Joy, I've discovered Podcasts

Being a person that loves to absorb new knowledge and also enjoys technology I finally decided to check out podcasts.  I'd heard about the NPR podcasts and one podcast that got me into this new form of news  was Design*Sponge After the Jump.

Anywho, podcasts are a great way to have background noise as well as learn something new while working in the studio.  And several months ago Etsy did a great review of several informative business podcasts.  Now I feel the need to share my list with you!

Me, back when I was DJing at WZMB.  
The best photo I could think of for this post!

1.  After the Jump hosted by Design*Sponge creator Grace Bonney
Even though they haven't held any new 2015 episodes, I highly recommend listening to the older ones as they are SO informative for creative individuals, business owners and creative individuals.  I love Grace's honesty and style of hosting.  She's incredibly curious and fun!

2.  Launch Grow Joy series by Andrea Ayers
Andrea is SUPER knowledgeable in almost all areas of running a small yet successful business.  I've found her series so helpful for everything from blogging, pinterest to contacting editors for features in publications.  Andrea has great guests that are movers and shakers in the small business arena.

3.  Death, Sexy and Money with Anna Sales
I just only started listening to this series but already it's got me hooked.  One episode was super heavy but enlightening on the way siblings love and almost hate each other.  Anna has such a great even tempo voice and ask such probing but gentle questions.

4.  Damn Art Majors with Adam, Sara and Dudders
This one is special as it consists of 3 ECU alumni art students! The three of them get together and discuss all sorts of fun aspects of art, being an artist, comic book love and of course beer.

5. GenNext Jewelers
This one I just discovered and is definitely more an industry insiders look into the jewelry business.  I've found it somewhat informative but also very much from a business perspective.  It may not be for everyone but one that I go to every now and again.

I hope this list get's your interest peeked into podcast, they're fun and a good change up in the studio or office if you're tired of music or just dead silence!

thanks for reading and stay lovely,
Lisette
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A jeweler in her natural habitat

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Becky Parker, a photographer based out of Durham, NC.  My friend Tara Locklear (ya'll know her by now!) had been referring Becky to me for ages and we finally had a chance to meet, here are some beautiful shots Becky took of me in my studio and standing next to my jewelry cases.  

It's not often I get captured working in the studio or presenting my jewelry, it's a great way to show you and my customers what I look like and how I am fabricating pieces.  

In the main gallery at Art Avenue.

I'm really loving this black and white image.  

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Updates and news

Per usual these days I've been more absent from the Eilisain Jewelry blog; summer has those extra added daylight hours that have me walking on the Greensprings parkway of Greenville, grilling with friends and lounging at the pool.  And it has been well needed and deserved!  I hope you are enjoying the summer just as much.

So I have some awesome news...I have an intern! Her name is Katie Powell, pictured down below.  She is so sweet, talented and eager to work with me and learn.  I'm so thankful to have Katie in the studio, I do feel as though my prayers were answered.  Katie is also a maker, she beads jewelry and is selling them this summer at the Uptown Greenville Umbrella Market. 

Katie already hard at work putting sprues on wax models.

In other news Eilisain Jewelry was featured on CIJ International Jewellery's website.  I had the pleasure of meeting Cynthia at the Origins Fair in Italy.  She gave me some great advice as well as insights into trade shows.  Below is the feature. 

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Studio Tour Weekend at ECU

First and foremost, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I don't know what it is about this year but for some reason, I'm so much more in the Autumn/Halloween/festive mood.  I went a bit nuts decorating my apartment and I'll be SO sad to take them down.

Okay, now on to more serious business.  This weekend is the annual artist studio tour hosted by the Friends of ECU School of Art and Design.  Proceeds from the ticket sales go to scholarships for current art students.  And I feel so lucky to be a part of this year's tour.  It's a really fabulous idea considering there are quite a few studios in Greenville and the school is promoting this to the community.  

Jeremy Fineman, ceramicist and co-resident artist, will also be participating with me as we represent Art Avenue.  

Photo by Aileen Devlin. 

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Mercury Studio

I've been following Mercury Studio for awhile now and it's really great to meet the founders and learn more about how they are creating such a welcoming space for entrepreneurs in the Durham area.

I hope you'll help them out with their cause.

And as always, thank you for reading!
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Wax, it's HOT

Some more great photos Aileen Devlin took of me for Art Avenue promotions.  We're still getting the casting studio set up, one step at a time. I'm just SO happy I got my wax inject working with the air filter.  It's amazing how quickly all the costs add up for a studio!

Me, being very careful not to squirt hot wax on my hands. 

close up, keep a plate underneath to collect wax!

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Art Avenue Contemporary Gallery & Studios profile

Just got some really great photos Aileen Devlin took of me for Art Avenue Contemporary Gallery & Studios Facebook page.  It's interesting seeing myself at my bench, I look super serious, which I love!  Aileen is a photographer for the Greenville Daily Reflector newspaper and part time photographer for AA.  She is just one of the amazing and generous volunteers for Art Avenue. 

Some days I can't believe how lucky I am to have landed such a wonderful opportunity to have a studio at Art Avenue and to work with such talented artists like Aileen, Autumn Brown, Andy Denton, Claire Edwards, Jeremy Fineman and Sarah Setzo.  These great people are what make an art community grow and become something bigger. 

Getting ready to grind some castings.

Grinding the excess metal on castings.

Now which stone to choose?

