Artisan Clay

January Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

2012-01-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the day where the Artisan Clay Design team reveals what they have made with the mystery beads which I have sent them!

I can't wait to see what everyone has made. I sent each designer a different kind of bead, so we should be treated to some very different styles of jewelry.

I took the day off from work today to have an Artisan Clay/Mental Health day and I am really excited about that.... The kids are headed to school in an hour and then I get to be alone.... well not entirely alone, because I live with other people, but more alone than I've been in a long time.

The big plan is
1) kids to school
2) find the sun on this rainy day and get my design team projects photographed and posted.
3) pick up my jewelry and pottery from a store that will no longer be selling it
4) go to a wholesale button appointment
5) find a better shop to sell my jewelry while still visiting the same town

So---- I will blog again once I get good photos of my project, but for the meantime, please visit the design team's blogs and see what they have created.

----UPDATE time--
I looked everywhere for my tripod and I have decided myself an expert tidy-upper... because it is so tucked away in such a perfect spot that it has made itself invisible to me.

So-- here is what I made this month.

It's not a new design for me, but it is new work and I really needed to break back in with some production type making time.... and I have been itching to get out and contact new stores to carry my work and this is what I want someone to carry.

These necklaces are so fun to wear and I have made quite a few for friends/customers in the past few years.... and they have been loved, really really loved. It is just a really simple natural style that suits my breezy spirit and seems to suit quite a few other natural breezy spirits too.

Now I'm off into the world-- new necklaces and buttons in hand and adventuring into the shopping district. Wish me luck!

Don't forget to check out everyone in the design team's blogs.

This month Staci is auctioning off her necklace to help out a friend who is going through a tough time. SO! Check it out!

Thanks for coming!

It's Back!!! Artisan Clay Design team.....The beads

2012-01-09T04:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
I hope 2011 was good to you! Here's to an even better 2012!
These little treats are being mailed out to the Artisan Clay Design team today..... no one knows which piece they are getting.... and I still didn't pick one for myself.

Stop back on the last Friday of the month to see what everyone comes up with!

And the winner is...................

2011-10-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Alice!!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Fashion Show and those who hopped along!

Alice contact me at staci.louise@hotmail.com with your address so I can get your prize out to you:)

Artisan Clay Fall Fashion Show Blog Hop

2011-10-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

by staci l. smith

It's time for the Artisan Clay Fall Fashion Show Blog Hop!!!!

In case you missed the last post about the design team this month, here is what is going on- ILO a regular design team this month, we are doing a Fall Fashion Show of Artisan Clay Components in Jewelry. The cool thing is, everyone can join in, even you!!!!
Just link up below, and make sure your blog is all about your Artisan Clay designs!

Make sure to visit all the blogs! Because then you can stop back here and leave a comment (just one please) and let us know what your favorite design or component was. You are then entered for a surprise giveaway~ I will be sharing one of my Artisan Clay components with one lucky winner. Giveaway ends at the end of the day!

Like always, please make sure you leave an email or you have one linked to your blog to qualify.

Most of all~ have fun hopping!!!!!!!

New work, new studio

2011-10-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was able to fire for the first time in the new space this weekend. I fired tiles and I tried to get all the lingering custom orders finished. Some of the orders lingered longer than I liked. I am glad to get new work made and I am glad to get the space into working order. We found an old door to use as a big counter and I found some high metal spinning stools for sale for $10 each down the street from the house. The stools are the perfect height for the counters and have a nice adjustable back to them... and they spin! Whoot! That's a bonus.

tidy :-)

Along the back wall are more shelves made into counter space and my tiles molds and clay is all along the bottom shelf across the entire room.....I am so glad that my fellas helped me move all that clay!

My mom made that sculpture for me when I was pregnant with Lydia ;-)

I really like how the colors turned out on my tiles. I love when I have multiples of the same tile in the studio. I look forward to the day when I have a space to tile with my own handmade tiles. For now, these will go to the Tile Gallery.... I live very close to the Moravian Tile works in Doylestown, PA

That's a town known for handmade tile.

Yeah.... I LOVE how they turn out! I need to make more....

I made some beads too.... The long buttons are an order to be used on a cape. Isn't that cool? I love being able to work with other artists :-)

Most of my paintings are still at my old house, but I did find a few painted glass panels that I had started years ago around the garage to decorate the studio and make it feel more like home.

New donuts!

And last but not least here is the finished glazed fairy sculpture that Sonya gave to my mom for her birthday... She loves it!

My new skirt/dress and Mom's quilt show

2011-10-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

This skirt is one of the new sewing projects that I have been working on. I made it during the recent hurricanes. It can be worn a million different ways and I am in love with it. It's a toy. I will post more photos of it worn in different ways at some point I am sure.

I lost it in my move and searched incessantly for it for weeks until I finally found it just in time to wear to my Mom's Quilt Guild show. I was really inspired my the show and took a few photos of my pieces.

My daughters had quilts in the show :-) I believe that the girls designed the blocks and set them out and my Mom did the quilting.

I like the edges on these stars.

My mom won a ribbon.

I like the black and white and red folk art designs on this quilt.

I have been noticing line work in folk art symbols lately :-) I am a fan of the birds.

and the symmetry.

This one was my favorite....... the circles and the colors.. and the folk art lines....and the symmetry.....

September Design team reveal-- Better late than never

2011-10-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? My life is changing.....hopefully for the better.
I just moved.... and man! my schedule is crazy. I went from working at my day job 3 days a week to 5 and school starting and moving and yikes! it is really a tricky time for me.

This month the design team worked with buttons. I had been sewing recently and I really wanted to work on a few things that were not jewelry. I found this great beaded bag at the thrift store and I found a fun fabric/lace/feather flower at the farmer's market. At first I tried a bronze button.... but it blended a bit to much for my taste.

So.... I took it apart and tried it with a large size turquoise button.

I like it much better.

I hope to get back in the swing of things around blogland... and etsy.... but I know I shouldn't make any promises. I miss you guys and I will soon share my days with you once again. One day I plan to add mixed lots of older style beads to the etsy shop at quite a deal..... because upon moving them, I realize what a hoarder I have become.

Fall Fashion Show with Artisan Clay

2011-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Guest post by Staci L. Smith

Kristie's life is busy right now, like, really busy. Like, so busy, she let me guest blog.... (thanks Kristie, I am truly honored that you trust me with your bloggers).

So, October is flying by, and I thought perhaps, instead of doing a design team challenge this month, which would be more work for Kristie, we could thank her by doing a Fall Fashion Show of all the wonderful pieces we have made with Artisan Clay components. It would be the last Friday of the month, October 28th, and EVERYONE can play!!!!! Just add your inlinks that morning to Artisan Clay's blog, and we will have an Artisan Clay Fall Fashion Show Blog Hop! Sound good? I think it would be fun to see some of Kristie's work (and ours) through the years....so if you have old stuff, dig that out too.

Just to kick it off.....here's one of her wonderful and addicting smoke fire donuts in a silver bezel and surrounded by baroque pearls.

So share this, and spread the word, so we can see LOTS and LOTS of new people joining in the fun this month. Its a party people, so bring a friend!!!!!!!

September Design Team Reveal Day!

2011-09-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today is reveal day for the Artisan Clay Design team!
This month we all used buttons for our challenge pieces.

I am running late on my projects as I am scheduled to move my studio across town tomorrow. Please check out the design teams projects below--- and check back for my project.... as soon as I can get it finished, photographed and blogged ;-) yikes!

She's Finished!

2011-09-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Sonya finished painting her fairy sculpture last week.
She painted and re-painted the eye brows so many times. She was so cute! She would lean in so close and make sounds and scrape it away and say frustrated things and try different tools and she is so intense.

I love working with her.

Self--

2011-09-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Looking like my mother and grandmother here--

I read an article today about, how to look better in photographs....A camera can smell fear....getting better.......
....and then there is photoshop :-)

baby face

2011-09-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

golden eyes

2011-09-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

eyes

2011-09-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

eyes

2011-09-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

4/10-9/11

2011-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

2011-09-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Spensor

2011-09-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

2011-09-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

2011-09-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

2011-09-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

August Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

2011-08-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today is the day.... It comes so fast. Design Team Reveal Day!
This month, our guest designer is Amy Blevins. Amy has had an Artisan Clay Trunk show at her Bead Store, Bead and Glass Boutique. Make sure to check out her necklace and blog... I love what she has done. Imagine the fun of having an entire bead shop to work from when designing your jewelry!

This month I did the bead selection a little differently. Staci suggested that I send out some of the half and quarter round Art Deco beads this month. I was really happy for the suggestion, since I have started to feel like most of my bead types have already been used.
I found just enough pieces for all the designers and packed them up in boxes. I shuffled the boxes and packed them in envelopes blindly. I have no idea what beads ended up where... It turns out that I was left with the largest bead, a crescent in my minty green glaze and made with a clay body that shows a manganese fleck when fired.

I started making this style of pendant a long time ago and have never finished a piece of jewelry with them until now. I have imagined them used so many ways;
highly stylized and playing on the Art Deco theme,
strung in a tribal theme,
used in a Native American design....
I tried to mix a bit of a natural, southwestern and native look? Ha!
The stacking a knotting of the red beads on waxed linen gave me a feeling of the southwest. I played around with the idea of adding beads in a bead loom, bead weaving style, but decided I really wanted to open up the body of the necklace into multiple strands as I often do.

What do you think? I don't have any more of these Art deco beads left here in the studio, but I do have quite a few in the dried mud stage waiting to be wet sanded and fired... Depending on how they are glazed, they have such a different feel.

So... are you ready to see what the team has made?

Have you made something with an Artisan Clay bead?-- then add your link below!

02 Seven years - Norah jones

2011-08-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

July Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

2011-07-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

Check out the beads that the design team had to work with this month!

Recycled Glass fused Donuts-- The ones available made to order in standard sizing and colors to be exact.

Everyone picked one piece from this photo.

Except me that is.... for some reason I was dead set on green this month.

Could it get more simple? Really?
I had my mind set on furthering my ideas from last month and weaving another collar inspired by the ribbon of seaweed I saw on the beach in Oregon, but--- I couldn't do it. It was just too much. Too much color, too much action, too hard to wear. Life for me these days has been so complicated and difficult to figure out and I just long for simplicity. If only life were more simple.... If only there was a clear yes or no....and people-- the wild card. So~~ this is what you get, simpler than simple, easy to wear and no competition for the bead.

When I decided on donuts, one of the design team members mentioned not using donuts in her work before. They can be kind of tricky to work into a design, but some people seem to be able to find endless ways to do it. I decided to go through my old photos and show examples of my use of donuts in the past.

I like to chain them up.

This one has a wire loop fired into the clay itself making it easy to string as you would a pendant.

This one also has a wire loop and I made it into a Christmas ornament.

Here I have used one of my cast donut bails in Bronze....

And this piece was chained up like the first few examples.

This last piece was made by Design team member, Carol Dean Sharpe, Sandfibers. She is dealing with health issues this month and was unable to blog for this month's reveal.

