EYE OF THE DRAGON

This week  we  take a look at the facts behind one of our favorite creatures of fantasy:

“THE DRAGON ”

Dragon by artist K. Pfeilschiefter

Dragons occur in many legends around the world, but generally fall into two categories: European dragons and Asian dragons. European dragons are often winged, while Asian dragons resemble large snakes. 
Typically depicted as serpentine or reptilian with either scaly or feathered bodies, the array of dragon physicality is vast. The creature can have a variable number of legs or no legs at all, is often seen with a row of dorsal fins, can be multi-headed or even have horns or tusks.

Dragon Family -Varna, Bulgaria

Commonly believed to be hatched from eggs, dragons are said to breathe fire or acidic poison. Their blood and organs can be poisonous or contain magical healing properties.

Fire Breather

Holding spiritual significance,  dragons are associated with wisdom, longevity, magic and the supernatural.

Revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, they are affiliated with the elements: Water, Air, Fire and Earth. 

In some cultures they are said to be capable of human speech, while others say dragons taught the human race to speak. 

Early cartographers used the Latin phrase ‘hic sunt dracones’ (here be dragons) to indicate dangerous or unexplored territories in imitation of the medieval practice of placing sea serpents on the blank areas of their maps.

"Hic Sunt Dracones"

Dragon Whisper Cuff Bracelet

European dragons are often portrayed guarding treasure hoards, while Asian dragons are pictured with pearls. Russian mythologies place emphasis on three-headed dragon, whose heads grow back, if cut off. Ethiopia was supposedly once inhabited by a species of dragon that hunted elephants. 

Water dragon

Jewish religious texts contain extraordinary references to dragons as sea-monsters, and according to an ancient creation myth, the Vietnamese people are descended from a dragon and a fairy. 

In all cultures around the world one thing seems to prevail: the dragon is a creature of great power. 

In modern times to use the word dragon in a name, object or office, is to imply greatness and strength. 

The fascination with this mysterious creature continues to grow as witnessed by the frequent use of the dragon in books, games, movies and the entertainment industry in general.

At Kirks Folly, we love dragons, they are one of the most frequently requested items from our collectors-right next to mermaids! Our dragon designs often associate the magnificent beast with the magical lore of wizards and kings, witches and unicorns, but we embrace the spirit of this powerful creature in all of its marvelous forms.

Take courage from the heart of the dragon and…

“SPARKLE THE WORLD”

Do dragons fascinate you? 

Please share your thoughts on this extraordinary creature with us in the comment box.

And take a look at this exciting video that uses technology to explore the possibility that dragons once roamed the earth.

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QUICK & EASY NO-DYE EASTER EGGS

This week we thought we’d share a few non-dye egg remedies for anyone coming late to the Easter decorating game, but still looking for a way to shower their home with Easter pretties. We’ve sorted though the DIY language and brought you some of the best, fast, easy and personable, sparkly egg artworks we could find.
There is still time, you aren’t too late—really, these are easy, fun, tasteful and inexpensive!

WASHI TAPE EGGS/ADHESIVE TAPE EGGS

Washi Tape is beautiful decorative Japanese masking tape. It comes in assorted colors, patterns, and widths and in solid, metallic, glitter, lacy, transparent or translucent colors. It is typically made from natural fibers: bamboo or hemp, or the bark of trees that are native to Japan: the mulberry, the mitsumata shrub or the gampi tree. Most washi tapes are strong, but it’s easy to remove, reposition and to rub out tiny bubbles from curved surface applications. It’s fairly inexpensive and available in crafts stores and online. Amazon has a wide assortment. It is simple to decorate an egg with washi, just grab an egg, hardboiled, blown out, plastic or ceramic and let your inner artist go wild.

Adhesive Tape/Sheets: You can also get double sided scotch tape, wrap a piece around your egg and dip it in glitter. Brush off excess with a Q-tip and repeat for a second, third, etc. color. If you are feeling ambitious, you can also purchase 8x10”adhesive sheets and adhere your own fabric to one side of the sheet. Cut the adhesive backed fabric into strips and apply them to your egg, much the way you would washi tape.

SCRAPBOOKING STICK-ONS/SELF-INKEDSTAMP EGGS

Some of you may remember Scrapbooking or may still utilize this art form, but the important thing is that craft stores are just full of wonderful miniature adhesive backed scrapbooking decorative embellishments that can be used to make personable eggs. 

Flowers, hearts, bunnies, stars, butterflies, glittered and unglittered, 3-D and flat, vintage-inspired cutouts and words and monogram letters. Not to mention you can make personalized eggs for travelers, gardeners or teachers and on and on. And you’ll notice there are plenty of adhesive metallic shapes and sparkles to add to your eggs. Self-Ink Mini Stamps are perfect for a quick and easy, but attractive eggs. You can purchase them in colors or black, just make sure they are small. If you like to color, fill in your stamped egg design with some sharpie markers or even gold and silver metallic markers!

NAIL ART & TEMPORARY TATTOO EGGS

Nail Art Embellishments, yes those miniature art decals or 3-D jewels used for manicures, are great for making a elegant, refined egg that looks like it took hours to create. Often dollar stores carry nail art embellishments but Amazon.com carries a huge selection at very affordable prices. Just stick them on your egg, repeat and voila, no mess or fuss, gorgeous sparkly eggs!

We adore these butterfly eggs!

 Temporary Tattoos are also excellent for colorful dignified eggs. From kiddie tattoos to grownup tattoos, florals, feathers, animals, words, lovely calligraphy scripts and even glow-in-the-dark temporary tats abound. Also henna tattoos make for a lovely egg Look for small tattoos or cut up larger temps and follow the instructions!

GOLD, GLITTER AND FOILED EGGS

Fine Craft Aluminum Foil sheets are available in a multitude of colors and make creating beautiful eggs easy. Simply cut a square off and crumple it around your egg and press until you get a glowing burnished metal egg. 

Forget the glue for Glittered Eggs, just use stickers, glitter washi tape, double face tape or punch out rounds from any double-side adhesive tape and dip in glitter. Remember to initially place only as many dots or strips of tape that you want for your first color of glitter and then add more tape for each additional color. You can also just draw lines or doodle on your egg with metallic pens, add adhesive backed letters for monogramed eggs, or brush on metallic paint… in decorative daubs. 

Or if you are really ambitious—paint the entire egg, but that’s kind of like dyeing, huh?

Combine any or all of the above ideas to create eggs that are quick easy and uniquely yours and ….

"SPARKLE THE WORLD!"

Have a great Easter Sunday!

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