thank you SO MUCH to etsy and to each and every person who left a comment, e-mail, or convo about the featured seller spot over the last few days. Thank you to everyone who gave me a heart or purchased a piece from the shop.  - it’s been an absolutely amazing and exhilarating experience! i’m still sorting through all of my convos and e-mails, but know that i will respond to each one.  i feel so very blessed for the opportunity to represent baltimore, jewelers, bloggers, LOST and pitt bull lovers!

all of this positive energy has got my brain turning- i have a few new designs that i will be working on this week that will hopefully be ready before art star at the end of the month!

needless to say, i’ve fallen behind COMPLETELY on my project runway challenge!!  and just when i’ve learned that there is a new participant! - see laura’s results here.  i’m running off now to see what kait and alisa have come up with.

today i give the blogosphere a BIG HUG.  i can’t say it enough- thank you so much for your support! xoxo

i wheelie like you letterpress card available at

chewingthecud’s etsy shop

chosen by the talented alisa miller! so glad you joined us alisa!

from alisa’s blog:

“i went through all the project runway challenges and found the garden party challange from season 2. i loved this challenge.

here’s photos from bravo’s site. and just to refresh anyone’s memory, here’s a really funny video from that episode.

the challenge is to make something out of real plants. they can be alive or they can be dried. on the show they went to a floral shop to buy supplies, but they also had a budget of $150. i don’t have that budget for this one. you can also go to the park or if you’re lucky enough to have a yard, then just go outside! i’m going to wander to some parks that are nearby. it’s a beautiful day here and i’ll use any excuse to get out for a bit.

on the show they said that they must buy all the supplies at the store, but they ended up using muslin. so i’m not going to restrict my use of metal.”

thanks alisa! i’m off to the park to find some materials!

hello all!  i hope you had a nice relaxing weekend.

i’m in the full swing of things here in the studio so i’ll be sitting out for this week’s one-a-week challenge.  i know kait is pressing on, so  be sure to see what she is up to over at tether.  and of course, if you are working on a one-a-week challenge of your own, swing me an e-mail and let me know!  i am a nosy one, indeed.

photos of the things on my desk

inside plant looking out . . .

using about 6 calendars and planners. . .  good or bad habit?

and linkage for your reading pleasure (if you’ve been living under a rock like me. . . ):

ffffound!  (thanks steve!)

the challenge 

this bulb is dormant until next year. to me, it acts as a symbol of opportunity, potential, and growth. the second part of the challenge i will complete tomorrow. as a bonus, i won’t be creating another piece of jewelry, but a home for the bulb to live. perhaps, if we are lucky, she will awaken next april and i will be able to wear a flower on my pinky for a week or two. quickly, i must put her back under some earth! more photos to come shortly. thank you for following me this week!

this isn’t my garden, but i am lucky enough to have this view from my studio window. a distraction indeed! the tulip and daffodil garden on the property is in full bloom and today they beckoned me away from my bench and into the great sunshine. thank you, flowers!

my muses for the growth/decay challenge:

when i returned to the studio, i unearthed the bulbs of my indoor plants that have finished flowering. and this is what i shot:

it’s already wednesday, and i’m still not certain what i will make for the challenge. i do know that my piece(s) of jewelry will be in the form of rings. somehow this seems appropriate for the challenge. . . more on that later. using these photos as inspiration, i’m going back to the drawing board!

kait, at tether has proposed the third one-a-week challenge.  i am so stoked about this one!  how will i ever get to the production work i need to do with this challenge on my mind?!  we hope you will join us on our creative quest!

the challenge in kait’s words:

In season 1, episode two, the designers had to create a cotton dress that expressed the idea of ‘envy.” Since we’re in the blogosphere here, we’re wrestling with words as well as images here, so this seemed like a good type of challenge for us. I’d thought about replacing ‘envy’ with one of the other Seven Deadly Sins, you know, ‘lust’ or ‘greed,’ perhaps. But those seem a bit negative, and since it still keeps snowing here, I need something a little more uplifting. So here it is:

Make a piece of jewelry (or any other creative item) which expresses the idea of either ‘growth’ or ‘decay’ (for those less daunted by the ‘negative’).

You know those PR episodes where they give the designers one challenge, and then halfway through their allotted time, they spring an additional requirement on them, usually a second, related garment?

