World Steam Expo

I am diligently working hard today, because I declared it the last day of wet clay work before Bead & Button.  But I wanted to check in really quick and post a few pictures of myself and my costumes from the World Steam Expo.  I was there a little of each of the four days, but one of the days we dressed in more casual, everyday "steampunk style" as opposed to a costume, since we went out on the town for shopping and lunch on Sunday. On Saturday, I got to see Abney Park perform an acoustic set which was great!  There were so many inspiring and creative costumes to marvel at! All in all, we had a lot of fun with our costumes and the panels and the Expo, even though the heat on Monday caused me to have a little meltdown (it was HOT and I was wearing the center outfit and there was much traffic madness because of Memorial Day, all of which made me a very crabby girl).  I have a renewed interest in steampunk, both in terms of character development and costuming, and as a personal style and aesthetic.

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: World Steam Expo and Studio Links

 I haven't been online much in the past few days, as I have been busy steam-punking it up at World Steam Expo.  Alex got us tickets for the 4 day convention for Christmas, along with a pattern to make me a skirt and jacket.  I have yet to wear those items, as I have been saving them for our outing to Greenfield Village tomorrow.  Sadly, with all that I have had going on, I haven't been able to add to my wardrobe or accessories very much, but I had enough steamy-like clothing to last me all weekend.  I did modify one of the staples of my wardrobe... my goggles.  I lost one of the screw-off lens caps somewhere along the way, and strangely, none of the others we have been able to find are compatible so I could repair it.  So I ended up making them pretty assymetrical and used a big piece of filigree and a clip-on pair of jewelers' magnifiers to spiffy them up.  I like them a lot, but man are they heavy when perched upon the head all day!  I need to find a light, "everyday" pair of goggles, I think... perhaps something vintage  Here is a pic from the original goggles from a couple of years ago:

That's the latest news here in my studio.  Hopefully next week I will find a picture or two of me from the Expo to show on the blog. Here is what some of my blogger friends have been up to this week: A Bead A Day
Featured Designer, Genea, creates some very happy beads and shares how she works them into gorgeous jewelry pieces! 
About.com Jewelry Making
Find out how you can use your beading skills to help raise money for an Autism center.   Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene is having a giveaway. Come check it out!   Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts
It's jewelry "Re Do" time and a giveway of the finished piece   Beading Arts
Cyndi has been featuring wonderful wire artists all this month...take a look at what these folks are doing!   Carmi's Art/Life World
An acorn is the inspiration for a new ting in epoxy clay.   Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
It's a Tangle Tutorial. Come make a pair of "Well-Loved" earrings!   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Lumber everywhere! Melanie's wood-grain components are popping up in Beads 2011, on the Vintaj blog as the Art Bead Partner of the month, and at Art Bead Scene in a huge giveaway!   Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio
Lorelei's birthday brought big changes to her jewelry studio this week, come on over and watch her vlog.   Resin Crafts!
Resin + chocolate = great new bezels!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean had a wonderful time creating a necklace set using both Artbeads and Earthenwood Studio components together, as she a blogging and design partner for each! See what she designed ! You might think the end result is as as yummy as she does !!!   The Bead Dreamer
Stick beads, gemstones and wood earring findings inspire a necklace and matching earrings - both made using the same wood findings!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew hosts one of the biggest Thursday Giveaways EVER! You could win TWELVE coin pendants from his 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.

Qwerty Charms

I have a new item in my shop to tell you about!  QWERTY charms!  Someone at my recent show, after seeing how easily my pendants and charms and findings can be personalized into custom necklaces, suggested I take it a step further and offer initial charms.  I thought this might be a bit of a challenge, because I didn't want to make something that looked too "cutesy"...I wanted something that would fit in with the work I already had designed for this particular display.  So I gave it some thought and dreamed up these very graphic, pewter and bone white charms that resemble old fashioned typewriter keys.  They are perfect... a little bit antique and a little industrial.  Next I needed a jewelry sample:

This fits perfectly with the kinds of necklaces I have been helping my customers make lately!  People seem to just love this idea of assembling the components on a big jump ring, mixing and matching to suit their style.  I just ordered a couple of spools of this kind of ball chain to stock in my booth... it will be very easy to cut the perfect chain length for people without needing jump rings and time to assemble the chain!

