Product Playtime: Gluable Disk-&-Loop Bracelets

I recently got some new bracelet forms from Rings and Things to play with, in a variety of metal finishes and shapes. These are bracelets that are completely finished, which have flat metal pads for links made for gluing. They are perfect for gluing cabochon stones, or buttons, or other fun flat backed things.
The first thing I made was an obvious choice, which was a bracelet made of repeating baby moon face stones. I used an antique copper colored bracelet, and I just happened to have 13 of the same Earthy Green color, so I glued them to the bracelet, one on each pad. I used E6000, which is a glue that I like to use to glue ceramic to metal. It makes for a kind of neat looking bracelet, although it is slightly disconcerting to have all of those little faces all in a row. Ah well, wearing it, one would certainly not feel lonely, hehe.

So I wanted to make something a little more complex with my next bracelet form, so I took it apart to create a necklace. I used the components separately, and linked other things to the pads. I like the look of some of the flat pads showing, as chain elements, especially when attached to the hammered rings and gear links. I glued a few ceramic gear stones to some of the other pads. I wanted to make something kind of asymmetrical, to play on the center component that is stamped with the word "balance". I like the way this turned out, and the gears and little charms remind me vaguely of some sort of balancing machine, like it could come alive and be used as some sort of mechanical balancing tool.

Palimpsest Inspiration

One of the other inspirations to create this new design was a description of a character given to me by author Catherynne M. Valente from her new book Palimpsest. She told me that her character Casimira commands an army of clockwork insects. This was my interpretation of a scarab based on that description, and my plan is to create a brass filigree hand decoration using the design, something similar to the Alchemical Glove I made a couple of months ago

Unfortunately, I have not yet read Palimpsest, although it looks absolutely compelling to me. I have been in awe, reading Catherynne's Live Journal and following her book release and tour, and seeing all of the art and craft that has been inspired by her work. Check out the beautiful trailer for the novel:

Extra Extra

About.com Jewelry Making
What sparks your creativity? Take the lastest poll, just takes 1 minute or less!

Art Bead Scene
Needing more inspiration for this month's challenge? Here are a few ideas for you!

Art Jewelry magazine
The Bead&Button Show is featured in USA Today!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi experiments with UV resin!

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Jennifer invites you to attend her Creative Celebration.

Jewelry & Beading
Thanks to some inspiration from beadmaker Melanie Brooks, Cyndi has an article in Belle Armoire Jewelry!

Katie's Beading Blog
Check Out Katie's Fabulous Beaded Fruit!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean designs a colorful parrot necklace with a treasure of an equisite, hand painted Russian art bead

Strands of Beads
Melissa discusses the usefulness of the preliminary sketch in her design process

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Inspired by Spring, Andre compiles a shopping guide for egg-themed beads and components.

Many Familiar Faces

So when I say I am busy, this is a visual representation of what "busy" can look like. This is an order that I just finished this morning and started to sort. Whew! It is a big relief to get this one (pretty much) done and out the door. That's a lot of little ceramic bits to keep track of. The order was all faces for a woman who owns a store and who teaches how to do beadwork around them. I am sure they make beautiful things, she and her staff and customers.
I got them all done and out the door today, in perfect time to enjoy the rest of my Saturday with a lunch with friends and a party tonight! My plate is mostly clear for the week now, so I am really itching to work on new things with clay, and to get the many pictures I have taken of new work edited and put on Etsy. But for now, I will enjoy my weekend! Enjoy...

Serendipity and Mystery

This is my new favorite thing! It is a huge rusty padlock that I bought at an outdoor antique/ thrift market while with my dear friends in Rochester NY earlier this year. I have great memories of that trip, and this lock is a physical reminder of it. It had a recessed circular area where some part had long broken off, and I wanted to replace it with a piece of carved clay. I had set it aside for the day when I could carve something for it, and it resurfaced recently. I was amazed when by coincidence, one of my new lock pendants fit perfectly in the recessed area! I made one without holes especially for it, and cemented it in place. The lock doesn't open, it didn't come with a key, so I will just attach it to something, like this old looking mystery trunk, to look like it will keep the contents forever safe from potential troublemakers and curious eyes!

