looking back, looking forward...

mary jane dodd

mary jane dodd - 'portals to awakening' triptych 2011

this post is a continuation of my last... 

i find it interesting when one is guided in a project by thoughts that have so permeated your being that you don't even realize it... until you are done... 

i am leaving 'nascent' behind as my focus word... it has served me well and, in fact, was a key part of the inspiration for these pieces... the pregnant forms... the word 'emerge' in the first form...  

i knew i needed to use a butterfly wing gifted to me by a friend... the word 'fly' from an antique dictionary... and at the last minute the fibers were calling - 

the resin is filled with air bubbles in the final piece - as if these thoughts, these desires come bubbling out as you open... 

but when i began to shoot the images, to take the close up pictures, i recognized that my new word was participating as well as someone else's -  

rumi... 

'we come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.'
(the first closed form with the spiral)


'you were born with potential
you were born with goodness and trust
you were born with ideals and dreams
you were born with greatness
you were born with wings
you are not meant for crawling, so don't.
you have wings, 
learn to use them and fly.'

(the final form)

and my word?

transcend... 

no matter what happens with the submission to the exhibition, i am well pleased with the lessons learned in craft and of self... 

does your work reflect back to you things you don't realize you hold?

wishing you all abundance of love, happiness and good health in the new year... and may you always find the balance in any situation... 

The Christmas exchange

by Kelli Pope

For Christmas this year, I was blessed with many wonderful gifts. I wanted to share a couple with you.

We artists at LMAJ decided to draw names and exchange handmade gifts with one another. I received this beautiful pair of earrings........... and this gorgeous ornament from Staci.
..............all tucked into this adorably, decorated tin.

Thanks again Staci, for this great gift!!! (You KNOW how I love the turquoise!!! :o)

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas, and will have a blessed New Year!

guest post - fiona dempster

Thank you for having me along as a guest blogger… at first I wasn’t so sure
that I fitted in with the whole jewellery focus; but I was convinced by others
that in reality; this was a place as much about sharing passion and creativity
as it was about the final product, so here I am!

My first love was calligraphy but now I call myself a calligraphic artist and
book artist. Mostly because I love books, words, marks and text and my
artistic world has deviated far from writing poems or quotes and getting them
framed to hang on a wall.

I respond to quiet art. I like artwork that doesn’t shout; artwork that is calm
and quietly draws you in and asks you to spend some time with it. My art
encourages the viewer to be intimate with the work and to have a one on one
experience with it; to be drawn into it’s world, often quietly and slowly.

My work explores themes and ideas about peace and meditation, about
reflection and introspection and about journey and place. I use text, words
and images to express sentiments, feelings, thoughts and beliefs. I believe
that in sharing these thoughts and inspirations in a beautiful and creative way
we encourage peace and calm in our every day lives.

A few years ago I made a few pieces of jewellery – in particular these earrings
that are made from heavy paper 9about 500gsm). I wrote words of healing
and belief on the paper, over and over again, then cut them into tiny squares
and stacked them – so the wearer carried the positive thoughts with them
through their treatment.

Whilst my work is often paper-based and takes the form of books; more
recently I have begun working with metal, timber and Perspex to express
words and texts in ways that take calligraphy off the page and into the
outdoors.

I love the intimate and personal nature of the book form. I like that a person
gets to hold the art work in their hands and slowly and gently move through
it, ‘reading’ a story of images or thoughts or ideas.

I also love rust and worn things and the enduring nature of metal books. I like
the message of steadfastness that metal books tell – that they will endure.
I also think the contrary nature of a book (which should be soft and pliable)
made of metal (which is strong and unyielding) is an unexpected and quizzical
experience.

And to finish; some earrings I actually made myself at a recent workshop.
They are quite long (about 7.5 cm x 2 cm wide). The backing plate is a smoky
Perspex and the decorative element is aluminum which I heated, folded and
formed and then burnished by heating olive oil on it – giving it that nice warm
look. I proudly say that I even made the rivets! I love jewellery and the tools
that jewelers have; but in the end I expect the words, the text, the marks and
the books will keep my heart; and I’ll pop over and play with the metal and
Perspex occasionally…

----------------------------------------------------------

to learn more about fiona you can visit her in these places...

website: fionadempster.com
blog: paperponderings.blogspot.com

what will guide you?

mary jane dodd

i really loved barbara's post yesterday... the emphasis upon a focal point or two is incredibly important in life and art and business if one wants to keep growing...

when i began blogging i found that people chose words for the new year... and that really connected with me... i found the word 'nascent' to be particularly meaningful... so much so that i kept it for a couple of years...

it seems interesting that i am ending the year with a project where i am using the sentiment in a more fully
developed way...

if you look back at your work from the past year, do you notice patterns? do they reveal anything about you and your path?

this year i am ready for a new word...

i am ready for one that is positive and action filled... 

do you have yours?

