Rabbits in the Round to benefit Nancy Schindler

 Earlier this September, a friend and fellow ceramic bead artist Nancy Schindler lost her kiln and studio where she creates her beautiful work for her studio business Round Rabbit. Read more about Nancy on her Rabbit Muse blog:

To help her out with finances from the loss, many of her friends put together a donation page, which gave me the idea that I wanted to do a little more than donating the little bit that I could at the time. So I decided to make a special design inspired by Nancy and her love of rabbits!

This new pendant has a pair of bunnies frolicking in front of a moony background and is presented with two small spiral links in a dark pewter glaze contrasted with the bone white of the porcelain clay.

100% of the proceeds of the first 10 sets of this design will go directly to Nancy Schindler.You can find them in my Etsy shop here, for $20 per set.

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.

Mystery Keyhole Kitty

Wow, my beady friends really love the kitties!  I haven't been able to keep up with all the kitty pendants flying out of my Etsy shop!  I added a couple more tonight, some extras from a wholesale order, in the popular black and white colorway.  I wanted to show a couple of examples of simple necklaces that I have made with these kitties.
Above: In Keyhole Kitty, metal keys, charms, and a cool keyhole link form the framework for a bright acid lime green kitty.  I love this color, it is so vibrant and mysterious.  Below: Mystery Kitty has a little bit softer look, still using the keys and charms, but matched with a contrasting color of recycled silk sari ribbon for a more casual, bohemian effect.

 These necklaces are both available in my Etsy Galleria.  Or if you are looking for just the pendant to make your own jewelry, check my main 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.

Compass Helm

Another week, another wrench thrown into my plans!  I should be used to the unexpected by now.  This week started out with a bit of a cold, which put me mostly out of commission for the past two days.  I spent a lot of time on the couch, watching movies, trying to glaze and make beads, but doing it at a snail's pace.  I did make some progress on some orders and special requests, at least.  And I got some photos edited and a couple new jewelry pieces listed in the Etsy Galleria.  Slowly but surely, things are getting done.  But I just haven't seemed to be able to work at the pace that I am used to and content with lately, with everything else going on.  I guess I should try to adapt better, but I keep hoping this sea of surprises will pass.
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: Sharing the Linky Love

  In the feverish rush of getting orders filled and stocking my weekend booth for the last few months, I have been way behind on keeping up with some press that has come and gone.  But the new issue of Creative Jewelry is out now and I have some pieces in it and I am determined to not let that pass without sharing it with you!  The piece above, Heartfire Necklace, was published as a project in this special issue. To celebrate, I have added this as a kit to my website!  This is one of my favorite designs lately.  I like the simplicity of it and the funkiness of the asymmetry.
In other news, I have started blogging for Art Bead Scene again!  I will be posting on Sundays with the weekly blogger links (like the ones I post here!) It is good to be involved with the blog again after a long hiatus. Who knows, perhaps I will be motivated to blog more there and here, now that I am getting more practice.  For me, to be active, I need to make something a habit, so posting once a week will likely encourage me to be more active.
Speaking of those weekly links, here is your linky love this week: A Bead A Day
Have you ever made a zipper pull to match a pair of earrings? Check out this first attempt!   About.com Jewelry Making
Jazz up your eyes with this beaded eye glass chain tutorial.   Art Bead Scene
Shannon shares some tricks of the trade regarding jewelry metal punches.   Beading Arts
What do you do with copper tube beads? Make a fabulous necklace, of course!   Cindy Gimbrone Beads
This week's Tuesday Tangle is about experimentation and trying new designs.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie gets ready to join up in the Etsy Boot Camp and is looking for more recruits!   Resin Crafts!
Resin crafts has a few tips about resin and polymer clay.   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews (and holds a giveaway!) of Jamie Cloud Eakin's fabulous new bead embroidery technique book, coming out in early October! And posts a Blythe doll photo, of course.   The Bead Dreamer
Love miniatures? Charlene takes miniature book components, paper, ribbon and a few beads and makes a mini book necklace. You can 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.

