That's right, after a very long hiatus, in which many things were done, I returned to dA to discover my watch list alone had filled up with 2,483 deviations. I was impressed. I was genuinely daunted. You're all so prolific!

Rather than press that oh-so-tempting "select all" button, I clicked. And I clicked. And I can proudly say that I have looked at each and every one of those 2,483 thumbnails. I favorited many. Even now I'm slowly working through my favorites, commenting away. Thank you, you mad, wonderful, brilliant people.

In fact, I think I owe you all a little feature! A few of my recent discoveries in Artisan Crafts:

Ten Things I Fell in Love with Yesterday

by ~joey-j
You didn't even need to know the title to know that it was supposed to hold Van Gogh's Ear, did you? To me, the sign of great art is the ability to communicate a story without words. Besides, I thoroughly enjoyed the tongue in cheek way that ~joey-j interpreted his assignment.

by ~AH-SilverArt
It's a simple pendant, but the lines are so clean and the thorns so unmistakable. It's a subtle reminder that beauty and danger are so often intertwined.

by ~DarkMask
~DarkMask always amazes me with his gritty, detailed sculptures. I've been dreaming of the day he tried his talented hands at something Lovecraftian. We've all seen plenty of renditions of Cthulhu, but few have had the aged, weathered iconic look that ~DarkMask's you-know-who has captured. The dramatic lighting highlights his amazing eye for detail and lends the statuette an ominous air - like something unearthed from a forgotten civilization.

Also, I cthulhu. I find tentacles adorable, and zombies are cuddly. Yes, I'm sure that there is therapy in my immediate future.

by ~Twitching
On the outside, it's a beautifully enameled copper frog. Turn it over, and the little creature's silver skeleton is revealed. It's a secret that's shared only between the frog and the wearer. An elegant concept, beautifully executed.

by ~monkeyassslapper
Tiny zombie eggs. What more could a girl want? They've got great detail, sure, but what I really love about them is the vicious little thought that I could fill an egg carton with them and leave it in the fridge for some poor, unsuspecting roommate to discover.

by ~julishland
It's a necklace. It's a sculpture. It's an incredible tangle of painted leather vines and tempting bead berries. This is the stuff art jewelry is made of.

by :unclemou:
This one stands about to me amongst an army of jewelry submissions. The colors are vibrant and alive. The pendant itself seems inspired by vintage costume jewelry. I couldn't love it more.

by :inkibus:
I know, it's not AC. Inki's photos always have a sweet rural charm. I fell in love with this photo because it reminded me of an awkward moment at my last job involving chickens.

I worked for a cargo airline. One of the pilots called me down to the plane one morning for a "major emergency." What an editor could do for an aircraft emergency, I had no clue. All the same, off I went. The "emergency" was 5,000 soft, fluffy yellow chicks that had escaped their cartons en route from Colombia. There I was, standing in the middle of the plane, surrounded by fluffy squeaking things, and all I could think of was "I wish my suit had pockets."

by ~bosscatt
It feeds my wild costume fantasies with towering impractical hats. "Head dress for an Ice Queen" is beautiful in the way of dreams - unearthly, illogical, and unforgettable.

by *UniquelyYours
Carol's glass pendants always earn a space on my list when I think of dA. "Milky Way 9.26.08" on the other hand, brought tears to my eyes. Very rarely do I see a piece of artwork that I truly need. I need the left hand pendant. The swirls, stringers and flecks of milk-white glass against a sparkling dichroic sky are too much for me. *UniquelyYours has managed to create the most painfully beautiful microcosm I have seen on Deviant Art, with little more than fire and sand. Thanks for sharing this, Carol.


Hope you've had fun. Hope you've been inspired.

Silk & steel,
Jez