What's in your heart?

It's that time when we close one year and open another. What will the new year bring? How do we want to use our time in the coming year? We make resolutions. We set goals.

I answer those questions by first looking into my heart. I have on my 'list' new materials and techniques that I want to explore. I want to make more jewelry. I want to do more than I can actually do. I always start feeling more ambitious than is really feasible in a life time, let alone a year. There are always things outside of my studio that compete for my attention. Things that not only need my attention but things that I want to give attention. I think most of us who live creatively, whether it is full time as a business or as a passion, find the balancing act between our personal lives and creative lives a challenge from time to time. There is a big change coming in our family this year. I am sworn to secrecy for a little while yet. I want to give this beautiful change my attention. That's where my heart guides me in finding balance as I set my goals for the year.

This year I ran across a great little goal planning guide geared towards the creative entrepreneur over on Handmadeology.  I've found it useful in helping me plan for the next year while balancing my personal life. This year I needed a little nudge beyond the yearly planner that I dutifully set out to use and then abandon some where around March. If you've ever done any looking at ways to plan or grow a business, The Ultimate Goal Planner, by Meagan Visser, probably doesn't have any radical new ideas in it. But what it does have is a very user friendly step by step guide that helps you define goals and set a framework for achieving them over a year.  It doesn't take a huge amount of time and if you are a list maker (like me) you'll love her worksheets and monthly lists. It's free and you can find it here.


So what's on your list for the new year?
Do you set goals, make plans, write lists? Or do you just kind of wing it?
Anything special you do to organize the balance between your personal and creative life?

Reevaluation....

via Pinterest

Merry Christmas! and Happy Holidays and best wishes for a happy, creative, and prosperous New Year! Although we're just barely past Christmas, my thoughts are already turning to 2012 and wondering how I can be more creative and infuse my jewelry and my business with better energy in the new year.

Whether you make jewelry as a creative outlet or it is part of your business, it is always appropriate to set some goals or actions for your work as one year comes to a close and another brand new fresh year begins.
Some of us are listmakers, some of us are goal oriented, some of us make lists of short and long term goals, and many more of us have no idea where to even start.

I've compiled some different ideas for making and achieving different goals you may have for your work in 2012.....

1) Make your dream list. List every BIG DREAM you have for your work in 2012. List every big thing that you can think of! Want to write a book? want to enter a large craft show? want to establish an online store? maybe write an article for a magazine or simply submit your work for publication? Make a list and establish a basis for your dreams!

2) From that list, pick 2 dreams. NOW, make two separate goal lists so that you can reach those dreams. What do you need to do to reach those goals?

3) Make tiny lists for those 2 dreams. Make sure it includes every baby step that you need to accomplish those dreams. The steps in your list may be as simple as finding the tools to make that thing you've always wanted to make. Or going online and researching ideas for submissions for magazines....whatever the tiny steps are for reaching your dreams.

4)IMPORTANT: MAKE MANY MORE EVEN TINIER LISTS! WRITE THEM OUT AND MAKE EVEN TINIER LISTS BUT MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALIGN WITH YOUR TINY LISTS AND YOUR 2 BIG DREAMS. It may help you to get a small planner or a sketchbook or journal. Try to block yourself out some time once a week to help you manage the tiny steps.

5) Check your progress each week by seeing how many small steps you have made. Don't worry about the BIG DREAMS yet. Just concentrate on the tiny steps until you've fulfilled a list. If you need to make more lists, go ahead!

Once we break things into manageable bites, we can accomplish great things, even when the task or dream or goal seems insurmountable!

Maybe lists aren't your thing....

Maybe you can pick a WORD for 2012. ONE word that can embody everything you want to accomplish. Picking one word for your year can be a great way to align your work your values in a growing manner even if you're not list oriented!

Make sure if you pick a word, that you keep it at the forefront of everything you work on. You may need to tape it to every surface in your house to keep it in your mind!

CARRY THESE THINGS WITH YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO.

If you keep a planner or a sketchbook, carry it with you everywhere, even if you don't think you NEED it. If you've chosen a word, tape it to your workspace, your computer monitor, inside your wallet....everywhere. Make your ideas real by keeping REAL, immediate reminders everywhere you go!

