Earthenwood Studio Chronicles: February 2011

February 27, 2011

Studio Tour Sunday: Leon & Lulu

Today I am out of the studio at my first show of the season! I will be spending the day at Leon & Lulu's Spring Artists' Market, along with a fine group of artists. This is my first time working with this store and saw this trunk-show-esque event as a good way to see what they are all about and see if their customers like my work. It should be a fun day! I hope you have a great day too, and if you are in the area, stop by Leon & Lulu!

And here are this week's Blogger Studio Tour links:

A Bead A Day
Expressing her love for daisies, Lisa uses scrapbooking embellishments to make a quick and cheerful bracelet!

About.com Jewelry Making
Winter white can mean bitter cold or a beautiful double strand pearl and matte glass bracelet.

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene gets your creative juices flowing with a treasury inspired by the monthly challenge painting.

Beading Arts
Cyndi is wrapping up a month-long emphasis on education for jewelry and bead artists.

Beading & Books
Do you use buttons in your jewelry? Michelle is hosting a Button Swap. Sign up to get a partner, trade buttons, and create something!

Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva
Do you use any sewing techniques in your jewelry? Come see what Cindy's sewn up!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
A fun find at an antique store uncovers new inspiration with some women's medicinal history and a crazy folk song

Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
After a very busy couple of weeks, Lorelei finally has time to share some pictures from a recent trip to Spain!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Come and see what the amazing Kim Miles has been up to as Winter turns to Spring--You will love it!

The Bead Dreamer
Inspired by the poet Rumi and a gorgeous pendant from Green Girl Studios, Charlene creates a necklace using beads, fiber, a button - and of course - the pendant.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Want to win some FREE ImpressArt metal stamps from PJ Tool & Supply? Andrew hosts another Thursday Giveaway with a prize valued over $70!

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.

February 26, 2011

Response Saturday: Bead Soup and EarthenOxide

Welcome to my post about the Blog Soup Blog Party! On Saturdays, I usually have my own blog series called Response Saturdays, which I show something new that I have experimented with during the week. I am combining posts to show you what I made with my Bead Soup beads AND something brand new that I have to announce! But first, about Bead Soup and my soup ingredients:

What is a Bead Soup Blog Party? Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending a focal, a special clasp, and some coordinating spacers or beads. Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not.

Here's what I made!

I used almost all of the supplies that my partner Melissa Rediger of MJRbeads sent me. I added her beads to the *something new* that I was talking about above: a Collage Key and Shimmer Keyplate from my new website EarthenOxide! I am super excited to have this new website for the growing collection of mixed media items that I have been crafting from vintage, antique, and found materials. It's fun to take a break from my usual ceramics, and now I have a special place to put these handmade goodies.

I substituted a purple silk ribbon for the gold cord and I left out just a few beads, but everything else fell together pretty easily. I especially love the handcrafted glass bead focal and accents that Melissa made! Check out Melissa's website and blog and facebook fan page to learn more about her.

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you will take an opportunity to visit my new EarthenOxide website, and leave me a comment to tell me what you think!

There are over 200 members participating in the Bead Soup Blog Party! Here are their blogs:

