Joshua Staar and Autumn Bradley Go On Tour...

I'm going on tour!

Well, my jewelry is at least. 

I've recently teamed up with Joshua Staar, a Chicago-based musician, to create a couple of pieces for his upcoming tour. 

He approached me a few weeks ago with some ideas.  After a few conversations, a vision, and a torch this is what we came up with...

Pretty cool, right?

I had a blast collaborating with Josh on these.  It's always so awesome when music and metal come together, and this is our version of just that. 

If you would like to have a little piece of our collection they can be purchased exclusively on Josh's tour. 

Can't make it out?  You can still get your hands on these by contacting Josh.  

For more info visit his site

http://www.joshuastaar.com/

Be sure to check out Josh's music on...

iTunes

and like him on...

Facebook

and follow him on...

Twitter



Earth Day 2012

One of my favorite holidays is coming...Earth Day! 

I love that there's a day dedicated to the Earth (even though I think everyday should be) so I decided to make a piece of jewelry to honor this. 

Actually 30 pieces, but we'll get to that.

I wanted this piece to be as eco-friendly as possible and something that would remind people to do their part to keep the Earth clean.  I decided on an awareness ribbon bracelet made from recycled sterling silver, handmade paper beads (made from leftover wrapping paper), and 100% natural biodegradeable hemp. 

I mean, a person couldn't litter on the street or throw their recylables into the regular garbage while wearing this thing right?  It would be right there staring at them, making them feel guilty!!  :)

With my design down I was ready to begin working on my 30 pieces. I started by making the paper beads.  Mom contributed by sending me some leftover green wrapping paper.  I cut the paper into strips, glued, rolled, and sealed.  After a few days of drying they were ready to use.

In the meantime, I kept myself busy by sawing out 30 tiny ribbons and 30 tiny rectangles.  After many, many hours of sawing, filing, & trashing, they were ready for soldering.  Then I wove and wove and wove.  Finally, my 30 bracelets were finished!

These 30 pieces, along with work from an elite group of artists from The Artisan Group, will be combined to make up a fabulous gift bag for some of Hollywood's most high-profile environmentally concious celebrities including...

  Jeremy Piven, Tom Hanks, Bill Maher, Adrian Grenier, Kate Bosworth, P!nk, Leonardo DiCaprio, Dave Matthews, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Daryl Hannah, Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Orlando Bloom, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Hartnett, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Alicia Silverstone, Courteney Cox, Cameron Diaz, KT Tunstall, Mark Ruffalo, and Edward Norton.

So yeah, I'm pretty excited for the opportunity to contribute to this event. 
I'm also beyond honored that my bracelets will be included with the work of these talented artists...
http://www.sariblue.com/
http://mossycreeksoap.com/
http://www.4blackpaws.com/
http://www.traceygurleybathandbody.com/
http://www.zazzle.com/beezkneez
http://www.sherrysjewelr.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Engelfelt
http://susanharbourt.com/
http://www.rosalbaphoto.com/
http://www.photographybycrystallynn.com/
http://www.releasemecreate.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-wednesday-celebrity-earth-day.html

Spring has Sprung...

It's blogroll time again!

My Aspiring Metalsmiths Team has decided to write about how Spring affects our work as metalsmiths.

My winter days in New York are filled with dark colors, skulls, and spikes sprinkled with a bit of sparkle here and there.  But then again, so are my summer days.  I guess the only thing that really changes is just an occassional pop of color and a slightly more bohemian vibe. 

Here are a couple of examples of the latest additions to my Spring Collection...

Talisman Necklace

(see there's a little color...very little but it's there!)

Custom request from a customer

(if you look closely you'll see a tiny flash of blue in the stone.  just ignore the spikes)

Resin & Antiqued Brass Necklace

(a full on light color!  oh and more spikes, but whatever)

Still a little dark, but that's me.  No sense in trying to change it :)

Take a look at how my fellow metalsmiths feel about Spring...

Steph Stargell stephstargell.com

Lilian girllovesglitter.blogspot.com
Pennee - All Wired Up Jewelry Designs allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
nancycreations nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
SerpentsDanceDesigns dancetothedoor.blogspot.com
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes cjbf.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue http://abellablue.com/blog/
Sylvia Anderson sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Gloria gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com
Amy Estelle amyestellemetalworks.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-has-sprung.html
Esmeralda jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.se/2012/04/signs-of-spring.html