Kitties Back in Stock

Due to popular demand, I have listed a new batch of Spooky Kitty pendants on my Etsy site!  A few new colors, too!  I tried to stick with single glazes, except for the purple and lime green, just so I could get some pieces done asap!  I actually like the single colors just fine, and I think it makes them look less "spooky" because it's not a black cat.  I like to be able to offer lots of options!
I am writing this from my booth at the Rust Belt Market.  This is the first time I have really spent time on my computer at the Market, as I usually do the bare minimum online work using my iPod.  I've just got a lot to catch up on now.  I really like being able to work online here, and I will probably do this more as we head into holiday time. Hope you have a great 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.

Etsy Boot Camp: Promises and Buddies

A sample of one of the new jewelry items I will have for sale for the holidays, the Motor City Story Necklace, available on Etsy.

Today I received the first Etsy Boot Camp email!  I am excited to get started!  One of the tasks this week is to share a promise for the upcoming holiday sales season.  My promise is to get my Earthenwood Galleria on Etsy filled up with gifts and finished jewelry, two things that are often requested by my customers which I rarely seem to be able to have available. My goal is to offer jewelry that represents the designs I have at my weekend shows, so my customers can buy some of the same items from me online as well. I also want to offer some new products, maybe a small line of tiles or ornaments, which are often requested. And I promise to accomplish this while keeping up with my regular sales on my website, etsy, and my weekend retail sales at the Rust Belt Market.

The Etsy Success team put together a spreadsheet of sales estimates and potential costs.  I filled it out with my own numbers and it was sobering to find that there was no profit in the way I figured my numbers.  So I am still playing around and thinking about where I can cut costs and how I can grow at a better rate.

omg, my cute new boots!  Get it.. Boot Camp... boots?  :) hehe
The last step is to find a Boot Camp buddy...someone to bounce ideas off of and to hold me accountable, but instead of finding an individual, I am going to blog my updates and ask you, my readers, for advice and support.  You have always been there for me and I feel like I haven't been sharing much of my process on the blog lately.  So keep an eye out for my Boot Camp posts every week!

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

Etsy Boot Camp

Industrial Collage Bundle from my Wholesale Etsy Shop
I mentioned in my last blog post about wanting to do the Etsy Holiday Boot Camp this year and I am excited that it is starting tomorrow.  That's just the sort of art geek that I am.  I am looking forward to the challenge and hope it will help me get my jewelry shop together. I hope you will consider joining up too, but if you don't I hope to be sharing my progress with you on the blog here.

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.

Habits of Success

 Wow, that was a busy weekend!  I am getting organized again now that the big DIY weekend at the Rust Belt is over.  I met so many new potential customers and had really great sales.  I know a lot of these people will be back and will be bring friends, especially with the holidays coming up!  I have some new things to consider, going into the holidays, like having gift certificates available, and getting my finished jewelry online (which is something I always seem to neglect). For me, one of the ways I find success with my business is making things a habit.  When I get in the habit of doing anything and start to make it efficient, it makes things a whole lot easier.  I have streamlined my photography, etsy listings, shipping, and inventory keeping which are all things that help me be successful.  That's not even mentioning my actual artwork processes!  So I am thinking about ways to get my jewelry listings more streamlined.  I am thinking of taking all my samples from Rust Belt every weekend and bringing them home to photograph and list on Mondays or Tuesdays.  I think this would be a good habit.  Then of course on Friday or Saturday, I would need to make more samples, but that will make for a fresh display, so I think that is a good plan.  One of my goals this year is to increase my jewelry sales for the holidays, without my regular bead sales suffering.  I am starting the Etsy Boot Camp this week to help me with this, too. That's the studio news from here this week!  Check out what some of my beady blogger friends have going on this week: A Bead A Day
If you were wondering about the best method for adhering flatback swarovski crystals to a rubbery textured object, Lisa's discovered the answer! Superglue! Check out her newly crystallized slap-watch.

