Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

Bird Cloud Carving

2012-01-31T14:09:00.003-05:00

It's the last day of the month so before I move onto another theme for February's Travelogue of Fantasy, I wanted to post a work in progress that is related to January's theme of Sky Places. I had wanted to do a bird and I worked on a few pieces that didn't work out. I ended up carving this new one during a slow afternoon at Rust Belt. I took the bird design from the first unsuccessful project and added some Tibetan inspired clouds with it. It started out as an oval but I chipped it, so I modified it and I really like the shape. I will fire it and make a mold so I can make more.
I had really wished to explore this subject more this month but I have had a lot going on. I got a few good pieces out of it, and sketches and ideas for more. Perhaps February will bring me some more creative time to play. I hope so! I am not even sure what my theme will be still, so I guess I have to start thinking about that! Stay tuned.

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

2012-01-29T18:40:00.000-05:00

It has been a very busy week for me, mostly spent helping a couple of friends. But it has been a mellow weekend at Market this weekend. We have snow and cold, and despite a Blues festival going on, it is pretty slow. So I took a few pictures of some cool metal stuff I have in my booth, like the tray of old metal keys above.

ooh pretty Tierracast pewter charms. These pictures are oddly turned. How random! I am too tired to change them, so let's just call it artsy!

So yeah, not a lot going on in my studio lately. I hope to get more stuff done this week that i can share! Until then, please enjoy these links from some of my beady friends: A Bead A Day
It's Toho competition time! If you are up for the challenge check with a bead store near you for more details.

About.com Jewelry Making
Are you struggling with the cost of metal right now? Tammy gives you a tip for getting the look of metal beads without the cost.

Art Bead Scene
Gaea shares some of her current favorite beading and craft related tools

Beading Arts
Interested in publishing this year? How about starting out with a magazine?

Beads and Books
Join the spring challenge and makeover a ready-made wintry bracelet into a piece of springtime jewelry!

Jean Campbell
What exactly does a beadwork tech-editor do? Read on!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Everyday Gemstones from the publishers of BeadStyle magazine is beautiful, easy, and is a special Winter 2012 issue --and Jean thrilled to be in it!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Want to help a small business out? It's so easy! With a few clicks you can help Allegory Gallery get some free advertising dollars!

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

2012-01-22T14:24:00.001-05:00

This week at Rust Belt Market, I brought a new test batch of heart pendants! I did pewter & white and red & black ones, all with floral designs. Some of the red ones have bold rose designs stamped into them, which remind me of old school tattoo designs. The hearts have already been well received this weekend, so I am excited to make more up as a regular item, with a special push of them for Valentine's Day.

Let's see what some of our beady friends are up to this week! A Bead A Day
Interested in using plastic to create special Valentine's Day Jewelry? Here are a couple of pieces for inspiration.

About.com Jewelry Making
What is better than some beaded embroidery how-to for a buck? Errr..nothing!

Art Bead Scene
Heather offers a beautiful free project inspired from high in the treetops!

Beading Arts
Cyndi has been trying to encourage everyone to get out there and take a class this year!

Beads & Books
See the 30+ beautiful winter jewelry designs in the Secret Snowflake Challenge. Participants used techniques such as bead embroidery, resin, stringing, wirework, etching, and more!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a link to a kumihimo give-a-way to share!

Charlene Sevier Jewelry
Sometimes jewelry acts up a little before it comes together. Charlene shares one of those times

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie looks back at an older post where a favorite song inspired a series of wing themed pendants.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Valentine's Day is one of the most delightful days on Jean's calendar! Why? Because she gets to think about love, and jewelry such as the astounding pendants at NanoStyle! Tell your beloved "I love you" in a most incredible way!

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.

Laputa House and Cloud Pendants

2012-01-21T10:40:00.002-05:00

I was really pleased with the finished Laputa House carved plate when I got it out of the kiln! I used a dark metallic glaze over the whole surface and wiped it away so it only filled in the carved lines. Then I used a egyptian aqua crackle glaze and a clear glaze to paint in the sky and clouds. The variation in color and texture when the glazes met was unexpected and very welcomed! I really love this piece and very much want to carve more. I think the image will make for a nice pendant design, too. I am still thinking about how I might go about doing that.

I made a few simple cloud themed pendants, too. These need to be photographed and added to Etsy. Finally! Something new for the Etsy shop. I will have to wait until Monday to do this, though. I have a busy weekend ahead, balancing between Rust Belt Market and a local convention where all my friends are hanging out. Whee!

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.

In the Clouds

2012-01-18T11:09:00.003-05:00

Perhaps starting my new blog series with the theme of cities in the sky was not the wisest choice! I feel a little like I am floating and flying lately. Although, in fairness, that is not entirely because I am thinking of far away places in the clouds, I am feeling really happy and floaty lately, which is not a complaint. It does make for a hard time getting grounded and getting to work, though. Today's post is to provide some color inspiration to get me motivated to glaze some of the new work I have done lately. Here are some great inspirational images from Google Images from my search of cities in the sky.

Above: the city of Twinergy, from an Indian Bollywood animated movie

Above: Heavenly City photo manipulation from artist Yang Yongliang

Above: Castle in the Pyrenees by Rene Magritte

Above: Cloud City from Star Wars

Above: a photo of the real city of Dubai, taken from the sky, making for a surreal looking city

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: New Ribbon

2012-01-15T12:19:00.002-05:00

This weekend at my Rust Belt Market store, I got in a new shipment of ribbon. All last year, I used recycled sari silk ribbon for my store, which was very well received. I had it in many colors, my customers liked the rustic and recycled qualities, and it was relatively inexpensive. But the major drawback was that it came in skeins and I had to measure and cut it, and the rustic quality that I loved also meant there were lots of knots and unusable parts of the ribbon, so it was a bit wasteful and time consuming to use. This year, I decided to switch to a finished silk ribbon, which is more expensive. I got my first shipment earlier in the week and it is SO beautiful! I think my customers will enjoy this just at much, if not more, than the sari ribbon. I took a picture of my new display of ribbon and pendants. I streamlined the display, too, moving the sign to the center and adding more bins for pendants. It's looking really good here in my little shop!That's my news this weekend... take a look at what is going on with some of my blog friends:

A Bead A Day
Looking for something fun to do in April? How about having some Bead Fest Fun?!

About.com Jewelry Making
Don't you love rubies? But, they are pretty pricey unless you opt for sparkling ruby yarn. This necklace combines ruby yarn and black filigree components.

Art Bead Scene
We giggle and chuckle along to the sexy bead humor of the new blog Beaded Laughter by Sylvie Lansdowne

Beading Arts
Do you struggle to add Swarovski rivolis to your bead embroidery? Cyndi has the solution for you in her brand new e-booklet, "Three Bezels Plus a Bonus"!

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi declares 2012 as the Year of The Knot!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie goes into her blog archives to share two pretty bird necklace inspiration pieces

Resin Crafts!
Carmi has a two part series featuring resin on agate!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Margot Potter, Swarovski, the incredible low down on the most fab event at Tucson this year! You must check this out!!! WOW!

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.

Birds in Progress

2012-01-12T16:20:00.001-05:00

I haven't been able to work too much on the Sky pieces this week, but I have had some wonderful mental images swirling around my brain. I started to think about Icarus and his story about flight into the skies. That started me thinking about birds, which have become a bit of an obsession for me over the last couple of years. I drew a silhouette of a bird and cut a couple of them out of clay. I intend to fire and mold them and do some carvings for pendants. But this takes lots of steps and drying and firing, so I am just waiting and dreaming right now. Hopefully, it will lead so some interesting new components. I don't really know what all of this bird imagery has to do with the original concept of sky places, but the point of this project is to inspire me into new directions, so here we are...

In my research, I found a blog about Loplop, Max Ernst's bird familiar, and I remembered a blog post I wrote about it a while ago. It's funny how I seem to keep coming back to the same ideas and inspirations.

