I had the recent honor of being interviewed by LoveToKnow, and have just been featured on their website! Have a look, and enjoy!

I just discovered ceramicist Jenni Brant today. I love the whimsical nature of her work, which has a great sense of humor and lovely details. You can find more of her work in her Etsy Shop or on her Website (which has a fantastic color palette!)

I just found this wonderful video of metalsmith Kristin Mitsu Shiga on OPB's Oregon Art Beat. It's absolutely wonderful, please enjoy!

I love scarves, and growing up with a cowboy/lawyer for a father, I have a thing for plaid and workshirts. These upcycled scarves from Foulard Threads, made from strips of polo shirts and oxfords, bring all these elements together and are a great way to add some color and texture to your wardrobe. And, they're easy on the environment! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what else these artists have in store for us.

(On a side note, I love the way these are photographed, including the bust they are on, which does not detract from the scarves themselves. Artists take note.)

via modish

Paddy Bedford (Australian, Gija people, ca. 1922–2007)
Queensland Creek (Merrmerrji), 2005
Ocher on composition board; 32 3/4 x 40 1/4 in. (83 x 102.2 cm)
Private Collection
© Paddy Bedford Estate


A few weeks ago, I took part in one of Etsy Metal's Project Runway Jewelry Challenges, from Season 7, Episode 3 of the show. Our challenge was to create a piece of jewelry inspired by an art piece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I chose the above piece for inspiration for a few reasons. With my background history relating to Australia, I have a real love and passion for contemporary Aboriginal artists. There are many issues surrounding being inspired by Aboriginal art, because a lot of the art is derivative of family history and Dreamings.

Bedford's painting depicts the landscape surrounding Queensland Creek, which the Gija people called Merrmerrji. Much of Bedford's paintings are inspired by aerial perspectives of the landscape around the East Kimberley Region of Western Australia, where he lived. In Bedford's painting, "Queensland Creek", I could feel the vastness of the landscape and imagine the landscape as well.

I loved the choice of colors and lines, the composition of "Queensland Creek", and wanted to show a similar aerial view of the two main homes of my childhood--my father's in Portland, and my mother's in the Columbia River Gorge. Painting is a new thing for me, which proved to be challenging in a few ways, but I enjoyed the process and am pleased with the end result.




Credits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for information and images.

I am currently working on my jewelry piece for Etsy Metal's Project Runway Challenge...unfortunately it's a rather time consuming piece, requiring multiple little findings to be made and fitted, as well as many layers of paint. Stay tuned for the final piece!

This was the question posed for this month's Blog Carnival, hosted by EtsyMetal. We can choose our own favorite creation, or that of someone else. I'm going to stick to my own creations, because realistically, there are so many that I love that other people have created and it would be so difficult to narrow it down to just five!

My favorite Ring A Day creations, so far, are the rings I've been making with old bezels that have had the stones removed from them. These started as just a fun play on looking at the beauty in discarded components, but it's turned into something that I really do find intriguing. The shapes created by the smooshed bezel are rough, yet intriguing, and something I wouldn't be able to readily create without removing a stone from them. They also make interesting shapes when stacked with each other, and can be paired up in fun ways.


I started with just remaking a pair and leaving them plain, with a matte finish, then moved on to painting some with enamel paints (testor paints, not to be mistaken with ground glass enamel). The latest one moves this progression a step further. I created a texture on the metal using a file, then gave it a dark patina, and set a peridot in it for a bit of flash. I truly love this latest creation and am looking forward to seeing what else I can create. It may well become a series, if I can hunt down some more bezels!

1. Ring A Day 11/365, 2. Ring A Day 13/365, 3. Ring A Day 14/365, 4. RAD 28/365

Please take a moment to view other members' blogs to see what their favorite Ring A Day is!

Alisa Miller http://alisamiller.blogspot.com
Colleen Baran http://seeseebe.blogspot.com/
Danielle Miller http://daniellemillerjewelry.blogspot.com/
stacey hansen http://wildflowerdesigns.blogspot.com
Chris Parry http://chris-parry.blogspot.com
kerin rose http://kerinrose.blogspot.com
Sara Westermark http://sarawestermark.blogspot.com/
Victoria Takahashi http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/
Su Trindle http://quercussilver.blogspot.com/
Nina Dinoff http://ninadinoff.blogspot.com/
Maureen "Cosmo's Moon" BZ http://cosmosmoonjewelry.blogspot.com
Thomasin Durgin http://metalriot.blogspot.com/
Colleen Baran http://seeseebe.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr http://bcyrjewerly.blogspot.com
Caitlyn Davey/discomedusa http://discomedusa.typepad.com