tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90063134171278973052024-02-19T02:50:28.299-08:00Salamander House StudioMelody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-47406298261102746182013-02-23T09:05:00.004-08:002013-02-23T09:05:58.808-08:00Choose Your Own Adventure Freeform Peyote Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've finished my freeform peyote necklace for the challenge. I think I have, I mean. That's one of the beautiful things about freeform, one can always add to it later. Here's a closeup of an area I like especially well: </div>
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And a shot of the whole necklace:<br />
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It was fun to have a deadline to work to. I want to thank Karen Williams of <a href="http://baublicious.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Baubilicious</a> for sponsoring the challenge. </div>
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There are as many ways to do freeform peyote stitch as there are beaders. You can see the gorgeous things challenge participants came up with by starting here: <a href="http://baublicious.blogspot.com/2013/02/freeform-peyote-choose-your-own.html">http://baublicious.blogspot.com/2013/02/freeform-peyote-choose-your-own.html</a></div>
Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-91874808792434038202013-02-05T12:15:00.001-08:002013-02-05T12:15:26.563-08:00Freeform ProgressFreeform progress sort of describes how my life meanders and changes over time. I'm nowhere near who or where I thought I'd be when I started out, but I'm happy about where I've landed.<br />
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It also is descriptive of what's happening on a necklace I started last week. I love freeform peyote stitch, so when I read about Baublicious and Bead Circle Network's blog hop coming at the end of February, I had to sign up.<br />
(read about it here <a href="http://baublicious.blogspot.com/2013/01/im-in-podcast-and-im-cohosting-design.html">http://baublicious.blogspot.com/2013/01/im-in-podcast-and-im-cohosting-design.html</a> )<br />
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Here's what I've got so far. I'm incorporating a bunch of my own lampwork beads. I love the sea/summer feel that it's shaping up to have. </div>
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<br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-62419804421699697592013-01-15T12:34:00.001-08:002013-01-15T12:34:47.128-08:00SALE!<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 11.333333015441895px;">5 day Spring Cleaning sale in my etsy shop & it's a BIG one! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 11.333333015441895px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 11.333333015441895px;">40% off everything with coupon code CROCUS. Valid through 1/20/13.</span><br />
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<br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-39947599374670226932013-01-14T17:06:00.001-08:002013-01-14T17:06:44.073-08:00Here, Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Custom work for a young friend who fell in love with Baba Ram Dass last year. On the wrist, it looks less like words and more like an interesting, semi-random pattern. The purple is semi-transparent, so held up to the light it glows.</div>
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I'm fairly pleased with the way it came out, but mostly I'm just glad he digs it. And glad he digs the book, which also came to him from my hand.</div>
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<br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-12159185075916938702012-12-10T12:40:00.002-08:002012-12-10T12:40:36.948-08:00Weddings and Weak Excuses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's my latest finished work- custom garters for a bride (one to wear & keep, one to toss). The fun part of this is that the customer is the sister of one of my very first boyfriends, someone I hadn't heard from in more than 30 years. For all that Facebook is annoying, it also has the power to connect people in odd and interesting ways.<br /><br />Aside from the wedding gear, I've had an extended fallow period. I've been caught up in other jobs, other economic demands and it seems the longer I am away from the work, the harder it is to resume. I have a million ideas, maybe 20 of them fleshed out enough in my head that I could sit down and begin to translate them into being. But I haven't.<br /><br />I did organize and tidy my working space, looking forward to the rainy nights of winter in Oregon where one must perforce do something with one's hands. <br /><br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-86354115336412584412012-06-03T10:19:00.000-07:002012-06-03T10:19:04.526-07:00Forget-Me-Nots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's getting to be Betsy-Tacy Convention time again, and I'm making jewelry for my booth there. Here's a sneak peek at a new bracelet, Forget-Me-Nots. Fans will remember that Joe had to go to extraordinary lengths to procure out of season Forget-Me-Nots for Betsy's wedding bouquet. Being Joe, of course, he had no trouble with this task.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-87622183051653238922012-03-22T17:03:00.001-07:002012-03-22T17:03:41.657-07:002 Days, 4 UFOs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a productive couple of days. I have LOTS of unfinished stuff lying around, and I've decided that finishing it up will go a long way toward getting the studio organized again. You'd laugh if I posted a picture of my "work area" right now, because what it most resembles is the aftermath of a bead store explosion.