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 Inspiration: Mechanical Birds and Flying Machines

2012-01-09T16:04:00.003-05:00

'Mechanical Birds and Flying Machines' by earthenwood

Black and white Bird art pri... SteamBestiary $20.00	Taboo Bird Brooch Necklace 2... roneprinz $525.00	Ichabod, Steampunk Plague Do... TomBanwell $425.00	Clockwork Bird - American Ro... HazelFisherCre... $6.20
The Albatross a Steampunk Fl... laurettacreati... $450.00	Icarus Wings No. 002 DentonAirshipC... $550.00	Steampunk Mechanical Bird Di... DigitalThings $1.00	Mechanical Birdie - Fully Cu... monsterkookies $97.00
BOGO SALE... (Buy 1 Get 1 Fr... TheRekindledPa... $8.99	Mechanical Wing with Cogs & ... monsterkookies $33.00	Vintage Small Game Trap with... jedpaterson $250.00	Pterothopter Mk I - hand pul... WhiteRavenArts $120.00
Flight - Print DuttonArt $30.00	BULLET BIRD , Crystal Bullet... madebymoe $35.00	Clockwork Wings - LE Giclee ... amyhouser $72.00	Bird Cage - Personalize - Do... Ricksonjewelle... $249.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This week, in my studies of sky places, I am thinking about ways that one might visit an imaginary land in the sky and creatures that might live there. I am thinking about mechanical birds, steampunked Icarus wings, and imaginary flying machines. I found some images on Etsy to be inspirational, so I created this treasury. I hope it will inspire me, and maybe you as well! Can you think of any cool flying vehicles, or imaginary birds that have a mechanical twist, from your favorite works of fiction or film? Please share them with me!

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

2012-01-08T15:51:00.002-05:00

In another effort to blog more frequently, I will be returning to posting the weekly links of beady awesomeness known as Studio Tour Sunday! It's a little hard for me to blog on the weekends, as I am at Rust Belt Market on Saturdays and Sundays, but since I post the weekly links for Art Bead Scene, too, I might as well make a little extra effort to post here. And while I am here at the market, which is such a cool place, I figured I would try to share some snapshots of my weekend home. Above, part of my display, showcasing some of my newest ornaments and a few necklace examples.

A Bead A Day
It's Snowflake Design Challenge time! Everyone has received their beads and Lisa's taking design ideas.

About.com Jewelry Making
Step up from the basic pearl post earrings with this dangle earring tutorial.

Art Bead Scene
It's the start of a new year and a new month and that means a new Art Bead Scene challenge! Check out the beautiful color palette that we pulled from a William Morris wallpaper design.

Beading Arts
Have you heard about Take a Stitch Tuesday?

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie starts a new blog project for the year, being inspired by places of the imagination. Read about the first month's inspiration of places in the sky.

Resin Crafts!
Carmi makes a rose themed necklace with cooking molds.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean's involved in a new project! It's jewelry, wait--it's crafts, no--hold on--it's dolls, no wait! It's a book! Hold on to your hats! It's a whole bunch of fun and it is debuting this week! See more on Jean'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.

Work in Progress: Laputa House

2012-01-05T13:05:00.001-05:00

I confronted the scary clay slab canvas yesterday! I draped the slab into a shallow bowl form and started carving away. I wish I had taken a picture when it was still leatherhard. The clay is so ugly in this state, and it's hard to photograph the all white surface. There is a lot of texture and detail that is in there that won't really show up until I glaze it. I am quite pleased with it so far! I want to go in and carve out a few details like the windows and define a few roots, but I really don't want to spend all day "noodling" it, which I am prone to do. I want it to be more fresh, like a sketch. A friend asked me the other day if I liked to just draw and sketch with pencil and paper. I do it sometimes (I showed a drawing two days ago, in fact) to get an image out of my head, but I much prefer drawing into clay. There is something about the line quality or the feel of the tools and the clay that just appeals to me more than any other material. Once I got past my fear, I really enjoyed carving. It has been a long time and I have missed it. This is a new approach to carving, being more "sketchy" with my imagery. I would like to play with this more on future projects.
So I like the form... the plate/wall hanging format is nice and versatile. I added 3 small button like feet at the bottom, the top one with a hole through it so I can wire it up for wall hanging. I like the scale, as there was a lot of detail I wanted to get into this piece. The only thing that I don't like is that I see it and love it, but I want it to be jewelry sized too. But I don't really want to carve it again. So now I am thinking about ways I might be able to use the finished piece to generate an image that could go onto a pendant. This is a whole new way of looking at making new work that I am very curious about! I will have to start exploring ways of getting printed images onto small surfaces. Maybe some sort of image transfer or decal or printing process? Any suggestions are welcomed!

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.

Blank Canvas

2012-01-03T16:43:00.003-05:00

"It's so fine and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas" ~Paul Cezanne.

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.

Mind Flood: Laputa Roots

2012-01-03T13:57:00.002-05:00

"Mind Flood" is a term I stole from a Sam Roberts song and I use it when I am surrounding myself with imagery hoping for some of it to wash over me and inspire me. This is today's Mind Flood, based around the dying castle of Laputa from Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, my current main inspiration. I love the roots falling down, reaching to take root in soil from the sky.

This is a gnarly root I dug up during my excavation of my back yard during the Kludge Fence project. I was particularly proud of ridding the yard of this stubborn root, and I held it high as a trophy for this triumphant pic!

This is a picture I just took of the outside of my house. I am particularly interested in the top window and the peak of the roof. That's where my new beading desk is located. Pretty clouds in a bright blue sky today!

Quick sketch I did yesterday melding the roots of Laputa with my house. Now that I have some photo reference, I think another sketch is in order. Also, I want the house to fly, not just hover, so I am thinking wings are in order. This is a strong image in my head at the moment, I am just not sure what to do with it. I will probably do a few more sketches. Maybe I should sketch it right into some clay next time...

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.

Travelogue of Fantasy: Sky Places

2012-01-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

I am starting my study of places of the imagination with locations in and of the SKY! One of the first places I thought about is Laputa from Miyazaki's animated classic Castle in the Sky, one of my favorite movies. I love the adventure of the main characters on their search for Laputa and all the magical things they learn along the way and the friends they make. It is really a gorgeous movie, and full of cool steampunky vehicles and strange nature robot technology.

I don't have a plan for how I might be inspired by Laputa or other places of the imagination. I might become inspired by maps or fantastical modes of transportation or imaginative architecture. Or maybe I will dream about the flora and fauna of these places. I like that I can pull from any number of sources for inspiration, as the theme itself is broad enough to capture my interest. I am really drawn to thinking about places of the imagination, probably a side effect to being stuck here in this house in metro Detroit until the economy gets better. I may be stuck here, but I have been trying to make the most of it. And dreaming of far away places that don't exist seems to appeal to me, as it lets my mind wander and explore, even if I can't.

One of the first steps in my own skyward journey is moving into a little space upstairs. Ok, it's not a castle in the sky... but it's a little studio spot in a window overlooking the sky! There have been changes in my house that have shifted all the studio spaces, including my purchase of a huge living room sofa that I have vowed not to work with messy things on. My brother has moved a lot of things out and cleaned up the basement and upstairs areas, which gives me new places to set up and work. I have a room that is very cluttered with art stuff, and it is a little overwhelming to see it, so I need to get that organized. I would like to be able to do some claywork in that room, as well as other more messy multi-media crafts. I hope to move and set up my beading studio upstairs, as I don't really bead as much as I would like, and I might be able to keep that sort of organized. It's a little emotional to move up into my ex-husband's old studio space. All the years I have lived in this house, this space has not been "mine" so it is a little challenging, but I am up for the work it will take to get it done!

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 Year Itinerary

2012-01-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Every year around this time I find a sense of relief from the hustle of holiday production and start to dream of more artistic endeavors. In the week after Christmas, I start to plan elaborate concepts that start to form my creative path for the upcoming year. I usually try to incorporate these ideas into my blog, because it helps to hold me accountable by giving me some guidelines and a schedule. Last year, I started two blog projects, Response Saturday and my Design Team, but unfortunately, I was not able to see either of those projects to completion. I ended one in May and one in July, which corresponded with the unexpected business success of my weekend Rust Belt Market shop. While I was sad to leave these projects, I didn't feel too bad about ending them, because it was clear that I couldn't continue and keep up with my changing business. That said, by the end of the year, I was really feeling the loss of the structured creativity that my blog provides. So I am eager to start a new project for this new year. I am still sort of clarifying my concept, but I will share it here soon!

