January Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

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!

September Design team reveal-- Better late than never

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.

July Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

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!

Week in pictures

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

and this

and this

I made these earrings too...

They might be for me.

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

June Artisan Clay Design Team Reveal!

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!

Design Team Reveal Blog Hop!

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.