My next challenge will be making something along the lines of a customizable mother's necklace, complete with mix and match birthstone charms, that will go with this look too!

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 Design Team Update

You may recall that for the month of June, I sent out Ice Cream pendants to my Design Team! Some of their yummy creations are starting to come in!  Above, look at what Jean Yates made with an Ice Cream and a Candy Drop link!  She added sparkly beads and chain from ArtBeads.com to make this delicious necklace.  I love how she dressed up the ice cream with sophisticated supplies, making it still sweet, but a little more grown-up.  Check out her blog post for her thoughts behind this design.

Design Team member Gaea Cannaday took a different spin on the ice cream and candy look with her pendant!  Paired with a rainbow of soft colored ceramic beads that she made and pink and purple cords, this necklace has more of a playful look. This reminds me of those candy bead necklaces I had as a kid!  It brings up thoughts of candy and ice cream shops for me, yum!  Read more about it on Gaea'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.

Owls and Kitties

 I have some good news!  I have finally added the Round Owl pendants back to my website!  You may know about my production issues of late, namely that I have had a problem with my standard clay being out of stock for the past few months while the supplier moved.  Unfortunately, I have still not received word of my clay being in stock, so I had to change my plans.  I ended up using a different glaze for the owls, one that is much lighter and more sandy in color, making them much less rusty in color.  They look great, just not the same as before, but I figured this is a better option than no owls.  I actually like the softer look.

I had thought about this glaze option but I was hesitant to use it.  This particular glaze is one that was discontinued by the supplier a few years ago, and I have been hoarding the two small jars that I have, just using it for a few things. I had a hard time finding more a while ago, but I think I have found some suppliers that have more of that discontinued glaze, so maybe I don't need to hold on so tightly to it.  *fingers crossed*.  While I was was working on restocking the round owls, I decided to bring back the Tall Owl pendants, too!  In all three colors.

And since the Tall Owls remind me so much of the Kittycat Pendants, I made some of those as well.  Again, I replaced the rusty brown with the sandy brown, and kept the seafoam, and added a pale flesh version, too!  I am so glad to have some of all of these cuties back in stock!

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.

Response Saturday: Hiatus

 When I started Response Saturday, I had no idea I would be participating in a weekly two-day market that would be successful, or that I would be working so diligently on my website stock, or that I would be *this* busy.  So I need to put that project on hiatus, at least until after Bead & Button.  It seems a proper "response" to be able to respond to the demands of the project itself.  I am working on lots of new things, but they are not really the same blog-worthy types of things I had planned.

 I am heading off to Market in a few minutes, but I wanted to quickly post and show a few new pieces I made last weekend at Market.  A necklace with a new key pendant and some fun stacked charms and objects, plus two more link bracelets.  I really love these!

I made a bunch of these newsprint links yesterday, and elaborated on the series.  I think they will be the few brand new items I will be showing at B&B this year, so I am excited about them.  Have a great weekend, all!


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 Royal Oaktree

Here is another necklace design I made for my Rust Belt Market booth.  I call this one The Royal Oaktree. It is inspired by a local city, Royal Oak. I designed the oval pendant with woodgrain and a cool flower shaped gear that reminds me of a crown.  I thought this was a subtle way to show my inspiration.  I have also used the oak leaf charms from Vintaj and I made a tiny pearl acorn charm with a brass cap.  Today I received more colors of pearls so I am looking forward to making other colors of pearls.

Above, a bracelet I made showing how my link pairs can be used.  It's so simple in design and lets the ceramic really shine, I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.  I gave this one to Alex's mom for her birthday and made two more.  They are a perfect way for me to use up my single links, too! I will be at the Rust Belt this weekend and then off for 3 weeks while I prepare for the Bead & Button Show and go to the World Steam Expo.  I think I will miss the market while I am gone... I am having so much fun being 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.