I will tell you that the concept has a little bit to do with taking a journey of the imagination. This is not unlike the start of my New Year in 2010, when I started my Song Lore series, where my inspired word of the year was "journey". Back then, I was anticipating a year of actual travel: lots of shows, the Bead Cruise, plus the more conceptual journey of exploring music to form the inspiration for a year's worth of new work. This year's journey is less about actual travel and more about touring places of the imagination, both my own and the dreams and visions of others, to form the inspiration for new work. Each month, I intend to explore a new type of "place" and focus on that for the whole month. I plan to draw heavily on other artists, films, and music to paint a picture of these places here on the blog, not unlike a travelogue, and then create my own works in response. I am less inclined to limit myself to jewelry or beads at this point, in an unusual twist for me. The goal of the project the year is to really expand on my creative journey and be inspired to try new things that are way beyond the production that often weighs me down through the course of running my business. I want to get back to the Art in my life and letting my mind float away to far off places for inspiration seems to be a wonderful way to do this at this time.

It has been a tradition, somehow, in the last couple of years, to start my blog year out with a Death Cab for Cutie song. It only took a short search for me to find the song to start this year out with: "You are a Tourist". The title itself is fitting, but I also love the uplifiting, positive message of the song (a little unusual for Death Cab, actually) The imagery of the burning heart and letting it grow suits my current state of mind and feeling of excited potential for the upcoming year. Also, I learned that this video is unique in that it was broadcast live and filmed in one shot. I love the immediacy and spontaneity of this concept and it inspires me to take such a direction in this blog series, allowing my planned studies and inspirations to guide me an a way that I might not be expecting right now.

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.

Holidays and Looking Ahead

2011-12-15T17:35:00.001-05:00

Wheee! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! I have one more four hour shift at Rust Belt Market tonight to accommodate some of those last minute shoppers and then I have only a couple of obligations for the rest of the year. I am going to take some time off to enjoy with friends and family, but I am already looking forward to the start of the new year. I am daydreaming about a new blog project that should keep me busy and help me get creative, a large concept with a different sub-theme each month. I can't wait to tell you all about it, I am really getting excited as my ideas start to become more clear. This is going to be an interactive, multi media type project that will inspire me, and hopefully you too! Come back in the new year to read all about it! Until then, I wish you a very happy holiday season! ~melanie

Holiday Swirl

2011-12-12T14:39:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo! I am in the final stretch for holiday sales! Just one more full sales weekend at Rust Belt. This past weekend was insane! I have been making these cute peppermint stripey pendants to celebrate the holidays. I made one into this cute Candy Swirl Story Necklace! I think it's pretty festive in a sorta punky way.

Also this past weekend, I did my Studio Saturday post for Art Bead Scene, which talks a little bit about how the Candy Swirl pendant was made and offers you a chance to win the two pendants shown above! Just leave a comment there and tell me about your favorite holiday treats to be entered to win!

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.

Holiday Rush

2011-12-04T11:46:00.001-05:00

Imagine Heart Story Necklace Oh, my internet friends, I miss you! I had such great hopes for posting holiday jewelry and projects, keeping busy online, and doing a lot of blogging. But alas, life has not worked out that way this year. If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be so busy with local sales, here in Metro Detroit, with our bad economy, that I would forsake my work on my online sales, I would have thought that was crazy. But indeed, this is the case. The Rust Belt Market is keeping me very busy this holiday season. I seem to have hit on a great concept that is affordable and desirable for personalized gift giving, and I am spending not only all of my weekends busy at the market, but much of my weekday time is spent restocking and fulfilling the smaller amount of online business that I steadily receive. It's really great... I am not complaining! It's just pretty unexpected and surprising. I have again needed to be flexible and bend to where the business takes me. When I started here I figured it would be an entertaining little side business, but it has sort of been all consuming. As always, no matter where the sales come from, I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to make a living from what I love. I am starting to think ahead to next year to figure out how to balance my time tending to my online and brick-and-mortar sales better.

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.

Double Kitty Pendants

2011-11-29T18:45:00.001-05:00

I have a few new Double Kitty pendant designs listed in the Etsy shop! Meow Meow!

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.

Art Bead Scene Black Friday thru Cyber Monday Sales

2011-11-23T12:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays! Me and a few of my fellow Art Bead Scene editors are offering weekend sales. Here's the scoop! Sales start Friday unless otherwise noted.

Earthenwood Studio is offering 25% off of your entire purchase of handcrafted ceramic beads and components for the holiday weekend. Use code HOLIDAY2011 at check out at the Earthenwood Website, Etsy shop, and Etsy Jewelry Galleria. Offer starts now and expires Tuesday, November 29th at midnight.

Website: http://www.earthenwoodstudio.com
Etsy Shop: http://www.earthenwood.etsy.com
Etsy Jewelry Galleria: http://www.earthenwoodceramics.etsy.com

10% off and Free shipping at the Jennifer Jangles website and the Jangles Etsy shop. The Etsy shop has just been loaded up with beads, jewelry, gifts, and more. Shipping charges have already been removed from both sites, enter cyber10 to receive your discount. Sale ends Tuesday, November 29th at midnight.

Jennifer Jangles website: www.jenniferjangles.com
Jennifer Jangles Etsy shop: www.jangles.etsy.com

20% off your entire purchase now until Monday, Novemeber 28th at midnight. You'll find holiday inspired beads like snowman, snowflakes, evergreens and more in the Humblebeads Etsy shop. Use discount code Holiday2011.

Heather's Humblebeads Etsy Shop: www.humblebeads.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!

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

2011-11-13T09:49:00.001-05:00

I am finally getting back into the swing of things, and it's a good thing, because the holiday season is approaching and I have lots of work to do. I really started to feel the impending holiday crunch at the Rust Belt yesterday. Clearly, my weekends there are going to keep me very busy this season, especially with the extended friday hours that start next week. It is a bit of a relief to not have to push so hard to try to do a bunch of shows or online sales this year. The hours will be long, but I love it there so much and love not having to set up and break down shows and have to work so hard to hustle. While I had to give up on doing my big Etsy Boot Camp because of all the events in my personal life lately, I am still working to get my websites stocked and my galleries stocked too.
By the way, you have until midnight tonight to take advantage of my birthday sale. The code BIRTHDAYGIRL gets you 20% off on my Website, Etsy shop, and Etsy Jewelry Galleria, where you can find pieces like the one above.
That's my studio news... here is some news from some of my beady friends' studios: A Bead A Day
Lisa shares her love for the creative community! Connecting with others is what it's all about!

About.com Jewelry Making
Bravo has a new TV show that uses Project Runway as a template but the designers are making accessories instead of clothing. What are your thoughts about this new show?

Art Bead Scene
Art Bead Scene announces its annual Holiday Ornament Blog Hop!

Beading Arts
Jewelry designer Tammy Powley shares some of her expertise for creating unique bead strung jewelry!

Beads & Books
Michelle shares upcoming deadlines for beading & jewelry making contests and challenges.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy is off her loom this week! Come see her new RAW book!

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie mourns the passing of a furry friend by making a pair of special cuff bracelets to honor her memory

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean's famous friend, the Great Margot Potter, has some wonderful news! Read all about it on Jean'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.

Earthenwood at the Flock Shop

2011-11-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

Did you know that Interweave has a really cool deal-a-day website/mailing where they offer really cool crafty stuff at a special price, good for a limited time? It's called the Flock Shop! I am pleased to announce that some of my items will be featured there tomorrow! For a limited time, they will have the above Winged Pendants available at a super special price. So check it out tomorrow or sign up for their mailing list to get the special deals sent right to your inbox.

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.

Birthday Sale!

2011-11-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday! I had a good day of fun with friends and a pizza party and cupcakes! There was a lot of much needed laughter and silliness. :)

I am trying really hard to refocus, get back to work, and get ready for the holiday season. All of these things combined yesterday in me posting a new Monthly Newsletter to show off all the new items I have recently added to my website and to announce a big birthday sale! Use the code BIRTHDAYGIRL to save 20% off your total at any of these Earthenwood shops: Earthenwood Studio WebsiteEarthenwood Etsy ShopEarthenwood Galleria

This sale is good until Sunday November 13th at midnight, and is not applicable on previous sales, on custom orders, or combined with other sales or wholesale purchases.

