Aspiring Metalsmiths

A Teaching Moment, the January Blogroll

2012-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

So the Aspiring Metalsmiths are at it again. This month they are doing what they love to do most – teach and learn! Make sure to have a sharp #2 pencil and your notebook....you will want to take notes!!

The blog roll tour takes us on a journey of skills – each person is sharing something that they are proficient at and teaching it to the rest of us. Come along and see!

VCArtisanOriginals
Sylvia Anderson
Metals Addict
Lilian Ginebra
Esmeralda
Stacy
Mary Anne Karren
Shannon of Gifted Designs
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs
Jessica @ Abella Blue
Elizabeth Brown - resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com

January Jewelry Challenge

2012-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

January 2012 Challenge

Let me start of by saying thank you all for the win in the Color on Metal Challenge. My flame painted work is always a crowd favorite and fun to do as well!!!

Now, here is my idea for this month’s challenge.

Men’s Jewelry.

Sounds simple right….. Wrong.

Here’s the catch…………..

I have always been a good husband and like to buy very nice jewelry for my wife. (Pat, pat on the back) I have spent a great deal of money and she has a very nice collection including a blue sapphire set I have been putting together for several years. My daughter and her also have a few matching pieces I have bought the two of them. I consider all this heirloom’s that will one day be hers and then her daughters.

don't do this

With that said let me tell you how disheartening it is for a guy who does like jewelry, is friends with a ton of remarkably talented jewelers, and all I see to buy in the catalogs, and online for men looks the same!!!

When I get a catalog, I open it up to see boring black, Stainless steel, a few Dog Tags and then a few crosses thrown into the mix. Look, I get it that that stuff is popular. We as a society are geared towards what is trending. Screw that.

don't do this

I want to see something besides a bracelet with a piece of cable running through it or a leather cuff. A charm for a necklace that is not religious or a dog tag. A men’s ring that is not gold, black or silver.

If woman’s jewelry can be beautiful and artistic why then can men’s jewelry not be just as ornate and beautiful.

So there it is:
I want to see you all make a piece of men’s jewelry that is something you would make for your husband, boyfriend, Dad or for the guys yourselves.

I want to see color.
I want to see something that while it looks delicate it is sturdy enough to take a beating.
I want to see pieces that I could give to my grandson one day.

Some of you may be all over this idea. Some of you may be kind of hesitant to take on something that takes you this far out of your comfort zone. But that is both the nature of this monthly challenge and the whole point of growing as artists.

Expand your product lines into a new direction. Look, when we all go to our shows there are always a ton of jewelers there right…. How many of them have pieces for men? Next time hopefully you will.
Good Luck. Have fun. Do your homework on this folks. You have two months to do this. Yes, two months.

I want to see pieces that are well researched designed to last and are not thrown together. Take your time. Enjoy pushing yourselves into this unfamiliar territory.

Well, I do hope you all will enjoy this. It is something as you can see I have a deep interest in seeing done and I hope you all will take part.

More examples of what NOT TO DO:

Entries are Due on March 11 by midnight in the Flickr pool.

Remember to TAG (not just title) your photos, January ASM Challenge, in our flickr site.

Thank you all for this opportunity to present a challenge!

Here's a link to our team flickr stream!!! just upload your entries there and make sure to TAG them with December Challenge!!

TEAM FLICKR POOL

And the winner is........

2012-01-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

SAM of Coppersunsets!!! His Salmon fishy blew everyone else out of the water!

Second Place goes to Elizabeth of Resurrection Silver with her wonderful VanGogh-esque necklace.

Angela of A&J Jewelry rounded up the top three with a Kiss....well, sorta.

Congratulations to our winners...congratulations to all who entered, it just keeps getting tougher to pick a favorite with all this talent showing up!!

Keep your eyes open for the next round....Sam will be picking, and I have a feeling that we might be a bit sorry for that.....but we're also up to the challenge, RIGHT?!

let the COLOR on METAL challenge voting begin!!!!

2012-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

Late last year we were given the challenge of adding color to metal....and not just using Liver Of Sulfer to darken it. Here is what some of our members came up with. Pick your favorite...I know, it's hard...and vote for them on the right sidebar!! The winner gets to pick what we do for the next time around!!! Best of luck to everyone!
Voting will end on Thursday night.....so don't delay on your choice!

Juliette of Art In the Redwoods brings us this lovely flame painted leaf necklace.

December ASM Challenge
Fire Painted Copper (another view of the previous) necklace - copper, mookaite beads, ceramic beads, polymer clay beads.

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Viki of Lorie Lynn Designs brings us a glass enamled heart necklace. And it's one of her first attempts at enamel....pretty neat huh?

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Valorie from VCArtisanOriginals brings us a lovely necklace that I'm sure her mom loved.

"My mom's gift: a rustic textured, blue patina'd copper bezel and a blue and red Sonoran Sunset cabochon that I purchased from Cabbingrough (Laura). The cab was so gorgeous I pierced out the backplate so you can see the reds in the back.

The blue is from ammonia fumes. This has been scrubbed with a wire brush, polished and tumbled. ...the cat hair on the bottom of the piece is annoying me to death!!! Argh!"

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Elizabeth from ResurrectionSilver made this amazing necklace....so dreamy!!

My challenge piece this month is created with Prismacolor on copper. I've been itching to try this technique for over a year and this challenge was the perfect push. It's a long necklace on an oxidized copper chain with glass and copper bead embellishments. The focal piece is just under 3" square and is like a mini copper framed painting inspired by my favorite artist - VanGogh. In fact, I have had a huge 4x3' canvas for about 3 years just waiting for me to paint this design on it and hang it in my living room.

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Gloria from Hemlock Hollow Creations, who gave us this challenge, brings us a necklace ready for your Valentine.

"Color achieved by using prismacolor pencils, then brushed with turpentine, colored again using, brown, red, blue pencils, brushed again. Sprayed with clear acrylic. Line across heart was done by form folding and left copper color"

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Esme from Silverblueberry made these neat earrings...can't tell she's a scientist, can you?

Dengue virus earrings. Etched pattern, color is glass paint.

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Cindy from Devine Designs made this wonderful cuff bracelet with a heat patina.

"heat patina cuff. copper cuff with heat patina, line folds, and reverse dapping"

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Angela from A&J Jewelry Designs brings us a pretty cool take on a dog tag.

Remember the etched lips? Well, I always wanted to do something with them, and the December challenge was just the thing to get me to pull them out again. The lips are mine, etched with ferric chloride into copper, and then the color is Sharpie marker colored on, and then slightly rubbed back off with steel wool. I haven't clear coated it yet because I wanted to get the picture, but I will use a Rustoleum clear coat to seal the color in.

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Anne from Metalworks Jewelry gives us these pretty earrings.....the bright blue is great!

Since I'm still recovering, these are something I played around with this fall. (I didn't want Gloria to think we didn't like her challenge!) These are copper earrings with multiple layers of Miracle Grow sprayed on them, and finished with Krylon Clear Satin Finish.

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Sam from Copper Sunsets entered this amazing fish!!

"Flame painted Salmon, December challenge piece.This Salmon's colors were acheived using only heat. By applying pinpoint heat to the copper all these beautiful colors are possible."

December Blog Roll... Handmade Holidays!!

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

December Project Blogroll – Handmade Holidays
Each month the Aspiring Metals team chooses a topic and each participant writes about that topic on their blog.

This month is all about the holidays which will be here in no time at all and so we are each writing about our ideas for making this a Handmade Holiday.

See all the great ideas by visiting the blogs below:

Mary Anne Karren - silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Stacy - formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Elizabeth Brown – resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
Lilian Genebra - www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Claire English - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Gayle - thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Nancy - nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle - amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/2011/12/handmade-holidays.html

Yay!

2011-11-28T19:06:00.001-08:00

I thought long and hard about this challenge. Things like making houses, a vegetable, fruit, etc. etc. But these just didn't seem to cling to me. I hope everyone finds this challenge interesting! Okay here it is:

COLOR ON METAL

Here are some suggestions on how or what to use: Prisma Color pencils, enamel, paint, flame, but no LOS.

Okay, on the mark, get set and GO!!

COLOR!!!!!!

So, the due date for all entries will be Jan. 5, 2012 ( just take into account the holidays). Have fun!

Remember to mark your photos, December ASM Challenge, in our flickr site.

Thank you all for this opportunity to present a challenge!

Here's a link to our team flickr stream!!! just upload your entries there and make sure to TAG them with December Challenge!!

TEAM FLICKR POOL

And the winner is........

2011-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

The winner of the October Holiday Decorations contest is.....

Gloria of Hemlock Hollow!!!! She took the grand prize with 11 votes...

And it was a nail bitter folks....second place was just behind by one vote....
Congrats for putting up a heck of a race...and a beautiful fold formed masterpiece ResurrectionSilver!!

Coming in third this month is Metal Adornments with her personalized snowflake ornament.

Thanks to everyone who entered and voted....this was a fun one!! Keep your eyes peeled for the next challenge....Gloria will be throwing down the gauntlet in the next few days!!

Holiday Decoration Challenge Voting!!!!!

2011-11-12T07:18:00.001-08:00

So last month we were challenged to make a holiday decoration....any holiday...even a made up one. Seems the winter ones caught our imaginations though. Check out the wonderful entries and make sure to vote. The voting is on the right side of your screen!!!

Our first entry is from ResurrectionSilver. This one just blew me away. It's huge, it's beautiful and it makes me want some turkey...NOW!

"My challenge piece for October is a Copper Cornucopia. I love cornucopias as centerpieces for Thanksgiving, so here is my version. Challenges this piece presented me with were seaming together two large pieces of copper sheet and fold forming on a large scale. There is probably more metal in this piece than I've worked with in my short career combined. I also did some light flame coloring on this piece, a first for me as well. This piece measures 18.5" long and about 6.5" diameter at the opening."

Our second entry is for Hanukiyah...a lovely stained glass Menorah. Hemlock Hollow did a wonderful job on this one....I can picture it sparkling every night as the candles are lit. And it makes me want some challa, NOW!

"Made from beveled glass and lead strips. All soldered and cemented.This is used for the holiday of Hannukah!"

Our next entry is from Wabi Brook Studio. She admits, it is a bit of a recycle....but then again, it's Peace on Earth something we could all use???

"Created from scrap copper, scrounged craft wire and crochet cotton. Hand cut and flame coloured copper. Not particularly challenging, (except for writing in wire - not my forte!), but something fun and meaningful for the Aspiring Metalsmiths challenge, and to sell at an upcoming Christmas Market."

Our fourth entry is from LadySmythMetals. She's been getting to play with bronze clay and made this tree ornament. I think it's worth rejoicing to see the new-ish metal clays come out so beautifully.

Metalworks Jewelry brings us this pertty copper bell to ring in the New Year. It would look great on a dark green tree....or maybe just hanging in your window!

"3-D Copper Bell Ornament
Since this was my challenge idea, I needed to get something done! I cut the bell from copper sheet and stamped along the lower edge. I've never done anything truly 3D before, so cutting the slits properly was a challenge. I need to go back and file off the excess solder, but I'm happy with the look overall."

Metal Adornments took a poll on Facebook to decide what to make.....I think everyone picked a wonderful one!! A pretty personalized snowflake!!

SO....there they are folks....pick your favorite and vote. While you're trying to make up your mind (cuz it's going to take a bit I think) check out our contestants' shops by clicking on their names!!

Team Captain List

2011-11-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all, it's Clarity here. As many of you know, my life has been in a rather dramatic state of upheaval for the last couple of months and I need to step down as the team captain at this time. I have compiled a rotating list of leaders who are willing to assume the captain's position for a month at a time, then switch it over to the next leader at the end of the month. Responsibilities are relatively minimal but involve starting each month's chat thread, responding to situations such as this, and interacting with admin should the need arise. There's no money in it of course, but you get the dubious prestige of wearing the spiffy Captains hat and get to feel extra special every day.

