Amuck

I heart skulls

2012-01-26T21:50:00.002-06:00

This was my latest piece that was featured on the Ice Resin blog yesterday.

“My inspiration was really the bezel itself. My first thought was an eyeball and then everything else just fell into place. I chose the color yellow because it paired so well with the bronze and the vintage rhinestones".

”My love of skulls, I could go on for awhile, but simply we all have them and it’s a part of us that will be around for a long, long time. I love that skulls were used in Victorian times (an era I come back to constantly for inspiration!) in jewelry as a remembrance of others and also as a reminder that death is inevitable so we should live every day to the fullest!”

personal logo

2012-01-22T21:15:00.001-06:00

Had to make a personal logo for my Digital Imaging 1 class. This was our first homework assignment. I think my Roger skull logo came out pretty darn cute!

More resin casting

2012-01-21T15:55:00.001-06:00

I've been pouring any left over Ice Resin from other projects into these cone shaped molds I made using a 2-part silicone putty(can be purchased from IceResin.com). I love these little cones! Remember those clown cake pick decorations? That's what I used to make this mold. I've got some fun ideas floating around in my noggin for these, just have to figure out the logistics!

Street heART updated

2012-01-19T07:43:00.001-06:00

I've updated the large street heART necklace, what do you think? A larger tube rivet, hammered edge, fancy bail and a sterling rolo chain rather than ball chain.

Casting resin

2012-01-16T19:49:00.001-06:00

Had fun over the weekend making molds of vintage buttons and beads. I think the small flower and hoop will make a cute pair of earrings when I'm finished.

Bling Bang earrings

2012-01-05T21:32:00.002-06:00

This was my first piece for the Ice Resin blog a couple of Wednesdays ago. The top portion was cut from brass and sterling that I slightly dapped then riveted together with tubing, which made a perfect setting for these vintage rhinestones that I got on one of our trips to NY. The shell casings I've had for quite sometime now, glad to finally use them. The casings fit perfectly into the white bronze pencil bezels.

Creative Team Wednesday

2012-01-04T21:28:00.004-06:00

It's Creative Team Wednesday on the Ice Resin blog. I've been bad about not posting these so far but I'll get on track now! This collection is from our teammate Cat Kerr. Click here to read and see more of these pieces.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T08:27:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a great new years eve/day. We stayed in that night and toasted the new years in with champagne and donuts, can't think of anything better!

I've joined a jewelry challenge on Flicker called Four A Month. This challenge is geared to helping you think in terms of collections, which is something I greatly need to start doing. I've also given myself a challenge to make a piece of jewelry for each letter of the alphabet.
Are you doing any challenges this year?

wrap it up

2011-12-26T09:48:00.003-06:00

This is my latest experiment with Ice Resin. I was playing around with another idea and had some resin left over so thought I'd see how it would work poured over some bubble wrap. Wasn't sure if it would stick to the wrap or pull off easily. It took some careful removal but it did separate nicely.

When I peeled it off the resin was cured enough that it wasn't sticky but still a bit flexible. After I separated the resin from the wrap I then left the resin near a vent to completely cure(During the winter months I like to leave resin pieces to cure near a heat vent). As is usually the case I realized I should've cut the resin to my desired finished shape at that point instead of when fully hardened. Oh well, I'll remember that next time!

I will next pour some clear resin in and around this piece so that I can retain all the little bits that were created over the bubble parts, they are quite fragile right now.

Fun Etsy Finds

2011-12-18T12:33:00.003-06:00

2011-12-07T17:32:00.003-06:00

In case you didn't see the news on Facebook or Flickr, I'm having a sale in the Etsy shop right now.

Sunday play

2011-11-20T17:21:00.001-06:00

Was making some chain yesterday with bronze wire and had the idea that a hoop earring connected like the chain would be pretty cool. I messed around with that idea this morning and really like the way it turned out, lots of great movement in these.

Inspiration: day off

2011-11-16T20:51:00.001-06:00

I love days off from work! I started the day off doing a resin pour on some pieces for the Ice Resin blog, I really can't wait to share this jewelry with you but it will be a couple of weeks yet. I then had a doctors appointment on a side of the city I don't venture out to often so I stopped at a scrap booking shop that is out there. It's been forever since I'd walked through and I'm glad I stopped. I wandered through leisurely taking in all the papers, ribbon and rubber stamps. I'm not a scrapbooker but I sure love paper. These are the items that I brought home with me for inspiration. I've already been playing around with scraps on my jeweler's bench with ideas sparked by my glittery bounty!

Inspiration:NY

2011-11-09T19:58:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to post a few pics that I took while in NY last week. I love these zip ties along the light post.

Tinsel Trading always has a fun window. This one reads" Inspiration by the yard".

Not sure what store this was but if you look closely at the column inside you'll notice that those are shoes completely covering the upper portion!

Glass hands at Fishs Eddy.

Hubcaps turned into wall lights at Tick Tock diner.

Window displays at Barney's, love them!!!

2011-11-06T13:39:00.001-06:00

Well, we are down to our last couple of hours in Boston. Relaxing outside for a bit with a nice latte. The show at The Society of Arts and Crafts was very fun and I will be blogging some pics and more about that tomorrow after work.

NY to Boston

2011-11-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

Just boarded the train from NY to Boston, looking forward to this bit of relaxation. Wish we had stayed another day in NY as we really didn't get to see as much as we wanted to but I'm sure we'll be back in the spring.
I did make it to my favorite shop though, Victor Osbourne hats.

Upcoming Show!

2011-10-30T22:34:00.003-05:00

If you're in the Boston area this is going to be a fantastic exhibit. I have a feeling it's going to be hard on my wallet! There are so many great artists being presented.

Testing 1..2..

2011-10-28T12:18:00.001-05:00

Testing out blogger mobile. Heading to NY and Boston next week and would like to blog the trip.

Art I Love

2011-10-25T18:14:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted some art I love. I just recently discovered the paintings of Sergio Mora and I have to say that they are just inspiring me beyond belief! Enjoy!

A piece for me

2011-10-23T20:53:00.002-05:00

Did you ever think that crack in your floor could be inspiring? You didn't? Well, it certainly can be! Im actually taking some time to make myself a couple of pieces to wear to the reception in Boston coming up on the 4th.

The first step was texturing and forming this piece of silver for a cuff. The crack on my studio floor made a nice surface texture.

I'll work on this more tomorrow after work.

What have I been up to?

2011-10-21T08:53:00.004-05:00

Actually, what haven't I been up to lately might be a better question. I've been taking graphic design classes at night at the Kansas City Art Institute. Im starting to learn how to use this computer! I'm also taking a hand lettering class on Saturdays for the next couple of months. I've always been intrigued by engraving and I hope in the future to be able to add some hand lettering via engraving into my metalwork. I'm picturing engraved flourishes into the wings of my Citybird pieces!

Lots of skulls have been on my workbench this past month. I've been busy getting all of the following pieces ready for the upcoming exhibition "From Minimal to Bling" being held at The Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston this winter.

As mentioned in a previous post I am now on the creative team for Ice Resin this year and have just received my first batch of goodies to come up with some projects with. As I was waking up this morning an idea started formulating in my brain so I'm off to play with Ice Resin this afternoon.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

I'm Happy!

2011-10-02T22:27:00.002-05:00

A fun little song that I like to sing to myself if Im feeling down and if I'm feeling good, works well either way!!

Exciting News!!!!

2011-09-28T20:16:00.005-05:00

I am so thrilled to announce that I've been chosen to be on the Ice Resin design team for 2011-2012. It is truly an honor to have been selected for this team and I can hardly wait to come up with and share some fun creations using Ice Resin and Susan Lenart Kazmer's wonderful jewelry components.

Without further ado I share with you the amazing designers that were chosen for the 2011- 2012 ICE Resin Creative Team.

Lesley Fisher & Michael Putnam
Cat Kerr
JoAnnA Pierotti
Andrea Ring
Tina Schiefer

Take a peek at their blogs and watch for many new and amazing
creations from this group of talented individuals.

New pieces

2011-08-29T21:05:00.004-05:00

I will finally get my Etsy shop opened back up this week. Here are some pics of a few things that I'll be posting soon.

Citybirds on a simple sterling chain.

Urban Victoriana skull punked out on a safety pin style brooch.

Speed limit signs paired with black onyx drops.

Friday night inspiration

2011-08-26T19:08:00.005-05:00

Invitation by Jennifer Rodgers

Mask by Teonova

Silhouette by Barking Mad Arts

Typeface by Robert Schenk

A little inspiration for my homework assignment this week in Typograpghy class. I have to design a folded invitation. It will be of little surprise to most of you that I will be making a Halloween invitation. Last weeks homework turned out nicely and Im not feeling as stressed about working in InDesign this week. Whew!

Fantastic Finds on Etsy

2011-08-19T20:05:00.004-05:00

I needed to take a break from watching In Design tutorials online and my typography homework, so perused Etsy for awhile and found these cool items.

Atilla Design

Art Akimbo

Freeland studios

Prairie Oats

Etsy Metal Challenge

2011-08-01T19:00:00.002-05:00

This month's Etsy Metal challenge was to design a piece inspired by Alexander Calder. We were all so excited by this project that we decided there had to be another month this year that we do this theme again. After doing several sketches I finally decided on making this pair of earrings.

In this photo I show the necklace that inspired my design. I'd never really spent a lot of time looking at Calder's jewelry before and really enjoyed doing the research for this project. I could see his influence on many jewelry designers of today.

We had several members play along with this challenge. You can see their pieces on our Etsy Metal blog.

Fall 2011 trends

2011-07-31T19:32:00.003-05:00

I am looking forward to cooler weather as I love fall/winter clothing so much more than summer clothing. One of the big trends to be seen this fall will be fur and I especially love it in these bright colors! They are a very inspiring mix of color,pattern and texture. These photos are from the August issue of Vogue Russia and taken by Ben Toms. Click here to see more pics from this photoshoot.

Trunk show next weekend!

2011-07-13T22:31:00.004-05:00

I'll be at Stick Sisters next saturday July 23rd for an Amuck trunk show from noon-3:00, if you're in the Kansas City area pop on by and say hello! I'll have my portable workbench with me doing a few demos so you can see a bit of the process I go through to make a piece of jewelry.
These are a couple of new additions to the Lucky 7 line that I'll have with me next weekend. If you can't make it out on Saturday the jewelry will stay at the shop through the end of July.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-01T23:14:00.003-05:00

This brooch titled "Boom" was made for the july Etsy Metal monthly challenge, our theme was independence day. This is the first time that I've ever laid two types of street signs next to each other, I like the way it came out. Seven other teammates made pieces for this challenge, you can check them out here on the Etsy Metal blog. Our next challenge is to make a piece inspired by Alexander Calder. That should produce some interesting work for sure!!

Punch Gallery in Seattle

2011-05-10T23:01:00.003-05:00

I've just returned from Seattle where the Ring A Day exhibit is being held. The show runs through May 29th if you happen to be in the area. Bryan and I flew out last thursday for the opening night, what a great time we had.

These are just a couple of the cases. I've posted more images of the rings on my Flickr site. What an honor it is to be part of this, it's such a beautiful and exciting show. Seattle is gearing up for the SNAG(Society of North American Goldsmiths) conference at the end of the month so many of the galleries were exhibiting metal artworks. I can't tell you how inspiring and thrilling it was to see jewelry and metal objects in the galleries rather than just gallery after gallery of paintings.

We took lots of pics of our time in Seattle so I'll be posting throughout the week.

Charm Swap#7

2011-04-23T20:59:00.002-05:00

I received all my charms yesterday from my fellow EtsyMetal teammates who participated in charm swap 7. They are all really special. I think instead of putting them all on a bracelet that I will make several necklaces with them. Now the tricky part is deciding which ones to put together!

Lucky #7 charms

2011-04-05T21:09:00.001-05:00

I'm participating in a charm swap with 20 of my fellow EtsyMetal team mates. These are the charms that I made to send in; they are made from sterling silver,a stop sign and copper. This design is a result from a ring that I made last year for the Ring-a-Day challenge. I can't wait to get little charms from the rest of the members. I'll post them right away when I receive them.

RAD exhibit

2011-03-24T22:48:00.005-05:00

1. street sign swoop, 2. Mini Citybird, 3. ring #46, 4. Lucky #7, 5. Ring 50, 6. ringmaster, 7. elephant, 8. roger rockstar, 9. brush, 10. diamond2, 11. #279(rad pack), 12. dec.26-#360, 13. dec.29-#363, 14. Ring#365/365

These are the rings from my ring a day challenge last year that will be on display in Seattle at Punch gallery this May. I think Bryan and I are going to try and be up there for the gallery opening. It would be so exciting to see some of the other rings in person and to meet a few of the friends I made online through this challenge.

Skeletal Beauties

2011-03-08T21:36:00.004-06:00

Creations from French designer Jean Charles De Castelbajac's Fall-Winter ready-to-wear 2012 fashion collection, presented in Paris, Tuesday, March 8, 2011

My mouth dropped when I saw these two outfits, just amazing. I would totally wear either one!! The only thing that would make these even better is some Amuck jewelry, don't you think?

Pasties and more

2011-03-05T17:23:00.004-06:00

Last nights opening of Broad Culture was quite the success. The gallery space was packed the entire evening. Our show was tattoo/burlesque themed. I came up with so many great ideas under these themes, if only there had been more time to execute them all.

My first piece was a selection of pasties. The titles from top to bottom are: "Crank Me Up"(painted aluminum and the handles from vintage noisemakers) "Vanilla Fresh"(made from a vanilla wafer cookie tin,aluminum and vintage beads)
"Come Out and Play?"(made from vintage circus themed noisemakers,painted aluminum and vintage beads).

I am especially proud of the this piece titled "Rosy". I'm crazy for the size of this necklace, there will definitely be more over the top sized pieces coming from Amuck this year,look out!!

Rosy is made from a curve in the road street sign,brass,sterling silver,the packaging from a spring roll wrapper(rose) a couple of beautiful red vintage beads and the enormously chunky black aluminum chain(I found this chain on our last trip to NY and was saving it for a special piece).

This photo is a great example of how Amuck pieces "glow".

The "Iam Woman" brooch is made from a Men Working street sign,brass,copper and sterling rivets. Again, I love the size of this.

Thank you to all my friends here in Kansas City that came out for the event and to the Kansas City Society of Burlesque for their performance, it was super fun to watch!

Upcoming Show

2011-02-25T16:55:00.002-06:00

A burlesque and tattoo themed show, you know this is gonna be fun! Come check out the metal pasties that I'm making for the exhibit.

Back from Buyers Market

2011-02-23T22:14:00.003-06:00

We just got back from Philly yesterday and from exhibiting at the Buyers Market of American Craft. I didn't take too many pics but here's a little glimpse at our week in Philly.

Our mannequin head got a nose job this season,think it suits her even better than the old nose!

A few pics of City Hall,absolutely amazing.

I love the railing that was outside of City Hall. Definitely some inspiration for future jewelry!

Cheesesteaks and whoopie pies. We had some great food while we were there for sure.

sketch a Day 2011

2011-01-30T22:15:00.002-06:00

New Work

2011-01-23T12:36:00.002-06:00

This is one of my new pieces that I will be showing at the Buyers Market of American Craft next month in Philadelphia. It's the first bracelet that I've ever offered and I hope it will be hit, it's a fun piece to make. I textured the side of the copper, wanted it to look kinda like a large penny. Materials used are sterling silver,copper and part of a stop sign for that beautiful red showing through.

First show of the year

2011-01-18T22:33:00.005-06:00

I was invited to be a part of this show called "New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry" in Lakewood,Colorado. It runs through April 2 so if any of you are in that area or traveling there please check it out. Bryan and I wish we could be there for the opening night this Thursday but our friend Dia has promised to take lots of pictures so we can see the exhibit too.

Sketch a Day 2011

2011-01-17T19:25:00.002-06:00

Wow,well it took me long enough to make my first post of the new year huh? So, this year's challenge is to do a sketch per day, and when Im talking sketch I mean just a doodle basically. These will just be quick little renderings and most likely they will be jewelry ideas that I will work on during the year.

After doing the Ring a Day challenge last year i think it's a really good idea to have some creative project that I hold myself accountable for each day. I came up with so many great ideas last year and look forward to what will come from my daily doodles!

It's Finally Here......

2010-12-31T22:09:00.004-06:00

Ring #365/365

Well, with my last name being Ring there just had to be an Andrea Ring ring don't you think? I've known for quite some time that this would be my final ring for the year but it wasn't until Christmas eve when I decided to watch A Series of Unfortunate Events( I really like the visuals in that movie) that I came up with the idea to create an entire scene for that last ring. I hope you've enjoyed the day by day play of this week.

The glow didn't show up on the video but I got a good still shot of it.

Happy New Year and I will see you in 2011 with a Sketch-A-Day!

ring A Day-#364

2010-12-31T18:45:00.002-06:00

Ring A Day

2010-12-29T22:27:00.004-06:00

Ring #363. Only two more rings to complete my little scene and the year!

Rings #360-#363 worn together.

ring#362

2010-12-28T21:18:00.003-06:00

ring#362 copper,plastic and steel wire.
rings #360-362.

ring#361

2010-12-27T22:08:00.006-06:00

part 2 of 6.

part 1&2 together.

FINAL WEEK!!!

2010-12-26T21:20:00.003-06:00

I've made it to the final week for the Ring A Day challenge,woo hoo!

Most of the rings that I've made have been done very spontaneously without much thought prior to making. I decided to plan out this last weeks rings and do something really fun.

So, here is ring #360 (part 1of 6).

ring a Day #354 and #355

2010-12-21T23:17:00.001-06:00

Ring a Day #352 and #353

2010-12-19T21:56:00.004-06:00

Steel wire and metal from a King Leo peppermint tin.

Steel wire and tin from a candy container.Only 12 more to go!!

For some reason I have decided to do another challenge next year and will be doing a Sketch-A-Day for 2011. They will mostly be jewelry sketches Im sure but I have enjoyed the discipline of making myself do something everyday. Bryan even said that he may join in on this one!

Follow Me: the Making of Bergdorf Goodman's 2010 Holiday Windows

2010-12-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share the making of Bergdorf Goodmans holiday 2010 windows, they are amazing!

Hallmark cards turned clothing

2010-12-11T11:48:00.002-06:00

Check out this video about our xmas windows/decor that we built this year!

Also, if you didn't see the post where I show the step by step making of one of the dresses scroll down this page a bit.

What have I been making lately?

2010-12-07T22:46:00.003-06:00

I made this little metal collage for my friend Rayane's wedding gift. I will definitely be experimenting with more wall pieces.

This was a commissioned piece by Max(Rayane"s fiance, now husband). He gave this to her on the wedding day,very sweet. It took me a couple of months to really figure out just how I was going to build a peacock but out of nowhere while I was sitting at the coffeeshop one night the design popped into my head!

And this necklace is a secret santa gift that I just finished this evening for one of my fellow EtsyMetal team members. I can't wait to send it to her.

Ring#336/365

2010-12-02T22:48:00.002-06:00

I am into the final month for the Ring A Day project and I find that so aPEELing!!!

Making a Paper Cocktail Dress

2010-11-23T22:35:00.004-06:00

I've had so much fun making the props for our Christmas display at work this year. So, I thought I would take some step by step pics of the last dress that I built; in case you have a couple hundred cards lying around and want to make one yourself! I first started with brown craft paper and constructed a pattern.

Cut up the back of the dress where a zipper would normally go and reinforce the edges with some cards then add velcro dots. Now you have a dress that can be taken on and off the form.

Cut the greeting cards in four pieces then fringe. No, I did not sit and cut each individual fringe. Martha Stewart sells a great pair of fringing scissors that cuts four fringe strips at a time. It went pretty quickly to cut up this box of cards.

With a hot glue gun and LOTS of glue start gluing the strips on the paper pattern starting from the bottom edge and working your way up and around the form.

I made a cute little flower pin for her dress using a flower pattern from Paper Source.

Her shoes of course needed to match!

Here is our cocktail girl set up between the escalators on the first floor of Halls(Crown Center) department store. She is holding a string of cards that zig zags it way up three levels of the store.

All the cards used in our displays were reprinted from Christmas cards in the Hallmark archives between the 1920's-1980's. This installation is in honor of Hallmark Cards 100th Anniversary this year.

Finished

2010-11-18T22:59:00.003-06:00

The clown is finished. Wore him to work today, just felt fun to have this on!

Amuck in the Northwest

2010-11-15T22:22:00.003-06:00

We are very excited to now have our jewelry at the Mary Lou Zeek gallery in Salem,Oregon. This is what we recently sent to Mary Lou. Think we may have to plan a little vacation in the spring to Oregon and see this great gallery in person. Neither Bryan or myself have ever been to that area of the country and we always hear raving revues about how beautiful it is.

Progress on Clownin Around

2010-11-14T23:26:00.003-06:00

Got the main link of the necklace finished tonight. The tab setting was Bryan's idea and I think it came out beautiful.

I added the star and rivets detail to the back. Should be able to finish this tomorrow evening. I actually got the studio cleaned up a bit this weekend along with some of the house. Sure feels good to start getting this house back in order. I still have boxes in the dining room from the when we did the Plaza art fair. Sometimes it takes quite awhile to completely unpack from doing shows!

Paper Gowns

2010-11-10T22:32:00.003-06:00

Iam so excited to finally be able to show you what I've been working on since July at my day job. We are setting up our xmas decor at Halls Crown Center. Everything this year is made from Hallmark christmas cards in celebration of their 100th anniversary.
This lovely lady is Holly, as viewed when you first enter our store. The trees and platform are covered with cards as well.

A close up of her vest. I made everything removable with velcro closures. If you happen to be the same size as Holly this vest is totally wearable. I can put it on but sadly I can't close it shut!

The lower back of her dress has an accordian fold detail and they are approximately 200 little red flowers on her skirt.

I will share LOTS more photos of our card creations. I made 3 dresses and a pair of men's pajamas. I will also share a step by step tutorial on how I built one of these dresses. Stay tuned!!

New work,new retailer and work in progress...

2010-11-09T22:19:00.002-06:00

A new heart brooch made from copper and a vintage aluminum drinking cup. Love the way this came out,very eye catching I think.

I'm working on another large piece that will be called Clownin Around. The chain will be similar to what I did on the Sugar Skull necklace. The tin with the clown pattern was once a noisemaker, I love using those!!

Amuck jewelry is also excited to announce that our work is now available at The Eclectic Collector in Katonah,NY!!

Ring#307/365

2010-11-03T22:32:00.002-05:00

A custom Roger skull ring. The most detailed of the skull rings that I've done so far. Have I mentioned how excited I am to be nearing the end of the Ring A Day project! Oh, I will be so happy on January 1st to not have to make a ring.

TOYS!!!

2010-10-30T16:36:00.004-05:00

Went a little crazy buying toys today at Poptopia. I love this new Kidrobot series called Heroes and Heartbreakers by Ryan Bubnis. I've definitely got to try and get the whole group!

Screamin Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You

2010-10-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

Bryan and I are celebrating year ten this evening. Wanted to share our wedding song with you. Enjoy!!!

Clowning Around

2010-10-20T21:55:00.002-05:00

These noses are kinda hard to breathe in!

Some new earrings in the Etsy shop this evening. These were cut from a vintage tin noisemaker then set in sterling.

Chicken earrings!

2010-10-19T00:14:00.003-05:00

Well, not literally, but that's what my aunt Julia calls clip-on earrings! This was the first time I'd ever made a pair, and of course I messed up the first ones. Thank goodness I ordered an extra set of earring backs. The second set came out even nicer so it was all worth it.

double hearts

2010-10-13T22:58:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share this custom heart necklace that I was commissioned to make for a 1st wedding anniversary present. The couples initials are stamped on the back, very sweet!

Crows and Spiders

2010-10-07T21:57:00.002-05:00

Wanted to share these beautiful paintings by Nicoletta Ceccoli.

ring #278

2010-10-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

Citybird in new color

2010-09-22T19:56:00.002-05:00

I've never made the Citybird in orange before but I really like it! He's so tropical looking don't you think? Well, it's almost time for the Plaza art fair,are you coming out this weekend? Looks like the weather is going to be perfect. Back into the studio I go,still working on some new earring designs.

ring A Day #262

2010-09-20T22:16:00.002-05:00

My EtsyMetal team member Victoria sent me a huge bag of little brown paper wrapped goodies. When I want or need some inspiration for the ring a day project I can open one package and use that item within a 24 hour period. Pretty cool,huh?! Tonight's item was a tin tart, now its a cute little ring that can house the citybird ring!

Ring A Day

2010-09-20T00:09:00.003-05:00

I was recently interviewed for the Ring A day blog. The RAD 2010 project is going to be an exhibit next spring and also a book by Lark publishing will be out next year as well! Click here to read my interview and to check out other news about Ring A Day.

sugar skull

2010-09-15T23:22:00.005-05:00

Another large piece in the making. Inspired by Native American Squashblossom necklaces. Here I have all the metalwork done and the sugar skull pieced together.

street sign and noisemaker pieces setting in their places.

Finished! Iam really enjoying making chain now,wish I had more time before the Plaza art fair to get more made up. After this piece though Iam thinking I want to make a concha belt with the look of the links that have the street signs in them. The price of silver will definitely have to come down though before I start that project!

rock on

2010-09-05T17:40:00.003-05:00

Now we come to the mad rush to finish up jewelry for the Plaza art fair. This is one of the new ones, mostly sterling with a few strands of vintage chain. Skull and bone are cut from street signs with license plates for the eyes. I also tried my hand at some chainmaking on this piece. There will be lots more of that in future pieces!

new york

2010-08-28T21:05:00.004-05:00

On our first night in town we had dinner at Panna 2 with friends to celebrate Meghans birthday. It was so funny today when we were shopping in the east village we turned a corner and bumped into the whole gang again!

Friday we did a little supply shopping and found some great vintage goodies.

beautiful store windows!

2010-08-27T22:38:00.004-05:00

Finally getting the rest of these Baltimore images posted. This was the view from our hotel room,very cool.

On the second night of BMAC they held a party for us at the American Visionary museum,this place is amazing!

Got my fortune told inside the museum's gift shop.

It was so quiet at the show most of the time that several of the ladies jumped in the aisle for random dance parties. What was especially funny to Bryan and I was that the music they were playing for these dances was from a Hallmark sound card!!!

Show is over and the booth set up is packed up and we are ready to enjoy an evening out with our booth neighbors Nina and Brian from Hightail studios.

and the celebration began!

Buyers Market of American Craft

2010-08-23T19:55:00.005-05:00

Hello, Im blogging from Baltimore,MD. this evening. Bryan and I are here doing the Buyers Market show through Wednesday. Think our booth turned out really nice,at least we've had lots of compliments on it and we've noticed lots of other vendors popping down our aisle to have a look. It's nice to see friends here at the show and to make new ones too! Day one was really quiet, that can be very frustrating but part of the deal sometimes. we are hopeful that most folks were just walking the show today and will be back tomorrow to place orders.

We were a bit annoyed to find out last night that our hotel doesn't have free wi-fi, who doesn't offer that anymore! so, im enjoying a latte and brownie at Panera right now.

more tomorrow from Baltimore

Project Runway 8.2

2010-08-16T19:16:00.004-05:00

Sterling silver, cafe du monde coffee can and copper. click here to see the other pieces that were made for this challenge.

Baltimore here we come!

2010-08-13T17:05:00.003-05:00

We got new postcards and line sheets printed up and our crate just got picked up and is on its way to Baltimore for the BMAC show.

it's so exciting to see a big truck pull up and load your crate( a few neighbors even came out to see). Last year when we did this for the first time we felt really nervous/sad to see that crate being loaded up but this year its just plain exciting!

Roger Goes to the Circus

2010-08-10T22:29:00.002-05:00

The Etsy Metal group plays along with the tv show Project Runway each season. This is my project from the first episodes challenge. On the show each person used an item from another players suitcase and created a garment, so we all traded scraps from our studio with one another to create a new piece.

This was a super fun challenge. Please have a look here to see my other team members projects and also a picture of the scraps that I was given to create from!

citybirds

2010-08-10T04:30:00.002-05:00

Bryan and I went to Poppy in Columbia,Missouri over the weekend. What a nice surprise to see that our Citybird necklaces were used as inspiration for some paper birds that they made for their current window displays. How cool is that?!

Inspiration

2010-08-04T22:20:00.001-05:00

Look at all the lovely metal goodness I picked up this week! I just love it, so inspiring.

Day of the Dead

2010-07-26T00:12:00.003-05:00

Just discovered these beautiful paintings by Sylvia Ji and had to share. They are so inspiring that I've decided that this is what I'm going as for Halloween this year, can't wait (but then I can hardly ever wait for Halloween to come around!!)

To see more of Sylvia's paintings you can go to her website: SylviaJi.com

#199

2010-07-18T22:43:00.002-05:00

The handles from the noisemakers that I've been using lately are so neat themselves, I just had to do something with one of them.

ring#199 noisemaker handle set in sterling silver

Birthday!

2010-07-16T17:00:00.002-05:00

Look at the cool birthday cards my nieces made for me today,pretty awesome!!

Day 193

2010-07-12T23:56:00.002-05:00

An old tin noisemaker and sterling silver.

pretty gun

2010-07-10T15:48:00.003-05:00

My latest jewelry acquisition is a beautiful enameled gun necklace by my friend Emily. She will be at the Ric Rac Roundup in a couple of weeks on July 24th. The craft fair is located in the parking lot at 300 Westport rd. Kansas City,Missouri 64111. Hours are from 9-4pm.

Al Farrow

2010-07-08T20:02:00.002-05:00

The MOST amazing use of a gun! Completely in love with the sculpture,particularly the reliquaries,of Al Farrow. Please visit his website, it is jaw dropping!!

Happy Fourth!

2010-07-04T16:58:00.003-05:00

This Citybird that I made last week really is very patriotic looking even though I didn't have that in mind while making him. I love him paired up with this red Street Heart necklace.

I bought some old tin noisemakers at the antique mall a few weeks ago and used those for the wings in this Citybird grouping. I just had to make a little charm with the "made in USA" portion of the metal.

I'm pretty good with not getting so attached to pieces that I don't want to sell them but this one is making it hard for me to let go(although I will). This is one necklace with four strands of chain,citybird and street heart. I LOVE it!

And a black and white Citybird(a rarer breed!).

These birdies will all be flying over to Columbia,Missouri mid week to hang out at Poppy, they just love going there. If you are interested in any of them the ladies at Poppy would be glad to help you!

1st friday's in Kansas City

2010-06-29T19:23:00.002-05:00

It's time for 1st friday's in the Crossroads. Come on out to Elements of Green and see brand new work from Amuck. We will also have a few classic pieces but with a new spin. I think this group of CityBird necklaces is my favorite, the birds look like they've been to a carnival AND a Kiss concert!

Elements of Green(in the Crossroads)
1919 Wyandotte
KC,Mo.
6-9pm

He fell into a ring of fire!

2010-06-24T23:20:00.003-05:00

Yesterday and todays rings for the Ring A Day challenge.

"The Devil"(ring #174) is made from clay and steel wire then painted. Mike from Mike and Mary jewelry left a comment suggesting add a little fire, so tonight I did. Ring #175 "Ring of Flames" is made from steel wire and tissue paper.

Ideas and work in progress

2010-06-21T22:12:00.002-05:00

I was commissioned recently to do an eyeball ring. I've been contemplating and sketching how I would make this. Tonight I started messing around with the metal. I'm really liking what I(eye) see so far.

It's so fun when one idea combined with other pieces sitting on my bench spark a new design. How cool would a skull with big bulging eyeballs be?

Other stuff that I'm working on this week.

Rock On

2010-06-17T22:53:00.004-05:00

The Rock Star bracelet is finished! We will have this piece along with others in this style at our upcoming show on July 2nd(first fridays in the Crossroads) at Elements of Green. If you haven't been to Elements before it's a fantastic store of sustainable/eco-friendly building and remodeling supplies. So of course Bryan and I just LOVE it! Hope to see you out there.

* find the address to Elements on the right top side of the blog

Craft Challenge results are in!

2010-06-16T23:05:00.002-05:00

The Ink craft challenge that we participated in is on stands now. Here is our friend Emily on the cover.

Our photo shoot/story on page 29.

I wanted to give you some shots of the pieces up close. I really like this little "prize" brooch. It was constructed from a necktie,copper and the lid from a plastic container that held pantyhose.

The necklace was made from a toothbrush,copper and some vintage chains.

The ring is also from the same toothbrush. Some of you may recognize this from my Ring a Day project.

The safety glasses and first aid kit were made from a video cassette and its box.

Always where those safety glasses in the studio!!

click here to see the whole story and all the cool pieces that were made by everyone.

Works in progress

2010-06-13T23:28:00.002-05:00

I'm working on a bunch of new earrings for our upcoming show at Elements of Green on July2nd, I made this pair today. Bezel set speed limit sign in sterling silver with vintage chain and bead dangles. This pair will actually be posted in my Etsy shop tomorrow evening.

These next few photos are a bracelet that I've been working on for a few days now.

Finally finished the clasp today,hoping to finish the rest tomorrow night after work.

Oh MY!!!

2010-06-09T21:12:00.002-05:00

I am just in AWE of Carrrie Boucher's jewelry!! I was so excited to come across her work last week. To see more take a look into her shop at Pink Crow Studio.

Birthday!

2010-05-31T16:49:00.004-05:00

Today is Sugar's birthday!! She is one year old and ten pounds. Finally weighed she and Mikey again the other day, he is up to 19 pounds now(although he feels like more!) They've both been having a grand day today playing with each other and Sugar's new toys.

She's looking at me now like "why have we stopped playing?"

"Let's get those toys back down here!"

We're In!!

2010-05-25T18:02:00.003-05:00

We just found out this afternoon that we've been accepted into the Plaza Art Fair, here in Kansas City. We are so excited about this, it was such a fun show to do last year. The dates will be September 24,25,26.

We've been challenged!

2010-05-24T22:03:00.002-05:00

Our local INK magazine has invited us to take their first ever craft challenge! These are the items that we've been given to work with along with 3 other designers. What will we all come up with? It will sure be fun to see. The challenge will appear in the June 16th issue of INK.

rings137-143

2010-05-23T18:34:00.001-05:00

A re-cap of the past weeks rings.

Inspiring art

2010-05-17T22:26:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share some wonderful paintings by Japanese artist Masaru Shichinohe.