Adornment Adored

Here is a peek at my work at the Adornment Adored Show at the Baltimore Clayworks opening this week.

Adornment Adored
October 3rd – November 6th, 2009 opening reception on Saturday, October 3rd, from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free.

Baltimore Clayworks hosts the exhibition Adornment Adored, a showcase of body ornamentation using clay and clay-like materials. This exhibition runs October 3rd – November 6th, 2009 with an opening reception on Saturday, October 3rd, from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free. Adornment Adored , focuses on beautiful and exquisite jewelry made with ceramic, polymer clay or PMC elements. A diverse range of styles and voices on display for you to then take home and become your own personal art gallery!
http://www.baltimoreclayworks.org/exhibition/exhibition_gallery/09/adornment_adored.html

Maybe you can make it out--

-k-

New flickr group for your work!

I have just made a flickr group for all of your artwork which include Artisan Clay components!
Also welcome are photos of ArtisanClay jewelry on their happy owners!
I hope to use the group to find photos to feature here on my blog and to run ArtisanClay design contests :-) Yay!

Here is a lovely mosaic by Carol Dean Sharpe of Sandfibers. Carol made all of these lovelies for my booth at Bead Fest Philly last month. Carol now has these pieces and is adding them to her online shops-(minus those which have already sold!)

So here is your invitation-
You are cordially invited to join the ArtisanClay Flickr group and add add add to your hearts content!

My Pendants are also Necklaces?

Just a reminder that all my pendants and donuts can be shipped as pendant necklaces, even gift wrapped, for the same price. I have some great cords and ribbons to compliment every color :-) Just let me know that you would like me to add a cord and wrapping in your note to seller :-)
Looking for the perfect $20 handmade gift that looks like more? Check out my pendants!

Offering my pendants this way really helps me keep a lot of pendants in inventory for all you wonderful jewelry designers out there too! This way I'm not taking too many pieces to make into finished jewelry and causing a supply shortage. Cause you know I would never want to do that!

New in store

I added 3 new super thin cabochons to my etsy shop this week. I think these pieces are just awesome. The are so lightweight and colorful!

Red and orange Stripes http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31153704

Spring green and Turquoise http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=31158014 Blue stripes http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=31160310

All 3 are 2 inches or 5.1cm round

Check them out!

A little something just for me

I don't know what started it, but one day several months ago I found myself searching for a new bag. I thought my -older than dirt- brown leather bag just wasn't gonna do any more. I looked and looked and it seemed that nothing was cool enough, or as easy or natural enough to suit me and replace my old beat up brown bag. Then the moment. My bag rocks and it suits me fine! OK then-- I still wanted a little boost.

No new bag suited me, but some great Lisa Peters Art beads did!! I bought this sweet button to help me remember some of the positive things in life.... cause I'm the kind of girl who tends to dwell far too long in the darkness.... And what better to cheer me up than a sweet button made with loving hands by a great artist friend!

Rolling stone

I just had to list this necklace right away. I was getting too tempted to keep it for myself, and that's just selfish!!! ;-P

There is a different texture on either side and it looks great either way.

It measures 16 inches long, but I can add an extender chain if you like to wear your necklaces longer. :-) Here it is--- http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30758131

New Work

This week I have been transitioning from bead making craziness for Bead Fest to some jewelry making for an upcoming show.

I am going to be participating in the Baltimore Clayworks Adornment Adored show next month. It is cool to see that quite a few of you, my favorite Blogging Etsy Clay Artists will be participating!

So... How is it going? What kind of stuff is everyone getting ready? I am feeling quite behind, as the pieces I have planned seem to have different plans for themselves. I think that I will be sending these three chain necklaces to the show.

I sometimes feel like I have too many different styles of bead making going on. Of course I love making them all, so there is no stopping me. Here is a cute pair of smokefired earrings, they don't really look like they are made by the same artist as the glass work huh?

And then there is the linen and stoneware glazed beads. I think this necklace and the blue one below will be added to my etsy shop this weekend. As much as I am attempting to make pieces of a certain planned style-- silver and chain with glass beads, I just keep working in the linen and wood!