In that spirit, but making it completely optional and without the element of a last-minute surprise….Here’s a BONUS CHALLENGE:

Make two pieces which would be worn, sold or packaged together as a set, one of which expresses ‘growth’ and one of which expresses ‘decay.’

some bits of information:

1. did you see kait’s second one-a-week challenge results? the colors used throughout the piece are so warm and pretty. i love seeing our different interpretations of the project. kait is choosing next week’s challenge- stay tuned- i can’t wait! anyone else out there care to join us?

2. two more shows lined up for the season!

3. and speaking of shows, there is still a little time left to apply to the charm city craft mafia’s SECOND annual pile of craft!

oh my! it seems like all of a sudden i have a million things to do in order to prepare for the upcoming show season. the bust show is only three weeks away!

on the one-a-week challenge: i wasn’t able to get out much this weekend to take photos, so i’m cheating a bit here. . . here is an inspiration photo from my archives taken in April 2007. (looks like this bleeding heart plant is not returning this year )

hopefully, i will be able to complete a pendant by friday. good luck to everyone who is participating!

isn’t this lovely?! made by kait for the first one-a-week challenge. you can read more about her experience on the blog.

i thought i would post next week’s one-a-week challenge today because it involves a tiny bit of weekend homework.

from season 2 episode 8. - grab your camera and go for a little walk! using one photo taken from your outing as inspiration, create a pendant (or piece of your choice, depending on your craft) . i’ll be posting my inspiration photo on monday. have fun!

calendar from something’s hiding in here

okay. the deadline for the one a week challenge isn’t until tomorrow, but i think i have to submit my piece early. call this the white flag of surrender, if you will! i must get back to my regular studio routine.

after all the materials that i chose at the market and from the pantry, i only used two: soy papers and the mesh from my box of clementines - which i didn’t even think of using until the very last second today.

after making MANY MANY hideous and poorly crafted pieces. i am only satisfied with one simple necklace! i feel like i have failed the challenge that i set for myself: a one week challenge involving more construction than usual and alternative materials. i finished this necklace in one hour and only used two materials

the upside is this- i learned alot and my creative juices are definitely flowing!

thoughts:

- why try to use metalsmithing techniques and tools on objects that are NOT metal? boy- that took me two days to realize!

-i tried to manipulate the metal packaging that i chose in the same way that i would use silver sheet. i completely forgot that the reason i chose the grocery store challenge was to move myself away from metal and metal tools.

- the rice paper was very fun to play with. after wetting it, you can shape it and when it dries, the paper retains its shape, though brittle.

- screaming does not bring you closer to a design solution.

-i’ll be making chocolate in the shape of diamonds next week. stay tuned for the results!

-juliet- i’m determined to make you a soap pendant

-nothing will go to waste here. all the unused materials are coming home with me.

hope you all had better luck! thanks for sticking with me. next week’s challenge will involve metal FOR SURE! xoxo

necklace: soy paper, mesh

on the one-a-week challenge:

here’s my loot from the grocery store and pantry.

i’m getting a little worried here. i have NO IDEA what i’m going to make with these things?! ack! maybe i should have had a plan before going shopping? although, the contestants on project runway don’t have much time to think either. . .

i’m also starting to realize that it would have been wise to get alot of one material instead of one of everything. i mean. . . chocolate, soap, and rice paper? i chose materials based on texture and color. . . oh dear . . . this is quite the challenge!

time to brainstorm . . .

materials:

soy wrapper (in five colors!)- 2 packages

rice paper- 1 package

2 bars of soap

1 bar of dark chocolate

1 tin of green tea

1 small bag of dried mangoes

from the pantry:

1 package of sprinkles

1 tin of tea

1 tin of hot chocolate

total $ : $27.43

good morning everyone! well, it’s going to be quite a week here at imogene. lots of things to do before friday when i’ll be taking a little trip to austin, tx to visit some family- (hello, family!). yippie!

i did promise to reveal the one-a-week challenge today, so drum roll please. . .

from season 1 episode 1 of project runway, the challenge of the week will be to create a piece (jewelry, for me) made only of components found in the local grocery store. the budget will be $30 dollars- and you will also have free reign over your pantry! i hope you will play along!

because it’s such a crazy week here in the studio, the deadline will not be until friday, april 4.

have a wonderful monday!