New treasury, and an upcoming shop makeover

I've made a new Etsy treasury! It's called Eyegasm and it's been sitting in my poster sketch forever until I was finally around when the treasury opened up. When it expires I'll post a screen shot. I'm really happy with this treasury and it's super awesome colors. :)

I'm currently making a new banner for my Etsy store. I'm trying to focus on a specific aesthetic direction to take my shop in that relates to my ceramics work while still maintaining a variety of media. My work in clay has taken a on a specific direction in the past couple of semesters that I'm really excited about and I want to bring the rest of the things I make into that same direction a little. I'd like to keep working on the banner but I should get in bed. I have to get up kind of early.

What's Tab Making??

It's about time I showed some of what I have been working on in my final ceramics class before I graduate this December. Before I do that though, I want to show a couple of finished things from my metals class. Earlier in the semester we learned granulation (a process used by goldsmiths or silversmiths to decorate precious metals with small spheres fused to a base piece.) We also learned to make a chain with fine silver (fine silver is what we were also using to granulate). We had to do a practice piece first, which I ended up using as the focal point to this bracelet. It also uses the chain I made (which is kind of a pain in the ass since you have to fuse every jumpring by hand before linking together)







I'm really happy with it, and wear it most days. :) It's not supposed to have a face, it just ended up looking that way. But I like it.

Once I got the hang of granulation with my practice piece, I made the main project. These are a pair of 8 gauge earrings. The granulated part is of course *fine silver, and the hook and rivet is sterling silver. These were not meant to look like purses, but they just ended up that way. *shrug* That's ok with me though, I am really happy with them. I wear them almost daily.






*As far as I understand from my class, you must granulate with pure metals, not alloys. Only pure metals will fuse together when heated. This is why you can not granulate with sterling silver. Sterling is 7.5% copper, which is added for strength (silver is pretty soft). Fine silver is something like 99.999% silver, nothing added whatsoever.



Ok, back to ceramics. These pieces are all unfinished, either still being sculpted, or still in need of being glazed, etc... They are for my BFA senior exhibition that will be December 7th. So close! So stressful! Haha.

This is a sort of terrarium, so to speak. Tiny plant life (muchly made up from my brain) in what could be a split nut shell, or maybe some driftwood, who knows. :) It is dry, but still needs to be bisque fired. It will be really tricky to glaze!









A work in progress which is now finished, waiting to be bisque fired.



Bottom of this still waiting to be carved, and the top waiting to be put on.






Here it is with the top finished. The bottom still needed to be carved, but it has since been finished and is also waiting to be bisque fired.





Here are some bisque fired pieces on my shelf, ready to be glazed. :)







One of several small 'studies' of mine. They'll make good glaze testers. :)





This is my work space in the advanced studio. I have since cleaned and organized it so it looks much better now. :9





And that's all for now! I can't wait to have the finished pieces to show. :D

New email list!

I've just set up an email list, and if you are interested, there is a box to the right of my blog where you can sign up! It will not be something I do constantly, and bug you with a flood of spam, but I wanted one for updates and notifications of my Etsy site and blog including promotions, projects, a new listing that may be something special or different from my typical shop items, tips and tricks for other crafters, sharing things on etsy that I may think are great to help promote other artists, etc...

When I get a good number of people on my list (20-30 people?) I'd like to do something fun to kick it off like maybe a contest. :)

More...

Listed a few more ceramic pod pendants. Here are just a couple of them.

New things posted, finally!

New things, as promised! I'm excited to get these posted because they are much more representational of my style and work as an artist than the rest of my shop. They are ceramic pendants. I have just five listed right now, but many more to post and many more to make. :) Here are just a couple, take a look! More in my shop.








I added some copper headpins I made also. I'd like to start keeping those in my shop too. :)

$50 Givaway

Like free stuff? You bet your ass you do! Beatblack is having a rather generous giveaway, so if you are interested in getting something super spiffy for doing next to nothing (hello alliteration!) visit her blog for details. Here are some samples of her awesomeness:

Lunch Meat Cufflinks

Beating Heart Necklace

And my favorite, Intestines Necklace

Productivity FTW!

I made some progress in ceramics today. I really want to get some photos up of what I've been working on. Some of what I've been working on are some great ceramic pendants I can't wait to upload to my shop. They are quite different than all the other pendants you usually see around Etsy and such, and I think people will really like them.
In the meantime I've just renewed a few things at my shop. Also, I want to put together a treasury for another one of my Etsy teams. It will have to wait though, I'm so swamped with school and getting caught up.
In other news, I am thrilled to death about the election, and am so proud to be American right now.

I posted for my cutting the turkey in the wrong blog, haha. Disregard...

