Summertime - June's theme challenge

Summertime and the living is easy...*

For me - I hear Ella. Maybe Janis Joplin's version is more you? Norah Jones?

The very phrase reads in my head as a slow drawl, unhurried, redolent of heat and relaxation. 

I confess that  I am writing this post after a Memorial Day weekend at the beach that was relaxed and unhurried; marking the beginning of the summer season. 

Summer isn't all beach! So many wonderful treats and traditions of the season. 

So for our theme COM this month - the team decided to keep it easy, breezy... 

What does summer mean to you? 

Diana: "Beachcombing at the shore ... wading in the rolling surf and searching for treasures on the beach. I also don't mind a relaxing, sunny day in the pool with the smell of bbq cooking."

Caroline: "Lazy summer evenings...when the heat of the day is gone and you get the warm and fuzzy end of day sunshine. Love it at home in the garden or sitting outside our tent on holidays.

Jennifer: "Nothing says summer more than sitting around a fire at dusk with friends and a bottle or two of wine, the lightning bugs out, kids catching them and temporarily putting them in a jar, making s'mores, or playing ghosts in the graveyard or flashlight tag."

Karen:  "Not wearing shoes. I couldn't wait for it to get warm enough I could start going without shoes all summer"

For me ( and Susan agreed) the beach is a definite summer tradition. I have always lived a few hours from an ocean, either one, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Jenny's "Summer" collage. Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, crabs, done right in Old Bay, were and essential  summer tradition. They still make me think of my grandfather to this day. 

Still looking for inspiration? Check out "Picturing Summer" a compilation of art by Tor.com

The  theme challenge details

1. Goal - Have fun! Try something different! Be inspired by any of the myriad aspects of summer! Make something that fits within this theme. This can be an artist bead, a component, or a finished piece of jewelry. There is no give away this month but you are free to use any artist bead/component in your design.

• You must have an active blog. 
• Email and blog address requested in comments. 

2. Share/Reveal - Reveal date Thursday, June 30th!

If you would like to be included in the blog reveal at month's end, please email Lesley at theajewellery (at) sky.com Include your name, blog name and address... Since this is open to all, this is the most efficient way to be included. Plans change... this confirms your participation in the reveal/blog roll. Emails need to be received by June 28th to be included. (Commenting here is not a guarantee of inclusion in the blog roll on reveal day)

See you then... and don't forget the sunscreen! 

Footnote: 

The song "Summertime" was composed by George Gershwin in 1934 for the opera/musical "Porgy and Bess" which came out the following year. 

Lyrics: Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, Don't you cry

One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With Daddy and Mammy standin' by

April is for Amulets! The COM reveal...

The COM this month - these mixed media amulet beads - went out to team members and guests! A huge thank you to all who participated; I look forward to seeing your creations! 

Here are the participating blogs: 

Guests: 

Marsha of Marsha Neal Studio

Alison of Alison Adorns

Jess of The Copper Cat

Brooke from Artistic Endeavors

AJE Team: 

Lesley 

Caroline 

Niky 

Jennifer

Diana

Lindsay

Susan

Jenny

And the (April COM amulet bead) winner is....

Amulet beads ready to mail to winners... 

On Monday I will be mailing amulet beads to....

Jess Green and Brooke Bock!! Thank you to all who commented and I do so look forward to seeing your creations this month. (I will have more amulet beads this weekend at Bead Fest in Oaks PA - so please contact me is you are interested in purchasing one... )

Until next time - have a great weekend! 

April is for amulets... the component of the month.

I am excited to share these new pieces with you, our readers and my team mates here at AJE. This month I wanted to break out of the "clay cave" as I call it - and offer something different! I am busy glazing and firing pieces for the last Bead Fest Spring event - and taking a day to work in polymer feels like a welcome break. 

So - without further ado... my polymer amulet beads. 

Fresh from the oven, painted and ready

I love a wearable piece that has a message, or a meaning. And these take that to a new level. The core of the amulet is a piece of aluminum tubing and the beads are open at the top. I imagine them with a miniature scroll of paper, an image, a message... 

Amulet bead in hand - shown for scale. 

The facts: 

• These focal beads are approximately 1.5" long. 
• Some have corks, others do not. 
• They are drilled through - so they can be strung easily or have wire wrapped loops added on...

