How adorable is this Freaky Fanatic photo I received today!!
This is Irie and she insisted that her Mom take a photo so I could see her wearing the special butterfly barrette I handmade for her! I am so glad that she did. Thank you so much Irie (and her Mom Mari) for brightening my day with this priceless photo! 🦋
What’s this? It’s a Jack themed Dead Girl Decay Barrette that I was commissioned to make for a return client in the UK! For the last 5 years he has commissioned me to make a new themed hair piece for his wife and its the first thing she opens on Christmas morning. This year he chose Jack Skellington. A character I have held dear to my heart since I was a kid.
Due to me always wanting to make my creations unique and there being so many Nightmare Before Christmas things out there, I decided to hand sculpt and paint the center piece for this one instead of resurrecting something store bought. This included Jack’s face, his bat bow tie and some whimsical Tim Burtonesque swirls for each side. I had never used this specific medium for sculpting so I challenged myself to try something new and am so glad that I did. Here is how it came out.
Since the barrette was going to be just black and white I added a touch of iridescent glitter here and there as a sparkly representation of when Jack first discovers snow. I found the perfect feather fringe from Moonlight Feather Inc. I loved how thin and wispy it looked and the alternating black and white gave it a striped look that gave me total Jack suit vibes.
When I sent photos to the client weeks ago he loved it and could not wait to gift it to her. Today I received these photos and a message from him on Etsy telling me how much his wife loves it too. She even made it a point to pose with a little Jack figurine! How great are these?….
It means so much to me to know that my creations continue to make someone else’s holidays brighter and I truly look forward to the “Ok I got this year’s theme picked out” message I get a few months prior to the holidays. I have always loved doing custom orders because I feel like they are a creative challenge and they really get my creative blood flowing. This one in particular also allowed me to discover a new medium that I am already using in my other creations. A win win all around.
I am so thrilled to share with you a custom order I completed for a return client all the way in the UK. This client comes back each year to have me make a custom hair piece that he can gift to his wife for Christmas. This year he told me it is the first present she opens every year! I am so honored to be a part of this couple’s special holiday tradition across the globe. This year the theme he requested was Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Here is what I conjured up…
The wife was very pleased and they sent me this stunning photo of her wearing it by the Christmas tree. I just love how perfect it looks in her hair.
A return client contacted me before the holidays asking if I could make a custom hair piece for his wife. This was not just any hair piece but one that was very special and meaningful. Her Dad had passed away and was a squadron leader for the Royal Air Force. The goal was to make the barrette in his honor. A memorial piece she could wear and cherish for years to come to help keep her Dad close to her.
First we needed fighter planes and that is when the wonderful world of 3D printers came into play. The client was able to help me find the exact planes he wanted. Since they were 3D printed they were “clear” in color so I painted them with model paint to get them the right shade of grey.
Next he wanted me to stick with the colors of their emblem. He sent me this photo to use for inspiration He didn’t care how I did it but the colors were important. Which when I saw it immediately thought of one of my favorite movies.. Tank Girl but I had to stay on course ha ha.
I decided to use the emblem as my basis for the barrette itself. I wanted to stick with the same layout as I felt that would make it much more meaningful and literally symbolic. I kept the same layout with the feathers. Alternating the colors exactly the way the emblem was.
Here was the end result….
The client was very happy with what I came up with and said his wife absolutely loves it. I could not be more honored to be asked to make such a memorable piece of wearable art. One that brought light and happiness into someone’s holiday and when they look at it they can think of someone that meant so much to them.
Making this barrette reminded me of one of the reasons I love making hair pieces and how different they are from what you can buy in the store. What I create is not only unique or customizable, but when it is not being worn it can be clipped on to something as a decor or put on display. Sylvia Soska recently told me her and Jen have their American Mary barrettes I made them on their alter. They are very versatile pieces which is why I refer to them as wearable art… because really that’s what they are.
Living Dead Girl Nicole 