Threaded Vessel Challenge

Presenting The 2012 Second Quarter Metal Clay Design Challenge by Etsy’s Metal Clay Heads Team. 

Entrants were posed with the challenge of designing a metal clay original work under the theme “1920s-1930s Era” including the technical requirement for each of the entries to be a threaded vessel.  Talk about a true Challenge!

Each Quarter, the Metal Clay Heads team members embrace the task of incorporating new skills and techniques to gain personal growth as designers and artists.  Sharing ideas, learning from each other, the highs and lows of successes and failures, each member is encouraged and supported along the adventure.

This Challenge was particularly difficult with several failed attempts and crossed-fingers, prayers whispered in anticipation and plenty of recycling!

Before revealing the entries, there is one very notable effort worthy of a spotlight:

Laura of ZOEOWYN, Art Jewelry Adornment designed a beautifully crafted threaded vessel. 

These photos are examples of the degree of difficulty and gorgeous artwork that come from these Challenges.  Although her vessel is still a work in progress, her design is duly noted and just a taste of what wonderful designs were entered by truly talented metal clay artists.



And now  for the entries submitted for voting in the 2012 Second Quarter Metal Clay Design Challenge!  In alphabetical order by Etsy shop name, here are the 4 entries, each and every one deserving of recognition for successfully conquering the Threaded Vessel Challenge!  Please feel free to click on the photos for more details of each entry.

Silver Perfume Bottle, handmade fine silver Art Nouveau bottle necklace-OOAK by Jennifer of Envydesignsjewelry

A beautiful Art Nouveau style perfume bottle pendant in pure (.999) silver. Made entirely by hand, by me from recycled silver, this is a definite statement piece, featuring a raised iris design, and a screw on lid, with a carved leaf crown. There is a different texture on the back.
I added the bail on the back to hang the bottle from an 18" sterling silver snake chain.
I gave the bottle a rainbow patina, then buffed the raised design, to bring out the highlights.
This pendant is 2 3/8 inches long or 87.5mm x 16mm x 15mm. (more)


Pagoda  By Anise of SeavBeach

 This is an entry to a challenge in a wonderful group that I'm a part of. The design challenge was jewelry from the 1920's and 30's. I researched jewelry from that era and found the thing that intrigued me the most were the perfume bottles that were made during this time. Very intricate bottles were made to hold the finest perfumes from around the world. In reading about the jewelry from that period I found out that Asia influenced a wave of Art Deco jewelry. This is just one piece. The pendant. The top being a roof of a pagoda. It will fit into a built pagoda which will later become the bottle holder. (more)


Hagar's Threaded Vessel Pendant in Fine Silver by Bev of StuckOnSilver

Hagar's threaded vessel pendant in fine silver by Bev of StuckOnSilver
The dynasty created by Hagar's and Abraham's marriage included her land (from modern-day Libya and Egypt to Canaan) and his (from Iran and Iraq to Yemen) --a huge expanse of the known world. The leaves on the pendant represent the shrub that shaded their son Ishmael in the desert.
This pendant includes recycled silver and weigh approx. 4 grams. Vessel and top measure approx. 20 mm in length. A retro leaf motif adorns the vessel and top. Sleek square vessel has a circular screw-on top--both are hollow and might hold solid perfume or a mini-scroll with the name of a loved one on it (not included.) Wire holding the top is solid low-tarnish Argentium sterling silver for low-maintenance ease. (more)

Petite Bottle by Lisa of WillowandMe

Constructed with COPPRclay, the vessel sides and threaded connections were formed separately and assembled together to form this triangular Art Nouveau inspired bottle.  I reserved the extra pieces cut from the vessel sides to place inverted which gives the vessel a unique bottle shape with angular sides.  The top is also constructed using the pieces trimmed from the triangle bottoms, giving continuity of design throughout the entire piece.  The bright red CZ is secured with prongs made from cut pieces of clay and set pre-firing.  Fully sintered after three firings, this vessel measures about 1 ¼ inches tall.


Vote Now!
Please cast your vote using the Public Poll at the right.  Voting will be open for two weeks and will close July 9th.  The Winner of the Challenge will be announced shortly after.  (The Technical Poll is for MCHs team members only.)

Please leave a comment below to be automatically entered into the next Jewelry Giveaway Drawing held soon!

January Challenge: My Favorite Place

Every other month we Metal Clay Heads do a challenge and the winner of a challenge sets the next.  This challenge is:  My Favorite Place, which was set by Jennifer of Envy Designs Jewelry.  Our entries for the My Favorite Place challenge are below.  Please vote for your favorite at the poll on the right side of the blog.  Voting will end on January 29th.