Carol made this piece for me to show at last year's Bead Fest Philly. Carol has been so kind to make gorgeous display pieces for every one of my Bead show booths. Carol has such skilled hands and a magic way with color and I am so lucky to have an Artisan Clay fan in her. She is an awesome friend too!

So... are you ready to see what the team has made?

Have you made something with an Artisan Clay bead?-- then add your link below!

Artisan Clay Trunk Show and Staci Louise Originals Drilling Demo this weekend! Be there!

2011-07-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

Look at us! Aren't we cute?

We are wearing each other's work :-) Staci is wearing a necklace that she made as one of the Artisan Clay Design team challenges and I am wearing a necklace that Staci made for me YEARS ago!

Today was the day that I set up my Trunk Show at Bead of a Feather in East Greenville, PA..... That is just a 20 minute drive from my home and just a few miles from Staci's.

Staci is doing a couple of demonstrations at the shop tomorrow. I love the subject, drilling your beach finds, sea glass, shells.... for your jewelry making. So.... be there! Staci is your girl for tips on making jewelry that will LAST! BE WEARABLE! Hang straight! Not be junk!..... which we happened to discuss while setting up the show ;-)

Thanks for coming by and setting up the show with me today Staci! You rock!

After this weekend my work will travel to Beads of a Feather's Kutztown location..... SO..... if you are in the area, this is YOUR chance to see a larger selection of my work than is available online.... after this, my work heads to New Jersey before stopping in Virginia :-)

In other news.... I am super famous now ;-) .... My bead is featured in a new E-Mag put out by Interweave called Live Wire..... I downloaded my copy last night and I am really impressed! I hope to work up the project and show it off soon! So there you go! I'll say I knew you when ;-)

Don't miss our Artisan Clay Design team reveal next Friday! This month we are working with my glass fused donuts.... It should be fun.

I hope you are having a great summer! Mine has been a blur of choices and people and hope for the future...... and this weekend.... camping with my girl scout troop.....in 100 degree weather.... but I think we will figure it out.
(and I even get to hang out with my Clay Bead and metal buddy Melinda Orr at THE BEACH on Monday! OH my gosh! What fun!)

Week in pictures

2011-07-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

July 4th firing, Design team beads

Don't you show everyone your messy desk on Wednesdays? Today is Friday, that's not so bad.... All kinds of beads are piled up from making earrings for my friend Debra... Pictures follow.

sunshine

The kids put on a play today at summer camp.

She's acting

She's a great dog! She's very good, she has a blast.

She's so fancy. Had me curl her hair ;-)

remember the throwing last post... all this still needs to be cleaned and painted

I inherited a new red plastic necklace last thursday....It broke while I was roller skating... I was pretty thankful that I took that picture.

I hope I eat my grapes this year.

Debra's earrings-- I had to wear them around for a day, and get my well wishes on them and make sure that they work, you know~~ test them out. I'm a nice friend like that.

new to etsy shop soon

and this

I made these earrings too...

They might be for me.

I wear this necklace every week for years. I love it.

What's new?

2011-06-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

Shades of Blue Cabochon

It has been a really long time since I've done a "what's new" blog post!

I don't know, maybe some of you came for the beads instead of the family pictures..?

Nah! Anyway, I promise to share with you photos both of my current creative projects as well as beads actually available in my etsy shop!

My friend Debra, picked up my trunk show at Azillion beads and spent 2! hours packing it up for me and mailed it back. Seriously! Where would I be without a friend like her.

Deep rich green and peach medium donut

Not just for packing my beads.... but I feel so lucky to know such a kind, good person who actually understands the way I think. She listens and agrees or disagrees but she doesn't judge my crazy thoughts and she loves me for me. There is hope! It is possible! Now if only we didn't live across the country from eachother....anyway... things have been tricky around here and I am really thankful for the awesome people in my life :-)

What's new? I put some work in my potter's group's saggar fire this weekend. I probably threw 75 beads in the fire. They won't be done for a while, but I'll post pictures as soon as I get them back. This photo is my friend Kim's pot after it has been sprayed with a ferric cloride solution.

Square 13

I'm always reminded of the crazy chemists in all us potters of the group.

This fizzing concoction is called swamp juice and is made from ingredients found at the Farm store and Lowes. It fizzes when first mixed and everyone dips or spoons their work into it while it is fizzing to get interesting sponging and bubbling designs on the fired pot.

Circle 4

Copper wire makes reds and linear patterns when fired

Sawdust makes the much needed smoke for colorful chemical reactions....

Seaweed for salt and minerals along with smoke and linear patterning...

And pack it up like a baked potato and pack it in the kiln

Square 12

I think I will be attending more Potter's Echange Events this year since I have decided to do trunk shows verses live shows. This is a good thing, since our group is always hosting learning and sharing events and it really helps me to expand my work. :-)

And the hosts always seem to be giving from the garden too. Last event everyone went home with tomato plants.

Turquoise and Green Pendant/connector

Air travel and taking off of my office job once a month for the past two months has taken a toll on my Etsy listing and my blogging frequency.

Deep rich green and peach large donut

I have a few neglected yet patient shop owners calling me (multiple times) and asking for more work. I get a little cranky with monkey's on my back,

So, after preparing my work for the saggar fire, I got to work throwing new Donuts and pendants. I had a couple of requests for a donut similar to one that sold quickly earlier this month. I also have been noticing the jewelry that I love to wear and I notice that quite a few of them are large, dramatic, pendants. I made some really large and dramatic pieces. Do what you love, right?

Turquoise Blue Stripes Donut

Sonya always needs to throw too. She loves it. I helped her a bit with this mini pitcher.

Teal Turquoise and Greens charm set

I filled all the bats in my studio on Saturday and came back and filled them all again on Sunday. I even have one shop that sells my pottery. I do this to keep me grounded though I don't think it could ever be my focus. Pots aren't my natural love, but it is a really awesome skill that I would like to improve on.

Glowing Turquoise Charm set

Tired

Purple and green Charm set

On Monday I made molds of a few of the large thrown pieces...and in order to do so, I had to clean the attic.... and in doing so , I found my tile molds..... and so then I was compelled to pour them... and the night before I was up til 3am getting to know a new friend...and since I was up and running at 7am.... I wanted to curl up in a ball a lot of the time. But I still was compelled to do more. I cleaned the molds, I cleaned the tiles... I just didn't make it to making buttons yet.

Pineapple Earring Charms

Sunshine art

Royal Blue and teal earring set

Starshine's art-- watch out world

So-- all the beads shown here have been added to my etsy shop this week.

What do you think? What would you like me to make while I am in my production blitz?

June Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

2011-06-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Check out the beads that the design team had to work with this month!

Everyone picked one piece from these photos.

Large smoke fired donut #22

I worked like crazy on this month's piece. Early in the month, I got this crazy idea and then the rest of the month was spent inventing the wheel. There was so much to think about in figuring out how to make this "idea" reality.

Medium Smoke fired Donut #10

I am sure it's been done before and that somewhere someone has written instructions on how to go about doing what I did...... but..... following instructions is not my way.... and my brain was tickled with the journey.

Oh Boy! There were sketches, and collecting materials... and collecting materials....and waiting for them to arrive..... and thinking a lot, and saving that picture frame from the dumpster......and tracking down the tape measure..... and collecting materials

And then, this is what I came up with. I have been obsessed with "constructing a fiber" I have multiple fiber ideas and this one stems from both my trip to the Oregon Coast and the Roberto Capucci exhibit that I went to the first week of June.

Sea Weed

So.... by 8pm Thursday.... this is what I had.... A piece of fabric, woven with Sari Silks... that shortened while I has weaving it. So, what was I going to do? First I tried it on my daughters. It was still just a little to short for a necklace for my 6 year old... Then I found myself at 10pm last night.... STARTING OVER AGAIN!

This time I added a few inches for shortening due to weaving.

And this is what I came up with.

I hope you find it interesting.

I would like to explore the idea more with next month's project.

I always have a great time running through these visions.

Are you ready to see what the rest of the team has been working on with their Smokefired beads?

Also---FYI-- I am participating in a Saggar fire this weekend... so, all those wonderful red and brown smoke fired pieces that have been sold out for so long, should return to my etsy shop in the next weeks. Please follow my Artisan Clay Facebook page if you would like to know when I update my etsy shop.... I have not been doing a good job of keeping the blog updated when I post new work.

So....Check out what the team has been up to!

Happy Solstice

2011-06-22T19:38:00.000-07:00

First thing,

Lyd came in with a hurt rabbit.

After work

potato farming @ community garden

The kids let me drag them off to the lake,

To practice our circus moves for when we run away.

Sunshine

Starshine

The light of my life

Marshy

I like butter.

And her :-)

Philly Art Museum, Roberto Capucci, Kids

2011-06-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

The family and I went to the Philly Art Museum on Sunday.

It was family day and the last day of the Roberto Capucci- Art into Fashion-- Exhibit.

I love how brightly painted the outside of the Art Museum is right now.

My Starshine dressed to impress wearing her new hair feathers, a 1960's plastic flower clip, a Staci Louise Originals Necklace, red sequined-black fishnet dress, pink sweater with a fur collar, silver ring and pink flowered flip flops....That's my girl.

There was a bike race around the museum and free "Family Fun Zone"

We ate our picnic under this statue on the lawn.

It was a beautiful warm day.

I finally got her to smile.

obsessed with fiber these days

No cameras were actually allowed in the Capucci Exhibit... Color.... pleating.... sculpture in the form of dresses.... more color... more pleats.... Thinking on "creative masterminds" and "teams of skilled artisans" I think I could use a team of skilled artisans. What felt like very industrial forms-- yet always inspired by nature.... hmm....
He did the sell the styles to the catalogs and the masses thing for a while in the 60's, then eventually switched to pretty much unwearable "Sculpture Dresses" @2000

I just noticed that a fella I used to know while I was in high school is having a show in Bangkok this month. What was one weird dude. One very interesting yet weird dude. My mom used to call him "Prince" Fun times. Perhaps I should be embracing my weirdness more..... maybe I am, maybe you already thought I was kind-of weird ;-)

Goodbye Friends, Goodbye Oregon Coast

2011-06-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

The day we left the beach I was up early and decided to go for a walk alone on the beach. I took my new book, "Ceramic Jewelry" by Joy Bosworth but I did not really read much. I sat on a log and listened to the ocean, I watched the sand crabs(maybe they are called sand flees) jump and walk around on the sand. I was deep in my head and deep in the vastness of the ocean.

I walked all the way down to the jetty and watched the water come up to the rocks and fill the tide pools. I stayed for a long time and listened to the rocks move.

I found the sound to be these barnacles. I also saw some Gooseneck Barnacles...

I know they were Goooseneck Barnacles because while flying home I realized that there was an article in my copy of National Geographic on the "Brimming Pools" of the Pacific northwest. Lucky me!