About.com Jewelrymaking
Tammy discusses and provides a tutorial about the dirty side of metal jewelry.

Beading Arts
Cyndi explains how to add a wonderful blue-green patina to copper beads.

Earthenwood Studio ChroniclesMelanie ponders if her new cat pendant design is seasonally spooky or a year round treat

Resin Crafts
Melanie ponders if her new cat pendant design is seasonally spooky or a year round treat

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
I love B'Sue Boutiques and Brenda Sue is having a blog hop in October! Come read about it!

The Bead Dreamer
Charlene reviews a book that blends beading and jazz - Bead Riffs


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.

Skellie

 I am running out the door for a long day at the Rust Belt Market.  We have extended hours today, from 11-9, because there are two street fairs in the area today.  Should be a fun day!  I wanted to show my new Skellie pendants, which are now available in my Etsy shop. I have been working my fingers to the bone lately, so I figured showing a fun skeleton design is appropriate. Have a great 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.

Studio Tour Links and Update

 I had a good weekend at Rust Belt this past weekend and am looking ahead for a very busy weekend ahead.  There are two art fairs going on in Ferndale, right on the streets, so we are bound to see a lot more traffic.  We will have extended market hours and I have been busy making a lot of pendants for the weekend, plus the etsy shop.  I have also been getting my custom and wholesale orders done, like the windows above, which were a special request.  Whew, so yeah, it's busy, but it feels like a GOOD busy at last, instead of a crazy busy that I have been experiencing lately (unexpected emergencies and other surprises keep popping up on me, but hopefully that's done now.  *please!*)
That's the newest news with me.  Click on the links below to see what some of my bead blogger friends have going on... A Bead A Day
Have you ever come across an unusual or hard to identify bead? Lisa is looking for help with a mysterious plastic bead.

About.com Jewelrymaking
Fly away with some steampunk inspiration after reading this new pin tutorial. 

Beading Arts
Cyndi figures out how to showcase a wonderful lampwork glass pendant and shares the steps with you!

Beads and Books
Michelle creates jewelry with the new Rusty Black metal finish from B'Sue Boutiques.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy's got some business advice for you - from one threadkiller to another!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie reviews a gorgeous new metalsmithing book called Hot Connections

Resin Crafts
Resin Crafts has a post featuring back to school pencils in resin!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean just can't ever get over the stunning beauty created by her British pal, Emma Ralph! if you don't know about Emma, you have a real treat in store!

The Bead Dreamer
Charlene shows how a little paint and an old book make an excellent prop for jewelry photography.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Recently, Andrew was interviewed by Kelli Burns of The Hole Bead Shop. Check out the first installment of the interview!


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.

Season of the Kitty

I am starting to slowly release my new designs, many of which have a Halloweeny edge to them.  I am trying to hold back the more overtly Halloween designs until a little closer to October, but I just love this holiday so much, I can't wait!  I have some items that I think are not all that seasonal.  For instance, I love skulls and skeletons all year round.  And then there is this Kitty.  I wanted something very graphic, with a hint of clouds in the background, and a little crescent moon.  In black and white, it looks slightly spooky, and I used some colors that will suit those classic October colorways, but I think overall this kitty might not scream "Halloween!"  Cat lovers, what do you think?  Seasonal or year round for this design?

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 Items at Lima Beads

Check it out!  Lima Beads has just added a whole pile of Earthenwood Studio charms and pendants to their inventory!  They have hand selected many new designs from me that are exclusive Lima Beads items!  Look for cool spark plug pendants, funky rusty gears and hardware themed items, and text pendants with inspirational words.  Click on over to their website and see what they have to offer.

