A Half-Baked Notion

Friday, November 30, 2012

Colour My World... Part 1: Algerian Abstract

*(For some music of the ancient land of Algeria to help set the mood, please scroll down.)*

Welcome to my first post in Erin's and Brandi's Challenge of Color Blog Hop reveal. The participants will be showing their creations inspired by some wonderfully unique palettes: colour-enhanced satellite photos of our planet's geological wonders. We were each offered two choices, and today I'm sharing some thoughts on my first palette of colours:

"What look like pale yellow paint streaks slashing through a mosaic of mottled colors are ridges of wind-blown sand that make up Erg Iguidi, an area of ever-shifting sand dunes extending from Algeria into Mauritania in northwestern Africa. Erg Iguidi is one of several Saharan ergs, or sand seas, where individual dunes often surpass 500 meters-nearly a third of a mile-in both width and height." US Geological Survey. These huge phenomena develop only under particularities of climate and over a million years (the blink of an eye in geological terms!)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get inspired purely by the sand dunes of Algeria, so I did a little design research to uncover some more about this unique North African nation!

Algeria is a country rich with history, culture and art, known for its pottery and intricately woven carpets. The Algerian government has gone to great lengths to pour money into the handicrafts industry. The art of making and decorating with rugs and carpets in North Africa dates back to the Stone Age and began with the Berber people. The Algerian rug is made to be the focal point of the room’s interior decorating. You get the carpet first, and then match everything else to it. These carpets are usually made of goat hair or wool and are generally woven or knotted.

Typical Geometric Rug Motif

An Algerian home is not complete without pottery. The pottery is in different colors and usually has adornments to make it attractive. It is usually a family trade and the knowledge of how to make the pots is passed on from mother to daughter.

Traditional Design

I created a little ornament from (what else?) polymer clay, that pays tribute to the shapes and motifs in the Algerian vessel above and in the common architecture of city buildings shown in the video below (click and enjoy some traditional music, too!)

Algerian Abstract Ornament
November 2012

*(I hope to present my second colour inspiration this weekend, from a satellite photo of Bolivia's Amazon forest.)

Now check out these other designers:

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.ca/2012/11/color-full-world-welcome-to-3rd-annual.html

Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com

Kris Auderer http://strandedinthecity.wordpress.com

Chrizette Bayman http://beadsoupmix.blogspot.com

Lori Bowring Michaud http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com

Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/

Lynsey Brooks http://yellowunicorncreations.blogspot.co.uk

Stephanie Buss http://maxandlucie.blogspot.com

Iveth Caruso http://www.creativeatelier.net/

Shannon Chomanczuk http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com

Lisa Cone http://inspiredadornments.blogspot.com/

Cece Cormier http://thebeadingyogini.com

Lori Dorrington http://lorisglassworks.blogspot.com

Dawn Doucette http://designsbydawnmarie.blogspot.com

Jeannie Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/

Kim Dworak http://cianciblue.blogspot.com/

Beth Emery http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com

Janice Everett http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com

Pam Farren http://www.re-maker.blogspot.com

Donetta Farrington http://simplygorgeous-donetta.blogspot.com

Gloria Ferrer http://judetaama.blogspot.com.es/

Cherrie Fick http://designsinthelight.co

Therese Frank http://www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com

Patty Gasparino http://mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/my-life-under-the-bus/2012/11/third-annual-challenge-of-color.html#comments

Tanya Goodwin http://pixiloo.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html

Ambra Gostoli http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/challenge-of-color/

Jess Green http://tabbiekoshka.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/challenge-of-colour-blog-hop-reveal.html

Denielle Hagerman http://somebeadsandotherthings.com/

Mary Harding www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com

Karla Hartzog http://www.karlakrafts.com/2012/11/here-i-am-late-for-party-as-usual.html

Kim Hora http://www.kimmykats.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Brandi Hussey http://brandigirlblog.com

Emanda Johnson http://artemisiastudio.blogspot.ca/2012/11/color-challenge-blog-hop.html

Jennifer Justman http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.ca/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html

Sue Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.ca/2012/11/challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Ema Kilroy http://emakaye.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-challenge-of-color-earth-as-art.html

Lee Koopman http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/challenge-of-color-blog-hop/

Linda Landig http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/the-challenge-of-color-blog-hop/

Kirsi Luostarinen http://kirsiluokorut.blogspot.com

Cynthia Machata http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.ca/2012/11/challenge-of-color-earth-as-art_30.html

Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca/2012/11/miss-erins-colour-challenge-blog-hop.html

Beth McCord http://www.ebbeadandmetalworks.blogspot.ca/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Mary K McGraw http://mkaymac.blogspot.ca/2012/11/chalenge-of-color-2012.html

Karen Mitchell http://www.overthemoon-design.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-reveal.html

Cheri Mitchell-Reed http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.ca/2012/11/i-was-lucky-to-get-two-beautiful.html#comment-form

Aimee Moisa http://threecatsdancing.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Karla Morgan http://www.texaspepperjams.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-reveal-time.html

Penny Neville http://copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Becky Pancake beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/today-is-reveal-for-challenge-of-color_30.html

Kashmira Patel sadafulee.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-earth-as-art.html

Alice Peterson alice-dreaming.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-challenge-of-color.html

Kayla Potega alice-dreaming.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-challenge-of-color.html

Debbie Price http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/challenge-of-colour-blog-hop-3.html

