Spinella, Faerie of Spinel

Spinella is faerie of the gemstone spinel. Her name is actually Latin and means "little thorn". Spinel was named after this, because it grows in very sharp octahedral crystals. Throughout history, spinel has been mistaken for many other gems, most notably rubies, so it doesn't have much lore of its own. It comes in just about every color. Spinella represents black, red , yellow and blue spinel. Spinel is said have a calming energy, and is thought to encourage renewal and healing. Different colors of spinel are said to have different healing properties. It is a non-traditional zodiac stone for Gemini.

Spinella is about 9.25 inches tall. She is made of Japanese glass seed beads, Swarovski pearls, and organic cotton thread & fiber fill. Her dress is accented with natural black spinel beads. She is ball jointed, and has 13 points of articulation.

And here she is!

"Crystal Snow" on Fire Mountain Gems

My "Crystal Snow" outfit for Elena has been featured on Fire Mountain Gems Gallery of Designs ^-^ You can see it here.

Crystal Snow

I finally finished the outfit that goes with Elena's icicle wig! It was inspired by the Russian fairy tale "Snegurochka" (aka The Snow Maiden). But this is kind of a fantasy version. In my imagination, she is actually made of snow and ice. So her "clothes" are just like a part of her skin. 

The outfit consists of a dress, panties, gloves, boots, and wig. Everything is made from glass beads, and is my own design. This was my first beading project (aside from bead embroidery, which I have been doing for several years), and it was really fun! I will definitely be doing more of it ^_^

Elena's Icicle Wig

I made Elena a new wig - the "hair" and wig cap are made entirely of glass beads. This is sort of related to my "Snegurochka WIP" posts, since I originally bought the beads to do embroidery on the coat for that outfit. But, I have been having some problems breathing when I sew or work with fibers, so I am taking a break on it (might be permanent, might not, I don't know at this point). Anyways, I have all these beads, so I decided to try something new - I've always loved the looks of beaded things! So I am making Elena a beaded dress, and hopefully shoes, to go with this wig. It will be like a fantasy Snow Maiden thing when it's done. Of course, I will post more pictures when it is, but I just finished the wig a few minutes ago, so I wanted to share it with you! ^-^ Be warned, these photos are kind of too bright. I wanted to show how shiny and sparkly the beads are, so I took them in the sunlight…

This wig was really an experiment, to see if I could even make an all-beaded wig for a porcelain BJD. I tried looking up tutorials first, but I could only find beaded wigs for Barbies. I liked the looks of them, but the execution is totally different since Barbie doesn't need a wig cap! So I had to make it up as I went along. I'm pretty happy with the results, and will definitely make more for my other girls! I might tweak things a bit here and there, but basically, I am happy with things as they are, and it wasn't nearly so hard to do as I thought.