So with that being said, I leave our team in the capable hands of the following friends who have graciously agreed to serve a term as Captain for a month at a time. I put them in some sort of general order by when people responded and/or said they could be available, not by any kind of importance or formal chain of command. This list is not set in stone and can be changed at any time as the group's needs change.

Pennee/ppennee
Asa/ASAPdesigns
Esmeralda/Silverblueberry
Stacy/formandfunktion
Claire/Brightstar
Beatriz/BeatrizFortes
Jason/HappyTortoise
Robin/EyemaginationRSB
Gloria/HemlockHollow
Lillian/GirllovesGlitter
Angela/AJjewelrydesigns
Sylvia Anderson
Lisa/Sandy Toes

Thank you all SO MUCH for all your incredible kindness and understanding during what has been a very difficult time in my life. It's been a pure pleasure to know each one of you and I count you all as my very good friends. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or if there's anything else I can do to help this team continue to grow.
Clarity

October Project Blogroll - Share your Packaging

2011-10-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Each month the Aspiring Metals team chooses a topic and each write about that topic on their blog.

This month inspired by the gift giving season coming up, we want to see your packaging, or your ideas for packaging.

See all the great packaging and ideas by visiting the blogs below:

Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
ArtistiKat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Claire English - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/view/classic
Mary Anne Karren - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
Lisa - http://glenshire-shop.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle - http://www.amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/
Morgan MetalAdornments -http://www.metaladornments.blogspot.com
Jason - http://happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Gifted Designs - gifteddesigns.blogspot.com

Aspiring Metalsmiths October Challenge- Holiday Decorations

2011-10-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Decorate for the Holidays

Thank you for the votes! I, too, wanted to see lots of entries, so this is what I came up with……

Make a holiday decoration, for any holiday. Think Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day. Any holiday! It can be an ornament for a tree, a table decoration, something you hang on a door, whatever you create. If you have time, try a new technique, a new metal or a new patina. Maybe even recycle an object from the recycling bin. Just make something other than jewelry.

Make sure that you tell us how you challenged yourself and what you made it from so that we can vote accordingly! Add your entry to the Flickr pool tagged 'AspMet October challenge'. Photos of finished items are due November 4th by Midnight!!

I’ve included a few photos to get the wheels turning……

For Halloween

For Thanksgiving

For Christmas

Instructions: You must add your entry to the Flickr pool by midnight November 4th (it's a Friday night) Remember to tag your photos with "AspMet October Challenge", so we don't miss it!

Time to vote!! September's Animal Challenge

2011-09-30T17:35:00.001-07:00

Last month Esme gave us the challenge of making "animal" themed items. She claimed this would be an easy challenge.....and for some it seems it was. Here is the rundown or the amazing entries. Check them out, vote for your favorite (*the poll is on the right side of this post*)....it's going to be hard to pick! And of course, if you really like the work, check out their Etsy shops too!! Good Luck everyone!!!

From AbellaBlue we have a rocking dog tag, for the rocking little Ollie!!

From Chrissi Lynn we have this pendant. His collar will end up being black onyx. "Cute little Scottie Dog made entirely of Sterling Silver. :) Accent stones will be added soon and then the final polish and chain. :)"

From MetalworksJewelry we have this wonderful set...earrings and keychain. "

When I saw the "Animal Challenge" I knew it would be created by and for Maya, one of my Siberian huskies. In July she was diagnosed with a broken leg due to bone cancer. She fought bravely, but lost her fight on September 17, 2011, just 10 weeks after breaking her leg. This set, earrings for me and a key chain for my husband, was the most emotionally challenging work I have ever done. A lot of tears were shed in the making of this set.

Thanks to Sam of Copper Sunsets and Miracle Grow, I was able to give her blue eyes, and I plan to go back and add a blue collar someday."

From SilverBlueberry we have a cute little bear. And I mean LITTLE...he's half as big as your thumb nail.

"Copper clay bear carved from a dry piece of copper clay. It is meant to walk on a ring so it is tiny! I wanted to try more carving and this is my first attempt. "

From BeatrizFortes we have a wonderful key chain. This was an exercize in sketching and sawwork for Beatriz.

"A sweet kitty, all rolled up for a nap. This piece was inspired by Catê, my step cat."

From Ressurection Silver we have a hip little necklace! "My family has always been a cat family, in fact my first word was "kitty". This piece reminds me of my very first cat "Whiskers" who was a big stripey orange tabby."

From SilverSister we have some pretty earrings.
" Save the Dolphins. For my September Challenge I think this is a very appropriate pair of earrings...They are such loving and peaceful animals. Who can help but love them?"

From E5Jewelry we have this regal entry:

"Hand carved lion pendant made from Copper Metal Clay
Theme: "Animals"
This was a challenge for me as I am new to working with copper clay. This is the first piece that made it out of the kiln ok after firing.
The male lion is my favorite animal
The lion has many symbolisms; strength, royalty, justice, the subconscious, power, courage, the breath of Christ and it is the 5th sign in the zodiac.
I love their incredible beauty, silence, strength and roar! :)"

From Wabi Brook Studio a "peace-ful" little reindeer!

"I've been very busy in the studio, and didn't think I'd be able to participate in this month's challenge, but I carved out some play time and made this fun little reindeer.
I'm thinking a little herd of them, each with different antlers would look cute on a shelf or table."

September Project Blogroll - Finding Your Muse

2011-09-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Each month the Aspiring Metals team chooses a topic and each write about that topic on their blog. This month we want to know what inspires you, and where do you look for inspiration?

See what we have to say by visiting the blogs below:

Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Crow Steals Fire - http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Cabbing Rough - http://cabbingrough.blogspot.com
Brightstar109 - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
City Rustic Jewelry - http://cityrustic-art.blogspot.com/
Becky Campion - http://www.ladysmythmetals.com/blog.html
Julie - http:/wabibrookstudio.com/blog.php

Aspiring Metalsmiths September Challenge - Animals

2011-08-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you all who voted for me! I had a hard time coming up with a theme - I wanted something that I was sure would inspire a lot of people. You could say this is an easy theme, a lot of us make animals and have made animals in the past. Which of course means that a lot of people should be able to make something for the challenge. So if you have little time, you make something within your comfort zone. If you have the time, try to think outside the box, try a new technique, or make a jewelry item you dread making. Make sure that you mention how you thought and how you challenged yourself so we can vote accordingly! Add your entry to the Flickr pool tagged 'AspMet September challenge' no later than midnight (EST) September 30st.

Now for some inspiration:

Make yourself something that will always remind you of a dear pet..

Make something in honor of an animal you would like to save..

Celebrate nature's diversity by picking a weird animal...

Or design something for your favorite dog..

I hope that with these inspirational pictures the wheels will start turning and great creations will be made!

Let the voting begin for Self Portraits!!!

2011-08-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

So in July Jess gave us this challenge.....

" The challenge for July is to make a self portrait! Artists have been creating self portraits for who knows how long, and now it is your turn. A self portrait is defined as a representation of the artist created by the artist. Now don't cringe, this does not have to be a literal representation of your face, but it could be! Be creative and make a piece that you think represents you. This will give you an opportunity to stretch your creative muscles and come up with something fantastic."

Well, I'm afraid many of us did cringe! There was talk of using reticulated silver to show the wrinkles. There was talk of not much liking what was in the mirro. And since it is summer, there was talk of being too busy to come up with much of anything. Personally, I couldn't seem to come up with a darn thing.....I sat at my bench and stared at the supplies for hours.

So it makes me very proud to show off the work that did get done by our more brave (creative and productive) members!!

Resurrectionsilver gives us this beauty:

"Ripple In the Water. Sterling Silver and Lapis Lazuli Pendant. This is my interpretation of myself. I believe that every choice I make, every action I do has a ripple effect. It can be negative or positive. I try to focus my life toward doing what I was created to do to make this world a better place, by shining the light of the Creator and being that ripple in the water that spreads light and love and peace. I made this pendant to try to capture that essence. The pendant consists of concentric organic circles or ripples around a lapis pebble. The pendant can slide freely on the jump ring bail representing the movement and flexibility necessary for harmony."

You can see more of Ressurectionsilver's work in her Etsy shop!

Esme of SilverBlueberry entered this amazing set:

"Aspiring Metalsmiths July challenge entry. The challenge was to make a self-portrait. I used my name stone, emerald, for that. I had been wanting to make something with emerald for ages. The commercial precious gemstone jewelry out there is not that appealing to me so I wanted something completely different. The silver is textured with local granite from my garden."

You can see more of Esme's work in her Etsy shop!

SpiceOfLifeDesigns brings us this lovely necklace and earring set.....

"Asymmetrical and irregular ovals radiate from the center of this handcrafted sterling silver necklace. Given even more visual appeal by the grungy hammer texture, the concept for this pendant was developed as a self portrait - I am constantly spinning in circles, my life and the lives of my children are carefully connected and we've gotten battered about by the events in our lives this past year. Resembling a tide pool or the ripples created when a stone is tossed in the water, this pendant is natural and organic in design."

You can see more of Spice Of Life Designs work here in her Etsy shop!!

So....that's it....not many to pick from but each one is a totally perfect self-portrait......

July Project Blogroll - What are you working on?

2011-07-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

What are you working on?

This months blog topic is to share what you are currently working on. Now is the time to show off some in progress shots or any new pieces you just finished up.

Check out the awesome artists below and see what they are working on.

Aspiring Metalsmiths July Challenge - Self Portraits

2011-07-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks So much for everyone who voted for me, and now I hope you don't change your mind. The challenge for July is to make a self portrait! Artists have been creating self portraits for who knows how long, and now it is your turn. A self portrait is defined as a representation of the artist created by the artist. Now don't cringe, this does not have to be a literal representation of your face, but it could be! Be creative and make a piece that you think represents you. This will give you an opportunity to stretch your creative muscles and come up with something fantastic.

Instructions: You must add your entry to the Flickr pool by midnight August 7th. Remember to tag your photos with "July Challenge 2011", so we don't miss it!

Abella Blue Wins!!!!

2011-07-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Rhythm was our challenge, and Jessica from Abella Blue ran away with the beat!!
Here amazing little finger harp blew away the competition this time. You've got to take another look, and click HERE to see the video of it in action.

We had a tie for second place between Pennee of All Wired Up and Cornelius of Kwant Essentials.

Both of them gave us rhythm in the guise of the natural world......

and Viki of LorieLynn took a very close third place with here wonderful "rhythm and blues" cuff bracelet.

Thanks to all who entered and voted!!! Jessica from Abella Blue will be adding her challenge for us in the next few days.....then we can all rack our brains to come up with something beautiful and amazing!!

Let the voting begin on June's Challenge

2011-07-02T09:08:00.001-07:00

"Interpret the Design Principle "Rhythm" in any way which moves you." Was the challenge that Julie gave us last month....here's what we all came up with. Take a look and vote for your favorite on the poll to the left of your screen!!

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Viki from LorieLynn brings us this cuff titled "Rhythm and Blues" Awful pretty in a "urban decay" sort of way.

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Gloria from HemlockHollow brings us this neat pendant titled "One Note." It was made of PMC, hand set with an amethyst CZ and textured with a seashell.

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Jessica of Abella Blue took the challenge very literally.... here's her tiny little finger harp. It makes the prettiest little tink-tink-tink music, and sits comfortably on a chain around your neck. Check out a video of it in action here.

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Asa from AsaPDesigns made a cute little brooch. It's all ready to give to your crush, just so they know what effect they have on you. The heart beat is pierced into the stamped and patinated copper.

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Pennee from All Wired Up brings us Rubies in Motion. She has this to say about the project: "After researching a bit, I realized there are lots of rhythms and creating something that causes a rhythm is sort of the same thing. This piece was made with a texture plate of wavy lines that reminded me of fading sound waves that draw the eye up and down (or as someone else said- wood grain). To accent the up and down movement following the lines I added vertical ruby czs which should draw the eye from up and down to the left to catch their little twinkle. Therefore- creating a rhythm!"