Paris Earrings by Evelyn of Evelyn Pelati Jewelry:  I wanted to go to Paris my whole life, and in 2008 I finally did! It was a dream trip and I loved it as much as I thought I would. I made these earrings featuring a tiny map of Paris in honor of that time.

Palette Necklace by Dawn of DaVoria Jewelry:   For some reason when I see a painters palette it makes me feel so serene. It brings me to a place I love to be. It could be painting, drawing, quilting, giving a haircut accented with outstanding hilites, or, as of late, making jewelry with metal clay. To me the painters palette represents my creativity.

Mother and Child Pendant by Ghislaine of GS Creations:   My favorite place is not a country nor a city, it is not a building nor is it a garden. My favorite place is wherever I can be with my son, especially snuggled up in the morning as he drinks his bottle. There, all my worries fade away and a certain calmness reigns over me. It is where I am the happiest and feel at peace with the world.

Sew Perfect Charm by Anise of SeavBeach Designs:  My favorite place when I was a child was my mom's sewing box. It had many mysterious things inside. Bobbins, spools of thread, buttons, needles, vintage skeleton keys that went to locks in another land.

 

Fern Necklace by Esmerelda of SilverBlueberry:   My favorite place is the forest and the garden, so I made two overlapping fern leaves soldered to a neck wire (clasp behind one leaf) and below hangs a beautiful idocrase drop cabochon, cut by Rod from FoxCabochons.

Pavillion with Persian Illumination by Laura of Zoeowyn:  My favorite place is "far far away." I don't have a favorite physical location, it always tends to be "some place else" and definitely someplace ideal and perfect and exotic.

  
Mardi Gras Mask Pendant by Kathy of York Avenue Studio:  My favorite place is New Orleans! There isn’t anywhere in the world that I would rather be than visiting the French Quarter. There are festivals almost daily for music, art, food, fun, history, etc Steering clear of Bourbon Street, I spend most of my visits there browsing unique shops that sell candles, art, perfume, jewelry and treats! There are so many amazing people that work and live there and I will never get bored of the jazzy sounds, the spicy smells of Cajun food, the Pecan Prailines, the Coffee Shops, the lush green foliage, even the muggy heat!

My Favorite Place Necklace by Lisa of Willow and Me Jewelry:  When the challenge was set, I had just returned from a short family vacation at a beach in Alabama, that is one of my favorite places in the whole world. It has gorgeous white beaches, which are not packed with people, and warm Gulf of Mexico water. During this last trip, the beach was full of Portugese Man of Wars (Men of War?).  Using a shell I found on this beach, I made a mold from which I made the base of this piece. Using texture, I tried to duplicate the look of a beach with shells, starfish and even a Portugese Man of War, made from a sapphire cabochon. The bottom portion of the pendant has been covered with resin to emulate the surf rolling in.

In the Garden Necklace by Erin of heartsabustin:   In the dead of winter, I dream of my garden in the spring. The daffodils, the hydrangeas, and the lilies are all very special to me.

Harp Necklace by Jennifer of Envy Designs Jewelry:   My favorite place is Ireland, where I spent my honeymoon, and returned to 7 years later. I fell in love with the people, the beauty, the music and the rich history Ireland is known for.  The Harp is an ancient instrument that was used by the Bards of Ireland, whose history and stories were told with the accompaniment of beautiful harp music.

Bronze Flower Garden Pendant by Deb of Prairie Mud Studio:  My favorite place has always been my family's farm - and this piece represents my mom's flower gardens and my dad's cornfields.

 

St. John Passion Pendant by Mary Lou of Sweetleaf Sisterz:   The image on this pendant reminds me of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Sitting on the beach at night with rolling waves and the stars bright in the sky, there is no other place like it.   This pendant of fine silver illustrates that vision. The surf is rolling below stars brilliant in the nighttime sky. 

Please cast your vote on the right column; and if you post a comment, you will be automatically entered into our February blog giveaway.

Happy Holidays to Sweetleaf Sisterz!

Sweetleaf Sisterz won our December blog giveaway and will receive the very pretty and sweet "Peggy Necklace" handcrafted by Lisa of Willowandme!



Please stay tuned for our upcoming January team challenge "My Favorite Place" and our next blog giveaway in February. Happy Holidays to everyone from the MCHs!

Turning Nature Into a Lifetime Treasure

Lisa of Willowandme - December Featured Artist and Blog Giveaway

Paralegal and jewelry artist could be two extremely different professions. One requires endless research and patience on the legal matters. The other demands infinite imagination. Both call for dedication and passion. How did Lisa transit from one to the other?

Why did you pick the name Willowandme?
When I first started making jewelry, it was beaded jewelry and only as a hobby. I had recently gotten a new kitten, Willow, and she spent all her time with me, no matter what I was doing, including when I was beading. So when I gave jewelry as gifts I would sign the card “from Willow and Lisa”. When I made the decision to begin selling my jewelry, the choice for a name seemed natural.