So, from the top: a right-angle-weave necklace made with faux goldstone rounds, a chunky funky triangle bead bracelet with a fun vintage button, a peyote choker with a gold satin ribbon tie for glam, and a wide, elegant picot edged bracelet. Whew.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-5322802029151294032012-02-17T11:28:00.000-08:002012-02-17T11:28:20.444-08:00Finished Freeform Plus Downton Abbey Inspiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's the finished bracelet, courtesy of my dog's fabulous color sense. They CAN see shades of blue, so it's possible he did this on purpose. Then again, this is an animal who can't remember what "sit" means and runs through his entire repertoire of tricks till he gets a "Good dog!"
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Like a lot of people, I've been sucked into the over-the-top drama of Downton Abbey. I've been spending a lot of time scrutinizing the lavish Edwardian jewelry and it makes my beady little head spin. Here's a teaser of a piece I have been playing around with. When it's finished, I'll just go back in time, dress up in one of those cool aprons, and clasp it around Lady Mary's swan-like neck.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-16290801153705507712012-01-28T10:38:00.001-08:002012-01-28T10:38:36.614-08:00The Vagaries of FreeformAfter the dog crashed into my beading tray, causing carefully arranged piles of beads to go cascading up in the air and eventually all swept up into a common dustpan, it occurred to me that I've not done any freeform peyote in a long time. As much as I like to sort beads into lovely little piles of like colors & shapes, it's also a delight to let the needle choose as it goes, building something truly unique and magical. I think what I've begun here will be a bracelet when it's finished, but it might just decide to be a necklace. Either way, I'm enjoying this happenstance journey caused by the dog.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-38752606306568870322012-01-08T20:07:00.000-08:002012-01-08T20:07:49.124-08:00Curly Earrings!Aren't these cheerful and fun? They worked up fairly fast, and they are very light. There's a bit of subtle sparkle from the Swarovski crystals at top and bottom. I might have to make a bunch of these!<br />
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<br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-68641502458898181632012-01-07T14:33:00.000-08:002012-01-07T14:33:51.726-08:00I finally have some new work to show! After a long dry spell, I'm working a lot suddenly. This necklace is a re-worked piece that originally had the lampwork beads on a flat sterling chain. It was very pretty, but tended to pull the owner's hair, which is never good. So I played around with Cellini spirals till I got one I liked. And here it is!<br />
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<br />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-57601036332048318642011-09-25T19:04:00.000-07:002011-09-25T19:04:31.593-07:00I made a bunch of earrings the other day. I'm getting better at making wrapped loops that are actually round, and suddenly I want a huge spool of wire to play with. I also started making... I am not sure what, exactly. Components, I guess. Little runs of beads and wires that are not long enough to be a necklace, not long enough to be a bracelet, but that maybe will someday find friends and join up to make something. And I have some new ideas sort of simmering.<br />
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It's been a long fallow period, I'm hoping that coming into the rainy season will bring some of these new ideas to birth. I'm ready.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-28020393965750484592011-08-30T13:08:00.001-07:002011-08-30T13:08:54.202-07:00Updateless UpdateIs this thing on? I haven't beaded anything in what seems like forever. I've been working at other jobs for money as the recession seems to have taken the bottom clean out of the artisan jewelry market. After a 10 hour day on a ladder, I'm just not inspired to do much more than look at other beaders' blogs when I get home.<br />
