Closed! Jewelry and Pottery Giveaway - Fine Pure Silver Beach Pendant Plus Handmade Coffee Mug

In this post, I will introduce to you Canadian Jewelry Designer and Pottery Professional, Kathy McDonald of Willow Tree Designs, Brandon, Manitoba.  She has graciously offered a Giveaway Contest, which I am hosting on my blog!

I'll include the details on how to enter the Giveaway Contest in this post which includes two amazing handmade items selected specifically by Kathy for this Giveaway and for the lucky readers of my blog! 

The winner of this Giveaway will receive the handmade items pictured below!  Exclusive designs by Kathy McDonald.

Giveaway Prize - Handmade Fine Silver Nautilus and Beach Stone Pendant AND Handmade Pottery Mug!

Closer Look:

Pendant: Drilled Manitoba beachstone pendant with handforged Fine Silver Nautilus design, oxidized for antique finish with polished highlights, gorgeous!  The cord necklace is included and is finished with a sterling silver small lobster clasp.  The Fine Silver design is handmade by Kathy using Silver Art Clay and is 99.9% pure silver!

Coffee Mug : Wheelthrown stoneware coffee mug with hand painted overglaze decoration, 10 oz size.  Collectors of pottery, this is such a unique design, directly from the artist herself!

One lucky winner will receive Kathy's gorgeous pendant and coffee mug!  Everyone is invited to browse her shop on Etsy.  If you're lucky, there will still be items available, as she sells out quickly, especially her jewelry designs.  Visit her Etsy Shop, Adornyourself and mark your favorites with a "heart".

 Father's Day is fast approaching and handmade pottery is the perfect gift.  Any birthdays that you know of for May or June, plan ahead now and order them a handmade item from Kathy's shop!



Sculptural Pottery Bottle by Adornyourself



I met Kathy when she joined the Etsy Metal Clay Heads team.  We both have shops on Etsy, the website for handmade goods, vintage goods and supplies.  We both share a passion for using metal clay for jewelry designs.  We both are named "Kathy" with a "K"!  What I find extraordinary about Kathy is her mastery of both pottery clay and metal clay and her skill at creating jewelry and pottery that anyone would be fortunate enough to have in their collections!

Pottery Basket Coil Built Sculpture by Adornyourself

Kathy’s pottery background inspires me with her knowledge of kilns, firing temps and schedules (and repairs), her impeccable talent for creating forms and her techniques for enameling, which she used to teach.  I enjoy the monthly chit chat about the daily projects, the good times, the bad times and sharing the ideas, tools, tips and trials of our craft.

Kathy creating a wheelthrown bowl just this week!


I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathy about her jewelry making and pottery adventures: 

YorkAvenueStudio:  Kathy, you started working with pottery clay almost 40 years ago and still have the enthusiasm and enjoyment which shows in your creations.

Adornyourself:  I am retired now after a long career as a social worker and educator and can devote a lot more time to my business of creating and learning.  I know that combining family, outside work and a clay addiction are very difficult to balance.

Even after all this time I am still amazed at the transformation of the raw materials into the finished pieces.  That connection of human hand, earth, and fire that has been entrancing people for centuries.
I love glazes that are warm and earthy and draw most of my inspiration from natural objects and the prairie landscape around me.  I work with both stoneware and porcelain clays, as well as metal clay and really like to experiment with glazes that are natural and earthy.  I make all my own glazes from raw natural materials.

Fine Silver and Birthstone Bridesmaid Charms by Adornyourself

YorkAvenueStudio:  When did you start using metal clay? (Precious metal clay, PMC or Silver Art Clay, is made up of recycled silver grains mixed with binder ingredients which forms the consistency of clay. The wet clay can be molded and shaped, then after drying, fired in a kiln or torched with the end result as 99.9 pure silver in the exact shape of the design!)