Bobbie Rafferty www.beadsong.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-rolling-down-river.html

Caron Reid http://caronmichelle.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html

Nicole Rennell http://nicolerennell.com/blog/?p=163

Cynthia Riggs http://cynthsblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html

Andrea Ross silvermapledesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-2012.html

Sally Russick http://thestudiosublime.com/2012/11/29/challenge-of-color/

Annie Scherz http://studioluma.ca/2012/11/challenge-of-color-reveal-day/

Pam Sears http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.ca/2012/11/challenge-of-color-from-space.html

Renetha Stanziano lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Sandra Stein http://sannipanni.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/color-challenge-reveal/

Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com

Tracy Stillman http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com

Sherri Stokey http://www.knotjustmacrame.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-reveal_30.html

Lola Survillo www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color.html

Kay Thomerson kayzkreationz.blogspot.com/2012/11/earth-as-art-color-challenge-from.html

Jo Tinley daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color.html

Emma Todd www.apolymerpenchant.blogspot.com/2012/11/challenge-of-colour-reveal.html

Cory Tompkins www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/11/reveal-day-2012-challenge-of-color.html

Pam Traub www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-blog-hop.html

Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com

Michelle Tucker http://michellescreativemusings.blogspot.com/

Shelley Graham Turner http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com

Monique Urquhart http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/

Rachel Van-Walsk http://balancedcrafts.com/blog

Patti Vanderbloemen http://www.myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com

Lesley Watt http://thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com

Lynn White http://lynnwhitejewelry.com/Lynn_White_Jewelry/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog.html

Joan Williams http://www.lilrubyjewelry.com

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Jewellery for your Inner Geek!

Anyone else out there who grew up reading Popular Mechanics and the Edmund Scientific catalogue? You know, for fun? I was a child of the 60's, well before (widespread) computers in homes and the undreamt-of joys of Internet surfing. You geeks know who you are... I want to share a very cool site called Instructables, which is the ultimate DIY and hack place for us armchair geeks. Their easy to use and PDF-printable step-by-steps run the gamut: Bikes, Boats, Camping, Cars, CNC, Decorating, Electronics, Furniture, Gardening, Green, Home Renovation, Kids, Lamps, Recipes, Science, Solar, Tools, Travel, Wii, and Woodworking.

And yes, they do jewellery. It's under "decorating"... as in decorating ourselves, right? Here are two recent projects in time for Holiday gift-making:

How to Make LED Circuit Board Earrings

Vectorizing Drawings for Laser Engraving and Cutting Jewelry

Click here to go to the Instructables jewelry main page. There are lots of less techie jewellery projects, too.

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Beauty of the Earth...

Coming up this Friday, November 30: the reveal for the Challenge of Color, hosted by Erin of Treasures Found, in collaboration with Brandi of Brandi Girl Blog. Eighty participants will be showing their creations inspired by some wonderfully unique palettes: colour-enhanced satellite photos of our planet's geological wonders. We were each offered two choices, and I'm still deciding whether to do one or both!

I can't wait to see what everyone else has prepared... hope you'll be able to join us as well!

Here's a bonus video... I love this simple and beautiful hymn, which has remained popular since it was written almost 150 years ago:

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon, and stars of light.

For the joy of ear and eye,

For the heart and mind’s delight,

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight.

For the joy of human love,

Brother, sister, parent, child,

Friends on earth and friends above,

For all gentle thoughts and mild.

For each perfect gift of Thine,

To our race so freely given,

Graces human and divine,

Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

7000 Bracelets for Hope Blog Hop

Like many of you, I am always on the lookout for charities that accept gifts of jewellery, so I was pleased when Sue Kennedy of Sue Beads announced a blog hop for the 7000 Bracelets for Hope campaign. This is a promotion by the Global Genes Project, which is one of the leading rare and genetic disease patient advocacy organizations in the world. This non-profit organization accepts bracelet donations to help promote awareness of the unique needs of patients and their families: "Each individual blue bracelet design we receive represents the uniqueness of one of the 7,000 rare diseases."

I've been collecting blue beads for a while so I was grateful for a little motivation to start creating!

All four feature polymer clay focals and glass beads. The cute rainbow heart in number 3 is by Rebekah of Tree Wing Studio, and those are wing dings in number 4 from Genea Beads.

Those flowery focals in number 2 are inspired by Joan Tayler's blog post on making two-sided tiles or wafer beads without fingerprints. And number 1 features a simple fish shape sliced into four pieces. I've still got a ton of blue goodies so I'll try to put together a few more bracelets before mailing them off to the 7000 Bracelets for Hope!

Please visit these other participants, and remember: anyone can donate a bracelet to this worthy cause. You don't have to be a jewellery seller, just have a pair of willing hands and a giving heart!

Beads: Rolling Downhill

KristiBasket - It's a New Day

A Polymer Penchant

First Impression Design

Creative Designs by Cheri

Carefree Jewelry By Lisa

Alankarshilpa

CianciBlue

Sunday, November 18, 2012

LAST CHANCE FOR SOME CHARMERS!

THERE ARE NOW ONLY 24 HOURS LEFT!

Many of the auctions on these beautiful handmade charms will be expiring in one day or less! (Scroll to the bottom for a direct link to Jennifer's eBay listings.) This is your last chance to bid on these great one-of-a-kind creations... and so much variety of style and material:

Ceramic and Polymer Clay