Browsing Category

Community

Your Designs Rock: design contest update

April 5, 2011

Interested in upcoming contests? Visit us on Facebook!

Update on Rings & Things’ design contest

While the hard work is over for the contestants of our 2011 jewelry and design contest, the work for us has just begun!

Our panel of 6 judges is busy scoring this year’s entries, based on 3 criteria:

  1. originality (creative concept)
  2. craftsmanship (skill)
  3. aesthetic appeal

Once the numbers are in, top scorers in all 3 criteria will be contacted and asked to send in their physical entries for the final judging round. (Note: we do not give out scores, so please do not contact us asking for numbers!)


We expect to contact finalists via email between April 8 and April 12. So entrants, watch your inboxes!

For those of you anxiously waiting to see if you’re moving on to the finals, rest assured that our judges know what you’re going through!

Our judges are not only active in the arts-&-crafts community, but are required to have submitted their artwork to competitive juries in the past. They know all about the sweat and mental effort each of our contestants has contributed during the past months!


For those of you who do not make the final round, keep in mind that along the way you’ve gained experience promoting yourself and your artwork—and that’s always useful experience to have!

We love seeing everyone’s creativity and hard work each year, whether it comes from Olathe, Kansas; Maple Ridge, British Columbia; Nizhny Novgorod, Russia or anywhere else your talent might reside.

Congratulations again to our 2011 Early-Bird Drawing winner Sarah Breivis of Juju by Sarah (San Francisco, CA). Click here to see the beautiful goodie bag Sarah received for getting in her entry by February 7.


PS, our New-Entrant Drawing is yet to come! All contestants who entered Your Designs Rock for the first time in 2011 have had their names put into the hat for another chance to win a hand-picked goodie bag. Watch for our New Entrant Drawing winner, along with all contest winners, the first week of June.

Till then, happy designing and keep creating with confidence!

Whatchamacallit?!

December 15, 2010

We’ve been having some fun conversations with our friends in Facebook and Twitter. Stuff like, “What do you call your craft area?” and “For you, is jewelry-making a business, a hobby, therapy, or _____?”

Now, let’s have a conversation here too!

What words do you associate with free jewelry-making information?

(For an idea what kind of info I’m talking about, please look at our info page.)

Leave a comment below, with your suggestion!

Design challenge results: glass bezels, glass tiles

December 3, 2010

Rings & Things just ran a design challenge with several of our Blog Partners. Look what they made!
(Note added on March 30, 2011: also see our next design challenge with brushed copper beads!)

We sent our crafty guinea pigs some packages of Rings & Things exclusive new items: glass bezels and glass tiles.

Krissi Sandvik used these glass findings to frame tiny reproductions of her own paintings:

Krissi-Sandvik-design-challenge-glass-tiles

Click to enlarge!

Armored Hearts came up with the inspiration of using up old beads that were lying around the workshop. They make some really fun patterned designs in resin…

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenege glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Armored Hearts design challenge glass tiles

Juli Nocita took two approaches, layering some ArtChix images into the glass bezels…

Juli-Nocita-design-challenge-glass-tiles-with ArtChix images

…and placing same-size glass tiles and glass bezels together to make an image “box”:

Juli-Nocita-design-challenge-glass-tiles-with glass bezels to make an image box

Suebeads made this magnet set with Tim Coffey special paper:

SueBeads-design-challenge-glass-tiles

Click to enlarge!

Courtney Breul commented, “Loved the bezels, but the clear back can be difficult. You can see the bail.” (So consider covering it up with an image placed inside.) This concern didn’t stop Courtney from making all of these great pendants:

Courtney Breul design challenge glass tiles

Courtney Breul design challenge glass tiles

Courtney Breul design challenge glass tiles Mouse immersed some metal charms in resin on glass bezels…

Mouse-design-challenge-glass-tiles-metal charms

…as well as painting unique designs on paper that she resin-ated onto the back of glass tiles.

Mouse-design-challenge-glass-tiles-painted-paper

She’s also contemplating an experiment where she’ll fuse metal clay onto these!

Faye Hadfield made, among other items, this cute Mom gift for her daughter:

Faye-Hadfield-design-challenge-glass-bezels-and-tiles

What would you do with these exclusive glass tiles & bezels?

Our friend Joyce's other art — on "Miami Ink"

December 2, 2010

I met Rings & Things’ friend Joyce at one of our bead shows earlier this year.

She’s very friendly, very creative, and she has this interesting story (click to watch the video)!

Our friend Joyce's other art -- on Miami Ink

Enjoy!

Want to suggest another “R&T” customer who has an interesting story? Email social {at} rings {dash} things {dot} com !

American Craft Week! October 1-10, 2010

September 17, 2010

Have you made plans for American Craft Week?

From the CERF newsletter:

“American Craft Week is a nationwide, grassroots celebration of American craft. The goal of American Craft Week is to raise broad awareness of, and appreciation for, American craft. Galleries, schools, artists, museums, craft fairs, non-profits and festivals all across the country will be holding events showcasing the work of American craft artists between October 1 and 10. There will be demonstrations, open studios, artist talks and conferences. To see what is happening in your area, or to sign up to participate by hosting an event yourself, visit www.americancraftweek.com.”

Are you planning an American Craft Week event? Feel free to let others know in a comment below!