Monday, November 26, 2012

It's that time of year again!

I would love to be dragging boxes full of ornaments and lights out of storage and decking the halls, but first things first...
I'll be at the Humboldt Artisans Craft and Music Festival this weekend (December 30th, Nov. 1st and 2nd) and I'm putting the finishing touches on some new work for the fair.

Fiber Pieces:

Sterling Silver with Felted Wool

Pretty excited about the new Earring Card Design!

Sterling Silver and Embroidery Thread

Small Eyelet Lace Pendants:
From the Eyelet Lace Collection
Golf Ball Markers:

Copper and Sterling Silver
And of course, this years Christmas Ornament!

Copper
 I'll also be bringing some ornaments from previous years!

Copper and Enamel, 2011

Brass and Beads, 2010



If you are in the Humboldt area stop by Redwood Acres this weekend and look for me with the North Coast Metal Arts Guild in the Vickers building. Admission in free after 5pm or with a toy donation. Come out and enjoy all the incredible work from local artists and support small business this Holiday Season. If you are not in the area, I'll be listing new items to my Etsy shop next week!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Furry Friends an EM Blog Carnival

This Month Etsy Metal is sharing our furry friends for the blog carnival!

Name: Chloe
Alias: Chloe Dog, Clover, Upside Down Dog, Lamp
Breed: Lab/Bull dog mix
Age: 11
Favorite Activities: Butt Scratching, Eating, Nesting, Chasing those damn birds, Snuggling, Dress up (OK maybe that's my favorite)
Tricks: Sitting, Shaking, Laying Down, Rolling Over, Standing

It's a Chloedeer!

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Name: Mischief (although she does not know this and no one calls her that)
Alias: Kitty
Age: 12
Favorite Activities: Sleeping in the Dog bed, Snuggling her dad, Meowing for no reason
Warning: This cat attacks without provocation!

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Name: Lily
Alias: Lily Lou, Lily Cat, Lillers
Age: 3
Favorite Actives: Acrobatics, Contortion, Pestering Chloe and Kitty




Follow the EM Blog Carnival for more cuteness:




Monday, July 2, 2012

What in the World...

are you doing? An Etsy Metal blog carnival. This month EM members share their current "goings on".

What have I been doing? I've not been blogging, that's for sure. In the last month I have been:

*Working on a new(er) collection "Eyelet Lace", which I am pretty excited about. There are three additional pieces on my bench right now that I hope to have completed in the next week or so.

Copper and Sterling Silver Earrings from the Eyelet Lace Collection

*Spending weekends at craft fairs and other art events. Was great to get some sun and discover new music (Melody Walker and Orphan in the Afterlife were my favorites!) at the Benbow Summer Arts Festival and this years turn out for North Coast Open Studios was great!

* Washing my dog every other day because she has dermatitis. Poor little dog. She's being very cooperative and I'm sure already feels a lot better.

Chloe dog doing what she does best: being cute
*Visiting relatives. Had a great time when my cousin got married on a yacht on Newport Harbor.  It was wonderful to catch up with everyone... some I hadn't seen in several years.

*Laying in my fantastic new hammock that my mother gave me on the previously mentioned trip.

*Planting our raised beds with cabbage, peppers, chard, Romain, basil, onions and leeks.

 *Moving the North Coast Metal Arts Guild out of our studio space. We had a lot of fun there and are a little bummed, but also excited to be focusing our efforts in other directions.

NC Black demo at the North Coast Metal Arts Guild


*Watching a ridiculous amount of Mad Men on Netflix.

*Reading the Game of Thrones series (obsessively!).

*Updating my website and etsy shop sections so my work can be viewed as collections. (Take a look and let me know what you think!)

*And pretty much trying to re-charge while keeping up on the ins and outs of everyday life!

To find out what other EM members have been up to click away and follow the carnival:

 Danielle Miller - http://daniellemillerjewelry.blogspot.com/ Danielle Miller-Gilliam
Nodeform - http://nodeform.blogspot.com/
Laney - http://silentgoddess.blogspot.com
 Evelyn - http://markasky.blogspot.com/
victoria takahashi - http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/
Miranda - http://gracebourne.blogspot.ca/
 Beth Cyr - http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com
 Rebecca Bogan - http://AdobeSol.wordpress.com
Anne Walker - http://www.creativeinclinations.blogspot.com

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Four A Month: March

Eyelet Lace Collection, Sterling Silver and White Jade
This month I focused on textiles. I knew I wanted to incorporate lace and after a few failed attempts to incorporate the real thing I decided to get more abstract.  I'm pretty happy with this collection based on eyelet lace and would like to explore it further. I find the necklace to be the most effective piece due to the repetition in the chain and the white of the Jade cab. Let me know what you think in the comments!
For more info on each of these pieces you can find them in my Etsy shop.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Etsy Metal Charm Swap 9: All done!


