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Drooly Day

  • May. 7th, 2009 at 4:30 PM


Today I am partaking in two things I have been craving since last week before Penguicon. The first is diving into the order of Vintaj brass that I ordered and received over the weekend. ooh, it was so hard to play catch up with work and not just take these up to the studio to play with! Yeah, I drool about metal, so what? hee. These are mostly pieces that I haven't used before, so they will take some fussing and creativity to use. The possibilities are endless! I am excited to work with them. I want to wrap a few of the metallic hearts in new ways, because they seem to be a really great finished item, and if I get enough distinct styles, I think I can present it as a class. *bounce bounce* its playtime now!


The other craving I have had is for sushi. Now, I am a newbie to sushi, really. I am not really into fish at all, but I love the rice and nori and wasabi and ginger. I really have enjoyed the roll-your-own parties we have had because I can pick what else I want, but I have never really seen kinds at the stores that I will eat the way they are packaged. I have also been a bit intimidated by going to the sushi bar and asking questions and ordering on my own. But the craving was too much today! I headed to Noble Fish, and a very helpful young man asked me what I liked and made some suggestions. I had a carrot, cucumber and avacado roll, and a tofu and green onion roll. OMG they were so good! Now I feel a little more comfortable and will definately order again. (any suggestions for non fishy ingredient combinations? I like the idea of cream cheese and colored peppers as well) I think I would have liked something else in the tofu and onion one, maybe some more carrot? Ooh and the fresh ginger and wasabi was so good! wow that stuff can be spicy! mmm. Also I bought some sushi rice to make my own, along with some Miso soup base (need a recipe there too). So I may be experimenting with that soon.


ok, thats enough babbling for today, time to play with metal! whee!

Unlocked

  • Apr. 4th, 2009 at 12:30 PM



After visiting the antique shop the other day, we ventured next door to another antique shop, but one of a different variety. This one had all sorts of architectural details. There were piles of old windows, floor vents, doors, tin ceiling pieces, and other large pieces. That was neat to look through, but of course what caught my eye was the small details. In particular, the collection of beautiful old brass door hardware, door knobs, hinges, and handles. This interests me particularly now because my latest carvings are inspired by them. Now I am further inspired to think about making more.


I really need a better camera if I am going to be blogging from things I see on my adventures. The cell phone just doesn't do a great job getting the quality that I need. This is something I think I need to invest in, once I get all my tax checks and real life payments written and sent off.

I am writing this post on Friday to publish Saturday. I have a fun evening planned ahead that I am sure I will want to talk about in my next entry! So I wanted to write this one and save it while the memory is fresh. Tonight, it is off to the Smart Shop, where the Art Hop is taking place. Squee! Fun!

Steamy Spotlight on Ornamentea

  • Sep. 9th, 2008 at 8:52 PM


Last week I was blogging a little more about some of the suppliers that I highlighted in my Beadwork article about Steampunk. Today's spotlight is on the North Carolina store Ornamentea. This is one of my very favorite online shops, and I would love to visit Raleigh one day and go to the physical storefront. It sounds like a wonderful place full of inspiration and creativity. I love the design of their website too, it inspires me as both a customer and as an artist who designs her own website. It's just always changing in exciting ways and there are new things added all the time. Ornamentea carries a whole line of great raw brass lockets and charms and things that have a steampunk feel. I used the little hinged boxes above with my steam gear stones to make the necklace that was used on the cover of Step By Step Beads! Also, I provided the odds and ends (or bits and bobs, as they call them) shown below for the Beadwork article. I love the little boxes of tiny cogs and gears! I have several, but have yet to play with them. Please visit the shop and see what they have to offer, and if you are a local and can visit the shop, check in soon to see a selection of my handcrafted beads in person!

a fairytale wrought in beads and brass

  • Apr. 1st, 2008 at 2:44 PM

 

ooh lookie me! I am Customer of the Month over at Vintaj! I wrote a little bit about why I enjoy designing with their natural brass and here is part of my quote that I like: 

"I think the ornate filigree and vintage designs of Vintaj findings hearkens back to times in history when so many things were so beautiful and ornamental. Using these designs brings an instant sense of history, fantasy, and narrative. They are the perfect details to tell your own jewelry story: the perfect ingredients for a fairytale wrought in beads and brass.” 

Isn't that just *me*? Well I am up to my eyeballs in promos and soon the bisque will be cool so I can organize for a big day of glazing tomorrow, so I will keep this a short one today. I will go ahead and list a few Alchemical Adornment pendants that I have in the Etsy shop before I dive into my work...
 

The Bead Faerie strikes Gold!

  • Oct. 19th, 2007 at 11:03 AM

 


mmmmm...look at my *precious*.... The little treasure above is a coveted Green Girl Studios one of a kind silver/polymer/resin creation. And she is all mine! I saw a few of these at Bead & Button, but before I could even get to the booth, *poof* they were all gone. The nice thing about seeing Green Girl at Faerie Con for me was that I got my pick of some of the more unusual treasures they have that I can never get to in time. I love her, and I expect to do something really neat with her. I am imagining something twiggy. I may have to dabble in some PMC or bronze for this one. I think my little leaves will go well with her too.

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[info]earthenwood
Melanie Brooks (aka Alycia Von Kylnfyre)
Earthenwood Studio

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