I was sad to leave and not ready to come back to work and family. I really enjoyed my freeness. My friends don't have children and I enjoyed being able to come and go and do whatever we pleased.

I know.... I love my kids, I often say that I have the 2 best jobs and the best bosses that I could possibly have, but I could not help but feel tinges of jealousy for my friends who are free to pack up and move often, and not be so scheduled and responsible as I have become in my life as a parent and wife and home owner and business owner....At the time, I could have stayed on vacation for at least another month.

It's a grass is always greener situation. I know some of them wish they had children to worry about and husbands and wives.... I am young and I had a family young. They are getting older and hope not to miss their chance for children.

On our way back to Eugene, we drove up the coast and checked out the coastal towns. We stopped at the Tsunami Gallery on HWY 101... This lady seemed to be struggling in the wind.

with her pile of books....

one last look at the ocean... at "The Driftwood"

And then shopping for souvenirs for my 2 darling daughters. A dog whistle for my Sunshine. Hair feathers and a belly dancing belt for my Starshine.

I am almost back to normal again. I am trying to get the rebellion out of my spirit. I did have to run off to see some live music and laugh til I cried with one of my favorite girl friends on Friday night and then go to the Philly Art Museum on Sunday. Today is Monday and I am back to the things I need to do. Give the dog a haircut, make buttons, schedule trunk shows (through September), plan for the last Girl Scout meeting of the year, rehab the veggie garden from my absence, and it turns out a few friends signed me up for a show on the 18th.....

It was a good trip. I do deserve time off.

My ambition is usually a little out of control and my friends often shout at me to relax more.

Then again.... a trip to any art museum usually sets off the ambition again...but I love what I do, and I have the 2 best bosses ever... ;-)

Spelunking

2011-06-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Rumor was that we could get in the cave in the distance. The instructions were to walk around the old naval base and find a path cut out of the cliff and there it would be. People told us that the navy used to use the cave for submarines. We were sceptical.

This is us. Debra, Kurbis and myself. (Kurbis is all fancy and working on a sculpture show in Paris this January--and Deb and something like 4 other friends are going to hang around southern Europe for a month and a half while this is going on. I am seriously jealous about the vacationing part. I wish I could tag along)

We walked up and around and then there it was, the path down the cliff. It was all wooded and zig zagged and then we came upon this ledge full of sea birds.

Turn hard to the left and there it was!

I kind of thought we wouldn't find it for some reason.

It was really great! It was carved into the cliff.... everyone said it was to launch submarines, but it was pretty small for Subs.

It was long and dark and we used our flashlights while inside.

And climbed down a rope on the other side.

And then we decided to walk across slippery sea weed covered rocks to get to the next cove......2/3's of us went down twice each..... and got themselves very wet and slightly hurt..... maybe it was 2 miles back to camp....But we were in a good place and we almost wet out pants laughing at ourselves.

OK-- I didn't fall in. But they did think I was pretty funny for using all my limbs while climbing the wet rocks.
What an awesome time! To laugh like that! To hike for hours! It was great!

Walk on the beach

2011-06-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

What a trip

2011-06-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

We both worked a little bit on Saturday and then we packed up the car to the brim and headed to the coast. Bastendorf County park was home for the next few days.

I'm not sure how I feel about what I did to this photo.....

The hat is for the rain every 2 hours..... every day....it is oregon after all

moss in the trees

Hello Pacific

Land of giant slugs

Home sweet home

What a trip!

2011-06-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo record of my trip to see my dear friend Debra last week. This is us. I love her.

A walk in the woods--May 26th, 2011

2011-05-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Design Team Reveal Blog Hop!

2011-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce the second Artisan Clay Design Team Challenge Blog Hop!

This month I decided to send each member one of the styles that I have made quite frequently this past year. The photo above is what I sent. In making these pieces, it has been all about the color. I have been dying to see them in action.
Now for the Reveal!

This is the necklace I made for this month's challenge. I made it for my darling friend Debra's, Aunt Bonnie, who is letting me stay at her house during my trip to Oregon (today)

Bonnie likes blues and greens and I wanted to try to mix the smooth brightly colored glossy glass surface with the Matt wood and stone beads and natural fibers (waxed linen)

It was tricky for me. I always want to pair the glass pieces in sleek contemporary designs apposed to my stoneware pieces which I use in rougher natural styles.

Here are a few more examples of how I have used this style of bead in the past...

It makes a really fun earring.

The pools of glass fracture light and can sometimes glow.

Clean and fresh

And feminine

So.... many of you know that I have been traveling. I ended up being quite mixed up in my arrival. I slept in Gate 78 at San Francisco Airport Wednesday night and arrived in Oregon 12 hours later than expected. So.... I only just now was able to get this blog post up... A little late....

I am having such a wonderful time! It turns out that a second friend of mine lives here too! Our planned camping trip for the weekend is looking like it will be a big party. I will post photos a little later. There were actually photos taken of me yesterday that I will make disappear...

We'll talk about that later...

I am thinking of blogging my trip photos as a way of recording them for myself. I hope you don't get too bored of it.

NOW----

Check out all the goodies that the design team has come up with.

Raku Day

2011-05-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

I went to a Raku Day with my potter's group on Sunday.

It was tricky, but fun.

Here is a shot of everyone's pots before the firing.

Here are my beads.

The kiln is in the center and burn barrels form a circle around it.

Here is the finished work and test tiles.

Some more of my favorites. Barb Davis made a beautiful vase with maple leaves as well as a lidded jar with a bird handle. Elaine made the fun face pot in the front. It has not been cleaned all the way as for this photograph.

I didn't take any pictures of my beads, because I did not wash the soot off of them yet.... that would be a PITA part. I prefer to wash them with a specific cleanser. I will need to pick some up.

Artisan Clay Design Team-- The Beads!

2011-05-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

This Friday is the Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal Day!

I can't believe how fast it came up on me this month.

Here are the beads sent out to the team. I sent charm sets to those members who typically use more stringing techniques. I sent a single cabochon to those members who seem to like to use bead weaving techniques.

I only had single charms left over, so I will use one charm alone in my design....unless..... I can find another set hiding somewhere on my desk....

Why did I choose these beads for the team?

-- It feels like I have made a million of this size bead. It feels like I have mailed out a million of these beads. I would love to see them in use.

Simple enough-- I would like to see more ideas of how they can be used. This is one of my standard sizes and I can make them in many color combinations and make them to order (given time)

I can't wait to see what the team comes up with!
There are a couple of charm sets in this size in my etsy shop.

Don't forget! You can join us on reveal day by linking up to a blog post of your own where you show us how you have used Artisan Clay Beads in your work.

Or... you can join us on Reveal Day and feast your eyes on the goodies that the team has come up with!

New necklace.... just for me.

2011-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

I love this. It is so perfectly "me"
I will now wear brown for 5 days straight so that I can wear this necklace every day. I'm already 3 days in.

It uses one of my funky disc beads....
Like the one featured here...---> http://beadcruise.blogspot.com/2011/05/featured-sponsor-artisan-clay.html

And like this one in my Etsy shop.....---->http://www.etsy.com/listing/74384069/spring-green-sprocket-bead-round

Um.... It looks like that is the only one left in the etsy shop... I just added it this week.

Trunk Show at Azillion Beads! and SALE!

2011-05-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to let all you West Coast, namely Oregon folks know that for a limited time you can pick up my beads at Azillion Beads in Eugene and Bend.

I sent a lot of my newest work--- including my new donuts with the painted edges and TONS of funky disc beads and funky links like in the last Artisan Clay Design Team Challenge.--- SO.... Please stop by the store and tell Pam that I sent you!

My own trip out to Oregon is coming fast! I will close the etsy shop for around a week, while I am away, so please use the coupon code RELAX to receive 15% off your http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/ purchase up until the time I close down shop next week.

Intermission

2011-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

So...... my Internet connection was shut down unexpectedly last week.

I decided to take the opportunity to switch to Fios and that will take a few more days to get installed.

I thought I could just share some random pictures with you today.......and mention some random things of the past week.....

I have been doing lots of fun things with my free time. Like going to school board meetings and finding out that my daughter's extremely awesome school is to be shut down. Then going to tour the local friends school and making myself feel poor. And scheduling summer camp so that I can work this summer and constructing new garden beds and planting.

And sorting out my Trunk Show in Oregon. Here I was stringing together charm sets.

My older daughter helped me unpack my Kansas City Trunk show and sort out the new beads. I kept her home from her field trip to Philly because of the breaking military news last week. It turns out that someone ACTUALLY did plant a fake bomb at the location of the field trip WHILE her class was visiting. Yeah-- I was actually not just being overly nervous on that one..... It could have gone either way....

Here's a picture from my brother's powder coating business... sometimes we paint chairs--- by the thousand--- sometimes it's bombs, sometimes it's store fixtures for the Piggly Wiggly..... :-)

One day--I was avoiding cleaning my house and I contacted a local knitting shop with photos of my new buttons. I will have my first button trunk show in Bethlehem, Pa as soon as I can sort them all out.

I distributed 3000lbs of custom mixed saggar/horsehair clay to my potter's group on Saturday and reflected on the nastiness of women towards eachother. Why? Why are we always tearing eachother down ladies? What is the use of talking behind eachother's back? What is the use of this artistic pretension? Yeah--- I haven't spent much time with the group lately.... I'm thinking that's a good thing.

I have had a lot more time and desire to talk to friends on the phone this week since I have not been catching up with everyone on Facebook. I went to see a band with a friend and danced like a crazy person and smiled and smiled and loved the ones who build me up instead of tear me down.

I will soon visit my dear dear friend in Oregon and we are making plans on what to do with our time together. We are both girl scouty types.... so we will camp at the ocean :-) Good stuff!

2 weeks to my soul shakedown :-)

Anyway-- can you tell that I am feeling a little bit silly these days?

I have been visiting a lot of my past and seeing my future and reflecting on my choices :-)

And TRYING TO KEEP IT REAL!

Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal Day Has Arrived!

2011-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

I am very excited to announce the very first Artisan Clay Design Team Challenge Blog Hop!

This month I decided to let each member of the design team choose a bead for themselves. The photos above were what they had to choose from. I really love this metallic bronze glaze and as soon as I made these funky link focals I have been dying to see them in action.

Now for the reveal!

I had his crazy idea rolling around in my head. A few months ago I started to have all these ideas for a photo shoot with feathers. I want feathers in my hair, feathers in my hat, feathers on my purse. I want to have a fun feathery time, put on some sunglasses and pretend it's not me and glam it up :-)

Ask my friends, I went on for weeks about this and that.

It still would be fun to try.

I didn't get that far--- but I did buy some feathers and I did work out the hows and whys of adding them to this necklace. I found it both tricky and fun, because for me, tricky makes it fun. I like to try to figure out new skills with out being told how to do it. That might be the hard way, but my brain likes the adventure.

So, what do you think? I wonder what they would think of it at the office.

Want to see the what everyone else on the team came up with? I sure do!

Follow the links below to all of our design team blogs.