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But there should be a lull in the painting & hammering work come fall, and I hope to bring some of the ideas I've been having to life.<br />
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So, yeah- still here, more or less. Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-23686463341138333982011-04-18T19:00:00.000-07:002011-04-18T19:00:33.414-07:00Eleanor Roosevelt and meMrs. Roosevelt said that you should do something every day that scares you. So I said yes when a friend of mine asked me if I'd like to teach a class on making beaded stitch markers. I've got til September to finalize the instructions and make samples. I'm certainly nervous about it, as it will be my very first class, but I'm also really excited about doing it.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-13614641618344220152011-02-01T21:54:00.000-08:002011-02-02T10:48:49.682-08:00Prototype GertrudeAround Christmas, my friend Colleen came over bearing Kenneth Branagh's magnificent Hamlet, which we watched. I was enthralled, but not so enthralled I didn't get distracted by a quick glimpse of Queen Gertrude's beautiful choker, which she was wearing in exactly one scene. I started thinking about shapes and colors, and beautiful queenly necks. Then I had to figure out how to make an open diamond, which counter-intuitively enough, ends up working only if started as a square. That took a week to figure out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAVqGBRrnyD_xjelIc8SN632_9L-DS3s5B4qXmdK8AUdK2RLpJ-200CmEmWXCc7pgTxle05uzx2SByry1NsnTyiYlCeh10sgmrjlI1iQbsfny4Zx8u95E-5X5RTBrCGBMphgNOYmCoks/s1600/IMG_6344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAVqGBRrnyD_xjelIc8SN632_9L-DS3s5B4qXmdK8AUdK2RLpJ-200CmEmWXCc7pgTxle05uzx2SByry1NsnTyiYlCeh10sgmrjlI1iQbsfny4Zx8u95E-5X5RTBrCGBMphgNOYmCoks/s320/IMG_6344.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>But then I had the basic shapes, stitched them together and promptly stalled out trying to figure out how to extend the piece around the neck. I decided on smaller diamonds, and then the necklace said to me, quite loudly and a little rudely, that it needed to be reversible. Reversible? Are you sure? It was sure. So then I stitched up doubles of the diamonds, and tried to attach them to the backside of the diamonds already in place.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ73d67i6A6lCk5ruX053YHOZfMwL7qoYtyb5OLeh___DgMdZgn1BTny98PehECJw-rKgaanwFTBI9OubjxMMmAqw8qicHmWdQIZtjHVLHrYA65qPMccDzBJuVTVK9eaN0y7ZWnEqlblg/s1600/IMG_6345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ73d67i6A6lCk5ruX053YHOZfMwL7qoYtyb5OLeh___DgMdZgn1BTny98PehECJw-rKgaanwFTBI9OubjxMMmAqw8qicHmWdQIZtjHVLHrYA65qPMccDzBJuVTVK9eaN0y7ZWnEqlblg/s320/IMG_6345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The lesson there was that the time to make a necklace reversible is when it's still in a little pile of components on one's tray, not after said components are all stitched together. But it worked okay. Then there was the matter of a clasp. Which I decided would only work with the elegance of the rest of the piece if it was completely symmetrical and detachable (which also gives plenty of room for size customization, a little collection of 3 or 4 different length clasps is going to give you 3 or 4 different necklaces).<br />
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Then it was a matter of draping the wing parts, and dropping the dangles. That's when I realized that my diamonds were too big- or too big for my neck, at least, because the wings don't hang quite the way I envisioned- they sort of pool around the clavicles, which is a nice enough look, but not what I wanted. I think my next take will have the large central diamond, then decreasing diamonds all the way around. We'll see where this takes me. But here's the prototype.