My Challenge for 2013...

 

It is that time of year again when I am thinking about challenges for the coming year.

 

In 2011 I took part in my first challenge. It was the Bird a Week Challenge and I have to say I really enjoyed it. From having never really made any birds I really got into them by the end of the year. So much so, in fact, that for 2012 I could not quite let them go and continued with a Bird a Month 2012.

 

Having got the hang of making a piece each week (although I would admit at times it was hard), I felt I needed more than one piece a month for 2012 so I also took on the Four a Month Challenge. That meant every month I was making 5 pieces. OK at times I was behind but now I only have my December ones to finish and I will have completed both challenges!!

 

On balance though, I preferred 2011 and the weekly challenge. Making monthly pieces allowed me to procrastinate more, and leave things to the last minute. Of course on the weekly challenge I also got behind at times, but overall, for me, it was much more of a challenge.

 

So... enough of the waffling... I am sure you can see where this is going!

 

For 2013 I am going back to a weekly challenge. I think I am fairly birded out so I have decided on critters!!

 

Now I am already gathering not everyones' definition of a critter is the same as mine, so let me clarify what mine is!! To me a critter is a creature. And any type of creature is fine :)

 

Looking back though my work I actually found very few pieces with any kind of creature other than a bird (what a surprise!). These are five pieces I did find, and possibly they are a taste of what might be in store for the year - or maybe not ;-) 

 

Above is a pair of guinea pig earrings and below is my tree frog... 

 

then of course there was my fluffy sheep...

 

 

and there just HAD to be something rainbow, a seahorse...

 

and finally a pair of piggy earrings.

 

So my challenge for 2013 is the.......

 

WEEKLY CRITTER CHALLENGE

 

other wise know as WCC :)

(no abbreviating please! - we don't want to lose one of those Cs -lol)

 

If anyone wants to join me they are more than welcome, or I shall happily go along on my own if not ;-)

 

Here are the rules I have set :-

 

1. Make one piece every week and post a photo of it here (and everywhere else of course!)
2. The theme is critters - any type of creature or anything relating to one counts
3. Any medium
4. It must be created by you.
5. Join in for as many weeks as you want to, but the real challenge is to see if you can make 52 entries by making one and posting one each week (and no getting ahead!).

 

So watch this blog and my Facebook page for weekly updates and expect an assortment of critters in 2013!!!

 

Joy x

 

 

Bird a Week 47/52 - Northern Cardinal

Only 5 more birds to go after this one until the end of the year! Wow it seems to have gone fast.

47/52 a lovely Northern Cardinal sitting in spring blossom. This is a fine silver pendant with enamel.

The reverse is decorated with a texture and 2mm and 3mm CZs.

Not too seasonal, I know, but with so few birds left till the end of the year I just have to choose the ones I like!! ;-)

Here is the Haiku

Pink and white blossom

Red and black bird betwixt

Northern Cardinal



Bird a Week 42/52 - Avian Thimble

Somebody asked me recently if I ever made silver thimbles and you know I never have, so I decided to see if I could make one. This was my second attempt, the first never got as far as being fired so will be reconstituted back to silver clay.

 

 

I will not be going into mass production of them as they are a bit fiddly but if this one sells once it is hallmarked I think I will make a few more as it was quite fun to do and it is nice to make something that is not jewellery occasionally.

 

Here is the Haiku

Sitting on the round
Silhouette with spring blossoms
Avian Thimble

I have been busy fixing dates for next year for some Masterclasses I have been asked to teach in the UK. I will tell you more about them in my next blog post but if you can't wait then pop over to Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery where I will be teaching two brand new workshops next March :)

Bird a Week 40/52 - Having a Hoot!

As promised here is the second bird for this week so I am now totally back up to date with my Bird a Week Challenge.

I am in a bit of a comical mode at the moment and I really enjoyed making this one. As I played around with the wires for the owl I could get all kinds of comical faces and was sitting giggling away. Lovely to be enjoying my work so much!!

The back is a geometric design so the piece can be worn wither way round.

Haiku

Wide eyed little owl

With your cute expression

I'm having a hoot!

Bird a week 39/52 - Wot... No Fish?

Yay, now I am almost back up to date again. Today I made this fine silver brooch with enamel.

This one is back in the more humorous vein! I think it is also one of my favourites of the year so far. Living in a seaside town we see a LOT of seagulls!