If you are checking in early, and there is not at least 7 blogs listed below, check back as everyone links up.

If you have blogged about your creation using an Artisan Clay Art bead, please add your link below and let us all see what you have made!

Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal Tomorrow!

2011-04-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

Our reveal day is the last Friday of April (THAT'S TOMORROW!) and I would like to invite YOU to join us!

Our Awesome Design team has been hard at work this month making, making, making with their Metallic Bronze Beads. Tomorrow we will share our designs!

If you have blogged about anything made with Artisan Clay Beads this month I invite you to link up to our reveal post tomorrow as well.

Or..... maybe you are the last minute type, or are looking for a fun project for today???? Maybe?

Maybe you have some Artisan Clay beads hanging around your beads stash just waiting for their moment to be worked with.... maybe you like to have a deadline, goal, challenge.....? I invite you to use your Artisan Clay beads in a design this month, blog about it and on April 29th add your link to our reveal party! Contact me if you have any questions :-) artisanclay (@) hotmail.com or via etsy convo :-)

Make something or not, please join us for the fun tomorrow!

Button Swap Blog Hop!

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

She's Cute!
Welcome to the my blog!
My little starshine fell in love with the Super sparkly button that my partner Shannon For my Sweet Daughter sent me. She begged me to make a necklace for her with it..... She's the kind of girl who usually get's what she wants.

And it fits me to! That's a bonus.

It's very simple-- but for a little girl, I didn't want to go too crazy. Shannon said that her mother gave her this button and when I mentioned that my daughter was begging for a necklace, she said go for it!

And here is what I did with the other 3 buttons that Shannon sent me. The ultra thin shell beads and the handmade ceramic dragon fly by beadfreaky on etsy seemed to fit perfectly with a little beady care package that my friend Staci- (Staci Louise Originals) dropped off for me a few months ago. The style reminds me of Staci too. Maybe because these are the style of stones that she likes to use in her work.

It just all jumped together in a few minutes. It makes me feel like walking on the beach in a long cotton hippy skirt, yes it does :-)

I've been inspired to make quite a bit more buttons lately. Here's all the buttons that I fired this Monday. I like how they turned out and I will be making more!

Commenting on this blog post will get you a chance to win this lovely green and brown Button!

And there's more! Michelle Mach has a giveaway on her master blog hop blog. Here's a few of her words on it--
You might also want to tell your readers about the giveaway--if readers comment on any (or all) blogs, they can win a set of buttons. The full rules will be on my blog, but basically, each comment on a different blog gets them one entry. So if they comment on all posts, that would be 25 entries! But if they comment 25 times on Lori's blog, that only counts as one entry! The giveaway is open to everyone.

Today I am actually spending in air travel to visit family for the Easter Holiday, so I will not be able to check out everyone's blogs or announce a winner until next week sometime.... you'll have to check back- I'm not going ot pin it down, since I have so many obligations next week... but be sure I'll announce it and contact the winner shortly.

***************************************

1. Cat - Boo Beads

2. Cindy - Sweet Bead Studio

3. Cory - Art with Moxie

4. Cyndi - Beading Arts

5. Dita - Alankarshilpa

6. Donna, Marti, and Michelle - Beads & Books

7. Erin - Treasures Found

8. Hope - Crafty Hope

9. Inca - Zerenity Design

10. Katrine - Army of Sock Monsters

11. Krista - French Elegant Jewelry

12. Kristie - Artisan Clay-- That's me!

13. Linda D. - Lutka and Co.

14. Linda L. - Linda's Bead Blog

15. Lody - Lody's Beadworks

16. Lori - Pretty Things

17. Loretta - Loretta's Boutique

18. Malin - Beading by Malin de Koning

19. Mary - MK's Creative Musings

20. Maryanne - Zingala's Workshop

21. Melinda - Melinda Orr Metal & Clay Jewelry Designs

22. Saskia - Perlendistel

23. Shannon - For My Sweet Daughter

24. Shirley - Beads and Bread

25. Stephanie - Confessions of a Bead Hoader
***************************************

Thanks for coming!

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

2011-04-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

I just opened up the kiln and I'm sneaking a quick post before serving breakfasts and heading to the buses....
Did you ever have an idea so simple, that you just have to shake your head and wonder what took so long to figure it out?
Here it is! Buttons and Donuts in my standard sizes. Well Duh!

I'm really happy with the results. Maybe now I can get some more buttons into knitting and sewing shops.... because that is the next step to total world domination after all ;-) Maybe that should say-- paying for summer camp...... ;-)

I'm off to the office and when I return this evening I will put my etsy shop on vacation mode while I travel to Kansas City for the Holiday with my Dad and his family.
And of course I am only announcing this because my husband and MIL and ATTACK DOG will be guarding the house :-)

And I had my 700th sale over the weekend! YAY!
Stop back Thursday for our Button Swap Reveal posts! My partner is Shannon AKA For My Sweet Daughter! That's Thursday! And comment on as many different blogs as you can for chances to win fabulous prizes from Michele Mach our fearless leader!

What's new?

2011-04-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Bright Beautiful Turquoise Donut

Business First-- http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/ is having a Tax Sale! Now through the end of Tax Day you can use the coupon code TAXTIME to receive 15% off your purchase in my etsy shop.

Also, my limited time clearance section will disappear tomorrow!

There is less than a week left to stop by my trunk show in North Kansas City, MO. I will travel out to KC at the end of the week and pick up my work. So.... if you are in the area, stop by the friendliest bead shop in town and tell them I sent you :-) (there is a link at the top right of the blog to the shop's website complete with directions )

Greens and Browns Donut

I am only 4 sales away from reaching another 100 sales in my etsy shop. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while, know that I like to give away a FABULOUS prize to the wonderful customer who makes that little etsy counter hit 100!

A little different Turquoise Rectangle

A little while ago, a very nice bead shop owner pointed out to me that almost all of my beads and pendants are round.... I thought that maybe I should change that, so here are a few new pieces in rectangles! I hope you like them as much as my round pieces.

A little different Bright orange Abstract

And then the life stuff--Don't read this if you don't care! It's not pleasant.

Crazy days!

I started having panic attacks this week. I just started thinking about everything that is going on and I just felt like I couldn't handle it. It was really crazy-- I mean crazy, crazy!!

My travel plans, the Girl Scout trips for the kids, family, my house being a construction site, getting ready for the trunk shows, doing the taxes, my husband being out of work, paying the bills, my dog couldn't walk on his one leg, my brain was just going out of control.

I was just watching the other people in my household nap all day and I'm trying to deal with everything and I'm exhausted.

Cobalt Blue Abstract

I was so exhausted that I passed out on the couch with the kids Friday night. I was awakened at 3 am by a drunk driver crashing into our 2 parked cars 15-20 feet from my sleeping head. My car was in pieces and now sitting at a diagonal, and was forced into my MIL's car parked in front of it causing much damage to her car. So... now my husband hasn't worked in a few weeks and the household is out 2 cars.... This is the third drunk driving accident at our house in the past few months!

Bright green Abstract

I was so glad for the howling rain yesterday. I was so out of sorts. I really needed a day off. I had to deal with insurance agents and I had to do a lot of work on beads for my next trunk show.

I'm still feeling crazy. I heard the fire whistle last night and freaked out. I would be really happy to just stay home today and hug my kids. The sun is shining and I'm going to hibernate in my PJ's and get my new beads ready to fire. I really don't want to deal with trying to figure out how to buy a new car, and even just trying to get myself to work this week. I am the only one working after all...

I should be ok soon... Everything is just so uncertain right now. But that's what's new.

I'm still here! and Etsy shop clearance....

2011-04-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

I made a Clearance section in my etsy shop today.   Everything is listed a wholesale pricing or better.... these things have been lingering at the back of my etsy shop for a while and at the end of the week they will disappear forever. So... If you want them, get them while you can.

I've been really quiet the past week or two. There were a few things I told myself I needed to take care of before I could blog and etsy again.

1)Taxes....oh the taxes.... I have finished my part and the tax lady will do the rest in an hour or so.

2)And then there is the situation of my beaders' butt.... yep, It's been getting worse these past few years as I have switched mostly to online sales verses doing all the set up and tear down of shows almost every weekend.   It's funny, but the set up and tear down really was good exercise.   So last week I got back on the wagon. I joined weight watchers again. I joined the first time 10 years ago. Things have changed. I hope I do well. 20 pounds-- It's a lot. I have a really crazy sugar addiction and when on a diet, I think of nothing else. So.... this may be the all food talk all the time blog, because I'm hooked on the junk!   I find it takes a lot of time cooking for yourself to lose weight. I'll be obsessed for at least the next 3 months , look forward to it ;-)

3) The garden: I usually have a lot of stuff planted around St Patricks Day..... This year I didn't really get to it until last weekend. So now I have potatoes and peas and sugar snap peas and lettuces and onions and a couple of Blueberry bushes planted. I also got to meet a new friend. Jenn is a organic vegetable farmer/ ginormous pumpkin grower wizard. She showed me around her greenhouse and gave me a great couple of lessons on starting/ transplanting seedling. She showed me around her garden and we talked about driving your own business, talking business with customers and we talked about how be both have second jobs now but still drive our own businesses to do better etc...   Then every day I've been messing around with my seedlings and garden.

4) and then there's the next trunk show.... It's a double--- I've been working on new standard sized donuts, YAY! they'll be done soon. and.... now that my portion of the taxes are done, I jumped out of bed and glazed some beads and loaded them up, and the kiln is firing right now.

OK! Tax time!   Check out my clearance sale on etsy before next Monday!

The Beads...join us

2011-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

So..... With all this design team talk, you might be curious what beads the team will be working with this month.

Here they are! I fired this batch of beads over the weekend and on Monday the team members each picked a piece to work with.

They are all fired in a yummy metallic Bronze glaze. I have been in LOVE with this glaze lately!

I am SO EXCITED to be able to see it in action on our reveal day.

I added a bunch of these new pieces to the etsy shop last night....and some will go into my trunk shows in Oregon for May.....

So.... here are the beads that the team will be working with. They are all out in the mail service right now headed to their new owners.
Our reveal day is the last Friday of April and I would like to invite YOU to join us!
Maybe you have some Artisan Clay beads hanging around your beads stash just waiting for their moment to be worked with.... maybe you like to have a deadline, goal, challenge.....? I invite you to use your Artisan Clay beads in a design this month, blog about it and on April 29th add your link to our reveal party!

Make something or not, please join us for the fun at the end of the month!

feel free to contact me via my etsy shop http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/ or via email artisanclay (at) hotmail.com if you have any questions ... :-)

Announcing the Artisan Clay Design Team!

2011-03-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to announce the 2011 Artisan Clay Design Team!

The Design Team Members are

Marcie Abney

Shannon Chomanczuk

Susan Kennedy

Carol Dean Sharpe

Staci Louise Smith

Jen Velasquez

Our Designers will receive their Design Challenge Beads at the beginning of each month.
Look for our Design team reveal posts on the last Friday of the Month!