Building up Steam

Not much to say lately, and too busy to blog. I am making beads, glazing, firing kilns, taking pictures, blah blah blah. Busy from morning until night, but with not much to share in the blog yet. Soon though. I did take this picture of the Steam Stone line, all done in the metallic oxidation finish, for the website. I don't know why I originally glazed the examples in that peachy tan, but it has always bothered me, since it is not a finish I offer the stones in. So this is a better choice, and they look great. I need to work on a little web work soon too, as I have some new press coming out soon that requires a new page. It will be a page of Steam Circles, so it will include the round gears and the new round pendants i have been doing lately. whee! That's all i have for now. Soon I will add a bunch of stuff to etsy and have something to show! Hope you stick around to see...

Glazed Clockwork Scarab

Well yesterday was a big, intense post and today has been a busy day. So I will keep it short and light today. Above, one of the new scarab beads, glazed in green. I am very happy with this! Wait until you see the other colors! I need to take pictures of them. Soon!

Here's something fun... a cheesy nature show about scarabs, AKA Dung Beetles. I am sure that some of my (ahem, cough) less mature friends will delight and giggle everytime the announcer says "dung" or dung-ball". Which of my readers has the mind and maturity of a 5 year old, and wants to count? I dare you. *giggle*

Click on the pic above to see this bead in the Earthenwood Etsy shop. Lots more soon, I promise.

Scarab Rising

This is my favorite of the new carvings, this picture is of the original carving. I have since molded it and have made some pendants from it, and they are really exciting! I will show those soon. There were a few sources of inspiration for this, which I will talk about in the next few days. But I have always been very attracted to insects, beetles in particular. I think the beetle is my familiar creature, and I used to dream about them vividly. I used to make insect related art, in college, but it has been a long time since I made a scarab. The time seemed right to do one again now.

I love the ancient Egyptian mythology of the scarab beetle, pushing the sun up into the sky each day. It is a great symbol of the cycle of days, and life. The struggle of a single creature, making its way through the world, its burdens weighing it down, but yet persisting each day. There are days I feel this struggle too. I have many days this year.

I am never sure how public to be with my private life. I tend to err on the side of caution, keeping most of my blogs and public life positive and not revealing too much about my private life, even when I am undergoing major changes. Maybe that is overly cautious, maybe it would help me to share more. But it is how I have always been. So I am sure I sound pretty cryptic sometimes. But one change in my life has been so major, it has effected my work significantly, and since this blog is primarily about my work, I want to share.

I very recently finalized my divorce. Chuck and I had been together many years, since we were teenagers, and we had grown apart. It was a difficult decision to make, but we made it together, and we separated over the summer, right before the Bead & Button show. He moved out to Portland in the late summer, and we started the procedure for divorce. It was complete just over a week ago...the day before Pi Day, in fact. I thought that was appropriate, finishing one chapter of our lives and then the next day celebrating the infinite. We both wish the best for each other, and hope we will find happiness in our separate paths.

So that has been what I have been dealing with in the past year. Work has been hard, but it also helps me get through. Finding the time and energy to be creative has been challenging. I am just starting to make new beads and new work, and it seems that the things I am making are reflecting my new life and how I feel. They are symbolic things, and I guess that makes sense, as art is the expression of our lives. This is my life, and I thank you all for reading, and supporting me, and sharing it with me.

Extra Extra

About.com Jewelry Making
Jewelry and taxes, ick! But maybe these tips will help you navigate through this beader's nightmare.

Art Bead Scene
We all need a little bit more organization. Here's a nifty organizer for your tools.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe talks about her love of Egyptian Jewelry

Bead&Button magazine
Lesley shares tips on getting organized from her and the staff

Carmi's Art/Life
Carmi prints her favorite images onto cotton to create a new fiber necklace.