When did you first become interested in Metal Clay? How long have you been designing jewelry using Metal Clay?
I first heard of metal clay when I was beading and vociferously reading all kinds of magazines and books to learn new techniques. In 2006 I went to the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and took a beginner’s PMC class, among other classes, and I was hooked. Unfortunately, I must have missed the part about firing the clay without a kiln and went home a bit depressed because I couldn’t afford a kiln. I continued to read about it, however, and at some point I stumbled on an article about alternative firing techniques.

I asked for (and received) a Hot Pot for Christmas that year and quickly progressed to a Speedfire Cone and began making simple PMC pieces. As is usual with me, I purchased books and read online tutorials to learn techniques and began experimenting with things like resin and dimensional shapes. In 2009 I received my Rio Certification after taking a certification class with Tim McCreight.

What was your first piece of Metal Clay jewelry?
When I asked for the Hot Pot for Christmas, I also ordered a rubber stamp with my logo, a Siamese cat wearing a necklace. My first piece, other than those I made in my first class, was the first Willow necklace, which has proved to be a popular item. I now sell the pendants, giving a portion of the proceeds to the animal related charity of the buyer’s choice.

Would you tell us your creative process?
Much of my creative process begins in my head. I will get an idea for a piece or want to try a new technique and I will work it out a bit in my head for a while before trying it. Many times I am not sure what I will make until I start looking through my tools and textures. Other times the piece sort of “makes itself” as I am working with the clay and doesn’t come out at all as I originally envisioned.

I have only recently begun sketching my pieces out a bit as I begin making more complicated pieces, but I don’t always do this. I also try to record my ideas now because I have so many running around in my head, I sometimes forget them if I don’t sketch them out or make some notes.

What inspires you?
The easy answer is nature and natural things, but the truth is I get inspiration from many places. Lately, I am very interested in vessels, hidden objects and pieces with moving parts, so often when I see something mechanical, even totally unrelated to jewelry, I will examine it to see how I could translate that into a silver piece.

What are the major challenges when creating metal clay jewelry?
I believe my biggest challenge is the fact that I’m not a trained jeweler or metalsmith, nor have I had any artistic or design education. I came to jewelry making from a totally different background (I was a paralegal for many years). I think that may hold me back in a self-confidence way. In addition, it often means lots of research before starting a new technique. Even some very simple techniques like cutting metal or fabrication are (or were) foreign to me. I am an obsessive researcher, sometimes overly so, and tend to bombard myself with articles and books on techniques before trying something.

What do you enjoy most about working in Metal Clay?
Being able to transfer something impermanent like a flower or leaf into a piece of silver that will last many lifetimes. As far as the process itself, it still captivates and excites me, especially the moment when I take my pieces out of the kiln and what was originally a lump of grayish clay has magically become silver.

What is your greatest ambition as a Metal Clay artist?
I would like my business to be able to be financially independent. In addition, I would like to further my creativity process. Achievement of professional credentials has always been important to me and I have recently begun the journey through the Metal Clay Registry program. The process is daunting, especially considering those who have already attained levels in the program, but it is my hope to someday be able to say I have reached that goal.

As far as bragging goes, I think my favorite pieces have been my most challenging:



My pussywillow pieces. These pieces were the first time I really stepped outside the box to try something a bit different. Most pussywillow jewelry I saw used pearls, but I wanted the look to be more natural and soft and decided to have a friend make me some needle felted wool bits for the pussywillows.

My photo album pendant. There are a lot of firsts in this piece. It was my first hinge and the first post-firing stone I set (it was originally a different stone, but I later changed it to the cz because I didn’t like the original one). It was the first piece that required several steps firing then constructing fired pieces together. I like instant gratification with pieces so this took a lot of patience to finish. Many months went into the planning of this piece as I had wanted to tackle a hinge for a while.

Why did you design the giveaway piece? What is special about your giveaway piece?
My giveaway piece is entitled the “Peggy Necklace” and is named for a good friend of mine who is on the Etsy Maine Team with me. She and many others on the Maine Team were very supportive of my wanting to teach and there were several Maine Teamers in my first class. The pendant was made using a rubber stamp I carved for the first PMC class I taught. I think it’s important to teach students how to make their own textures. It makes the piece even more special when you make everything, including the texture.

In order to win Lisa's beautiful pendant, here are the rules:

Every person is eligible to enter the blog giveaway with up to FOUR (4) entries. How can you get an entry? You can do any of the following and then let us know that by leaving a comment under this feature so we can keep track.

