Mel's Art Buffet

2011-12-02T19:29:00.001-06:00

Ring a Week

43/52

Bottle Cap, Sand, Top Coat, Polymer Clay

I think I might have a few more weeks of bottle caps in me. Actually, not to many weeks left, I can't believe it! Off to grab a hammer :)

2011-11-24T17:09:00.001-06:00

Ring a Week

42/52

Painted Bottle Cap, Polymer Clay, Top Coat

I think this will be called the graffiti series. I have hopes a bracelet will follow :) And, it looks like next week might be a bottle cap week as well...These are so much fun to make :)

2011-11-20T17:26:00.001-06:00

Ring a Week

41/52

Bottle Cap, Polymer Clay, Thread

I have hoarded bottle caps since I was a youngster, so I'm always super excited to find a new design to use them. I want to make a long necklace & use these caps like dog tags. I'm in the middle of doing a battery of test, experimenting with materials & finishes. I'm wishing myself much luck :)

2011-11-04T19:34:00.001-05:00

Ring a Week

40/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay

Now looking, this is an example of my haste. The band should be about half the width, delicate to match the focal. But still fun to make!!!

2011-10-28T19:51:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

39/52

Shrink Plastic

Very much like last weeks ring but this one has dimension. Straight on, it just looks a little off. But from an angle, it looks pretty special. I might just run these little webs into the ground?

2011-10-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

RAW52

38/52

Shrink Plastic

On the road to Halloween with a spider web ring. This is the 1st time I have made a "seasonal" piece of jewelry. I don't think it's over the top cheesy so I'm ok with it. In fact, I have several things in store for these little webs!

2011-09-29T06:13:00.000-05:00

RAW52

37/52

Polymer Clay

I think this would look good on a male hand? This is definitely the widest I've made. I love me some chunky :)

2011-09-16T19:54:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

36/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay

I love to doodle & it's great to finally have something to do with a random group of shapes. It is so much fun to see them come to life, to take a 3D form. What would a girl do without shrink plastic?

2011-09-09T19:36:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

35/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay, Seed Beads, Top Coat

This is almost a tad bit cartoony for me but I love that the middle looks like molten lava or salmon caviar...

2011-09-01T20:40:00.001-05:00

Ring a Week

34/52

Polymer Clay, Wax Paper with Paint

These two polymer bowls have been sitting on my desk forever! And not once in all the days we have spent together did I think to try this positioning, one inside the other. I knew it was meant to be once they cradled each other. So sweet! Something special needed to be featured in the middle of this fated polymer pair. I just love how the wax paper turned out. I need to expand upon this idea to make it practical. Meaning, I need to make this wearable to the elements. I think it is worth the investigation.

2011-08-28T18:47:00.001-05:00

Ring a Week

33/52

Polymer Clay, Bell Pepper Seeds

Once I finished this ring, it immediately reminded me of a picture frame I made a brief lifetime ago. I took a dollar store frame & covered the sides with lentils. One hot glue dollop & lentil at a time. It was so beautiful & elaborate with its muted green palette. Almost as lovely as the picture inside of me & my then boyfriend. He won the frame in the breakup.

This ring was just as fun to make. I love & find comfort in meticulously tedious placement. I had a big baggie of seeds because it was my goal to grow bell peppers this summer. But from the looks of things, there will be no peppers. At the least there are several lovely sprouts of green. But I would like it to be noted that it took me all summer not to grow these peppers. That is my dog Cash posing with the ghost bell peppers. FYI, he is not spoiled. And just to keep things fair, I have included a picture of Marley.

2011-08-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

32/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay

I forgot how hard it is to take pics of shrink plastic. It flirts with the light at every angle. And, I forgot the pics of shrink plastic show every mistake & imperfection. What I'm trying to say is frownie face for this week's ring...

2011-08-15T07:44:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

31/52

Plastic Lacing, Straight Pin, Wine Cork, Polymer Clay

I wish I could say I was about to put on my favorite pair of skin tight pleather pants & pop on this cocktail ring for a night out on the town...but I don't own a pair & I've never worn a cocktail ring. But I do love this naughty & nice ring. Nice from the top with your finger wrapped in a bow & naughty from the side, bold & daring. Super fun to make!

2011-08-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

30/53

Polymer Clay, Thread

I made this ring for Wilma Flinstone. I thought a splash of color might be a fun touch to her forever white dress & pearls. Not that Wilma needs help with her chic style, but this way she can match when standing next to Betty :)

2011-07-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

29/52

Polymer Clay, Steel Washer, Coated Wire

I have so many unused washers that need a purpose in life. We'll have to see what I can do about that. But it will be a long road ahead using one at a time....

