I am pleased to announce that we have formed a local Metal Clay Guild for the Greater Boston area.  The meetings will be the last Sunday of each month at Metalwerx in Waltham, MA from 7pm – 9pm.

The Greater Boston Metal Clay Chapter is a group of metal clay artisans of all skill levels gathering monthly in the creative environment of Metalwerx’s studio to share new techniques, discuss metal clay products, share ideas, and most importantly have some fun!  We will be meeting monthly at Metalwerx in Waltham, MA.  During chapter meetings a new technique will be demonstrated, we will share new ideas and tips, and discuss current projects.  We will also discuss a challenge piece to work on for the next month’s meeting.  We will also discuss possibilities of selling our jewelry as a group at the South End Open Market in 2010 and other local markets.  Bring your suggestions!!!!

Our first meeting is September 27, 2009.  Please email info@bostonmetalclay.com to rsvp.

I hope to see you all at the meeting at the end of the month!!!!!  Bring some of your current jewelry pieces to show off at the meeting!

Kelly Kilmer was here the last two weeks teaching classes in Westford and Whitman, MA.  We had a blast.  Kelly took my advice and went to Concord, MA to visit Nesting on Main.  She came home and said I have to go back BUT they are closed on Mondays.  I took this as a personal challenge.  I called the owner, explained who I was and next thing I knew they were opening the store for us on Monday.

Nesting on Main is by far my favorite shop in Massachusetts for ephemera.  They are located at 44 Main Street, Concord, MA.  While we were there we visited all the other local antique shops.  I learned a couple of weeks ago from a student, that the owners of the shops in Concord had recently returned from the Provence Flea Markets.  I’ve been there three times now, and the stock is always changing.

Thoreauly Antiques – 25 Walden Street

Upstairs Antiques – 23 Walden Street

North Bridge Antiques – 28 Walden Street – this includes the antique book shop as well

On Monday morning I left to pick up everyone that was going to Concord.  Sam, Sharyn, Kelly, and Tristan all joined me.  We arrived in Concord a 1/2 hour before Nesting on Main was opening for us, so I took everyone to Thoreauly Antiques.  This is a great place to find inexpensive ephemera.  Sharyn found an old package of gummed labels.  I found a bag of black letters on white heavy board, maps, vintage labels, etc.  Kelly found some old alphabet and number stamps, and Sam found the complete works of William Shakespeare!  It was like hitting the lottery!!!!

From there we went to Nesting on Main.  Below are some pictures of the store.  Kelly and I spent some time going through all the black and white vintage photos.  There are a ton there.  We could have spent days going through them.  In one the pictures below is a picture of the back room with the chest of drawers.  Each drawer is full of wonderful surprises:  skeleton keys, black and white vintage photos, letters, drawer pulls, etc.  This is my favorite room.

We visited the other antique shops, North Bridge and Upstairs on Main.  We didn’t find much at Upstairs on Main, but I did find some old french postcards at North Bridge.

While in town I always check the clearance room at Footstock.  There are great deals on Birkenstocks, Naot, Donald Pliner, Ariats, and tons of other designers in the clearance room.   If you are traveling with kids you must visit the Toy Shop of Concord and the ice cream shop below Nesting on Main.

I leave you with some photos of Nesting on Main.  I took these pictures on my G1 phone so they aren’t the greatest but you still get to see the goodies in the store!

I am constantly being reminded that I am a blog slacker.  I’ve been busy designing new classes and taking Ten Seconds Studio metal embossing classes with Kim Parkinson at Scrapbook Cupboard.    I’m teaching my Simply Swank glass soldering class next Sunday the 22nd at Scrapbook Cupboard.

Call the store at (508) 378-0008 to register for the class.

Today I made the Valentine Card below. I am having so much fun with the new kabukas.  Scrapbook Cupboard just received a shipment this week of the molds.  I stopped by this morning and picked up the alphabet and a couple others I had ordered.  Thank you Jim for my gift certificate!

I used one of the hearts from the Love & Heart set of stamps from Blockheads Rubber Stamps.  I then used some of the Ten Seconds Studio boarder molds and kabukas to texture around the heart.  After that I wanted to distress the metal, I used some of the Ranger Adirondak inks, dried with the heat gun, then applied some Tattered Angels spray, dried the spray with the heat gun, and then I crinkled up the edges.  I love the card!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The quality of the video is grainy, but you get the idea. Hoff loves his milk in the morning.

Click here for video

This posting is for Tristan……let it snow, let it snow, let it snow……

This is what we woke up to this morning. View from dining room and kitchen.

Daisy took one look at this view from the sliding door and ran back into her bed!

I guess it’s too late to bring in the deck furniture and umbrella.

The side yard, pictured below, has about 18″ of snow.

Jim was out with the snowblower until 11pm last night. I am sure the neighbors weren’t happy, but Jim felt compelled to remove all the snow, the town plows kept pushing into our driveway.

This is the view from our front door. I cannot wait to go outside and make a snowman!

