Arcade Pics and Extra Links

 Here are a few sppoky hipstamatic pics I took while at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum yesterday.  The place was full of coin operated arcade games of all different styles, old and new!

 There were lots of antiques on the walls and the place was just filled with stuff to look at!  It was lots of fun!  Alex won a bunch of tickets and traded them in for a scary "chomping skull" decoration that is hanging in my front window to scare the trick or treaters tonight.

We are planning a day full of pumpkin carving, fall foods, friends, bonfire, Harry Potter, candy, and hanging out.  We got all dressed up and went to a costume party last night at the local hackerspace, I3Detroit, which was much fun, but I am probably going to just throw on a pair of cat ears and goggles today for a costume.  I hope you have a spooky fun day today!  Here are this week's Extra Links:
A Bead A Day
Do you enjoy wearing your affirmations on your wrist? Lisa's thinking about using shrinky dinks in jewelry to create "shrink-firmations"!   About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has a few new projects incorporating pewter, a perfect substitute for silver.   Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene gets down to business and talks about loss leaders.   Beading Arts
Cyndi just finished a 45 hour project that reused antique steel cut seed beads...and some steel buttons!  Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi takes classes with Swarovski Elements Ambassadors and finally learns how to crochet..   Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
It's fall and along with it comes a gray sky in the form of jewelry.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Rotting veggies and over ripe fruit makes for bead inspiration and a delicious muffin recipe!   Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
A little antiquing adventure, and Lorelei's got some cool new props for an upcoming craft show!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviewed a unique and very beautiful book: Metal Clay Origami Jewelry, by Sarah Jayne Cole. Please come and see the review on Jean's blog!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Beadaholique has generously donated a leafy assortment of autumn-inspired beads and components. Find out how you can win this Thursday Giveaway!

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.

Song Lore Saturday: Bones

 With all the craziness of the week with the new fence and the refinance, I didn't have a lot of time to work on a Song Lore piece.  I also wanted to pick a song that was kind of spooky to celebrate Halloween.  I didn't begin to seriously think about it until last night and I have a full day of fun activities today, so I improvised instead of getting out the porcelain and working on the ideas I had. I'll save that for another time... maybe next week!  Instead, I grabbed the shipment of epoxy clays that I received in the mail from Sherri Haab's store.  My inspiration was the song "Bones" by the Killers and I was thinking about ribcages and spines.

Also during the day, I had been cleaning and sorting through some of my silver to send to be scrapped (wow, the price of silver is high...good time to sell!).  I came across all of these curved sterling noodle beads that I had purchased for kits for a project I wrote.  I pondered what I would ever do with all of them. They also reminded me of ribcage bones.  I set that thought aside and brought it back out when I had the idea to use the resin clays.  All these things came together to create these four pendants.

While I don't think the top pendants are very successful as being inspired by bones, they do look like some kind of fish or bug or trilobite, which is neat.  I think the bottom pendants are more spine-like, but not really.  All in all, I don't think this was a terribly successful song interpretation, but it was a good experiment with the materials on hand.  I found the concrete, copper, and steel clays a little tricky to work with, as they have a very short work time (just a few minutes), so if I am going to use them, I need a solid plan. They all have great textures to them and a nice metallic sheen.  The black epoxy clay had a much wider working time, so I can see making something with that as a base and adding the other resin clays to it.  I am excited to be able to embed stuff into the clay, so I will likely be adding gears and hardware and tiny bottles and watch parts to create something next time I work with it.  Also, the black clay comes in a variety of colors, which could be lots of fun to play with and combine. Hope you have a great Halloween weekend!  Here is a great spooky video for "Bones" by the Killers:


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.

Insert Title Here

Naive Melody House Pendant, listed in the Earthenwood Etsy Shop.

So I have some very good news in my personal life!  I finally refinanced the mortgage on my home!  While this was good in saving me money every month, shaving a couple of years off of my mortgage, and lowering my interest rate, it was much more important than just those things.  This was the final step in ending the paperwork and obligations of my divorce.  Once the deed gets signed over, the house will be in my name only, and I can officially put an end to this chapter of my life.  This has been a nearly daily concern for over two years now, something that has caused many tears, much frustration, sleepless nights, many headaches, and a mountain of paperwork.  While I am celebrating now, I want to document my story briefly here while it is fresh in my mind, because I will likely be sending in complaints to the mortgage company and possibly the BBB.