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 Birds and Fairies

 Finally have power back on!  Geez, I really underestimated all the things I use electricity for in my business that can really shut me down if I am powerless for a few days.  But I am back to work now, struggling to get caught up.  I thought I would share some of the new designs that have been coming out.  Today's pieces are bright and colorful, to cheer me up on this gloomy rainy day.  Look for them to pop up in my Etsy shop within the next few hours.  I don't have many of them, so get them when you see them, if you like one!

This rectangular pendant is new, with two birds and a nest.  I think it is a nice addition to the bird at the top and the tree pendants I have been doing lately.
Also, look at this pretty new fairy girl!  I wanted something very feminine, and she came out in a fun doodle. It has been fun to explore these lighter motifs and colors for a change.  What do you think of them?
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.

Labor Day Links

  Hey everyone!  Just wanted to pop in quickly to let you know I am still here, working as hard as usual.  I started back up at the Rust Belt over the weekend, getting a spot in the window.  It looked really pretty, but I was surprised by an unexpectedly hot (over 100 degree) day on September 3, so it got pretty toasty in my little booth.  There were lots of events going on in the city, plus Labor Day vacations, so the market was a little slow.  I was also not feeling very caught up, as I had forgotten and lost some items over the weekend.  Including the power at my house (along with most of the rest of my neighborhood) after a sudden and big storm.  Power is expected to be out until Monday night, so I am working on what I can and taking advantage of not being able to work as well.  I have lots of new stuff coming out, and I am looking forward to sharing it, as soon as everything else co-operates with me!  
That's all the news I have this holiday weekend.  Check out the links from some of my beady blogging buddies: A Bead A Day
Lisa's got a "bead" in her bonnet again about bead mixes! Check out her latest $2 find. A 50 gram plastic bead mix! 
About.com Jewelry Making
When was the last time you visiting the Jewelry Making Forum? That long ago? Well, here is some of what you have been missing.   Beading Arts
Cyndi shares the work of some amazing bead embroidery artists!   Beads & Books
Michelle shares a strategy for improving her Etsy shop photos.   Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy shares some ideas to make your metal money stretch.  
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie unloads a kiln fill of new black and white designs  Resin Crafts!
This week Carmi is making Faux Gems with resin!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean thinks about what it is like to write for Australian Beading Magazine! Many of you have been in her column at this point!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew announces the (SOLD OUT) Reader's Challenge Design Kit for September! Lots of luscious pale purples and lavenders!  

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.

Summer End Clearance Sale

Well, it's September now and that means summer will be coming to an end.  I have also decided to change with the seasons and put some of my more summery items (and a few older designs) on clearance to make way for new designs for fall.  Ice cream pendants, butterflies and bugs, and a few assorted steamy designs are now 50% off!  Go to www.earthenwoodstudio.com and find the SALE items. 

Use the code SUMMEREND to receive 50% off of the selected styles in the Sale section. 

 Click the links above to see more!

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.

Book Review: Hot Connections

I recently received this gorgeous, metal project filled book, Hot Connections Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook of Soldering Techniques by Jennifer Chin. I was impressed with the quality of the jewelry photos on the cover so I was very pleased to find that the book is full of more great pictures.  Hot Connections is full of all the great basic beginner information like what you need to set up a studio and basic techniques like sawing, drilling, soldering, and riveting.  The illustrations and photos are clear and concise. Beyond the basics are more advanced techniques like patinas, stone setting, and mixing metals.  All of the jewelry examples in this book, including the ones in the galleries, all have a great clean, crisp, modern style that would appeal to a fashionable artisan looking to learn more about jewelry making.  Just looking through it made me itch for some of the tools and techniques that I used to employ in my days as a metalsmith, and I was inspired to learn even more techniques while browsing the pages.  I would recommend this book to any beginner or intermediate metalsmith who likes a contemporary aesthetic and clean look.

 

*FTC compliance disclosure: the book mentioned in this post was provided as a promotional gift for review or design purposes from Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House.

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.