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.

RIP Zoey

2011-11-07T10:30:00.001-05:00

So I haven't been online and blogging much lately and I have been making vague references to sadness and illness but I didn't really feel much like sharing. My Zoey doggie had been very sick for the last few weeks and I was busy taking care of her, which was very difficult emotionally. Last week, her health finally got too poor to manage and I made the hard decision to say goodbye to her. She was at least 12 years old and was such an amazing friend to me for all of those years. She had such a personality and made so many people smile and laugh.

It was hard to say goodbye, but it is also a relief. I didn't want to see her suffer, and seeing her not want to eat even her favorite people foods was heartbreaking. We had a nice last few days, with many of her favorite people coming over to visit her and give her pets and kisses.

The day after she died, Alex and I went to Tandy Leather and I picked up some supplies to make myself a pair of cuff bracelets from the leather collar she wore for many years. I cut the collar, added snaps, and riveted two of her dog tags to the bracelets. The leather is so soft and smooth, a feeling that only comes with long time wear and age. And for the past few months, wearing thick leather bands on my wrists has been a bit of a signature look for me, so I feel really good about having these to wear close to me to remind me of my Zoey every day.

I enjoyed thinking up this idea and learning to use these new supplies. I think it helped me to have a special project to work on to work through my sadness. I guess it is unsurprising that with the way I live my life immersed in art, I would use my art/craft to help me grieve as well.

Halloween Wrap Up

2011-11-02T12:02:00.003-04:00

October is over and I am putting away some of the Halloween things and starting to get ready for the holiday crunch. There were a couple of great pictures that came out of the weekend that I wanted to share before I say goodbye to Halloween though. The picture above is me in a modified version of my Clockwork Doll costume, complete with Alchemical Glove, taken by Kyle Keener at Rust Belt Market.

These Creepy Crackle Bone Links didn't really unearth themselves from the kiln until late into the Halloween season, but I listed a couple of them on Etsy anyway. I think I am going to make myself a cool spooky necklace with a handful of them.

Here is another great picture taken of me by Mr. Keener. I wore this to hand out candy to the kids at Rust Belt, and it was a ton of fun!

As if two costumes weren't enough... I wore a third at home for my own party! Alex and I dressed as Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo, which was a fun and casual costume with less of the bells and whistles that we are used to wearing when we costume up. We may bring these out for another later party this week, so I hope to get some pictures then.

I hope you had as much spooky fun as I did this season!

Links Ahoy Matey!

2011-10-30T11:39:00.001-04:00

I had a fun time dressing up as a pirate for the day at Rust Belt Market yesterday! I thought a pirate would suit the theme of the huge tentacle monster looming above my booth, so I borrowed most of the outfit from Alex's ample costume closet.

I have sold quite a few of these skull pendants this season, which people seemed to like to make into Story Necklaces like the Skully Story Necklace below, which I listed in my Etsy Galleria.

That's the news from my studio this weekend... check out what some of my beady friends are doing:

A Bead A Day
Are you sharing your talents with others? Lisa shares her recent experience teaching a group of friends a simple, but rewarding project.  About.com Jewelry Making
Break into glass jewelry making with these tutorials and techniques.  Art Bead Scene
Heather helps us look ahead to the holiday season with some great inspiration for seasonal jewelry  Beading Arts
Polymer clay + greeting cards = a fun mixed media necklace!  Beads & Books
How long does it really take you to make a piece of jewelry? Michelle shares the long process behind a simple pair of earrings.  Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi has a cute fabric brooch idea for Halloween.  Cindy Gimbrone Beads
This week's Tuesday Tangle features handmade earrings of metal clay and wire.  Resin Crafts!
This week we have a nice series showing you how to use an ice tray to make fun skull and bone cast pieces.  Snap out of it,Jean! There's beading to be done!
Wonderful, really exciting giveaway from Beaducation! Read all about it and sign up on Jean'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.

Kitty Thoughts

2011-10-28T12:27:00.004-04:00

Wow, I have been pretty pathetic with the blogging lately. I have had a lot going on, a roller coaster of happy and sad things in my personal life, nothing that I feel like sharing publicly. I am muddling along with work, getting stuff done, but not feeling the push to talk about business stuff much, which actually sort of effects my sales. So I am going to work on making more of an effort, even if it is just posting a new picture and a few thoughts every day.

Today I will share that I have added the Kitty Pendant design to my website. It has done so well on Etsy and at shows, I am giving it a permanent home at Earthenwood. I have several more of the new designs that I am adding to the site, a little at a time.

I also recently made a new Double Kitty pendant design, which I am testing now. I have a few to list on Etsy today.

Studio Tour Sunday

2011-10-23T09:42:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I haven't blogged all week. And the Etsy Boot Camp challenge this week is to catch up, which I badly need to do, so that gave me a reprieve from that post too. I have been spending most of my time caring for my sick doggie and just getting my work done. I don't have a whole lot to say these days, as I haven't had a lot of energy to post many new things. I did manage to list a few more Wholesale Bundles, like this Spookyhead collection. It's not been all blah though, I have had a lot of joy and happiness in the last week... I am just not feeling like sharing much.

But these people have a lot of stuff to say! Check out the weekly round up of my beady friends' blogs:

A Bead A Day
Need to stop buying and start making? Lisa is having the same problem, BUT check out these sparkly connectors she found.

About.com Jewelry Making
You will fall in love with this new necklace tutorial, or at the very least follow your heart.

Art Bead Scene
Jennifer shares a free tutorial on making adorable bead zipper pulls, perfect to spruce up a fall jacket!

Beading Arts
Cyndi explains how to turn a cabochon into a simple bead embroidered pendant!

Beads & Books
See the fun earrings Michelle made with sari ribbon and get inspired to work with this popular material.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy's back from her class with Hadar Jacobson. Take a look at the mokume gane pieces she made from metal clay.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shows off her holiday packaging and questions photography in another Etsy Boot Camp post

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews the beautiful new book by Heather Powers, Jewelry Designs from Nature

The Bead Dreamer
Charlene reviews the book Color, Texture and Casting for Jewelers

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.

Haunted Houses and Tentacle Monsters

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I am loving Halloween time this year! I have a bunch of spooky themed work out, both in my Etsy shops (like this Haunted House wholesale bundle from my Etsy Wholesale site) and in my Rust Belt booth. Decorating my booth is serious business this year, as we recycled my buddy Scott's Tentacle Monster costume to use as decoration:

It looks so great looming over my booth! I am thinking I will dress up as a pirate for Halloween weekend at the market when the kids come for trick or treating. Seems a suitable pair for such a sea monster!

That's the news from my studio, check out some of the things going on in some of my beady friends' studios:

About.com Jewelry Making
October's jewelry designer interview includes some interesting ideas from Lorelei Eurto.

Art Bead Scene
Heather shares a free project that tells a little story of her recent move back to Michigan

Beading Arts
A bit of silver leaf, a bit of acrylic paint, and some polymer clay...beautiful results!

Carmi's Art/Life World
A little Apoxie Clay goes a long way when you have time to play in the studio.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie shares another week of Etsy Boot Camp goals

Resin Crafts!
This week Carmi demos several layers of resin in a small tin.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reminisces about the lovely book which she and Melanie of Earthenwood were in. She used Melanie's knockout components and they look just as fab today as they did then!

The Bead Dreamer
Charlene shares how life seems to be crowding out jewelry making! Sometimes that's just how it is...

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 Week 3

2011-10-13T20:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, I haven't really spent much time on this week's tasks, which are mostly about photography. Cleaning up after a two show weekend and taking care of a sick dog has left me no time or energy this week. I will keep this short, but here are a few things I tried. Above, a wider product shot of one of my necklaces. I struggled to get this and I am not happy with it. The necklace display is not very attractive and I don't think it really accents the jewelry. I think I need a little bust form. So back to the drawing board, there.

I need more space in my photo area to take these types of shots. I was fighting with my tripod and camera and was generally unhappy with this process. I think my photos are ok for now, so I am not going to sweat it much and put it on a long term list.