1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things

2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life

3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane

4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio

5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations

6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs

7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things

8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe

9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto

10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio

11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas

12. Rachel Walsh, Balanced Crafts

13. Marian Hertzog, M's Place

14. Mary McGraw, MK's Musings

15. Sarabeth Burke, Chronicles of Sarita

16. Deci Worland, Gem Trails

17. Erin Prais-Hintz, Treasures Found

18. Laura Zeiner, Stick Lizard Designs

19. Kristin Latimer, MJM Jewelry Designs

20. Cathryn Brooks-Williams, Chile Cats

21. Holly Westfall, Silver Rose Designs

22. Janna Harttgen, Palima-Lim

23. Libby Leuchtman, Libby Leu

24. Rebecca Anderson, Songbeads

25. Deb Hunter, Living On Air

26. Diana Ptaszynski, Suburban Girl Studio

27. Jennifer VanBenschoten, VanBeads

28. Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter

29. Cyndi Lavin, Beading Arts

30. Courtney Breul, Beads by Breul

31. Stefanie Teufel, Stefanie's Sammelsurium

32. Patricia Gasparino, My Life Under the Bus

33. Tari Khars, Pearl and Pebble

34. Kristi Bowman-Gruel, Kristi Bowman Design

35. Jayne Capps, Mama's Got to Doodle

36. Becky Fairclough, Chameleons Designs

37. Evie and Beth McCord, EB Bead & Metal Works

38. Lynne Bowland, Islandgirl's Insights

39. Barbara Lewis, Painting With Fire

40. Lorelei Eurto, Inside the Studio

41. Stacy Hartis, Sissy & Jack's

42. Jennifer Cameron, Glass Addictions

43. Marcie Abney, La Bella Joya

44. Johanna Rhodes, Fire Phoenix Creations

45. Nan Emmett, Spirit Rattles

46. Melissa Mesara, One Eared Pig

47. Amanda Davie, Articulations

48. Cherin Poovey, Lanyard Lady

49. Virginia Joste, ViviBijoux

50. Andrew Thornton, The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
51. Lori Dorrington, Lori's Glassworks

*** You are here! 52. Melanie Brooks, Earthenwood Studio Chronicles***

53. Kate Gardenghi, Tropical Blonde

54. Serena Trent, PinkIce Jewel's Blog

55. Malin de Koning, Beading by Malin de Koning

56. Shai Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

57. Francy Inman, 8 Second Studio

58. Amy Freeland, Copper Diem

59. Lisa Liddy, Joolz By Lisa

60. Sandi Lee James, Do Be Do Bead Do

61. Mary Harding, Mary Harding Bead Blog

62. Stacey Curry, Star Hitched Wagon

63. Leslie Gidden, Mad Maggie Designs

64. Elisabeth Auld, Beads For Busy Gals

65. Niky Sayers, Silver Nik Nats

66. Linda Djokic, Lutka and Co.

67. Tracy Bell, Copper, Glass, and Recycled Trash

68. Laurel Steven, Rue's Daftique

69. Ingrid McCue, Wrapped In Silver

70. Birgitta Lejonklou, Create With Spirit

71. Diana Hawkey, Diana Hawkey

72. Norma Turvey, Moonlit Fantaseas

73. Jeanette Ryan, Jeanette Blix

74. Jackie Ryan, Silver Lodge Gems

75. Jean Yates, Snap Out of it Jean, There's Beading to Be Done!

76. Debbie Goering, Prairie Emporium

77. Valerie Norton, Hot Art

78. Jana Trupovniece, Stories of the Secret Garden

79. Amy Severino, Amy Beads

80. Emma Thomas, Fred Beans Nook

81. Karen Zanco, Everyday Gypsy

82. Suzann Sladcik Wilson, Beadphoria

83. Janet McDonald, Singing Woods

84. Dana James, Dana's Jewelry Designs

85. Kristina Johansson, Wild Roses and Blackberries

86. CJ Bauschka, CJ Bauschka

87. Angela Barribea, Re: Angela Rae

88. Marcy Lamberson, Studio Marcy

89. Tanya Floyd, Glass Migrations

90. Lisa Kavanaugh, Beading Bliss

91. Sue Hodgkinson, Hello Gorgeous

92. Jenni Connolly, Jenni's Bead

93. Nally Parfyonova, Nally's Creations

94. Karyn White, Releases By Rufydoof

95. Emanda Johnson, Artemisia Studio

96. Sandy Richardson, Sandy's Coloring Box

97. Cindy Dolezal, Cindy Dolezal Designs

98. Stacie Stamper, Park Avenue

99. Mallory Hoffman, For the Love of Beads

100. Linda Landig, Linda's Bead Blog and Meanderings

101. Nicole Valentine-Rimmer, N. Valentine Studio