2011-07-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

28/52

Polymer Clay

Now looking, this reminds me of a button my mom used to have. It was brown & had a leather look to it, I loved that button. Wow, that was pulled from the back corner of my mind. I love it when that happens.

2011-07-15T14:52:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

27/52

Polymer Clay, Thread

I'm running out of ideas & we have a looongg way to go.....I need to hit my refresh for sure :)

2011-07-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

26/52

Ok, just one more tribute to the staple. Watch out paperclips, I'm coming for you! Week 26, halfway to 2012 - that is so scary but congrats to RAW designers for making it this far!

2011-06-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

25/52

Polymer Clay, Staples

I'm jonesing to learn how to work with metal.... I resorted to using common office supplies.

2011-06-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

24/52

Polymer Clay

I was hoping this would have more of a stained glass / inlay feel.... the back side looks maybe like an undersea spongy creature & the top looks like an ancient relic. Now thinking, it would have been cool to make the band detachable so you could decide which side to wear (note to self)... :) Maybe burry a tiny magnet in the center of the ring & burry one in the center of the band. How cool, & then you could flip sides.

2011-06-20T13:44:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

23/52

Polymer Clay, Thread

A thread constellatioin

2011-06-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

22/52

Polymer Clay, Resin, Beads

It's been a while since I've done a good ol' fashion bead weave. Once I had several circles of beads, I finished her up, squished her inside a polymer frame & smothered her with resin, I thought it interesting, the outer most layer of amber beads almost disappeared in the clear resin. Good for a floating feel. I would like to make beads like this & string them for a necklace, shocking...:)

2011-06-03T19:26:00.001-05:00

Ring a Week

21/52

Polymer Clay, Seed Beads, Top Coat

I know I say this every week, but I'm going to use this concept for a necklace. I'm actually doing it now :). I plan to connect 3 pods vertically for a pendant. Or maybe connect 5 for a bib? These are so much fun to make!

2011-06-02T06:25:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

20/52

Polymer Clay, Shrink Plastic, Seed Beads

Well, this is not what I had envisioned when I started....but a finished ring is better than no ring?

2011-05-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

19/52

Polymer Clay, Thread

I think I will be able to carry this concept into other jewelry styles such as necklaces & bracelets, so that is exciting to me. I like when the ring for the week is a spring board for more pieces. Double duty!!

2011-05-23T11:31:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

18/52

Polymer Clay

Peek-a-Boo ring with circle dots inside.

2011-05-04T10:21:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

17/52

Polymer Clay

I don't think I will ever tire of making these circle canes. So so easy & full of surprise. I love seeing what colors go in while not knowing what color combos will come out. And, each slice of the cane is like snowflake, unique & original. I can get lost in each circle...

2011-04-26T13:29:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

16/52

Polymer Clay

2011-04-20T07:45:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

15/52

Polymer Clay

This was fun for me because I love tedious repetition, it's really my comfort zone. And its been a while since I've worked on a piece with meticulous placement. The challenge was to convince myself to continue “spiking”. Not because of the work but because I really liked how the ring looked at each stage. I think there were about 6 stages & each staged looked great. I had to commit to continue the process all the way to the edge. But I am excited to create a few pieces where I do stop with the smaller groupings of “spikes”. Yay!

2011-04-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

14/52

Polymer Clay, Stone

I have been on a bit of a stacking kick! I love the texture created from stacking similarly shaped items in a random pattern. The simplicity takes on a life of its own. I have some brown stacking beads ready for my next necklace. This ring turned out to be quite the sky scrapper, nice & eye catching!

2011-04-04T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

13/52

Polymer Clay

I really like this ring, Is that ok to say when it's yours? Kinda hard to see in the pics, but there are numerous tiny marks that add a ton of character. Going through the shots, it looks like a different ring every time? I am very pleased with the patina'd outcome. Depending on the light, some angles show "Bronze" some angles show "Copper". This might have my name written all over it...

2011-03-29T07:43:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

12/52

Polymer Clay

This was headed in a direction that wasn't necessarily my style. So, I added texture to “toughen” it up. Much more acceptable for me!

2011-03-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

Ring a Week

11/52

Polymer Clay

Yummy!!!

2011-03-19T08:21:00.000-05:00

Treasury by humblebea

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

2011-03-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Treasury by mamacitabeadworks

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

2011-03-15T06:01:00.001-05:00

RAW52

10/52

Polymer Clay, Resin, Fiber

I am excited to carry this concept over into making other jewelry peices such as pendants, earrings, etc.

2011-03-07T11:47:00.000-06:00

Ring a Week

9/52

Polymer Clay

It has been a long time since I brought it back to basics. Working with simple shapes in repition to create a more interesting form was really enjoyable. A nice reminder to keep thinks simple sometimes.