I did get this picture of my packaging, so we will call that a success. I took some more pictures of jewelry and edited them and will find some time to list them soon. Not much progress for this week, but that's ok, I knew it would be tough after the show. See you next week with hopefully more progress!

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.

Little Time and Lotsa Links

2011-10-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

With my regular weekend set-up at the Rust Belt and a second show this weekend (the Bead Bonanza) I have very little time for anything! But I will make time to share a new jewelry listing, this Time Clock necklace that I put in my Etsy Galleria. And I will give ya this week's beady Studio Sunday links. Have a great weekend, everyone! A Bead A Day
Day of the dead celebratory beads! Do you find these cute scary, scary cute or just plain cute?   Art Bead Scene
Erin at Art Bead Scene has compiled a gorgeous set of woodland themed Etsy treasuries to celebrate this month's art challenge  Beading Arts
Cyndi really enjoyed making her challenge piece for Michelle Mach's "Very Vintage Challenge"!  Beads & Books
Come see 30+ amazing fall-inspired designs made with the same kit materials!   Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Running a small business can sometimes be about the smallest words.   Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie offers a new bunny pendant for sale with proceeds going to help Nancy Schindler from Round Rabit, who lost her studio in a flood in September  Resin Crafts!
Carmi creates miniature water pitchers with new molds!  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean makes some adorable pendant and earring sets with the help of her friend Rose and help from Artbeads.com as well!  The Bead Dreamer
Want to make seed bead jewelry but don't know where to start. Charlene reviews a book on bead embroidery that may help. Easy to learn techniques, minimal tools, fabulous results.

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 Week 2

2011-10-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

Ok, another week of Etsy Boot Camp has passed and I wanted to check in to the blog, since I am using it as a virtual Boot Camp Buddy. To be honest, I have had a very busy week, so I only poked around briefly at the to-do lists. But I did look and have been thinking about some of the things and how they apply to me. The main article I read, Stocking up for the Holidays was informative, but I had a hard time applying it to me in some ways. It was about trends and products that will be big sellers this season, and I am not looking to develop new products at this point. I am trying to get my existing product line in my shop and am working on doing that and marketing it. Although I am planning some new ornaments and the article did give me the idea for some DIY kits, which would be good both at Rust Belt and on Etsy. The article did make me think about my gift packaging, which is something I recently developed for Rust Belt (see the picture above). I think I will take a better picture of an individual box and keep some supplies for my shipping area, and offer it as an add-on for holiday sales. I am thinking of also offering a Priority Mail add-on as well, for rushed shoppers. Another useful idea from the article is the use of personalization. Now, part of what gets me into trouble sometimes is offering too many options, so I am going to be careful with this one. But I do think a necklace made with my QWERTY charms, available in any initial, would be fun and easy for me to do. Some other things that this week's articles and post made me think about are: -getting matching sets into the shop (earring, necklace, bracelet)-getting earrings and bracelets in the shop, period. I seem to be focused on necklaces at the moment-working on a variety of price points, particularly the higher end ones, as I have the under $50 covered-working on guy and kid friendly jewelry-marketing better towards gifts for particular types of people (readers, beaders, writers, bikers, etc)

The last item of note for me this week in the Boot Camp emails is the Etsy search ads. I don't know how I feel about this. I have felt for quite some time now that Etsy will only work well for me if I do my own external marketing and bring my own people to my shop there. I am sure there are quite a few people who find me through Etsy, but I am really not sure how many, and I haven't really paid much attention for figuring out more. But I guess there are some big changes and new ways to check stats, so I will be taking a look at those. I don't like the idea of spending any more money there to promote within, but I am going to give the search ads a try for a few weeks.

That's my Boot Camp Update! Now that my big wholesale order is out and in a few days, my bead show is over, I hope to really focus on getting more work in the Etsy Galleria and getting into gear for the holidays!

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.

Spooky Roots

2011-10-05T12:20:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share the finished pieces from Sunday's post. The crackling crawly glaze turned out great! I love ow ancient and muddy these look, like they were excavated from some burial site. Or they dug themselves out of my back yard! Maybe these root guys are what have been menacing my plumbing lately! The plumber told me I have a lot of roots down there. I have been obsessed with the idea of my house being possessed lately. I don't know if I really believe in all of that stuff, but it somehow entertains me as I struggle with all the home repairs. This house must be possessed by demons with all the tormenting it does to me! I tend to think these dark thoughts in October... I just love the Halloween season!
These pieces can be found along with other seasonal goodies in my Spooky Things section of my 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.

Studio Tour Sunday

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week has been spent getting over a cold and working on some beads for a big Halloween order. It ships out tomorrow so I have been rushing to make my deadline. Hopefully I will have a few extra for my bead show, the Bead Bonanza, next Sunday. I love October!
Here are this week's Studio Tour Links: A Bead A Day
Lisa's got a quick tip for bead lovers! If a fabulous wholesale bead show comes to your city, don't miss it!   About.com Jewelry Making
My, oh my, what is your favorite type of mother-of-pearl, natural, colored, bleached, all of the above?  Art Bead Scene
We are all ready for Fall at Art Bead Scene! Check out the bounty of Autumn beady goodies we found from art bead makers on Etsy.  Beading Arts
Cyndi has a really fun giveaway book with great projects for fall weekends!  Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Cindy shares what she made with Cat's lovely etched copper heart.  Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie starts Etsy Holiday Boot Camp with some goals and promises  Resin Crafts!
Carmi has a blog post featuring a resin disaster.  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean goes back through the mists of time and fondly recalls a favorite bracelet she made using components from two favorite websites!   The Bead Dreamer
Handcrafted jewelry and autumn looks for 2011 are just perfect together. Charlene shows how.

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.

Rabbits in the Round Necklace Kit

2011-10-01T10:05:00.000-04:00

I designed a necklace using my new Rabbits in the Round pendant and link set! I wanted something simple and easy to make, because for one thing... I haven't been in my beading studio for months and it is a scary mess, so I was limited to what I could find. And secondly, because I wanted to make this as a quick kit. I have listed the kits in my Etsy shop, but take notice: the kit is just for the metal parts and findings. To get the complete package, you have to order the pendant and link set too. I wanted to encourage more sales of the pendant sets, to raise more money for Nancy Schindler, which is the whole inspiration behind this design!

Here are a few details of the necklace:

Rabbits in the Round to benefit Nancy Schindler

2011-09-29T17:23:00.002-04:00

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.

Mystery Keyhole Kitty

2011-09-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

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!

Compass Helm

2011-09-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-23T23:33:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-21T14:09:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-19T14:31:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-17T10:42:00.000-04:00

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!

Studio Tour Links and Update

2011-09-12T21:23:00.001-04:00

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

2011-09-09T11:52:00.002-04:00

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?

New Earthenwood Items at Lima Beads

2011-09-08T15:23:00.002-04:00

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.

New Birds and Fairies

2011-09-07T15:40:00.002-04:00

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

2011-09-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

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

2011-09-02T15:16:00.003-04:00

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!

Book Review: Hot Connections

2011-09-01T17:24:00.002-04:00

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.

Random Earthenwood Spottings

2011-08-30T12:12:00.001-04:00

My friend Lauren of Laurel Moon Jewelry is giving away a big old pile of Earthenwood beads on her blog. Lauren and I have known each other a LONG time... she is one of my longest held friends in the bead business, so she has seen a LOT of changes in my career. Most of these beads are very old school Earthenwood spanning the last decade or so, probably more! Check out her blog and comment for a chance to win.

Karyn of Plus Size Bangles, created this awesome piece using one of my pendants. She submitted it to Art Bead Scene and was this week's featured designer! Congrats!

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.

Antiquing in Saugatuck

2011-08-29T10:02:00.001-04:00

Almost immediately after my return from Bead Fest, Alex and I went on a short and much needed vacation to Saugatuck Michigan. We had a great time on our trip! One of the places we went was a big antique mall (which was perhaps in Douglas, I am not sure). Here are some pictures of stuff I liked from that trip! Above, some cute skull maracas. I am totally in Halloween mode, so these really appealed to me.