Adornyourself:  I bought my first packets of metal clay when you had to purchase them from overseas and the instructions and booklets were all written in Japanese.  It was so exciting to have an opportunity to turn “clay” into fired metal.  I have a good friend who is a silversmith who agreed to mentor me back then and we both have been able to collaborate and learn the materials.

Lots of mishaps and waste but my friend was able to use the scraps in his designs.

I started out using PMC3 (I date myself) and switched to using Art Clay Silver
a few years ago after volunteering to co-teach a class at the local art center here and that’s what they had ordered because they got a deal.  I’ve kept on with Art Clay Silver because it’s more readily available here.

Handcrafted Stonewear Pottery Beads by Adornyourself

YorkAvenueStudio:  What materials do you use to make jewelry?

Adornyourself:  I use mostly stoneware and porcelain to make pendants, beads, and other components for my designs, and combine these with many other materials including the metal clay, glass and semiprecious stones.
I have a passion for bead collecting and my favourites include artisan glass lampwork and African trade beads.

Hand Marbled Porcelain by Adornyourself

YorkAvenueStudio:  What was your first inspiration for jewelry design?  How did you decide to make jewelry?

Adornyourself:  Good question. I think my first inspiration for making jewelry was watching my dad work in his shop when I was a child.  We lived on a farm and he often repaired machinery and made or repaired horseshoes for our horses. I can still remember the smell of that shop and the old anvil and fire pit.  I was fascinated by the fire, the metamorphosis of the materials from molten to finished product, and the rhythmic pounding of the hammers used to shape those metals.

Now my inspiration is the textures and impressions that natural materials and images evoke.
I ‘m very inspired by the design courses I’m taking that are leading me to explore the natural geometry and symmetry that occurs in objects of everyday life and the world around me.

Porcelain Pendant by Adornyourself

YorkAvenueStudio:  What shows off your style the most in your jewelry designs?

Adornyourself:  I think my style (if I have one) seems to change and include something new and different every day. Making jewelry lends to the exploration of many materials incorporated in various ways to make a whole.  The whole is so often greater than the sum of its parts.

I have tended toward very simple designs when I use metal clay and more complex forms when I use stoneware and porcelain. I love using fired lustres and enamels to embellish porcelain and I would really like to explore this next.

YorkAvenueStudio:  Does your background in pottery lend itself to jewelry making?

Adornyourself:  Yes it definitely does.  Over the years, I’ve made many discoveries about metal and clay simply by experimenting with both materials and combining them.  Some have been utter disasters. Others have been quite beautiful, but difficult to replicate. Like throwing silver and copper clay into the raku  combustion can with my pots. Gorgeous pieces, but I’ve never been able to replicate them.

YorkAvenueStudio:  We talked once about the necklace that you made that you wear daily.  Tell me the inspiration for that piece?

Adornyourself:  I do have a piece of mine I wear all the time. When my daughter got married several years ago I made 2 very similar pieces so that we could wear them on her wedding day.  We both wear them a lot.

Special Wedding Day Necklace worn often by both Kathy and her daughter

YorkAvenueStudio:  With the price of silver almost 4 times what it was last year,  how is this affecting your designs?

Adornyourself:  The cost of silver has made it quite difficult to be really as creative as I’d like to be with the material. I am so much more conscious of the amount of material I am using that I think it inhibits the kinds of things I undertake.  I’m tending to want to go back to things I’ve abandoned in the past like working more with sheet and copper.

Adornyourself Craft Show Jewelry Display

YorkAvenueStudio:  What are some tips or techniques for working with metal clay that work for you?

Adornyourself:  I know this likely isn't really accepted, or proper, technique but I sometimes use a bit of liquid polymer to help condition my clay when I`m getting it ready to use,or to coat the clay if I want to have a clean line etched into green pieces. I found that it makes the art clay a bit easier to handle during its green state and does not affect the fired outcome at all. NOTE:  I have a big kiln with lots of ventilation so I do NOT torch fire the pieces because of the toxicity.

