Trunk Show Prep

I'm failing spectacularly at making something everyday, but I'm still trying. I do think about making everyday, and I know I should be making, which gives me hope that I'll keep striving for a lifestyle that will allow that. I'm just still in the beginning stages, piecing everything together. And from most everyone I've talked to, what I'm going through seems to be par for the course.
However, I'm participating in the trunk show at the SNAG conference in Phoenix this year, and I'm beginning to panic about having enough work! I'm trying to work up some new mica pieces as well as improve upon the older designs. I know late May seems very far away from early March, but when you only get one or two solid days in which to work in the studio on top of teaching and working, and coordinating an exhibition. . . well. . . I've just been feeling very overwhelmed lately. But, I'm pretty pleased with where these earrings are heading.

I've also been doing some enameling, which is good for my soul. These will be slate black cloisonne brooches for the trunk show.

Back to work! Thanks for reading!

Make-a-Day 2/12 - 2/18

After a slow start, it was a pretty productive week for making. The first few days were devoted to making collage examples for my Art Appreciation class, but I did manage to finally get my accordion book content sorted out. I'm pretty happy with my final results. By Thursday afternoon, I found myself with no pressing deadlines, so I took time to make some pins (not pictured) and start some pieces to ultimately sell at the Trunk Show at SNAG this spring. Saturday, which seems to have replaced Friday as my hard core studio day, was super productive. I made several charms and finished several pairs of Mica earrings. I fired up the kiln and spent some time enameling, which I hadn't done in months. After a few more found object brooches, I even got some time to just relax and watch a movie.


Gearing up for another jam packed week! I'll be subbing metals classes for my dear friend Autumn Brown, while she's rockin' it out at the Yuma Symposium!

Make-a-Day 2/4 - 2/11

Well, it was another crazy week, and another one is coming up, but I did manage to make everyday this week. Still playing with the bottle caps, I made this charm yesterday. I'm fairly happy with this one, but I'd like to buy an antique tin to cut up and use before I put this whole tin as a material thing to bed.
I made a bunch of these found object brooches this week, mostly because they're quick, and come together in a few minutes. I like making these and I'm considering for using them for the pin swap at the SNAG conference.


I also made a couple books this week, including an X book with pockets out of an old map. This was trickier than I expected, since the structure wanted to follow the existing creases in the map, and not the creases I'd made. The creases are also only 3/8 of an inch apart, so I kept confusing which was which. It took me a couple days to complete the blue book, and I started an altered book, which I now can't find. I'm having trouble coming up with the content for the simple accordion book. I know the theme I want to use, but I'm not sure about the imagery.

Well, lots to do as usual! Happy weekend!

Make-a-Day 1/29-2/3

I thought I'd been doing so well at blogging until I noticed if was Friday and I hadn't blogged since Monday. Oops. Sunday through Tuesday went well for making things and I made the three little bobs pictured below. The star hangs on the wall, the other two are brooches. It's a good and fun challenge to actually USE all these things I've picked up over the years.

Wednesday was the deadline for Hot Under the Collar, and I got COMPLETELY swamped with emails and entries. I'm still going through them. I did manage to make some sunprints (not pictured here). Thursday and Friday. . . . I fell off the wagon. Already. I didn't make anything either day. Work at the museum and dealing with the show just crowded everything else out. I've decided not to beat myself up over it, and just keep trying.

So yesterday I was off and after a few errands in the morning, I spent most of the day in the studio, doing both metals and book stuff. Many of my friends use tin in their work and after watching Marlene True's workshop at the ECU Symposium, I'd been wanting to try my hand at the material myself. After all, I've been saving all these bottle caps. So I made two bottle cap charms, start to finish yesterday. While I like the look of tin in other people's work, I doubt I'll ever be part of that club. I also threw together two more charms out of stuff I had laying around the bench. You can find all of these charms for sale in my Etsy shop.



I also managed to make a book yesterday too. I bought a copy of Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden, and I'm trying to make my way through it. Yesterday I made this X book with pockets. It was a little tricky, but I'm please with the overall end result.

So that's where I'm at. Happy Sunday!

Make-a-Day 1/26-28

I moved back into Linda and Terry's house on Thursday, and immediately set about to pulling out all my art stuff and setting up a space to work. I also started my "Make and Object a Day" challenge, and three days in, I've got three objects. So far, so good.

Yesterday I made this little green Swiss and Stamps book with Swiss maps and vintage stamps.
Friday, I made these crazy earrings at the end of a full day of work and a couple days of an annoying sinus allergy thing. I finally took some anti-histamines (pill packages seen here), and got a little loopy making these. This is also when I decided that I just have to make something everyday: it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be something.




This book was Thursday's effort; both it and the Swiss book are "X" books, made by folding and tearing a single sheet pf paper. I filled it with all sorts of vintage paper things I have in my collection. I love the look of these things, so why not use them? What am I saving them for?

I'm trying not to get caught up in what I'm going to do with all these things once I make them. I suppose I could always start sticking them in mail boxes around the neighborhood.

Happy weekend.