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Deb from E5Jewelry gives us this beautiful and ancient looking little amulet: "~Rhythm~The intertwining ebb and flow of nature. copper, sterling silver, fine silver, natural peridot, quartz crystal"

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Esme from SilverBlueberry gives us this adorable little hedgehog ring:"A little hedgehog waddles on and on. Where is he going? Is he going home to his nest? Looking for a new place to live? Looking for food? We don't know, but his journey continues."

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Cornelius from KwantEssentials gives us this amazing natural & mathematical rhythm example: FibonacciRhythm is set with 1.14 carats of flush set diamonds!!

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Dana of CoilAndFlame gives us this entry:"This is a mixed metal, domed pendant of copper, sterling silver and 14 kt. gold fill. Suspended beneath is a hand wire-wrapped mother-of-pearl coin. I'll leave most of the "Rhythm" interpretation up to the viewer. But for me, this piece has an underwater, flowing into-the-deep theme."

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Resurrection Silver's entry is this lovely mixed metal crocheted circle motif bib necklace. She says "Rhythm is represented in every aspect of this necklace from the pattern of each circle to the motion of each stitch to the color and placement of each circle. I love to crochet and this is my first attempt at combining that with my love of jewelry making."

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Julie of WabiBrookStudio's entry is this lovely cuff titled "Rhythms of the Land."
She has this to say of it:"Rhythm.Living close to the land in rural Ontario, I am very much in tune with the rhythms of nature: the rolling hills and valleys, moon and sun rising and setting, the sounds and sights of the changing seasons. The cuff is my interpretation of a rhythm I often see- the setting sun to the west lighting up the hills and rising moon to the east." it is created with scrap copper and a vinyl record!!

May/June Challenge

2011-05-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Before I explain the next challenge, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the last challenge, and all who voted for my piece. Being able to actually finish my challenge piece on time (I think it's only the second time I've been able to do so) was very satisfying in itself. To have it voted as the winner by my peers makes it doubly so. I feel so blessed to be part of such a creative and supportive group!

Now, without further ado, here is the challenge I have set for you:

Interpret the Design Principle "Rhythm" in any way which moves you.

Here is the definition of rhythm to help jumpstart your creative juices:
rhythm (ˈrɪðəm)

— n
1.
a. the arrangement of the relative durations of and accents onthe notes of a melody, usually laid out into regular groups (bars ) of beats, the first beat of each bar carrying the stress

b. any specific arrangement of such groupings; time: quadruplerhythm
2.
in poetry

a. the arrangement of words into a more or less regularsequence of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables

b. any specific such arrangement; metre
3.
(in painting, sculpture, architecture, etc) a harmonioussequence or pattern of masses alternating with voids, of lightalternating with shade, of alternating colours, etc
4.
any sequence of regularly recurring functions or events, such asthe regular recurrence of certain physiological functions of thebody, as the cardiac rhythm of the heartbeat

[C16: from Latin rhythmus , from Greek rhuthmos ; related torhein to flow]

As you see, rhythm has many meanings and interpretations, from music, to the written word, to art and architecture, to nature, even our own bodies have rhythms. Here are some visual examples to further get those creative juices flowing:

"Rhythm" Sonia Delauney 1938

Musical Rhythm

Architectural Rhythm

Rhythm in nature (photo courtesy of Dave Ingram)

So let your imagination run rhythmically wild! You can interpret the challenge by creating a piece of jewellery (pardon my Canadian spelling), a piece of wall art, or something functional, it's totally up to you. As always, everyone, no matter what your skill level or area of expertise, is encouraged to take part. I've got rhythm. Let's see just how many of you do, too!

Deadline for adding photos of your entry to our Flickr pool is midnight July 1st. Remember to tag your photos with "June Challenge", so we don't miss seeing and voting on any of your remarkable creations.

And the April winner is.....

2011-05-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Julie of Wabi Brook Studio!!!! Her amazing pendant Inspired by the work of Canadian artist Lawren Harris, one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. Her use of an agate slice to mimic the flowing lines of Harris' landscapes was awesome!!

Second place goes to Resurrection Silver's entry. She recreated one of the pretties in VanGogh's Sunflowers. An amazing 3-D cuff, all in brass and copper. It's just soooo shiney and touchable.

Julie will be thinking hard for the next day or so....then she'll challenge all of us to make something wonderful!! Keep checking back...if you dare accept the mission!

April Challenge entries are in...time to vote!

2011-05-14T07:55:00.001-07:00

April's challenge pushed us to think of Art....either our favorite artist, or style. Everyone pushed thier skills and tried new techniques. Here's the rundown, and photos from the inspirations.

You can vote for your favorite on the side bar at the right. Voting will continue until Monday at midnight.....make sure you get your's in!!

Here's Lori's from StonePeace who came up with our challenge this month. Her work is based on that of Piet Mondrain. He was a Dutch painter in the early 20th century, and developed his own new modern style. She got to finally use her glass enamels!

Here's Beatriz's from BeatrizFortes who was inspired by VanGogh Sunflowers. A beautiful rutile centerpiece reminds her of sunflowers reaching to the sky.

Here's Resurrection Silver's entry....also inspired by VanGogh's Sunflowers. An amazing 3-D interpertation of the pertty flowers....all in brass and copper.

Here's Julie's from WabiBrookStudio says of her piece "Inspired by the work of Canadian artist Lawren Harris, one of the founding members of the Group of Seven. I love the flowing lines and serenity in his abstract landscapes." Julie has some mad skills for fold forming as you can see on the copper here.

Here's Asa's entry from AsaPDesigns. She was inspired by Russian lanscape painter Isaac Levitan. The patina on the copper lily pads echo the greens in the painting.

The April Challenge is On!

2011-04-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was selected by our last month's winner, Lori of StonePeace. She asks the question...who is your favorite artist? Do you have a favorite style of art? Do you love impressionism like me, or are you a minimalist? It's time to review your art history, or discover it for the very first time! For our next challenge I want to see designs of wearable pieces with a favorite artist or style in mind.

Can you create Van Gogh's Starry Night in metal?
Photo below courtesy of www.MajesticMetalArt.com

Are Monet’s Water Lillie's destined to be a ring or necklace?

Photo below courtesy of www.BeadandButton.com

Anything or anyone, past or present, 2D or 3D, Eastern, Western, Outsider. . .you decide.

Challenge entries are due by Friday May 13th at Midnight on the Flickr group. The poll will be posted here on Saturday May 14th.

And The Winner of the March Challenge Is....

2011-04-12T09:14:00.001-07:00

Lori of StonePeace!! Congratulations Lori....the wee chicken house that you made is so original and unique....not to mention, just too darned cute for words! :)

Lori will be posting next month's challenge soon. Thank you again to everyone that participated for the March challenge...they were all wonderful works of art and design.

March Challenge Entries- Architectural Designs!

2011-04-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Our March team challenge was selected by last month's talented winner, Julie of Jamauerer. The challenge was to design an architectural piece, in any medium of choice, in two or three dimensions. Our team came up with some fabulous designs, and I know it's going to be hard to choose just one! The first piece you see below was designed and created by Julie of Jamauerer who selected this month's challenge. She wasn't quite able to finish this amazing piece...it will eventually be fired with enamels and be made into a ring, but you can see the basic structure she made out of copper, and what a great job she did on this three dimensional building! Next we have this darling little Chicken House made by the very creative Lori of StonePeace. It is so realistic, and made of copper and sterling silver. I love the wee steps going up, and the corrugated roof!

This beautiful pendant was made by Addie of Scr apMeta l...it's a stylized Gothic Cathedral, made of fine silver metal clay, glass enamel, a paua shell cabochon and a peach moonstone cabochon. It hangs on a hand dyed and rolled silk cord...stunning! I love the details on this one!

Here is a sweet entry from the talented Joy of Joypeckjoy. It's a pretty little house pendant made of fine silver, and filled with concrete that she has dyed in different shades. What a unique combination of materials, and love the tiny details she has on it.

Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry decided to take the three dimensional approach, and made this amazing miniature replica of the Chrysler Building in New York! It is made of sterling silver sheet, and she hand carved all of the tiny details...what a fabulous piece!

Our last entry was made buy Asa of Asapdesigns. It is a creative ring which consists of a tiny home made of copper with a sparkly amethyst gemstone roof, perched atop a hand forged band of brass. Great use of materials and love the different textures and colors!

The poll is up and listed on the right hand side of the blog. Voting begins now, and will go through Monday at midnight, so please don't wait too long to select your favorite!

March Project Blogroll - Whistle while you work!

2011-03-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Music to My Ears - Cuff by Lori Lynn Designs

What do you listen to while you are working at your bench?

Do you rock out while you work? Or are you more the classical type? Perhaps you relish the simple sweet sounds of your hammer against the metal? This months blog post is all about what you listen to while working away in your studio.

See what gets these talented artists creative juices flowing by taking a look at the blogs below.

Kat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Clarity of Scrollwork Designs - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
Happy Tortoise Designs - http://happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
hemlockhollow - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Resurrection Silver - http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
RadianTrace - http://radiantrace.blogspot.com/
nancycreations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog

March Challenge

2011-03-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Last months movement challenge was a lot of fun, and the entries were fantastic. Thanks for all the votes! I'm truly honored to be in a group with so many talented and creative artists and I can't wait to see what the teamies come up with this month!

This months challenge is to create something architectural, but in a literal sense, so houses, buildings, bridges, etc. Your piece doesn't have to be limited to jewelry so consider sculptures and household objects. It can be 2d or 3d. Here are some fascinating examples to get the creative juices flowing:

Etsy seller Ardent1's cute Little House Ring

Philippe Tournaire's wearable creations based on actual buildings and houses.

Kent Raible's fantasy architecture
like his amazing Floating City

Lynn Cobb's Yurt ring

I hope these images have inspired you and started your creative minds racing! This challenge is open to anyone who would like to participate and we welcome involvement at all levels of the craft so I hope you'll all be a part.

So ready, set GO ON AND GET TO WORK! Deadline for Entries is Friday April 8th. Please upload your pictures to the Flickr Pool and tag them with "March Challenge" to keep us all sane.

And the February Winner is...

2011-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

First I want to congratulate everyone who entered. Really this is the best turn out we’ve ever had… Thank you, Esme, for putting a really great task in front of us. I really hope that as time goes on we will continue to have this much participation. We’ve got 304 members on the Etsy Team… I, personally, am very proud of the group we’ve all built, and would love to see every active member enter something in the next year…..okay, off my soap box and on to what you’ve all been waiting for…

And the winner is…Julie of jamauerer!! Her spinning “rattler” ring totally walked away with the votes. It looks a bit like a bee hive (or a cartoon hamburger) and has some wonderful movement. Julie constantly amazes me with her creative designs. Thankfully she also makes tutorials in this shop (jewelstutorials) so the rest of us can try to glean some of that innovation!

See it in action!! http://flic.kr/p/9euf1h

Second Place is Lilian of GirlLovesGlitter. Her spectacular bangle with 6 tubes and 12 tube set stones was in tight running for a while, and really blew away the rest of the competition. Such a sparkly pretty piece and a never ending combination of stone colors! This project really took my breath away….she’s only been playing with the torch for a few months and setting stones for less than that!

Third place was a 3 way tie… Lori of StonePeace, Clarity of Scrollwork Designs and Asa of AsaPDesigns all collected a few votes…. Considering the amazing competition (17 entries this time around!!) I think we’re all just happy to have placed among such great work!

In a few days (maybe less) Julie will post her challenge for us…..I await it with baited breath!! Stay tuned for further updates!!

February "Movement" Challenge Contestants....