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Katie Hacker designed a fabulous necklace using some of Jennifer's pinwheel beads.

Jewelry & Beading
We've been concentrating on organic materials for jewelry making this month, and Cyndi has rounded up a few of her projects that fall into that category!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Come read Jean's review of this super new book by Kim Gover: Designing Jewelry with semiprecious beads!

Strands of Beads
Melissa discusses shopping opportunities for unusual stone-wrapped chain

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Finding inspiration in an unlikely place, Andrew creates a necklace based on a Jell-o dessert.

Saturday Spotlight: Bead Bonanza!

I am working hard all day and night to get ready for the always awesome Bead Bonanza! I went in early and got my booth mostly set up (and I am cheating by showing a picture of last year's set up above). I have my sales/packaging box to get ready tonight and a list of things that I forgot (extension cords, duct tape, sign). I have a kiln cooling now, and I will gather the contents and sort them at the show in the morning. Tonight, I will make as many neat brass and porcelain pendants as possible to bring along. I am excited to have a little bit of fancy stuff and new work to show. My table is looking a little sparse, and it is mostly old stuff that I am discounting and putting on sale, so the little bit of new work will add some freshness to my display. This is my local bead guild, and I have been doing this show regularly for over a decade, so they are always looking for something new from me. I hope to please them this time around. Oh! And as I walked in and was shown to my space, the show co-ordinators requested that I dress in the steampunkery like I did last fall. I had pondered it, but wasn't sure if i had the energy. Well, consider my arm twisted... maybe I will don the goggles tomorrow....

Key to Success

This key carving is the companion piece to the lock that I showed yesterday. I am pleased with it. I am rather curious to see it in other colors, and I am finishing up a bunch right now for tonight's kiln, so in a few days, I will get to see just that. I am doing them with other hole configurations, too, which will be a bit easier to use in jewelry.

I have had a couple of people email me recently, asking for advice on the bead business. Seems I put on a professional appearance and a friendly face that invites people to ask me such questions. That makes me happy, and I do like to help, and to inspire. But lately things have been challenging (as they are for most people, in these trying times) and I have had some setbacks and some difficulties that have made my business and my art making harder, so sharing hope and inspiration with others has been challenging as well. I cannot really share the key to my success if I am not feeling particularly successful, I suppose. These feelings will pass, I am sure, but for now I am just feeling a little reserved and waiting for a little hope and maybe a bit of karma will come to me.

Locking myself inside

I am feeling a little crummy today, even though it was a gorgeous day. I was able to get out and do my errands and walk the dog in the park, but I was mostly happy to come home and lock myself inside and rest and work on the couch for the afternoon. One bright spot in my day was the opening of the kiln this morning, where I had new work awaiting me! Above is one of the pieces, the keyhole that I showed the work in progress pictures of yesterday. I am pleased with it! I am looking forward to doing it in other colors too. So that has been my goal, to make a handful of them (and the other new designs) for my show this weekend. Time to keep working!

Unlocking Inspration

Today, a quick sneak peek at a new pendant design, with some work in progress pictures of it. This new set of round carvings are being inspired by a few things; varied, but they are all pretty symbolic. This first one, is based on the lock to my front door, shown above (along with the first clay "sketch" and a mid carving picture) I stylized it a bit with a classic keyhole and some extra beading, but it was certainly inspired by my home entrance. Its very symbolic for me, the thought of this keyhole, the protector of my home, the portal to my personal space. It makes me feel at home and secure, seeing it. I have not fired any of these yet, but hope to see my first one come out of the kiln tomorrow, along with other new pieces. I will share more soon!

New Work, New Material

I am getting ready for a show this weekend (the Bead Bonanza in Southfield, YAY!) so I have been very busy working on a few new things. New carvings are some of the items I have been doing, I am excited to say! I have 4 new carvings, all large round pendants, which I am looking forward to showing you this week. I haven't wanted to show them too early, because it takes a long time between the point where I finish carving, to the point where I have a finished object to sell. After the carving is done, I have to fire it, and then make a clay mold of it, and fire it, and then press the actual item, fire it, glaze it, and fire it again! So that can take me up to a month, depending on how much I am driven to get the firings done. Ceramics is certainly not an instant gratification sort of process, at least not the way I do it.

