Warrior Salve & Foot Soak Combo for Tired, Aching Muscles and Feet

Back in 2010, when I trained over 500 miles and walked 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, I started developing what would eventually become my first herbal products for sore muscles.  The first and most popular to date has been my sore muscle salve but a really great complement to it is my foot soak.

I had a really great team captain for the 3 Day who taught us well to stretch and stretch often.  I have to thank her for that because after walking 60 miles in 3 days, I was a little sore after the fact but I was not in pain and I think that it largely has to do with the stretching.  I did something else immediately after the walk that I believe contributed to my quick recovery: I took a nice, long, hot herbal bath (and then followed it up with my sore muscle salve!).

My foot soak was formulated based on that herbal bath concoction.  It includes Epsom salts, baking soda, mugwort, sage, rosemary, and lavender.  These natural ingredients are anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, pain relieving, skin softening, detoxifying, and aromatic.  Lavender is a wonderfully relaxing herb.  Mugwort is used to invigorate tired feet (and was once used by Roman soldiers to relieve aching feet on their long marches).  Sage helps relieve joint pain and is strengthening.  Rosemary helps increase circulation.  Baking soda softens the skin.  Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate which, absorbed through the skin, not only increases magnesium levels in the body but also acts as a sedative for the nervous system, reduces swelling, and relaxes muscles.  It also draws toxins from the body and is a natural exfoliant.  A really great way to massage your feet in the foot soak is by adding smooth river rocks or marbles to the basin!

Whether you're a seasoned athlete, training for an event, or just sore from over doing it over the weekend, my Warrior Salve and Foot Soak are fantastic, all natural ways of caring for your aching self!

My Warrior Salve and Foot Soak also come as a set and makes a really great gift for the Pink Warrior in your life.

February FAEteam Challenge

Okay, so I'm running a little behind... February's Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team challenge was to design a piece inspired by the name of that month's Full Moon: Snow Moon or Hunger Moon. February is known for enormous amounts of snowfall that more often than not in the old days resulted in (you guessed it) hunger. The challenge entries were amazing again this month!

I used the Japanese 12-2 chain maille weave to create a pattern that resembles snow flakes. The flakes are complemented by clear glass beads representing ice. Here is my piece in honor of the Snow Moon:

It is available in my Etsy shop as well as my Artfire Studio.

Other team members were inspired by the Snow Moon:

Boreas by Gypsy Moon Art

Snowy Moonlight Earrings and Moonlight Faery Ballroom Necklace by Mermaiden

Snow Pixie Vessel by Anika's Art

And of course, after all of the snow comes the hunger for warmth and growth. Here are the items that were inspired by the Hunger Moon:

The Hungriest Pixie Ever, by Erthefae

Sky Will Feed My Heart by Carapace

New in Shop: Gemstone Jewelry

I have a small stash of gemstone jewelry that I made quite some time ago and has been patiently waiting for a photo shoot. There's more to come, but here's a little taste of what's already been added to Athena's Armoury Etsy Shop & Artfire Studio.

1. Valentine Frost Lariat Necklace, 2. Valentine Frost Earrings, 3. Peace, Love, & Joy Gemstone Stretch Bracelet Set, 4. Sweetheart Gemstone & Pearl Bib Necklace closeup

Valentine Frost Lariat and Earring Set is available on Etsy and Artfire.
Peace, Love, and Joy Stretch Gemstone Bracelet on Etsy and Artfire.
Sweetheart Gemstone and Pearl Bib Necklace on Etsy and Artfire.

New in Shop: Wolf Hunter Chain Maille Necklace

The Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team's 2010 monthly challenge is based on each month's name of the Full Moon. There are multiple names that the moon can go by according to different cultures and mythologies. For January, I chose to work with the Native American name: Wolf Moon.

I thought it would be easy to find lupine inspiration, if nothing else surely I could create something involving werewolves. A few weeks of no inspiration and mounting frustration, I approached my teammates with the question of what they do when they have a creative block. At the suggestion of one teammate I waded through a bag of supplies that I forgot I had. It was full of pendants, findings, gemstones, and a couple of Mahogany Obsidian arrowheads. In my wolf research, I read about Wolf's Bane which is an herb and one of the common names for Aconite. Several species of aconite are poisonous and have been used as arrow poisons to hunt ibex and bear as well as in warfare. It is also historically correct that Native Americans used Mahogany Obsidian for arrowheads. So my Wolf Moon chain maille piece is actually inspired by my herbal research (it's all connected).


I did a very simple wire wrap on an arrowhead and suspended it on a length of copper chain maille. This chain maille weave is most commonly known as Full Persian, but as with so many maille weaves goes by a few different names: one of them is Foxtail. I chose to work in copper because of how earthy a metal it is. It was turning out to be quite a substantial piece, so I didn't think just any clasp would do. I wanted to make something that could carry the bulk and toughness of the piece. I also wanted it to feel like the hunter made it himself to carry the prized arrowhead that caught the wolf that tormented his village. I wanted it to feel rustic.

The Wolf Hunter Chain Maille Necklace is available both in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

New in Shop: Little Black Earrings & Stretch Diamond Finger Armour

This week, Athena's Armoury is unveiling a few new items!

Little Black Earrings
These earrings have such a simple elegance that they could easily go from day to night.

Made with mini Jet briolettes and sterling silver findings, they measure 1 1/4" from the top of the ear hook to the bottom of the bead.

Little Black Earrings are available in Athena's Armoury Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.



Stretch Diamond Chain Maille Finger Armour
Traditionally, armour of old was made using riveted stainless steel rings. This finger ring is a modern take on it by updating an ancient chain maille weave using stretchy rubber rings.