102. Jacinta Meyers, Jamberrysong's Creations

103. Charlene Gary, Gray Girl Studios

104. Rubiee Hayes, Glitter and Keys Galore

105. Marge Beebe, Rock Creek Creations

106. Elizabeth Freeman, Turquoise Sky

107. Shelby Foxwell, Sundown Bead Designs Rhetoric

108. Lynda Moseley, Diva Designs

109. Grace Danel, Grace Beading

110. Lois Moon, Que Onda Quitman

111. Agnes Shapiro, Beader Bubbe

112. Terry Carter, Tapping Flamingo

113. Judy Glende, Judith B. Designs

114. Mary Ellen Parker, Bee Tree By Me

115. Barbara Bechtel, Second Surf

116. Charlene Sevier, The Bead Dreamer

117. Alice Craddick, Alice's Beads and Baubles

118. Cory Celaya, Art With Moxie

119. Ronda Adams, The Ravished Heart

120. Sandi Volpe, Sandi Volpe Designs

121. Anna Lear, The Laughing Raven

122. Susie Hibdon, Vintagesusie & Wings

123. Amanda Austin, Sea Shore Glass

124. Jennifer Velasquez, Jen Judd Rocks

125. Hazel Ward, All Those Things

126. Brenda Salzano, Salzanos

127. Dee Gordon, Runako Designs by Dee

128. Anna Denisova, Anita-M

129. Margaret Saari, Mags-Jewelry

130. Genea Crivello-Knable, Genea Beads

131. Penny Neville, Copper Penny

132. Angela Blasingame, Hopemore

133. Helena Fritz, Beadwork by H's Blog

134. Stephanie LaRose, Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

135. Stephanie Haussler, PixyBug Designs

136. Diane Cook, Rosa & Josies

137. Maryse Thillens, Glass Bead Art

138. Jennifer Pride, Jewelry by J.P.

139. Shannon Chomanczuk, For My Sweet Daughter

140. Lisa Godfrey, Bead Happy

141. Heather Pyle, Welcome to My Muse

142. Regina Santerre, Regina's Writings

143. Liz DeLuca, Creative Arty Facts

144. Sig Wynne-Evans, Beaded Bear's Nonsense

145. Loretta Carstensen, Loretta's Boutique

146. Raida Disbrow, Havana Beads

147. Amber Dawn, Inventive Soul

148. Shelly Graves, Stars Dance With Me

149. Jess Italia Lincoln, Vintaj Blog

150. JJ Jacobs, Coming Abstractions

151. Carrie Tahquechi, Carrie T

152. Staci Smith, Staci Louise Originals

153. Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Quiet Area

154. Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs

155. Magdalena Sikora, Poranna Gazeta

156. Nicole Keller, Nicki's Reef

157. Ann Rishell, My Critical Eye

158. Noemi Baena, Fire, Metal, and Color

159. Christa Murphy, Adventures of One Beady Woman

160. Barbara Blaszczyk, Labotorium Flory

161. Collette Collins, Firefly Myst

162. Carola Greiser, Polymer Clay Shed

163. Joanna Kopijczuk, Bizuteria z Filcu

164. LeAnn Weih, Summers Studio

165. Cassandra Watsham, Design by Cassandra

166. Anna Motz, Stunning

167. Shea Zukowski, Gr8findings

168. Susan Kennedy, Sue Beads

169. Lisa Boucher, Lisa's Clay Happenings

170. Hope Smitherman, Crafty Hope

171. Alison Crenshaw, Beads by Earth Tones

172. Dorcas Midkiff, Wondrous Strange Designs

173. Melissa Rediger, Sea of Glass

174. Marina Dobrynina, Savon Feutre

175. Julie Nordine, Julie Nordine | Credit River Art Glass

176. Menka Gupta, Menka's Blog

177. Patsy Evins, Patsy Evins Studio

178. Cherrie Fick, En La Lumie're

179. Suzette Bentley, Ellie's Bijoux

180. Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me

181. Lyn Foley, Lyn Foley Wearable Art

182. Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog

183. Natalie Schuetz, Natalie S Perlen

184. Kim Hutchinson, Running on Ink

185. Haley Frank, Wide Eyed Smilin

186. Grace Caputo, Suddenly Last Summer

187. Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, Skye Jewels

188. Erin Siegel, Erin Siegel Jewelry

189. Janea McDonald, Organized Chaos

190. Kristi Evenson, Colie Bug & Co.

191. Linda Inhelder, Must Haves Jewelry

192. Hilary Frye, FryeStyle

193. Whitney Lassini, Whitney Lassini

194. Nancy Schindler, The Rabbit Muse

195. Pam Brisse, The Blue Between

196. Beth Bricker, Vintage Sweets

197. Ruthie Stickney, Rose Works Jewelry and Gifts

198. Rose Noble, Lady Noble Designs

199. Karen Williams, Baublicious

200. Claire Maunsell, The Next Bend

201. Christine Damm, Stories They Tell

202. Kerry Bogert, Kab's Creative Concepts

203. Wendy Blum, Sand & Sea Designs

204. Juli Cannon, Julsbeads

205. Jenny Robledo, La Dona Boutique

206. Krista French, French Elegant Jewelry

