Arrowmont

Hey folks! Here's a link to this summer's metals offerings at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in the mountains of TN. Expect to spend around $1300 for tuition, room and board for a week. Class prices do vary. And you will want to have materials and some tools to work with also, so work that into your budget. They do have a pretty good supply store there and a fun bookstore too! Arrowmont also offers work/study and scholarship opportunities. I have attended Arrowmont workshops twice, learned to solder at Arrowmont! I volunteered for an enameling conference held there in 2005 and I assisted Marlene True in a workshop there in 2006. Arrowmont began as a mountain school founded by the Pi Beta Phi fraternity. My grandmother was one of the first twelve teachers brought in in 1934 to teach mountain children there. The school later became a crafts school in the 60's. Both sets of my grandparents lived in Gatlinburg, so I remember being taken to Arrowmont for visits as a child all through the 70's as it blossomed into a haven for creativity. I can say with confidence that Arrowmont really is responsible for my being the artist I am today.

Rio's Gone Solar

Hey Folks, If you haven't already heard Rio Grande in NM has gone solar! How cool is that?! I have for a long long time wondered why people don't cover everything with solar panels. Especially parking lots! Who wouldn't want their car under shelter from the sun anyway?

Our Illustrious Sara!

I should have done this long ago! Congratulations to Sara Westermark on her necklace project in "30 Minute Necklaces" compiled by Martha Le Van. Run out and get a copy!

Mandala Pendant Class

Melissa Manley will be teaching a day workshop on how to make this pendant,
June 5th at Art Exposure in Hampstead, NC.

"Learn to use a jeweler's saw to create lacy, pierced designs in metal. We'll drill and cut our mandalas from copper. We will then enamel our mandalas with vitreous glass enamel powders. If you have sawing experience all the better! But if not I've had great success helping beginning folks learn to love this essential jeweler's tool. Join us as we get lost in the rhythm of sawing!"
The class is $85

Supply list:
*jeweler's saw and #3/0 blades
*a jeweler's bench pin-I prefer this one:
http://www.contenti.com/products/bench-pins/110-287.html

Optional items:
*small lithium battery powered hand drill if you have one and want to use your own.
Melissa will be bringing a drill.
*small drill bits if you want to use your own drill, but Melissa will bring some.
*thin work gloves if you like.

Melissa will bring lots of tools, copper for the pendant and enamels and her kiln.

So come join in the fun!

Anne's Stones

We had a great time with Anne Kennedy on the 18th. So much so in fact we'd like to have her back again in August! She had gorgeous Kombaba, Deshutes Jasper, Lodalite Labradorite, Fossilized sea urchin, carved walrus ivory, Fossilized coral, Fossilized Tree Fern, Picasso Marble... so many cool things I can't remember them all!
I bought some Ocean Jasper and Sonoran Sunrise (chrysocolla and cuprite together), labradorite. Stay tuned!

Cabohchon Stone Trunk Show!

NC stone dealer Anne Kennedy will be showing us her wares on January 18th at my place on Pine St. She specializes in cabochons stones, bookend cuts and fossil cabs. Her prices are always reasonable. You can walk out with something cool for ten bucks, but I would highly recommend setting aside more because you'll be drooling! I have bought gorgeous mirror image sets of fossil bamboo and fossil coral polished to a beautiful shine for under $30. So if you're local mark your calendar! Time TBA

Kim's New Etsy!

Our member Kim Beller has been taking private lessons with me and has just opened her new Etsy shop! bigstronggirldesigns

Night Metals Class CFCC

FYI: Nick Mowers will be teaching a Metals 1- ART 245 Tues/Thurs nights at Cape Fear Community College in A Building. There is a parking lot close and a guard on the gate of that lot (so very safe). This should be a great class, I highly recommend Nick!

CFM Group Charm Bracelet

Here's our creation for the auction on Saturday at Poplar Grove.









Participating artists:
Kim Beller
(auction organizer)
Samantha Barnett
reborndesignsbysb.com
Deborah Beasley
reddogdesigns.etsy.com
Ellemesse Designs-Libby Cartier (not seen in the above image)
Airlie Moon in Lumina Station
Mitzy Jonkheer
Mitzy Metal
Melissa Manley
melissamanleystudios.com
Rita McCall
bluemoongiftshops/sunraye.htm
Debra Pyeatt
debrapyeatt.com/index.htm
Kee Wilde-Ramsing
jaded1jewelry.etsy.com
Hans Westermark
hanswestermark.etsy.com

A Charming Evening

Join us Oct 21st from 7-10pm at Independent Art Company's Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 North 9th Street for an evening of making cold connected charms for our charm bracelet to be donated to "Colors of the Rainbow" ASAPCares.org auction November 7th at Poplar Grove Plantation. I will bring some tools and scrap metal= copper, brass. If you want to use other metals bring them. Also bring any of your own hand tools. Contact me if you think you might be able to bring any refreshments. If you want to make your charm and merely drop it off that night we'd gladly accept it and connect it to the sterling bracelet. Every donating artist will be credited on our signage at the auction. See you soon! Melissa

Benefit for Autism

This is the benefit we'll be making a charm bracelet for:
Saturday Nov 7th from 12-4 four "handmade" music bands, auction, beer tent, food, pony ridess all free admission! Sounds good to me!