We also have some great Guest designers scheduled in the coming months.
I am VERY EXCITED!

Happy Day

2011-03-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say how happy I am that my call for design partners has been so well received!

I thank you so much! I wish I could take everyone, but I don't think I will be able to manage. A friend had a great idea. She suggested that I have a core team that I work with for a longer period of time and a guest member each month. I like that idea because then more people are able to participate.

What do you think?

I will make my final decisions this weekend and let everyone know at once. I am SO EXCITED!

As far as my part, I have already been inspired to glaze some new work and I hope to get it fired this weekend. I drove to the clay store this morning.(DelVal) I picked up 3 new clays. Really I wanted one new clay and to stock up on "my" clay, but when I arrived, I was told that they are not going to be stocking Standard Supply brand clay. So.... I came home with 3 new clays instead. My potter's group is planning to have a custom clay mixed up from Ceramic Supply of NY and NJ... some 3000lbs of this saggar firing mixture will be delivered to my business. I'm going to have to see if I can get "my" clay along with that order.

So.... look for some different work from me in the next months as I try out the new clays. Every clay works differently and will cause me to make beads that relate to how the clay moves, dries, fires. So things should be different and exciting. Different is good :-)

The future is so promising! Happy Day!

An opportunity--and look what I made.

2011-03-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

You can skip to the bottom colored area for the opportunity part--

I found my jewelry making desk last night.

It had been hiding behind a pile of half sorted Artisan Clay beads and bead trays that had gone out of control with dividing and combining and newly made additions and half finished projects and ideas to be kept for future reference. I was nervous to get started, since it has been so long since I have made any finished jewelry. What if I had forgotten how to make jewelry? What is my style at this point in time? And then there is the stubborn part of my nature who simply cannot handle being like the crowd... What if ~gulp~ I end up making something that looks trendy? I know, I'm a little bit weird, and there are tons of folks who do very well in life by being agreeable, but I am not those people. Alas.... always searching out a challenge, always being difficult.

-I'm not saying that I don't like the current trends or that popular styles aren't popular for a reason ;-)

-I'm not saying the things I made last night were the most inventive new jewelry pieces in all of the world or anything, I just always want to be sure to be the me I need to be, that's all :-) I was experiencing a little nervous block.

So-- I did end up making a few new things. I made a secret necklace for the Button Swap with 3 of the buttons that my partner Shannon Chomanczuk (For my Sweet Daughter) sent me.

I made the chain necklace above with some of my new "porcelain chain link" beads. It felt good to make. Those beads have been sitting in limbo for quite a while, stewing in my brain. So- now I made something with them and so now I can make more beads and let other people have a few :-)

And I made a pair of earrings. Now my Etsy shop is back to having an earring section once again.... (with 1 item in it)

So I've made and sold what seems like a million beads these past months/year/decade. I wonder what has become of them. I want to see them in use. I want to be inspired by the way you use them to make more!

This is the opportunity part...

I would like to start a design team. I would like you to be a member. Artisan Clay Design team members will receive Artisan Clay beads for their use in their artwork. I ask that you blog/(or otherwise share on social media) how you use them.

Interested parties should contact me via email at artisanclay @ hotmail.com Please tell me why you would like to be an Artisan Clay design team member, your website links, and what types of my beads you like the most.

I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know you better.

What's new?

2011-03-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

Double sided Blue Burst Pendant/Connector
Things finally settled down around Artisan Clay land and I was able to get a few new beads listed in the etsy shop this evening.

Side 2 of the piece above

With such a busy spring, It feels like I've needed to square away a lot of details this week in order to keep it all running smoothly. It seems like squaring things away has included tons of time emailing and phone calling and working out schedules with a lot of people.

Blue and Turquoise Recycled glass pendant/charm

I booked plane tickets for 6 to go to Kansas City for Easter weekend, and I booked a plane ticket for myself to run away to Oregon for a week in May. It feels great to have that all settled. I almost have all the arrangements made for my children while I am away.

Set of 2 bronze/black rectangle connectors

I still don't have a Oregon Trunk show lined up, but I am talking to someone.... I mailed beads out to Kansas City on Friday and I got word today that they have arrived.

Blue and green Flattened oval
Some of you that know me on facebook might know that I have a Girl Scout troop for my 2 daughters. This weekend we went on our first camping trip. The girls are mostly in second grade and my younger daughter is in kindergarten. It was crazy this week trying to figure out what I needed to do to get ready for a camping trip with 10 little girls.... Because I never would have thought that I would at this place in life, but I am.

Aqua/Burgundy/Black Connector pendant

I am trying very hard to do a lot for my daughters this year. I have done fine art and bead shows since I was pregnant with my oldest and that made me very unavailable for them on the weekends. This year I am trying very hard to do my work in a way that also lets me do things for them socially....

I am really lucky to have been matched up with a wonderful lady as co-leader. We are just there to build some positive happy little ladies and give them some tools for life :-) and just let them be them :-) And they are so freaking cute in their bunks keeping each other up at night and cleaning latrines and cooking for each other and roasting marshmallows. It's been a real learning experience for me. I am learning a lot about different personalities. There are 2 girls who are always appearing right by my side. My co leader is a therapist-- so that really helps! I'm often asking her what to do with the kids emotional issues and she is so great for building them up.

Stone age Stoneware Clay Disc Beads

We are taking the Girlies out next month for a 2 night camping trip. This time it will be all the Girl scouts in our area at the camp at once. There will be @250 ladies there and we are supposed to run an activity for all of them.... with the theme of Colombia....

Double Sided Bronze Pendant

And that is when I started emailing with my Zumba instructor trying to hire her to work all of that out for us...... It turns out there are a few traditional Colombian dances.... Because... what the heck are we to do with 250 kids running through an activity station in a day. Yeah... I'm not really sure about that one. I may be MIA around the end of April while I try to figure that out.

Side 2 of Bronze Pendant
Our troop was also asked to start seeds for a veggie garden that we are supposed to plant for our local food pantry... I don't know how that is going to work out either. Wish me luck! and if you have any tips PLEASE let me know :-) I have not had much success starting seeds indoors in the past.

Slate Blue Pendant

So -- this explains why I have been a neglectful blogger these past months. Planning trips and trunks shows and doing the things I can for my girls.

Powder Blue Connector Pendant

I still haven't planted my early spring veggies in my own garden. I did get a few potatoes in the ground and I moved my strawberries to a sunnier location, but I still need to figure out how to trellis my peas so that I can get them started.

Teal and Powder Blue Charm

So that's what's new! Life! Family!

Do you plant any early veggies? Which ones?

Artisan Clay Etsy Shop Update Tonight!

2011-03-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

I am going to be updating my www.ArtisanClay.Etsy.com shop this evening @ 7pm EST! Everything you see here and more will be in my shop by the end of the night! You can follow along on my Facebook fan page for first pick!

State of your Studio--a bit of the week

2011-03-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Friday--making beads... the kids were making hats.

Stamping the cards for the Bead Cruise beads

All sanded

Empty and headed to pick up my Trunk Show beads on Friday afternoon

Packing beads for Bead Boutique Kansas City, MO on Monday

I stalled out when I realized that I didn't have any more bubble wrap... Picked some up at the shop on Tuesday.

All packed up

Beads and Tally Sheet and tape and paper and it's all done :-)

Buttons-- A question?

2011-03-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to collect an inventory of buttons these past few months. I have been trying to make a few more in each firing. I recently signed up for Michele Mach's Button Swap and found out that my partner is Shannon (ForMySweetDaughter)....

I have a question for you-- I would love to know your opinion. DO you think that I should add buttons to my trunk shows in Bead Shops? Or should I keep them separate and offer them to knitting and sewing shops?

And the Winners Are....

2011-03-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

And the winners are....
Mimi! and Carol Dean! Thank you all SO MUCH for coming to the blog yesterday and all your wonderful comments... I really love hearing from everyone. Mimi-- Could you please email me with your address? artisanclay @ hotmail.com
I think I am going to have to make some more of those flowers! All the pieces I added to the etsy shop yesterday are already gone.

Today I hope to get the rest of my Bead Cruise Sponsorship beads packed up and carded up and on their way to Heather Powers. Here's a picture of @50 or so pieces bagged up to go. I wonder if I can get my daughter to tape business cards onto the bags for me before she heads to kindergarten for the day. ?

And then maybe get more beads ready for my next Trunk show and work on the kids room some more and, and, and..... I see a lot of evening bead making in my future this week....

Mondays are always so busy while I try to finish up all of Artisan Clay's business from the weekend before I head to my office job with my brother for the week.
?Do you have a "busy studio day"?

Welcome to my Work, Studio, Home, Garden!

2011-03-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

First things first! Welcome to my Blog! Welcome to my Studio, my home and my garden!

I am super happy to be participating in the Beads-of-Clay Blog hop again!

Don't forget to stop by all the "live" blogs from 1-4pm today for their "live" giveaway 1/2 hour windows! A few of us are participating in the hop, but are not doing the "live" posting.... in these giveaways, you have a longer comment window in order to be entered to win. My giveaway winners will be announced on Monday. We all have specials going on in our online shops for a limited time.

Use coupon Code BOCOPENSTUDIO gets you 25% off your order and special Spring Cleaning HANDMADE BEAD SURPRISES IN YOUR ORDER

Here is a little sample of some of the beads that I make. I use mostly stoneware clay, but sometimes work in porcelain or whatever suits my mood... This week I have been working on a few new pieces inspired by my friend and jewelry designer Staci Louise Smith.

and this leads me to Giveaway #1..... Hot out of the kiln...

A lovely spring flower. Comment on this post for a chance to win the piece shown here.

The kiln shed is a mess from a winter of working to load and unload the kiln, but the cold and my schedule chasing me out while leaving tools lie. Mice have made their winter shelters and yard tools and summer toys are piled high.

My Daughter Sonya (6) is almost finished painting her Enormous Fairy Statue. We often work together. She tells me that one day she will have a shop and sell my work. That would be a lot of fun.

And also still warm...

My second giveaway! Again leave a comment below... leave one comment leave six comments... I don't care. Let me know you came :-)

I have been feeling the Spring coming and I feel the pace of life changing. My messy home has been driving me crazy and stubborn as I am, I have tried to find a way for everyone to better clean up after themselves. I totally understand that I make HUGE messes in all the crazy things I do..... and that's more reason for everyone else to clean up after themselves, right? Picking up after myself alone is a full time job! ha! So here's the improved system... See the different cube bins? Everyone has one, even the dog. (Our dog Samson's box is turned around so that he can't open it with the handle-- because he was quite obsessive about doing just that) This replaces the large containers to the right which used to house all the winter hats, gloves etc.. for the entire family. Maybe we can handle keeping track of personal property better than rooting through communal property? Maybe? I hope so.

The kids and I are still working on their room. My goal is to get rid of the toy box. We have a place for dress up clothes, a place for each girl's jewelry and make up, a place for Lego's and barbies and horses... and we're still working on it. I have to wait for more shelves to arrive at the store in order to finish the job.