207. Pam Krinski, Ewa Beads

208. Melissa Meman, Melissa Meman, Art, Life, Love

209. Dana Jones, Dana's Jewelry

210. Shirley Moore, Beads and Bread

The next party's sign ups begin August 1-3, 2011. Don't miss it!

Thank you so much to Lori Anderson for hosting and organizing this event! Give her some love on her blog Pretty Things.

February 25, 2011

Spring Stringing Magazine: Nesting Owl

Exciting News! This week I received the Spring issue of Stringing Magazine! It's another beautiful issue, full of beautiful design inspiration for spring. Look for lots of flowers and birds! I designed a piece for this issue, the one shown above called Nesting Owl. It has a bunch of Earthenwood goodies in it including an owl, nest, leaves, and a textured hive link and some nest like accents. All of those colorful earthy elements are mixed together with antique brass ovals that remind me of bark, an elegant leafy clasp, and leafy fringe chain.

I have assembled special Nesting Owl bundles with all the handmade ceramic parts at a special price. You can find them on the Earthenwood Studio website. The brassy links, clasp, and chain all came from ArtBeads. Make sure you stop by the blog tomorrow for my Bead Soup entry plus a special announcement! Here is a little sneak preview teaser:

February 23, 2011

Bead Table Wednesday: Auntie's Beads Gemstone Beads

It's another Bead Table Wednesday! This week I was able to spend some good quality time at my bead table. In addition to finishing my Bead Soup entry, I took some time to work with some of the great Gemstone beads that I received from Auntie's Beads. Firstly, I made the necklace above with a lovely strand of *Rosequartz. Honestly, pink and pastels are really hard for me to work with, so it was a challenge. But I remembered my new pink crackle glaze and I had an extra link and heart set, so I paired those up with the quartz. I added in a pale wintery bird and owl by Humblebeads, and it all came together. I felt like I was channeling Heather herself with the nest-like flourishes in the wire work on the bird and the owl.

I mentioned that I worked on my Bead Soup project and I will show you that on Saturday. I used almost all of my soup ingredients in that piece, with the exception of a few things which made their way into the necklace above. I used the golden leather cording and the wooden beads from my soup ingredients, which I mixed with more Gemstone beads from Auntie's Beads: an ornate rust colored *New Jade pendant and some faceted *Rhodonite nugget beads. All these things came together with one of my resin clay Button Components and a C-Koop enamel clasp to make this casual necklace.

See more of today's entries in the Bead Table Wednesday Flickr group!

*FTC compliance disclosure: the '*' items mentioned in this post credited to Auntie's Beads were provided as a promotional gift for review or design purposes.

February 22, 2011

Drink a Drink to Lily the Pink

Alex and I did a little more antique shopping on Sunday, this time with our buddy Skennedy, who was looking for an old ham radio microphone. No luck on the mic, unfortunately, but I did pick up a couple of things while we were there. For some reason, I found the bottle above quite charming. It has a nice shape and feels good in the hands, it was clearly old which I could tell by the way the glass was cloudy and had that type color changing that looks rainbow like (does anyone know what this effect is called?) which happens to old glass. I also liked the wording that was stamped into the glass: "Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound". It sounds so old fashioned and curious! The bottle was only $12 and I thought it would look nice in my house somewhere or as a display, so I picked it up.

When I came home, a quick internet search showed me that this Vegetable Compound was a very popular herbal concoction. There is quite a bit of info about it on Wikipedia. Here are some of my favorite facts:

"Lydia Estes Pinkham (February 9, 1819 – May 17, 1883) was an iconic concocter and shrewd marketer of a commercially successful herbal-alcoholic "women's tonic" meant to relieve menstrual and menopausal pains.

