Blue Moon

by Staci Louise Smith

Tomorrow is a Blue Moon.  Blue Moon's happen when there are two full moons in a single month.  Since we already had a full moon on the 1st, this will be our second.  Although, to my families great dissappointment, the moon is not really blue.

 

The link above to wiki will tell you the original Blue Moon is the third full moon in a season with four full moons.  However, two full moons in a month has taken on the title of Blue Moon as well.

 

Anyhow, I love the moon, this glowing orb in the sky, that lights the night.  It has a draw to it, and it pulls and pushes our tides, controlling all the oceans of the world, which make up most of the planet.  I don't know about you, but I think that is one pretty amazing hunk of rock orbiting the earth.

 

Anyhow, with the Blue Moon around the corner, inspiration struck, and I thought the moon really should be blue. 

 

 

Swirled Sky Once in a Blue Moon Focal

 

Once in a Blue Moon Pendant

 

I only made a few of these.  Limited Edition, just for the blue moon.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them, to honor our nightime friend, that transforms our world from dark to soft glowing wonder.

 

(and Happy Birthday to my Julia- who turns 8 today!!!  She was a full moon baby!)

Guest Poster Janice Fowler: The Fallow Artist

I've been creating jewelry for about 7 years now. Like most artists, I go through periods of high production and periods of lower production. There are times when I am bursting with ideas and times when I feel like I'm walking a dry and barren desert.

When I do wander into that desert where ideas aren't coming I do what many other artists do. I either clean my workspace, or I sketch, or I create in a different medium (painting for example), or I go for a walk, etc.

But have you ever had times when you HAVE ideas, sketches waiting to be brought to life, the time set aside to create, and you enter your studio and you feel nothing? This was my experience recently. One recent Sunday, when the family was out of town, I had all day to myself. I delighted in the idea of uninterrupted studio time. And yet, when I sat down to my bench. NOTHING. I wasn't feeling it.

Not to worry, I thought. I'll go do something else for a few minutes and come back.

So that is what I did. And you know what?

Nothing.

I did this no less than 4 times before I finally gave up. I turned on the tv and watched parts of two movies, on and off, between trips into the studio to attempt to create, finally giving up and relaxing into the quiet of the house and losing myself fully in a movie.

For me, it is far too easy to think what a waste of a day!

However, I have come to believe that these rare occassions are a gift.

Apart from creating jewelry, I work full time, I am a single parent, I have a house and yard to take care of and other various commitments and friends and family and, and, and......

Sound familiar? Does anyone else lead a busy life? Wear more than one hat? Feel like you are chasing your own tail sometimes?

Sometimes, despite how 'good' everything feels and how under control things seem - it just catches up to us. And that void when you go to create is a signal.

It's saying sometimes it's time to shut it ALL down. No sketching, no planning, no creating in another medium.

I view my day in front of the TV like a farmer allowing a field to go fallow. And I was the field.

It wasn't a wasted day. It was a period, albeit short, when I let myself breathe. Just breathe.

We tend to push ourselves. Whether at work, at home, or in the studio. Make it happen. If you're not creating, sketch. If you can't sketch, paint. Work, work, work.

I believe we need, at times, to resist the urge to push ourselves, especially in areas of creativeness. Embrace the idea of being a fallow artist, no stimulus at all - just rest, breathe, renew. Embrace the down times when they come. You just may find the soil of your creative energies richer for it.

~Janice
Blog
Website

What's New?

There is one week left to start "struttin' your stuff!" Here are this week's pics. Please remember to share a little bit about your thought process when entering your creations!  Our weekly choices will include your piece, your shop (if you have one) and what went into the process. Please remember that knowing what went into your design is an important part of this challenge.

This week our own Staci had this to say about her latest piece:

Ancient Ripples Donut Connector

made in bronze clay, inspired by ancient celtic designs- made with my own handmade stamps

 

and this about this beautiful necklace designed with her latest: 

Ancient Spiral Necklace

using one of my ancient spiral beads, a garnet donut, copper and silver handmade spiral, and stick pearls and a raku bumpy by Suburban girl Studio, I created this simple, but ancient feeling necklace. I think it truely embodies my love of spirals, and rustic design, while still have the sterling silver to add that touch of modern and new to it.

