For the second Pennsic in a row, I’ve been asked to contribute something to the Pennsic gift basket.  This year’s recipient was Caid.  Conveniently, Knowne World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium was also in Caid!  So, I had a mission in addition to the classes I taught – I had to figure out what Their Majesties Caid would like.

So, after I got home from KWHSS (and Canada too), I got to work on making a few beads, some veil pins, and a set of fibulae.

I am most proud of the crescent beads, made with opaque and transparent glass in Caid’s blue and white.  This technique works best with an opaque background – make a stringer in the background colour, then while that’s cooling, start the bead base in the opaque colour.  Then, make dots in the transparent/contrasting colour after the bead is the right size.  Let these melt in, then take your now cool stringer and drop dots slightly off-center of the transparent dots.  Let these melt in, and you’re done.

I also made a couple of beads representing each royal.  Her Majesty Bridget received a large amber colour bead with a twistie inside of yellow and purple (her colours).  I also hid a Mickey Mouse head on another bead (more dotwork), as yes, there is a Caidan Royal connection to le Chateau de la Souris.

His Majesty, who is Roman, received a blue and white swirl bead based on several common Iron Age beads, and a leafy-vine in black and red.  This was created by running a pick through the bead in swirly patterns, and I have to say, I’m rather pleased at how this one turned out.

In addition to the beads, I made veil pins out of brass.  It is likely these will be my last brass veil pins, given that brass and glass do not play kindly with one another.

I also made my first set of decorated fibulae.  While I’m not entirely happy with how the beads are attached (it’s more pretty than it is period), I am pleased at how the beads for these fibulae turned out – they’re very consistent.  As I’ve been working with glass for not even a year, I’m very pleased with the consistency of shape and sizes.  I’m working on some bronze pins now, but that’s a post for another time.

While I wasn’t able to attend Pennsic this year, I am glad that something I made was able to go.