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

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! 

Crazy for Clay

Just another in the continuing series of updates from Starry Road Studio.... Needless to say, I have been knee deep in clay, relishing with joy the ability to work in this medium again after a so long a time away while transitioning from KY to NY over the past year. Yes, that's right, it has been nearly a YEAR since I packed up and left KY to return to NY. Most of my studio has been packed up in storage and only in recent weeks have I begun the slow process of getting everything set up here. I was dying to get my pottery wheel set up and thankfully I managed to throw a few pots this past week. I still have to get my spray booth set up for glazing, but for now I'll use some dipping glazes for these pots.

I am continuing to explore beads, creating a variety of new forms and ideas.

Continuing in my series of woodland-themed beads, I finally got started on a new design for "Camping Beads", based on sketches from late last summer. I blogged about it here.

I am having a blast playing with various textures. I am especially LOVING wood. This started with some woodland themed pieces (logs, trees, etc.). I am carrying it over into my line of ancient amulets and beads. I wanted to convey the sense of the ancient along with the wood texture, so I created a texture I am calling "Petrified Wood" (as seen in the dark brown pieces below). I love the mossy old stone (in the lighter, greenish pieces), and ancient wood look of these...

I plan to explore these textures in pottery. I can't wait! Here's an idea with a sort of plant form growing out of a "tree" base. I will throw this in porcelain and sculpt it after. I'll post pictures when I get around to it. And perhaps it will inform new designs for beads too. Stay tuned!

Labyrinths revealed - December Component of the Month.

       Hello everyone! I hope the Holidays are treating you well, filled with frolic, fun and family. And now we are at the end of a year, turning the page onto another filled with possibilities and potential. As the labyrinth is a symbol for a journey - whether it be real or metaphor - I felt it was a great symbol to end. And to begin on.

Please join me in taking a look at the creations of these diverse and talented women.

  And Happy New Year! 

This months guests of honor:
Emma Todd
Lee Koopman
Jess Green


And participating AJE team members:
Jen Cameron 
Kristi Bowman
Diana Ptaszynski
Kristen Stevens
Lesley Watt
Francesca Watson
Melissa Meman
Jo Tinley
Linda Landig
Sue Kennedy
Jenny Davies-Reazor, your hostess 

Jenny

www..jdaviesreazor.com

Charm, and charm again...

Hello again!
Last time I was here I wrote about charm holders, showed you a few I liked... and I will admit I have been thinking about them since. So I wanted to share with you my endeavors. These are simple wire constructions, and some of you may consider this elemental. But I am one to use what ever technique suits the piece - however complex or simple...

I had promised charm holders to 2 friends with birthdays in October. (Check your calendar, you read that right. I am 2 months late on this.) So I sat down to work... It took some fiddling until I got the shape I wanted. This is from a 6" piece of wire.

1. & 2. Create crossed circle app. size.
3. - 5. Using large end of rd pliers, bend ends back in "U". Curl ends up in opp. direction with small tip of pliers.
6. Finished shape.  7. Hammer time!

Bali silver bud, tiger eye, quartz, "Strength" copper link, carnelian, turquoise. 

 

Garnet, Green Girl studios link, tiger eye, quartz crystal, jade, garnet charm. 

I had another idea - for my Mother in law, and my Grandmother in law... a heart shaped pendant with the grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's birthstones. They are MAD for birthstones...

Bottom pix: First is 18 ga with 22 ga wrapped bail. Center is 12 ga with wrapped bail. Third is 20 ga with loop/bail within the wire shape itself.

I think these have potential. I do plan to use more 22 ga wire and wrap the centers closed for security - on the smaller gauge pieces at least. the 12 gauge wire isn't going anywhere! The birthstone crystals are on order, and then these gifts are complete! ( The third heart is for my Aunt in law. Can't leave anyone out!) Copper chain to complete the necklace and then... its a wrap! Or time to wrap, at least!

One more. This one is mine! 

Have a great weekend everyone. I have my last Kids ceramics class to teach on Saturday, then I get to head to Middle Earth on Sunday. The Hobbit. In Imax. Sweet.... After that - assorted holiday tasks! Enjoy!

Jenny 

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Charmed, I am sure...

I have a pile of things on my work table to do, fix, alter, repair... One is a charm I made for my sister when my nephew, her firstborn, was ... well, born. It has his name, a star, and his birthstone (aquamarine) as well as a link of 4 stones - he was born on the 4th.

She has taken to wearing multiple charms on the same necklace, creating her own talisman, a power bundle that she can carry with her in the corporate world. I am reworking the original charm that sparked the idea, so it will hang better with others.


This got me thinking about charm holders. I have a "mojo" piece I made for myself - incorporating personal symbols of  my art, materials I use... (sea glass, gems, river stone, Antique doll arm, bone game piece " Happy in her studio", paintbrush. Currently missing - ceramic shard from Marsha )

And I took a browse over at Etsy to see what I could find. I was mainly looking for empty charm holders - thinking the fun is in building your own unique collection. Here is what caught my eye.

Amanda Davie - a FB friend of mine - has a great line of charm holders and charms. She has eclectic taste, a little Romantic, a little Boho, a little quirky. I love it!

Cindy at Hill Country Silver had great pieces in a variety of finishes. 

Beadspoint is a supply shop that I wasnt familiar with before now - but the lotus really caught my eye. 

Janne of Gothic Closet has such cool stuff. I love finding new artists on Etsy!

Leona/Lee's Whimsy has a very diverse shop, but I did like this one - with the Alphonse Mucha image! 




I think I may experiment with some charm holder designs in the future. I love the idea of building a necklace over time with items of meaning and significance. I think I need to make more. I may even feel a tutorial coming on...

Thanks for stopping by...
Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com