To see more of Staci's work, check out her shop http://stacilouise.etsy.com.

We would love you to share what you have been up to lately? A winner chosen randomly will be announced Monday, September 3rd. 

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

MaryAnn

Playing with Palettes.....

Like Mary Jane mentioned yesterday, I don't often use color palettes to inspire my work. While I am a vivid and avid use of color, I generally rely on my own intuition or the properties of the paint I am using to inform my beads.

Spending the last week in Pennsylvania where I was born and raised, I was struck by the lush and vivid greens that are so different from my normal landscape in subtropical Florida, that I took some photos of some of my favorite colors and textures from Western Pennsylvania. Putting these through the simple color pattern generator at Big Huge Labs, I easily extracted some new beautiful colors to inspire me long after I go back to Florida.

Here are just a couple I whipped up this weekend:

Do you ever make your own color palettes?

Are you more inspired by using color palettes created by others? or by creating your own?

colors

mary jane dodd

pantone's fall 2012 palette

because i usually work from raw materials and am inspired mostly by nature, i don't usually consult pantone...

noticing more purple around, my curiosity was piqued in terms of what guides fashion... i think purple is one of those obvious hues that come and go in waves...

from a purely visual standpoint, i love the pops of color here with the rich neutrals -

(i will also confess that i haven't been on pinterest - i am afraid i will fall headlong down that rabbit hole and never emerge! there are just too many amazing things there...)

so tell me, 

do you consult pantone for your designs?

do you follow fashion in your purchases? or do you have your own color palette?

Blooming

                                                                                                                  by Kelli Pope

How does the Meadow flower its bloom unfold?

           Because the lovely little flower is free down to its root, and in that freedom bold.                                         William Wordsworth 

            Flowers have been speaking to me lately, and I can't seem to get enough...........

           They're beautiful and bold in form, yet delicate.

  Art gives us the freedom to create.  Imagination has no bounds, other than what we impose on ourselves.

Are you being bold in your freedom to bloom and grow?  

Gleaning The Unique, Odd and Ancient from Bead Fest

by Staci L. Smith 

 

 

 

This was my second time to Bead Fest Philly, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  If you want to read about the fun I had just getting together with all the creative ladies, and checking out all my friends booths, click here and here.

Bead Swap with beady friends 

Bead Fest is so huge, and vast, and offers a lot of everything, it can easily be overwhelming.  I usually have a little list of things to check out, and the rest of the time, I browse for things I cannot find anywhere else.  I hunt for unique oddities to include in my work.

Here is an overall picture of the items I picked up.

 

The first place I found such items was Hands of the Hills.  They always have an array of ancient treasures.  I started out by picking up more antique brass bells (these used to be worn in large collars so they all jingled against one another). I fell in love with the ones I got in the spring, so I picked up more.

 

 

 

 I also found these little Chinese Buddha charms, and I just fell in love with them.  They are all carved in stone, or cast in metal, and bezel set.  You can tell they are old, and worn………I think what drew me to them was how worn they are, like someone loved them, and treasured them, and touched them all the time.  I also got some cute little wheels, that I was told is the wheel of dharma.  I was clueless, but thankfully the guy running the booth, and my friend, were very knowledgeable on these things. 

 

I got a couple large, heavy brass charms, both dragon serpents eating their tales.  I loved the bold statement they make.  The brass is so heavy, and already has some natural patina on it.  Here is a link to wiki that talks about these Ouroboros.

 

I also picked up a few prayer scroll tubes.  I really liked the shape, the weight, and the artistry.  I wish I knew what they said, but whatever it is, I am sure it meant a lot to someone.  It was personal, and I hope to use them in pieces that will once again speak deeply to someone in some way. 

