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.