Lydia initially made the remedy on her stove before its success enabled production to be transferred to a factory, she answered letters from customers and probably wrote most of the advertising copy.^[10] Mass marketed from 1876 on, Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound became one of the best known patent medicines of the 19th century. Descendants of this product are still available today. Lydia's skill was in marketing her product directly to women and her company continued her shrewd marketing tactics after her death. Her own face was on the label and her company was particularly keen on the use of testimonials from grateful women.

Advertising copy urged women to write to Mrs. Pinkham. They did, and they received answers. They continued to write and receive answers for decades after Lydia Pinkham's death. These staff-written answers combined forthright talk about women's medical issues, advice, and, of course, recommendations for her product. In 1905 the Ladies' Home Journal published a photograph of Lydia Pinkham's tombstone and exposed the ruse. The Pinkham company insisted that it had never meant to imply that the letters were being answered by Lydia Pinkham, but by her daughter-in-law, Jennie Pinkham.

Although Pinkham's motives were partly self-serving, many modern-day feminists admire her for distributing information on menstruation and the "facts of life" and consider her to be a crusader for women's health issues in a day when women were poorly served by the medical establishment.

In a day when the mainstream treatment of these conditions was sometimes surgical removal of ovaries—with a mortality rate of 40%—it can be argued that at the very least Pinkham's remedy followed the sound medical principle of "first, do no harm." "

So popular was this compound, a folk drinking song called Lily the Pink was made with it as inspiration. While the origin of the song is much older, the UK comedy troup The Scaffolds had a hit with their version in 1968. What a bunch of goofballs! And of course, I have been walking around the house singing along to this song. I might even be marching around, singing along, with the old bottle in hand... I am snowed in and stir crazy... LOL... don't judge me!

In the same booth, I found this simple copper drinking cup for $2.50. Not really usable the way it is, but it would look great with a steampunk costume.

I am really pleased with these treasures that I found!

February 21, 2011

Earthenwood Design Team Update!

It's time for another update from the Earthenwood Design Team! Wow, have they been busy!

Andrew Thornton made this necklace in response to one of his own blog challenges. He is suggesting a variety of words to inspire himself and his readers. Last week's word was Passion and he made this gorgeous necklace to celebrate the word. Read more about it on his blog!

Lori Anderson paired her heart and links with some pearls, chain, and a wonderful deep red filigree piece, which frames the heart very elegantly. She also used beads from her appropriately named "Lonely Hearts Club Stash" Read more about it on her blog!

Lorelei Eurto revisited one of her older designs to create this similar yet different necklace. I love the combination of colors and textures here! Read about the original inspiration and her variations on her blog!

In other news about this month's bead theme, I have listed another of these Heart Fire kits in my etsy shop! I had a frustrating few hours when I thought I had lost the instructions, so I couldn't make any more, but then I found them hiding sneakily in the Google Document trash. So I can offer the kit again, and I even have more parts on the way to make more for my upcoming bead shows.

February 20, 2011

Studio Tour Sunday: Dr Sketchy

Yesterday, three of my friends and I went to our first Dr. Sketchy Detroit event! This is a really fun thing where people gather and pay a small fee to draw a live model. Usually it is some kind of kick-ass punk rock chick, derby roller girl, burlesque dancer or other unusual performer and it is a real treat. Outside of art-schools, it can be really difficult to find this kind of opportunity, so Dr Sketchy events are a really great resource for artists.

It has been many, many years since I did any figure drawing. I was required to do a year of still life and a year of figure drawing in college. I tend to be more three dimensionally inclined and while I put in my time in my drawing classes and did the best I could, I didn't love it and I usually struggled with it. Once my requirements were done, I put my pencils and charcoals away and haven't really missed them. This was a fun way to explore this skill that I haven't accessed in a long time, and I had a great time doing it!

