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!

New work! Adding to the Etsy shop tonight!

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 :-)

GIVEAWAY and CYBER SALE!

CYBER SALE! BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP!

(not including gift certificates) 

Enter to win everything pictured above by leaving a comment on this blog post below.

That  includes a $25 gift certificate, A pile of Smokefired Art beads valued at @$100 and Four faceted funky Stone Donuts from Rings-n-Things.  I received these stone pieces as part of the Rings & Things blog program.

 There's more-- you will get one free smokefired bead of my choice with every 2 items purchased.  Buy 2 items, get one smokefired bead-- buy 4 items get 2 smokefired beads,.... buy 10 items get, 5 smokefired beads--- ALL while getting the buy one get one half off sale pricing.    Why?  I just love surprise giveaways!  They make me smile-- that's why!

Also you will get one giveaway entry for every item purchased now through Sunday 12/5/10.

There is no purchase necessary to win, just leave a comment below.  If you would like an extra chance, you may leave a comment linking to your favorite item in my etsy shop or you may share the news of my sale on Facebook, twitter or your blog :-)

So there is about a million and one ways to enter for ya! 

All of these items have been photographed and will be added to my etsy shop in the next day or so as family responsibilities permit me to do so.  I will be adding as much work as possible to the etsy shop during the duration of the sale which will run now through 12/5/10.
  Thank you!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

What's new?

Big party Earrings in Browns

I made a few new pairs of earrings to the etsy shop this week. 

I have a show coming up and I really need to make some new jewelry.  I thought I could add them to the etsy shop and then take them to the show early next month if they don't sell right away.

 Big party Earrings in Greens and Browns

I also need to make more jewelry for a localish shop and make something for Erin's color challenge.  Right now, I am not certain where my postcard with my color scheme is..... but I hope it's in my purse.  Crazy week!

Green clay and recycled glass Earrings

I am soaking my kiln right now....... That means holding the top temperature.....

I have glazed a bunch of pottery that was being ignored in the basement.  A lot of this work was made before I purchased my home..... over three years ago ;-)

I am also firing a bunch of Cabochons in the same style as these earring charms.--- The painted rim and hopefully it will bleed into the glass in this yummy way that I LIKE A LOT :-)

Evergreen Stoneware clay and recycled glass earrings

We'll see how they look in the morning.

Tonight I must sand and paint more charm sets, because I really want to make more earrings for the show and shops and I DO NOT want to steal the charm sets I have listed in my etsy shop.  

MUST RESIST THE URGE TO SHOP MY OWN STORE!  lol  :-)

I made some more earrings too, not just all green. I wonder if I should list them in the shop as well...? 

I don't know.... maybe I should be sanding more charm sets so I can make more.  Time, time, time.  Give me a shout if you are interested in any of these earrings.  I'm not sure if I'll have time to list them or not.
I hope you are having a great weekend!  I can't wait to open the kiln tomorrow!



Who won?

First of all--- Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

I started off by listing everyone's names on a big piece of paper, dividing up the international entries from the Bead Box entries.  We ended up with 41 comments for the bead box and 3 comments for the grab bag!  That's a lot of entries!

When I won the box, it happened at a time when the good news was plentiful.  I felt the beady world was smiling at me and I was smiling back.  I think that the Bead Box Goddesses sensed that again because my instant reaction to learning the winner was..... "Some girls have all the luck"

The next stop of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Beads Box is New York State and the home of Lorelei Eurto!  Congratulations Lorelei!   Katie Nelson stocked the box with TONS of Art beads from many different artists prior to my turn with it and now the box is HEAVY with Artisan Clay beads. 

The winner of the Artisan Clay Grab bag is Maria from Edinburgh, UK!

Maria--Please contact me via my http://www.artisanclay.etsy.com/  shop or send me an email thru blogger with your address

 I really enjoyed the freedom I felt by cleaning up and destashing my work area!  I get the feeling that there is still going to be tons of my beads in that box all the way to it's last stop..... which is OK if you like my work.