2011-02-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

The February Aspiring Metalsmiths Challenge came to us from Esme of Silverblueberry. She wanted us to show movement….literal or the illusion there of. It was to be an exercise, like yoga, that would stretch each person’s individual talents and skills. And BOY! Did everyone do well! We have the most entries we’ve ever had….and many of them are first time participants!! YEAH!! Without further ado, here are the entries:

From Lori at StonePeace we have a 2 sided ring…one side is amethyst with a leaf, the other is citrine. It’s a really pretty ring, and would be fun to fiddle with all day long.

From Julie at Jamauerer we have a spinning “rattler” ring. It looks a bit like a bee hive (or a cartoon hamburger) and has some wonderful movment. You can see her polishing it here: http://flic.kr/p/9euf1h

Lilian from Girl Loves Glitter made a spectacular bangle with 6 tubes and 12 tube set stones! Such a sparkly pretty piece and a never ending combination of stone colors!

Ppennee from All Wired Up made a lovely Ocean Jasper pendant. This was her first hinge, and made from scratch too!

Asa from AsaPDesigns made a wheel. Well, a wheel pendant that will roll back and forth on a chain. She also made the hollow silver bead that acts as a counter weight from scratch. You can see it in action here http://www.flickr.com/photos/36638206@N04/5419894352/in/pool-aspiringmetalsmiths

Autumn from Autumn Bradley made a lovely window hanging…a pretty cardinal with “happiness” on his wing. This one has a lovely family story to go with it….Grandma had very good last words.

Villian Accessories made some lovely Osci earrings that harkens back to her engineering days… lovely osculating waves that go from vertical to horizontal depending on your movement and mood.

Clarity from Scrollworkdesigns out did herself again, and made a fountain. She learned fold forming and how to use her new rolling mill to make this amazing floral copper water feature. You can see it in action here http://flic.kr/p/9mgayf

Alicia of AliciaFaith created a very nice malachite pendant that will make your mind twist and spin!! You'll have to click the link to see that one.
http://flic.kr/p/9kZTqx

Resurrection Silver made a shawl pin that really twirls! A pretty copper whirly-gig that makes me think of childhood!

Angela of AJ Jewelry Designs made an out of this world pendant….A shooting star flying around a faraway planet, all in cool shades of blue!

Gloria of Hemlockhollow made some earrings that will make you fly! She’s been on a cicada kick, and these fine silver wings can adorn your ears and remind you of hot summer nights all year long.

Lori of LoriCitsay made her first spinner ring! It’s so pretty, and would give any worrier something to keep their hands busy (like she proved herself on Sunday!! It works!!!)

Esme from SilverBlueberry made a pendant that has some real movement! It’s a pretty little bird who’s wing flaps and beak opens and closes with a tiny tug on the tourmaline briolette.

Claire of BrightStar 109 also made a pretty spinner ring with pretty stones set all the way around, and around, and around....

Nancy from NancyCreations made these glowing earrings… bright and shiny leaves dangle from pretty labradorite stones. Even though one gave her fits, I think they are so lovely!!

Erika from ErikaMayDesigns has made a neat pendant from ages lost….a trilobite that spins in its frame to show off both sides.

Voting will be up through Thursday March 3rd....winners will be posted on Friday morning.

Please only vote if you are a member of the AspiringMetalsmiths team. If you're not, youc an use the links to check out our shops on Etsy and some of our other work in our flickr group stream.

February Project Blogroll - Stones, Stones, Stones

2011-02-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

Cobalt Blue Sea Sediment Jasper and Sterling Silver Necklace by Sstargell on Etsy

This month the aspiring metalsmiths are bringing out their stones. For many, collecting stones has become an addiction. Come take a look at their favorites and what makes them so special.

Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Clarity @ Scrollwork Designs - http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Stacy Low - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
ArtistiKat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com/

January Project Blogroll - Show us your first piece

2011-01-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

Color my World by Altered Abbey on Etsy

Welcome to the blogroll for January. This month the Aspiring Metalsmith team is posting about our first piece or pieces of Jewelry that we ever made. No matter how long ago this was, it will sure be a good reminder of how far we have come.

Check out all the participating blogs below:

Jessica - www.abellablue.com/blog
Clarity - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com
Stacy - http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Gloria - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://www.joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Gayle - http://www.thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Sylvia - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/

February challenge

2011-01-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you, everyone who voted for me! It is such an honor to win an Aspiring Metalsmiths Team challenge. All of you who daily see the beautiful jewelry posted by our members know how talented they are.

For the next challenge I have chosen a theme that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, and you are free to interpret it in whichever way you want. First of all, as mentioned in about every previous challenge:

Please participate!

I think we should all think of this as you would do of a yoga session. Yoga is about (literally) stretching yourself that extra inch that you didn't manage last week and be happy with that result. And even if you only managed to stay as inflexible as you were last week, you at least didn't get worse. You don't compare yourself to the person next to you because you have different bodies and it is completely irrelevant! Similarly, we are a team of very different skill levels, so some of you may not dare to enter, but please do! I always find that these challenges push me to do things I haven't been able to make myself do before, and even if that goal is just to enter, then you have taken that extra step.

Enough of that.
(except that we need more than four participants!)
(please!)

This month's challenge is movement. I will give you some examples.

This is a sculpture by a Romanian sculptor called Constantin Brancusi. The sculpture is called Bird in Flight.

See how he creates movement in the sculpture by the shape and shine of the brass. It almost looks like it's about to take off.

On the right is another way to interpret movement. This is Clarity's bracelet (you can find it in her shop, ScrollworkDesigns), and the stone slides on the silver wire. Dangly earrings would be a simple variety on this kind of movement.

Then there is the illusion of movement you create with tools. Melting, forging, chasing, fold forming, hammering, casting, there are so many options.

I hope you will have fun with this one. The deadline for this challenge is February 27th (a Sunday), at midnight EST. Put your challenge entry in the Flickr group and tag it 'February AMT challenge'.

Happy playing!

And the Winner Is.....

2011-01-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry is the winner of this month's Aspiring Metalsmiths Challenge. Esmeralda is a molecular bioligist and her analytical scientist's mind came up with a completely original take on the heritage theme with this incredibly detailed hand-stamped mixed metal cuff. On the silver part of the cuff is where we, homo sapiens, lie in the classification system on the evolutionary tree.On the inside of the copper cuff is part of the DNA sequence of the foxp2 gene, a tiny part of which differs between us and apes. This gene plays an important role in giving us the ability to talk, which is part of what made us human.

A brilliant idea and excellently executed, this bracelet is truly a wearable work of art.

Autumn of Autumn Bradley Designs took second place with this entry was inspired by her grandfather's last name. This pendant was Autumn's first real bezel setting and it's been such a pleasure to watch her grow her skills.

In third place we have Asa of ASAP Designs who incorporated some treasured family photographs into this incredibly pendant and ring set.

As our winner, Esmeralda will choose the theme for the next challenge so be prepared to grow your skills and stretch your imagination as we continue our adventures into a brand new year.

Thanks to each of those who participated in this month's challenge!!

December Challenge Entries- Where You Came From

2011-01-17T04:24:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge was brought to us by the lovely HEATHER of Misty Ridge Designs who challenged us to create a metalworked item that represents our pedigree. This was such an interesting challenge and we each interpreted it in a completely different way.

Asa entered this one-of-kind pendant and rings set which features sepia-toned vintage photographs of her family under glass and set in sterling silver. Asa actually has a great aunt Myrtle (left) and the adorable baby on the right is her great grandma Ivy. The picture in the pendant was torn down the middle and found in two different locations before Asa brought it back together for this necklace.

Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry's analytical scientist's mind came up with a completely original take on the heritage theme with this incredibly detailed hand-stamped mixed metal cuff. On the silver part of the cuff is where we, homo sapiens, lie in the classification system on the evolutionary tree.On the inside of the copper cuff is part of the DNA sequence of the foxp2 gene, a tiny part of which differs between us and apes. This gene plays an important role in giving us the ability to talk, which is part of what made us human.

Autumn of Autumn Bradley Designs' entry was inspired by her grandfather's last name which means "mace- a heavy medieval war club with a spiked or flanged metal head". This antiques brass, sterling, and lapis pendant is her interpretation of a modern day mace. It is also her first real bezel set stone so we're extra proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone!

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs drew on her family's celtic heritage to create this sword and shield inspired kilt pin. Featuring a Celtic swirl embossed texture the colors and motto of the McLeod clan, this set is the perfect reminder of where her family comes from.

As always, this month's challenge pushed us creatively while helping us grow our technical skills. Thanks to each and every one who has participated in our challenges! Voting begins now and runs through Thursday, Jan 20th at which point the winner will choose the next challenge. Good luck!

Aspiring Metalsmiths: December Project Blogroll

2010-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit - Print by Dreamerofworlds on Etsy

Welcome to the monthly Aspiring Metalsmiths: Project Blogroll!

Each month we will choose a different topic and each write a response on our own blogs. All posts will be up for you to view on the 10th of each month.

This months topic: What technique would you like to learn next?

There are always new techniques to learn on this metalsmithing journey, what one are you going to try out next? See what techniques we are wanting to learn by viewing the blogs below!

Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Gayle - http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Scrollwork Designs - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Carole - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Heather - http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Esmeralda (SilverBlueberry) - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Stacy http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

2010-12-06T10:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays & Welcome to the Aspiring Metalsmiths Secret Santa Gift Exchange!

Photo Credit to ZuppaArtista on Etsy

All Team members are encouraged to participate. Come on this will be fun!

Here are the rules:
* 25$ limit and/or 30 min. production time
*If you sign up you have to participate, we don't want any sad teamies not get a gift.
*You must send your gift to your recipient by December 15th.

Other than that, be creative and have fun!

UPDATE: Sign ups for the Secret Santa has been closed. Each participant will receive an email with their recipient on Thursday, December 9th around 9am MST.

Thank you to everyone who signed up, we had a great turnout!

December AMT Challenge - The Best Way to Know Where You Are Going is to Know Where You Are Coming From

2010-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

First of all I want to thank each of you for your kind words about my challenge entry this month. I am so excited and honored to have one. I truly feel this is a major accomplishment in my learning my craft considering the competition that I had. This is such a talented group of artists that my winning our challenge this month when placed in league with the other entries really helps to boost my confidence in my skills and my craft. Thank you again for your support and kindness. Now to get down to business.

Throughout history one of the most common uses for precious stones, metals, jewels and eventually jewelry as we know it, has been to convey information about the owner or wearer. Typically this information was directly related to identification and status. The most obvious examples of this would of course be the jewel encrusted crowns worn by nobility throughout the ages. For instance consider images of the contemporary British monarchy that we are all probably most familiar with to the jewel adorned head dresses of ancient civilizations like Egypt, Sumaria, South America and the Orient.

When we see these items we immediately think of someone of great importance and high standing. However, pretty metal and stone adornments where not limited to the nobility alone. Take for example the lovely coats-of-arms used to represent family heritage in England or the gorgeous kilt pins fashioned by the Scotts. The design of ones kilt pin and the pattern and color of their kilts were traditionally the most obvious means of knowing the lineage and heritage of an individual.

So with that being said please don't kill me but you will need to do some homework for this challenge. Since we are an international group of artists and even those of us here in the states probably exemplify a diverse number of nationalities, I want you to design a 21st century representation of your pedigree. Show us who you are and where you come from using metal and stones. This piece doesn't have to be a piece of jewelry. You can make it a plaque or larger piece of wall or table art if you so choose. Its totally up to you. Do try to be historically accurate and use items in your piece that represent your origins. For example think celtic knots for Irish, Scottish, Welsh ancestories and choose color schemes that have been historically representative of a lineage or family surname (this is where the homework part comes in). Be sure to provide a key with your submission explaining what each item, color, stone, figure etc. represents. So as we begin a new year and most everyone else is working on their New Year's resolutions and trying to decide how to be a new you in the new year let us take the opportunity to discover the old us. Like I said in my post title afterall, "The Best Way to Know Where You Are Going is to Know Where You Are Coming From".
So that is it. I hope you all will have fun with it. Make sure to add your submission photos to the group flickr pool by Midnight EST Jan. 14th with the tag "December AMT Challenge"
You have from now until the middle of Jan. so I hope to see alot of participants. I know this is a very busy time of year with all of the holiday activities but if you chose not to do anything until after Christmas you would still have nearly two weeks to get something completed. So put on those thinking caps boys and girls and get to designing. Good Luck.