After doing research and fighting with the mortgage company for many months, unable to refinance at all, finally some new programs came into play that allowed me to be able to refinance even though home prices in this area have dropped particularly low. My home is underwater, but is valued just high enough that I became eligible to refinance under a new program. The process started out promising, with a loan officer promising it was straight forward and should be quick and inexpensive, and it was ok for a while... I was hopeful.  Things went downhill after about a month of waiting.  I was asked to provide so many documents and paperwork, some of the craziest things, to prove my income and business.  I spent much money on faxes of redundant paperwork, which was promptly lost by the mortgage processors, and had to be sent again.  Somewhere along the line, I let a few weeks slip by without calling and poking them, and in that time my initial processor left and "was no longer with the company" so another processor picked up and proved to be just as incompetent and disorganized.  Meanwhile my good faith estimate contract expired, which made me very unhappy, but I was assured it would be honored (it was). My emails and phone calls were unanswered by both the loan officer and processors.  I spent weeks waiting and wondering and being left in the dark.

Clearly, changing the mortgage from a jointly owned contract to a single was a problem, as was my self employment. I don't have the tidiness of a single W2 for my tax return or a clear cut source of income, which clearly threw everyone for a loop. At one point I had to send a year's worth of bank statements proving I had paid the mortgage from my own account, which I did (and they lost half of them).  After sending 12 pages of the statements, payment circled, I was told I needed the WHOLE statement from each month, blank pages and all.  Insane! The final documents included me having to send a signed and dated letter explaining why my business did not have a land line (a cell phone number only) or a physical address (uh, I work from home) and why it was not listed in the yellow pages (what?).  Behind the times a bit, to say the least, not very aware of how a successful internet based business might work.  But I carried on and sent the faxes and wrote the letters and finally I got the phone call last week that I was cleared to close!  I was naive in hoping the closing would go easily.   The processor, after several ridiculous calls back and forth to the title company, told me that they were out of state and thus had no office to meet in.  Great, so I have to have the meeting in my home.  I didn't like this idea, mostly because I was concerned I would end up waiting around all day for someone to show up (which is exactly what happened).  I was told on Tuesday that the title company would call me to make the home appointment and I would get an email with the closing costs so I could get the official cashier's check, and we would be meeting on Thursday.  I finally got the email Thursday morning, but never got a phone call.  I ran out to the bank in the morning and got the check, and arrived home to learn from the processor that the title company would be showing up in less than an hour.  So much for that call to make the appointment.  I waited.  I emailed, getting increasingly more agitated.  The title guy showed up at 4pm.  I thought my head might explode.  We signed the papers and were finally done!  whew!  The title guy had the nerve to tell me (having learned how frustrated I was from the processor who was receiving my frustrated emails that day) that this process has been this way for everyone.  The whole industry is overworked, overloaded, delayed, and disorganized.  Seriously?  Is that supposed to make me feel better?  I think it is unacceptable.  Upon leaving, he also told me to keep an eye on interest rates, because they might drop lower, and I might be able to refinance again!  You have got to be kidding me. This is the single most frustrating thing I have ever gone through.  I nearly gave up many times, and I think they create the bureaucracy just for that effect.  They lose money with refinances and it creates work for them to do, so I think the customer gets pounded with insane amounts of paperwork and demands, so they just give up.  I was determined, as I really needed the refinance for the closure and to untangle personal finances and keep them safe, so it was very emotional, but insanely frustrating.  My heart goes out to anyone else who is going through this process, it is maddening.

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.

Earthenwood Interview on Fusion Beads Blog

Fusion Beads has a blog post announcing my new line of beads that are in their store now.  I swiped that picture above from the post... isn't it cute?  I did a little interview for them for their blog The Creative Room, which was fun and made me think. Click on over and check it out!

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.

Creepies and Kodama

 I made more of these creepy skulls and listed them on Etsy along with the rotten veggies and the fence pendants, all under a section called Spooky Things.  As usual, I am inspired by Halloween a bit late in the season and am making spooky things too late to really market them for the holiday, but I know there are others out there who love these things all year like me.  I just feel like it is a bit more acceptable to show these creepy things at this time of year without scaring people off.

 So the skulls are clearly inspired in part by the Kodama that Miyazaki illustrates in the movie Princess Mononoke. "A kodama (木魂^?) is a spirit from Japanese folklore, which is believed to live in certain trees."  I love the creepy cuteness of Miyazaki's versions, with the rattling bobbleheads and little glowing bodies.  I came across a beautiful video with some footage from Mononoke yesterday, and I wanted to share it with you...

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.

