welcome to your first stop

barbara lewis of painting with fire generously invited me to host a stop on her virtual book tour...  there will be 16 days of people sharing all kinds of information about barbara and torch-fired enameling... if that doesn't have you racing for the book, i don't know what will... 

so let's get to it - 

if you have purchased the tutorial (which got me started in may of 2010) or own the book (which is a must if you want to take the technique further) you will know that often enameling is done so that it covers the whole bead or component.... this is a gorgeous effect, but it doesn't have to be done that way... 

'i found i could say things with color and shapes

that i couldn't say any other way - 

things i had no words for.'

~ georgia o'keeffe

this is how i feel about enamel... it allows me to add my own color - the way i want to apply it, where i want to apply it... in my work, color is sparingly used for emotional impact... 

leaves - mjdodd 2011

with hints of red or green...

landscape of the sky - mjdodd 2011

with layers of opaque and transparent enamel... 

and this week i set enameled metal into a bezel, the way i would a stone... i am beyond thrilled with the possibilities present for this use... 

cold connection bezel - mjdodd 2011

there really are so many applications - and i look forward to finding more... i think the most important thing for you to take away from this is the realization that enamel can be used to reflect your aesthetic... (and did i mention that it is affordable and quite easy to do?)


in addition to everything you want to know about torch-firing enamel, barbara shares all kinds of tips and tricks... this is truthfully one of my favorite parts of the great books... those tried and true hard learned things that we all work through... this book is one of the ones i refer to often - for information and inspiration... 

during the book tour, there will be prizes given - 

i would personally like to offer a pair of earrings similar to 'landscape of the sky'... i will draw a winner for them at the end of the day from those who comment on this post... 

but there is much more... 

first, here is the list of hosts for you to follow:

October 6, Mary Jane Dodd, www.mairedodd.blogspot.com

October 7, Gaea Cannaday, www.gaeabeads.blogspot.com

October 8, Linda Larsen, www.objectsandelements.typepad.com

October 10, Andrew Thornton, www.andrew-thornton.blogspot.com

October 11, Lori Plyler, www.waterstonejewelry.blogspot.com

October 12, Diane Cook, www.rosa-josies.blogspot.com

October 13, Lori Anderson, http://www.prettythingsblog.com

October 14, LeAnn Weih, www.summersstudio.blogspot.com

October 15, Jen Judd Velasquez, www.jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com

October 17, Melissa Meman, www.melissameman.blogspot.com

October 18, Lisa Crone, www.abeadaday.blogspot.com

October 19, Shannon LeVart, www.missficklemediacom.blogspot.com

October 20, Cindy Wimmer, www.sweetbeadstudio.com

October 21, Laura Twiford, www.souvenirsfromlife.blogspot.com

October 22, Erin Prais-Hintz, www.treasures-found.blogspot.com
October 24, Jennifer Cameron, www.glassaddictions.com

October 25, Sharilyn Miller, http://sharilynmiller.blogspot.com/

barbara has set up these rules to play along:

"We'll have prizes throughout the book tour plus a grand prize at the end! The more you spread the excitement, the more chances you have to win some of the goodies our bloggers are giving away!

Leave a comment at your host's blog and become a follower = 1 chance.

Tweet, facebook or blog about the giveaway and leave a comment at this post (the original Virtual Book Tour post)  = 1 additional chance.

While you're at my blog (barbara's), if you become a follower or say that you're already a follower in your comment = 1 additional chance.

So, you can earn up to three chances per giveaway.  A winner will be selected by 10 p.m. eastern time and be announced the following day. You can check back at my(barbara's) blog for the name of the winner or at any other of the participating blogs.

To thank you for following along, we will have a BONUS PRIZE at the end of the book tour!  All of the entries will be included in the drawing for a kit containing all the elements of "Floral Cascade," one of the projects in the book! You'll receive everything you need to make the necklace, including the chain, jump rings, clasp, enamel beads, and head pins!  

But that's not all!

