This was a mini, quick DIY project I started just before I moved (more on that in another short, upcoming post).
I found a trio of broken dragon figurines for sale on Depop.
The seller described them as:
“Set of 3 dragon figurines in green and brown.
DAMAGED NOT PERFECT.
Have some little pieces missing but thought a waste to throw out :(“
I snapped them up as they looked salvageable.
The middle one looked fine, while the most damaged one was missing a horn and both wings.
So that’s the one I decided to work on first.
I don’t do DIY stuff often, but I try to be frugal a lot of the time.
My aim was to use items I already had lying around or that I wouldn’t need to go out of the way for to attain or purchase.
I happened to go to Jasper Beach (in Machias, Maine) a few days after getting these figurines.
While on the beach, I kept an eye out for a tiny, triangular-shaped stone that could work as a horn.
I ended up finding a slightly reddish one and it fit well in terms of sizing.
As for the wings, I thought paper or cardboard would be a bit flimsy.
So I gathered a few small pieces of driftwood from the aforementioned beach walk, and used an old charm I had in my jewelry box from years ago.
The figurine looked better after a quick clean in the sink.
I like the understated final result, the usage of natural elements or material, and the gold shimmer coming from the charm.
The gold also reminded me of kintsugi, which is the traditional Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
I believe I have a vertical video of the final result, which I may post onto YouTube one of these days.