Rotten Veggies and Bananas

 I made a small batch of these creepy gross veggie pendants with the intention of glazing them with crawling glazes to make them look like rotten vegetables/old jack-o-lanterns.  I was inspired by this post about the old carved halloween turnip and thought it would be fun to do a few different veggies.  My brother said I should do a potato and that is my favorite one.  I'll be listing these on Etsy today. Speaking of rotting fruit... ok, not really... When I have a small bunch of bananas (like 3 of them) that are getting really brown and spotty and smushy, I like to make this recipe.  I don't like bananas that are too soft, and while smoothies are a good solution, I'd prefer to bake these muffins with the fruit that is past its prime.  They are very tasty and have no sugar in them, which makes me happy.  Here is the recipe, which I got from Cooks.com:

BANANA-OATMEAL MUFFINS

1 c. all purpose flour (may use half whole wheat) 2 tbsp. apple juice concentrate 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 c. mashed bananas, approximately 3 bananas 1/2 c. quick cooking oats, uncooked 1/2 c. low-fat milk 2 tbsp. tub butter, melted 1 egg, beaten Combine all dry ingredients. Combine remaining ingredients and stir well. Add to dry ingredients and stir just to moisten. Use muffin papers and fill 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Yields 1 dozen.

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.

New Earthenwood Ceramics at Fusion Beads!

YAY!  The fine folks at Fusion Beads have just launched a new line of my ceramic charms and components on their website!  You can see the new line here.  They picked out a lovely assortment of my ever popular Terra Trinket nature based charms (such as birds, owls, nests, acorns, and leaves) as well as the Time Wheel Toggle and a selection of Winged pendants.  These are some really nice options for fall and wintery designs!  Plus, it adds to the line of my steampunk and spooky components that they have already been carrying for an amazing collection!  They always have more inventory than I do, so click on over there if you are looking to shop for some Earthenwood goodies!

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.

New Fence and Extra Links

I spent the rest of yesterday recovering from the craziness of the new fence installation.  It looks so amazing!  I love it...

I was afraid it would make the yard feel smaller but it actually makes it look bigger.  Or maybe just more defined.  I can actually see the space and comprehend it!  I see now that I have a blank slate of a yard, with about 5 trees that badly need some pruning.  We did a little of that today and cleaned up the back fence so all the weeds are gone.  I just better be ready to get started on something in the spring before everything wants to pop back up!

  I have a few smaller home projects going on now, but the big stuff is done, and I need a break from more big house project stuff.  I need to get these last things finished up (paint the kitchen windowsill, hang up the shelving and artworks I recently bought, paint the bedroom) so I can concentrate on the holidays.

So overall, a very productive weekend!  Hope yours was great.  Here are this week's Extra Links:

A Bead A Day
Need help embracing seasonal change? Lisa uses a bit of swarovski sparkle to make the leap!

About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy has a collection of crafting Halloween project ideas as well as an adorable monster pin for you.   Art Bead Scene
A free jewelry project by ABS Editor, Cindy Gimbrone.   Barbe Saint John
Barbe 's finally a Cover Girl!   Beading Arts
Are you interested in adding found objects to your bead embroidery? Cyndi has just released the fourth chapter of her e-book, which shows you how to go wild!   Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi whips up a new necklace with a "Day of the Dead" theme.   Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
It's time to get educated and Cindy provides some stats along with rainbows.  
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Check out the goodies Melanie found at an antique mall...What would you craft with these items that are full of history?  Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is teaming up with designer Erin Siegel, to write their first beading book! Come on over and learn how you can sign up to submit work for the book!    Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean has contributed a one of a kind jewelry piece which she made to help raise funds for Andrew Thornton's medical bills. She is delighted to help, on behalf of her family. Please come and see the piece and consider bidding. Thanks so much!  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Three of Andrew's necklaces are amongst the gorgeous finalists in Soft Flex Company's "Flex Your Creativity Beading Contest". Check out all of the Steampunk-inspired designs and VOTE today!

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.

Song Lore Saturday: Mr Pitiful, Don't Fence Me In

 Today is new fence day at my house!  As I type, four guys are digging and hammering and cutting wood in the yard and getting that 6 foot dog-earred wooden privacy fence up in no time!  You may remember a post I made recently, facing my fears and declaring my intention to put that fence up myself.  Well, you know, I still believe in it, and think I can do whatever I put my mind to, but sometimes you have to take reality and time and energy into consideration.  As the weather started to cool and I got busier, I realized that I wouldn't be able to gather up the manpower or the time to learn all about fences and get it done before winter.  Sure, I could have waited for spring, but I spent so much time and sweat out in the yard this year, clearing that patch of land, I just really wanted it done.  So I hired a crew to do it for me.