This interesting metal box is a personal heater. It has a space inside to put hot coals or charcoal and a little vent that opens up to vent. Seems like a great way to warm up your hands or feet on long winter carriage rides.

I am always drawn to birdcages, and this one was particularly unusual. It it a spinning globe style cage. One day, I will buy an old birdcage, I am just waiting for the perfect one to call to me.

Oh, I meant to go back to pick up this fun little pinball game. I am starting a collection of board games to decorate my studio, and I thought this would make a nice addition. It was a little beaten up, but I liked the colors and shapes.

I always love to see things related to ovens and furnaces, like this cast iron door. They remind me of kilns, I guess.

I meant to go back for this item, too! It is some kind of bug killer, where the bugs fall down into the cone. The top and bottom had tons of perforated holes throughout the metal surfaces, which i thought would make for a cool lantern with some candles or string lights somehow inserted. Neat looking piece of metal, anyway.

I loved the spooky graphic on this can. I am not sure what Magic Foam is, but it looks dangerous.

I also loved the graphics on this large BBQ platter. I am not sure how I resisted all of these goodies! I ended up buying a cool glass bottle, a box full of metal dog licenses, and two game boards, and a bracelet made from bent Gerber baby spoons that had creepy baby heads on it. Some nice finds for not a lot of money.

We had a really nice relaxing time, spending some time walking along Lake Michigan, and generally resting up to get ready for the upcoming busy Autumn.

Back from Bead Fest

2011-08-23T13:10:00.001-04:00

I have returned from Bead Fest! The best things about Bead Fest were meeting lots of awesome designers and bead makers, some for the first time, and some who I only get to see at shows. It really is the people who make all the hardships of a show worth the effort. My buddy Diane Hawkey and I did as much schmoozing as we could, watching each other's booths, and going out for a couple of fancy and fun dinners.

I had a good response to my newest stamped designs, and sold out of a few of them, which was encouraging. I ended up drawing and inking about a dozen new designs for stamps which I will be working on today. I bought some supplies for my holiday jewelry and some new items that I hope will inspire me to get back into designing for articles.
As you may have gathered, the show was not so great financially for me. It was definitely not as bad as it could have been, as I covered my expenses, but not by much. It was very disappointing and I don't plan to return next year, but will consider it again in the future. I wish I had brought some of my regular items that people expect to see from me, and I wish I had spent a little more time and energy bringing some more elaborate displays, but I managed an elegant display of new work and it was well received, so I can't complain much. I just have to work a little harder this month to make up for it, unfortunately.

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.

Black and White

2011-08-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

Just unloaded a kiln that was almost entirely black pewter and bare white porcelain pieces. These are some new things for Bead Fest, coming in a few days, omg! They will likely end up on Etsy or the website in the next couple of weeks. Above, a classic compass rose graphic. For those of us who don't know where we are, which end is up, or where we are going... sort of like how I feel today.

Another clock design, so now I have two! Variety is nice, isn't it?

I am loving the skullies! I did some in mostly white and some in black and white. I am digging the tombstone shape, too. While I plan to do a bunch of designs for Halloween, the skull to me is a great everyday symbol. To me, it is a Memento Mori symbol. Not so much celebrating death, but remembering my own mortality. I have spent too much time on this earth feeling guilt, shame, regret, sadness, anger, and a host of other crummy things. Seeing a skull is a reminder that we all die, so dammit, we have to make the most of this life while we are 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.

New Etsy Items for the Road to Bead Fest Sale!

2011-08-15T22:05:00.001-04:00

Don't forget! The Road to Bead Fest Sale is still going on! Mine will be on until Wednesday at noon. I added more bundles and items to my etsy shop (with a 30% discount!) to give you even more to choose from! Here are the details again:

Stop by my website www.earthenwoodstudio.com
and use the code bfp2011 for 20% off your entire order!

Also, I am having an even bigger sale in my Etsy shop at
www.etsy.com/shop/earthenwood!
The same code, bfp2011, will get you 30% off of your order there!

The Road To Bead Fest Sale

2011-08-14T15:30:00.001-04:00

I am very excited for the upcoming show at Bead Fest Philadelphia, August 19-21! I will be there all set up with lots of new goodies. Please stop by my booth and say hi if you are at the show!

To celebrate and prepare for the journey ahead to Bead Fest, I have joined with several of my beady friends in having a big sale!

Stop by my website www.earthenwoodstudio.com
and use the code bfp2011 for 20% off your entire order!

Also, I am having an even bigger sale in my Etsy shop at
www.etsy.com/shop/earthenwood!
The same code, bfp2011, will get you 30% off of your order there!

These sales start now and end Wednesday August 17th at noon. I am leaving Thursday, so I will be able to get your orders out before I go.

Visit the sites of some of my beady friends to see their Road to Bead Fest sales!

Lorelei Eurto
Andrew Thornton
Marsha Minutella
Melanie Brooks

Earthenwood Studio Etsy
Diana Ptaszynski
Melinda Orr
Barbara Lewis
Kristie Roeder

Mary Welsh Hubbard

Anne Lichtenstein

Lisa Petrillo

More New Designs

2011-08-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

I have a few prototypes of new designs made up! I love them so much! Above, a bird in a cage. This is a variation on some pieces I made that were inspired by the song Talking Bird by Deathcab for Cutie. I like the image of the bird living in "a house in a house"

Another bird design above, the bird on a branch. I liked the drawing but was worried when I received the stamp that it wouldn't show the details well, but I am pleased with how it is turning out. I like both the rectangle and the leaf shape for these.

Above, a fancy Old English D, which is commonly used in Detroit themed designs around town. I wanted to put my own twist on it, make it fancy, and have it a little obscured so it is not so obviously noticeable on first glance. I do not plan to do any other letters, by the way, this one is just for my Detroit peeps!

I think that Skully here is my favorite of the new stamps! So creepy cute! I worked with the negative space in this one, having the design pop out instead of being impressed. I think this was very successful and I plan to work like this more in the future.

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 Jewelry Production

2011-08-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

I have finally finished up some big bead orders that have been weighing on me since June. It has just been so busy with weekends at the Rust Belt and regular orders and all the crazy stuff that has been going on in my life, it seems that getting caught up on the bead front has taken me forever. The next thing that is on my mind is getting finished jewelry stock out to some of the galleries I consign with and sell to. I have been wanting to do this all summer, and just couldn't get to it. I finally decided to get some help from my friends and have started hiring out some of my production jewelry jobs. This has been so wonderful to have help! I am now more determined than ever to get my stores stocked up!

In the top picture are some new bracelets, made of mixed glass and metal beads, strung by a friend of mine who has a new baby at home. She did the fun part of stringing up the beads and I finished them off. I am so excited to have beaded bracelets again! I have another friend doing some other assembly for me, which has given me a bunch of necklaces that are just waiting on me to finish with my ceramic parts (as soon as I get them made and fired). I managed to complete the whole tray of earrings on cards by myself, only because I am in a time crunch for them. Rest assured, I will be asking for help with those next time around. I thought it would be harder to let go of some of these tasks (which I really do enjoy doing), but I think I love having so much product made to fill my orders more than doing every single task myself.

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.

Wikio Ranking for August

2011-08-02T12:21:00.002-04:00

Once again, I have been asked by the folks at Wikio to share the monthly rankings for blogs in their Jewelry Making category. Here are the blogs (once again, some of my favorite blogs ever!) for August:

1	Art Bead Scene Blog
2	Andrew Thornton
3	Lorelei's Blog
4	Earthenwood Studio Bead Blog
5	Pretty Things
6	Beading Arts
7	Carmi's Art/Life World
8	About.com Jewelry Making
9	Humblebeads Blog
10	Beads And Books
11	A Bead A Day
12	Lampwork Diva aka Cindy Gimbrone
13	Gaea's Ceramic and Art Studio Blog
14	Erin Siegel Jewelry
15	Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
16	Denise Yezbak Moore
17	Jennifer Jangles Blog
18	Blog for Beaders
19	Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl Studios
20	Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts
21	Copper Diem
22	Beading Daily
23	LLYYNN
24	hint
25	Crafty Hope
26	What's New at Chinook Jewelry
27	Rings & Things
28	Beads of Clay Blog
29	Melissa J. Lee
30	The Rabbit Muse

Ranking made by Wikio

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.