For a chance to win the Grand Prize - a Torch-Firing Kit (or $110 shopping experience at www.paintingwithfireartwear.com) - please leave a review at Amazon.com by November 24.  Remember, leave an honest review... the book must stand on its own.

Thanks for playing along! This is going to be a lot of fun!

P.S. Unfortunately, we have to restrict the giveaways to U.S. residents.  Winners should contact me with their name and address through my author website:

www.torchfiredenameljewelry.com so that you can receive your prizes!"

thank you, barbara, for allowing me to share my experience with enamel and to participate in your first book tour! i am personally so grateful that you shared this technique (and am certain i speak for so many others) - you are helping to spread around a lot of beauty... i wish you only continued success...

what if

on october 5th, barbara lewis' virtual book tour begins on her blog... 'torch-fired enamel jewelry' is now available and i have been asked to host on oct. 6th... 


in playing with things to show you, i came up with a 'what if' and am quite happy with the concept and result... 


see you then... 

new stuff

sally: i get restless. i can't help it.
dr. f: it's a phase, my dear. it will pass. we need to be patient, that's all.
sally: but i don't want to be patient... 
(the nightmare before christmas - one of my all time favorite movies)


this is how i have been feeling - restless... different from my usual need to experiment and learn new things... i thought that maybe i could calm the frenzy with a challenge of doing something new that i had to concentrate on... so i tried a bit of this -

verdigris

&

persian indigo

now i have to be patient while it develops... i can do that... 

but i am restless again... 

if you haven't seen shannon levart's new tutorial color drenched metal and the process interests you, i encourage you to look into it... 

shannon is a fellow love my art jewelry member - as is barbara lewis... barbara posted today about her torch-fired enameling (and she has a tutorial available and a book on the way)... i am feeling like the underachiever here! 

on finding new passions and a winner ~

'he who nurtures benevolence for all creatures

within his heart overcomes all difficulties

and will be the recipient of all types of riches

at every step.'

~ chanakya

these were my gift to my mom - using a new technique that i am in love with and will be using more... lampwork by mika at pinocean... 

'i found i could say things with color and shapes

that i couldn't say any other way -

things i had no words for.'

~ georgia o'keefe

'pure emotion' was created in just this way... i was feeling a lot, too much to pull apart... and so i allowed the texture, color and technique to speak for me... beautiful enamel bead by barbara lewis and raku by keith o'connor... 

and, as promised, a winner for my giveaway!

first, it had to be decided which child would get to pull the winner -

thank you to everyone who commented - some new faces and many old friends! i think the overwhelming sentiment was that blogging has connected us with wonderful people from all over... that we share, learn and are inspired by them... and that we cannot imagine life without these people and resources in it... 

congratulations to doreen of backyard beads! 

on things primal

i had the opportunity to work with components made by d'arsie at mamacita beads this week which made me really happy as i have long admired her work in pewter... a friend/neighbor asked me to make her something with a pendant and i got to pick out something too... she chose the good morning pendant for me to work with... having hit a rough patch in her journey, she is learning about herself by working through it, moving forward, being kind to herself... 


there is something about morning that brings hope and optimism... the birdsong that lets you know that first light is imminent... i decided to back the pendant with copper etched with an african proverb:

'however long the night.

the dawn will break.'

my choice in healing stones was howlite and green garnet... 

as for me, i chose the wise mama...

and she is divine... i knew i had to have her... she spoke to me on a deep level and needed to become part of a personal talisman... i had a couple of ideas in my head but nothing was feeling Right... and then, shannon posted her wonderful article on the abs blog - it had to do with creating neck cuffs... i hadn't made them because i thought i had to have a necklace mandrel... shannon freed me from that! my most favorite necklace in the world as a teen was a simple wire that i would put different things on... it got lost somewhere along the way, but i never forgot it... as i read the article, synapses started firing so fast that i had to run upstairs to get my visual journal... and just as quickly started pulling out components... this was a piece that surged out of me, demanding to be born... 