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-2435939437618971472010-12-10T10:44:00.000-08:002010-12-10T10:44:43.861-08:00Mermaid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46hgHWILHaNMTGqbtP06BdnTIodsrWT7fcvwkQUhhard5UCzjEN7CgTDPctqYmNcPM8-y_nJGaHjd86LfSjpp3SOe24qxTcsaQz7yoivv1TkZRVRs3r-c5KmWR3MqmFN_GWnShWwprBk/s1600/IMG_5855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46hgHWILHaNMTGqbtP06BdnTIodsrWT7fcvwkQUhhard5UCzjEN7CgTDPctqYmNcPM8-y_nJGaHjd86LfSjpp3SOe24qxTcsaQz7yoivv1TkZRVRs3r-c5KmWR3MqmFN_GWnShWwprBk/s320/IMG_5855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And it's finished! This is one of the more complicated necklaces I've ever made- it's a peyote stitch that adds two beads every other round- that's what gives it the interesting spiraling structure. It's finished off with clear glass drops. The toggle button bead thing is a right angle weave cluster of drops. Here's a closer look:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IVWy0Gs45Cd94-JQnpGqCKvV1wDlrFGpGT1-Yj5kVK0z9xafDANZ50nrkScO9a0gSxRth9UvLFgrgL7EjjiJ51U3sRUU9EL7vF1nMtCr6fpaZY88rK8DbQ1aDYfDtMpvwrXwagokTk8/s1600/IMG_5857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IVWy0Gs45Cd94-JQnpGqCKvV1wDlrFGpGT1-Yj5kVK0z9xafDANZ50nrkScO9a0gSxRth9UvLFgrgL7EjjiJ51U3sRUU9EL7vF1nMtCr6fpaZY88rK8DbQ1aDYfDtMpvwrXwagokTk8/s320/IMG_5857.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-18537599446330050262010-11-24T09:55:00.000-08:002010-11-24T09:55:38.495-08:00Really? Who runs out of those?So I'm in the home stretch on the spiral peyote guy and I ran out of clear drops. Arggh! I can't wait for a shipment because the US has Thanksgiving this week with no mail and I really, really want to finish this. So I'm venturing out into the very cold craziness that is retail the day before Thanksgiving to find some beads. The good news is everyone else is going to be at the grocery store, right?<br />
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In other, totally unrelated and completely personal news, I shaved my head again. I wore my hair in a buzz cut for 10 years, then decided to see what it looked like and grew it out over the last 5. I am so glad to have my "real" hairdo back!<br />
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Here's a picture of another new pendant- my lampwork with sterling chains and Swarovski crystals. I'm really happy with it!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUDGu5inT3XuWaiYiSlDx99YjSo-f-kPqWWtK8GATqCFEsh2kLNeR43O-xHRum-jyjWrcau4PTXYL2MKdXMR0MXYpAZcphjoCBWs1J3FVa562nd9QmqZX5NtjXbBCdR2aXR8QPpS3XrY/s1600/IMG_5008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUDGu5inT3XuWaiYiSlDx99YjSo-f-kPqWWtK8GATqCFEsh2kLNeR43O-xHRum-jyjWrcau4PTXYL2MKdXMR0MXYpAZcphjoCBWs1J3FVa562nd9QmqZX5NtjXbBCdR2aXR8QPpS3XrY/s320/IMG_5008.JPG" width="181" /></a></div>Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-45807491671659695062010-11-21T22:49:00.000-08:002010-11-21T22:49:51.337-08:00SurfacingI've had a parade of house guests for over a month, with a just a few days in between them. I've been working on one piece the whole time, and I'm somewhere near done with it. It's going to be worth the wait, I think. It's a twisty spiral peyote necklace in soft raku green beads finished with clear drops that may be dew or may be ice. Stay tuned.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-76993399005327975482010-10-27T10:33:00.000-07:002010-10-27T10:33:21.885-07:00You Gotta Play HurtI've been having a run of injuries lately, mostly to my hands. This has resulted in me getting a lot less beadwork done than I'd like. I'm trying to be much, much more careful from here on out. As I heal, I'm trying to catch up on photography and blogging.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsopYJgA72c8BRl7Bn0DzwdmJQWVKC9XvN7QfwbvMPTotXYAINl9kGy05Cr_FhiVP10S1INt9uujJmSN9Yhhnp5xeuVGkr4kYxSSG4gGIa7mbEWKHXAazsRshEiLzsm2u0a6E7HMr6DnE/s1600/IMG_5043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsopYJgA72c8BRl7Bn0DzwdmJQWVKC9XvN7QfwbvMPTotXYAINl9kGy05Cr_FhiVP10S1INt9uujJmSN9Yhhnp5xeuVGkr4kYxSSG4gGIa7mbEWKHXAazsRshEiLzsm2u0a6E7HMr6DnE/s320/IMG_5043.JPG" width="165" /></a></div> <br />
Here's a new pendant made with one of my lampworked beads, some gold-filled chain, and some Swarovski crystals.<br />