Anyway, I have recently discovered, with the help of my metalsmith friend, that the ceramic molds that I make for my porcelain beads also work really well for casting pewter in. Oh, this will get me in much trouble, I think. *grinning craftily* We had cast some very basic tests, to see how the molds hold up, and they work really well. So after testing in some old molds I had, I designed a gear specifically for casting in pewter (well, I will use it for clay too, but I made it with pewter in mind) It is a pretty crude and rustic casting style so far, just melting the pewter and pouring it into the one part ceramic mold. The result is a flat backed stone, which can be drilled, although I enjoyed simply setting it into a brass setting, just like I would a porcelain stone.

We cast the piece above in my studio, with a propane torch, and minimal equipment. I am looking forward to heading to the metalsmithing supply store soon to get more pewter and things to cast on my own.

Extra Extra

About.com Jewelry Making
New Lucky Earrings Project - Hot off the jewelry press table, here's a new earring project just in time for St. Patrick's Day

Art Bead Scene
It's March and the snow is beginning to thaw. Color comes alive in Red Fish for this month's challenge.

BeadStyle magazine
Jane talks about her admiration for Brenda Schweder and her work

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi turns a gift of hand felted beads into some lovely new rings! Perfect for spring.

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Jennifer has announces the official rules of the Creative Celebration, check it out.

Jewelry & Beading
Seed bead artist Beverly Ash Gilbert shares her amazing creations

Katie's Beading Blog
Bead and Button will be here before we know it! Be sure to sign-up today!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is delighted to receive a surpise from Lisa Kan...what could it be?

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her stash - a selection of beautiful clasps from Green Girl Studios

Happy Pi Day

Today is 3.14 which is Pi Day! I just wanted to post a quick message today, to commemorate this day that celebrates the infinite. I am also showing a picture of some new experiments that a friend and I have been working on, a pewter casting of one of my gears. I am excited about this new direction, although I am not sure where it will lead me. I will show more of this new work next week. The possibilities are endless. Have a great Pi Day, all!

Turning Over A New Leaf

I made another one of the Intertwined Leaf necklaces that I showed the other day, but in a new color scheme, because I really liked it (and many of you did too, thanks for the compliments). I would like to make it in other colors, but I ran out of leaves, so this is the only one right now. I made it before I shipped the first one, so I would remember it well. I also made some simple earrings below. Both of them are in the Earthenwood Etsy shop, click on the pics for more details.

It is a beautiful day today, it is bright out, although it is really very cold still. But the sun is shining and it makes me feel warm inside. And it is 6pm and still very light out, which is wonderful! Spring will be here soon, and I am looking forward to it very much. I can start to see little bits of green in the yard, peeking through from the old dead leaves and fallen twigs that winter left behind. Today feels like a day of new leaves, and new beginnings, and I am feeling very happy.

Finding My Way

So this new necklace, called Finding My Way, is inspired by the new toy I got today as a gift. Today is all about compasses, old and new, and direction and finding my way around. My parents got me a GPS for my car, so I don't get lost quite so much. I have a terrible sense of direction, and usually have no idea which direction I am facing or how to get places. I am such a visual person, I usually just get around by seeing landmarks I recognize, I usually just drive along, until I get a "feeling" like I have seen things before, and then I figure I am on the right track.

I used it on the way home from my parents and I can already tell it will help me a great deal. I set it to read the directions with the voice of a rather dapper sounding English gentleman. I figure that will blend in with most of the British pop music that I seem to end up listening to in the car. As I was driving along, listening to my new electronic friend, I decided he needed a name. How about something properly British, like Nigel. Yeah. I think that will be the name for Mr. GPS. Gosh I am silly sometimes.