 I am very happy with the decision, as I also decided that building a fence was not on my bucket list of things I want to experience in my life.  Now, next spring, when I have a fresh and clear canvas of a yard to work with, I can learn to do something that does interest me... growing some food items in the yard!  I don't really have a green thumb, but I think it would be great to have a tomato or bunch of basil that I have grown.  I think I will start small with container gardening.  I have a lot to learn, but I have all winter to do it, and after today I can look in my yard and get less of that feeling of overwhelming dread and more of a feeling of excitement and hope at the potential of the new space!

I made these new pendants while I have been working on the old fence in the yard and thinking about fences.  When I got the crackly white glaze, I thought it would make a perfect old white picket fence look. I was reminded of the lines in this fun song, Mr. Pitiful by Matt Costa: "I hope that you see through your picket
I hope that you see through your big yard and white picket fence
To make amends, and still be friends, still be my friend"

With the dark background underglaze contrasted against the creepy white crackle, these pendants really have a dark feeling to them. They look like an old fence around a haunted house!  It's a little ironic, because the song inspiration is so very cheerful and upbeat. They turned out darker than I intended, but they really do reflect visually how I felt about the old fence.  And I didn't get enough Talking Heads from last week, so here is a fence related song by David Byrne that has been haunting my brain, too: "Don't Fence Me In"



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.

Steampunk Style Jewelry Video

Yay!  One of the wholesale bundles to benefit Andrew has sold!  There is one more in the shop if you are still interested.  It really is a nice collection of steampunky goodness.

Speaking of steampunky goodness, check out this out:

Here is a video promo from a new video called Steampunk Style Jewelry that Jean Campbell has done for Interweave!  I got a little mention at the end when she and Marlene Blessing showed some steampunk ingredients including my components!  This ought to be a great video...you can just tell that Jean has fallen in love with the whole steampunk genre and is excited about it!

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.

New Steampunk Wholesale Bundles to Benefit Andrew!

 Hey everyone!  If you are involved with the beading world, you probably heard that our fellow bead artist Andrew Thornton has had some recent medical expenses and could use some help.  Andrew is one of the most generous people I know and he has many, many times donated his time and art to help others.  So I wanted to do the same to help him, as are many others.  I couldn't figure out how to do an auction so I decided to hand pick two Wholesale Bundles that were such great sellers in my Etsy shop when I listed them before. 

There are two Viridis Machina bundles are listed in my Etsy shop now!  They are based around the Viridis Machina necklace project that Andrew wrote for the 2010 issue of Creative Jewelry that featured the large Toolbox Treasure pendant that I created.  These bundles each contain over $200 of my handcrafted beads and are priced below wholesale at just $100 each!  It's a really awesome deal if you are making things to sell or just love steampunk and want to make some cool stuff with Earthenwood components!
Please check out the bundles on Etsy and keep Andrew in your thoughts as he recovers...

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.

More Antique Store Finds

 I took a few pictures of things I liked and things I bought while antique shopping.  Above, some of the vintage Halloween stuff that I love so much!  I think that little paper pumpkin was priced at $125 so I didn't bring him home, ouch.  I liked him and the super scary cat, too!

 This lovely Pachinko board was really fun!  I think it worked, the sign said the steel balls were inside.  I have never seen one in action in real life... I would like to play it someday.

 I picked up a few clock keys for necklaces, although there was some debate with my friends about the actual purpose of the large one.  It seems too big for a clock and is cast iron, I think.  Whatever it is, it's neat looking.  I also found these milk top tabs quite charming, especially the chocolate and coffee cream designs.

 I also bought this old box of Rook cards.  It has a bunch of cards, a very nice old instruction booklet with lots of illustrations on aged paper.  The bird on each card is really cool looking and there is a ton of ornament around the design.  Even the box cover is neat looking.  I spent $10 on it and I think I will get a lot of use out of all the parts.

And finally, I can't pass up the bins of greeting cards and papers.  I found some calling cards and christmas cards with lots of nice detail which were very inexpensive.  Oh, and a house paint advertising card (that's the house image in the center).
I had a really good time shopping around and Alex and I decided to take a trip to the big antique mall in Ohio next month for my birthday!  We will get a hotel and spend 2 days poking around.  That sounds like a great way to spend my birthday this year!

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.