I'll be checking up on you throughout 2012 to see how you're doing!

In my next post, I'll show you my lists and words and I'll keep you in check with my progress!

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays

"What is Christmas? 

It is tenderness for the past, 

courage for the present, 

hope for the future. 

It is a fervent wish that every cup 

may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, 

and that every path may lead to peace." 

~Agnes M. Phar

All of us here at LMAJ 

are sending all of you 

our warmest thoughts 

and best wishes 

for a wonderful holiday.

Happy holidays!

Mary Ann, Mary Jane, Patty, Kelli, LeAnn, Staci, Barbara and Izzy

december reflections

mary jane dodd

wishing you

and oh so much love... 

a contemplative time of year... 

the solstice has past and the season of joy and giving is upon us... 


the darkness seems to intensify introspection...

from one who has spent christmases (and other holidays) alone while the kids are with their dad - i extend light and love... 

if you don't have anyone to love in your reach, love from afar... 

or how about trying an exercise in self love... 


immersing yourself in whatever feeds your passion... 

start putting out into the universe the things you want in your life... 

this has easily been one of the most challenging years of my life - but when you stay open (and practice gratitude), the balance comes into play... and so i have also had one of the most love-filled and beautiful years... i have had people extend friendship to me in ways that leave me awestruck...

i am humbled... 

and thankful... 

and i wish for you love - it is the energy of life... 

live it, breathe it, share it, be it... 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

by Kelli Pope

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through my house,

All creatures were relaxing, even my spouse.

The tree had been trimmed and decked out with care,

The presents all wrapped and tucked under there.

(granddaughter Makenna decked out by the tree)

My beads are all nestled all snug in their bed,

The studio all closed up, I'm creating magic instead.

A week of vacation to shop, wrap, bake and prepare.

Time with friends and family the priority, laughter to share.

We dressed up our buddy as Old St. Nick,

And drove him to Makenna's to do his schtick.

She wasn't too keen on the kindly old fellow,

Though her friends did love him and his tummy like jello.

While 2 was too young to embrace Santa Clause,

Us older folks are all down with his cause.

Let's spread the goodwill, peace, love and good cheer,

And pray it continues all through next year.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Finding some time for Hearts

by Staci L. Smith

I can't even believe that I found some time to work on these, but I did.  I squeezed in some time while doing this, and added some patina while doing that.................and now they are done.  I really felt like I needed them in my shop right after Christmas, because one of my hearts will be featured in Bead Star Magazine, thanks to Erin Strother (you can check out her etsy site here). YOu see, she won a giveaway of mine for a heart focal, and then used it to enter Bead Star, and she won! Erin did such a nice job with it too, I LOVED seeing what she did with it.  I can't wait to get a copy for myself. 

I really like how these turned out.  Some will be in the shop when I re-open after Christmas. ( I needed an etsy break, and just some time to catch up around here.)

I don't have photo's of each stage, below was post cutting, filing soldering and tumbling.

Some of these have holes and some have soldered bails on them, I tried to switch it up for some variety.  I really like how folk art they turned out.  It wasn't my intention, but the dots and shapes just took a life of their own.

Here are some of the hearts in the patination process.

And here they are all finished.  There are also some new polymer focals to the left of the photo that will be added to the shop.  I made them just for me, but decided to make some extra for you guys, just in case you liked them.  I always like a good spiral bead for a focal.

They just need to be waxed now and they are ready to photo and list.  Although that will have to wait until after Christmas. 

Have you squeezed in any last minute projects amoung the hustle and bustle of the holiday?

This time last year....

by MaryAnn Carroll

I really wanted to own a Swanstrom disc cutter.  The issue was..... buying it without charging it.  I've been working very hard the past couple of years to not pull out a credit card.  If I don't have the money, I usually refrain from buying it. So.... back in September I decided to do something unique for me and save money.  Bill gave me what I was unable to save as an early Christmas gift, so this year I was able to buy my new disc cutter. 

I read many reviews on this and others before deciding that I wanted this one.  I made the right choice.... as far as I know since it works like a charm.  The price was up there, but I'm anticipating that I will be able to make up for that next year by creating components, etc. for others to purchase.  Bill has decided to retire this June when the school year is over and, although we have been working on how we will make extra money after retirement, it seems to have come a little more suddenly.  That's okay.... I'm a risk taker at heart so I'm sure that this risk is something that we will do okay with. I'll write more about that as we get closer.  I'm hoping that he builds a gas kiln to help the "in between wood-firings" and I'll be able to get beads into those firings as well.