Beads 2011, Vintaj Art Bead Parter, and Art Bead Scene Giveaway

 Everything is coming up Lumber lately! This necklace design of mine called Carpenters Keepsake, was used as a project in the Interweave Press special issue Beads 2011!  I look forward to this issue all year long!  It is filled with the greatest new jewelry components, many from artists like myself.  When I was asked to design something for this issue, I wanted something full of cool beads!  In addition to my Lumber components and EarthenOxide keys, I have used components from Saki Silver, Colliebug, MissFickleMedia, and Tierracast.  Some of my very favorite things, and they work so well together!

My friends over at Vintaj have made me the first Art Bead Partner of the month!  They have chosen items from my Lumber series and their design theme of the month is Rustic Barn.  They have really gone all out... there is a Giveaway of my beads paired with some awesome Vintaj stuff, and there are a bunch of great examples in their inspirational Idea Gallery (search for rustic barn)! I am really excited to be a part of this... Thanks Vintaj!

Speaking of giveaways, Art Bead Scene just announced a huge giveaway in celebration of the Beads 2011 special issue today.  A big old pile of art beads(including one of my Lumber Escutcheons) from some of the best bead artists can be yours... click on over and check it out on the Art Bead Scene 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.

The Cruiser and The Cass Door

Here are two more necklace designs I created for my Rust Belt Market booth.  The top image shows two variations of "The Cruiser" featuring a Road Trip link, an old key, some gears, and black rubber-like cording. Again, this necklace is based on a local theme.  Obviously, Detroit is the Motor City, so the car image is appropriate, but it is also a reference to the street that the Market is on: Woodward Ave.  I blogged about Woodward in one of my recent posts here, so you may have already read about this significant highway.  Because of its history, Woodward is also home to an annual event called the Dream Cruise, where people spend the whole weekend immersed in car culture and fill the miles long avenue with their old cars.  While I am generally all about local events that highlight the area in a positive way, I am not gonna lie, I really don't like the Cruise.  All that engine revving, oldies playing, and the smell of gasoline... nah, I'll pass, but you have a blast!  No matter, this year I will be in Philly for Bead Fest, so I will miss the revelry (and the crowded streets all around the city caused by the Cruise)

This design is called "The Cass Door" a play on words regarding more local history, the Cass Corridor.  It just kind of jumped into my brain as I thought, what can I design about Detroit using these door pendants?  Pairing them with large and small keys seemed like a natural move, dangling from a faux suede cord.  More about the Cass Corridor from Wikipedia:  The Cass Corridor, in Detroit, Michigan contains the Cass Park Historic District and the Cass-Davenport Historic District. The corridor's main street is Cass Avenue, which runs parallel with Woodward Avenue, a main Detroit artery running north towards suburban neighborhoods. Though Cass runs from Congress Street, ending a few miles further north at West Grand Boulevard, the Cass Corridor generally is defined as between I-75 at its southern end and Wayne State University to the north, and stretches from Woodward to the east and to the West: John C. Lodge (M-10 service drive) north of Temple, and Grand River Avenue south of Temple.

Significant landmarks include the Detroit Masonic Temple (the world's largest building of its kind), Cass Technical High School and the Metropolitan Institute for High Technology are all located along Cass.
Culturally, the Cass Corridor is a significant district. Creem, which billed itself as "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine," had its headquarters in the area. The student population contributes to the bohemian atmosphere in Cass Corridor. The artistic community has produced a number of significant artists including The White Stripes, who played their first show at the Gold Dollar. Cass Corridor is also the location of the annual Dally in the Alley arts festival