My inspiration table.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed this post!

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New pieces in my Etsy shop

This year is already proving to be very productive; I'm submitting all my papers for a practicing business in the state of North Carolina, I've decided which bank to, finally, open a business account and I've made several new pieces of jewelry.  

Within the past several weeks I've also been slowly setting up my studio and the metals studio at Art Avenue; getting an air compressor for my wax injector and getting the right tools.  It's costly but fortunately I've made some sales this month already and it helps fund all of this new equipment I need for the studio.  I'm also fortunate that my boyfriends dad is gifting me an oxygen and acetelyne tanks, along with a torch tip system.  It's so wonderful when your family and friends support your dream and do whatever they can to help, I'm a lucky lady!

So enough of studio talk, here are some new pieces I finished this week.  I really love the little geode and crystal earrings.  I've kept those geodes for about 6 months and finally got a chance to make them into something pretty to wear.  Also some new beaver teeth earrings added, these are slightly thinner than previous teeth earrings. 

I hope you like and thank you for reading!

Resurrection earrings - geode crystals (from Points of Light) and quartz crystal points.

The Hunted - Beaver teeth earrings

The Hunted Crow claw pendant with amethyst in bronze.

The Hunted - Triple Crow claw ring with rough aquamarine, 18kt gold plated bronze.

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My new studio space at Art Avenue

Moving out of the ECU metals studio took a bit of a push but once I started packing my stuff I realized that I was very much ready for a new chapter in my life.

I'm so very excited about the possibilities at Art Avenue; currently we're awaiting a city grant to move forward with renovating the space for roughly 10 private studio spaces.   It's so necessary for a recent art graduate to have some kind of working space, which most of us have a hard time finding.  But with Art Avenue, there is so much potential.  Working with Jeremy Fineman, Claire Edwards, Andy Denton and Autumn Brown...it feels fresh and exciting!

And the Gallery space is huge, we have a great location and large windows to showcase handmade artistic work.  I'm praying to the art gods that we receive a blessing in the form of this grant!

Front Gallery

Side wall of gallery.  My pieces are still up!

BEFORE photo of initial set up of my studio (I get my own room!! for now)

AFTER my studio with all my junk!

Jeremy's lovely bowls...I need to get one eventually.

The ceramic side of the 'active' studio

The soldering and kiln area.

And in the most final and exciting news is that i'll be able to set up a casting studio!!! With the help of Autumn and my boss at the Jewelry Dr., I'll have the equipment and space to do it myself.  I love the process of casting, watch the metal melt and turn into something I created...it's powerful.

Stay tuned for more news about Art Avenue and thank you for reading!

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Casting studio

I can't believe I have never done a post about the actual casting station area at ECU! Lately I've been casting almost every weekend, so why not?

I really love casting because you get to manipulate metal and watch it in it's liquid form, it's entrancing and I also enjoy it because you get to share the experience with a partner.  While one person is heating the metal, the other person needs to remove the hot flask from the kiln and place it in the carrier before it's released and the molten metal is shot into the flask. 

Old wax injections and splattered wax...kinda looks like blood.

The dusty centrifuge casting area. I can't wait to one day have my own.

Look at all that splattered metal...lil' mishap.

And the kiln area where we refine metal or do vacuum casting.

 Thanks for reading!

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Emilie Bliguet studio and gallery

Another great video from a Spanish metalsmith. I am loving her gallery and studio...makes me long for one of my own one day and a great video.

Enjoy!
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Jewelry All Day!

This is quite possibly the cutest video of a jeweler working away in the studio.

nabbed fro Ms. Sassy Silver Smith.

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Usual day in the studio

Emilie Shapiro does a nice lil' video on the jewelers task of cleaning up castings...feels like a usual day in the studio for me.




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Dirty little lamb

Such a great name for Laura Wood, Autumn Brown and Matt Amante's studio.

L (Laura) A (Autumn) M (Matt) are having their studio opening/soiree next week, Friday May 6th, for Greenville's Uptown Art Walk. I'm psyched because I've heard so much from them on how they love working in their studio since graduating and I want to see how they have it set up.

If you live in the Greenville area please come and join us to toast to their new studio and enjoy local art!
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busy as a bee

And I'm loving every minute of it!

Here is a photo of my cuttlefish brooch with coral (red and black).
I was showing my brooch to a classmate and she held it in different angles, that I hadn't even considered, so I took a photo of it in a different position.

Then I began to play around with making a ring out of some white coral that I also found in Panama. The shank is a cuttlefish cast piece that didn't exactly come out perfect however, I found that I really love the imperfections.

I'll be working on the ring this week.
I didn't work today in the law office (my other part time job), so I had lots of time to work and play. I just LOVE being in the studio. So much energy swirls around me, with other students getting excited about their projects. It's invigorating.
And I added more water cast silver to my black branch coral bracelet. I swear I'm obesessed with it. Pin It

First day back in school

And I'm jazzed to dig into them!

I'm taking mixed media with Bob Ebendorf which is always a treat, Wood survey, Casting I with Tim Lazure and art history.

3 studios in one semseter. I can handle it. Pin It

Inside Alexis Bittar's studio

Great short interview with CFDA Accessories Designer of the Year Alexis Bittar and view of his studio which is NOT in China but Brooklyn, NY.



I really like it that his company has all their jewelry made in house and in the states!

via Fashionista. Pin It