Happy Holidays!

I don't know about y'all, but I am ready for the kids to get back to school already. They are driving me nuts. Love 'em, but the house is much quieter without them.

Due to sick kids and the holidays, I have missed my last two pottery classes, so I am looking forward to my next workshop. My goal is to refine my wheel-throwing technique....well, actually I am just trying to get better at it. LOL About 50% of what I make on the wheel is good enough to fire.

My favorite piece though, so far, is my dogwood blossom bowl. The glaze on this one was supposed to be white, but as the glazes all look alike before firing anyway, somehow the cobalt got into the white and created this pretty baby blue. Talk about a surprise when it came out of the kiln. :)

My pendants are coming along quite nicely. I am very happy with how they look and am trying new ways to make them. Now I just need to buy some new glazes in different colors to mix it up a bit.

This is one of my favorites. It's glazed with a dark brown glaze, sponged off a bit to highlight the texture, and then glazed in clear before firing.

I also have been making ring holders. I am using the stoneware clay, so they are very earthy, hefty, and unique. No one is the same as the others. Some I am making by hand from pinch pots, some I am throwing on the wheel. The processes turn out different styles of ring holders and I want to see which works best for me. The one below was made from a pinch pot.


So, anyway, I will be back in the next few days with some new items being made. Hope to see you there!

I still love copper...

My son's football team is having their banquet this weekend and I am donating some jewelry for their raffle. I decided on this copper chainmaille necklace with a polymer clay pendant that was made by Stephanie Hanson. I love her work.


Plus, everytime I buy one of her pendants, she donates a percentage to Equine Advocates.

Lots to do...and too little time

I recently joined the Beads of Clay etsy team and was chatting with the representative, and she mentioned that she tweets/blogs/markets her a$$ off and that it is working for her. I definitely see how facebook has worked for me. My shop get hits just by mentioning them on facebook and twitter, when otherwise it might take time for people to find me.


Now, I used to love blogging. I still do. It's just that facebook and twitter takes less time. Or so I thought. When I really sat down and thought about it...I spend a ton of time of facebook when I shouldn't have to. All the games, people popping in and out to chat with, all the crafters and artists to visit and "like" their latest creations.... It can take a lot of time to navigate.


Time that I could be spending blogging.


And so, my resolve is fixed. I will be a better blogger.


Besides, my craft has gone in a whole other direction now. I am making my own stoneware pendants, charms, and ring holders.


Who knew that playing in the mud as a kid and making my sister eat mud pies could lead to this? ;)

Big Earring Giveaway!

All this week, I am featured on Cafe Handmade's Giveaway page.

What am I giving away? A gorgeous pair of sterling silver hoop earrings with Greek disc beads.

1) Visit Colors of the Wood Jewelry’s shop and tell us (Cafe Handmade) about another item you like and why by leaving a comment with a link below.

2) Visit the Virtual Craft Show and tell us which booth stands out to you and why. Be sure to leave a link so others can visit too!

3) Tweet about this giveaway, include @cafehandmade, and leave a comment below with your @profile.

Entries will be accepted until June 6th at 8pm EST. The winner will be drawn then.


http://cafehandmade.com/index.php/2010/05/giveaway-by-colors-of-the-woods-jewelry/

To Pickle or Not to Pickle...

...that is the question. LOL

Now that I am working with copper clay, I find the need to use a pickling solution for the first time. I went and bought my copper clay kit, complete with a cute little mini crockpot, and have it set up in my workroom. I have the pickle solution.

What I don't have is the nerve to use it.

What is a pickling solution? Everytime I think of it, I imagine pickles sitting in a jar. More experienced artists know it to be a caustic solution to take off firescale from certain metals.

Here is a link to tell you all about pickling.

Hence my trepidation.

So, to pickle or not to pickle? Well if I want to finish up that copper jewelry, I must pickle.

I have been having so much fun making jewelry lately that I haven't blogged in a while. So sorry.
Here are a few pieces that I've finished and listed on my etsy page...

I just started working with Art Clay Copper today. We shall see how I like that. :) More to come!

Metal Clay Class

Oh, I had so much fun at my class on Saturday. There were two other ladies there, both from Wisconsin, who drove down from Green Bay to take a couple of classes. They were a hoot!

Susan, our instructor, was very good. She makes some gorgeous jewelry.

We had all day, so we ended up making multiple pieces out of silver clay. Silver clay is purer than sterling silver clay. I made one ring, two pendants, and two pairs of earring charms.



Sorry, the photos aren't that great. I decided to keep all the pieces for myself so I didn't take the time to photoshop them.



Since I have a love of dogwood trees, I decided to free-hand this dogwood blossom onto a disc pendant. I deliberately did not burnish the inside of the blossom so as to give it the appearance of being a separate layer.



I like these earrings! I used a modern pattern on the surface, and made separate discs to give it a feminine, tinkly, sound when they move.



This pendant was of my own design, but patterned after the one we used as a template. I liked the earthy feel of it. I used a "tree bark" pattern mold to give it texture, and then used the syringe to freehand the "vines". I also used a peridot gemstone as a focal piece. After the firing, I dipped the piece in liver of sulfer for an antique effect and then burnished it to bring out the silver highlights.



This ring was my worst piece. It came out rather egg-shaped instead of round. LOL But it came out a little nicer than I expected after I added some free-hand syringe work and then antiqued it as well.

I have many ideas for making jewelry out of the silver clay. I plan on more dogwood blossom pendants, acorns, pine cones, etc... The possibilities are endless!

Tomorrow is the Day!!!

Whheee! Tomorrow is the day I take my precious metal clay class! I am so psyched!

I have been interested in this medium for about a year, but couldn't find a class close enough to me. And I "ain't" going into the city to take a class. No way, no how. I don't like driving into Chicago since I get lost too easily. I'm a country girl through and through.

My husband recently asked me what I do all day.

Well, I make jewelry, network online to sell my jewelry, twitter to sell my jewelry, blog to network to sell my jewelry, network online to meet other crafters to get ideas on selling my jewelry,....you get the picture. It's a never-ending process and I am enjoying it so much.

So. Today is going to be a long day, I can tell. Tomorrow night I'll post pictures of the items I make at my class. I can't wait to show y'all!

So in the words of the famous southern Geico pothole....

"Kay! Bye!"

Top Etsy Shops April Features

OK, The blog, Top Etsy Shops is having a contest. Your blog can be featured for the entire month of April if you just follow a few easy steps.

I can always use the added publicity, so I am posting their links so I can be added to the drawing.

You can too! Just go over to Top Etsy Shops and join in!

http://topetsyshops.blogspot.com/

Long time, no see!

I am so addicted to facebook. I swear! I spend most of time on there networking, when I'm not making jewelry or taking care of the kids. I have neglected my blog and I am sorry.

Not too much going on lately. Same old same old...but I am taking a precious metal clay class on Saturday and I am very excited about it.

I was surfing the internet one day for bead stores in my area and came across Art Clay World, which is located a few miles from my house. Didn't know it was there, or even existed. So, I called them up and asked some questions about classes and next thing I know, I am at their gallery getting a tour of some of their artists pieces. I was hooked!

For those of you who might not know what Art Clay is, it is a precious metal clay that you can sculpt, then fire in a kiln which leaves nothing but the metal. You can make rings, pendants, charms, sculptures, you can embellish other items...there are so many possibilities.

So, first things first...take the class. LOL Saturday seems so far away.