Artist Helping Artists

Several artists in the blog community have decided to band together to help a fellow artist in need. Each one is conducting a silent auction to help raise funds during this time of hardship. All money raised will go directly to the artist in need. Since I'll be without Internet connections during much of this auction, Andrew Thorton has kindly offered to host my Silent Auction donation.

Please click on this link below to be taken to Andrew's Blog to bid on this rattle and also to see both his beautiful donation and Maria Richmond's lovely necklace.

http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/2011/12/artists-helping-artists-silent-auctions.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FcePb+%28Andrew+Thornton%29

My Photography Skills are Nil

I don't have any Photo game..none, zip, nada..
But there may be hope, Cerebral Dilettante's shared her secrets on photography ..so I'm sharing those secrets with all the other photographically challenged folks who are in the same sinking photo boat.
http://cerebraldilettante.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-photography-secrets.html

nest Necklace Tutorial -Art Bead Scene

http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2011/11/simple-nest-necklace.html
This looks so cute- can't wait to try it out.
Thanks Heather for sharing this- great for Holiday Gift tutorial.

Big Kick and Metal

I saw a write up on one of the blogs about this little machine and it really caught my imagination. Tonight I came across this great post and found it very helpful.  Go over and check this out.http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-tutorial-oh-so-faux-enamel.html

Art Bead Scene Holiday Ornament Blog Hop

The Art Bead Scene is having a Holiday Ornament Blog Hop>This should help get us in the Holiday spirit. If you would like to join in  head over  and check it out.http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2011/11/holiday-ornament-blog-hop.html

Paper Clay from Beads of Clay Blog

Beads of Clay has an interesting post this morning on making Paper Clay. I've always been curious to try it, but a little lazy about mixing up a batch..Laguna Clay Co. carries a variety of premade paper clays but it's difficult to find in my area.Below are a couple of photos of wall hangings I'd like to work up in the paper clay.

IF you find that you are curious to learn about mixing up paper clay please head over to the Beads of Clay Blog and check out this great visual how to ..it's encouraged me to give it a try.
http://beads-of-clay.blogspot.com/2011/11/paper-clay-experiments.html#comment-form

Bead Table Wednesday

Getting ready to take photos( please sun, cooperate)..then editing and Etsy listing ...packing and shipping as well are the focuses for the day.
Wish I had a personal studio assistant to help me..However, I find having someone else in the studio mostly a distraction and one of the very few people I Can have in the studio lives in Hawaii..I live in Texas..so assistance in the studio is not happening..better stop whining about it.

I'm discovering these new glazes are requiring some refiring  ..learning which designs work best with them and how to wipe the glaze off before applying the next layer is proving a little tricky. Sometimes they are knock out gorgeous, other times ,certain pieces seem a little spotty.

How Many Blogs Does One Need?

This is Blog #3 for me..The first, Spirit Rattles was just something to play around with and learn on..one that I intended to chop at a later date, #2, Nan Emmett Studio was going to be a type of easy, hands on,website for my non- production work..and my primary Blog..haha..right..it sits neglected most of the time.
However , as typically happens,things took on a life of their own and Spirit Rattles Blog bloomed into a beading blog...with a misleading name. My Etsy shop name is Spirited Earth,nicely general and appropriate for all manner of clay work..that was the second try with the Etsy shop title..I forget what junk name was on the first one..does that ring any bells with anyone else.

Over the last year or so I've  become increasingly disenchanted with rattle making, from a purely business stand point ,my profit margin on rattles is Zip, Nada, Zero..for the amount of work involved in each piece, they should be bringing in almost double their wholesale price..sad but true.. Especially after building up a nice business over 20yrs with numerous galleries across the country. There are also other factors
(family issues) involved with putting my rattle production in deep freeze mode..

Thanks to the Bead Soup Party, created and hosted by Lori Anderson, I've fallen in love with bead making and jewelry..
The question arises on what to do with the blog(s)..Well ,of course, start yet another blog..one that will tie into my Etsy shop name ..we'll see if I can switch over and make this my primary beading blog...
( don't think spell check is working today..sorry for any spelling errors)