We have a beach fishing fleet where the boats are launched off the beach and hauled back up again each day so there are always loads of gulls around the Old Town of Hastings. 

It is quite small measuring 24mm x 42mm.

Here is the Haiku

Sitting by the sea

Waiting for returning boats

Wot.. no fish today?



Bird a Week 38/52 - Flying Round in Circles

This week I am back on the more generic style of birds. Flying birds circle all around this ring fine silver ring made using Art Clay Silver and it set set all round with zircon blue and orange 2mm CZs. I was thinking of the blue sky and the orange sunsets with these.

Here is the Haiku

Flying little birds

Sky blue and sunset orange

Circling all around

Bird a Week 35/52 - Red Breast

Week 35 - gosh the year is going quickly! This week's bird is a fairly simple reversible enamelled pendant. It is made in fine silver using Art Clay Silver.

On the reverse is a nice texture and some little decorations. This side is for when you are in a less colourful but more thoughtful mood :)

At the last two shows I have done I have sold quite a few rings so I was determined to make some more this week.

This is the result of my efforts, nice sparkly bling!

This weekend I am at Leeds Castle in Kent. It is a stunning venue and to make it even better this weekend is called Balloons and Bentleys. There will be Bentleys, hot air balloons and steam engines as well as food, and crafts and me!!!

What more do you want :)

Do come along and say hello.

 

Bird a Week 31/52 - Hummingbird

Well now, this is very strange as I am sure I posted this bird onto my blog last Tuesday but it is not showing up! So... I will post it again :)

This pendant is fine silver made using Art Clay Silver and has enamel and a patina applied to it. I have been trying out a few of my purchases from Chicago with this piece. I bought a couple of lovely moulds from Penni Jo who was at the polymer clay retreat which ran concurrently to MCWC. The hummingbird is made using one of her moulds. The actual shape is cut out using a QuikArt Template and stylus. I am new to using these but I am really liking them. You can find both of these things for sale at Metal Clay Supply.

The reverse is set with 2mm and 3mm CZs and of course my little Joy logo.

Here is the Haiku for the piece...

Darting green and blue

Betwixt nectar laden blooms
Dazzling Hummingbird

Came onto my blog to post the next bird so watch out for the next blog post now.....! :)

Bird A Week 19/52 - Sitting Pretty Too

Yay - this week I am on time with my bird!

I really enjoyed making this one. I shaped some cork clay into a bird form and then painted layers of Art Clay Silver paste to create a hollow bead birdie. I just build up extra layers to for the wings. I had some paste which was quite lumpy so I just went with it and actually I do like the effect it gave with just a little smoothing out.

As there is no back to this piece as such you have to have a photo of the rear end instead!  ;-)

I have not yet decided what to make it into. Possibly a pendant but I am thinking maybe a brooch.

Here is my Haiku poem for it...

Tiny little bird

One of natures great wonders

Will you sing for me?

Bird a Week 15/52 - Where Bluebirds Fly

My 15th bird a week entry! The year is flying by.

This weekend I am teaching at the Guild of Enamellers conference so I made this a workshop example as well.

Just a simple rainbow and some blue birds enamelled on a silver pendant using my Enamelled Accents technique. It measures approx 34mm in diameter.

The reverse is a paper texture made using my friend Lynne Glazzard's technique. It is set with a 3mm CZ.

And...... wait for it.....  here is my haiku poem.... :)

Where bluebirds fly

Hope is springing eternal

I see a rainbow

Bird a Week 13/52 - Secret Green Bird

This weeks BAW is a locket. I made this while teaching a workshop in the last week. Hilary and Alli arrived with a photo of a similar locket and said we want to make these! Fair enough you might think BUT

1. I didn't know until they arrived they wanted to make this

2. I have not made a locket in this style before

AND

3. it was only the second time Alli has used silver clay and Hilary has only been using it a while longer!!!

So it was a bit of a challenge for me as well but they were more than happy for me to make one at the same time and work it out as we went along. Definitely two people who like to jump in at the deep end!! :)

We had three days so it was nice and relaxed and they also made wonderful pendants as well. They both did fantastically well and I will get their two lockets and pendants photographed when I can so you can see what a great job they did. We also had a really good laugh along the way and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Anyway back to the BAW. Once I had finished my locket I enamelled the bird inside, then the leaves on the front, added keum boo and finally patinated with Liver of Sulphur.

I have been reading a book of Japanese Haiku poems recently and really like the form of them so I wrote one for the locket.....