copper wire formed into a cuff... one wise mama... a hammered copper paddle with 'peace' stamped into it & adorned with gaspeite a stone believed to bring spirituality into every day life... a large drop of turquoise - master healing stone... the acorn known for strength, potential, patience... a resin paddle set with a small leaf... and an ethereal enamel bead by barbara lewis - made from glass and fire and metal, but exuding delicacy and earthiness...


fibers wrapping around one piece to represent the threads of life... and all intertwined with steel wire... fragile strength... 


and look at her back - she has the tree of life on it... 

and she's mine!!


* as i thought about this necklace last night and the placement of the wise mama being directly on the base of my throat, i decided to look up the throat chakra... it relates to honesty in expression - whether artistic or personal... hmmm, this is even better than it realized!


happy friday saturday! 

things that bring me joy::

a grinning cheshire cat moon

'cheshire puss,' (alice) began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would be like the name: however it only grinned a little wider. come, it's pleased so far, thought alice, and she went on, 'would you tell me please, which way i ought to go from here?'

'that depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the cat.

'i don't much care where --,' said alice.

'then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the cat.

'-- so long as i get SOMEWHERE,' alice added as an explanation.

'oh, you're sure to do that,' said the cat, 'if only you walk long enough.'

and helping a friend promote a new venture

the uber-talented barbara lewis is hosting a giveaway... she has been working on creating a banner & blog style that unifies her diverse talents... and what she has achieved is just that... congrats barbara! your look is colorful & vibrant... recognizably you!

winding

'winding'

'may your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.

may your mountains rise into and above the clouds.'

~ edward abbey

whether you agree with wishing this upon someone or not - the first part at least, i think we can agree that the most rewarding achievements and periods of growth come from times of difficulty... marsha neal's shard (this time) made me think of winding and movement... the subtle color changes on top of the chocolate clay flowed right into barbara lewis' enameled connector - both pieces had played with fire and come through it with great strength and beauty ... the ceramic and the metal, both with soft color, asked me to be joined... and so i acquiesced, because it really was such a great request! 

after manipulating a little metal myself, i had some etched copper rounds and findings... beautiful glass beads from mary ann at linden avenue designs and marie at bleu verre...

it became a bit elemental, greens, blues, ivory & browns... air, water, earth & fire all playing their role in the creation of each part... things that live & grow in the greens and spirals... masculine and feminine... 

all united in moving towards the most amazing view... 

ruby & me

the october art bead scene challenge was a piece of folk art by ruby c. williams... ms. williams was born in the 1920s, living in a community established in th 1860s by freed slaves - among whom was her great-grandmother.. she is very proud of this, close to the land and her family... her first art was created in order to draw more attention to her produce stand, self - built and on her own property... for along state road 60 in hillsborough county, florida you will see many of them... 

she uses her painting to speak for her, in the hopes of avoiding rudeness... for passersby will stop and offer advice to her on how to handle being an artist, and what she should paint... 

i have an admiration for those who can work simply and relay bigger messages... primary colors, a simplified background and a rectilinear design create balance and grab our attention... 'i do everything from the bottom of my heart, whether shelling a bucket of beans or making a painting.' you can sense this in her work, i think...

this piece spoke to me at 'go'... while i can appreciate all kinds of art, feeling in color & simplicity is my favorite... i love keith haring... my interpretation focuses around an enameled orange red tag by barbara lewis which approximates the shape of the cow's body... rustic red porcelain bead is encircled in gunmetal wire to evoke the head, used orange czech glass, red porcelain, yellow porcelain for the udder, a turquoise glass bead from marie at bleu verre, green polymer clay from jibby and juna which provided a nice solid flat area of color, white raku bead by keith o'connor, black & white seed beads... because the piece was designed to promote what she was selling, i made an etched 'MILK'  tag (in caps like her!) from a vintaj blank...

a big thank you to jennifer heynan/jangles for this selection...