I feel like I am allowed to fire up some more beads now..... and make some new jewelry with my great new stuff!     I am free!  and inspired!  This is such a great idea!  I am so glad you started this Heather!

So... Thank you for stopping by!  and while I have you here, I'm going to let you know about some fun stuff that I am involved in :-)

We are having a big Open Studio Blog event over at The Beads-of-Clay group this Sunday!

A large group of Ceramic Bead Makers are having special sales and giveaways on their blogs and websites from 2-5pm!

I am not officially on the list since I will not be home on Sunday, BUT I am still going to be posting for the Open Studio and holding the same giveaways.  My winners will be chosen on Monday and my SALE is going on now thru Sunday.  

The destash feeling from the Bead Box is wonderful and I have decided to mark EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop at 40% off their regular prices!  I see some of you noticed the sale prices even before I got a chance to announce it :-)  Thank you!

I will be adding new work to my etsy shop over the weekend at the sale pricing and if all goes well I will be adding some WHOLESALE LOTS and GRAB BAGS as well :-) 

Last but not at all least--- Check out the Best Little Bead Box project and follow along on that bead box's travels before it is finally divided up to benefit Beads-of-Courage....  this week it is headed someplace pretty fancy if you ask me!

OK commercial over..... back to the beads :-)

30 = 60 + much more

30 earrings sets came out of the kiln this morning.

Now I need to decide where they are going.

I made a few other pieces as well-- Some evil eye pendant/beads~~

Busy Busy Busy

Look at this mess! 
Can you feel it in the air?  The make is on!  The holidays are just around the corner for those of us who make handmade gifts.....  Are you feeling it too? 
I am happy to be swimming in ideas and struggling to get them made.  I set up a display at a new shop this week.  When I arrived the owner loved my work immediately and swooshed it right out front.  She wants a lot more and I couldn't be happier!  I am much better at making jewelry than selling it and I love when people are excited and want to do that for me.  

Right now I am firing the kiln with a pile of earring/charm sets so that I can add more to that store and possibly another one.....  and as long as I don't get greedy about it-- I think I will add more sets to my etsy shop.  The last sets went really fast.

This week I even went out to a handmade tile store and inquired about showing my work there....  It is possible to make things other than jewelry right???    I have a few really great tile designs that are doing nothing in my attic and I figure they might be happier in a tile showroom.  And I think I need to put my work out for the public more.  It find I make more time for dreaming up new ideas than for doing things with them once they have materialized.

I added this new cabochon to my store this week.  I REALLY love the color on this one!  It's my match for the Lagoon color that is "the season's hot color"   So I love it....  Would love to see it made into something really spectacular.....   Something I can't quite imagine myself :-)

I added this pendant too. 

I am really in love with this black center -bright outer thing.  I started going it for the fall/Halloween season and I think I will need to keep it up.  Sometimes I feel like I need to take photos of favorites and plaster the studio walls with them... It is a good idea.  I may have to do that now that I am in love with the picassa picture program.  There is something to be said about always making new ideas, but there is also something to be said for finding what works and not forgetting it. 

As long as I can make time for it today, I will be listing this donut in my etsy shop a little bit later.

And this one too--- First I need to clean house and studio because the pace of life has left a build up and it is keeping me from functioning efficiently--- (see messy desk above)-- and I even left out the messiest parts :-)

Yay! Picasa!

Ohh la la!  I just discovered Picasa thanks to a few awesome friends!  Thanks for the suggestion!

I finally added new work to my etsy shop this week.  All the items here were added to the shop and that pile in the middle is mostly for the upcoming charm swap organized by Jennifer Cameron aka Glass Addictions by Jennifer Cameron.  

I have been having a blast making these charm sets and then making some of them into earrings and some of them into pendants....  I hope you like them too!  I've already started to make another batch since I think they are going to sell really well in my consignment venues.

I also added 5 smoke fired pieces to the shop......  I think I love this picasa program!  Your gonna get sick of seeing everything in mosaic before I get sick of making them :-)