SALE First Friday Art Walk

Hey Guys!  This month I am participating in the First Friday Art Walk in my etsy shop.  Coupon Code BOCFFAW gets you 10% off your purchase at www.artisanclay.etsy.com I added this new pendant to the shop this week.

As well as this one....

What's new?

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?  

The Beads...join us

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   ... :-)

Look What Staci Made! And what's new?

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!

Birthday SALE!

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

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.

What's new?

Aqua and Black

I added these 2 pendants to the etsy shop this week.

Aqua Black Cobalt and Teal

I also added some earrings which I LOVE!  I will share those pictures in a few... 

Firing the kiln today and Making MAKING making.  I even have pottery in there! 

I need to make a plan.  A shop needs new jewelry, I want to do another bead trunk show, I have a jewelry show coming up, and I want to sell alot on etsy this season.  I need to make a plan!

Is there anything you would like to see in my etsy shop? 

New Work

I added new work to my Etsy Shop last week. 

I also added these bead sets to my shop as part of a DESTASH SALE.  The prices listed are a steal!
Check it out.

Free Beading Pattern with an Artisan Clay Donut on About.com!

Look at this great Beading pattern that Jennifer Vanbenschoten published today for About.com!
That's one of my Donuts!   Whoot!  ~~We might be famous~~  ;-)

Are you a bead weaver????  Go check it out!  -- Peyote Stitch Bail Free Beading Pattern

Jen used some of my favorite colors to complete her project!   FYI-- That is one of my Large sized donuts.

What's new?

I added some new work to my etsy shop this weekend.....

Teal and White charm set

I also had my etsy 500th sale!  That's pretty cool.

I feel like I haven't been adding very much new work to the shop since the beginning of the summer, but I hope to be better about that now that the holiday season is near.

Black and White Charm set

I am starting to blog for the Beads-of-Clay blog again this week.

I have been given a big box of beads donated by Beads-of-Clay members and I will be in charge of giving them away randomly and via our 2nd Wednesday giveaways. 

 (Psst,...... I just might do that on some Mondays, and Fridays)

Mostly I'll ask a question and ask readers to answer it via a comment on the blog. This week's question is on E-mail.  As in, I am buried in E-mails and I am often not very quick to answer them.  :-) 

But I want to... and they are important.....

Black and Red charm set

Today I was taking photos of a nice pile of beads/pendants etc for the Art Bead Scene Blog.  I will be a sponsor of the next Monthly challenge :-)

I don't know what the inspirational artwork is for the month, so I had a hard time narrowing down what I wanted to give.

Turquoise and Black Charm Set

****This post has been modified due to special secret announcement stuff which I had not realized****
;-)

Lagoon/Turquoise Bulls Eye Pendant

Today I drove up to a shop what sells my work to bring some new stuff and um, hm, ut oh! 

 It was closed!

  I totally forgot that the owner had a big 3 day festival over the weekend and likely needed the day off ;-) 

Monday is my day for these things so either I will have to mail in the new work or wait another week. 

Bronze Black Cresent

So that's what's going on today.....

Are you getting ready for shows?  Did you have one last weekend? 

Did you make anything new lately?