You could win ONE of these - but let me surprise you... 

Want to play along? Here are the rules…

• I will give away 2 amulet tube beads (chosen at random) to 2 winners selected randomly from those who leave a comment below this post. Your comment MUST include your EMAIL AND BLOG address so we can contact you should you win.
• Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
• The names of the 2 winners will be announced on Saturday - April 2, 2016.
• This giveaway is open to US and international countries, but please be aware that these will be posted from the US and international addresses will have longer postage times… sometimes up to 3 weeks.
• The blog reveal will take place on Saturday - April 30, 2016.

I look forward to hearing your comments and seeing you at the end of the month! 

Permission to play: faux stained glass and polymer inlay

March is halfway over - and "eye" have been having a great time with the theme this month!

Notes and sketches in my ever present Moleskine. 

Lindsay really sent me down the research and inspiration rabbit hole. Eyes, hamsa hands, even a relatively obscure goddess Tanit. This was the perfect opportunity to play a little - to experiment with a stencil technique that I wanted to try in polymer.

Original sketch, cutting the stencil, stencil after curing, and final impression. 

The process had me draw and cut out a delicate filigree in polymer. (I think I should have tried a simpler design for my first attempt at this!) The stencil is cured, and sanded perfectly flat - then used to imprint the design in subsequent pieces of polymer. One nice feature to this technique is that it is easily reversible for paired images, or mirror images - say wings or the like. Wings! I need to try that...

The first of the series. 

I wanted to create multiples in order to play with polymer inlay and some faux stained glass ideas. I created a set of hands, maybe 6 in all - in black and other random clay colors that were on my table. The first one was a tried and true method - mica powders in the impressed areas. I cured this halfway and then added a layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpey in the impressed cells of the design. As you can see - this one was colorful! The design was rather clear - it could have used a bit more cleanup of stray sprinkles of mica...

Mica powders and a layer of TLS. 

The TLS is so so thick... So I diluted it for the next batch with clay softener. This time I tinted the "goo" mixture directly using the mica powders again. I wiped them back as best I could before curing - it was NEVER my goal to have to sand a lot afterwards. I am not a fan of sanding.

These came out really well - good opacity to the color and some fun blending where 2 wet areas touched in the blue/black eye below. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

Tinting thinned TLS with mica powders.

I tried a direct inlay of polymer clay... ( Purple and pale blue below). While I like the technique - I would like it better for smaller areas and lines. This was WAY too much sanding - and as you can see its still a bit of a mess. 

The most colorful version was utilizing alcohol ink mixed with my thinned TLS "goo"(top left).

Very colorful on the white; near invisible on the black. I think the transparency of the alcohol ink is good to remember... 

My favorite of the experiments was the final one shown here (bottom right). I used the TLS "goo" tinted with mica powders... the difference being I hit the raised areas with a Sharpie to darken them and boost the contrast. 

Alcohol inks, inlay, and inspiration! 

My inspiration for these experiments and many more was " The Art of Polymer Clay" by Donna Kato. It is a wealth of information and inspiration! Overall I am happy I tried these techniques out in a situation with no pressure - I can see using them more in my work as I continue to experiment with polymer as a sculptural medium. 

I'd love to hear what you think - and hope this eyeful has been interesting... Until the reveal I'm off to the studio... 

Buried Treasure - the "Use your stash" reveal!

Treasures inside, savvy? 

Welcome!

The first reveal of 2016! 

We all unearthed treasures in our hoards, stashes, treasure troves, inventories... now its time to see what wonder we have created. Please join us and out guests this month. 

AJE team:

Lesley Watt

Lindsay Starr

Caroline Dewison

Jennifer Cameron

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Susan Kennedy

Niky Sayers

Guests: 

Terri - Terrri’s Blooming ideas

Shai - Shai’s Ramblings

Melissa - Bead Recipes

Tammy - Paisley  Lizard

Sarajo - SJ Designs

Kathy - Bay Moon Designs

Karin - Ginko et Colquelicot

Lola - Bead Lola Bead

Samantha - Wescott Jewelry

Mona - Bijoux Gem

Suntsa - Suntsan

Brooke - Artistic Endeavours 101

January challenge: Buried Treasure

Buried Treasure aka "Use your stash!"

Dig into the treasure you have been hoarding... 

