Halloween's-A-Coming....

Halloween's-a-coming and I'm missing my Polymer Clay today. I made these Venetian Masks a while ago, they each took a week to make, I moulded the faces so that each one is slightly different, and I used various other polymer clay painting techniques to complete the rest. I thought the pics of them mounted on the wall, looked ghoulish and Halloweeny

Jewellery wise, I have finished my Spider Conch Collection of 4 shells and am now onto finishing my Coral Reef Labradorite Collection. I've just done the sketches and am about to make the wire sculpted elements.... so I'll be awol again for a while :)











xx

My Treasured Shop

I noticed today that items from my Etsy shop have been featured in 10 treasuries this month alone!! Thats a lot of treasuries...and a lot of attention

The shop was opened in March, and sat there empty until 22nd June 2011. I was going to list items, then decided to wait until after London Jewellery Week. I have made a few sales, and the shop has been favourited over 300 times, which is so much better than I was expecting. I'd been warned about the very slow start, and the struggle to be noticed, in such a saturated marketplace...but hey, I'm happy .Joining the Wire Goddess Team has been so much fun too, again better than expected.

I have to confess though, that I have put minimal effort into the shop. So far, I have listed only 3 lots of items, there are still a fair few sitting here waiting, and I'm meant to have been making lots of less costly items with the run up to Xmas

Instead, I've been concentrating on the Desire Fair show in November, and making my wire/metal clay hybrid sculptures for that. I do feel a little torn about the whole thing. I think I will continue to put the Fair first, and make more effort with the online shop, from that point on... it will just mean less online sales overall.

Most of the shop items will be coming with me to the Fair though, so some may never return.Anyway, here are some of this months treasuries, featuring mainly a lot of my gemstone circle collection

Click on the images below to see the full treasuries in all their glory...


The Roaring Twenties


It's a Wrap


Magic Raised


Tropical Seas


Lemon



Princess of the Ocean

Samantha Braund

Latest Labradorite Coral Reef Necklace

It's been so long since I've actually posted any new jewellery here. So this post will more than make up for it with 9 pictures of ...wait for it...the same necklace lol. I thought I'd give you fair warning, but I am in the mood for a bit of self indulgence today

The piece in question is the latest in my Coral Reef Necklace series, which are Mermaid Amulet necklaces, inspired by rock pools and coral reefs. The Labradorite gemstones, are so mystical, in the way that they flash different colours, when viewed from every angle, and these flashes are emitted from varying layers within the gemstone. They reminded me of rock pools of water, sitting within the coral landscape.

This gemstone is huge!! and sculpting around it, and setting it drew blood, sweat and tears this week. All this effort is in aid of the jewellery show I'll be exhibiting at in 6 weeks time

Anyway, I finished it, and woke up to a day when Steve Job died, and Sir Mervyn King (Bank of England)declared that this is the worst financial crisis E V E R ...bleakest of bleak days. Hence the need for over indulgence, so without further ado, here are all the pics. Enjoy!!!

Thankyou Harry Potter

I actually cried over this video, it's a beautiful tribute

Etsy Treasury Purple Sunset

I've made a pretty Treasury based on the theme of a late Autumnal sunset, with golden and purples hues.Click the preview pic above for the full view

Making treasuries cheers me up, and I am feeling blue, having has flu for the past week and with so much work to do. I was just about to launch into my Lichen/Coral inspired piece, when illness stopped me in my tracks.

So I am to start again today with sketches to ease me in, then I'll try to actually make this piece, which is driving me mad at the mo.
Wish me luck

Samantha

Symbiosis - Algae, Lichen and Coral

I'm becoming obsessed with my new pet project.

Lichens arise in those amazing natural forms , shapes and colours because of the mutually beneficial relationship between algae and fungi, whereas coral arises from the same symbiotic reliance formed between algae and marine invertebrates

Sometimes Lichen and Coral look so similar to each other, in macro it's hard to tell them apart.

Anyway, I'm in love with this subject (blame the growing collection of coral sitting on my work bench). So. I'll be in lockdown, holed up in the studio because of this burning idea I have in mind, thats erupted from my new obsession.

My husband will be so pleased(not), he often catches me with a glazed look, and makes the mistake of asking whats on my mind, only to be regaled with the wonders of radial symmetry in marine invertebrates or some such nonsense. He's going to love my new found algae/lichen/coral fixation won't he?!

Anyway I've included some images of Corals, and Lichen colonies, and have mixed them up just to confuse you LOL. The sources for all the images (and tons more), can be found HERE at my Flickr Favourites page.







OK...so now I'll grab a bite, and head to the studio :)

Samantha Braund

Happy Dances All Round

Autumn is by far my favourite season of the year. I think I'm still hardwired into school schedules. Autumn to me meant getting out of the house, and new beginnings

The turn of the new season has been wonderful so far, and it's only just got going. I've been selected to participate in one of the UK's finest Contemporary Jewellery Fairs, for this year and next *cue happy dance*

This means more face to face time with people that love art jewellery, and love to meet the artists in question. It won't even feel like work will it?!

Anyway, I've added another collection to my Etsy shop today, which is an achievement in itself, considering how much I loathe listing. The photos here are a sneaky preview of the Pearl Barnacle Cluster necklaces. Be sure to have a browse...the shop is looking prettier with every new listing. It's the variety I expect...













The other major development for me, has taken me by surprise. Every year metal clay artists from around the globe, submit their latest and most innovative creations to be included in the Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry Calendar. It's held in high regard, and to be included is a real accomplishment...well, you guessed it one of my pieces has made it in there!!

The link to it is HERE

This will be the 2012 cover...


This is the official description of the calendar


...and snuck in there on "November", is my Coral Reef necklace *cue another happy dance*