The bamboo dense, tall

A startled flash of green wings

My secret bird flies

I think I might write more haiku - you have been warned!!!! ;-)

Bird a Week 10/52 - Tori

My Bird a Week piece this week is made from something I have had sitting around for a while. Hilary comes to my workshops and bought a lovely notebook with her a while ago. I rolled out a bit of Art Clay Silver and took this impression directly off the front cover of the book as I thought it was so lovely.

This week I cleaned up the shape and added the hobnail decoration down the sides. Then I added a bail and decorated the back. Once the piece was fired I added some fine silver spirals and 24k keum boo. Finally I patinated it with Liver of Sulphur and gave it a light polishing.

I have called this piece Tori which is the Japanese for bird (I hope!!).

Here is the reverse which is set with a 2mm lab ruby.

It has been an exciting time for me in the last couple of weeks, I am a cover girl - TWICE!! - and at my age!!!

More on that in my next post in a day or so. ;-)

Bird a Week 9/52 - What a Hoot!

Another pair of earrings this week. I have to admit these were inspired by the ceramic workshop I have been taking. Anna makes lovely little owls and these are my take on them.

I think these are happy owls :) I have called them What a Hoot!

Made using Art Clay Silver with a brushed texture and 2mm orange CZs for the eyes.  

My ceramic session last Sunday was a longer one and I went with an idea in mind. I will be honest that the first piece looks a bit strange. It started out ok...

Then I got to the finishing touches - that stunted palm tree thing is supposed to be a fountain! It is to hold a few flowers. Bear with me on this one, I am hoping that once it is blue it will look a little more like water! Of course I had to add a little bird!!

Finally I made another coiled bird. I did not have an idea what type of bird I was going to make so started off with a large sealed coiled shape and then the Make It Bird just appeared!! This is about 6 inches in diameter I think.

This Sunday is my last ceramic workshop. I have really enjoyed these. We will be adding glazes to some things and packing a dustbin full of others to smoke fire so we end up with a mixture of different finishes.

All very exciting!!

Here are some more Bird a Week Challenge entries

Bird A Week 7/52

This weeks bird is a silver circular domed pendant with Enamelled Accents. It measures approx 36mm in diameter.

The bird is actually indented into the surface and filled with black enamel, and then the flowers and leaves are raised.

I decorated the back with a little flower and a blossom texture from Rolling Mill Resource.

For obvious reasons I called this one Blue Garden! ;-)

Here are some more Bird a Week pieces

Bird A week 6/52 - Biba Birdie

Just the one photo of my little birdie this week as the back looks a lot like the front :-)

I have been working with coiled snakes of silver clay to create work recently I decided to make a bird the same way. It is just 4 snakes of clay and plus the circle for the jump ring to attach to.

When I finished this I thought it had a real sixties feel hence the name. I hope you agree.

Here are some other Bird a Week Challenge blogs

Bird a Week 5/52

My Bird a Week 5/52 piece is a bit of fun ;-) 

It was my second attempt for this week as the first one did not turn out as planned and now a rescue project for another week! So I had to have a rethink on Thursday and came up with this idea. Just beaks and eyes really.

It is made using Art Clay Silver and then wires were added using my Enamelled Accents technique and finally it was enamelled and patinated. It took me longer than planned as all the wire elements are quite tiny and very fiddley!

I don't make many brooches, not sure why really,  but people are always asking for them so this may be the first of many!

I decorated the back with with a few stars set with 1.5mm CZs.

More Bird A week Blog posts are here

New Year, New Challenges

 So you remember the tiny angel I posted the other day? Here she is with a tiny blue enamelled accent heart and gold wings and halo. The gold was applied by Keum Boo, the ancient Korean art of fusing 24k gold to the surface of the silver.

As you can see she really is very tiny, approx 18mm high.

I seem to have got tiny on the brain at the moment ....

This is my very first bird in the Bird A Week challenge that I mentioned in my last blog post.

As I am hopeless on bird shapes I just made a round flat body and then added simple details. Actually he has come out quite well. I am going to call him the Make It bird. He will sit on my workbench and remind me to make a bird each week.

The only problem is he is so small and my bench is always so untidy I might lose him forever on there!



You can see what everyone is creating in the Bird a Week flickr album. There are no rules so if you are feeling creative just join up and post some birds.

Back to my workshop now to finish off some more pieces :-)

See other Bird a week blog posts here...