We all have one. Call it a treasure, or a bead stash. Call it loot or inventory. It most likely does NOT look like this: 

Keeping your beads safe? Paranoid? 

It probably looks more like this: 

ONE of my 4 artist bead treasure boxes. Can you spot all the pieces by AJE team mates? LOL

What could be better than starting the year off right with new creative ideas? Using a treasures bead or component! Last year we started what may become a tradition here at Art Jewelry Elements - the "Use your Stash" challenge. (Granted, thats not a very poetic name, but it gets right to the point.)

Here is how it works: 

• Gather your beads and components by any and all of your favorite artisan bead makers. 
• Fondle. Think. Plan. Design. Dream. 
• Create! 
• Sign up here! Leave a comment with your name AND your blog address. 
• Blog! Buried treasure reveal date is January 31st 2016. 

**Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
**Pull out those pieces you love from your stash and ENJOY them. What are you saving them for? 
** This Buried Treasure challenge is NOT limited to AJE artists - but we DO love you see what you create with our creations. 

Until then - Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Happy Creating!

August Component of the Month Reveal!

It's reveal day for the August Component of the Month!

Rustic Stoneware Coins

Each participant was sent a rustic stoneware coin pendant to create with.  Let's see what everyone created!

Guests

Cindy Martin-Shaw

Samantha Wescott

Jenny Kyrlach

AJE Team

Kristen Stevens

Caroline Dewison

Sue Kennedy

Linda Landig

Diana Ptaszynski

Jenny Davies-Reazor & Lesley Watt

Jennifer Cameron

Lindsay Starr

Niky Sayers

P.S.  Thanks to everyone who joined in!

~Diana P.

Suburban Girl Studio LLC

August Component of the Month Giveaway!

It's time for the August Component of the Month Giveaway!

Rustic stoneware coin pendants

Up for grabs this month is one of my rustic stoneware coin pendants!  Each piece is made to look like an ancient finding just dug up from the depths of the earth!

Want to play along? Here are the rules…

• I will giveaway 1 stoneware coin pendant (chosen at random) to each of the 2 winners selected randomly from those who leave a comment below this post. Your comment MUST include your EMAIL AND BLOG address so we can contact you should you win.
• Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
• The names of the 2 winners will be announced on Tuesday, August 4, 2015.
• This giveaway is open to US and international countries, but please be aware that these will be posted from the US and international addresses will have longer postage times… sometimes up to 3 weeks.
• The blog reveal will take place on Sunday, August 30, 2015.

Good luck!

~Diana P.

Suburban Girl Studio LLC

July Component of the Month reveal!

July was my first go at hosting a Component of the Month and it has completely flown by as summer always dose!

What I always love seeing with the Component of the Month is how one piece can be used in so many different ways to create something truly unique to the maker and because of this I am so excited to see what everyone has crafted using my little coins! 

Now won't you join me with a cup of coffee and more then likely a bar of chocolate while I go and see the treasures that these talented lot have come up with.....

Guest bloggers
Rebecca Anderson

Nan Smith

Jess Green

AJE Team
Sue Kennedy
Kristen Stevens
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Lindsay Starr
Caroline Dewison
Lesley Watt
Linda Landig
Rebekah Payne
Niky Sayers
Melissa Meman

Thank you to everyone that has joined in!

April Component of the Month Reveal: Little Wood Hearts!

Remember these little heart beads?

I'm so happy that we chose my little hearts for April's CoM challenge… and now today, we finally get to see what lovely creations everyone dreamed up!

Come join us on the tour!

Guests

Karin Grosset Grange

Carol Briody

Rebecca Anderson

Ann Schroeder

AJE Team

Rebekah Payne

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Caroline Dewison

Susan Kennedy

Diana Ptaszynski

Kristen Stevens

Niky Sayers

Lindsay Starr

Rebekah Payne

Blog: treewingsstudio.com
Shop: treewingsstudio.etsy.com

May Component of the Month Giveaway! Beaded Beads!

It's my turn to provide the May Component of the Month, and after taking a poll of the AJE team members, I decided to offer a pair of beaded beads! 

I've really enjoyed making beaded beads in the past using round wood beads and size 15 seed beads.  I had purchased this tutorial from Datz Katz on Etsy (Debra Schwartz) and really enjoy coming up with different color combinations!