Busy Days and Extra Links

Wow, what a crazy couple of days!  I had the Grand Rapids Bead Expo show on Saturday, which was fun (but a LONG day) and then Sunday we spent most of the beautiful warm day in the yard tearing out my old fence and digging up roots.  I had some help and the good company and conversation made the day and the work fly by.  Today, Alex and I went to Ikea to get my bedroom furniture, which he is carefully constructing now (he seems to enjoy it... he said it is like a giant puzzle!).  We also went to a huge antique mall and poked around there for a couple of hours.  Lots of good stuff packed into a couple of days there, huh?  I think tomorrow will be a quieter and calmer day and I can get a little caught up on orders and getting my Etsy shop back up and filled.  For now, I am going to pop some popcorn, enjoy some TV, and soon I will enjoy my new bedroom (and start to dream about the big decision of room paint colors!)  Anyway, I didn't have time to post Extra links this weekend, so I will post them now...

A Bead A Day
Are you inspired by food? Lisa would love to hear about your jewelry projects that were inspired by your favorite foods!   About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy finally "did" something with one of the Katiedids she received.    Art Bead Scene
For the October Monthly Challenge, Art Bead Scene editor, Cindy Gimbrone chooses a piece of "jewelry" hanging on the front of New York City's Radio City Music Hall.    Beading Arts
Sparkling rivoli's work up quickly into this beadwoven pendant!   Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi takes a companies ribbon sampler and turns it into wearable art!   Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy needs some help in this week's Wednesday Wire, come take her poll to help her make a decision.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie mixes new textures in ceramics and glass like resin to make new window inspired pendants.   Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei is teaming up with designer Marie of Skye Jewels, on a collaboration project.    Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean is thrilled to host a book giveaway! The book is 30 Minute Necklaces, by the brilliant designer Marthe Le Van. There are 60 projects in this lovingly photgraphed book published by Lark to incite your creativity. Come see how you might be the lucky winner and get your copy!   Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her piece "Words of Love" that was juried into the finals of the 2010 British Bead Awards   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Inspired by the Fall 2010 Pantone Color Report, Andrew creates a necklace for Artbeads.com's Colors of Fall designer gallery.

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.

Song Lore Saturday: Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)

 I was looking at the calendar and realized that there are only 12 more Saturdays until the end of the year!  The Song Lore project seemed so big when I started but now I feel like I need to really focus on 12 songs that mean a lot to me to finish out the year.  Some songs are so dear to me, it can be overwhelming and hard to focus on the imagery.  Today's song, "Naive Melody: This Must Be The Place" is one of those songs.  I ended up probably using too many symbols and images, but I think it created some interesting textures, so I am pleased.  I went with wings, time, and home as the major symbols, all mashed up into some simple forms.  I like the squares the best.

"Hey, I got plenty of time
Hey, you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
Out of the passing of time
Never for money, always for love
Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight

Home is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home, she lifted up her wings
I guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be, where I'll be"

ooh!  Bonus video time!  As I was making these, I was reminded of another Talking Heads song, or more to the point... the video for "And She Was".  I love the imagery of this video, with the girl flying above the houses and the random objects flying all around her.  I think it looks just like these pendants, and I think I am going to draw my color inspiration from it.


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.

West Michigan Bead Expo Show Tomorrow!

I have added all of these colors of Heart Windows to the Earthenwood Website!  I think I will add some accent links and toggles too someday soon when I have time to make the samples.  I will be closing the Etsy shop tonight for a couple of days while I am at the West Michigan Bead Expo tomorrow!  If you are near Grand Rapids, come to the show!  It will be full of beady goodness!  Hope to see you there! 
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.

Softer Side of Steampunk

 Check it out!  Lorelei Eurto created two gorgeous designs using my beads for the current issue of Bead Style Magazine!  The article is called The Softer Side of Steampunk and she softened up the metallic surfaces and geometric design of my gear nut bead with some earthy pastel lentil beads by Elaine Ray.  She also made the earrings below, which are a fun use of my front drilled gear beads.  You can find this bracelet and pair of earrings in her Etsy shop! 

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.

The Creepies

Yuck, I feel pretty crummy today, a little like these crusty skull charms! It's raining and I am still tired from not feeling well the last few days.  I started taking some new meds that I hope will help with the monthly fatigue and severe cramps, but other meds of this sort have brought other, possibly worse symptoms like migraine and depression.  It feels like I have to choose between two different ways of feeling bad, and I am not sure which is worse.  But I have hope that this new treatment will help...

When I showed the crusty skulls to Diane Hawkey at the Bead Bonanza, she said they looked like really old Jack O Lanterns... the kind made from rutabagas or turnips.  Kind of like this creepy Irish turnip lantern... isn't he spooky?  I just realized that it is almost mid October and I haven't watched any scary movies this month!  This must be remedied.  Do you have a favorite creepy scary movie?

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.