And the winner is.....Heather of Misty Ridge!

2010-11-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

It is with GREAT pleasure that I announce Heather of Misty Ridge Designs is the winner of our November Aspiring Metalsmiths Challenge! Her copper and nickle space themed nightlight was a clear leader in this month's contest.

Not only was Heather's design completely original, complex, and beautifully executed, it also moves!

Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry stole second place with this beautiful forged leaf vessel that deserves a place in the Aspiring Metalsmith's Hall of Fame:

And finally in third place we have Clarity of Scrollwork Designs with her tiny copper container.

Fantastic work all of you, and a special thank you to Asa of Asap Designs for coming up with such an original and intriguing challenge. Heather will be along shortly to tell us what she's picked for the next challenge, I can't wait to get started!

November Challenge Entries-Seasons are Changing

2010-11-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

Our challenge this month was brought to us by the lovely Asa of AsapDesigns, who challenged us to step out of our comfort zones and create something unique for the home or garden using a found object of our choice. I think everyone who participated enjoyed the opportunity to think outside of the box and use affordable materials to create a work of art. Here are this month's entries!

Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry wow'd us with this incredible hand forged leaf vessel carefully formed from sheet silver by laborious chasing and repoussé.

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs used some discarded copper tubing to make this tiny (2 inches tall) decorative container.

Heather of Misty Ridge Designs created this NASA inspired nightlight from copper and nickle. The spaceship actually moves across the sky putting this piece over the top!

Asa of AsapDesigns created this astonishing set of nesting bowls with hand-painted Koi fish and a gorgeous lily sculpture in the center. Each bowl is etched, formed and then colored with enamel paint.

Sam of Copper Sunsets learned a new technique to create these incredible copper name plates.

Autumn of Autumn Bradley Designs also learned something new this challenge, and incorporated her first fold formed piece into this lovely wind chime.
It is with great regret that I discovered I've missed an entry, and I'm even more upset because it was one of my favorite designs by one of my favorite people. She did everything right and was even one of the first to complete her entry, I just somehow overlooked the fact that there were two pages of entries. While I go hang my head in shame, please check out this incredible mermaid by the lovely Stacy of Form and Funktion. Unfortunately I cannot change the poll after voting has started, but please leave a note in the comments section if you would like to cast your vote for Stacy's mermaid.

This was an incredible challenge that pushed us all creatively and I'm so glad you all participated. Voting begins now and ends Monday at midnight. Best of luck to each of you!

Aspiring Metalsmiths: November Project Blogroll

2010-11-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first monthly Aspiring Metalsmiths: Project Blogroll!

Each month we will choose a different topic and each write a response on our own blogs. All posts will be up for you to view on the 10th of each month.

This months topic: Show us your Bench!

Here is an opportunity to show off where all the magic happens! Check out each metal artist below and see their setup and learn more about tools and spaces that create the fantastic work you see in their shops.

All Wired Up Jewelry Designs - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy, The Frogs Pond - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
Carole Axium - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Clarity, Scrollwork Designs - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Esmeralda, SilverBlueberry - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Golden Water Creations - http://www.goldenwatercreations.blogspot.com
Heather, Misty Ridge Designs - http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica Lopour - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Joy - http://joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Nancy Creations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Stacy (Form and Funktion) - http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.SylviaAnderson.blogspot.com
Gloria of Hemlock Hollow: http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Julie A. Mauerer of jamauerer: http://jamauerer.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-just-remembered-i-have-blog.html
Lisa at Sandy Toes Jewelry: http://sandytoesjewelry.blogspot.com/
http://purpleshiny.blogspot.com/2010/11/november-week-2.html

New Work from the Fantastic Aspiring Metalsmiths Team

2010-11-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

'New Work from the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team'

A feature of new work from these up and coming metal artists. Check out their shops to see more!

Phoenix Rising Mixed Me... asapdesigns $349.00	Sterling Silver Boyfrie... AbellaBlue $69.00
Carnelian and Brass Sti... ajjewelrydesig... $22.00	Sterling Pet Lover Bang... PPennee $30.00
Fine Silver Twig and Be... ElizabethsExcl... $37.00	Drop Shaped Window Neck... TheFrogsPond $
Silver snowflake with c... SilverBlueberr... $79.00	Gothic Lolita - pink st... SilverBlueberr... $128.00
Trash Metal Collection ... AutumnBradley $55.00	Brilliant - Sterling Si... Scrollworkdesi... $89.00
GOT YOUR NUMBER Necklac... LoriCitsay $45.00	Ring Fancy Band Sterlin... mistyridge $41.00

Seasons are changing (and so should we) Challenge….

2010-10-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

So, we’re the Aspiring Metal Smiths, right? So why does so much of our work look like we should be the Aspiring Jewelers? This challenge is designed to force us into the fullness of our team name, no matter what our main focuses are.

I’m sitting here in Minnesota…watching the leaves change and fall to the ground…watching the landscape evolve…just waiting for the weather to change so I can curl up in my little nest next to my fire for the winter. I know our friends in the southern hemisphere are getting ready to break out of their shells and enjoy the summer. The seasons are a’changing! And it’s time for all of us to take a leap and change with them! I want everyone of you to look beyond personal adornment this round, and look toward ornamenting our spaces, both home and garden.

So your mission, if you choose to accept it (and I really hope you all do) is to make something for the home or garden….Think BIG people…or at lease bigger than a piece of jewelry. You can use all the skills you already have, just supersize them. If you don’t have a big torch, think about cold connections and how many wonderful things you can do with them. There’s also not a demand to spend too much money on this one… remember both of my sculptures that have won this thing were mostly made out of copper sheet. So check out the hardware stores, the plumbing departments in particular hold tons of useful materials. Even the roofing department has flashing that you can cold connect (it won’t soldier.)

And to make it a bit more interesting for those of us that have made things for the home…you MUST include a found object…..I don’t care what it is…a chunk of broken windshield prong set for some sparkle… some doodad found in the bottom of a junk drawer….some leaves and acorns to put in a bowl you forge.

Here are some of the ideas I came up with really quickly… candle holders, soap dishes, spoon rests, bottle openers, wine stoppers, jewelry trees, coat hooks for the wall, curtain rod ends, a rain gauge with a big copper flower that won’t stop blooming in a drought, a pretty picture frame…..see, the possibilities are endless! If you need more ideas, go into “house wears” category and search for “metal”…you’ll see some neat stuff there to get the creative juices flowing.

RULES: *Make one object, bigger than jewelry, for the home or garden.
*Incorporate at least one found object
*Get the photos up on the Flickr stream labeled “seasons challenge” by…NOVEMBER 19, midnight Westcoast time!!!

And the Winner is..... ASA PEARSON!

2010-10-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Voting has ended on this month's challenge and ASA of Asa Pearson Designs is our winner. Asa blew us all out of the water with her brilliant entry that masterfully executed a unique point of view.

Asa has done something incredible in several of our challenges, something that clearly pushed her limits and broke new ground. I'm proud to have her as a teammate and it's a pleasure to watch her grow.

In metalsmithing, each new skill is like a treasure in your mental pocket that no one can take away. The stated purpose of this team is to grow our skills in a supportive group of like minds. I'd like to ask each one of you:

Have you grown this month?

Have you failed at anything lately?

Really struggled to get it right?

If you're not failing you're not aiming high enough.

If you're not pushing your limits, trying new things

It's all comfort and complacency,

Conserving materials and building inventory

Until it's just another job instead of the absolute ride of your life.

Have you made anything lately without your customer in mind?

bottom lines all put behind

created just for the joy of learning the craft?

If not then you ought to,

because your teammates sure are,

and I promise that one day we'll watch them go far.

Asa will be posting the details of our next months challenge shortly, and I sincerely hope to see an entry from each and every one of us. I promise you will never regret it. As always, thanks for playing, you make my world a richer place.

September Challenge Entries- Inspired by Poe

2010-10-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was brought to us by Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry who chose the theme 'Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe' in honor of Halloween and all things spooky. Since we decided to stick with the deadline this month we have less entries than usual, but no shortage of beautiful work upon which to feast your eyes.

The ever-so-talented Asa of Asa Pearson Designs created this incredible copper sculpture for our viewing pleasure, inspired by the E. A. Poe story "A Descent into the Maelstrom." Asa I think you've found your calling as a sculptor!

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs created 'Lenore', a neck torque/ lariat necklace inspired by Poe's famous poem The Raven.

Autumn of Autumn Bradley was also thinking of ravens when she made this dramatic pendant.

And last but not least, Claire of Brightstar 109 entered this lovely ring featuring a twisted tree and a lone wolf howling at a gemstone moon.

Be the Change You Wish to See

2010-09-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

I'm enrolled in an entrepreneurship course at my local community college and my assignment this week was to write a research paper on the concept of social entrepreneurship and what it means to me and my emerging business. I chose the ethical sourcing of precious and semi-precious gemstones as my subject, knowing full well that after I educated myself I would likely find it necessary to change my business practices. I hope after reading this report you'll find yourself compelled to change your purchasing practices as well.

The fiery brightness of precious and semi-precious gemstones have been desired since ancient times, but too few consumers realize that beauty comes at a painfully high price to developing nations around the world. Reports about the traffic of precious gemstones read like a who’s who of human rights violations and include everything from child labor to apartheid to modern day slavery. The occupational hazards of gemstone mining, cutting, and polishing make the use of child labor in these high risk professions even more reprehensible. Many consumers have a vague understanding that proceeds from the sale of precious stones have been used to fund atrocities leading to the term “conflict diamonds”, but rarely do they understand the scope or size of the problem, and virtually none are aware that the average Garnet or Amethyst was cut by a 12 year old boy in Rajasthan (Hoppe, 2005). Child labor in the gemstone traffic is a serious societal concern deserving global consideration and that consideration will only be effective in addressing the problem if it is aggressively championed by industry leaders.

The mining and production of precious stones has a long and checkered history. A hundred years before the concept of a fair trade initiative even existed Cecil Rhodes, the founder of De Beers, was busy building an empire by robbing indigenous peoples of their resources. Rhodes, who was infamously quoted as saying "I prefer land to niggers” (Sweet, 2002), went on to develop a conglomerate that maintained an 80% monopoly on the global diamond throughout the 19^th century (Cowen, 2000). Because some of the richest deposits of precious gemstones have been found in the poorest of counties such as India and Africa, these discoveries often lead to exploitation, apartheid, and the disenfranchising of native interests in tribal land. Even today large, well-funded foreign mining corporations are seeking to prevent the native Inuit population of Greenland from using simple hand tools to mine rubies on ancestral land as they have done for generations (Madsen, 2010). A quick web search of the name of almost any third world country pared with the words “Gem mining, production, human rights violations” will return multiple results from highly reputable sources. Civil rights violations are so pervasive in the history of gemstone production it is virtually impossible to put an accurate figure on the damage.