 

Hands of the Hills also had these fossilized sea urchins.  I grabbed 10.  I can’t wait to use these in my designs.  Fossils and stones have always been a love of mine.  These did not disappoint.

It’s so funny how you can walk around bead fest, and begin to only see what your eyes and heart are drawn too. I couldn’t tell you how many Swarovski crystal places were there, or seed bead booths, because I didnt' even see them, but I started to see ancient things everywhere.  Beads and items of tradition and meaning.

I picked up an antique brass metal stamp / mold.  They seemed to be all over at the show.  Apparently, they are from the Northern Afghanistan, Southern Pakistan region.  They were used by placing thin sheets of metal over top with rubber backing and hammering the pattern into the metal.

I think I picked up the stamp with the deepest relief I could find.  However, I am wishing I have picked up more. 

 The shop with the largest selection of these was Silk Road Treasures.  I thoroughly enjoyed shopping here.  The owners were very knowledgeable about all their wares, friendly, and helpful.  They allowed me to take lots of pictures of the treasures, and answered all my quesitons about them.

Here are the brass stamp plates, look at all that texture and pattern. 

 

Hanging in the back is roman glass.

 

These wood pieces, that I thought were some kind of tool, turned out to be cattle pendants. 

Cattle would be watched by one person, who would take them to the hills to graze, so when they returned, the owners needed a way to know their cattle, so they would nail some sort of ID to each pendant.  (I like this method much better than the thought of branding.) 

 

Then there were the woodcut print blocks.  These blocks were typically used to apply dyes or wax to fabric, often used in batik.  They had three baskets to dig through, and I found a few I had to have.  The small size blocks, (which are actually quite big to use with my metal clay) will work well with copper clay, since it has a high shrinkage rate.

These were the ones that I picked.

 

I also met someone named Kia, who had the most amazing little table of treasures.  In the wide world of gemstone beads at the show, she had the most unique stones, and they were all hand cut.  I fell in love with this strand of Heliodor and these fossil beads. 

She was as unique as the beads she sold, and I loved the passion she has for the stones. 

 Kia and her booth- photo courtesty of Andrew Thorton

I also found some REALLY huge sea urchin spines at Theodora’s Beads.  I bought two half strands of them (that’s all that was left) and a rough cut quatrz strand.

 

In closing, I think that bead fest is whatever you make it.  It is so huge and vast, the people there are from all over, there are all levels of jewelry and bead making, all styles and backgrounds, you are sure to make some friends, find great deals, and score unique items. 

(The funny thing is that this post is super long, but I really spent most of my time and money on artisan beads…….because it was amazing to meet each artist, and be able to touch the beads in person.  See my personal posts (links at the top) for the art bead stash and about hanging with the artists.)

 

Have you ever gone to Bead Fest, or another big bead show?  Where did you find your gaze, and your attention going towards?

 

 

 

I

 

The Power of Not Knowing

Julie Holmes

It is my turn to post today.  Did you see Libby's beautiful post yesterday about some of her favorite things?  It's a hard act to follow and I spent most of today knowing I had to write a post and not knowing what I would write about.  As the day went on, I got more frustrated.  What can I say that is of interest?  What can I add that is of value? The answer was just a big...

I Don't Know.

...And then I remembered what someone very dear to me said the first day that I met him.  "It's OK not to know"...in fact he encouraged me to practice "not knowing".  So I took to the web in search of more "not knowing" and found this article for you.  In it, the author Mike Robbins says that

"Being able to embrace not knowing is one of the most important, yet challenging aspects of life and growth. Being okay with not knowing allows us to be creative, open, and willing to live in a state of wonder and possibility, like children do."

He says other worthwhile things too, and I think you might enjoy the article.  If you don't read it, you won't know....and that's totally OK too.  It turns out there is a lot of information on the web about the "zen" of not knowing.

I DO know that for me, interesting posts have pictures that I like looking at.  So I'll leave you with some of those and the hope that when it is my turn to post next, I will have something interesting and valuable to say...but the truth is...I just don't know.

These are a few of my favorite things

 I have some things I just love to share with others. Some are just little bits of goodness, others are must haves.