August Already!?

2011-08-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

This weekend... heck, the whole summer... is moving so fast! I can't believe it is August already. I am going to squeeze some relaxing time out of August if it kills me! Here is a pic of a new bicycle link that I have listed in my Etsy shop that reminds me that I have a brand new bike in the garage and my Alex is back and there is an ice cream shop that we can ride our bikes to! Sounds like a plan to me.
I didn't get a chance to post the weekly links yesterday, so here they are today: A Bead A Day
Lisa over at A Bead A Day has put a shout out for help! How can you get swarovski flat back crystals to adhere to rubber?!

About.com Jewelrymaking
Tammy shares her favorite summer necklace design.

Art Bead Scene
Did you know ABS has a designer of the week? Join us in a challenge and you could be featured on ABS!

Beading Arts
The Bead Journal Project is just whizzing by this year, and Cyndi is finally caught up!

Beads and Books
Does your mood influence your jewelry designs? Share your thoughts!

Carmi's Art Life/World
Carmi's post features her favorite find from the CHA show in Chicago this month.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Come see what's on Cindy's bookshelf this week.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
A special guest stops by the Earthenwood booth at Rust Belt Market: Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash & Cari

Resin Crafts!
Resin Crafts show you what can be done with the mold of a grandfather clock.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Are you ready to sign up for Lori Anderson's next fabulously fun and creative Bead Soup party? Jean has the scoop on what to do to sign up! Jean participated before and LOVED it. Once you have had "soup" with Lori, you just HAVE to have more! It's irrestible. See Jean's blog for the details!

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew shares his plans for the future of his online 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.

Earthenwood Design Team Update

2011-07-27T09:51:00.001-04:00

Erin Prais-Hintz has made another amazing piece with beads I sent her! Check out the details on this Lucky Cowgirl piece! Erin is just showing a little teaser in the hopes that this piece gets picked up by a publication. It's so awesome, I bet it will! Check out her blog post about it, where she says sweet things about yours truly, and talks about her creative process and thoughts about luck. Another great piece, Erin!

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.

Leafy Trees and Owl Feathers

2011-07-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

These new Leafy Tree pendants have been flying out of both my Etsy shop and Rust Belt booth!

I am really pleased at the way the rubber stamps of my drawings turned out. I love that the design is so versatile too! I started out with the rectangles but I added the leaf shape, which I love just as much, if not more!

I also have some of these new owls in my Etsy shop! They turned out really well too! I am making a big list of new stamps I want to make so I can expand this line. What subject matter or design would you like to see?

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.

Small World

2011-07-25T11:37:00.001-04:00

So I wasn't expecting much this weekend at the Rust Belt, since the city of Ferndale had major power issues right down to the wire of the weekend and for some time we expected to be closed on Saturday entirely. The power got fixed finally and we opened for the weekend and it was much more busy than I expected. I even had a special guest come shopping at my booth:

The lovely Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash & Cari dropped by my booth and made herself one of my mix-and-match necklaces. She really liked the one shown above, so she made a similar design, choosing her own charms and colors from my selection of goodies. She was kind enough to stop for a picture in my booth!

I have some of these earth pendants, which were used as the base of the necklace shown, listed in my Etsy shop, along with many other new designs!
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.

Moving Along

2011-07-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

I had a pretty tough week that involved doctors, insurance companies, dentists, veterinarians, electricians (all mostly unrelated, mind you) and a good amount of stress but I am moving along now. I am getting ready to leave for my Sunday sales day at Rust Belt Market, but I wanted to stop in and post a picture of a new item in my Etsy shop and let you all know that I am around and coping. At several points in the past week, I wanted to pack up my car and just drive away from here, but I am still here! Next week will have more appointments and unpleasantries in store, I am sure. Also, my brother and my boyfriend will be out of town so it will be quiet around the house. That's a little sad, but I am also looking forward to the quietude. I think I am going to start a health kick next week, while they are gone (it's easier for me to do that without the extra temptation of going out to dinner and other such treats). I think I am going to try to stop drinking caffeine for a while (starting tomorrow after my early ride to the airport to drop Jeremy off). I don't think anyone will want to be around me when I stop drinking coffee, lol. Have a good rest of your weekend, everyone.

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.

Trees and Leaves

2011-07-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple more new designs I have been working on! I am so in love with this leafy tree design which I made with a rubber stamp that I had made from one of my drawings. I have made this pendant as a rectangle but I also like it as a leaf shape. I am experimenting with lots of earthy colors, which is fun. These are not items I am planning on putting on my website (yet!) so I am using up some of my glazes that are more irregular and inconsistent. It make it sort of fun to look in the kiln and find new treasures!

This leaf is made from a stamp I made ages ago for my Candy Ornament line I stopped making those for a variety of reasons but I still love the designs, so I am trying to work them into pendants. I am looking forward to playing with some of the fruit and veggie and holiday designs as pendants.

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.

Modern Hippie

2011-07-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

I have added some new pendants to my Etsy shop in a section I am calling "Modern Hippie" These designs are in response to requests I have been getting from customer at the Rust Belt Market. I think "peace sign" has been my most requested thing. First is a gear themed peace sign design called Working for Peace. I wanted something steampunky and industrial but with that classic peace sign symbol and in bright hippie colors!

This peace sign is an old stamp I made a long time ago. I have SO many cool stamps I have made over the years from drawings I have done, it is nice to get them back out to use again. And my slab roller has enabled me to be able to make lots of consistent clay slabs very quickly, so I can stamp and cut and have a huge pile of pendants in no time.

I am super geeked about this pendant! Especially since I got my new bike! I haven't been feeling well enough to ride lately (plus it has been hella hot) but I do love that bike and I have found that there are lots of bike lovers in Ferndale, too, so this was a popular design for its debut last weekend.

Another old stamp is this earth, I am just using it in a new way that I haven't tried before. It's clean and simple and symbolic and I think it will make a nice addition to my line.
You can find all of these pendants for sale in my 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.

Earthenwood Design Team Update

2011-07-19T10:10:00.004-04:00

Hoo Boy this summer has been BUSY! I have been trying to write this post for over a week now. I may be slacking on my Earthenwood Design Team duties, but the team has not been! First up, new team member Michelle Mach has done something a little different with the Fable Pebble I sent to her. On her blog, she shows several different bead choices that she is thinking about using with the pebble, including the gemstone bead option shown above. I love seeing all the different possibilities! Check out Michelle's blog to see some of her other design options.

Gaea Cannaday made this colorfully gorgeous piece using the Lucky Pebble I sent to her! I think this is a great way to use up several one of a kind charms and beads in one piece. The consistently knotted cord and color repetition makes all the pieces work really well together. Read more about Gaea's Lucky Star, Lucky in Love on her blog.

Check out what the rest of the design team is up to!

Andrew Thornton

Gaea Cannaday

Denise Yezbak Moore
Erin Prais-Hintz
Erin Siegel
Heather Powers
Lorelei Eurto
Lori Anderson
Jean Yates
Marie Dodd
Michelle Mach

New Stamps for New Pendants!

2011-07-14T12:36:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to do some new designs for a while but have had no time at all. I decided to try something new... having some individual rubber stamps made with some new designs, which I can easily make into new pendants. I used Rubberstamps.net to make these stamps. It was great because I could easily upload a few jpegs of drawings that I had done and scanned into the computer. It was quick and easy and now I have a bunch of new things! Can't wait to see them glazed!

Studio Tour Sunday

2011-07-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

Quick post today to show you two new necklace designs featuring keyhole elements that I am making at the Rust Belt Market. The top is called The Masonic and features a brick style pendant. I like the crusty rusty textures with the little pops of subtle color. The keyhole adds a bit of mystery. The one below is called The Whitney and has more of a fancy, antique garden party feel to it.

That's the news from my studio this week... check out what is happening with some of my beady friends: About.com Jewelrymaking
Tammy has a new book review posted that will appeal to those who love little beads.

Art Bead Scene
Take the June monthly challenge blog tour.

Beading Arts
Cyndi has a fabulous copy of 30-Minute Rings to give away, Come and enter to win!