Underage child labor is the foundation upon which the international house of gems is built. According to Meghan Hoppe (Hoppe, 2005) of IHS Child Slave Labor News:

In 1993, India exported more than $1 billion worth of gems, which is the major export by value from India to the United States. "The majority of these exports are diamonds, which are processed and polished in Surat, Gujarat, and emeralds that are polished in Jaipur, Rajasthan…The Operations Research Group in its 1993 report singled out the diamond-cutting industry in Surat, Gujarat, of special alarm for child labor. It found children, generally boys between 12 and 13 years old, polishing diamonds for a standard of seven to nine hours a day in unhealthy conditions… In addition to diamonds, children also polish emeralds, sapphires, rubies, lapis lazuli, turquoise, corals, garnets, amethysts, and topaz

Children who belong in middle school operate drilling machines and use hazardous chemicals with little to no safety equipment while the younger ones sacrifice their bronchi at the polishing wheel. To top it all off, for the first two years of indentured servitude a child is considered an ‘apprentice’ and works for no pay. Hoppe goes on to say:

Workplace conditions are commonly bad. They are congested, poorly lit and ventilated, and over half of the industry's workforce suffers from work-related ailments such as kidney dysfunction, lung disease, stomach problems, wheezing, pains in their joints and eyesores. These are all ailments that could be prevented if measures were taken to control industrial health hazards. Doctors in the area revealed that more than 30 percent of the children get tuberculosis, seemingly due to unhygienic conditions, overcrowding, and malnutrition. Children complain of body ache and finger tips scraped by the polishing discs. The most frequent complaints are eyestrain and allergic dermatitis because of regular use of dirty water.

India is bad enough, but Africa is a hundred times worse. The beautiful lavender Tanzanite comes to us direct from Tanzania where child slaves dig it with pickaxes in rickety, water-filled shafts inside mines topped with razor wire and guarded by attack dogs (LoBaido, 2001). As Marsha White of the Gaurdian so eloquently put it “Many children worldwide are obliged to work, simply in order to eat. But that is no excuse for them to be involved in the "worst forms of child labour" (White, 2002).

An in-depth understanding of the issue begs the question of what is society in general and industry in particular doing to address the unethical origins of most of the world’s precious stones. De Beers Diamond Jewelers has the following to say in their statement on social responsibility:

The World Diamond Council has worked successfully with the United Nations, governments, and groups such as Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada to introduce a system for the certification of the source of uncut diamonds to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds. This system, known as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), was formally adopted in November 2002, and came into operation on January 1, 2003. Andrew Coxon, President of the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, is a founding member of the World Diamond Council and spearheaded this initiative on behalf of the diamond industry. Today, as a result of the Kimberly Process’s success, 99.8% of the world’s diamond supply is conflict free (De Beers, 2010)

This sounds all well and good, but recently several of the founding members of the Kimberly Process have resigned alleging that the system is “failing effectively to address issues of non-compliance, smuggling, money laundering and human rights abuses in the world's... diamond fields” and “have effectively condoned diamond smuggling - the very thing we were established to prevent" (IRIN, 2009). When asked about the use of child slave labor in the diamond industry Roger Van Eghen, spokesman for De Beers, told the Sunday Herald the company had no influence over working conditions and "…they should really write to the employers' unions in the countries concerned. We did say we would supply one of our people to go along as an observer. At the moment, we don't think we should be doing any more than we have offered to do and have done in the past” (Nutt, 99).

If industry is failing to adequately address the societal concerns the gem trade engenders then society must lead the leaders to effect a permanent change. Awareness and national exposure can lead to a grassroots change in the way that we do business. Fair Trade Gems encourages consumers to “vote with your dollars” and make ethical statements with their purchases. The major jewelry chains must exercise their purchasing power to demand ethically sourced gems. Artisan metalsmiths must become aware of how and where their stones are sourced and demand the ethical cutting and polishing of the gems they purchase by patronizing companies like Columbia Gem House that strictly adhere to Fair Trade Gems Protocols. Consumers of fine jewelry must be willing to pay adult wages to artisan workers instead of accepting the slave labor of small hands in exchange for a couple dollars off. The world must stand up as one and make it matter that we’re adorning ourselves with another’s pain. This alone will make industry understand that another day has dawned and we will no longer tolerate the flagrant abuse of our youngest resources. So take a moment and spread the word, take a minute to change a mind, do your part to change the world.

References

Cowen, Richard. (200, March) Diamonds, Gold, and South Africa. Retrieved from http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/cowen/~gel115/115ch15diamonds.html

De Beers. (2010) Statement of Social Responsibility. Retrieved September 19, 2010 from http://www.debeers.com/page/socialresp

Hoppe, Megan. (2005, May) Child Slave Labor in India's Diamond Industry. Child Slave Labor News. Retrieved from http://ihscslnews.org/view_article.php?id=61

IRIN Global. (2009, June 22) Credibility of Kimberley Process on the line, say NGOs. Retrieved from

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84949

LoBaido, Anthony. (2001, Dec 10) Africa's New Bloodstained Gems. World Net Daily. Retrieved from http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=11824

Madsen, Niels (2010, March 3) Greenland Moves to Formalize Apartheid System in Gem Exploration. Retrieved from http://www.truenorthgemsapartheid.com/greenland-moves-to-formalize-apartheid-system-in-gem-exploration/

Nutt, Kathleen. (1999, December 26) Festive Gems Polished by Child Labour. The Sunday Herald. Retrieved from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_19991226/ai_n13943975/

Sweet, Mathew. (2002, March 16) Cecil Rhodes: A Bad Man in Africa. The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/cecil-rhodes-a-bad-man-in-africa-654195.html

White, Marcia. ( 2002, May 4) The Gaurdian. Retrieved from http://www.betterbytheyear.org/burkina_faso/burkina_case_study3.htm

September challenge

2010-09-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

Okay teamies, it's time for a new challenge! I already revealed that we were going to explore the mysterious and the macabre. I challenge you all to make something that is true to the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe.

Interpretation is completely free. A corpse under the floor, a raven, something that ticks, a black cat, whatever you like! There are no rules regarding material or techniques, I'm pretty sure you will all challenge yourselves.

The deadline is October 3rd. I wanted to have the deadline at a full moon but unfortunately that doesn't happen until October 23rd. ;) At least we can have it at midnight, EST.

Good luck and think spooky thoughts.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. " Edgar Allan Poe

And the Winner Is....

2010-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

The voting has closed on our August Aspiring Metalsmiths challenge and the winner is....

Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry with her incredible Jade and silver necklace and earring set designed for Gong Li.

Carole of Caroleaxium was a very close second with her pendant inspired by Anne Rice's garden gate.

And Clarity of Scrollwork Designs came in at third place with her Maya Angelou inspired bird cage necklace.

Thanks to each and every artist who participated in this month's challenge, beautiful work everyone!

Next month's challenge will be brought to us by Esmeralda and word on the street is it's spooooky, so stay tuned for all the details!

Star Struck - August Challenge Entries

2010-09-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

Our challenge this month is brought to us by Jessica of ABellaBlue who challenged us to create a piece for a celebrity or other famous person or character based upon their personal style, vibe, and overall look. As always each of us interpreted the challenge in our own way and we have some incredible work to present this month.

Gloria of Hemlock Hollow is a True Blood fan, so she created a clever baby vampire fang ring, a treasured momento for Sookie Stackhouse.

Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry entered this stunning necklace and earring set, a red carpet worthy ensomble designed for Chinese actress Gong Li.

Claire of Brightstar 109 created this Norse-inspired pendant for the hunky Viggo Mortensen featuring Odin's raven from Viking myth

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs created a miniature bird cage for Maya Angelou, inspired by her autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

Addie of Scrap Metal was inspired by Madeleine Albright's love of pins and created this beautiful brooch.

And last but not least, Carole of Caroleaxium created this incredible hinged pendant inspired by Anne Rice's New Orleans garden gate by which the author is often photographed.

I think this month's entries are the best yet and I can't wait for voting to begin. Remember that voting is for team members only so if you're not a teamie please restrain your gushing to the comments section! Voting ends at Midnight on Friday...may the best woman win!

Interview with Elizabeth Duke

2010-07-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Duke, East Liverpool, OH
Elizabeth's Exclusives on Etsy

Elizabeth has a simple, elegant style with fresh colors and design. Beautiful to look at!

How did you get interested in metalsmithing?
I have always made beaded gemstone jewelry and wanted to start making my own findings - ear wires, clasps and headpins. From there it was a natural jump into learning other techniques. Oh and I LOVE stacking rings - had to learn how to make some for myself

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry?
Definitely the technical aspects. I don't really sketch anything out, I've found that if I try to draw it my vision changes and is skewed. So I just keep it all in my head and use a lot of trial and error.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?
Both at times - I get very frustrated if something doesn't come out the way I envisioned but at the same time, it usually turns out better if I stick with it for long enough.

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
The best part for me is the finishing process. Once I have an item completed and it comes time for the final polish, it is very relaxing and I can just sit and enjoy what I've made while cleaning it up and removing imperfections.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Patience - I tend to be a little bit impatient and I can't wait until at item is ready to come out of the pickle so I can start that next step. Or if I have to tumble a piece for over an hour I keep checking on it and wishing it would hurry up so I can do more.

What technique do you wish you knew or want to learn?
Absolutely want to learn sawing. The whole process intimidates the life out of me and I'm too timid to pick it up. I have my saw, cutting lube, bench block - everything I need but I just can't take that step and pick it up yet.

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
Ideas just pop into my head randomly. One day I was watching my son play with his golf clubs and it was the curve of his neck as he leaned forward that inspired my hammered copper cuff. The sun was shining on the back of his neck and it gave his skin an odd tinge that reminded me of copper.

What are your favorite items in your store right now?
I'm most proud of my Labradorite necklace - it was my first experience bezel setting and I loved how it turned out. Second would by my Sterling Swirl Pendant - it was a complete accident. I cut some sheet off a backplate after I soldered on a bezel and it came off on a spiral. I threw it in my scrap box but it kept staring at me. I had to start messing and filing it even before I finished the first piece.

What is the best advice you have received?
To just jump in with both feet. If you give yourself time to think too much you may not achieve what you want. Don't think - just do.

Thanks Elizabeth!

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/elizabethsexclusives
Twitter - http://twitter.com/ElizabethsExc
Blog - http://elizabethsexclusives.blogspot.com/

Give Elizabeth some love. We're all here to learn and grow and all input is welcomed! Visit her Etsy shop: Elizabeth's Exclusives

July / August Challenge - Designing for the Stars

2010-07-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

While thinking of a challenge idea today I knew I wanted something broad enough to allow everyone to participate, but with a theme that would inspire some creative thinking. I have done a few custom pieces lately for close friends and have enjoyed designing something that was still in my style, but specifically for them.

There are a lot of joys and challenges in designing for a specific person in mind and so here is this month’s challenge: Choose a famous person or character and design a piece of jewelry especially for them. Make sure to take into account how well that piece matches their personality and overall “look”. For example you would not make pearl earrings with delicate scrolls for Ozzy Osbourne. To take into account for the different skill levels there are no special techniques or requirements. Just remember that to get better you have to challenge yourself and try something new!

For this Challenge the deadline has been extended to August 27th to make sure everyone has time to participate.

Have fun!

And the Winner Is.........

2010-07-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone. First let me say that everyone did an awesome job with the challenge entries for June. This was an extremely close competition this month. So without further ado, Congratulations go to.......

Linda of Ciaobela for her lovely tiled bracelet entry.

Congratulations Linda. This is a very pretty piece. Great job. I will contact you via Etsy convo to let you know what you need to do so we can get the July challenge started.

As I said before this was a very close race amongst the entrants this month. In second place we had a two way tie between:
Jessica of Abellablue with her "Galaxy" Pendant

and Clarity of Scrollworkdesigns and her lovely charm bracelet

Third place this month went to the unique "Hubble Bubble" pendant by Barb of Bboyce

So congratulations to everyone who participated this month. All of the entries were truly great. I will let you all know when the July challenge post is ready. Have a great day everyone.

June Challenge Entries- Vote for your Favorite!

2010-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe another month has passed but here we are going into July and you know what that means:

Time to vote for the June Aspiring Metalsmiths Team Challenge!

This month's challenge was inspired by phrase"Go then, for there are other worlds than these, and was designed to stretch both our skills and our imaginations. I hope it's done just that. The rules were as follows:

1. Interpret the phrase "Go then, for there are other worlds than these"
2. Create an item you've never made before
3. Incorporate at least one material you've never used before
4. Attempt at least one technique you've never tried before

As usual we have some wonderful entries so with pleasure I present to you:

This gorgeous "Galaxy" pendant by Jessica of Abellablue

And the back just as stunning!

