Doing the Blog hop!

No - this isn't a new dance class I've started while in San Miguel - but I have just tried my first blog linky and blog hop so thought I'd tell you about them and maybe you'll enjoy them too.

I've decided to use a blog hop for all the "bird a week" challenges on my blog.  You can see it in action on this week's blogpost here: "Bird a week #1"

But maybe it takes a bit of an explanation!

A blog linky is basically a blog tool that allows readers to leave a list of links in your blog post that relate to your post.  So for the bird a week challenge, whenever anyone adds a flickr photo to the group or writes a blogpost about their weekly bird, they can add the link to my blog post, so readers can link to all the participants.

A blog hop then, is a shared blog linky in that everyone who adds their link to the linky, can also add the whole list to their blog post too. Any new entries to the blog list are then automatically added to all the blog posts.

I know it sounds a little confusing but when you see it in action - it's a lot simpler!  Here's what it looks like on my first "bird a week" post:

Now if Joy or Lorena want to add this list to their blog post, they just click on the "get the code here" and insert it at the end of their blog post.  If someone adds to my linky, they automatically are added to all the linkys!


See - clear as mud!!!


Hmm. Maybe I'll try this on my merry go round posts too, so it's easy to link through to everyone's posts. 

Join the Bird A Week challenge

Want to challenge yourself?  Why not join my "Bird a Week" challenge for 2011.  The goal is to create a different bird each week, using any media you like.

It is a personal challenge - no strict rules, no police - just a way to encourage us to keep those birdies coming - and hopefully end up with 52 different birds each at the end of year and a greater appreciation of birds!

I have formed a flickr group -  Bird a Week - where we can all post our weekly photos of our creations and also a list of blogs for those of us who may blog about what we are doing and what others in the group are doing.

If you yourself don't make/create birds and know someone who does - please forward along the link to them. It would be nice if we had a group of us working together. Thanks for spreading the word. Any media works.

Get birding!

Any questions, just let me know.

A bird a week challenge

I realized last year that I seem to do well and enjoy having challenges for myself. For example, I started the year with "a month of earrings" where for  February and March I made an earring a day, then I had the master muse challenges every couple of months..... I like the "pressure", if you can call it that - to make and complete something even if sometimes it can get frustrating.

So a thought that has been running through my head this last month or so is to challenge myself to a "A Bird a Week".  The "bird a week" idea means that I have a goal to create a different bird - in any media I like - each week.  I find birds so inspiring and I would like to try making birds in different media and thus this challenge would be an opportunity to "study" birds in more depth, looking at different species or styles etc.

What would be even better would be if others joined in too........how about it? You know you birdie types out there....Wanna join the challenge and create a bird a week? See if we can come up with 52 different birds in 2011? Let me know... We can set up a Flickr group.... and share our creations.  It would be fun.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Oh oh, better start thinking about this week's birdie now......

Merry Go Round - Photo Inspiration Challenge

It''s time for another ride on the merry-go-round! Jump on and join a group of 9 artists/crafts-women as they link around the world and tell you a little about their lives in art and craft.

This month's topic is a photo challenge.  We all submitted a photo and then we voted on the one we found most inspiring.  Our challenge was then to create something inspired by the photo. 

Here is the photo that got the most votes:

The colors seemed such an important part of the photo so I decided to not use silver but get back to doing some anodized aluminum or anodised aluminium - depending where you live!

Here are the earrings that I made - inspired by the photo:

I think they capture the "happy"  and "fun" style of the photo too.

They are very slightly domed so circles, on circles, on circles..

I hope you'll check out how the happy water balloon photo inspired the other merriers by clicking on the links below.  We live in many different places around the world which means different time zones so some may post later than others.

Thanks for looking.

Alison at Tweed Delights - http://idreamoftweed.blogspot.com
Mitsy at ArtMind - http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com
Kim at Vilt a la Kim - http://viltalakim.blogspot.com
Sara at Crafts of Texture - http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com  
Fabienne at Easterya Jewellery Creations - http://easterya.blogspot.com
Mariana at Florcita - http://www.florcita.eu/
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent - http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com
Lily at Lily Pang Art and Design - http://lilypangart.blogspot.com

A Month of Earrings

I joined a "challenge" at the beginning of the month.  It is to make 30 pairs of earrings by April 1st....that means you make on average, one earring a day throughout February and March.  I thought it would be good to join in - because I tend to make more necklaces than earrings and also because I have very few pairs of earrings myself!

You've seen some of my first 6 entries so far, in other posts, but I'll collate them all here.....and show you the new ones as they come along in future posts.

As I have only 6 pairs so far  and it's the 15th, I need to finish off a few more that have just come out of the kiln to keep up to date!

You'll notice that a couple of them are a different style for me.  They are created by coloring anodized aluminum.  I'll explain more later in another post....

There are 15 of us in the challenge and you can see all the earrings so far on our flickr group here.  If you fancy joining in - you still can.....you've only got 15 days to catch up :-)

Nesting Place

So what do the words "nesting place" mean to you? Have you found yours? That little safe place.... for nurturing, flourishing, .....a place where you can find your wings......a place to share...


The Etsy Metal Clay team is having a challenge for it's member to create a piece using hinges. I've done several jewelry pieces with hinges before, but many of the team haven't, so it's a good opportunity to try something new. Even though I've already made some hinges, I thought I'd join in...so this little piece "Nesting Place" is my challenge piece, showing a little songbird sitting on the perch of a birdhouse.

Here is the back, so you can see the hinge.


And like all good birdhouses, it does open up....


And if you peer inside ......you'll see three little eggs on a nest.


All the hinge challenge pieces will be shown on our etsy metal clay blog, so when that is up, I'll link through to it, so you can see lots of hinged jewelry!


Have a great evening in your nesting place.