Yay! I completed my charms today! I veered from the original plan just a bit and let the stripes go every which way based on a suggestion from a fellow swapper... I'm not gunna lie though, trying to get those lines straight on 22 charms was TEDIOUS. I was more than happy to let them do their own thing.


All that's left now is to get them packaged up and shipped off. And then the waiting begins. I can't wait to receive the whole collection! For the latest update on the Etsy Metal Charm Swap 9 check out the EM blog!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Passage, by Justin Cronin

This month the Etsy Metal book club is finishing up and creating pieces based on Justin Cronin's "The Passage".

My ring is for Cronin's character Sara. As I was reading the book I wasn't aware of what an impact her character was making on me, but when I think back on the story now, I think about Sara a good deal. This ring is meant to be a sort of reminder that although her reality is one of monsters and teeth, fear and survival, there is still room to hope for more, just as she did as a child.


The passage that inspired my piece:
Teacher sealed the door behind them. A curious and premature pause; Sara had expected more. Where was she going? she asked Teacher. Would it be a long journey? Was someone coming for her? How long was she to wait here, in this room? But Teacher seamed not to hear these questions. She crouched before her, positioning her large, soft face close to Sara's. Little Sara, she asked, what do you suppose is out there, outside this building, beyond the rooms where you live? And what of the men you sometimes see, the ones who come and go at night, watching over you? Teacher was smiling, but there was something different about this smile, thought Sara, something that made her afraid. She didn't want to answer, but Teacher was looking straight at her, her face expectant. Sara thought of her mother's eyes, the night she asked her where she slept. A castle? she said, for in her sudden nervousness that was the only thing she could think of. A castle, with a moat? A castle, Teacher said. I see. And what else little Sara? The smile was suddenly gone. I don't know, said Sara. Well, Teacher said, and cleared her throat. It's not a castle.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Featured Artist: Esther Eve of E²

One of the perks of being a member of Etsy Metal is the instant social circle of talented, motivated, and supportive artists. When one of us discovered Pinterest, a large number of us were there with in a week. I quickly learned that many of us have much in common. And now I know that Esther Eve and I would have no trouble deciding on a place to do lunch. Judging from her playlist below, we would have no trouble agreeing on the music to listen to on the way there either. 

Esther Eve's work in gorgeous. Her work is both bold, with its often larger scale, and organic with a tactile nature that begs to be touched.

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Tell us a bit about yourself
I had an obsession with seed beads and Indian loom-woven jewelry when I was a young girl, so I guess you could say that I've had the 'bug' for jewelry most of my life. In late 2007 I began my love affair with metal working, and the rest is history. I intend for my work to have a very armor-like and ancient whimsy, as I am obsessed with medieval and old-world style and culture. I intentionally antique and distress each piece for a timeless rustic feel, and use sterling silver, copper, brass, and natural stones for my medium. Aside from using traditional silversmith techniques, I love to create organic designs incorporating crafts such as etching, electroforming, enameling, and various patina concepts. Each piece is entirely hand-made in my small home-based studio, currently residing on the Emerald Coast of Florida.


What is the best advice you've ever been given?
My father taught me that honesty is the key to a peaceful heart, and a happy life.  This has proven incredibly true, and I treasure this invaluable training that he gave me when I was young.

What do you listen to in the studio?
Discovering new music is a great passion of mine.  I'm a child of the 90's era music, so much of what I love was created in that decade, but I love earlier and some recent music just as well.  Usually in the studio I tend to listen to more mellow and soulful artists, but I love my heavy metal just the same ;o)
I'll just list a few here that I've recently added to my playlist:
Adele, Arcade Fire, Cowboy Junkies, Dangermouse (the new album with Jack White and Norah Jones), Das Racist, Deftones (always a huge fan!), Florence & The Machine, Mazzy Starr, Johnny Cash, Lissie, Lykke Li, Metallica, Minnie Driver, Morcheeba, Mumford & Sons, Neko Case, Nina Simone, Portishead, Shakira (I'm terrible at booty-shakin, but sometimes need to spice things up in the studio and get a little crazy!), Smashing Pumpkins, The Ravenonettes, Thievery Corporation, Zach Brown Band, Zola Jesus.