I often make my designs in clay before I make them in metal clay, that way I can get a good idea of what they will be like once I commit them to silver.

YorkAvenueStudio:  Tell me some things about you that you are proud of accomplishing, dared to try or on your Never Again list.

Adornyourself:  I was very proud to have had a “one person” show at our local art gallery several years ago.

Never try again: demonstrating torch firing at a local music festival and art sale.

Adornyourself Pottery Craft Sale Display

YorkAvenueStudio:  Do you participate in craft fairs or shows?  Stories to share, tips on booth

Adornyourself:  My main outlets for selling now are wholesale to shops, galleries, and maybe one major craft sale a year. I find our local farmer’s market and open houses through friends are my best profit generators.

I have done craft shows for many years and my stories would likely be a whole other blog post.

The funniest anecdote I can tell you all happened at a folk music festival last summer.  My adult children were helping me out at my booth when my daughter noticed a woman openly breastfeeding her baby while trying to sell her work.  They both made comments to the effect that they felt that the time and place were inappropriate when the fellow in the next booth to mine piped up and said, “ I remember your mother breast feeding you at this festival some 20+ years ago, don’t knock it, it gets the job(s) done.”  Total silence from my kids.

YorkAvenueStudio:  When you are not working with clay, what keeps you busy?  Other hobbies, interests, goals?

Adornyourself:  I love to cook and bake.  I’m a Food Network junkie and I constantly try out things on my husband and our youngest son.  I also love to garden and my husband and I have a big garden every summer.  We rent a booth at a local farmer’s market where we sell our produce, my pottery and baking, and of course my jewelry.

We have a dachshund named Cashmere who needs to be walked LOTS!

Goals: Finish my BFA…maybe? Keep creating…. Yes!

YorkAvenueStudio:  How can readers find you? 

Adornyourself:   My primary web presence:

Etsy Shop

http://www.adornyourself.etsy.com/

Flikr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonewear/

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1342327795

If you are lucky enough to live near Kathy in Manitoba, Canada, here are some local shops and galleries that you may find her designs:

Poor Michael's Bookshop Art & Cafe
http://poormichaelsbooks.ca/

The Cinnamon Tree

934 Rosser Ave, Brandon, MB R7A 0L4

Dundee Designs
http://store.dundeedesigns.com/

Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba
http://www.agsm.ca/

***************************************



If you want to contact Kathy regarding her pottery and jewelry, please visit her shop on Etsy Adornyourself and use the contact link.

Now for the details on how to enter the Giveaway!

Contest runs from April 14th thru May 6th, 2011.  There are several ways to enter the contest.  Each point below will count for one entry, please leave a separate comment below this post for each of your entries, and your email so I can reach the winner.  If you'd prefer, send your comments to me by email.   Enter once or enter with all the possible ways! 

Followers of my blog will be entered automatically without a comment necessary!

Limited to US and Canada mailing address and must be over 18 years old.  Winner will be selected on May 7th and announced on my blog!  Revisit on May 7th to see the winner!



1.  Browse Adornyourself Shop on Etsy and mark your favorites with a "heart" and leave a comment about items you like.

2.  Browse Adornyourself on Flikr and comment on your favorite photos.
3.  Post a link on YOUR site to this Giveaway to spread the word, and comment below with your site link so I can visit you!

Have fun and Good Luck!  I've enjoyed introducing you to designer and artist Kathy McDonald and it was a pleasure to show off her pottery and jewelry!





Pottery Pie Plate Baking Dish by Adornyourself

And the Winner is.........!

Thank you all for participating in my recent Giveaway!  I'm happy to announce the winner of the Genuine Amethyst Silver Heart Necklace - Congratulations Ardy22, you Won!

