Today's Featured Artisan is Raina Woolfolk of
rainadelmagick - curiosities of the fae in art and apothecary.
I make one-of-a-kind pieces of precious metal, gemstone and vintage glass jewelry that are influenced by my attraction to the feminine fluidity of the art nouveau period and the whimsical inquisitive nature of the Steampunk movement.
I also design crystal wands, with minerals and crystals that I have field collected in my travels around the globe. Each wand is made with intentionality for use in meditation and ritual work.
I grow organic herbs and mix apothecary concoctions of herbal teas, incense and bath soaks
I make creatures out of recycled components and then write children’s stories that mix geology, science, natural history and fantasy to go along with them in order to provide the folks who adopt them with tales to share with each other.
I have also written two screenplays and a book of twisted, humorous poetry.
I was inspired to design jewelry by my “slight obsession” with crystals and minerals. I have been stuffing them in my pockets since I was a wee lass running away from home to find them in the hills around my house.
I started making crystal wands when the Fae suggested it.
Friends who saw me wearing my own handmade jewelry as a teen would ask for pieces as gifts. They encouraged me to sell my artwork. I started “testing the waters” by selling necklaces and earrings in my mother’s café. As my skills improved I branched out to doing arts and crafts fairs.
There are times when I will come across a phenomenal stone and I just immediately know how it will develop into a piece of jewelry. I experience a sense of wonder when something I’m making just manifests itself into being. At times like that it seems the Muses are guiding my hands and I can feel the energy raising my joy vibration.
I am most excited when pieces I have made inspire my students to create their own treasures and expand upon my ideas while developing their own style.
I divide my time between my work as an animal behaviorist working with animals who are reactive to elements in their environment, an artist and a teacher at UC Berkeley Art Studio. I have been self-employed for nearly 14 years. I don't make much, but enough for what I need. I am a fortunate woman indeed to have the ability to make my living through pleasurable pursuits.
When I’m not working or playing at crafting I can be found tooling around on my penny farthing hi-wheel or my vintage 70lb tricycle. I also spend every free moment hiking with my dogs searching for Faeries and mushrooms. I save every penny in order to have travel adventures and make new friends around the world.
This past year and a half I have enjoyed participating in a supportive community of fellow artisans and crafters, the etsy paganteam. We host chats on etsy about all things magickal. The team is very active and involved, we support each other in our growth as artists. I have developed some very dear friendships and am continually learning through the mentorship of fellow team members.
This is a very small selection of the items Raina has to offer. I encourage you to discover the full range of what she has to offer by visiting her shop. Many of her items are one of a kind (OOAK) so check them out before they are gone!
Shop:
rainadelmagickItems in this post:
1.
Color Change Andesine Labradorite Feldspar 1.20 Carat in 14K Gold Pendant OOAK2.
Ancient Alchemy double point Quartz Crystal laser wand OOAK3.
Eye of Sauron Mexican Fire Opal OOAK4.
Fall Into Me wildcrafted organic herbal Incense in wood box
Made by Mom N Mia Quilts
Made by JustJaynes
What do you make?
What is your favorite part of creating your items?
When you aren't working on your craft what do you enjoy doing?
HAVE A HEART - Genuine Drilled Beach Stones - Slag Glass Set - focal jewelry beads
Exotic Coconut Body Butter with Cocoa and Shea - 4 ounces - Vegan
Wine Bottle Bling
Vegan Olive Oil Soap- Simply Unscented
Asian Inspired Floral Toddler Kid Bib
Garnet Red Valentine Heart Cubic Zirconia Drop Wire-Wrapped Earrings
Thank you for stopping by!
myHandmadeRegistry.com is a networking site for buyers and sellers to find and share their favorite handmade items. This site is a place where everyone can create a personal page with a list of their favorite items from only HANDMADE RETAILERS! There are also groups within the community for expectant parents, a house-warming group to share decorating tips on a budget and find that special accent piece, and one for the $5000 handmade wedding. You can find more information about what inspired Dorana of a Dorana Design and ddots to create myHandmadeRegistry.com here.
This bracelet was hand woven from 22 gauge sterling silver wire. When finished its diameter is about 3mm (0.1181 inches). Once the wire was woven it was "drawn" to make the weaving more uniform and tighten the weave. Drawing is the process of pulling the wire through an appropriate size hole in a metal plate. Once the woven wire is "drawn" it is cut to the proper length and end caps are soldered on to accommodate a jump ring and lobster claw. The wire for this bracelet was cut to 6.5 inches once the end caps and clasp were put on it was a finished length of 7 inches.
These are the tools I use in the weaving process. The whole thing begins with a spool of 'dead soft' wire. The wire is cut into 1-2 foot lengths for weaving. If the wire lengths were any longer they would become difficult to use because of a process called 'work hardening' which is where the wire gets harder and stiffer as its molecules align from being worked with. The wire cutters are an obvious choice of tools as something is needed to cut the spooled wire into shorter lengths ;) The ice pic is used to form the wire into each loop as it is pulled through a previously made loop. The jaws of the pliers are smooth so that they will not mar or pinch the wire as they are used to pull the wire through the weaving proces. I have found the glove to be a very important part of making woven wire. I only wear the left of my winter gloves as that is the hand that I use to hold the wire while weaving. It is not absolutely necessary to wear a glove while weaving but when I don't my pointer and thumb fingers get very tender from the pressure of holding the wire while weaving.
Temari is the ancient Japanese folk art of silk embroidered thread balls, originally made by noble women with silken threads pulled from old kimonos. Used originally for child's play, today the art of temari is becoming more regarded around the world.
The Ogham Alphabet:
The first is a matter of practicality, since I am using the original alphabet there are only 20 letters that correspond with the 26 letter English alphabet which would leave 6 letters to be approximated by phonetics. I did not like the feel of going that rout so I chose to use Gaelic which is a language that ties more closely to Ogham historically. The other reason is a bit more 'spiritual' in nature. The technique of using 'power words' to create an effect or draw an energy to ones life has been used for centuries. I have spent a lot of time thinking on this practice and realized that words do in fact have power but we don't often think much about the words we use every day. By stepping into another language we have to give active thought to what words mean and their consequences which creates an even greater amount of energy to the power of words we use as talismans.
Hammered Ring With A Twist
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