So....  This is just how my new cutter looked when I took it out of the box.... (top pictures from Riogrande)....

I figured I might as well purchase the die set too.... as this point... cha-ching... it was already adding up....

 

 And here is how it looked last night while I scramble to get my Christmas gifts made.  I'm hoping to finish the components for  everything tonight....  Theme:  Keep it Simple :o)

I'm a messy artist....  I did clean before starting this project the other day.....

 

And, I LOVE IT!!!!  I'm still experimenting with my enamels and a few other techniques, but that is the fun of it for me.  If you do decide to purchase this, remember that you will need some other items that you might not have.  In my case, I had none of the below....

brass hammer

urethane mat

lubricant

 

My advice would be to watch the two short videos at on the Riogrande site before making your decision.  The total cost (with everything I purchased for this) came to over $400.  I was searching for coupon codes. I called the company and there aren't any for this product.  

So, I'm hoping that I will have some beautiful creations to share in the near future.

Thank-you for supporting those who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn

Is it the change of seasons?

by MaryAnn Carroll

Why is it that every year during the holiday months things seem to intensify in people's lives?  I ask myself that question every year.  Maybe it's our expectations of family and happiness.  Maybe it's because the pressure is on before Halloween even ends....  Maybe it's..... oh, I don't know....  What is it?  I know in my own life the holidays were never the same after my mother suddenly passed on December 12th, at the age of 53 leaving us parent-less.  My oldest was six months and it was a day that I've never been able to shake.  I went through the motions and made a happy holiday for my kids each year, but as I age, I look back and wonder what I taught them by loading up the gifts under the tree, almost everything they asked for they got.... almost... not "everything."  It wasn't until they were teens and I went through a divorce with their Dad that I started to change how the holidays would be....  at least with what I could control....  I began making them gifts that had meaning to me and would, hopefully, have meaning to them when they grew older.  I think that was one of the best decisions I ever made.  Today, some of those gifts may be a little late because my family has been faced with some obstacles this year that have made creating move a little slower.  I am hoping to come home tonight, use my new tools (more about that tomorrow) and get some simple components made for some simple gifts.  This year's theme is "make it simple."  Starting a theme for Christmas is something I started this year (just the other day) which should help me to not go too overboard with my creations and over think the designs.

Erikas Sweet Treats

With all that said, I do have to say that one fond memory I will always cherish is making frosted Christmas cookies.  My sons have continued that tradition. Well, in the case above, it was more my daughter-in-law, Erika.... not my son CJ ;o)...  Check out her shop for lots of yummy treats!  I was hoping that I would be able to organize enough to have my grandchildren up this year and we could all frost together like I did when their Dad's were little boys.  Unfortunately, another family issue came up and that was put on the back burner.

When I think about those days, it makes me both happy and sad, but I must say that I never have an issue when it comes to eating them....   What are your thoughts about this season?

abylon25

mizlisasdesigns

Szeya

Cute n Sweet Cafe

rafya

Domantes Jewellery

Thank-you for supporting those who create handmade with handmade.

MaryAnn

Strut Your Stuff for 2012

The countdown to Christmas is officially on

and everyone is too busy 

grabbing last minute gifts instead

of spending time in workshops

and studios.

Our Flickr page is quiet this week

except for...

Kristi

(love these leaves)

If you read my post last week you know some changes

are coming for 2012.

We will no longer be doing our Art Spark challenge.

Although we loved the idea of a "theme" challenge

we thought perhaps folks just didn't have enough time

for such a specific piece.

So.......

We are turning our attention to our

Strut Your Stuff group.

Every week we get to see such 

amazing creativity.

I'll personally be starting off this new challenge 

in January 2012.

So look for instructions on 1/2/12

and if you aren't a member yet of 

Strut Your Stuff

head on over here.

Make sure you carefully read the rules

before agreeing to join.

See you guys in January.

Guest post - Susan Olivio

by Susan Olivio

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had this need to create something. When I was really young, my mom taught me to knit and crochet and since then I’ve been hooked.  My father was actually the artist of the family. He was a master at leatherwork and did a more than his fair of painting.

  

I have had fun painting, quilting, sewing, working on mosaics, some leatherwork and many other mediums. Whenever I explore a new medium I buy as many books on the subject that I can find and immerse myself in trying to learn as many techniques as I can. Most of the fun for me is in the exploring. New ideas keep running through my mind and I can see so many possibilities. I still want to learn how to weld, make fountains, fuse glass and I’m sure a lot of other things.