The newbies are taking over and many of our entries this month come from new members, like this stunning "Commet" pendant by Kaelin of KaelinDesign who did a wonderful job on her very first flush setting:

Judy of Jazjewels, another new member, stepped far outside of her comfort zone to create this OOAK crocheted bracelet:

Barb of Bboyce wowed us with a tiny hand-forged spiculum on her "Hubble Bubble" pendant:

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs worked her little fingers to the bone creating a charm bracelet with various charms including a tiny hollowformed book:

Scrapmetal entered this adorable "Comet" brooch, her very first pin:

And last but not least, another newbie, Linda of Ciaobela entered this Raku inspired bracelet:

As always we have so many incredible entries it will be hard to pick a favorite, but pick a favorite you must. Please use the poll HERE to cast your vote by Midnight on Tuesday, July 6th. I know we usually end voting on a Monday but with the holiday everybody will be busy and I want to make sure everyone has a chance to vote.
Good luck to all of our incredible entries!!

Interview with Brenda Potts

2010-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Brenda Potts, Iuka, MS
Millcreek Collection on Etsy

Brenda and I speak a little bit of the same language when it comes to jewelry design. She has that beautiful rustic yet refined style and she uses a lot of texture! Yummm...

How did you get interested in metalsmithing?
I have alway loved jewelry. I can remember taking apart jewelry and remaking it into new and different pieces back in my pre-teen years. Mother would be amused, father would not understand why I tore it apart. When my children were small we would bead together, big bulky, acrylic colorful beads. Then as the years progressed, the internet opened up a whole new world. I would see jewelry pieces in stores and shows and all I could think is, I Could Do That! And so I did. I started in 2002 collecting gemstones, silver, tools, and wire. I'm not the type to wade in slowly to things, I jumped in with both feet, learning as I went along. Branching off into beading, wirewraping,stonesetting, wire knitting, I have even used macrame with sterling wire. PMC clay introduced me to my first torch. Following the natural flow of things, I started soldering, sawing and fabricating out of copper, brass, and then sterling. And it all started with the - I Can Do That.

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry?
I get excited when a design comes together. I'm a rather "loose" designer though. I rarly sketch designs. I find that the metal and components have a mind of their own and when they come together its a thing of beauty. I just nudge them along.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?
I LOVE to experiment! My husband swears he's going to get a T-shirt made that says, "EIP" (experiment in progress).

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
Showing off the finished project. Watching people as they enjoy my work and the look of amazement as they ask "You did This?"

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Trying to reproduce a design. I guess that goes along with the experimenting and no design sketches.

What technique do you wish you knew or want to learn?
Flush setting and channel setting gemstones. I'm not sure if I have the technical abliliies to be that precise.

Where do you get/find your inspiration?

I find my inspirations all around me. I have a very eclectic, spontaneous nature.

What are your 3 (or 2 or 1) most favorite items in your store right now?
My favorite items right now are the large larimar pendant with the prong and bezel combination setting and the blue topaz sheild pendant. Which reminds me...must list more items. I have been selling at shows month and my store inventory is sadly lacking.

Name a metalsmith whose work you admire?
Victoria Lansford's work speaks to my eclectic nature. (NOT a team member)

What is the best advice you have received?
"You can figure it out, you're good at everything you do." - Husband

Facebook - http://facebook.dj/millcreekcollection/
Twitter - http://twitter.com/Millcreek3
Blog - http://www.millcreekcollection.blogspot.com/

Give Brenda some love. We're all here to learn and grow and all input is welcomed! Visit her Etsy shop: MillcreekCollections

June Challenge: Other Worlds Than These

2010-06-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am thoroughly enjoying our monthly challenges. It forces me out of my comfort zone and motivates me to attempt at least one major endeavor each month, and I love every piece I've created whether they've gotten any votes or not. As the winner of the May challenge I have the honor of choosing our next adventure, and I intend to S*T*R*E*T*C*H both your skillz and your imagination for this month's challenge.

I am re-reading Stephen King's iconic Dark Tower series this month and the line that best sums it all up is "Go then, for there are other worlds than these." In honor of that golden turn of phrase I'd like to challenge you to explore outside the comforts of your own little universe and experiment with all things new and unusual.

Rules for this month's challenge are as follows:

1. Interpret the phrase "Go then, for there are other worlds than these"
2. Create an item you've never made before
3. Incorporate at least one material you've never used before
4. Attempt at least one technique you've never tried before

Be sure to tag your entry with "June Challenge" and post it in the Flickr pool when you are done. Deadline is Midnight on July 2nd.

Let the weeping and gnashing of teeth commence!!

And the Winner IS...

2010-06-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation and agonized voting, I'm please to announce that the winner of the May challenge IS.....Little old me with Siren Song!

I've never won anything in my entire life so I'm thrilled beyond measure. Awwwww you guys are fantastic, I have a killer case of the warm and fuzzies!

Second place was a tie!

Lori of StonePeace gets some love with her terrific turtle:

And Julie of WabiBrook Studio blew us away with her amazing copper cuff:

We're also tied for Third Place where the brooches stole the show.

Honorable mention goes to Carole of Caroleaxium with her lovely seahorse brooch:

And Heather of MistyRidge with her original seascape:

This a brilliant challenge with some incredible entries. Thanks to Brenda of Millcreek for envisioning the theme and thanks to each and every one of you for making it a reality. I hope your skills were taxed, your imagination challenged, and your spirit fulfilled by the experience. Thanks for playing!!

June challenge details will be up shortly so check back shortly!

May Challenge~ Under The Sea~ Vote for your Favorite!

2010-05-28T21:09:00.001-07:00

We have some amazing entries for your consideration in this month's "Under the Sea" challenge. This challenge was conceived by Brenda of Millcreek Collection and inspired by the movie The Little Mermaid. Brenda challenged each of us to create a extravaganza of at least 4 different hand-created textures with an ocean theme (you can view the complete challenge rules here). With that in mind our teamies went to work and the entries this month are absolutely stunning!

Our first entry was this creative piece by Carole of Caroleaxium. The wee details on this are so wonderful, and the stone seems to be the perfect color of the deep blue sea!

Here is a really lovely seashell necklace by Nickie of Caoimhe Lily in copper. The hinge adds a fun touch so that is can be worn closed and then opened for a surprise found inside!

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs really outdid herself with this fabulous mermaid necklace! The colors and textures are beautiful, and it is really a unique design!

I just fell in love with this turtle brooch by Lori of StonePeace. I think she did a fantastic job capturing the likeness of a sea turtle, and the different textures really add great dimension to the piece!

This seahorse brooch by Brenda of Millcreek Collection is so full of depth and texture. I love how she was able to add the layers of the seaweed and plant life, and included a lovely accent stone.

Here is a really interesting sea themed charm necklace made by Vicki of Kaleida Eclectics. She has added several elements including swirls and balls, beads and sea themed charms!

This is one of three amazing copper cuffs made by Julie of WabiBrook Studio. She really took the challenge to heart, and explored painting her copper with fire to achieve lovely color combinations, and the use of riveting to add some pretty pearls!

Gloria of Hemlock Hollow made this tiny copper treasure chest with an assortment of gems, pearls and beads spilling over the top. I thought it was a really creative approach to this months challenge!

Who doesn't love Jellyfish! This necklace made by Addie of ScrapMetal2 really captures the feeling of a jellyfish floating along in the ocean current. I love all of the intricate tentacles that she added, and the sea themed charms finish it off nicely!

More fabulous jellyfish! Claire of Brightstar109 came up with a fun and original idea for the challenge with these jellyfish earrings, and the added bits of dangling chain really give them movement!

This entry by Heather of MistyRidge features a pretty sea themed scene that can be worn as a pendant or a brooch! I love how she used different metals to add depth, and the pearl really adds a nice finishing touch to it!

Our last entry for the challenge was by Jessica of Abella Blue....another jellyfish piece! I love the contrast of the silver against the copper, and the beads added are just the perfect color to finish it off!

As usual our teamies really outdid themselves and picking a favorite will be a challenge in and of itself! Remember to vote for the piece you think best embodies the challenge parameters while displaying the most original, out of the box design. It will be a hard choice as they are all so unique and different! Everyone did a fabulous job stretching their creativity and their metalsmithing skills for this month's challenge and my hat's off to all of you!

Voting begins now and runs through midnight on Monday, the 31st. Please restrict voting to team members only since this is a team challenge. Good luck!

*A very special THANK YOU to Sylvia Anderson who is so much more organized than Clarity and has been kind enough to do the lion's share of the work on this month's challenge post in addition to her recent work on the much-improved blog layout. THANK YOU Sylvia!

Interview with Clarity Collins

2010-05-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Clarity Collins -- Scrollwork Designs on Etsy

What I love about Clarity's work is her experimentation with different techniques and genres. Her newest items, like her Mermaid necklace and especially her Medusa bracelet (my personal favorite) are definitely setting her apart from the crowd.

How did you get interested in metalsmithing
I didn’t even know it was CALLED metalsmithing when I first picked up a torch, I was just determined to do something more than wirewrapping and this is where it took me.

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry?
Both! I love a good design but the design isn’t complete until it’s realized in the finished piece, so the technical aspect is part of the design process in my mind.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?
Depends on the day, lol. When I try something I wasn’t sure I could do and succeed I’m on top of the world, when I try and fail ….well, ‘Beware the Crabby Tadpole’ as my son likes to say

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
Construction. Putting the pieces together is my favorite part, it’s like playing with the world’s coolest legos.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Finishing. Definitely finishing, although I’m not a huge fan of sawing either. I don’t like the slow parts!

What technique do you wish you knew or want to learn?
So many stone setting techniques…flush settings, graver settings, better prong settings. And casting eventually of course. And Makume-gane, and PMC, and….oh I could go on and on!

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
Sitting silently with a sketchbook is when I find my designs, but inspiration seems to come from every aspect of my life. Beauty is always right there waiting if you’ll only take the time to look for it.

What are your 3 (or 2 or 1) most favorite items in your store right now?
*The three photos in this interview are what Clarity said were her faves!

Name a metalsmith whose work you admire? (NOT a team member)
This is hard because when I find a metalsmith who’s work I admire I usually invite them to the team, lol, but here’s one of my recent faves:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KaelinDesign

What is the best advice you have received?
I’m trying to think of all sorts of life lessons and what keeps coming to mind is “polish all your pieces before you put them together”. I think this is great advice for metalsmithing, marketing, and day-to-day life. Finish each step before you attempt to put it all together because the time spent in prep-work determines the quality of the outcome.

Clarity's FB Fanpage: Scrollwork Designs

Give Clarity some love. We're all here to learn and grow and all input is welcomed! Visit her Etsy shop: ScrollworkDesigns

Vote for a New Blog Banner!

2010-05-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

To help give the blog a little face lift, I created two new banner choices using a cross section of different jewelry designs from the members of our group that have posted their work on Flickr. I tried to show the range of styles and materials that we use and to feature as many pieces as I could without it looking too cluttered.

Please take a look, and vote for your favorite (click on each to enlarge them)...either the ASM banner in Grey....

Or the ASM Banner in Teal.....or, if you don't like either, there are two other options in the poll. Thank you!

Interview with Alicia Faith Hubbard

2010-05-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Alicia Faith Hubbard from Richmond, VA -- AliciaFaith on Etsy

Up and coming metalsmith Alicia has a beautiful modern simplicity in her work! Alicia hasn't done a lot of hardcore metalsmithing yet, but she has some great wire wrapped jewelry so I know her metalsmithed jewelry is going to be awesome!

How did you get interested in metalsmithing
That is a rather long and convoluted story, the short version of which is: One Christmas I made beaded ornaments, then I got a "jewelry making" kit and started stringing, learned wirework, and am now learning to metalsmith.

