2012 Challenges!

It is the last day of 2011 so it is time to tell you about my challenges for 2012.

I know from the emails and comments I get that a lot of people have enjoyed the Bird a Week challenge, me included!,  so I have decided to carry this forward and make it into a......

 Bird a Month Challenge

I would love as many people as possible to join me in this challenge.

It does not matter whether creating is your living or your hobby or even if you have never done anything creative before. It can be in any medium (I may experiment a bit myself!), just create one bird every month and post it into the Bird a Month flickr album I have started. Pop over there now and join the group. I do hope you will join me for the year.

I have also signed up for a second challenge for 2012. Lora Hart has started a Four a Month challenge which I think sounds great fun.

The wonderful thing about challenges is that they are personal to you. There are no prizes, it is just for the pleasure of saying, yes, why not, I can stretch myself a bit and do that. The satisfaction of finishing is immense, believe me. You can combine challenges together, make things that you are going to sell or give away, or just for your own pleasure.  There are no real rules.

So make that decision today and please join me. You never know where it will lead to! ;-)

Happy New Year

Joy xx

PS The two photos are things I made as presents before Christmas, I just thought I would sneak an extra bird into the year and I hope you like the cute guinea pig earrings!

Bird a week 52/52 - Dead as a Dodo!

This is it! Bird number 52 of 52. I have made it through the whole year on the Bird a Week Challenge. This little Dodo seemed to sum it all up for me as the last bird of the year.

He is made out of fine silver using Art Clay Silver. He is quite heavy weighing in at about 18g.

I have so enjoyed this challenge. During the year I have learnt a lot, tried new techniques and surprised myself at times!

I am so grateful to everyone who has followed or taken part in this challenge. Don't worry I will be doing more challenges in 2012. Later this week I will tell you all about what I have planned but there will definitely be a few more birds to come :)

Here is the final Haiku

52 birds made
The challenge is over
Dead as a Dodo! :)

Thank you ;-)

Bird a week 51/52 - Resplendent Robin

This week it just had to be a robin didn't it:) This fine silver pendant made using Art Clay Silver has enamel, Enamelled Accents, 2mm lab ruby cabochons, and 24k gold Keum Boo.

A lovely festive little bird. Interestingly (well it was to me anyway!) this is the first bird I have used brown on all through the year. Now isn't that just a useless little fact!

The reverse is set with a 3mm lab ruby.

Here is the Haiku

Red berries, holly green
Resplendent little robin
Happy Christmas All

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas.

I am still being indecisive about my final bird next week so watch this space!!.....

Bird a Week 50/52 - Swanning Around

Week 50 of the Bird a Week Challenge. Here is a tiny fine silver swan I sculpted using Art Clay Silver. He is sitting on a steel bolt (don't try this at home - could be painful!!!) and my plan is to add him onto a box lid soon. I just have to make the box first!! ;-)

Here are some more photos of him.

And the Haiku.....

Elegant silvery swan
Head high, alert and watching
Will you throw me food?

Only two more until the end of the year!!! :)

Bird a Week 49/52 - Perky Penguins

Week 49 - only three more after this one! So, here we have two cute little penguins. Joyful Jewellery. These are fine silver earrings with Enamelled Accents. Below is the reverse of the earrings. These will be up in my website shop and on Etsy tomorrow :)

Here is the Haiku for the penguins

Black and White Birdies
Great swimmers but flightless
Perky Penguins

When I started on this challenge back in January it never occurred to me that come December time would be short and keeping up to date would be hard. I know I have erred a little in the last few weeks but bird number 50 is already half made and will be here in a day or two! Bear with me :))))

 I am also having a hard time making my decisions on the final two offerings!

Too many birds, too little time.

Watch this space..... ;-)

Bird a Week 48/52 - Scarlet Macaw

If you have been on a workshop with me in the last couple of months then you will know this parrot has been a while in the making! He has been sitting half made by my hot plate for a while so I decided it really was time to finish him off. He is a fine silver bead made using Art Clay Silver paste over cork clay. He is also a bit of an experiment.

Having fired him I decided to try using Prismacolor pencils instead of enamel for the colour. I brought these pencils a couple of years ago but have never tried using them. I worked on the colours and deliberately took them back to show the silver as well, with the colours being much fainter on the front of the bird (the back of the pendant).

I am not too sure if I will leave him like this or whether in fact you will see a mark 2 version in due time when I enamel him instead!

I would love to know what you think ;-)

Here is his Haiku

Multicoloured bird

Intelligent, majestic

Sitting in a ring