These are the beaded beads that I will choose from. Want to play along?  Here are the rules:

• I will give away 1 pair of beaded beads in the colors of my choice to each of 3 winners selected randomly from those who leave comments below this post. Your comment must include your EMAIL address and BLOG url so we can contact you should you win. Please note, this is required, I can't choose you if you don't provide both.
• Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
• The names of the 3 winners will be announced on Saturday, May 2, 2015.
• This giveaway is open to US and international countries, but please be aware that international addresses will have longer postage times… sometimes up to 3 weeks.
• The blog reveal will take place on Sunday, May 31, 2015.

Good Luck!

Susan Kennedy

SueBeads Etsy Store

SueBeads Web Site

SueBeads Blog

March Hares - the AJE Themed Challenge Reveal

March is often associated with idioms about lions and lambs... but here at AJE it was the month of the Hare. We had discussed this "theme" idea for a good while before deciding to move ahead. And we, as a team, felt there were myriad reasons to give it a try... We wanted the bead makers, the component people to have an opportunity to be involved in a monthly challenge. I mean art beads - am I right? And we wanted to encourage dialogue on inspiration, and shared inspiration. We wanted to demonstrate individual styles of expression, and the diversity of artist offerings within limited parameters. But enough philosophy - on with the reveal!

This month we have many participants - team members, 2 winners and a great list of artists and designers that hopped to the challenge. Take a look. Enjoy.

Happy Spring!

AJE Team
Jenny
Caroline
Lesley
Linda
Niky
Melissa
Rebekah
Lindsay

Guests
Aural - Woodland Bay Native
Heather - Hidden Ridge Studio
Cindy Martin-Shaw
Keren Panthaki
Jackie Ryan
Karin Grosset Grange - Ginko et Coquelicot
Pamela Traub - Klassy Joolz
Paisley Lizard Designs
Karen at Ditsy Blue
Michelle McEnroe ( 4 pieces pinned on the AJE Pinterest page)

April Component of the Month Giveaway!

Hello everyone! It's time for another Component of the Month giveaway and I'm so excited to be hosting for April's challenge! Up for grabs are my brand new little wood heart beads!

I hand shaped each heart in polymer clay and carefully stamped both front and back with a weathered wood impression that I made a while back.

On the side, to make them extra special, I carved the word "love".

I painted them in my favorite rustic copper brown color and a brand new color: sea-washed grey, to mimic the look of driftwood. Perfect to add a touch of woodland charm, sea-worn shabbiness, and rustic beauty to your new jewelry creations! Each one is about 18mm by 23mm long.

Want to play along? Here are the rules…

• I will giveaway 1 heart bead in the color of your choice to each of 3 winners selected randomly from those who leave comments below this post. Your comment must included your EMAIL address so we can contact you should you win.
• Please — only leave a comment if you can commit to creating a finished piece and blogging about it on the reveal date.
• The names of the 3 winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 1, 2015.
• This giveaway is open to US and international countries, but please be aware that international addresses will have longer postage times… sometimes up to 3 weeks.
• The blog reveal will take place on Thursday, April 30, 2015.

Good luck and happy creating!

Rebekah Payne

Blog: treewingsstudio.com
Shop: treewingsstudio.etsy.com

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Evening...

...with an announcement!

The 2 winners for the March "Hare" theme COM are...

Cindy Martin-Shaw
and
Heather of Hidden Ridge Studio

Congratulations to you - and thank you to all who commented.

Please remember that all are welcome to join us in this Hare themed challenge this month. Please see the original post for details.

Until then - be creative!
Jenny

February 2015 Component of the Month Reveal

Hi and welcome to the February Component of the Month Challenge/Blog Hop! I had the honor of providing the components for this month, and I chose to create metal clay pieces. After getting a kiln last year, I have been playing with copper and white copper metal clay and am really loving it. For this COM, I decided to carve a rubber stamp and used it as a starting point for all the pieces. It all started with this drawing...

As much as I loved the dots around the design, the carving tool wouldn't really work for them. For the metal clay pieces with extra holes, I used a drill bit while the clay was leather dry.

I hope you will go and show some love to those who have created designs using them!
Here are the participants.

