Studio Tour Sunday

 This week at Rust Belt Market, I brought a new test batch of heart pendants!  I did pewter & white and red & black ones, all with floral designs. Some of the red ones have bold rose designs stamped into them, which remind me of old school tattoo designs.  The hearts have already been well received this weekend, so I am excited to make more up as a regular item, with a special push of them for Valentine's Day.

Let's see what some of our beady friends are up to this week!    A Bead A Day
Interested in using plastic to create special Valentine's Day Jewelry? Here are a couple of pieces for inspiration.

About.com Jewelry Making
What is better than some beaded embroidery how-to for a buck? Errr..nothing!

Art Bead Scene
Heather offers a beautiful free project inspired from high in the treetops!

Beading Arts
Cyndi has been trying to encourage everyone to get out there and take a class this year!

Beads & Books
See the 30+ beautiful winter jewelry designs in the Secret Snowflake Challenge. Participants used techniques such as bead embroidery, resin, stringing, wirework, etching, and more!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a link to a kumihimo give-a-way to share!

Charlene Sevier Jewelry
Sometimes jewelry acts up a little before it comes together. Charlene shares one of those times

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie looks back at an older post where a favorite song inspired a series of wing themed pendants.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Valentine's Day is one of the most delightful days on Jean's calendar! Why? Because she gets to think about love, and jewelry such as the astounding pendants at NanoStyle! Tell your beloved "I love you" in a most incredible way!  
 

Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

Laputa House and Cloud Pendants

I was really pleased with the finished Laputa House carved plate when I got it out of the kiln!  I used a dark metallic glaze over the whole surface and wiped it away so it only filled in the carved lines.  Then I used a egyptian aqua crackle glaze and a clear glaze to paint in the sky and clouds.  The variation in color and texture when the glazes met was unexpected and very welcomed!  I really love this piece and very much want to carve more.  I think the image will make for a nice pendant design, too.  I am still thinking about how I might go about doing that.

I made a few simple cloud themed pendants, too.  These need to be photographed and added to Etsy.  Finally!  Something new for the Etsy shop.  I will have to wait until Monday to do this, though.  I have a busy weekend ahead, balancing between Rust Belt Market and a local convention where all my friends are hanging out.  Whee!

Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

In the Clouds

Perhaps starting my new blog series with the theme of cities in the sky was not the wisest choice!  I feel a little like I am floating and flying lately.  Although, in fairness, that is not entirely because I am thinking of far away places in the clouds, I am feeling really happy and floaty lately, which is not a complaint.  It does make for a hard time getting grounded and getting to work, though.  Today's post is to provide some color inspiration to get me motivated to glaze some of the new work I have done lately.  Here are some great inspirational images from Google Images from my search of cities in the sky.

Above: the city of Twinergy, from an Indian Bollywood animated movie

Above: Heavenly City photo manipulation from artist Yang Yongliang

Above: Castle in the Pyrenees by Rene Magritte

 Above: Cloud City from Star Wars

Above: a photo of the real city of Dubai, taken from the sky, making for a surreal looking city

Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

Studio Tour Sunday: New Ribbon

This weekend at my Rust Belt Market store, I got in a new shipment of ribbon.  All last year, I used recycled sari silk ribbon for my store, which was very well received.  I had it in many colors, my customers liked the rustic and recycled qualities, and it was relatively inexpensive. But the major drawback was that it came in skeins and I had to measure and cut it, and the rustic quality that I loved also meant there were lots of knots and unusable parts of the ribbon, so it was a bit wasteful and time consuming to use.  This year, I decided to switch to a finished silk ribbon, which is more expensive.  I got my first shipment earlier in the week and it is SO beautiful!  I think my customers will enjoy this just at much, if not more, than the sari ribbon.  I took a picture of my new display of ribbon and pendants.  I streamlined the display, too, moving the sign to the center and adding more bins for pendants.  It's looking really good here in my little shop!That's my news this weekend... take a look at what is going on with some of my blog friends:

  A Bead A Day
Looking for something fun to do in April? How about having some Bead Fest Fun?!

About.com Jewelry Making
Don't you love rubies? But, they are pretty pricey unless you opt for sparkling ruby yarn. This necklace combines ruby yarn and black filigree components.