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Now I'm off to try to find a flat surface in my studio. I'm sure there's one in there somewhere...Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-78147870180919928652010-10-24T14:17:00.000-07:002010-10-24T14:17:56.610-07:00The View From The StudioI have been trying to teach myself to work with wire. I love the look of wrapped loops, and I'm currently head-over-heels in love with the new Sunshine color by Swarovski. So I made a pair of earrings. I took a photo of them right away, and after downloading the photo, realized that it says a lot about my process. I seem most comfortable creating in the midst of chaos!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwMS68gCe-sHKdM0pqjiMrztcKxquMMHu2WPb1jMHPFjoKTdNlj6pzlUTeQEI8K9CAz_Lzfb07Pa2J-7NTiDWjSxhQuc4uNrSyeemQopr8W2t1YLEAnwIppM-mXlqo4a2XUcbdaL2DsY/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwMS68gCe-sHKdM0pqjiMrztcKxquMMHu2WPb1jMHPFjoKTdNlj6pzlUTeQEI8K9CAz_Lzfb07Pa2J-7NTiDWjSxhQuc4uNrSyeemQopr8W2t1YLEAnwIppM-mXlqo4a2XUcbdaL2DsY/s320/IMG_4990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Anyway, here are the new earrings, amid the clutter.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-40807570796655168112010-10-15T19:30:00.000-07:002010-10-15T19:30:51.981-07:00I Won A Gold Medal!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFKZuBpAT6Hmf-5l6YcKt1dpaFJfYA5wrMnx4Qs9Gr9NG_C-Dc5R_8xGM0cwLMmEVcLjSFzFIICv8ntzMiXkt0rsUBf-LV8mkz9DRLBFvLI-gOjik2ruZMc7J_GJfVAomppFGw42uWaM/s1600/4312375888_5a1b008230_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFKZuBpAT6Hmf-5l6YcKt1dpaFJfYA5wrMnx4Qs9Gr9NG_C-Dc5R_8xGM0cwLMmEVcLjSFzFIICv8ntzMiXkt0rsUBf-LV8mkz9DRLBFvLI-gOjik2ruZMc7J_GJfVAomppFGw42uWaM/s320/4312375888_5a1b008230_o.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>I'm so excited! Fire Mountain Gems has awarded The Tzarina's Collar a gold medal in the Wedding and Holiday category of their Gemstone Contest. The necklace came home yesterday with a beautiful plaque and a lovely gift certificate. I'm overwhelmed and beside myself!<br />
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Here's a link to the page with the info: <a href="http://www.firemountaingems.com/galleryofdesigns/jewelry_design_gallery.asp?docid=A65Y">Fire Mountain Gems Gallery of Designs</a><br />
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</a>Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-71295517471050885352010-10-12T10:29:00.001-07:002010-10-12T10:29:46.111-07:00But What Do You DO All Day?What do artists <i>do</i> with all that creative free time? I often wonder about other artists, so I thought I would try to wake up this semi-moribund blog and share a little about my latest project.<br /><br />It started, as so many things in my life have, at a church rummage sale. There was a lovely, odd-shaped bottle sitting on a card table. It was full of ... something that was once perhaps fruit, and it probably decorated a church lady's kitchen, where it looked like jewels in the autumn sunshine. As the years went by, though, it lost its sheen. The fruit broke down into something lumpy and brown, the wax seal on the bottle grew sticky and then dusty. She couldn't bear to just toss it in the trash, though. Not after it had given her so much pleasure. She tucked it into the box earmarked for the church sale.<br /><br />I scooped it up with a clear vision in mind. I would clean it out, bead to my vision's specifications, someone would instantly fall in love with it and buy it. My visions are fairly diverse but they all have the same ending.<br /><br />And it sat on <i>my</i> kitchen counter for a couple of weeks before I started to scrub it up. When I opened it, the vinegary smell made my eyes water. I upended it over the sink and all the vinegar ran right out. The fruit was too swollen and wouldn't fit through the neck. I filled the bottle with hot water and shook. One tiny lump of fruit came out.<br /><br />I dug a pair of long hemostats out of the studio and went out into the garden where there was a fresh breeze. For the next two hours, I painstakingly drew tiny gobbets of ex-fruit down the narrow neck of the bottle and threw them into the garden, much to the amusement of my dog and the disgust of the blue jays.<br /><br />To be continued...Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-46561281951236424232010-06-29T12:39:00.001-07:002010-06-29T12:39:59.915-07:00YaYo Beads<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyridae/4746895924/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4746895924_07220492a8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyridae/4746895924/">Yayo Beads</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/satyridae/">satyridae</a></span></div>Last fall, one of my oldest friends died after a shockingly short illness. I went back to her house to help her kids sort through the accumulation of a lifetime and brought her ashes home with me for scattering later, when all the kids would be available. Laurel's ashes went on my cookbook shelf, cozied up to The Joy Of Cooking, which book she bought for me a thousand years ago.<br /><br />I got used to having her there on the shelf, and though I'm not a believer in any sort of afterlife, I did address the odd remark to the urn. Then I started to think about beads. Glass beads in particular, and I wondered if there was some way to incorporate ashes into a bead for some sort of permanent memorial. The internet confirmed that not only could it be done, it had been done. I got in touch with all the kids to make sure they would be okay with that. They agreed, and I decided to give it a try.<br /><br />I was shockingly unprepared for the visceral reaction I had to opening the urn and realizing that the pile of grit and ash and metal (metal?) was all that was left of my friend. I sifted a tiny bit of powdery ash into a baby food jar and walked blindly into the studio where I sifted the ash through several very fine mesh filters until I had something more like face powder than ash.<br /><br />I lined the powder up on a graphite pad and was inevitably reminded of cocaine. At this point I started talking aloud to Laurel, crying and laughing at the same time. I lit the torch and laid down a base bead of black glass. Once it was a good shape, I got the surface of it cherry-red and lightly rolled it through the line of ash. Then I encased the ash with a thick layer of clear. As I said before, I'm not a believer in any conventional sort of spirituality, but this was perhaps the most profound experience of my life to date. I felt my friend standing at my shoulder, and as I made bead after bead, I was able to say some of the things I didn't get to say after she got sick and died so fast. When I had a kiln full of YaYo beads (what the littlest one called her- he couldn't say Laurel- and of course it caught on) and no more tears left, I gathered up the tiny bit of ash that was left and put it in the garden.<br /><br />The next morning I took the beads out of the kiln. They were spectacular- each one a tiny universe of stardust spangled across a black or blue background. The ashes look like galaxies, like the promise of infinity, like maybe somehow it all makes sense. There were enough that all of the kids and all of their kids could have one. There was one that quite clearly belonged to me. And they resonate.<br clear="all" />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-77545146597775163972010-05-22T09:36:00.001-07:002010-05-22T09:36:17.246-07:00John Kasch<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyridae/4629049673/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4629049673_36714a1300_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/satyridae/4629049673/">John Kasch</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/satyridae/">satyridae</a></span></div>Since this portrait has arrived safely at my sister-in-law's house in time for her birthday, I can show it to the world. <br /><br />This is the project that's been taking all my time lately! I was working from my late father-in-law's Navy portrait. This is a companion piece to the portrait in beads I did of my late mother-in-law, last year. <br /><br />My sister-in-law was surprised. I think she likes it. :-)<br clear="all" />Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9006313417127897305.post-81719671431630655742010-05-20T22:51:00.000-07:002010-05-21T11:42:40.821-07:00John Botts Quote!"The interest in color is always present. A simple comment might be that where color seems least present, or most lacking in intensity, one finds <em>more</em> color."<br /><br />A quote from John Botts, the artist who I swear kept me alive when I was a teenager, and who I am only now beginning to appreciate.Melody Marie Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14751943914009310127noreply@blogger.com2