Spring means gardening to me. I grew the beans and potatoes picture last year and I will replant with them again this year. I'll be outside planting peas and sugar snaps and snow peas and lettuce and bok choi and potatoes and onions the weekend after St Patricks Day. I might not be able to wait that long to start planting onions. And there is starting seeds inside as well. Very soon indeed! I love planting veggies! I plant my yard to the max and my mom and I have 2 community garden plots. This year I will also be planting a garden that is grown for a local pantry. I don't know where I am going to find the time, but I always do in the end.

I did a little experiment this winter... I planted and relocated a few things as I was cleaning out the garden for the winter. I put a sheet of glass over the bed and I peeked in every once and a while to see what happened. Even in the snow and not shoveling the snow off the glass for a week or more sometimes-- things still grew. It was great to have these little babies out under the snow.... but a little rodent found them and moved into my little salad bar during the snow storms and ate quite a bit of what had grown bigger. It was a fun experiment and new sprouts keep popping up even now. I took the pictures here yesterday.

If everything goes well with the family today, then I will be listing the extra flowers pictured above in my etsy shop while we do our normal Sunday night routine.... PBS-- Nature and Masterpiece Theatre... I don't even know what they will be airing this evening, but I hope to be relaxing on the couch and listing on etsy by then :-)

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for your comments! I don't always get back to everyone who comments, but I do really appreciate when you let me know what you think!

SALE TIME!

2011-03-05T03:11:00.000-08:00

SALE! It's Beads-of-Clay Open Studio Blog Hop time again! COUPON CODE BOCOPENSTUDIO gets you 25% off your order and special Spring Cleaning HANDMADE BEAD SURPRISES IN YOUR ORDER! ~Now through Sunday March 6th.~

I will also be posting my Open Studio Blog Giveaways and Spring themed posts on Sunday Morning. 2 Winners will be announced on Monday. Tons of great Ceramic Bead goodness will be going on by many of our Beads-of-clay members.

There will be new work added to the shop this weekend, but not til late afternoon on Saturday and mid-morning on Sunday..... There's actually a little bit of a bead shortage around Artisan Clay land... even though I keep making more, much of it is promised out already.

I did get the kiln loaded up yesterday and start to fire as soon as I can get the nerve to go outside in the dark cold of this end of winter-- so close to spring- morning ;-)

I have been packing up beads to head out to Heather Powers for her Bead Cruise at the end of the month-- WOW-- It's fun packing them up, but it looks like I only made 50 or so disc beads in my last firing... time to make some more :-)

So....SALE and new work coming to the shop this weekend... then probably there will be less new work in the etsy shop for a time while I make things for trunk shows, and get my jewelry retailers restocked and I do a bit of traveling-- ok for me it is a lot of traveling :-) 4 trips before June-- how am I going to pull that off? It should be fun.

Trunk Show EXTENDED! And Open Studio BLOG HOP SALE this weekend!

2011-03-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

Philly folks!

The Artisan Clay Trunk Show at The Bead Garden in Havertown has been extended for one more week!

Get 'em while they're hot folks! After this week my beads will be packed up in a big box heading to Kansas City, MO... So, if you are in the Philly area... go to the Bead Garden... If you are in the North Kansas City area.... check back for more details about my next Trunk Show scheduled to begin around Mid-March....

And if you are nowhere near either of those areas..... come by this blog and my Etsy Shop this weekend and SHOP my BEADS OF CLAY OPEN STUDIO BLOG HOP SALE AND GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA! ha!

If I'm really hardworking and I don't get dressed and don't stop for food ( for either myself or my children) than I might have some really fun experimental beads to share with you... on Sunday..... to giveaway.... maybe.

And if I don't then I will still have a killer sale and great bead studio spring cleaning surprises in every order.

SandFibers 5th Anniversary Giveaway!

2011-03-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

Carol Dean has just celebrated her 5th Etsy Anniversary! I am very thankful for that!
I met Carol through her work on Etsy and Flickr.
She is giving away this Gorgeous Necklace Featuring a handmade Cabochon by Kristie Roeder of Artisan Clay-- Hey that's me!

That's not all-- Carol is also giving away Gift Certificates to her Etsy Shop.
You can stop by Carol's Blog and enter to win one of the many prizes...... or not and leave me with better chances :-D

Look What Staci Made! And what's new?

2011-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

I love it!
I made the Flower-cupish bead at center.
Staci bezeled a fossil for the bottom part of the focal. She's so super fancy!
Check out Staci's Blog here

I'm been a busy bead maker this past few weeks. My birthday sale was a much bigger success than I imagined it would be and so was my last trunk show and so I have been a very busy bead maker. I fired the kiln again yesterday and made a bunch of new disc beads for Heather Power's Bead Cruise. I also have my next Trunk show lined up in Kansas City, Missouri.... because I'm taking myself and my daughter's to Kansas City for Easter and why not schedule my next trunk show to be picked up in person??? Yes! Why the heck not?

Next I should schedule a trunk show in the Portland area I think... Why the heck not? I'm sending myself on a vacation to see my great friend Debra. Because I love her and I miss her. And I don't let many people close to me and she is very close to me.... yet very far--- Eugene Oregon to my Philly burbs far.

I can't really believe how busy my spring is with travel and camping trips. I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years and now I'm going on 2 vacations and 2 camping trips before June! I am very excited, yet very nervous that I'm not going to be able to handle my workload with all this fun. --And be the awesome momma my kids deserve at the same time.

I am 99.99% sure that these little hearts are in the current issue of Stringing Magazine..... I have seen a photo of the layout online and I have been told by a customer that they saw the earrings in the Magazine, but I have not yet seen a copy or received my earrings back in the mail. I think that there is even a second pair of earrings in the issue that I designed... but these things get fuzzy for me, as they happen so far in advance and I don't usually contribute very often. So... once I get a copy, I'll do a little "fancy like in the magazines" post.

So all the beads in this post are in my etsy shop as of this moment and more new pieces not pictured.... and soon I will add things from yesterday's firing... As soon as I pick out pieces for the Bead cruise and for my greedy little self!
Oh yeah! I get to go to the Berks Bead Bazaar in Reading this weekend with my girlie Staci and squeeze some hugs out of Joan Miller and Lisa Peters! Watch out ladies! I'm gonna get you! It's been too long!

BOC--Second Saturday State of your Studio

2011-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

So-- yesterday was my birthday! I had a blast! My mom came over with 2 cakes. 2! We ate sugary deliciousness after lunch and then I got back to work making some beads, and pendants, and a button or two... and something just for my enjoyment-- little barrettes! Whooo hoo! I LOVE my little barrettes! I haven't made them in quite a few years. I used to joke around. I love them so much that I would never offer them for sale. They are perfect! I used to say that only people I REALLY liked could have them. yep, I'm not very nice sometimes ;-)

This lovely lady hangs around with me in the studio. It's a birthday card that my mom gave me a few years back. I just love her! She says "You're just starting to Blossom"

This was the shipping situation this morning after some clean up. I always seem to spill over onto the floor as well.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I am sorry to be so Fast! It seems to be the way. If I'm not super fast blogging in a stolen minute, then I'm not blogging at all. I really wanted to add my studio post. I think this is my 3rd month in a row.

This post is for the Second Saturday State of your studio run by Marsha on the Beads-of-Clay blog.

You can play along too! You don't have to make clay beads to add your link to the blog!

ALSO

While I'm talking about Beads-of-Clay---- there is going to be another Open Studio Blog event at the beginning of March. As usual, something will probably come up and I will have to pre-schedule my posts again, but.... look forward to all the participants holding special sales and giveaways! --- I will add a button to my blog, as soon as I can find a minute.

As for now, I'm off for a kindergarten Valentine's Day party! Sugar! Pink! Whoo Hoo!

Last Chance for my SALE! 31% off!

2011-02-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm just adding a quick post to let you know that this is the last chance to shop my Etsy Birthday sale. I added all this and more to my etsy shop this weekend. Some of it is already gone, but some of it was just added a few minutes ago.

Use coupon Code 31YEARSYOUNG to get 31% off your purchase.

Birthday SALE!

2011-02-11T04:41:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday on Sunday and I'm having a sale to celebrate! Sales are fun!
I am really excited about the year ahead of me. Things really turned around for me in the second half of the past year, and I'm really happy.
Here's the sale part. Use coupon code 31YEARSYOUNG and get 31% off your purchase this weekend.
As long as things are selling, I will continue to trickle new items into my etsy shop over the course of the weekend. Quite a few people already noticed my sale and I thank you! If you want, you can purchase items through out the weekend and pay at the end.... I would like to mail any new orders out on Monday.
Thanks!

new

2011-02-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Contemplating things about my business this week.
Thinking on a new project- don't know where I found the energy for all the scheming, but I'm happy for it.
Ideas, plans, talking with friends-- if it goes nowhere, so what! The scheming is dreamy, the doing is grand. I'm not in a rush. Enjoy
Planning a trip, too.
Spring is in the air, drip drop, thawing. I saw some fresh green in a moss today. The light is brighter.
Anyway-- I found this in the bottom of a warm kiln this morning.

Trunk Show at The Bead Garden!

2011-02-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

I set up a trunk show at The Bead Garden in Havertown, PA yesterday! What a great shop! I could not believe how much great inventory Leslie has in her store. There was lots of activity when I was there too! Fun place!

I left a small display of beautiful jewelry made by GREAT ladies like Carol Dean Sharpe (Sandfibers), Staci Smith (Staci Louise Originals) and yours truly...

I included tons of charm sets in the show.

and lots of smokefire,

and hearts and pendants and cabochons of course!

I wish I had better photos for you. My camera has been acting really poorly lately. It just hasn't been the same since my trip across the country last spring. I guess my next purchase will be a new camera, Do you have any suggestions for a good one? I would really love to know your experiences! I have really enjoyed my Nikon Coolpix for the past *cough* 7 or 8 years :-)

Fancy Like in the Magazines- and the winner is....!

2011-02-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

So... I'm so fancy. You know, fancy like in the magazines :-)
Bead Unique featured my beads in the gallery section of the current issue.
So fancy! and it's a really good issue! You know, sometimes I just don't like the projects in some magazines in every issue. This one I do! SO there! Good ONE Bead Unique!
Some cool folks like Diana Ptaszynski (Suburban Girl Studios) and Diane Hawkey have their work in this issue too!

That's my blue pendant in the bottom corner there :-)

So Who won already?
The winner is Shannon C! Who Hoo!
She said--
For My Sweet Daughter said...

What a lucky girl! I would love, love, love a copy of bead unique. $ is tight and magazines are def. not in the budget right now!

Shannon C

Hey Shannon--- send me a quick note with your address and I'll get it out to you ASAP!
Thanks to everyone who entered!
Look for some fun stuff coming up in the next weeks since it will be my birthday soon and that also corresponds with my etsy anniversary....

