The End Zone

Recently, I ventured into the land of viking knit.  It was fun and I enjoyed watching my piece grow longer and longer, then be compressed into a pretty chain after pulling it through the draw plate.  The one thing that sort of stumped me was how to finish the ends.  Hmm.

There are a lot of mass-produced end caps for just this sort of thing, but you know me...why use something so mundane when you can create something special for your design!

I looked around for handcrafted end caps and tried a few that I found...

You know I love wire...here is a simple and pretty way to end your piece with wire from our own Sue Kennedy...

I also love working with sheet metal.  Keirsten Giles rocks the sheet metal end components and cones!  Have you checked out the last tutorial she shared? So pretty and versatile...these can be used so many different ways!  Take a few moments to drool over this necklace she created using her hand-fabricated metal ends for our Component of the Month for June.  Amazing!

In the end, for my 1st ever viking knit, I chose to do metal sheet...they are much plainer than Keirsten's and turned out a bit big, but I like the effect and will play with that concept more in future work!

The next bracelet (created for our Component of the Month challenge for April), I decided to enamel some small brass caps I had  that fit perfectly over the ends...

For my next bracelet...yet to be created/design still in my head, I want to use these!  Just created them from copper metal clay.  They were pretty difficult to form...you can see they are a bit wonky!  I will definitely work on some more!

What do you like to finish your viking knit with?  Would love some more ideas!

Originally my post idea was just going to cover cones.  When I asked my team mates to show me their cones, of course, Madonna and the Coneheads sprang to mind!  I decided to change the focus!

Melissa Meman
Melismatic Art Jewelry
Art. Life. Love.

Rocking The Rustic

I have two tutorials in mind that I'd like to share with you, but the truth is that I'm not quite ready today to invest the time required for writing and photographing the step by step instructions.  Sooo, we'll add them to our "Something To Look Forward To" file. 

Instead I'm going to share some of my favorite rustic components and jewelry with you.  This is such a vast and lively field of design that one could do many blog posts on the same topic.  There's no way I'd be able to include all my favorite work in this category.  But here's a start.

White Copper and Leopardskin Jasper Earrings by Kristi Bowman

 Ceramic Flower Pendant and Beads by THEAElements

Rustic Bird Earrings by Something To Do

So just what is rustic style? I have a feeling that everyone might define it differently.  But here's what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say:  

rustic style, in decorative arts, is any ruralizing influence; more precisely, a ... (style where) the main components of which are carved and fretted to resemble the branches of trees. Stemming from the idealization of nature and the “simple life” that occurred in the mid-18th century, the vogue for this kind of product persisted well into the 20th century. It was especially popular in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. It naturally endeared itself to the British Victorians, with their passion for the picturesque, and was also generally admired in the United States...

Woodland Cuckoo House by Starry Road 

Striped Chipmunk Beads by Tree Wings Studio

Etched Copper and Chalcedony Earrings by Melismatic Art Jewelry

Some sources that I looked at called it modern-rustic style and tied it in with organic and renewable materials, highlighting an appreciation of nature.  This would include woodland themes, the use of natural materials such a wood, hemp cording and leather.  It is a style that is inherently casual and unfussy.

Owl Bracelet by Button Up Beads 

 Focal Lampwork Bead by Sue Beads

Green Fern Polymer Clay Pendant by Linda Landig Jewelry 

Colors tend to be a soothing combination of warm mid-toned wood, with shades of soft gray, cool clay and greens. Other colors may serve as subtle accents, but don't expect any garish brights in this style.  That seems to hold true for all the items I have collected for this post. Would you add any other colors to the list?

Bare Tree & Crescent Moon Pendant by Jenny Davies-Reazor

Moon Set by BlueBerri Beads

Sometimes rustic gets lumped together with its girlier cousins: "shabby chic" and "country charm".  I've been very conscious of this distinction over the past few years as I've been updating the look of my show booth and my shop.  A paint peeling bird cage or tea stained doilies have a somewhat rustic look, but they speak more toward "country charm" than rustic.  Instead I've used grayed woods with earth-toned and clay colored table coverings. Next on my wish list is linen or burlap covered jewelry displays.  