I am forever seeking organizing tools.  From my Franklin Covey Daily Organizer, to my Gmail Calendar, to my Verizon XV6800 Phone, to all the nick knacks I find at The Container Store.   For those of you that have been to any of my classes you know what I am talking about.  I organize everything for my classes in the small Container Store accessories boxes.  I have tons of these.  They are well worth the $1.79.  I now have my friends using these boxes too.  I recently made a trip to the store and bought 50 boxes for my closest friends.

I was watching Mardel’s Conditioning Bronzclay video on Cool Tools the other day and was wondering where to order the sugar packet container, I found it at where else….THE CONTAINER STORE.

I get so frustrated when I have to dig through boxes and boxes of my rubber stamps, only to realize the stamp is in another box, completely unrelated to the other stamps.  I’ve recently re-organized all my rubber stamps with the 12″ x 12″ scrapbook paper containers.  In stead of having 50+ stamps in one box I know have a manageable 20-25 stamps per box and they are much easier to transport.  I find I am more likely to take some stamps to a class when all I need is one small box.   Kelly was laughiung last time I came to her class at The Stamp Act, as my husband, Jim, was lugging in 3 huge boxes of my “favorite must have” stamps.

They work great.  I can fit two rows of my stamps per containter and I don’t need to worry about damaging the rubber on my stamps and I can easily view them through the container.    I also labeled each bin so I can grab which box I need for a specific project (ie: background stamps) on the go.

Happy Organizing!

We have re-opened our Etsy storefront for the holidays. We will be selling our Precious Metal Clay, Bronzclay, Sterling, and Copper jewelry at the Etsy store.   New this year we are selling Windows With a View.  The frames are recycled windows from old New England homes and barns. The windows are then restored and a new rope sash is added.  The images in the frames are images that Jim and I have taken all over New England including the Cape, Marshfield, Scituate, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire. You can view the frames at The Stamp Act’s Gallery.

You can also purchase our jewelry at The Stamp Act’s Gallery, The Pear Tree in Coolidge Corner, and also at The Brookline Arts Center Craft Showcase.

Come join us for our first Bronzclay class on December 13th from 10am – 4pm at The Stamp Act. We’ll be serving warm cider and cookies during the class. Come learn about this fascinating new product, similar to Precious Metal Clay. When fired your pieces will have a beautiful rainbow patina. You can then finish to a warn bronze color or leave the patina.

Cost: $120

Class fee includes 100 gram packet of Bronzclay, use of textures, tools, kiln, and finishing supplies. Students can expect to make 30-40 pieces of jewelry, just in time for the holidays! We will also have antique brass chains, jump rings, clasps, and sterling silver ear wires for sale during the class.

The bronzclay takes much longer to fire than PMC. Therefore, we will be firing the pieces after class. You can either pick up your fired pieces a week later at The Stamp Act or you can make arrangements to meet me at my home studio or in Brookline in the evening. I want to make this easy for everyone.

Please call The Stamp Act at (781) 837-5890 to register. 50% deposit required upon registering for class.

Open Studio Annoucement

This is for all my students: starting this weekend you can reserve 3 hours of open studio time at The Stamp Act for $20. Each additional 3 hours is $5 (so for 6 hours the cost is $25). You will have to provide your own clay, but you will be able to use my textures, PMC tools, dehydrator, finishing supplies, liver of sulfur, tumbler, dapping block, etc at The Stamp Act. The Open Studio time does not include any instruction. (The owner of the store, Marie, has a lot of experience with PMC and Bronzclay, but she may be teaching a class while you are there for the open studio). You will need to call ahead to reserve your space. The kiln is not on site. Leave your pieces to be fired at the store, and I will fire and polish them for $1/piece. If you want to apply keum-boo to your pieces, please let me know so I don’t polish them. You can then either pick them up at my home studio, the store, in the evening in Brookline, or I can mail them Priority Mail to you.

Call Marie at The Stamp Act at (781) 837-5890 to reserve your Open Studio time. Once you have taken one of my Bronzclay classes you will also be able to work on your Bronzclay projects during Open Studio time.

The Stamp Act is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 6pm and Sunday 12pm – 5pm. We are occasionally there later on Saturday nights, but please call ahead.

The Stamp Act is located at 58 Main Street, Marshfield, MA. It’s just minutes off Route 3.

Directions:

Take route 3 south (towards the Cape)

Exit 12, stay in the right lane and bear right onto route 139. You’ll pass the Christmas Tree store on your right. About a mile on your left is a Starbucks drive-thru. (I cannot help myself with all the landmarks) At the third set of lights, turn left onto Route 3A. The Stamp Act will be the fourth driveway on your right. You’ve passed the store if you can see the Marshfield Fairgrounds.

We just got back from a great class at Ink About It in Westford, MA.  Jim and I taught our soldering class.  I ordered tons of different glasses for this class including beveled circles and diamonds.  Everyone made ornaments for the holidays.  I had tons of images for everyone to use.  I love standing aside and watching which images people select to use in their pieces.  I also had a stash of Kelly Kilmer’s papers with me.  Every once in a while, Kelly cleans out some of her papers.  These are the best packets of paper!  Between my images and Kelly’s papers, the students made beautiful collages for their one of a kind ornaments.  Here are some pictures from the class.

Our good friend, Tania, the owner of The Pear Tree, joined us for the class.

These are some of the ornaments I made in class….