I am also excited to announce the next Giveaway starting April 14th.  Be sure to enter for your chance to win.  I will be featuring jewelry designer Kathy McDonald, who is also a clay potter from Manitoba, Canada.  She will be offering a solid pure silver pendant that she designed using Silver Art Clay as well as a gorgeous hand-thrown pottery  mug!  Followers of my blog will automatically be entered!  More ways to enter will be detailed in my post on April 14th.

Here is the original post for the Giveaway for anyone who would like to read all the great comments on how so many great readers select which colored gemstones to buy and why.
Original Post:
http://yorkavenuestudio.blogspot.com/2011/03/jewelry-giveaway-genuine-amethyst.html

Selecting a gem based on birthstone seems to be a pretty popular way of choosing gemstones, whether it is the buyer's gem or for a loved one.  I love the sentiment of wearing a birthstone of someone close to me!

Another top method to pick gemstones was to select and buy what you loved or what spoke to you.

I really enjoyed the comments and I've added some replies at the end of today's post.

Genuine Gemstone and Marcasite Rings by York Avenue Studio

The photo above is from my Fall 2010 Collection that was very popular.  I've decided to keep a few Marcasite items listed in my Etsy Shop because I love making them!

I usually select which gems to buy based on their initial beauty and WOW factor.  I also am attracted to unusual gems with great stories of how rare they are or how they formed naturally in some remote location of the Earth!

I have amazing sources for my gems that I trust for their quality and expertise and occasionally they happen to offer limited gems that are extraordinary and I just can't resist!  I'm selective and only collect gems with highly rated clarity and cut.  I sometimes come across a gem that has a unique cut that intrigues me on what type of setting to use.  I personally prefer stones with generous depth, not flat.  I'm not too fond of gems drilled with holes, but have found some that I do think are done well and look great.

My favorite gem has always been Ruby, which a few of you also picked.  My preference is more of a pinker red than bright red.  That pinkish red hue always catches my eye for a second look.

I'm not a fan of the glass-filled Ruby, where the natural fissures are filled with glass to make the appearance more clear.  Those should always be disclosed to the customer, so buyer beware!

Rubies are the hardest colored gem.  They are in the Corundum family, as is Sapphire and their hardness is second only to the diamond!  However, a heavily included stone will chip or crack if it is hit hard enough in the wrong spot.  Corundum material that is red is called Ruby, and all the other colors are called Sapphire.  There is some debate on how pinky-red a stone can be to be called Ruby rather than Pink Sapphire.  I've also seen bright orange material labeled Red Sapphire, so there is some personal opinion on what is a true Ruby.

Birthstone gem charts are a great way for dividing up the colored gems into easy to pick categories and may have been "invented" by a jeweler to sell more colored gems, I don't know?!  But it sure does make great gifts.  It shows that the gift was selected specifically for someone and that makes them feel special.  I love that I can offer birthstone gems at the same or less price as fake gems.  Sometimes, the lab gems are more expensive!  Which brings me to the next point.

Blue Topaz Heart Ring by York Avenue Studio

I started my shop on Etsy because I love gemstones and I wanted to see my gems and wear my gems, not keep them in baggies or containers.  The gems I use are real and gorgeous.  The settings are selected to show off the gem and are somewhat simple and that makes the jewelry affordable.  I'd rather have a genuine Blue Topaz Heart that is a nice size and keep the setting simple without borders of tiny diamonds, but that's just me.  I also think about the real-life wearability and whether the ring would get caught up in a sweater or be impossible to clean if I forgot to take it off and made meatloaf!

Tiny Kitty Cat on Magic Wand with Genuine Tanzanite by York Avenue Studio

I designed my Signature Series in Silver so I could show off the gemstones in a pure silver setting that I had complete control over.  Little pond creatures (turtles, snails and dragonflies) and my new favorite Tiny Kittys, I love making these designs for the gems.  I use metal clay, which feels just like clay and create the designs from drawings and my sketches.  Once torched, the clay burns out leaving pure silver and is shiny and gorgeous.  The clay allows for endless creativity for shape, size, texture, words and gemstone settings.

