October Nature Challenge Winner and End of Year Challenge...

Congratulations Jerry Lee Cruthird from Jerry's Bead Gallery! You have won the October Nature Challenge with your wonderful beaded necklace! Here is the winning entry picture.  
I think all will agree that you captured the colors wonderfully!  It was a very close challenge this month!  Gerry you will be receiving  a 4oz Mayco Classic Crackles Transparent (cc101) and China Sea(cc108) Glaze,  a Loew Cornell acrylic handle brush set and a $10 gift certificate to your favorite online pottery supply store. I'll contact you soon for all the details. If you have a moment, please share your thoughts while creating this wonderful piece.

 Inspiration in Clay Challenge!

• -Each month we will offer a new inspirational picture.
• -Create  a design in a way that you interpret.
• -Pottery clay must be used and it's your choice if you'd like to incorporate it into a finished piece of jewelry.
• -Designs must be your own creation
• -Email a picture of it with your contact information,  with the details and your thoughts about  creating your design.  Put a little info about you too…web/blog info, years working w/clay,etc.
• -A collage will be created including everyone's submitted pictures  and posted on the blog  for you all to vote on.  We will post the winning piece/designer and details after the votes are in! It's simple! Just need a digital camera and a crafty mind!
• -A winner will be chosen each  month after the challenge deadline and will receive a wonderful prize!
• -Please have your pictures submitted by December 15th. 
• -Email to :   natureclay@beadsofclay.org with " Nature Challenge" on the subject line
• -All pictures submitted could possibly be reposted on the BOC related sites.
• Please vote for your favorite. Don't worry!  We'll send you a reminder when we post the entries!

Here is the November/December Challenge picture: 

             Snowman With A Summer Coat  

by Freiberg painter & graphic artist Holger Koch,Germany

The winner for this event will receive A $10 Gift Certificate from Bisque Bead Supply and a $10 gift certificate from an online pottery supply store of your choice.  

We welcome you to donate your pieces to the BOC Etsy Site which is helping to raise funds for fun programs like this .  If anyone is interested in donating a prize, please send a note to the email below.

I would also love to receive pictures of inspiration to use for the upcoming challenges.  Please  email  pictures  to natureclay@beadsofclay.org with "Inspiration Pics" on the subject line.  We may just use it!

I  see this challenge opening up our minds to think in different directions.  I'm excited to see what new pathways each of your designs & way of thinking will send me! I'm excited to get into this project...

Hope you all will join me~

Melinda Orr

Melinda Orr Designs

  

Here are October Nature Challenge Entries

I love the colors in the entries this month! Great ideas!

Please take a moment to vote for your favorite.  To vote, please email your favorite picture selection October Challenge  A, B, or C to natureclay@beadsofclay.org 
by Sunday November 14th. Please feel free to add comments, ideas or suggestions as well! 


October's winner will receive a 4oz Mayco Classic Crackles Transparent (cc101) and China Sea(cc108) Glaze,  a Loew Cornell acrylic handle brush set and a $10 gift certificate to your favorite online pottery supply store!  

Here is October's Challenge picture. With the upcoming holidays, November and December will be combined.  The details will be posted soon!   Thanks to all who participated...great pieces! Those of you who didn't get in this time, join us for November and December's  Nature Challenge.... it's been fun and will open your mind to new ideas!

Good luck and don't forget to vote!

September Nature Challenge Winner!

Congratulations Gail Barnett from "My Studio on the Lake"! I think you will all agree her (C) entry was a wonderful interpretation of the September Challenge picture.  It captured the essence completely!  September's prize is a bottle of Spectrum Glaze Crystals -Cro8 Reactive Blue and a $10 gift Certificate for bisque ware from Bisque Bead Supply!  Thanks to all who submitted entries...they were all inspiring! Below is the winning entry picture and the note included from Gail.

"Thought I wasn't going to make it - I thought 
it would NEVER stop raining here 
in Kansas City. I love doing all 
of these challenges! Hope you like 
it as much as I enjoyed making it!"  


Gail Barnett 
My Studio On The Lake 
Crystal Lakes, Missouri  
Details: Low fire , stains, velvet underglazes,clear 
glaze and copper wire.


Gail...I'll be in touch in a few days to get the prizes to you!
Hope you're all thinking of ideas for Octobers' Nature Challenge...
Everyone enjoyed the first challenge and we had over 30 votes!


Melinda

October Nature Challenge

Nature's Inspiration in Clay Challenge!

Sharleen had a great post in the BOC blog a few weeks ago  on "Saturday's with Sharleen" about nature inspiring your clay work.  After reading  through, I started thinking  about how I could use these pictures in my own clay designs.  Then  I wondered how Sharleen might interpret her pictures and work them in to her designs.  Which led me to the thought…each of us will interpret these ideas in different ways using different clay,  glaze, shapes and impressions.  Making a mold or handforming …then put them to use in different ways.  It would be really interesting to see how each of us creates  a design from the same image.  

We've received terrific pieces for September and posted them today for everyone to view and vote on! 

Nature's Inspiration in Clay Challenge!

• -Each month we will offer a new inspirational picture.
• -Create  a design in a way that you interpret.
• -Pottery clay must be used and it's your choice if you'd like to incorporate it into a finished piece of jewelry.
• -Designs must be your own creation
• -Email a picture of it with your contact information,  with the details and your thoughts about  creating your design.  Put a little info about you too…web/blog info, years working w/clay,etc.
• -A collage will be created including everyone's submitted pictures  and posted on the blog  for you all to vote on.  We will post the winning piece/designer and details after the votes are in! It's simple! Just need a digital camera and a crafty mind!
• -A winner will be chosen each  month after the challenge deadline and will receive a wonderful prize!
• -Please have your pictures submitted by October 31st. 
• -Email to :   natureclay@beadsofclay.org with "September's Nature Challenge" on the subject line
• -All pictures submitted could possibly be reposted on the BOC related sites.
• -Please go to the website after October 31st, to vote on your favorite creation. Don't worry! We'll send you a reminder when we post the entries!

 October's Challenge:

Autumn Glow

:by Melinda Orr Designs

We're excited to be offering cool tools, glaze, stamps, surprises and more for prizes.  Good luck! Can't wait  to see your inspirational ideas!

We welcome you to donate your pieces to the BOC Etsy Site which is helping to raise funds for fun programs like this .  If anyone is interested in donating a prize, please send a note to the email below.

I would also love to receive pictures of inspiration to use for the upcoming challenges.  Please  email  pictures  to natureclay@beadsofclay.org with "Nature Pics" on the subject line.  We may just use it!

I  see this challenge opening up our minds to think in different directions.  I'm excited to see what new pathways each of your designs & way of thinking will send me.

Now…open that big beautiful mind and  get creative!  The clock is ticking...

Melinda Orr

Melinda Orr Designs

Here are September Nature Challenge entries.....

We have some amazing designs in our Nature Challenge this month.  Please take a moment to vote on your favorite! The winning entry will receive a bottle of Spectrum Reactive Blue Glaze Crystals - CR08  http://www.clay-king.com/glaze/spectrumglazecrystals.htm 

To vote, please email me your favorite picture selection A, B, C or D to natureclay@beadsofclay.org  by Friday, October 8th.   Please feel free to add comments, ideas or suggestions as well!  Thanks to all who participated...great pieces!  Those of you who didn't get in this time, join us for October's Nature Challenge.... it's been fun and will open your mind to new ideas!