I love google images. Here are some my favorite searches.

Moroccan pottery: Just try it. You will get an explosion of colors, designs, and beautiful shapes.

Seed Pods: Well duh. Yep I am obsessed with pods and their shapes. Can't get enough of them. I mean look at this! Yummy.

 Russian Onion Domes: Ok yeah they look like fancy pods but they are still super cool. I have used several images for references in my work.

Fiber. Love the colors, textures, and feel. Lately I have a love of recycled sari ribbon. My favorite shop is closing but their are several on Etsy that have the ribbons. I found one called 
YarnAndFiber

Then I have a favorite thing to do with it. Make Sari Bangles! I sold all of the ones I did so I have to make more. Humm I guess I need to buy more ribbon, imagine that.  The lovely Missficklemedia
has a great tutorial.

I wish I had more time to play with metal. I see all the new stuff our lovely Love My Art Jewelry artist are making and it just blows me away. 

I did play with it and one of my favorite tricks I learned was to use Vinegar and Salt potato chips to make a lovely green patina. Yep you heard it right. 

You take your copper piece and super clean it (I used a fine steel wool). Dip it in salt water and put a layer of crushed up vinegar and salt potato chips in the bottom of a small bowl, put your copper pc. on top then cover it with another layer of chips, put the lid on and let sit for a hour or more. You can even spray vinegar on top for a faster result. It's so much fun.

Course these are just a couple. Do you have some favorite things? Let us know!

 

Strut Your Stuff Showcase- Linda and Keirsten

MaryAnn Carroll

Welcome to Monday. I almost forgot it was Monday and my turn to show off some fabulous designs for the Strut Your Stuff challenge! Fortunately, I remembered because I found a couple of entries that I thought were wonderful!

 

Linda Landig created these beautiful earrings! You can find more of Linda's work by visiting her shop.

Here is how Linda describes these gorgeous earrings:

Ceramic beads by Marti Conrad in a delicious lilac color with a pop of pale yellow. I also love Marti's unusual 3 sided beads that I wired above the flowers. This color combination reminds me of the tall purple irises that bloom in our garden in the spring. I've always been enchanted with the contrasting yellow "throats" in the blooms.

 

Keirsten Giles made this fabulously, cool necklace! Check out her shop for some more beauties!

Here is what Keirsten had to say:

The focal on this piece was created from a foreign coin, and a hand-textured disc of raw copper. The larger disc was textured with a coin and hammer, and both the disc and the smaller coin were then colored with Swellegant patinas in aqua green mixed with a little indigo and white. The recycled sari silk is dotted with my hand-formed copper tube beads (made from strips of raw copper sheet) and emerald green aventurine. The accent beads include lampwork from Pinocean, The Spacer Shop, and Kelley Wenzel (all on Etsy).

Thank-you to everyone who submitted to our Strut Your Stuff challenge. Each Monday, a designer or two will be highlighted and a winner will be chosen at random on the first Monday of every month. If you haven't done so already, how about sharing your handmade with handmade creations?

As always,

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

MaryAnn

revealing your abilities

mary jane dodd

'i am always doing that which i can not do,

in order that i may learn how to do it.'

- pablo picasso

for me, this isn't just about technique or media - but about the making itself... 

i was always kind of serious and studious (you are shocked, i can tell) and any art classes i took focused around drawing - i was terrified of color... 

i had zero confidence in my ability to dance with it and allow it to express feeling -

fast forward 27 years and here i am, understanding how to channel emotion into metal using patina, fire, enamel... counting on it, in fact, to do that for me... to take what my heart, mind and body sometimes cannot hold all by itself... to be my pressure valve... to save me...

i wish that young self had felt safe enough to be vulnerable, to know that there was a place to put all that feeling...

but she needed to grow, to find safe people, to connect with others who had experienced similar things, to descend to much darker places and come through into the light... and still be standing...

what has your making done for you? (not just how it has taken what you could do and evolved, but how it has allowed you to do what you didn't think you could)