Charm Bracelet Challenge Remix

"For those of you at the last meeting, or that have been following our blog, we were planning on donating a charm bracelet to Dreams for silent auction. We were inviting those who wished to create a charm, which would be gathered together and put into a charm bracelet. We were gonna donate the charm bracelet to Dreams.

However, I found out that Dreams has decided not to have their silent auction this year. So, if you have created your charm and were waiting for us to collect it and put the charm bracelet, this explains why we haven't collected the charms. I talked to Melissa and we thought that we could still do the charm bracelet, but that we would look for a different cause to donate it for.

So what does this mean to you? Well, we can look for a cause where the due date is a better fit for everyone. I'm sure that there are lots of good causes in this area, and surely we will be able to find one that we can make our donation to. Also, with this change, more artists will hopefully be able to participate.

I don't know how many of you had prepared charms for the Dreams event, but hopefully we will be able to find a good fit for CFM and the community. More information will becoming up soon. If you have any questions or comments, join in this discussion. Who knows, your answer may be just the one we have been looking for."

Debra Pyeatt

Charm Bracelet Challenge!

Ladies and Gents, CFM will be making a group charm bracelet to donate for a "Dreams" non profit auction this fall. Everyone is asked to make a charm that has a hole big enough to attach to the bracelet with two jump rings. More info coming on when the Dreams auction will be. Everyone has until September 1st to make their charm. I will collect them at the meeting nearest that time. We'll make a sign that will credit our club and in small print will have each individual's information. More info to come!

Summer Reconnect

Its tonight! We'll get together from 6:30 -8:30 to chit chat, see what everyone's up to and plan some fall stuff, AND to sweeten the pot I thought I'd show and tell about my beads I've had fun doing and demo torch firing.

Sarah Tector

Check out Sarah Tector's new improved website!

Summer Reconnect

Wednesday the 22nd at 6:30pm at Wabi Sabi Warehouse.
Join us for light snacks and beverages at IAC. We'll talk about our move to our new Yahoo group, our future as a club, and maybe meet some new members. I will show and tell about my new enamel beads and answer questions. I have some examples in various stages and I will demo torch firing a bead.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Check out this GREAT Esty featured seller interview with Wilmington metalsmith Sara Westermark.
Way to go Sara!!!!

Wounded Warriors -Metalsmithing?

Hey Folks, If anyone is reading this let me know what you think... I have this seed of an idea. What if we teach Wounded Warriors how to make jewelry and basic metalsmithing?
It will probably require going to Camp Lejeune and taking tools up there. I've made some inquiries anyone interested?

Open Studio Day!

In my personal studio
at Independent Art Company
Thursday May 21st from 2-5pm

$15.00 per person

This is a time that I offer, as a favor, for people who don't have their own studios, and want social time with other metalsmiths, to use my personal studio while I work on my own projects.

YOU MUST HAVE METALS EXPERIENCE!
This is NOT a class!
I will not be instructing, therefore you must know the proper use and handling of the tools. They are my own personal tools, be mindful!

Also, You MUST email
or call 910-538-1246 to sign up
we are limited to the first 5 people due to space.
Bring your own metal and any small hand tools you have like saw, pliers.
I do have 5 benchpins.

Riveting Jewelry Workshop

This will be a RIVETING workshop with me Melissa Manley!




On Saturday March 14th from 2-5pm at Independent Art Comapny's Wabi Sabi Warehouse, 19 North 9th street, I will teach you how to connect metal with cold connections and hand made rivets like the tube rivets pictured here. Fun!!! this is a great thing to learn if you don't have a torch at home. You can make all sorts of jewelry just with a saw and rivets.

Bring
Metal -if you have it. I will have lots of recycled copper and brass pieces. You can buy small sheets of copper and brass at Craft American Hardware near Wrightsville Beach (Across Wrightsville Ave. from the new Harris Teeter). I go in there all the time and buy tiny copper tubing for tube rivets. They know I teach, and send students there. They've been very helpful to people I've sent there in the past. Ace Hardwares often have the same display case with metal sheets strip and tubes in it.

A drink if you need it. We do have a little kitchen with water, fridge and a stove for tea, coffee machine....

Your close up glasses if you're use to using them.

Moolah! I don't take credit cards, so if you want you may pay through paypal on our meetup site here or at paypal bring a check or cash.
Wabi Sabi is located on the corner of 9th and Princess Streets. One block from the Cape Fear Museum. Its the bright blue building with the yellow garage door, can't miss it. We have our own parking across the street.