2011-02-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

Ring a Week

8/52

Polymer Clay, Shrink Plastic

2011-02-21T07:41:00.000-06:00

Ring a Week

7/52

Polymer Clay, Shrink Plastic

This week it took 3 rings to reach this one. So, I've learned you should cut your loses when your gut tells you its time, good for sanity & resources. Also learned it is really hard to take pictures of shiny things.... :)

2011-02-17T07:44:00.000-06:00

Bead Table Wednesday: 2-16-11

Déjà Vu...

2011-02-14T10:14:00.000-06:00

RAW52

6/52

Polmer Clay, Shrink Plastic

I can't seem to end my love affair with Shrinky Dinks...

2011-02-10T13:33:00.000-06:00

Bead Table Wednesday: 2-9-11

Not that I'm keeping score or that any one else would be, but I would like to bring attention to the fact that this week I was able to clear a very respectable 7in x 7in space on my work table. To accomplish this, I strategically moved the contents to the outer perimeter of the 7x7 space. I am waiting for this new found clarity to jiggle my creativity. Also, trying to shake off a few failed resin pieces from this week. :)

2011-02-08T11:51:00.002-06:00

"Arugula & Fennel Salad"

Polymer Clay, Resin, Thread

I drew color inspiration for this necklace from the photo below.Vibrant & pure, these natural colors deserve the attempt to duplicate.

Photo Courtesy of: Anja's Food 4 Thought Blog

2011-02-07T08:22:00.000-06:00

RAW52

5/52

Polymer Clay, Thread, Resin

2011-02-03T10:34:00.000-06:00

Bead Table Wednesday: 2-2-11

I can't believe I work like this?? Through the bottles & under the mess, working on a RAW ring. :)

2011-01-31T13:54:00.001-06:00

RAW52

4/52

Polymer Clay, Shrink Plastic

Trying to move away from the old faithful adjustable ring base...

This one was fun & easy!!

2011-01-30T15:32:00.000-06:00

Treasury by LillianGeorge

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

2011-01-27T07:42:00.000-06:00

Bead Table Wednesday: 1-26-11

Working on this week's RAW ring & searching for time to start a new jewelry piece...

2011-01-25T07:39:00.000-06:00

RAW52

3/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay

This ring was inspired by all the impressive RAW rings with moving components. Each tier spins on the central spindle. Fun & flirty! I do have to say, I need to take a metal class straight away. My adjustable ring bases are more & more of an eye sore to me with each day that I browse through RAW rings.

2011-01-20T08:25:00.003-06:00

BTW

Bead Table Wednesday: 1-19-11

I joined the Flikr group Bead Table Wednesday where you simply photograph what's on your work table right now. This is such a great idea. I love having an inside peak into the artist's environment. Thanks to Humblebeads for starting the group!

I chose this poorly lit shot in attempt to mask the craziness. To some degree I am feeling unsuccessful!

I am momentarily in between projects, so shockingly this could be worse....

2011-01-19T08:16:00.002-06:00

RAW52

Ring a Week 2/52

Polymer Clay, Thread, Resin

Only week 2...This is a creative pace I'm not used too. I knew this would be a trying personal challenge but I'm holding strong & have mad respect for the participants of RAD - Ring a Day 2010.

Treasury by zime

2011-01-18T07:51:00.001-06:00

Treasury by zime

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

RAW52 2011

2011-01-13T07:27:00.004-06:00

RAW52 2011
Ring a Week

One ring a week for 2011. This will certainly be a great personal challenge. I'm excited to join all the taleneted members on Flickr & excited to push my skills to the limit. This is my first ring for the year: RAW52 - 1/52

Shrink Plastic, Polymer Clay

Treasury by fabulousfrippery

2011-01-11T14:00:00.002-06:00

Treasury by fabulousfrippery
Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

Treasury by HickorySquirrel

2011-01-05T13:33:00.004-06:00

Treasury by HickorySquirrel

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

Treasury by missouribendstudio

2011-01-04T13:28:00.004-06:00

Treasury by missouribendstudio

Featuring Mel's Art Buffet

"Basil Stuffed Olives"

2010-08-24T09:39:00.002-05:00

"Basil Stuffed Olives"

Inspiration for Necklace

I am fascinated with natural organic shapes that appear to be uniform & consistent. But with further observation, what a great surprise to find slight variances that are spectacular. Such has been captured by Dami with this photo 7 November--Sea of Olives, which served as my source of inspiration for the "Basil Stuffed Olives" necklace. An appealing composition with a bed of olives. United in form, yet each one seems to have its own voice. I wanted to mimic the feel that uniformity can also be different.

