago?

     It is a site where they can go to showcase their work. If someone is interested in one of their items, they can see more items from that seller.

Will Bookoo ever host any offline special interest fairs or outdoor events that local artisans can participate in?

    Occasionally we do a Bookoo summer picnic. 2013 we did one for Aurora, Oswego, and Naperville. Last year we did just a big Bookoo picnic and invited all the nearby sites.

Are there any other reasons to be excited about Bookoo besides the ability to list items for sale?

    It's free! We don't charge members to post items. Also, we keep it family friendly by blocking profanity and deleting inappropriate items.

Does it support applications like paypal?

    No, the members interact with each other and usually pay cash.

What's your role in it?

    I am a marketing intern. I work full time doing whatever Adam and Austin need me to do. Most of the time it's spreading the word about Bookoo to our newer sites!



So there you have it.  Bookoo allows you to list FOR FREE.  You can offer goods and services.  You can rest assured that you won't have to deal with people seeking sexual favors after seeing you post photos of a fabulous scarf you made, and, there's the possibility of you being able to go to a picnic in the summer.  I know a lot of artists trade services and such between each other.  Bookoo could be another way for us to all network.  Check it out, try it out and send me a message about what you think.