The weave used in this piece is Japanese 12-2 in a diamond pattern using bright aluminum and rubber rings. The bright aluminum jump rings were coiled and cut by hand by me. The diamond is 1 1/4" long and just shy of 1" across. One size fits most.

The Stretch Diamond Chain Maille Finger Armour in bright aluminum is available in Athena's Armoury Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop. It is also available as a stretchy mixed metal piece (bright aluminum & copper) in the Etsy Shop and Artfire Studio.

New in Shop: Stress Balls, Hackey Sacks, Juggling Balls

Yes, they work as all three: stress balls, hackey sacks, and juggling balls! Chain maille is such a tactile art, that they are perfect stress balls. They have a great squish factor, making them great to be used as hackey sacks. And they are fairly lightweight, making them quite aerodynamic to use as juggling balls.

Each ball has an approximate 2 1/4" diameter, is made with bright aluminum rings, and is filled with fabric making it quite easy to clean.

Available in Athena's Armoury Etsy Shop and Artfire Studio. Please contact me if you're interested in only one ball. More colors coming soon!!

New in Shop: The Fool

As I discussed when I introduced my Alienmaille bracelet, I love Euro 4-1. This necklace is yet another example of why I love the classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave so much: all of the variations that can be made with it as a base. Simply by altering the amount of jump rings in each row of the necklace, dags (or daggers) are created. The dags in this necklace remind me of the typical court jester's costume, thus the name The Fool.

The Fool measures 19 1/2" including a 1 1/2" extender chain to vary the length of the necklace. The dags alternate in length from 1 1/8" to 1 1/4" from the top of the necklace collar to the bottom of the dag. The Fool was made using bright aluminum jump rings which are extremely light and so shiny that it is typically confused with sterling silver.

The Fool is available in Athena's Armoury's Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

New in Shop: Gaia Bracelet

I've always admired the Jens Pind (pronounced yens pint) chain maille weave. I like the rope-like nature of it (both the looks and feel of it), but also that it's very intricate and delicate at the same time that it's strong. It's a captivating spiral weave and for some reason, despite how much I love it, it took me until this past weekend to sit down and try it for the first time. Needless to say, I was hooked. It works up fairly quickly and feels nice in the hand.

I've also had it in my head to make some multi-strand bracelets for a long time now, combining the intricacies of chain maille with the earthiness of gemstones. Working up a pure copper Jens Pind chain, the thought occured to me that this would be the perfect marriage. I'd like to introduce to you the Gaia Bracelet.


Gaia is a Greek Goddess also known as Earth Mother. She is the earth and all the power of the earth. Gaia was the original deity at Delphi, for she is the giver of dreams, mantic oracles and prophecies. She is a reminder that we must ground ourselves in the reality of nature and incorporate all sides of ourselves, be they pleasant or unpleasant, light or dark. All bodies eventually return to her, into the black, fertile earth, to be devoured and to receive her life to live again.

The Gaia Bracelet is available in both Athena's Armoury Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

New in Shop: Alienmaille Bracelet & Hana Gusari Chakra Anklet

This past weekend, there was a heat advisory going on in FL. Seems strange since it's always insanely hot here over the summer, but I went along with it and tried to stay in inside. Having the tail end of my head cold actually made me want to stay inside anyway: the air was so thick, I could hardly breathe. I wanted to do something for Athena's Armoury, but I wasn't necessarily feeling up to mailling (a sinus headache and looking at little jump rings just doesn't work so well for me). It's been a long time since I had a maille photo shoot for a couple of reasons:

1. Picture taking, editing, and listing is not one of my favorite parts of selling online so I tend to procrastinate doing it.

2. Things have been somewhat quiet in the shop, so it seemed a little silly to me to keep listing new items. I'd have a ton of inventory in the shop and I firmly believe that people only look at the first couple of pages anyway.

I did read at some point, though that new items get more love and attention that renewed ones, so I guess we'll see how true that is because I spent some time taking pictures, editing, and creating listings. I already shared with you my Aeracura Necklace which I listed over the weekend. Here are a couple more new items in both my Etsy shop and Artfire studio:

Alienmaille Bracelet available in Etsy Shop and Artfire Studio

One of the reasons why I love the classic Euro 4-1 chain maille weave so much is because of all of the variations that can be done with it or using it as a base. Alienmaille is one of those. It is simply two layers of Euro 4-1 woven together on top of each other making it look like a much more complex weave than it truly is.

Hana Gusari Chakra Anklet available in Etsy shop and Artfire Studio

The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Each of these energy centers has a specific color and symbol and control different aspects of the body and being.

Japanese chain maille was more often than not used as a decorative element or in combination with padded steel plates or to connect plated armor. It is not as strong as it's European maille cousins, but this flexibility gives this type of maille a beautiful flow to be used as jewelry.

New in Shop: Aeracura Necklace

In honor of this weekend's summer solstice, I just listed the Aeracura Necklace both in my Artfire Studio and Etsy Shop.

Aercura is a Celtic and Germanic goddess who multitasks as an Earth Mother Deity, a fairy queen, and also as a bridge between earthly life and the hereafter. She is especially fond of assisting artists and inventors. Aeracura is a goddess devoted to blossoming.

This fun, summertime, hippy style choker necklace is infused with lovely flower glass beads. They are set inside a Romanov pattern in the Byzantine chain maille weave. The metal used is bright aluminum which is 1/3 the weight of steel and just as shine as sterling silver at a fraction of the cost. The necklace measures 17" including a lobster clasp and 2" extender chain to vary the length.

Don't forget to check out the Summer Solstice Sale at Athena's Armoury, too!!