Thanks again for joining me in this Giveaway and sharing your gemstone comments.  The contest may be over, but I would love to hear more comments on your favorite gemstones or how you select which gems to buy.
Kathy
P.S.  Here are some replies to comments left on gemstones, wish I could reply to all of them, as each one gave me an idea:

Ardy22, you said your favorite color gem was deep green and the cut is important.  I instantly pictured Chrome Diopside when I read that.  Such a clear, colorful, rich green gem.  I'd love to add some to my collection, too!

Aubrey, you said you love anything with great sparkle.  I am just like that, too.  My eye goes right to anything that sparkles.  One day, I saw a glint on the floor of a hotel room, it was a loose diamond!  I turned it into the frontdesk in hopes the owner would come back.

Belinda, you said Aquamarine is not easy to find in a style or setting that appeals to you.  I know what you mean.  That's a challenging stone with the pale blue color, everything seems to distract or overpower it, yet simple settings just don't say WOW enough for me.  Now you got me thinking.....

Betty C, you choose Sapphires and that made me think about the stunning Red Sapphire, which was bright orange, that I recently used in a ring.  I couldn't stop looking at the color and Sapphires have so many colors!

Cody, you choose Sphene.  Not a well known gem, but amazing, like you said!  The dispersion (fire) is higher than diamond, but the material is very weak and super difficult to work with, sensitive to heat, not an easy gem to make into wearable jewelry.  Gorgeous and very collectible!

hbbs55, your story of Fire Opals reminds me of a ring I designed with bright orange Fire Opals as accents to the main stone, a White Opal.  The colors played so nice together!

Janie, you said you look for the uniqueness of a gem.  I also love discovering gemstones that look different and have special features, like colored lines, geometric patterns or colors that are unusual.  It's amazing what Nature makes!  Charoite, for example, is bright purple with shimmers that look like man made eyeshadow, but it's natural, amazing!

Kathy D, your story of your mom's ring was great!

Peg42, your post was so sweet!  I feel the same way about my kids' birthstones, very sentimental about their gemstone because it represents them and that makes the gems special!

Willowtree, you said the design is the main attracting feature and I agree that the setting design can either make it or break it for me.  That's probably why you are such a great jewelry designer!  A great setting for a great gem is irresistible!

New Free Tutorial - Zebra Stripe Copper Post Earrings by York Avenue Studio

New Free Tutorial!  Zebra Stripe Copper Post Earrings by York Avenue Studio

Zebra Stripe Copper Earrings by York Avenue Studio

This tutorial is a follow up to the Tutorial for Zebra Stripe Polymer Clay Cane.  Using the zebra cane slices, you can make these animal print earrings!






Zebra Stripe Copper Post Earrings by York Avenue Studio



Recycled copper circle earrings with bold black and white zebra print, handmade with my own original design. I created a zebra pattern with polymer clay and used slices of a reclaimed copper tube to fashion these gorgeous post stud earrings. Great care was taken to polish the clay to shine like gemstones and the pattern continues through the back of the earrings, which means there is no skin contact with the copper!

The tiny circles are ½ in diameter and the posts are sterling silver with comfort backings. Each earring weighs 1.5 grams, nice lightweight yet solid sturdy design.

I have these for sale in my Etsy Shop, but for those fellow crafters that follow me, here are the steps to make a pair for yourself!

Materials for Zebra Stripe Copper Earrings

The photo above shows what I started with:

1.  Zebra print polymer clay, which you only use 4 slices
2.  Extra clay, junk clay, enough to fill the copper circle
3.  2 copper tube slices - I will tell you how I made mine in a second...
4.  Sterling silver posts and backings
5.  The greatest tool - a toothpick!
6.  Sandpaper - 400grit, 600grit, 1200grit, 2000grit
7.  Dremel rotary tool with polishing wheel

I started by slicing my copper tubing.  I had saved this 6 foot piece when we had a new dishwasher installed, it was the water line and was tossed out to the curb.  I grabbed it for "someday" and stored it.  I used a little handheld pipe cutter from Lowe's working with leather gloves.  I sanded the edges smooth.