I make sure that my photography consistently expresses "rustic" as well.  My jewelry is photographed on a rustic slate tile.  Props consist of a piece of wood with rustic bark and lichen.  The woodland theme is emphasized further with the ferns and flowers that I include in nearly all my pictures.

Rustic Stoneware Flower Pendant by Linda Landig Jewelry

 
Rustic Flower Pendant by Suburban Girl

I hope this tour of rustic goodness will inspire some new designs for you.  Look for a tutorial soon - hopefully on Sunday.  Till then-

-Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry

Bead Fest - Sneak Peek

When I sat down to write today's post I knew there was only one thing I could write about because right now there is only one thing on my mind...Bead Fest! It is finally dawning on me that in a little over 4 weeks time I will be boarding a plane at Heathrow airport and winging my way to Newark airport to meet my lovely AJE team mate Diana and that a few days later we will be heading off to Bead Fest...Oh My God!!

I have a lot to thank AJE for since this trip is only possible thanks to the kindness of some of my colleagues who are putting me up and showing me around during my two week stay in the US. Diana is not only hosting me for the first part of my visit but she has very generously invited me to have a small selection of my work available for sale on her Suburban Girl booth #471A - how cool is that!

Of course - now it's come down to making inventory it's a little more nerve wracking. We don't have bead shows on this scale in the UK and apart from a specialist lampworking event, I know of nothing that brings together such an awesome array of artisans as Bead Fest does. Intimidated... me...? you bet I am!

When I was trying to think about what to make I soon had a list as long as my arm and realised just as quickly that that wasn't practical and I had to be more selective.  As I'm working mostly in ceramic at the moment I knew that's what I wanted to concentrate on and I wanted to have some new things to show so, rather than make lists I did what I usually do and just sat down and started making.

So far I'm pretty happy with how it's going but what do you think..? Here's a little sneak peek at some of the things that might be going stateside with me...

I wanted to bring a little bit of England across the pond with me and what better from a country obsessed with tea than these cute little teapot charms/pendants in fun and funky brights...

Or rustic farmhouse hues. Many thanks to Jenny Davie-Reazor for the idea to add the drops of tea.

Lovely kites catching on a summer breeze...

A flotilla of sail boats....

 

It's still only nine months since I started working with clay, learning all the time and trying out new techniques like this painterly effect with under glaze on unglazed flecked stoneware...

And of course ammonites are always going to feature somewhere in my repertoire...

Since Bead Fest is in late summer I've also been thinking ahead to the next change in seasons...

And owls, there has to be owls...these are favourites from my bronze range and I think they cope quite well with the change of medium.

I do have a few other things that I've not started on yet (very busy few weeks ahead) and I do want to try and take some bronze pieces with me but it's a lot heavier to ship/carry.

If you're going to Bead Fest do come and say hello to the AJE team - as well as Diana and myself, Jen, Jennifer, Karen and Sue will all be vending and other team members are visiting so keep a look out here and on Facebook for updates on what treats they might have for you.

If you're not going well I will certainly be filling my shop with some of these goodies when I get back and might even list a few before I go - time permitting.

So either way - happy shopping!

Lesley
The Gossiping Goddess

Design Dilemma - My Struggle

Here we are again.  I am outing myself about my struggle.  So many times the art beads inspire a design that flows perfectly and I am so happy BUT..... clasping them is where I falter.  I am showing you a few pieces that have stopped me from finishing because I am just unsure.  Should the clasp speak as part of the design or should it just be a joining factor?

This one is for a very good friend and I just need to know if I should keep it simple.

Thinking of just a simple ball and socket clasp because the chain is so simple

Should this one have a beaded clasp?

Loving the look of this one and I am debating between a flower pulled from the design or keep the color in the back the same.

I welcome all your thoughts and suggestions as I am stumped!  Do you have clasp issues too?

Kristen