What is your most prized possession? 
My mothers tiny gold mirror, that is engraved with her name and fits perfectly in those little pockets inside most purses.  I'm so scared I'll lose it, so I never actually put it in my purse...it usually stays in my jewelry box where I can still see it daily.  She passed when I was 14, and I will always treasure the memory when I would admire the mirror when I was a child and she would let me play in her purse.

Where can we see your work? (shops, blogs, upcoming events, installations, etc)
You can find my work in my Etsy Shop, My blog, and my Flickr.  
www.evemmetalsmith.blogspot.com


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If you would like to learn more about Esther Eve and her work, including the tool at the top of her wishlist and her favorite objects to collect, you can read the full interview at the Etsy Metal Blog.


My Favorite Piece in the E² shop:


You can also follow the official Etsy Metal Pinterest Board to see more work from Esther Eve and other Etsy Metal members.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Charm Swap 9: Moving Right Along

 I decided I better keep up the momentum and get to the point where I could be sure I was going to have enough materials. So today I soldered the copper rings and flattened them. Then I ran some silver wire through the rolling mill, and cut it to length.


 I was really getting nervous toward the end, but it turns out my estimate on wire was right on with about 2cm to spare. That was close!  Of course, I could have been a little more precise on the length of the silver strips, but I like the security of that extra overlap. And when I'm done, I'll have a bunch of little silver pieces to melt into balls for future projects.

Next I'll be cleaning up the seams on some of the copper and then I'll start soldering that silver down. Lets hope I don't melt anything!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Charm Swap 9: Getting Started


I've FINALLY picked my design for the Etsy Metal Charm Swap 9! They'll be smaller versions of my Horizontal Stripes Necklace


I've got all my materials and I even completed the first step, cutting the copper:


Next up, soldering the little guys. I'll keep you posted!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Four A Month: February


Copper, Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver, Copper
This month for the Flickr Four A Month challenge I've been working on stripes! Stripes as components of biological forms. Stripes as focal points. Stripes as art objects. Stripes, stripes, stripes! I'm really digging stripes, so much that I've already listed some in my Etsy shop and there are sure to be more in the future.

Horizontal, Sterling Silver
Gymnosperm Receptacle, Sterling Silver and Copper

If you are in the Humboldt area you can see "Gymnosperm Receptacle" and "Horizontal" at Hunter Plaid Gallery in the Sunny Brae Shopping Center with the North Coast Metal Arts Guild's February exhibition. Show runs through March 8th.






Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Cuttle Bone Casting!

Moon Phases, Sterling Silver and Copper Alloy
Last weekend I had the pleasure of assisting Erin House with her Cuttle Bone Casting Workshop at the North Coast Metal Arts Guild. I have a pretty good amount of experience in mold making, but practically none with casting, so I was really excited. What fun! I can see how people could get hooked on Cuttle Bone. Quick and easy to carve or press an object into the mold, and it produces great texture, however, it is a little stinky.

Pools, Sterling Silver, Sterling Silver and Bronze Alloy

Thursday, January 12, 2012

FAM: January

Hibernation and Rebirth


"Clutch" (Ring)
Sterling Silver, Brass, Silk, Wool, Thread

Hibernation and Rebirth seemed like a fitting theme for my January Four A Month series. As I wrapped and twisted the wire and later tucked in the silk I marveled at the amount of energy it must take birds, insects, and other animals to develop their nests, cocoons and dens; each one a unique and marvelous creation that is a direct reflection of  the maker and its surroundings. All with the purpose of creating a safe resting place to protect new life, transform, or restore energy. Nature is beautiful.


"Cocoon" (Brooch)
Brass


"Arrested Flight" (Brooch)
Brass, Silk, String

 "Life Cycle" (Neck Piece)
Brass, Copper, Silk, String


Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012!

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for all the kind words and support over the past year. Here's to an even better 2012!

1st on the agenda: make some new work! I'll be joining in a new jewelry challenge this year called FAM (Four a Month). The idea is to create four pieces that are related each month. I'm really excited about this challenge and have been meaning to get to some series work for quite some time. During the 2011 RAW (Ring a Week) challenge I focused on rings that all incorporated origami and was very pleased with the results.


My goal for this years challenge is to make it all the way through. I was a little bummed that I only made it through 13 weeks of RAW as finishing RAD (Ring a Day) in 2010 gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. Fortunately, I think concentrating on series work that is a little more flexible may be just what I need to get moving again. For January I plan on working around the theme of hibernation and rebirth. Wish me luck!