Art Bead Scene
We giggle and chuckle along to the sexy bead humor of the new blog Beaded Laughter by Sylvie Lansdowne

Beading Arts
Do you struggle to add Swarovski rivolis to your bead embroidery? Cyndi has the solution for you in her brand new e-booklet, "Three Bezels Plus a Bonus"!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi declares 2012 as the Year of The Knot!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie goes into her blog archives to share two pretty bird necklace inspiration pieces

Resin Crafts!
Carmi has a two part series featuring resin on agate!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Margot Potter, Swarovski, the incredible low down on the most fab event at Tucson this year! You must check this out!!! WOW!  


Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

Birds in Progress

 

I haven't been able to work too much on the Sky pieces this week, but I have had some wonderful mental images swirling around my brain.  I started to think about Icarus and his story about flight into the skies.  That started me thinking about birds, which have become a bit of an obsession for me over the last couple of years.  I drew a silhouette of a bird and cut a couple of them out of clay.  I intend to fire and mold them and do some carvings for pendants.  But this takes lots of steps and drying and firing, so I am just waiting and dreaming right now.  Hopefully, it will lead so some interesting new components.  I don't really know what all of this bird imagery has to do with the original concept of sky places, but the point of this project is to inspire me into new directions, so here we are...

In my research, I found a blog about Loplop, Max Ernst's bird familiar, and I remembered a blog post I wrote about it a while ago.  It's funny how I seem to keep coming back to the same ideas and inspirations.

Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

Etsy Inspiration: Mechanical Birds and Flying Machines

'Mechanical Birds and Flying Machines' by earthenwood

Black and white Bird art pri... SteamBestiary $20.00	Taboo Bird Brooch Necklace 2... roneprinz $525.00	Ichabod, Steampunk Plague Do... TomBanwell $425.00	Clockwork Bird - American Ro... HazelFisherCre... $6.20
The Albatross a Steampunk Fl... laurettacreati... $450.00	Icarus Wings No. 002 DentonAirshipC... $550.00	Steampunk Mechanical Bird Di... DigitalThings $1.00	Mechanical Birdie - Fully Cu... monsterkookies $97.00
BOGO SALE... (Buy 1 Get 1 Fr... TheRekindledPa... $8.99	Mechanical Wing with Cogs & ... monsterkookies $33.00	Vintage Small Game Trap with... jedpaterson $250.00	Pterothopter Mk I - hand pul... WhiteRavenArts $120.00
Flight - Print DuttonArt $30.00	BULLET BIRD , Crystal Bullet... madebymoe $35.00	Clockwork Wings - LE Giclee ... amyhouser $72.00	Bird Cage - Personalize - Do... Ricksonjewelle... $249.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

This week, in my studies of sky places, I am thinking about ways that one might visit an imaginary land in the sky and creatures that might live there.  I am thinking about mechanical birds, steampunked Icarus wings, and imaginary flying machines.  I found some images on Etsy to be inspirational, so I created this treasury.  I hope it will inspire me, and maybe you as well! Can you think of any cool flying vehicles, or imaginary birds that have a mechanical twist, from your favorite works of fiction or film?  Please share them with me!

Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.

Studio Tour Sunday

 In another effort to blog more frequently, I will be returning to posting the weekly links of beady awesomeness known as Studio Tour Sunday!  It's a little hard for me to blog on the weekends, as I am at Rust Belt Market on Saturdays and Sundays, but since I post the weekly links for Art Bead Scene, too, I might as well make a little extra effort to post here.  And while I am here at the market, which is such a cool place, I figured I would try to share some snapshots of my weekend home.  Above, part of my display, showcasing some of my newest ornaments and a few necklace examples.

   A Bead A Day
It's Snowflake Design Challenge time! Everyone has received their beads and Lisa's taking design ideas.

About.com Jewelry Making
Step up from the basic pearl post earrings with this dangle earring tutorial.

Art Bead Scene
It's the start of a new year and a new month and that means a new Art Bead Scene challenge! Check out the beautiful color palette that we pulled from a William Morris wallpaper design.

Beading Arts
Have you heard about Take a Stitch Tuesday?

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie starts a new blog project for the year, being inspired by places of the imagination. Read about the first month's inspiration of places in the sky.

Resin Crafts!
Carmi makes a rose themed necklace with cooking molds.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean's involved in a new project! It's jewelry, wait--it's crafts, no--hold on--it's dolls, no wait! It's a book! Hold on to your hats! It's a whole bunch of fun and it is debuting this week! See more on Jean's blog!  


Melanie is an artist, blogger, writer, and ceramic beadmaker at Earthenwood Studio. Her beads and components can be found at her Etsy shop and her jewelry can be found in her Etsy Galleria. To comment on this post, visit the original post at the Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Blog.