Also, I had my 600th sale! yay! I am still deciding what to send with her order for a special surprise... I'm stalking her this evening, trying to pick up on her sense of style :-) That will go out in the morning!

New work!

2011-01-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

I just opened up the kiln.

Like I said, lots of new buttons

and roughly edged circles, I like 'em!

I always love the metallic glazes.
What do you think?
I'm going to try to load up again today, this time with more charms and pendants.

Giveaway winner! and working working

2011-01-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for all your great comments for my Blog partner giveaway!

And the Winner is........ Staci Louise and I didn't even rig it! At least I know you will check back to see if you won ;-)
Also, I have an extra copy of Bead Unique Magazine that I would like to give away. They sent me 3 copies! Please leave a comment below if you would like to have a chance to win the magazine. I'll announce the winner within a few days :-)

and working working...
I made some new beads pendants and buttons yesterday with my morning off because of the snow. I was really happy with how some of them were shaping up. I used a bisque fired pendant as a stamp and I think I love it. More concentric circles for me as usual but these have a rough edge to the concentric circle orderliness. As of now they are reminding me of oyster shells, but that could all change as I glaze them and get them fired.

And buttons! I am really working on the buttons! This firing may be 1/3 buttons. Fiber Artists rock my socks and I want to offer more for the great fiber artist and knitting/quilting/fabric/yarn shops out there.

So this weekend will be all about firing the kiln and getting ready for my next trunk show. I think it would be awesome to get a ton of trunk shows scheduled for this spring/summer..... then I could just go to all the bead shows and shop, instead of setting up booths.... just thinking out loud .... could be fun!

I heart U!

2011-01-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

I love her :-) I think this is the cutest, most gorgeous photo of my sunshine.

I made a few quick necklaces with the new heart charms this weekend.

It all started with this one that I made for myself. Then all of a sudden the kids had me making one for each of them and also for their friends. Both of my girls had sleepovers, on the same night! WHOOT!!! So I ended up making 5 necklaces, packing up the girls and EVERYONE went out to play with friends. You can tell I don't get out much-- but I sure know how to party when I do :-)

This photo of starshine got a bit blurry, but you can still see her cute necklace.

I picked up my trunk show at Bucks County Beads on Sunday. It went really well. I don't know how I am going to refill my stock before dropping off my next trunk show at The Bead Garden on February 5th! I'm sure I'll manage, but it will be tricky to pull off another firing before then. I ended up selling so many charm sets on etsy and at the trunk show in the past month and I'm running really low even though I just made more!
This is a good thing!

I am also REALLY REALLY close to my 600th etsy sale! I was thinking that it would be good to reach 600 before my birthday on 2/13, but at this rate I better figure out my fabulous prize for lucky #600 right away! Only ~5~ to go!

You guys are the BEST! and don't forget to enter the giveaway one post down :-)

I hope you had a great weekend!

Blog Partner Giveaway

2011-01-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

It's time for a giveaway!

I have been meaning to post this giveaway for quite a while. I received several great finds as part of the Rings and Things Blog Partner Program. Items were sent to me for free, for me to blog about etc... And I want to share them with you.

Aren't these little heads a riot? I can see them as frogs, lizards or aliens. I love those big kissable lips!

It was nice to see that Rings and Things has these fun jewelry blanks by Amate Studios. I met these guys at Bead Fest Philly 2 years ago. This should be great for all you resin lovers out there.

And lastly a set of my porcelain heart charms--

Leave a comment below, and I will choose a winner from your comments next Friday....as long as I don't have to set up a Trunk show that day. If I do, then I will announce a winner on Saturday.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Thanks for letting me know you are out there, and thank you to Rings-and-Things for the fun blog partner giveaways!

Giveaway Coming soon...

2011-01-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Just a little post to let you know that I will be hosting a giveaway tomorrow or Saturday with some of the goodies that I received as part of the Rings-and-Things blog partner program.... and some of my new heart beads :-)

Also, I am inching up on my 600th Etsy sale. That is the coolest thing EVER! You guys are the BEST! I LOVE YOU! You make making things awesome!

I have been blogging since before my 100th sale... and every time I hit another 100, I send a random thank you prize of FABULOUSNESS to the person who makes that little number counter hit the next 100. It might be beads, it might be pottery, it might be a tile box.... It could be anything, but I will have made it.

My goal it to hit the big 600 before my birthday next month. Think of me as your early valentines date :-)

anyway-- I didn't want anyone to miss the giveaway :-)

New work! Adding to the Etsy shop tonight!

2011-01-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

I just opened up the kiln this morning! Whoo Hoo! I am very excited about what I found inside!
I am going to be adding quite a few sets to the etsy shop this evening. You can check out my Facebook Fan Page-- Artisan Clay, if you would like to see what I am adding as I add it.

I am going to start with a bunch of these Charm sets. Then some glazed heart sets in Blue, Bronze and a color I am going to call, Heart of Stone...if I can get it all in... It's will take a while and may going into tomorrow night, too.

And I'll add some heart sets in this style this week, after those who requested them get their picks :-)

So Cute!

2011-01-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Some pretty cool ladies :-)

State of your studio--(BOC second Saturday---or after)

2011-01-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hey! It's Second Saturday State of your Studio time again! You actually have @ a month to post a photo of the state of your studio.... Just in case you want to play along. Marsha Neal Minutella does a blog post on the Beads-of-clay blog every month and anyone who wants to can post a link to their State of Your Studio Blog post. You should check it out! It is fun to see what everyone is up to!

Last night I was making what seems like a million little heart charms. I added some Heart Charm sets to my etsy shop this week and they seem to be really popular... So I got some special requests for more. I had made them in the first place as a donation for the Beads-of-Courage organization, since I became aware that they use purple and red heart beads for their patients. SO I since they were popular and since Beads-of-courage probably could use some more... I started a new batch. It's a big batch so that I can donate some and add some to etsy and maybe add some to a local trunk show.

Here's a shot of everything I have added to the etsy shop in the past couple of days.

Also hanging around the studio is a T-shirt project I am working up for my Girl Scout troop. This shirt has gold glitter on a green shirt. I like it! I am torn over what exactly to do with them for their T-shirts. I want them all to have cool looking shirts, but I want them all to be able to feel like they have design control, and maybe that means letting them go at shirts with fabric paint in as they wish. I just don't think that they will all have cool looking shirts that way ;-(

Oh yeah and there is a hat project too.... Of course I have ideas... too many ideas? sheesh!

The Best Little Bead Box

2011-01-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

Did you know that I was the last artist for the Best Little Bead Box project?

The box arrived on Christmas Eve and for once We didn't have big plans for that evening. We cooked a yummy feast and I poured over the contents of the boxes. The boxes had already spent time with many a well known beader before their time spent with me. We have writers, editors, instructors, and I guess we could even say TV stars ;-) involved.... and LITTLE OLD ME TOO! Crazy! How did I get invited into this gig? I'm a lucky lady!

So what is this project anyway?

12 beaders pass along this wonderful box of goodies each taking from it and "leaving it richer for the next, giving til it hurts just a little" The box swelled to to large flat rate boxes by the end and it is rich!

Next up the boxes are to be divided into groups and offered up to YOU!---> The proceeds from the boxes will be donated to the Beads Of Courage organization for it's work with children in hospitals and treatment centers across the country.

Check out the Best Little Bead Box Blog for all the details of it's journey so far and stay tuned for your opportunity to own the contents!

Here are some photos of beads I added to the box

Look What Kristi Bowman Made!

2011-01-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

That's my heart charm! Kristi won the charm from the Beads-of-Clay blog.
Check out what Kristi has to say about her bracelet on her blog--- http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/stone-age.html

Best Day EVER! Philly Art Museum via my children's eyes

2011-01-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun day today!
The girls and I went down to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for "pay what you wish day" which just so happens to be "family art studio day" Lucky us!
We woke up early and arrived shortly after the museum opened. They had lots of fun crafts to do with the theme of Around the World Sonya and I made beautiful carpets in paper with yarn fringe. Lydia made a Ganesha puppet and a miniature period furnished room. I really enjoyed making my little carpet. I just so happened to be thinkin' on things such as flowers and leaves in functional art.

While in the Art Studio the kids were going on about Pigasso. Soon enough I found his name spelled out for them and they could figure it out. Picasso Picasso Picasso... popular guy I guess ;-)

Sonya was obsessed with finding a picture of Picasso. OBSESSED! Repeat it 100 times and zig zagging through the rooms kind of obsessed. Not a picture by Picasso, it needed to be a picture OF Picasso. I was worried until we found this self portrait. She was so sure that he was going to have multiple noses. It was a let down.

The kids were so cute drawing each other's portraits on the car ride down and then sitting down as soon as we hit the impressionists to sketch out some landscapes.

And this is what I came for. That's what I needed--- the stroke I would like to master. It was great to see this after mulling over a concept, finding "the tool" to try it. I need to make time to sit down with it, but right now I am collecting ideas.... I think it will be much more about mastering the use of this tool I hope will help me make the effect......

Collecting architectural inspiration..... looks a bit like manufactured buttons.

This was adorable! Sonya sketching like crazy the little ceremonial Japanese tea house. She was SO serious. And we patiently waited.

another leaf and floral concept......

A Lovely Door!
We only made it though 2 or 3 wings.... and had lunch and went to the make and take craft. I don't think the kids are as into the Asian art as I am. I think that their impression of a lot of it was that they have sat through million of my documentaries on Asian Art, Architecture and culture and they've seen it all before a million times! Ha! Seeing these wonderful works live and in person and they are so cool mellow about it.
I can't wait to go back next time. I have the April Family Studio day written in on my calender. The kids and I had a blast!

Getting personal-- the past year

2011-01-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

     I have kept alot of my life private this past year. It's been really hard to keep it all to myself and my most trusted friends and family.  Writing helps, Sharing helps, but NO ONE likes to hear that things are really messed up. Even those trusted friends get tired of it.

This past year has been a crazy ride.

A lot of things happened that I did not cause but I had to fix..... because I have two wonderful children to take care of.   I have wondered if I would still be living in this house in a week, in a month, in a year... I still don't know.

I have said the words, "I'm done asking you to change. I'm not holding you up any more."
There were some really bad times and I am sure that translated into some weird vibes here on the blog from time to time.

My mind has changed and I look at my day to day differently now. I don't know what the future will bring, but I know that I am capable of anything I need to do and I am happy in myself.

I started a second job in January of 2010. It was a huge change for me and a really big learning experience. It was hard to let go of the routine I had working on my own business, but I love the freedom I feel in helping my brother realize his business goals.

I am very happy in my work here with Artisan Clay. I feel really really good about how things are going. I am so thankful for every one of you who has helped encourage me in my work. Your kind words mean so much to me. I love the people I have "met" here and I wish I had the time to blog everyday and keep up with all of you. As it is now I usually steal a few minutes late at night and read up on a few blogs each week. This is such a wonderful community. Of course I also love seeing the beads I make finding their way into happy homes.