Beads and Books
Michelle is hosting a Mostly Metal Design Challenge with 3 different kits of materials: Filigree Fun, Gunmetal Love, and Antique Brass Romantic. Come join the fun!

Carmi's Art Life/World
Carmi creates a peace bird brooch with artbeads.com components.

Cindy Gimbrone Beads
Come take a peek at what Cindy's got on her bookshelf!

Earthenwood Studio
Melanie shares some new designs made with her new Fable Pebbles made by members of the Earthenwood Design Team

Resin Crafts!
Carmi shows you how to make a piece of crochet look like filigree!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Second chance to sign up for Beaducation DVD giveaway, time lengthened due to last week's holiday! Come on over and see what's up on jean's blog!

The Bead Dreamer
Join Charlene in a jewelry challenge to celebrate summer and long days. Click to find out how to participate.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew introduces some NEW vintage beads to his online 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.

Market Muse Medleys and Studio Sunday

2011-07-04T00:13:00.000-04:00

I am calling these new hand selected bead mixes Market Muse Medleys. Oh how I love alliteration!

I thought it would be fun to make up some fun little assortments of things I have at my Rust Belt Market booth for those of you who can't visit me on the weekends.

The market was a little slow this weekend, probably because of the holiday. It was also rather hot and I could tell today that people didn't have the energy to put creative effort into their purchases. I could see them melting down and glazing over. I was pleased to be in the cool air conditioned building, making beads, chatting with people, and making the occasional sale. Not a bad Sunday. That's what is going on here in my studio during the holiday weekend. Click on some of these links to see what some of my beady friends have been up to lately: A Bead A Day
Lisa takes a walk down memory lane, re-visiting some old jewelry stand-by's while preparing to design a new favorite piece. About.com Jewelry Making
Get some red, white, and blue jewelry inspiration and ideas from these free jewelry tutorials.   Art Bead Scene
Here are some random bead related links for you to enjoy!  Beading Arts
Are you clear on your goals for your bead and jewelry blog? Cyndi has rounded up some articles that are sure to help!
Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi works on a little bit of an antler for a surprising result! Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
The Earthenwood Design team is serving up lots of sweet jewelry treats!   Resin Crafts!
This week there is a special piece featuring a mold and a resin pour!   Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean reviews a GREAT Beaducation DVD on soldered rings and bezels and also announces a giveaway from Beaducation of a DVD of the winner's choice just for liking Beaducation's blog! What's not to like? The Bead Dreamer
Charlene features a young jewelry artisan and snags a pretty sweet pair of earrings in the process.  The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Exciting news! Andrew launches his FIRST ever Reader's Challenge! The Design Kit for July features summery shades of green and lots of art beads!

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.

Rusty Barnhouse and Wikio Rankings

2011-07-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

It's a busy glazing day, so this is just a quick post to show off one of my new Wholesale Bundles. This one is called Rusty Barnhouse and has lots of great earth tones and textures.

I also have a list of July's top Jewelry Making blogs as ranked by Wikio. They have asked me to share this list with you, and I am pleased to do so, not only because I am ranked #3 on the list, but because these are some of my very favorite blogs to read daily! Check them out:

1	Art Bead Scene Blog
2	Andrew Thornton
3	Earthenwood Studio Bead Blog
4	Beading Arts
5	Lorelei's Blog
6	Pretty Things
7	Carmi's Art/Life World
8	About.com Jewelry Making
9	Humblebeads Blog
10	Beads And Books
11	A Bead A Day
12	Lampwork Diva aka Cindy Gimbrone
13	Gaea's Ceramic and Art Studio Blog
14	Jennifer Jangles Blog
15	Erin Siegel Jewelry
16	Denise Yezbak Moore
17	Blog for Beaders
18	Barbe Saint John - New Treasures from Forgotten Artifacts
19	Margot Potter The Impatient Crafter
20	Cynthia Thornton of Green Girl Studios
21	Copper Diem
22	Crafty Hope
23	Rings & Things
24	hint
25	What's New at Chinook Jewelry
26	Beading Daily
27	Beads of Clay Blog
28	The Rabbit Muse
29	Melissa J. Lee
30	LLYYNN

Earthenwood Design Team Update

2011-06-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

Wow, June sure has flown by quickly here! Of course, doing a huge trade show at the beginning of the month really distorts my schedule. So here we are, the last day of the month, and I never announced what the Design Team bead of the month is! This is a new design, which I debuted at Bead & Button. They are called Fable Pebbles and I have two designs, a horseshoe and a feather. The horseshoe had the word "Lucky" stamped on the back and the feather says "Fly Away". I think they are fun pieces with neat symbolism that are the perfect way to tell a story in a piece of jewelry.

Erin Siegel caught on right away to the storytelling potential of the lucky horseshoe that I sent her and created this wonderful Lucky Talisman necklace. I love the knotwork and the silvery beads with the asymmetrical charms on the side and the little pops of color. She said she wanted to make a piece she could wear with anything that had subtle symbolism that was special for her. Read more about the necklace and the symbolism she discovered about the pieces she used over on Erin's blog.

Lorelei Eurto's jewelry always has a subtle aspect of storytelling to me, and this piece is another great example. All the components seem to be so effortlessly combined, yet each one is so special and is a perfect compliment to the other pieces. Lorelei used a pale flesh Fly Away pebble with the feather design, which works very well with the other artisan beads she has chosen, like the twig and bird beads. Lorelei's blog is one of my favorite daily reads... check it out to see what other stories she is telling!

Earthenwood Design Team Update

2011-06-30T11:33:00.003-04:00

Amy of Sprite Creations created this fun necklace using one of my Ice Cream Cone pendants! I love what she did with the earthy wire and resin painted metal findings, giving them a personalized look. The muted colors work very well with the brights, making the whole piece look very vintage with just enough summery color. I love the little details in this piece, too, like the way the clasp hooks right into the ceramic link on the side, and how the little bit of chain dangles in front of the pendant with sprinkle like glass beads. Nice work, Amy! Check out her detailed post about this necklace on her blog!
I have been a little behind in my blogging, but I am trying to balance enjoying some of the summer and am (still) recovering from Bead & Button. I still have a lot of work post-show to do to restock my site, galleries, stores, and my Rust Belt booth, and I am chipping away at it. But I am also doing a little relaxing, yardwork, and trying to get in some summertime. Last night, we rode our bikes up to Ferndale to get some dinner and ice cream for the first time. It didn't take as long as I thought and the sidewalks were in great shape (this would also be my route to ride the bike up to Rust Belt on the weekends, which is the reason I got the bike... I can commute by bicycle!) It's funny how the same road I drive almost daily seems so different when on bike or on foot. You certainly see things with new eyes!

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 Bundles and Studio Sunday Tour Links

2011-06-26T10:11:00.000-04:00

After returning from Bead & Button I collected some beads and pendants before returning them to stock and made up some new Wholesale Bundles. The Bundles are carefully selected assortments of both regular stock and one of a kind/unusual items that co-ordinate in theme and colorway and are priced at wholesale in $100 bundles. I have eight of them listed in my special Etsy Wholesale shop now, including this red and black and bone white bundle that is a little romantic and a little dark.
That's a little bit of news from my studio... here are some things my bead blogger friends have been up to this week: A Bead A Day
As an admirer of all things arts & crafts, Lisa shares the handpainted jewelry pieces of "Moni's Originals". Stop by to check out these miniature works of art!  About.com Jewelry Making
Looking to make some easy metalsmithing jewelry? Take a look at these new jewelry videos.  Art Bead Scene
Looking for some creative jewelry displays? So is ABS Editor Heather Powers. Come check out what she's found.  Beading Arts
Free-form peyote stitch and wire work...what could be more fun than combining the two?!  Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi's new ring features a rock garden!  Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie opens a weeked bead store at her local artist market and has lots of pictures of her booth to share.  Resin Crafts!
Resin Crafts has a great tutorial showing you how to create a pendant with a spoon.  Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Andrew Thornton, a wonderful person and a member of our group, is having a "Virtual Yard Sale" as he calls it . Check it out on Jean's blog and then go have FUN!   The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton
Andrew hosts a week-long Virtual Yard Sale! The week is filled with Ebay sales, new products added to the Shop, lots of giveaways, and some major deals!

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.