Color Inspiration

2010-07-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

Color Inspiration

This beautiful collection of Kale leaves grabbed my attention & wouldn't let go. The striking array of lush greens could keep me going for a while. Vibrant, pure, & natural. From moss to verde, I couldn't ask for a more inpsiring palette. Earth tones are difinatley my comfort zone. I settled right in & tried to use a few of the color grabs from these photos found on Natalie's Killer Cuisine blog, much thanks to Natalie for capturing such beauty.

Etsy Studios' Blog

2010-07-09T08:13:00.002-05:00

Mel's Art Buffet Featured on

Etsy Studios' Blog

Tomato & Basil Angel Hair Pasta

2010-06-25T09:52:00.004-05:00

Inspiration Photo

My Take:

“Tomato & Basil Angel Hair Pasta”

This one was fun. I love to make double sided pendants, two different options are appealing to me. I had a great photo to work from: Uni Pasta. First of all, the pasta coloring is truly inspiring, so alive & vibrant. While I was not able to reproduce the exact hue, I settled on two colors that work well with the pendant base. The pasta falls in such an organic way, I thought it would be fun to duplicate. My “pasta” placement is deliberate but hopefully not too contrived. I went crazy with the thread inlay on this one. I think there are 5 layers inside. With the domed pieces, I had a lot of space to work with. I look forward to carrying several design techniques from this pendant into future pieces. Without a doubt, this necklace could be a fun addition to your summer collection.

Inspiration Board

2010-06-23T09:46:00.002-05:00

Inspiration Board

Oh, I was so glad to find this photo! My creative juices immediately began to flow. I have been in such a slump over the past couple of weeks. There have been several pieces lately that have met their downfall during the final phases of construction. My pieces take so long & there are so many stages that I feel a great sadness not to see them all come out alive. One or two I understand, but this month I've had several causalities. Am I losing it? Well, its time to turn the beat around. And thanks to nicknamemiket this will surely do the trick. Love this inspiration board. The month is almost up & I need to make one more piece. Lets get started.

Bottom Photo: "Uni Pasta"

"Blueberry Lattice Pie"

2010-06-09T06:16:00.003-05:00

"Blueberry Lattice Pie"

Apple Pie Pendants

2010-06-01T20:29:00.020-05:00

Apple Pie Pendants

You can't deny the craftsmanship & artistry that goes into the making of a lattice top pie crust. An edible craft project that is picture perfect.

I was inspired by Novel Eats' Apple Pie photos & was a bit surprised with the difficulties I encountered when trying to make my ideas come to life. In the photos, I was drawn to the gentle draping of lattice pieces & the achieved coloring of the dough after baking. I anticipated doing a simple reproduction of a lattice weave.

With the first pendant, I went with a slight variation & created different sized pieces to stack for a tiered effect. It became obvious, for reasons that would bore anyone but myself, that I would have to fill the thread inlay window with resin. This is where my difficulties began. Being so new to resin & with so much to learn, my attempt ended with having to paint the underneath layer of the pendant due to a poor resin fill. And this process determined the color palette, which was different from what I envisioned. Regardless, after taking a break for a few day it is growing on me...

With the second pendant, I tried to bring it back to basics with a primitive weaving. I took acrylic paint and did a simple technique with shadows under & highlights on top. I am pleased with the outcome.

This was a fun endeavor & more so I have gained a heightened appreciation for lattice top pie maker bakers all over the world, especially Samantha with Novel Eats :)

Weekend Inspiration Board

2010-05-22T15:56:00.003-05:00

Weekend Inspiration Board

Center Photo: Apple Pie

Blog: Novel Eats, Simply Vegan

Apple Cinnamon Balls

2010-05-18T06:59:00.004-05:00

Apple Cinnamon Balls

Finally, the necklace derived from the Raspberry Macaron, Lemon Sorbet inspiration board comes together:

Creative with Clay

2010-05-17T12:02:00.002-05:00

Color Feature of the Week: Rustic Brown

Thanks to Creative with Clay: Pottery by

Charan Sachar for including this MAB necklace!

Raspberry Macaron, Lemon Sorbet

2010-05-11T13:29:00.004-05:00

Inspiration Board Results

I was attracted to the composition & delicate architecture

presented in this beautiful photo Raspberry Macaron, Lemon Sorbet

My goal was to carry the dessert configuration into jewelry design. The first several sketches were a literal translation with two domed pieces connected by a bridge of circles, which were to be polymer clay balls. But as I've learned over the years not all ideas manifest into reality. This being one of them. After many attempts, I was not able to carry out the design. The result would be amazing, so I do hope to revisit this construction.

I continued to sketch & scratch my brain... and the result -

In the dessert photo, I love the crevices where light & dark meet unexpectedly. I drew my color palette from such areas. Cherry red meets dusty black. I am pleased with the result & excited about the possibilities that will be born from the concept of marrying bead weaving into polymer clay.

This pendant will be made into a necklace & added to my Etsy shop. Look soon :)