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: Berkley Filigree

Happy Sunday, everyone!  I am sipping my coffee, collecting my thoughts, and preparing for another day at Rust Belt Market.  Yesterday was steadily busy and my painted charms from yesterday were a hit!  I have so many ideas running through my head these days because of this weekend market!  Today is bound to be slower, so I am bringing a lump of clay with me so I can make some bird charms for stock.  Gotta start stocking for Bead & Button.
Above is the "Berkley Filigree" necklace, which was a design I came up to show people what to do with the small porcelain link pairs that I have at the market.  These seem to confuse non-beaders, so I need to make more samples.  I made a bracelet yesterday and would like to do a pair of earrings, too. This necklace also makes good use of some of the larger pieces of filigree that I have collected over the years, and is one of the few pieces in my booth that uses my porcelain as an accent instead of a focal.
That's the news from my studio, here are some other bead blogger stories:
A Bead A Day
Do you ever miss a piece of jewelry you made as a gift? Lisa is contemplating creating a copy of the bracelet she made for her Mom for Mother's Day!   About.com Jewelry Making
Tammy is having fun with filigree and brass charms, which includes a new bracelet tutorial.   Art Bead Scene
Want to personalize your jewelry designs? Here are some suggestions from the Art Bead Scene.   Barbe Saint John
Barbe talks about Lark Books latest Call for Entries   Beading Arts
Cyndi shares her method of making a charm necklace from a vintage button!    Beads & Books
Michelle shares the pearl and crystal necklace she made for the Artbeads.com challenge.   Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a new pendant to work with to create the copper rose necklace.    Cindy Gimbrone, The Lampwork Diva
Cindy's come up with a primary color variation on the double dip ring.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
The Earthenwood Design Team has been hatching up some beautiful jewelry designs using Melanie's ceramic egg charms and pendants!    Resin Crafts!
To launch a week of pouring resin into bezels Carmi showcases two different floral techniques.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean discusses the giveaways--Go for it!!!-- and the call for Entries from Lark Publishing Company    The Bead Dreamer
It's not always easy to get the length of a bracelet correct - especially if large beads are involved. Charlene shares a tool that can help.   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew debuts several new items in his Shop, including these NEW skeleton keys!

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.

Response Saturday: Painted Vintaj

  I have dabbled with this technique of painting on metal after seeing Jess at Vintaj demonstrating it at the Bead & Button Show.  But when I decided I needed a little more color in my metal for my Rust Belt Market booth, I found myself exploring it much more fully.

Yeah, sometimes when I get an idea, I don't just do it halfway, I go all for it.  So I painted dozens and dozens of charms tonight in a variety of colors.  They really look quite lovely all sorted in the little tins.  I can't wait to work with them and see how my customers like them this weekend!

I used Ranger Ink Paint Dabbers and sealed them with Renaissance Wax.  Instead of me telling you how I made these, how about you just watch Jess' video?  Thanks to the gals at Vintaj for always coming up with fun new techniques!

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.

Ferndale Boheme and Wood Ward

 Today I have another couple of Michigan Mix & Match themed necklaces from my Rust Belt Market booth to show you! Above is "The Ferndale Boheme" which is a leafy ceramic pendant paired with leafy charms which hang from a brassy ring and are worn on an organic looking recycled Sari ribbon. The Rust Belt Market is in the city of Ferndale, which is full of fashionable people and young hipsters.  This necklace captures the feel of some of the relaxed hippie-like and vintage clothing styles I have seen on the streets.  I can see this necklace layered with others on a gal wearing a long breezy skirt.  This week at the market, I will have more leaf charms, some of which I will be hand painting in various subtle colors, so I think I will be making many more variations in this style.

This necklace is called "The Wood-Ward", a play on the wood like texture of the component in the center.  I wanted to mix the lumber motif with some leaves and layered arrows, bringing natural and industrial looking elements together.  The arrows remind me of something on a road sign, map, or compass, which is relevent to the concept of this necklace. Rust Belt Market is on Woodward Avenue, a significant highway in the metro Detroit area.  Here is some interesting info about Woodward from Wikipedia:
"Many of Detroit's most important cultural fixtures are located on Woodward in downtown Detroit, including the Fox Theatre, Comerica Park and Ford Field. Farther north, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Wayne State University, and the College for Creative Studies are located on Woodward Avenue. In Oakland County, the important cities of Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Birmingham, including the Detroit Zoo, are centered on Woodward Avenue.
The Woodward Dream Cruise takes place on Woodward Avenue between Pontiac and Ferndale in Oakland County during the middle of summer. The annual event draws thousands of classic car owners and admirers from all over the United States and the world to the Metro Detroit area to celebrate Detroit's automotive history. The event evokes nostalgia of the 1950s and '60s, when it was common for young drivers to "cruise" with their cars on Woodward Avenue."