Guest Participants:

Michelle Mach
Patty Miller
Divya N

AJE team:

Jenny Davies-Reazor
Susan Kennedy
Melissa Meman
Rebekah Payne
Lindsay Starr
Kristen Stevens
Francesca Watson
Lesley Watt

AJE COM Theme: March Hares

The *new* AJE Theme challenge!
A variation on our Component of the Month feature! 

1. A. Durer - Young hare, watercolor, 1502.  2. Lepus Leporidae   3. B. Flanagan - Leaping Hare, 1982 bronze
 4. M. Ohara - Ivory netsuke, mid 19th century

You, our loyal readers, know us. You know that we are constantly evolving, creating, discussing and challenging ourselves. This year the team decided to initiate four themed challenges, loosely aligned with the seasons. We wanted to offer a creative challenge that was broader in scope, drawing in bead makers, component makers, as well as designers/jewelry makers.

The theme for Spring 2015 is the Hare. 

We are creating hares in our respective mediums - from clay to metal, polymer to resin. We invite you to join us: create a bead, a pendant, a finished piece of jewelry. It may be whimsical, naturalistic, or abstract. Just hop to it. (Details on entry/participation at end of post.)

I selected the hare, as its my totem animal of sorts. In myths the world over the hare is associated with fertility, creativity and rebirth. I wanted to share a few stories here, and I will delve deeper into the myth and symbolism on my own blog throughout the month. I am continually inspired by these legends, myths and lore!

Now it IS March... "Mad as a March hare" comes to mind. This is a British idiom, referencing the antics of hares in their Spring breeding season. They are often seen "boxing" as a courtship display. The March Hare is commonly known from Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".

Image credits: 1. Boxing hares 2. Boxing hares 3. Tenniel illustration from Alice in Wonderland
4. Cheeky hare by  Simon Litten
   

There are many pre-Christian goddesses associated with hares and springtime, including Kaltes, Freyja and Eostre, the namesake of Easter.  Spring is a time of rebirth and fertility, so the connection with rabbits is clear, and was maintained via the Easter Bunny.

Antique Easter postcard, the Germanic goddess Eostre, an antique chocolate mold. 

The Asian folktales and myths offer a wide range of hares, most often associated with the moon. In China the hare is the consort of moon goddess Chang-O, and grinds the elixir of immortality in a mortar in pestle. In Japan - he's making mochi! The hare is seen in the craters on the moon's surface, forging a tangible link between myth and reality.

1. Lunar rabbit netsuke by Eilchi, late 19th cen. 2 & 3.  Lunar hare in the moon diagram and noren 4. Ivory netsuke  5. Embroidery, Chinese Imperial robes, 18th century

Here is what the team has been up to: (I'll let the pictures do the talking!)

Rebekah's trio - arctic hare, hare, and jackalope! Melissa's molten morsels in progress. 

Caroline's stunning silhouettes in raku. 

Karen has work in progress! Available soon - complete with the iconic spiral of life stamped on these totem beads. 

Lesley has etched, and soldiers, and cast and fired... 

Lesley is glazing these beauties now! Niky, although new to the team, has jumped in, sawing these  pieces/WIP.  

My own old and new: casting a 3d detailed hare, my hare and lunar hare ceramic pendants . 

The *new* theme challenge details:

 

1. Giveaway - This theme challenge DOES include a giveaway! ( This will vary each time.) 

I will be giving away one hare and one lunar hare pendant - winners selected randomly from comments on this post. 

• Winners selected Sunday March 1.
• You must have an active blog. 
• Email and blog address requested in comments. 

2. Goal - Have fun! Try something different! Hop to it! Be inspired by the creative nature of the hare! Make something that fits within this theme. This can be an artist bead, a component, or a finished piece of jewelry.    

       *You are free to use any artist bead/component in your design -

• from an AJE team member 
• of your own creation
• from another artisan bead maker... 

3. Share/Reveal - Reveal date March 31st! 

If you would like to be included in the blog reveal at month's end, please email Jenny at jen.davies.reazor (at) gmail.com. Since this is open to all, this is the most efficient way to be included. Emails need to be received by March 29th  to be included. 

Rabbit manju

Resources:

• The Symbolism of Rabbits and Hares by Terri Windling (a brilliant overview of myths and literature from the world over!)
• A reprised Windling article on her blog 
• The Jakata/Buddhist tale of the selfless hare
• Japanese hare mochi
• Japanese myth and folklore: the hare