I have been making jewelry for around 13 years. It is the one medium I have stuck with for some reason. I started off with wire jewelry and made simple earrings with loops and wrapped loops.  I wanted to learn more so I took an introductory metalsmithing class and have evolved from there.

Each time I sit down at my bench, I try to push myself to learn a new technique or add a new mechanism to my repertoire.  I have dabbled with resins, wire-wrapping, soldering, stamping, forging, enameling chain maile and etching to name a few.

My recent passion has been with cold connections. I have been happily experimenting with different cold connecting techniques for the last year. I love mixed metals. The way that copper, brass, nickel and sterling play off each other is truly beautiful to me.  I am able to add contrast and interest to a piece by adding texture and different patinas.

My only regret is that I don’t get to make jewelry full time. At least I know what I want to do when I retire and it’s something to look forward to!

This necklace was one of the first pieces I cold connected. It started off as an experiment to see if you could dome something after you soldered something to it. It came out a little crinkly but I liked it. I added a  tube rivet to make a dressed up hole for the jump ring. I thought it lacked something so I added a nickel back that I notched to set the brass dome. It still looked like it was missing something so I added the soldered rectangle piece that I found in my stash of projects that aren’t quite finished.

I love Richard Salley’s work and after finding an online tutorial on his blog, I followed along and made this locket with a large washer that I found in my junk drawer.

I like to make as much of my jewelry by hand as possible and this one featured a handmade copper chain. 

For this piece, the new technique I tried was the tab/prong setting. I ended up liking it so much that I’ve been adding it to a lot of my newer pieces. This piece reminds me of a sundial.

I used the tab/prong setting again in this piece but what you can’t see is another new technique I figured out in my head. There is a loop on the back of the toggle (see below). I wanted to figure out a way to how to add a loop without soldering. Another handmade chain completes the piece.

Here’s the tab/prong setting again but in a smaller scale on a pair of earrings. Everything was handmade except for the glass bead and the little rondelle on these earrings.

I’m sure my journey will take me along another twist in the path leading me to another technique or medium and I know I will have fun each step of the way.

You can find the amazingly talented Susan here:

Etsy - Mixed Metal Studio

and be sure to visit her supply stores here:

Etsy - LuxeOrnaments

Etsy - solivio

guest post - marianne kasparian

Hi there! I’m “Mak” (Marianne Kasparian) of MAKUstudio. I love raku and can truly say that I have found my passion. I remember getting a palm/psychic reading when I was younger and they told me that I wouldn’t find my career path until later in life…that I would try several things before finding the right one. I was perplexed at the time, but the wait was definitely worth it and my life experiences somehow brought me right to where I’m supposed to be. From three years of high school ceramics, design and color courses in college, a degree in Textile Marketing, taking metalsmithing after graduating when I decided I wanted to be a jeweler…to working at a bar that had 1000 beers, driving across country by myself and coming to a point in my life when I had to do much soul searching. These things all make me who I am today…a creative soul. I live to raku, and raku to live (in more ways than one). 

At all my shows, I ask my customers if they are familiar with raku. Of course, it depends on the show, but I’d say 8 out of 10 have never heard of it. So, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the firing process which I adore.

As far as the actual process of getting to my final product:
*first I create the pieces out of clay
*then let them dry and sand the pieces to make sure backs are smooth and there are no sharp protrusions of clay
*then I bisque fire them in an electric kiln to harden them and get them ready for glazing
*then I wash the pieces to get any clay dust off them so that the glazes look good on the final pieces
*then I glaze the pieces (this is the most time consuming!)
*then I raku fire the pieces in an outdoor kiln (which my husband and I built ourselves).

The raku firing involves a fast firing that goes to over 1800 degrees F (for the most part), then pulling the pieces out of the kiln while they are red hot using special gloves and tongs and placing them in a reduction chamber (small can) filled with organic materials such as newspaper, leaves or sawdust; the organic materials catch on fire and the lid is then placed on the can; the fire wants oxygen to keep going and pulls it out of the glazes themselves; smoke is created, creating the matte black look of raku wherever there is no glaze; the pieces are left in the can to cool, then removed and scrubbed clean of the ashes and voila! There are many variables which can affect the final outcome of the glaze including the weather (humidity, wind, rain, temperature), how large or small the reduction chamber is, how long I take to get from the kiln to the can, how much organic material I put in the can, what type of material is in the can, and many more. That’s why raku is truly one-of-a-kind!

I hope my creations bring you much inspiration…that is what truly inspires me.

----------------------------------------------------

you can learn more about marianne and purchase her work on

her etsy shop, 

her website

or her facebook page... 

thank you, marianne for sharing your work and process...