1. Follow our blog = 1 entry
2. Check out featured artist and post favorite piece on the blog = 1 entry
3. Heart featured artist’s shop = 1 entry
4. Follow featured artist on Facebook = 1 entry
5. Make a purchase = 2 entries
6. Refer a friend = 1 entry
7. Tweet about the giveaway using key word metalclayheads = 1 entry
8. Share the Metal Clay Heads blog giveaway link on FB (Go to http://www.facebook.com/MetalClayHeadTeam and click Share) = 1 entry
9. If you voted and commented on our last challenge = 1 entry

The giveaway will run for two weeks. We will announce the winner on December 17th. Good luck!

New Beginnings Challenge Winner

Our winner is Jennifer of Envydesignsjewelry! Her Phoenix from the Ashes Pendant is totally amazing and well-deserved to win!




Twig and Buds Earrings by FacciaFelice came in second and the Growth Pendant by Sophistiquejewelry came in third.





We've a total of 108 votes, thank you for your participation. And the one who post a comment will be entered into our December blog giveaway featuring Willow and Me. Please stay tuned!

Meet our Members: Willow and Me Jewelry

My name is Lisa and I am the "me" half of Willow and Me Jewelry.  The other is Willow, my siamese cat and constant companion.  I live in Ellsworth, Maine, (near Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park) and I've been working with metal clay since 2006.  I received my Rio Rewards PMC Certification in March of 2009, and I love to experiment with new designs and techniques.  I have also begun teaching beginner's classes and have discovered a new love in that.

Most of my designs are inspired by nature.  I'm lucky to live in a beautiful area, surrounded by nature, and close to the sea.  When walking, I am constantly on the lookout for inspiration in the form of flowers, leaves, etc.

Note to our members, if  you would like your mini-bio on the blog but haven't submitted it yet, convo it to Lisa at willowandme.  Thanks!

Challenge: Patriotism

The Metal Clay Heads team has a challenge every other month, to foster creativity and to encourage us to try new things.  Each challenge is chosen by the winner of the previous challenge.  Janie from LifeArtDesigns was our winner last time and she has chosen "Patriotism" as our theme this time.  Below are the entries.  Please vote on the voter to the right.  Voting will be open until July 22 at midnight, EST.  The winner will be announced the next day.   Also, commenting on this blog will give you an entry in our first ever giveaway next month!

The entries are:

Scales of Justice by Jennifer of Envy Designs Jewelry

The scales of justice usually held by the goddess Themis, or Lady justice. I have to thank my husband for this idea.

 North America by Ghislaine of GS Creations:

My July challenge piece. Since I am Canadian and I live in the U.S. and my son is both Canadian and American I decided to honor both countries.  I created this fine silver pendant with the maple leaf representing Canada and the Stars for the U.S.

Memory of Holland by Esmerelda of SilverBlueberry

It has part of a Dutch poem that for me is Holland more than anything else.  I added red, white and blue (rubies, quartz and sapphires in the front, freshwater pearls in the back) for our flag color.  The translation of these first sentences is:

Thinking of Holland
I see wide-flowing rivers
slowly traversing
infinite plains,

It's written by H. Marsman

Remember September 11 by Tammi of My Brown Wren

This is my third try at the Etsy Metal Clay Heads July Challenge on Patriotism.  It is an artistic rendition of the Twin Towers.

I Heart my Country by Betty of FacciaFelice

This is the piece I designed for the Metal Clay Heads Team Bi-Monthly challenge Patriotism.
I used the signature red, white and blue colors on a fine silver heart to express my love to my country.

The star is the state where I'm living in now - California.

Patriotism and Hope by Anise of SeavBeach Designs

This one of a kind piece was created for my MetalClayheads Team Challenge. The theme being patriotism. Having grown up in a military family, there was no question as to what patriotism meant to me.

American Flag Earrings by Erin of Heartsabustin

Lady Liberty by  Patsy of OxOriginalArtJewelry

Polish Coin Necklace by Terri of Nineteen Thirteen

One clear cubic zirconia and one red lab corundum garnet have been added to the bail to represent the Polish flag. The words "SUPA DUPA" have been added to the back...this can either represent "Super Duper" or "Nice Butt" which is my very loose interpretation of a Polish saying my grandmother used to repeat!

America the Beautiful by Lisa of Willow and Me Jewelry

This pin was made for my Metal Clay Heads team challenge.  The challenge was to make something patriotic. The first thing I thought of wasn't the flag or the national anthem, but the song all Americans learn in grade school: "America the Beautiful".

Please vote on the gadget to the right and comment below if you would like an entry into our first ever giveaway next month!

A note about the photos.  Some of the pieces are listed in the artist's shop, while others are not.  Where they are, they were linked to the shop and can be found by clicking on the photo.  The others were taken from their uploads to the Metal Clay Heads group on Flickr.  They, along with alternate views of the items, can be seen here.