The ridges shown on the sides of the copper in the later photos is my inexperience with cutting pipe.  The tool cuts a groove and as the tool is wound around the pipe, I tightened it and went around again, tighten and around, etc. until the pipe is cut through.  My groove was off a bit, well alot and made several grooves, but eventually cut clean though!  I actually like the "stripes" because they match well with the zebra theme!

Next, I rolled the spare clay (brown) into a log that would fit the center of the circle and with the copper circle flat on the table, smashed the clay down to the bottom, leaving spare above the top rim.  I took the sterling silver earring post, mine has a ball and loop, and pressed it into the clay on the bottom until the ball and loop sunk enough and then covered it with clay, using the toothpick as a roller.  Then, I turned the copper ring on the side and sliced the clay on the top rim flush and flat.  The baked clay will hold the post in place.

The zebra slice is then centered over the post and pressed thru and down to rest on the back.  Trim the spare clay to leave a nice circle on the backside.  For the front, the zebra slice is pressed on and trimmed.

I baked mine at 265 degrees for 25 minutes and let cool.

Sand with 400grit, then 600grit, then 1200grit and 2000grit.  Finish up with the dremel tool.

Zebra Stripe Copper Earrings by York Avenue Studio

I really love the contrast of the zebra to the copper metal.  These are so fun to make and done in no time.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and spread the word to family and friends who enjoy handmade jewelry.



Kathy

NEW! Tiny Kitty Moon and Shore Necklace by York Avenue Studio

Below is a photo I took one morning on a walk at the shore, just down the road from my home.  The New York skyline isn't in this frame, but just off to the right.  I'll add that photo in a minute......

photo by York Avenue Studio - Jersey Shore Beach - "Treasure Strewn"

My inspiration for this necklace started at the beach. I live on the Jersey Shore and on my morning walks I see the long line of treasures that are left on the sand after the tide goes out. I wanted to make a necklace that represented the beautiful assortment of “finds” from the ocean.

The focal is a tiny kitty sitting on a crescent moon that I made with black and white polymer clay, polished to shine like a gemstone. The moon is antique brass wire that I hardened by hammering and the kitty slides on the wire. At the top of the pendant is a cherry pink quartz and pearl flower with a turquoise blue howlite gemstone drop.

I selected some beads that were the colors and shapes best suited to make what I had in mind and then literally scattered them on my bead mat to imitate how the waves would leave rocks and shells on the sand.  That was fun!  I walked away for a bit, came back, and still liked it!  If you've made jewelry, then you might know what I'm talking about.  Sometimes, when going back to a project, you say to yourself, "What was I thinking!"  This was one of the good times when I was still onboard with the design, so I got to work on the assembly!

Along with the white and black genuine pearls and the Swarovski crystal beads, I’ve tucked in some little treasures: Purple Iolite gemstones, copper moon/dream charms, Abalone shell, brass links and a hand-beaded star with black pearl center.








It's exactly what I was hoping for!  Eclectic, bold, sparkly and to me, wonderful!

Tiny Kitty Moon and Shore Necklace by York Avenue Studio

Tiny Kitty Moon and Shore Necklace by York Avenue Studio

I think this would make a perfect gift for a fellow cat lover, an art teacher or someone who enjoys the ocean shore!

I'd love to hear what your reaction is and whether you love it or hate it!  Leave a comment, please!

Lastly, here is the photo with the NYC skyline, tiny, but follow the end fence post up with your eyes and just on the horizon you'll start to see the bridge, buildings, etc.  Not bad from Jersey!  (Click the photo - larger view)

photo by York Avenue Studio - Jersey Shore - "Wood Fence Post"