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry?
Actually, I usually get excited about the stone! :-) All right, to answer the question asked, I get excited about the design more often but can get excited about the technical aspect too.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?
Both by turns! I love finding new ways of doing things, but get frustrated when they don't work.

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
Getting to create beautiful jewelry!

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Trying to learn new techniques and having trouble with them. :(

What technique do you wish you knew or want to learn?
Setting faceted stones.

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
Most of the time it comes from the stone(s). I just love to work with them!

What are your favorite items in your store right now?
My pink chalcedony pendant (my second bezel!), pink sapphire spiral earrings, and lab opal pendant. The last two are wirework, I don't have many metalsmithed pieces because I'm still playing around with soldering. :)

Name a metalsmith whose work you admire?
I admire Alex Maryaskin's work, especially his filigree. He also has this AMAZING silver goblet with an amethyst crystal for a handle. His website is http://www.artoffiligree.com. I was amazed when he asked me to be his apprentice!

Alicia's FB Fanpage: AliciaFaithJewelry

Give Alicia some love. We're all here to learn and grow and all input is welcomed! Visit her Etsy shop: AliciaFaith

Interview with Veronica Russek

2010-04-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is the first of many interviews with all of our up and coming, metal-loving jewelry artists!

Veronica Russek from Monterrey, Mexico -- VeronicaRStudio

I love the modern femininity of Veronica's jewelry! She combines delicate pearls and gemstones with clean, modern lines to create pieces that are princess-worthy!

How did you get interested in metalsmithing
I have had a fascination with jewelry since I was a baby. I started buying pieces for myself ever since I had an allowance. Then I discovered beading and found that I could so pieces to wear myself, and started making pieces to sell. Then, I decided I needed to go to the next step, metalsmithing, and here I am, trying to learn something new every day.

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry?
Design. I am amazed at conceptual jewelry, and I love every single aspect. A beautiful shank on a ring, a finished back, and how everything works together. Iconic designs that trascend the test of time awe me constantly, like a Peretti open heart, or a Cartier panther.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?
Frustrating. I like to experiment, but I need to see a clear finish line at the end of the tunnel.

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
I love the manual aspect, sawing, filing, giving it shape.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
I still have a hard time with soldering and find finishing a little bit tedious.

What technique do you wish you knew or want to learn?
Flush setting. I love the look of burnished stones in metal!

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
Everywhere, nature, art, fashion trends, looking at people.

What are your favorite items in your store right now?
I love this pearl necklace and will keep it if it doesn't sell. Three Strand Pearls. And I think this one is really cool! Bubbles

Name a metalsmith whose work you admire?
I love and admire the work of these Etsy sellers
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SBJewelry
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mcfarlanddesigns

What is the best advice you have received?
Stay true to yourself and always imprint your own DNA in every piece you make.

Give Veronica some love. We're all here to learn and grow and all input is welcomed! Visit her Etsy shop: VeronicaRStudio

May Challenge- Under the Sea

2010-04-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Our next challenge is brought to us by the lovely Brenda of The Millcreek Collection and it's inspired by the Little Mermaid!

Rules:

1). Any metals or combination thereof

2). Create at least 4 different textures

3). No stamps or rolling mills since many of us don't have such fanciness

4). Think outside of your safty zone! Example - fold forming, reticulating, hammering, chasing, etc.

5). Have Fun!

Post your entry in the Flickr pool when you're done and make sure to tag them with "May Challenge". Deadline is Midnight on Friday, May 28th.

Good luck, I can't wait to see what you create!

And the Winner IS.....

2010-04-27T06:18:00.001-07:00

A tie, lol. How's THAT for suspense?

Brenda of Millcreek tied Asa for the win with this stunning Carnelian pin/pendant:

Congratulations Brenda, it's well deserved!

Asa's gorgeous architecture-inspired necklace also got 10 votes:

Ocean Bay is our second place winner with this incredibly detailed Sterling Silver sheet and wire bracelet:

Congrats to all our competitors and especially our winners, I hope you had a blast!

Art Deco Challenge Entries- Get your vote on!

2010-04-24T05:42:00.001-07:00

Asa's Art Deco themed challenge was truly a stretch of our imaginations and our skills, and we have some incredible entries. So without further ado here are the entries to the third official Aspiring Metalsmiths Team Challenge!!

Ocean Bay entered this incredibly detailed Sterling Silver sheet and wire bracelet:

Lovestruck Metals made several stunning creations and entered this totally unique pendant into the challenge:

As always Deb of Aweshop managed to create something beautiful that fits the challenge perfectly while still being exclusively her own:

Clarity struggled tremendously but eventually found something true to both her vision and the theme of the challenge:

Asa of course nailed it effortlessly as usual:

FutureTribe entered this detailed and original design:

Brightstar created this lovely bracelet:

Michief by Loki made this droolworthy pair of earrings:

Silverblueberry outdid herself with this gorgeous pendant:

Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Exclusives created her entry with PMC:

Millcreek made this lovely Carnelian pin/pendant:

I HOPE I've gotten all the entries but as always if I've missed you, called you by the wrong name, or otherwise embarrassed myself please let me know!

I'm making a slight change to the voting since so many of us are busy over the weekends. Voting will run from now until Monday night and we'll announce the winner Tuesday morning. Gorgeous work everyone, best of luck to all of you!!

Edited to add: I missed someone (hangs head). Lisa of Sandy Toes Jewelry entered this lovely pendant and somehow I didn't catch it when searching the Flickr pool. My apologies, blame it on lack of coffee!! I can't add her name to the poll on the left because I can't modify it once voting has started, so if you'd like to cast your vote for her gorgeous Deco pendant please leave it in the comments and I'll tally them up at the end. So sorry Lisa!!

Show Me Your Sketches!

2010-04-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

We were talking in the forums today about sketching and how interesting it would be to see people's sketches and compare them to their finished products. I'm a DREADFUL pencil and paper artist so I know you guys will be amused to see just how kindergarten-ish my concept drawings are, and I am looking forward to taking a peek into your creative process as well.

If you'd like to play, just upload a couple of recent sketches to your Flickr photostream as a set, then post your favorite sketch in the group Flickr pool here. We'll check out the rest on your photostream.

Mine are there already and I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'm giving everyone a very selfish challenge!

2010-03-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

I’m so excited that I won the last challenge….My little egg was a very fun (if time consuming) obsession. Now I get to pick the next one…..and it’s a really selfish one too. Please forgive the Bridezilla moment you are about to witness.

I need ideas for jewelry for my wedding next year. I need ideas for not only me and my groom, but for my bridesmaids, the groomsmen, for our parents and grandmas….you get the idea.

So let me tell you a little about the wedding: It’s taking place in a real 1930’s speakeasy where Dillinger played poker and Cab Calloway played his swinging jazz.

It has a very Art Deco theme (not to be confused with Art Nouveau) with Black and Silver being the main colors, but we are adding real peacock feathers for some rich blues, greens and purples.
We are going to have at least one live band playing great music from the era.
The boys will have Fedora hats, the girls will have very red lips!

Here’s a photo of what my dress will be like….only in PLATINUM silver silk

So think (or Google) Fred and Ginger, Jean Harlow

Think the Chrysler Building (especially the eagle heads!) and Rockefeller Center.

Think Cab Calloway, Satchmo, Big Bad Voodoo Daddies and Squirrel Nut Zippers for music.

Think geometric lines, with a few interesting curves, rhinestones, glass, and stainless steel ….clean lines!!

I’m excited to see what you guys come up with. I think this might be a new style for many, and I hope it's not adding too many restrictions to the challenge....If it is, forgive me for the temporary insanity that comes with planning a wedding!!

Remember this is open to everything from necklaces to hair picks, to cuff links to chunky cuffs and brooches! Let's show every Bride To Be out there that we have what it takes!

Asa

oops...forgot...Deadline Midnight on April 23. Yes, I changed it AGAIN....see I told you I was insane!!!

Post it over to the Flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/aspiringmetalsmiths/ so we can all ohhhh and ahhhhh, and I can consider blowing half a wedding budget on all your wonderful creations!!

And the Winner Is.....

2010-03-22T05:02:00.000-07:00

After much agonized voting the polls have closed and the results are official:

Asa from ASAP Designs is the winner of our second Aspiring Metalsmiths Team Challenge with her brilliant and beautiful Faberge egg:

I think we all knew the moment we saw her entry that she hit the nail on the head with her totally out-of-the-box design and her flawless execution. I suspect that her entry took a phenomenal amount of patience and perseverance and I'm glad to see that she has been rewarded with the admiration of her peers. CONGRATS ASA, you are the MAN! er..WOman, lol. We'll be looking forward to your pick for the next team challenge with equal parts terror and excitement!

In second place we have Laura from Simply Adorning with her gorgeous Unakite pendant:

If you've seen much of Laura's work you know she has a flawless sense of balance and seamlessly integrates organic elements into her pieces. She's fast developing a signature style and she was able to adapt that style beautifully to meet the challenge criteria.

And third place goes to Pennee from All Wired Up Jewelry with her lovely floral bangles:

If you've been watching Pennee's learing curve you know this artist has come a long way in a short time. She soaks up every bit of info the group has to offer and asks questions on a regular basis and it is most CERTAINLY paying off in her work.

Congrats to each and every artist who participated in the team challenge. If you've gained something from this experience as I know you have then every single one of you is a winner. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Asa will be along shortly to torture us with our next assignment so stay tuned teamies!!

LET THE VOTING BEGIN!

2010-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Second Aspiring Metalsmiths Team Challenge.

As you remember, this challenge was brought to us by the lovely Julie of Wabi Brooks Studio. She asked us to interpret this lovely and classic limerick about spring:

"Spring has sprung,
The grass is riz.
I wonder where
the birdies is?"

Votes are to be cast on the following critieria:
1) The creation which best embodies, expresses, and otherwise personifies the chosen theme,
2) The creation which best demonstrates creativity and thinking-out-of-the-boxness.

So without further ado, here are our entries!

Laura from Simply Adorning

Vicki from Alegra Jewelry

Asa from ASAP Designs

Pennee from All Wired Up Jewelry

Claire from Brightstar109

Lori from LoriCitSay

Anna from Anna's Inspirations

Deb from AWE Shop

Clarity of Scrollwork Designs

Amy of Amy Nicoles

Whoa boy, this is gonna be hard!!

By the way if I've missed your entry, messed up your name, or otherwise totally botched this post please let me know! Otherwise, get to voting because the challenge ends SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT!!

Good luck to all, can't wait to see where this takes us :)

Regarding Winners and Deadlines!

2010-03-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello teamies!

Just a quick reminder that you have until tonight at MIDNIGHT to get your entries in for the Aspiring Metalsmiths Spring Challenge!!

Currently we have 7 entries from:

Alegra Jewelry
Ruby Mountain
Brighstar
Loricitsay
Ppennee
Scrollwork Designs
ASAPdesigns

If you're not on this list but would like to play, please put your photo in the Flickr pool and tag them with "Spring Challenge" and I'll check again before I post on Saturday morning in case there's any late entries.

We're going to vote on the blog this time, so I'll put up a post with all the pictures and then on the left hand side of the page we'll have a poll that will allow you to cast your vote for the winner.

And speaking of winners, congratulations to the lovely and talented Hemlock Hollow, who is the winner of our Handcrafted Hurts competition! Enjoy your hand balm Hemlock, hope you heal up well!

Handcrafted Hurts Competition - Vote Now!!

2010-03-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

Here are our entries for the Handcrafted Hurts competition. As you know the winner will receive a complimentary bar of this incredible soothing hand balm from our generous and talented teamie Esmeralda of Silver Blueberry. Thanks SB!

Here, in no particular order, are your choices. Please use the poll on the left to cast your vote for the winner.

Lori's Pruny Pinchers

Thirtysixten's Flowery Flames

Hemlock's Horrendous Hands

Scrollwork's Sorry Shakers

Thanks to all who played!