The two models we had yesterday were different from the models I had in school. In school, we had nude models, and these gals had fun lingerie and props and tattoos, which made it really interesting! I liked the lines and shapes that the ink and the lingerie made and sketched some full body drawings. But as I became a bit warmed up, I seemed to focus on the faces, which was always very challenging to me. I am pleased with what I drew in this session, even though my goal was only to "make marks on paper".
That's one of the things going on in my studio this week! Check out what is happening in the studios of some of my blogging friends: A Bead A Day
A 1 minute jewelry project? Lisa shares a swarovski component that can be used to make a SPARKLY ring!   About.com Jewelry Making
For gemstone fanatics, earrings are the perfect way to enjoy fast projects that include all their favorite stones.   Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene loves a wall of beads. Stop by and see if you don't love it too!   Beading Arts
Have you heard of a hair fascinator? Come see what Cyndi put together with a handful of Swarovski crystals and a length of thin gauge wire!   Beads & Books
Michelle shares a behind-the-scenes look at her work doing technical edits on a jewelry magazine.   Carmi's Art/Life World
A new bronze pendant from Artbeads.com inspired this new necklace from Carmi.   Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy shares her "DO" for the week. Come take a look!   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie explores the old craft of paper quilling in an experiment combining the technique with resin for jewelry   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews a comforting and beautiful book for beaders which she herself has often turned to as a "bridge over troubled waters": Beading for the Soul, by Deborah Cannarella   The Bead Dreamer
Book Review: Steel Wire Jewelry. Love alternative materials and modern, whimsical jewelry design? This book is a must have. Project one is an earring wardrobe! Read the review in full.   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew gets in touch with his inner "Calder" and hammers some wire with Kate McKinnon and Dustin Wedekind.

February 19, 2011

Response Saturday: Greek Pottery and Quilled Paper

This week I have had several new and inspirational experiences! The trip to the Kelsey Museum on Thursday included seeing these wonderful designs on ancient Greek pottery. The fan and scroll like designs reminded me of the semi- successful experiments I did last week with quilled paper, so I decided to use this week to explore a little further.

I made some long fan shapes and wide spirals with black quilling paper and set the pieces onto a coppery frame pendant with a dictionary entry for "scroll" underneath. I haven't poured the resin yet, but I wanted to share this picture of it before I finish it sometime this week.

Today I spent some time with my buddies doing something I haven't done in ages: figure drawing! We had lots of fun and I think I will post some pictures of what I drew tomorrow.

February 18, 2011

Kelsey Museum of Archeology Tour

Today has gotten away from me a bit... it's been busy. But I wanted to make a quick post to talk about our adventures yesterday at the Kelsey Museum of Archeology. Like I mentioned yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet with a docent, who showed us a variety of ancient pottery sherds that we could handle. That was really neat to see all the different textures and surfaces of the clay and to actually be able to touch them. We also got a quick tour of part of the museum, which was small, but had some wonderful artifacts from all over the ancient world. I took a few pictures of Egyptian artifacts and goddesses and bead-like things. I always love to see old Egyptian amulets as I am amazed by the detail of the ceramics especially in the small sizes. The faience collar below was pretty amazing, made of tiny tubes of turquoise clay and teeny amulets hanging at the ends.

We had a really fun night out with a great dinner, a little shopping, and introspective time at the museum listening to the knowledgeable docent. Alex and I decided we need to spend more time at museums in the near future! Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to make something that is inspired by some of the Greek pots I saw. We shall see what tomorrow brings...

February 17, 2011

Kelsey Museum of Archeology Sherds

Today I had a unique opportunity to go to the University of Michigan Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and was able to handle old sherds of ancient Greek pottery. My brother Jeremy took his ceramics class to view the collection and talk with a docent and Alex and I came along. It was very educational and fun for the clay geek and antiques lover in me. Here are some pictures of the sherds. Tomorrow I will try to blog about some of the cool things we saw in the museum's collection

February 16, 2011

Bead Table Wednesday: Art Beads Winter Enchantment

Hey! It's Wednesday and I am finally participating in Bead Table Wednesday again! I managed to squeak out an hour or so to finish up a necklace that I feel like has been in the works for a few weeks. I really wanted to use one of my resin Button Pendants. I tried several versions before I settled on using the Czech glass fire polish beads and gunmetal links and components above from Art Beads. The theme for this Art Beads challenge was Winter Enchantment, and I thought these pale icy glass beads were very wintry, especially when mixed with the cool gunmetal components and silvery colors of the pendant. I added some locks and keys, because I cannot resist them, and a Green Girl pewter key was the very last touch I needed for another handmade element (as well as adding a couple of inches that I needed too)

Make sure you visit the BTW Flickr group to see what others have on their bead tables today!

*FTC compliance disclosure: the '*' items mentioned in this post credited to Art Beads were provided as a promotional gift for review or design purposes.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles