Welcome to Inside the Studio!
Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you’ll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.
Congratulations Nan Smith!
You have won a pair of lampwork beads made by Ema of Ema K Designs.
Please email Ema with your contact information.
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But where did all the time go…? It seems no time at all since I last did an ITS post. Are you feeling the autumn yet? I’ve been in autumn mode for some time. Several weeks ago you could really feel it in the air over here, but then the tail-end of the summer rallied a bit in my part of the UK, so it’s felt a little as if autumn got postponed. Nonetheless, I have been busy with autumnal designs, both beads and jewellery. I’ve been working on these autumnal bead sets for a little while. Today I finally got all the elements of them together and strung them up.
There are only the five but I’m quite pleased with them. Those bell shaped things are actually kinda stylised seed pod things.
These are my first stoneware pieces. That marvellous being that they call Petra Carpreau gifted me some of these beautiful stoneware glazes. It took me a second attempt to get them to work. They don’t show up very clearly in the group shot above. You can see them better here.
Gooey, bubbly, jammy goodness. I’m thinking I might do a mini autumn-y shop update in the next few days, just so these pieces can go out whilst people are making their autumn designs. Saying that, they don’t have to go in autumnal designs… I have few more similar bits and bobs ready, which would to go with them nicely.
The tenmoku glaze on those earring pieces is so fabulous – really glittery (good glittery!)! I also love the soft celadon green on the discs at the top. It’s a glaze that my pottery instructor has and it’s not a colour I’d generally be drawn to but now I’ve ended up ordering a similar one for myself.
I have a heap more beads in the works. (Apologies for the blurry bits!)
Once they’re finished they’ll be joining these in one big update in early-ish October.
I was aiming for a bit of a faux-ostrich-egg-shell-bead effect with the crazed ones. I guess I might call the others humbugs… primitive humbugs, mebbe…
In other bead making news, look:
I know, it’s a shed. But it’s a shed that will be housing my kiln! Work to get it kiln-ready starts next week. I’m just a little bit excited, although I won’t believe it’s happening until I see the thing sat in there.
I usually have a selection of new art beads to share with you, but beady post-days have been a bit few and far between lately, with one thing and another.
Very modest compared to the glut in my last post. These are from Grubbi. I decided to have a bit of time away from the clay and made up a couple of bits using some of them. Here’s a simple, subtly coloured bracelet also incorporating a Jubilee cube and a button clasp from Amanda Davie.
And some earrings that kinda match…
And, of course there’s those autumnal designs I mentioned. I keep making these leafy jobs with Jo Lucksted‘s woodland critters because they keep selling – and I rather like them. (Watch this one sit in my shop for forever now…)
Super simple but neat and sweet. I decided to use one of my personal stash of my new beads in this next piece. The clasp was from Joanne Tinley. As you may know, she isn’t making components anymore so I feel a bit of a wrench using the ones I have left.
Finally, here’s a meeting of two of my recent preoccupations: autumn and asymmetrical earrings, with a beautiful C-Koop enamel leaf.
I haven’t listed any of these yet – hopefully I’ll be getting them in the shop in the next day or so. And, just in case you’re interested, I already have a number of autumnal jewellery pieces available on Etsy.
Which brings us to the giveaway. The prize this week is $20 of credit to spend in either my bead shop or my jewellery shop. The question I need answering is: what word(s) would you use to describe the shape of these beads? I’m looking for a name for them, basically. I don’t think I can get away with calling them ‘autumnal whatnots’ for much longer….
Bye for now, Claire
Deb Fortin
September 26, 2014 at 11:58 amwow , lots of autumnal whatnot goodness.
love the fall season- it's a warm hug .
I would call your beads in the last photo flower lentils
or sun-rays .
deb 4 tin at gmail dot com
Colleen
September 26, 2014 at 12:55 pmLots of yummies! And now I have to go look up the new artists you introduced me to.
The beads look like dried flowers to me, really. And pie crust, but that's because my mom used to always do the fork press pattern when she was in a hurry.
Kristina
September 26, 2014 at 1:55 pmPerhaps floral saucers or sun discs? All very cute beads. kmp133 at yahoo dot com
Alice
September 26, 2014 at 2:02 pmWow I love all the beads and finished pieces. Congratulations on your shed!
As for the beads, you could call them flower wheels..lame,I know but that's all I have but I like Deb's suggestion as well.
Katherine Thompson
September 26, 2014 at 2:31 pmI really like Autumnal Whatnots! I really adore the bracelet with the bird. Those LEAVES! They are fantastic, especially in copper. The deer head soo cute. I don't know how big they are but I call them saucer rondelles. They do look a bit like the top of a pie though, mmmm.
Mokki
September 26, 2014 at 2:50 pmI love autumn! Those asymmetrical earrings are great. Your beads look somewhere between blossoms and seed pods to me, so how about seed bloom?
Divya N
September 26, 2014 at 2:55 pmI think that you should call them as "warm muffin beads" or "pumpkin pie beads" reflecting the autumn spirit
Wendy
September 26, 2014 at 3:29 pmI was trying to think of the name of an autumn flower, I suppose they most resemble (sort of) dahlias… how about perennials? Flowers that last more than 2 years!
Mary Harding
September 26, 2014 at 4:52 pmLove all your new Fall beads Claire!! Great colors and great shapes. Esp. love those celadon disks, the brick like beads in your earrings and your sweet daisy heads at the end of the post.
Erin S
September 26, 2014 at 5:10 pmLove those fall beads! Awesome colors and love the organic shapes. How about something like "sunburst saucers" for a name for the beads in question?
Kathy Davis
September 26, 2014 at 8:16 pmHow about "Fall Bursts"?
Kathy Davis
[email protected]
ACBeads
September 26, 2014 at 8:25 pmIt’s a pleasure to see your new Autumnal handmade beads. As for the ones without name, I would call them rayed donuts (or discs).
Ana
fulgorine
September 26, 2014 at 8:37 pmLOL, I like Autumn Whatnots as a name.
Eleanorjane
September 26, 2014 at 8:52 pmLots of lovely bits there. I think the asysmetric leaf earrings are my fav. I also like the simple bracelet – the way you put colours and textures together is magic!
I'd call those final beads "flower heads". One of them looks rather like a zinnia.
Becky Pancake
September 27, 2014 at 3:12 amHi Claire, I like your fall selections and your new fall beads. The stoneware glaze is wonderful. I would call your beads pie crust. They remind me of a fluted pie crust.
Shaiha
September 27, 2014 at 4:02 amYour new beads for autumn are just yummy and I am in love with those mismatched earrings!
A name for those beads. They really remind me of seeds for some reason. Not a lot of help I know.
PK Sews
September 27, 2014 at 5:40 amYour beads are beautiful! I would call them nature's hats.
Kristen
September 27, 2014 at 10:43 amI especially like the brightly colored pumpkinish looking beads but they are all great! The shed looks like a perfect place for a kiln.
Arkadiusz Lenart
September 27, 2014 at 10:48 amWow, so beautiful 🙂
Kathy
September 27, 2014 at 1:49 pmI love the beads! Many of them look so rustic to me but pair amazingly well with sea glass style beads to give them a cleaner more modern look. I especially like the glazes that have different shades of reds and browns. So pretty.
–Kathy of PajegoArtHouse
Katherine Thompson
September 27, 2014 at 2:41 pmThe red is so great of a tone. Red is my favorite color. I think your beads look toasted.
DESPINA VENETI
September 27, 2014 at 4:15 pmI love your new creations!
I'd name these beauties Rustic Autumn Floral and Sun Disk, rsspectively.
[email protected]
Lynn
September 27, 2014 at 5:14 pmLove all your new beads and the beautiful glazes—especially that celadon! Love those bracelets, also. The first thing that popped into my head to name the beads was "sunflower".
Lynn Carling
[email protected]
Trudi C
September 28, 2014 at 2:13 amHow about earth stars? They are like flowers but much more organic.
Katherine Thompson
September 28, 2014 at 12:36 pmFrosted and toasted floral saucers.
Nan Smith
September 28, 2014 at 6:49 pmI love your ceramics with the fabulous glazes. I love the rustic, organic feel in your work. I would call those autumnal whatnots "rustic discs".
Ella and Nesta
September 28, 2014 at 11:52 pmYour work is beautiful. Love the Autumn jewellery! I think I would call them Autumn Sun.
Ann Schroeder
September 29, 2014 at 1:27 amThis great post is chock full of eye candy. Thank you. I think Autumnal Whatnots is a charming name, but they do remind me of lotus pods so maybe autumn flower pods? I have to pop over to your shop now to check out those gorgeous bead sets with the pod dangles. I'm a sucker for pods.
Kathy Lindemer
September 29, 2014 at 12:59 pmYou might consider Fall Favs.
Your creations are a delight.
lindalandig
October 24, 2014 at 5:22 pmI love the ceramic work that you are doing!!! And, as always, your jewelry is smashing!