Of course, the name is inspired by my favorite band, XTC, and their classic tune "Making Plans for Nigel". Not one of my favorites actually, I think i have just heard it a million times too many. Still a good song, and it has great imagery, with the clashing drums and the workers theme, and British Steel references. Feels very industrial, and I think it helped inspire the necklace above as well. Here is an interesting video for the song, with some great old timey images.

flying free

I love the symbolism of the butterfly. Exquisitely beautiful things that blossom from humble beginnings, and become magical creatures that delight as they flutter about and make us smile with their colors and whimsy. They are like things of fairy tales and folklore, but they are with us in this reality. They represent change: the change of the seasons, the change of time, and they can symbolize the changing of ones life as well. I have experienced a lot of change in my years, but it has been especially significant in the last year. I feel like I am blooming myself now, starting anew in many ways, and I keep the image of the butterfly in mind as I am doing so, hoping it will inspire me with its beauty and magic.

Crimson Fairy

Another new necklace, whee! I was surprised and pleased with how this one turned out. I had been playing with these two pieces of brass for a few months, never finding anything to really do with them. Somehow, the red pendant made its way on to my table and they just fell together. *shrug* it happens sometimes. I am working my way through some of the larger filigree Vintaj parts that I have been looking for ways to use, so that's a good thing. Because soon I may be able to order more! MORE! hehe. But this time I will know better what kinds of things I like to use. Well, they also just added a bunch of new things that I want to try as well. *giggle* Oh well, thats the fun of it, I suppose. Anyway, I am a little scattered and chatty today, but with nothing much real to say. I have been just hanging out and working for most of today, after going out for morning coffee with my friend Diane. It's been pretty rainy and gloomy for most of the day, so staying in and chatting with friends and snuggling the dog and working has been very good today.

Leaves and Branches

I am longing for the leaves to start growing again and for the brown of winter to turn to the green of springtime. I think the warmer weather and the melted snow has inspired me. I think I will refrain from babbling on today, and just show two new pieces that I am rather pleased with. Click on the pictures to see them in the Earthenwood Etsy shop.

Extra Extra Sunday Links

About.com Jewelry Making
Resin Bead Experimentation! Tammy has been a mad jewelry scientist lately.

Art Bead Scene
Are you a new jewelry designer looking for a way to finance your budding jewelry business? There are lots of options out there even in a poor economy. Why not apply for a grant?

Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts
Barbe reviews Amy Hanna's Rejuvenated Jewels book

Bead&Button magazine
Anna offers some bead graphing information and some links to useful tools

Candie Cooper
Candie's back with some beading adventures...check out some earrings she made with her editor!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi shows off her ceramic bezel!

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Jennifer Shares some tips for photographing jewelry.

Jewelry & Beading
All this month, Cyndi will be featuring jewelry designers who work with organic materials!

Snap out of it , Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean thinks Barb Switzer's new book looks extremely cool!

Strands of Beads
Melissa finds unusual beady shopping opportunities at museums

Saturday Spotlight: Penguicon

Today I am blogging from a Con meeting at the hotel that will be the the site for the next convention that I am helping with, Penguicon. My friends and I are working on the costuming track and the masquerade for this con, which takes place the weekend of May 1-3. I am really excited about this convention, I attended briefly last year, and am really having a great time being a part of the behind the scenes planning. Even when it involves attending long meetings full of things that don't really involve me, I love hearing all the details about planning such an event. So I have spent most of the meeting working on some graphic banners to help promote the masquerade (like the one above). I will be blogging a bit about our progress on the stage and random props, as well as the costuming stuff that I will be working on for my own costume. This will be a great masquerade! Here is a link to the rules to Penguicon's Exhibition of Gear and Garb Masquerade Extraordinaire! If you are in the metro Detroit area, I hope you will check out Penguicon and join us for a great time of geekery and fun.