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 Motor City Necklace

I wanted to share some of the sample necklaces that I designed for my bead booth at Rust Belt Market.  I created a series of necklaces that have mix-and-match elements.  All of these pieces also have a metro-Detroit theme, tying in some local pride, which is a big trend in this area, particularly concerning Detroit. This first design was where the first idea of the stackable mix-and-match necklace came from.  I call this one "The Motor City" and have a variety of colors in the gear pendants available, which stack nicely with all sorts of fun gears and spinners and key charms in mixed metals.  I have a few choices in big jump ring colors for the pendant and for the neck ring (one can also choose a cord or ribbon instead, too!).  Over the course of the weekend, I designed several more different designs, all based on this stackable pendant idea, which I will show you over the next few posts.  This is the one that started it all!

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 Design Team Update

 Whee!  I have a major Design Team update for you today!  So many beautiful things coming from the team lately!  Above is Springtime Frills, made by Erin Siegel.  I love how she used the egg as a toggle clasp and added one of my little nests!  And the contrasting colors of the brown woods and turquoise ribbon is wonderful!  I love that little addition of the frilly pieces of torn ribbon... such great texture!

 But wait, Erin wasn't done!  She also made this piece, The Key To My Affection, using one of the EarthenOxide keys for the challenge two months ago I sent her along with one of the crackle links from last month's challenge.  Another unique use of stringing materials in this piece... I love the way Erin knotted the waxed cord around the key.  Also, how about those contrasting colors!  I would have never thought to put red with pale blue but she makes it work so well!  Great work, Erin!  Check out her blog to read more (and see pics of her and that cute little baby of hers!)

 Wow.  Look at what Lorelei Eurto made! I love how she used a Green Girl bird as the toggle for this necklace!  There are so many great things going on here:  the little FLY charm, the little orange berry-like beads, the textures of turquoise beads, the pewter birds flying around.  Just wonderful!  Another great piece, Lorelei!  Read more about this one on her blog.

Take a look at this masterpiece that Erin Prais-Hintz created!  I absolutely love what she did with the wire and the egg... absolutely gorgeous!  As always, her sense of color and use of texture is wonderful.  Check out her blog to read her thoughts about this piece, which she calls Remember You Have Wings.


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.

Rust Belt Inspired Jewelry Designs

I made quite a bit of new jewelry for my Rustbelt Market opening weekend.  I learned a lot over the weekend by the way people responded to it. It is not my intention to sell finished jewelry at this event (even though almost all of these pieces sold, as did others that I didn't photograph).  The intention is to show people how to make their own jewelry, or at least customize the designs I have made while I show them how to do it.  I discovered that my original samples, shown here, were a little too advanced for the first time DIY-er.

I adapted by making a series of simpler necklaces (I will photograph them to show you soon!) that could be easily made on site.  Now that I have those simple designs, I think I can make more "complex" pieces like these for an inspiration board.  All of this will be easier when I develop my future Market plans for setting up a beading station.  And perhaps some help so I can be more hands-on while someone else mans my booth.

With these pieces, I wanted to show the potential of all of the beads, charms, findings, and supplies that I am selling at the Market.  That's why I had to make all new stuff... I wanted every part to be something I have available for sale. 

I give customers, many of whom are picking up pliers for the first time, free permission to copy these designs.  And if they alter them by making design changes, even better! That means they are taking the first steps on the path of their own jewelry designing.

I am very pleased to be carrying works by artists other than myself, like these wood-cuts by Pork Chop Show and the always popular Green Girl Studios.  This lessens some of my work load and inspires me to work with other artists' components that compliment my own.

I am still working out these details, as this was only my first of many weekends at Rust Belt.  I signed up for the next two weekends and then I will be returning mid June for at least a four week run.  I set up a new page and mailing list (for locals) on my website if you are interested in visiting or learning more.

I am feeling very energized and optimistic about this new venue.  It has awakened in me dreams I forgot I had, like teaching and having a bead store, and has suddenly made them a reality in one whirlwhind weekend!

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.