This necklace did follow the plan, thank goodness.

This one is my favorite. It is so casual, simple and fun. I just want to go nuts and make a dozen like it. Alas I am behind on the show pieces, and my schedule is uncomfortably tight.

A question???

Hey all you beady buddies! I am considering dividing my etsy shop and having one jewelry shop and one supply shop. What do you think? It seems to me that a lot of bead makers have mixed shops, but I keep hearing a customer's voice saying that... she came to my shop looking for beads(cabs) and thought she was in the wrong place. Hmmm?
I would love to hear your experiences and advice. What do you think?

Weekend catch up

I know! It's Wednesday and I'm still catching up on the events of the holiday weekend. Sometimes that's just the way I roll.

Saturday I was able to take a class at my local Bead Shop My Father's Beads in Coopersburg, Pa. I learned bead crochet and realized what I suspected, I'm not going to use it in a traditional way very much. It is such a beautiful way to make a beaded rope, but my left handed- right handed stitch takes way too much time. I didn't realize until this class that even though I use my left hand to crochet, I cross back over myself for every stitch and crochet right handed. Hmm? I think I'll leave it for the experts. Anyway, I left behind a big big selection of beads and pendants in the form of a trunk show so if you are in the area, check it out!

After class I was able to meet up with my friend Janine and run out to the lake before sunset. We discovered that someone else is on to my favorite wild mushroom patch and she got them all before we arrived! She told us. I said a sad goodbye to summer and mourned the loss of the sun and all the green that cheers me up so much all summer long.

Monday was spent outside smokefiring with my new kumihimo braiding disk and the family. The Smokefiring was great, and I was able to reproduce that wonderful light grey/brown striping that was so popular at Bead Fest last month. I worked on restocking some smaller rounds and cylanders. I still need to polish those before adding them to the etsy shop so keep checking back.

I love my new kumihimo disk. Jeri at the Bead Shop kept telling me how meditative kumihimo braiding is and now I know why. The only problem is--I can't seem to make two braids exactly alike and if I leave the braid and come back- it changes. The tension and rhythm is so important. Fast-slow-tense-relaxed, it all seems to make a different looking braid. It's fun though and I think I will love learning as many possibilities as I can for a very long time. It seems like it's kind of popular, anyone else Kumihimo?

How was your weekend?

-Kristie-

on a roll

So I liked my last two necklaces so much that I just had to make make a couple more in different colors.

I love the mossy colors of this green necklace and the grid/waffle beads give a little different look. Looks great on, doesn't it? Here's the link--http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=30330181

Here's another example of me pulling out my favorites. I looked at the Fisherman's Net necklace and thought (as always) wouldn't it look great with more brown. Here is what I came up with. Blue Stripes Disc Necklace http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30330852

I love how this design moves with you. The discs lay right against your skin and the body of the necklace feels weightless.

New Disc Necklaces

What do you think? I've added two new necklaces to my etsy shop yesterday. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30256484

The first I am calling Fisherman's Net. It reminds me of the sea and beachy relaxation. I have knotted waxed linen, sodalite rounds and wood discs in a netted design for the length of the necklace.

I thought that for such an organic piece, that a simple clay bead and loop would make a fitting closure. To finish it off I added a sweet acorn charm by http://www.chubbychicocharms.etsy.com/

I liked the blue piece so much that I went right into making one in browns. You know how I go crazy for those browns! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=30238065

This one I call Walk in the Woods. This necklace reminds me of something a wood fairy might wear. Maybe while collecting wild mushrooms for dinner? Know anyone like that? I do!

The idea for these necklaces has been festering for a while. You can see it in the way I strung my disc bead strands for sale months ago. Like this http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23752243

I am trying hard to get back in a jewelry making mode after being so focused on bead making for months. At the same time I am deep in the clay here at the studio. I want to get both fantastic beads and fantastic jewelry back in my etsy shop and artisanclay.com site

How's everyone dealing with the change of season? Are you feeling it yet? We have gone through such change around our house these past couple of weeks, new job, new school, illness. I am feeling really happy to be getting slowly used to the new rhythm.

-k-