Moving Along

Today was a productive day! Perhaps in part due to the beautiful weather. It was almost 70 degrees today! wow! I felt Spring in the air, and it made me want to start a little spring cleaning, so that helped my mood. It has been a bit of a mess around the house and studio lately, especially with my cold lingering so long. I just haven't had much energy to do work besides the business stuff and basic cleaning and cooking I have needed to do lately. I even took the Zo out for a walk in the park today...not as long as she would have liked, but I didn't want to press my luck with my cough coming back from doing too much.

I also cleaned up a part of the house that I haven't been using and converted it to my beading studio. I have started to set it up, and it needs a lot of work still, but tonight I was able to sit down and work in that space for the first time. I made a few necklaces and earrings tonight, I felt really accomplished! I even photographed them and edited the pics and listed a few in the Etsy shop, including the new Steam Stone pieces here. These are pretty simple, but sometimes simplicity is the best thing.

Click on the pictures (hopefully) to see these items in the Earthenwood Etsy shop.

Pebbles of Thought

I don't have much to say today. It's a production and busy work kind of day. Photography, photo editing, etsy listing, emails, glazing, beadmaking for orders, kiln firing. Just regular Earthenwood stuff. I am a bit sleepy and staying in to try to rest and fight off this cough that is lingering still. I am so done with winter, bleh. Despite the winter blahs and the mostly boring routine of work, I am feeling rather happy and hopeful lately. The silence of the house and studio is broken by the sound of me singing along loudly (and out of tune) to my Pandora and Itunes while I work, a sure sign that my throat is starting to feel better. I look forward to another day of work in the studio before the weekend, where I will spend time again with friends, recharging and having fun so I can settle into another workweek here in the studio.

Earrings, Two... butterfly boogaloo

I am really enjoying the earring and jewelry making process. It is giving me an opportunity to play with all my little beadies and have fun with color and texture. It's a good change of pace. Also, I have been able to work outside of my studio, by packing up many of my beads and storing them in a traveling case. This change of scenery has helped with the creative process as well. There is something very calming to me about playing with beads, sorting them and trying different combinations. Little bits of colored glass and wire dancing around... it makes me very happy.

These earrings are available in the Earthenwood Etsy shop.

Starting Small

I had a wonderfully extended, very relaxing, and creative weekend and made a bunch of new stuff that I can't wait to talk about and show you! I played with some new things... new materials and techniques... which is incredibly exciting, and has brought a renewed passion to my work and my life. Whee! And it is just beginning, this is only the start! Who knows where it will go, but I am thrilled to discover what will become of these new delights!

But first, I have some new pieces from the start of the jewelry line. I thought it would be a great plan to begin small, with some simple earrings and pendants strung simply on beautiful silk ribbon. The earrings are much fun to work on, very small items that I can play with color and texture on a very diminutive scale, which comforts me. The pendants will be simple filigree wraps, or will use beads and wire with the porcelain, and will all be strung on silk for ease of wearing. These are the first two pieces, which are listed in my Etsy shop. The earrings will be called Earthen Jewels and will sell for $20 (shipping included) and the necklaces will be called Earthen Silk Treasures, and may vary in price. Keep an eye out, as I will work on adding more, a little at a time. And as always, if you have suggestions for jewelry you would like to see, please let me know~

Extra Extra Sunday Links

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has discovered a new product for creating resin jewelry - Ferido ! It's a two part epoxy you can mold and even insert sparklies into.

Art Bead Scene
A visit to Studio Saturday. Colorful sculptural beads take wing on a beadmaker's workbench!

Art Jewelry magazine
Art Jewelry now offers free desktop wallpaper--don't miss it!

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
Marketing Monday-Don't blame the economy.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi finds a home for her big resin bead/bauble.

Jewelry & Beading
Paul Bishop shares his wirewrapping skills in a fabulous tutorial!

Katie's Beading Blog
Another exciting free project from Bead & Wire Jewelry Exposed, plus, a jewelry giveaway!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean travels down under and shows you the elegantly glossy jewelry magazine she writes a column for: Australian Beading Magazine!

Strands of Beads
Melissa ponders what to do when you fall into a creative slump

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew compiles a shopping guide of 16 eye-inspired jewelry components and finished pieces.