Time to vote!! September's Animal Challenge

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

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

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!!!

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?

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.

• Esmeralda http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
• Happy Tortoise Designs http://www.happytortoisedesigns.blogspot.com/
• Crow Steals Fire http://crowstealsfire.blogspot.com/
• Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
• steph http://stephstargell.com
• Jessica @ Abella Blue http://www.abellablue.com/blog
• Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
• Sylvia Anderson http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
• Stacy http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
• Mary Anne Karren http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/
• Brightstar109 www.brightstar109.blogspot.com
• Amy Nicole Artisan Jewelry Http://Rubymtnbeads.blogspot.com
• Resurrection Silver http://www.resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com
• Kwant Essentials http://kwantessentials.blogspot.com/2011/07/show-and-tell-from-start-to-finish.html
• Kit and Caboodle Shop http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
• Julie http://jamauerer.blogspot.com
• Lilian http://www.girllovesglitter.blogspot.com/
• Autumn Bradley Jewelry Design http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com

Aspiring Metalsmiths July Challenge - Self Portraits

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!!!!

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!!