I feel that I made a really big improvement in my outlook this year. I feel like I have been able to let go of "ego" a bit. I have been able to change my perception of the world and people in it and improve my well being. That's huge! I mean really!   My outlook is so much better.

Anyway... that's some personal stuff,    yeeeesh. I hope it's OK to vent.    I thank you for your support this past year, and I am very excited for the future.

Christmas Workshop --finished pieces

2010-12-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

I took a quick shot of Beth's worry jar for her Nana before she came and picked it up last week.

And I glazed my pot brown and acorny. Having shared our in progress photos, I really wanted to show the finished pots here.

My darling Sonya's work from this firing. The top left piece was made with a stamp that I picked up from Kelly aka Silver Parrot.

A local potter friend contacted me for 2 necklaces in this style a few days before Christmas. The one on the left remains. I am glad... because I have only made the one in that style and I would like to make another.

And I whipped this necklace up at the very last minute for a customer and mailed it out ASAP.

The year of the bean

2010-12-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

yes, bean

I'm into it. It'll be good for me.

I've even had a dream recently that I was sewing mung beans in the garden, even while realizing that the worst of the winter was still to come. A sleeping powerhouse.... sprouting life.

It's a slow food. Planning and soaking, I'm going to have to figure out some tricks. I have been bean curious for a few years now, always asking folks if they have any favorite legume recipes. No one really tells me any.... I don't think many people really eat beans around here.

yep, I'm into it. It will be good for me.

Heck yeah! I'm a rebel!

I've Been Revealed!!!!

2010-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

It's me!!! I'm the very last stop!
The kiln is firing and I'm super excited to see 1) what's inside and 2) What I have to add!
Check it out!
http://thebestlittlebeadbox.blogspot.com/2010/12/week-twelve-kristie-roeder.html

A Christmas Workshop

2010-12-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last week my friend Beth clued me in on her great Christmas gift idea for her Nana. She wanted to make a "worry jar" for her...and maybe I could help. I think that is the perfect gift for Nana.

Here's Beth! She hasn't made anything in clay since 7th grade when Ivan Belac, a blind potter, came into art class and helped everyone make a pot! Truth! Ivan Belac coming into art class in 7th grade is legendary--- he came to so many years of art classes. Beth's older sister, Debra, myself and Beth span @10 years of art classes at my guess. That brought back memories. I think my clay future was carved in Mrs. Barnacks art class. I used to convince other kids to let me wedge their clay for them.

Here is Beth's work! Nana's worry jar! with buttons!

Here is mine. We used Sandi Pierantozzi's method--- seen in this video-- http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/handbuilding-techniques/handbuilding-video-how-to-make-a-textured-tripod-pot-with-soft-slabs/#comment-5763
Sandi has done workshops with my potter's group, but I never made it to the workshops. This video crossed my path right after Beth's request and I thought it a perfect fit for her worry jar idea.

I also tried to make a planter for my brother.... I don't know if it is going to work. He said he saw a narrow linear planter for planting grass... for on your desk. He said this way back in June or July. So here it is. I gave it a try. We'll see how I feel about it when it is finished and how I feel about looking at it every day while at the office. The growing grass is supposed to be calming. I'm thinking Chia pet ;-) Beth says it should be made into a Dachshund shaped planter.... I don't know how to attach a head, and I suspect that would loose the Zen effect....

Trunk Show at Bucks County Beads!

2010-12-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

I set up a really big trunk show this Saturday at a great bead shop in Newtown, PA. Bucks County Beads is such a beautiful store! The Trunk Show is in store until January 11th. Kathy is also having a great trunk show of really good quality gemstone stands right now.

Here is a little taste of the pieces I have at the show. I sent all kinds of small charm sets, donuts, cabochons, pendants, smoke fired beads........

And Bead Sets too!

My girls and I went to the Camden Aquarium with our girl scout troop on Sunday. How I love those kids! We've been taking turns being sick and well and sick and well and it's been a day by day thing. We had been to the hospital with my youngest just two days before but we were all ok on Sunday. Now today it's my older daughter's turn to be sick and I'm home from my office job to take care of her. I'm really hoping not to get sick until my regular day off.......

Most of the time the kids were taking pictures.

I really like driving the Schuylkill Expressway -- I wouldn't want to drive it everyday, but I'm always headed some place fun when I'm on it. I love driving up and seeing the Art Museum next to the river. It is such a historic and impressive looking building.

They got some good shots on a really rainy day.

Head in the clouds.....

2010-12-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Adj. 1. head-in-the-clouds - guided by whim and fancy; "flighty young girls"

flighty, flyaway, scatterbrained

frivolous - not serious in content or attitude or behavior; "a frivolous novel"; "a frivolous remark"; "a frivolous young woman"

Oh boy,
I am supposed to be getting ready for a meeting with a bead shop tomorrow.... Somehow I am not concerned. I have a spreadsheet for that. I have a fancy case that makes things really easy.... I guess that I know that and that is why I'm not rushing around.

I am flying high above the earth. My insides are smiling.

I could blame the flakiness on waking up at 3 and taking my daughter to the hospital, but that's not it. (she's fine)

Last night I got together around 100 items for my daughter's school's Secret Shopper's shop. That felt really great. These things have been hanging around here for a few years.  Real vintage Artisan Clay....lol   I think some little girls would love to have them. ... And I would not. ;-)

I should be running around like crazy making things for everyone. Having big projects and plans for my business.   I always do that. I love a good mission.

But, I am up in the atmosphere, feeling the breeze. I am dreaming. Dreaming about my reality, because my reality is wonderful at this moment. I am young. I am accomplished. Time for bigger and better dreams. When you've crossed off your list, it's time to start another one, right?

Buttons-- I would like to make some buttons. One day soon.... My mind is on vacation today.

Giveaway Winners Announced!

2010-12-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

The winner of my Cyber Sale Giveaway is Gerry-- of Clay designs by Glee

Gerry has won everything in this picture above.... a gift certificate, Smokefired beads and these great focals from Rings and Things that I received as part of the Rings and Things Blog partner program.

And the winner of a set of my Disc Beads is My Life Under the Bus!

CONTACT ME with your addresses via my etsy shop, Artisan Clay

or send me an email at artisanclay @ Hotmail.com

Thank you to everyone who played along and stopped by to say, HI!

I really love it when you guys speak up and leave comments here on the blog.

There will probably be more giveaways coming up since I have gotten word that I will be getting another Rings and Things Blog partner package soon. Yay!

And don't forget to stop by the Beads-of-Clay blog where I often post giveaways and our wonderful authors often post challenges with great clay beady prizes :-)

Last day for my SALE and GIVEAWAYS

2010-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

I added all these items to my Etsy shop this week. Today is the last day to get them for Buy One Get One Half Off. and get a surprise smokefired bead of my choice with every 2 items purchased.

So--- you are warned. Also enter my 2 giveaways TODAY if that sort of thing interests you :-)

The one giveaway os on the Color Chip Challenge post, and that is for a set of my disc beads (kinda sort of similar to the style I used in the Urban Midnight necklace)

And the other Giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate and a pile of smokefired beads and a pile of great Stone Donut-ish focals from Rings and Things. That one is Titled Cyber Sale and Giveaway.

I may or may not add more charms and disc beads to my shop this evening/later today. I will see how family life plays out. We are excited to be headed to a Organic Farm for purchase our reserved Lamb and make Gyros for Dinner! Whoo Hoo Meat! I'm hungry! I am used to my husband hunting and I avoid the meat section of the grocery store so this is WAY TOO Exciting for our family. Ha! I'm a freak!

I hope you are having a great day!
-k

Color Chip Challenge ----Red Rebellion and Urban Midnight

2010-12-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

Red Rebellion

I have to tell you how much fun I had working on this Challenge! It speaks to me! I love color, and I had been feeling swarmed with "stuff" and not knowing what to do next. I make so many decisions for other people and organizations and I really was thrilled with someone telling me what to do. Weird, yes, but there is a certain measure of freedom in it.

This is my first color scheme. MicroChip, Barely There, and Red Rebellion. It was suggested that the kind-of Grey green Microchip be used as the wall color, Barely there as the trim and Red Rebellion as an accent.

So this is what I came up with. The Splash is the Red Rebellion Stone Coin bead gifted to me by my friend Staci of Staci Louise Originals. She stopped by last weekend to shop my Etsy sale via my home..... because she gets to root round in my entire stash that way :-) Smart girl :-)

In her beady friend awesomeness she came bearing gifts of fancy stones and pearls, and that big gorgeous Rebellion was one of them. I pulled out my color chips and let out a big "Ah ha! That's what I needed for this" So, Staci is Awesome...

Back on track-- I did use my own handmade ceramic beads in this piece, but true to name, they are in the Barely There part of the piece.

Lastly, the Microchip portion was made with Sesame Jasper and a Green "Marble" It was hard for me to see the true color of Microchip. It looked grey in the sample but green in it's use in the color chips' example room. So grayish green it is.

Urban Midnight

Here is my second color scheme... Because I lost my original and Erin kindly sent me a great assortment of replacements. Thank you Erin! I think I will make them all as I get the time.

OK the Colors are, Restoration Green, Urban Midnight, and Theatre Dress.

Here it is! Urban Midnight..... I have made this necklace design before, and I have been wanting to make it in more colors. I really like doing that. Finding a design that speaks to you and making it work in different color combos.... because I am all about the color.

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a set of Disc beads by yours truly, Kristie Roeder, Artisan Clay....
Oh Yeah! If you're into it, I posted a giveaway on my blog last week as well. The winner will be announced Sunday or Monday :-)

And hop on folks!

A blog hop wouldn't be complete without some hopping!

Be sure to stop and hop over to the other participants on the list below.

( I hope the links work! If not AND Just because.... Go to Erin's Blog for a full list and Giveaway--http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/ )

•Amy Freeland

•Beth McCord

•Brandi Hussey

•Cary Scholes

•Catherine Pruitt

•Cindy Wimmer

•Claire Maunsell

•Courtney Breul

•Cristi Clothier

•Cynthia Riggs

•Emanda Johnson

•Holly Westfall

•Janea McDonald

•Jeannie Dukic

•Jennifer Cameron

•Karyn White

•Keirsten Giles

•Kelly Morgan

•Kristie Roeder

•Kristin Stevens

•Lisa Godfrey

•Lisa Tracy

•Lori Anderson

•Mallory Hoffman

•Marie Voyer-Cramp

•Mary McGraw

•Nicole Keller

•Nicole Valentine

•Paige Maxim

•Patty Gasparino

•Rebecca Anderson

•Renate Stark-Krammer

•Sandy Richardson (Emanda's mom - bonus hopper!)

•Shannon Chomanczuk

•Sheila Summers

•Stefanie Teufel

•Yelisa Rojas

Color Hop

2010-12-02T17:42:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I am going to be a bit late on the hop... I have to get my kidlets off to school before I get my photos taken.

Please enjoy the cute puppy while I finish up :-)