Etsy Treasuries

I am never around when the treasury opens up on Etsy, so I am just going to use Etsy's poster sketch tool to make them and post them here. :) And maybe some day people will actually look here, haha.
Anyways, I've been a crappy Etsy team member to several teams due to this being my final semester and being super busy. So I'm making treasuries to feature here for my teams, and the first one is for the Etsy OWLS team. :) (click to see full size of course)




From left to right, top to bottom:
CagedBirdSings
leathersculpture
remixstudio
hollystott
jbirkemeierphoto
knitANDpearl
lalala08
amypanda
RaynaE
gypsyeye
suenosdejmi
UnStrungSisters

I've went to the Baldwin Farm pumpkin patch a couple of times already this fall. They have rolling fields full of pumpkins, it's really surreal. And now I have tons of photos to upload from it and put on flickr that I am behind in taking care of. Oh wells, one at a time.
I am going to have to be in the studio constantly now for the rest of the semester if I'm going to get this BFA work done for the show in December. I hope to have some pics of my new stuff up soon too.
I also have some things to add to Etsy that I would love to get done today but I don't know if it will happen. My bank account being -164 is a good motivation though. It is my fault it is negative and I've been beating myself up about it pretty bad.
I have another informative speech to give in my cms class either Thursday or soon after, and I'm doing mine over Etsy, haha.

This is a lame update but I feel guilty for ignoring this thing if I don't type something for a while. Isn't that silly? I do the same thing with actual paper journals if I start to neglect them.
At least I have some pretty pictures! Also, one of my very bestest friends just found out she is pregnant. Her and her husband are really excited. Scared to death, but excited, haha. Now I get to crochet her baby blankets and stuff! Woo!
I'm trying to start eating better again. You really notice how shitty you feel when you are putting unhealthy crap into your body every day. Well, when you know how much better you feel eating healthy and getting all your vitamins and stuff to compare it too anyways.
I get to go home this weekend and Monday and Tuesday for fall break/election day. I miss my doodman so I am excited. I'll also be glad when this election is over. This is my first time voting which is sad since I am 24, haha. Better late than never. Go Obabma! :D Ok bye.

I'm still here...

It's just been a combination of me being very busy, and not wanting to spend what little free time I have typing up blogs. But I'll have some good stuff soon!

Undiscovered etsy talent

Etsy has a new tool called poster sketch, that allows you to set up a treasury (that you can't publish) so you can make sure everything looks good together and sort of get it ready before the actual treasury opens up. It's pretty awesome, and I'm using it to feature some etsy shops that need attention because they are great. When I made this treasury, none of these shops had made a sale yet (since then, one has). So go check out some undiscovered awesomeness. :)
(click this image to make it bigger, of course)


Links to the shops in order from top to bottom, left to right:

GoodDogArt
MKBartstudio
candibeads
treecycle
Aula46
CambriaGallery
knoest
jpbiro
earthdogoz
juliasart
Studio120
DESEARE
commondecency
kkennedydesigns
paperandtape
biludesigns

And I posted a couple of new items. :)

Moooovin' on up

So just when I was feeling a little bit down about not selling much in my shop lately (when I need money so bad) I up and sell two items in one night (one went to Italy!), I am making a custom necklace for one person, and another just messaged me to ask if I can make her a necklace like one I've sold. :D I'm so excited! Now I feel silly for feeling sorry for myself for a second there, haha. I knew forcing myself to keep a positive attitude would pay off!

And I've just added these bad boys!




Polymer, and sterling silver. I had made similar pairs for my niece and sister-in-law, and they were getting tons of compliments on them. So I'm going to be putting them in my shop.
I have a necklace I made before I made any of the earrings. I made it to wear to my second Stevie Nicks concert on my birthday in June. I may make some for my shop if the earrings do ok.






While I was taking the pics for those earrings earlier today, a lizard ran up in front of me! He almost got in my frame and I would have had quite an awesome pic of him (or her!).He was eyeballing me all cute and Geico-like, but the wind blew my paper up and scared him. But then he came back and I got a great photo!



So cute! :D

That's all for now. :)

In writing...

I don't think this is gonna work as I planned, haha. So just click the writing if it's too small to read. :9

I've been featured

Dancing Monkey Jewelry has been gracious enough to feature me in her blog right here so go take a look! And check out her shop on etsy. She has some lovely work. :)
I've been making new things and posting them as much as possible.

School starts back in a couple of weeks. I'll be able to make all sorts of new things then, since I'll have the facilities. Weee!
I'll post a "real" entry later today, haha. Right now I have to get a shower, I'm pretty skanky. :9

Peas and carrots, gemstone necklace sale

Gotta new sale 'cause it's Monday, woo! Don't you love these post that are just trying to sell ya something? Hey, even if you're not interested, at least the pics are pretty! :9

20% off! This week only! All the details of this necklace can be found on my shop. The ink is over there --->

Peas and carrots!! How cute! :D

I've been working on some polymer beads to makes some things with, I just need to find a good sealer to coat them with. The one I got left them tacky. *sigh* Any suggestions for that would be awesome. :p