Happy Halloween, blog readers! It's been a busy week for me, blog-wise. Since yesterday was Ornament Thursday , I posted my Gratitude Project , and today, the Gems do a little trick-or-treating! So don that costume (or not) and go knock on their virtual... Read More

If you're a bit of a Halloween fanatic, you'll probably appreciate this polymer clay ring posted on a seller's Etsy site . Knowing how much I enjoy the ghoulish holiday, Addie forwarded me the link. I love getting personal email notices with... Read More

Sorry I missed catching you all up last week. I was out in Salt Lake City for a little site seeing and a board meeting. (See photos of the lake and the mountains, right.) It was a lovely trip, filled with a lot of laughter, a lot of looking forward, and... Read More

I think that October should be "Jewelry-Studio Safety Month." While jewelers are going into overdrive to bulk up their stock for the holidays, they need to keep studio safety in mind. Wearing nonflammable clothing and safety glasses, working... Read More

I had an oh-so-pleasant surprise waiting in my inbox yesterday morning: a news update about the imminent reopening of the Museo de Oro (trans.: The Gold Museum) in Bogota, Columbia. The museum has been in existence for nearly 70 years, and houses what... Read More

The leaves are falling here in the Midwest. We're gearing up for shorter days and longer nights. The change in season also means that the annual SOFA show in the Windy City is only a few weeks away. The Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair... Read More

Are you looking for a new jewelry technique to try out this weekend? We just posted a new project by Sherri Haab on how to use image-transfer solution to add photocopies to metal jewelry. The project is free to registered users, so check it out! Download... Read More

With the stock markets doing the limbo lately, I'm reminded that the economy is truly a global deal. Which in turn got me thinking about how the Internet has made it so easy to be an international armchair traveler (and consumer). One way that I like... Read More

Wow did this week fly by! I barely had time to think (words which might concern my employers, but rest assured, it's hyperbole). But I did make time to catch a few movies while I was hibernating this weekend, and I did a little Web surfing while watching... Read More

If you're interested in re-creating the lily brooch project or the Arts & Crafts metal clay necklace project from the November 2008 issue of Art Jewelry , having the templates might make your life a bit easier. To find the template for the hollow... Read More

One of our recent subscriber-only projects, Layered Silver-Disk Bracelet , says to use a rolling mill to flatten and shape silver disks. Since posting the project, we've received some reader concerns about the high cost of rolling mills, which are... Read More

I was checking out Sarah Kate Burgess's Web site and came across her patterns for making rings from paper, fabric, staples, etc. Her paper templates could, I suppose, be extrapolated to metal, but she has chosen the ephemeral qualities of these "temporary"... Read More

Welcome October! Our weather has suddenly become autumnal--the symbols of which here in Wisconsin are changing leaves, pumpkin farms, and all the rest. I've gone from open-toed shoes to boots, and the containers of warmer clothes have emerged from... Read More

Tools, tools, tools! Do you wonder what tools you should get if you're going to take up metalsmithing? How about metal clay, or polymer clay? Or, maybe you want to know what tools you should have on hand no matter what medium you're working in... Read More

I just received an e-newsletter from metal clay/enamel artist, Pam East . She included a wonderful tip for an inexpensive "clay keeper" for metal clay. She uses a $4.95 personal butter dish with lid (double wall construction) that is sold at... Read More