Project Runway: Season 1: Episode 1:

Oh here we are again for Project Runway Season 8!

See the first episode on MyLifetime here.

 We hear it is going to be a very emotional dramatic season per the gossip forums, and I hope hope hope the challenges are more like the older PR seasons, more wacky wacky please! I will be crossing my fingers every week! SO, a little birdie gave us (EtsyMetal team) a heads up on what the first challenge was going to be, so it gave us 2 extra weeks to prepare. On the show, the challenge was to:

"The designers must use a garment from another designer's suitcase to create a new look." SO we had members sign up and submit scrap metal they wanted to give up and we drew names. We traded and we all gave new life to someone elses scrap, we recycled their garbage into new wonderful pieces of jewelry! I will be blogging for the team as all the pieces roll in and I will add a link here as soon as it is done.

I drew jewelry designer Kira Ferrer, she gave me 3 water casting drops and 2 panels of sheet with soldered wire on it. I didn't have a game plan at all before I started and was hoping the pieces would reveal themselves to me. I took her water drops and smashed them with a hammer to start the flattening process, then I put them into my rolling mill to get a smooth uniform finish. When I pulled them out I saw very unique beautifully inspiring patterns! I then held them and pondered for a long time. I then thought I would bezel set them. I made the bezels and then it all slowly fell into place, I just kept seeing flowers, I wanted them to be a set, so I kept all the concept the same but worked with each as an individual. I am very happy with how they came out. I also have started on the 2 panels she gave me, they will be earrings and I will post them here as soon as they are finished :) 

8.10.10

 "Oh My God, It's a Double Rainbow"

earrings are done!

Two pairs! I sawed apart the panels Kira gave me and I have had that hilarious video from YouTube on my mind since I saw it, I sit and giggle evreytime I hear it in my head, so to honor him and make perfect use of Kira's scrap I made these earrings! I hope you watch the video, it takes a bit to load but it is really funny, supposedly he is not on any drugs, hard to believe but makes it even more cuter than ever than! here is the video link to... "Oh My God, It's a Double Rainbow"

NEXT weeks Episode 2: "Larger than Life!"

*see My Lifetime video here.
The Project Runway Challenge: The designers were asked to create a look that defines the Marie Claire woman. The winning look will be featured on a "billboard" in Times Square.
The EtsyMetal Translation: To make a mini billboard, use a base of 1 x 2" inches of any material and build your piece on or around this rectangle shape!

See you next week! Thanks for visiting my blog :)

Little Bounty of Booty coming!

A very small offering this week so far. I am particularily fond of the triptych of three flowers I have been working on for the last 2 days. They were from my first Project Runway Challenge this week, yes I am late these were due yesterday, oops. I will be blogging on it soon, gotta run!

thanks for peeking in!

Blog Carnival: August 2010

"So what is a Blog Carnival you ask?”

It is EtsyMetal members who write an article on the same topic on the first Monday of each month.

*the picture below is from the Sockeye 2009 Salmon season, Sara and David of NakNek Seafood brought back this booty of roe for me and boy was my family in heaven, it will be a famous food year to remember for sure, thank you!

August Topic: Food for Thought...

...as the sun gently sets it illuminates the frozen soon to be delicious golden orbs...

...as I watch and wait anxiously for the thawing to end...

...alas! it is time to season to perfection!

...now waiting in anticipation for the golden orbs to orgasmically pop between my teeth ....

"What do you eat?"  I love most foods, I love salty-savory goodness and garlic. If I could eat just one thing every day and it was nutritionally complete, I would eat Salmon eggs, roe, Ikura, caviar every day all day! But being as it is all fatty oil, I think I would go into cardiac shock and look like a giant oily fish egg :) Homestyle recipe is simply to prepare it by just separating off skien, then adding lemon, shoyu and salt, marinate 1 day.  I will get my homestyle Ikura tutorial up soon on the Takasissies Blog. If you need the recipe info sooner just email me!

So moving along, hmm, I love almost all seafood, raw, cooked and sometimes even living, hence a lovely Kumamoto oyster now and then! I LOVE vegetables, mostly greens like kale, mustards, chard, I also love beans, sprouted Mung beans with black mustards seeds oh my! I am getting so excited thinking about all these yummies now its hard to define favorites, but I will go on. Excuse me for being a bit scattered but there are so many lovely foods to think about! The picture on the left is a home grown Shiso leaf with a pat of rice and a generous dollop of homestyle prepared Ikura.  So I love rich foods, but seafood and greens would have to top my list!

"What won't you eat?"

I will not eat Natto. Nope, never again, ew...

okay IF I was starving I might.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this Japanese food here is a "description of Natto."  Ok on the positive side I think it is kinda classified as a superfood, BUT what you cannot tell from the pictures is the smell, (sour-cheesy-slimy-putrid-feet-times 1000) you cannot feel the texture, did I mention the smell? ok enough, I apologize to the Natto lovers out there may you be forever healthy and strong. The picture on the left was ironically taken exactly 1 year ago when I first smelled and tasted it!?

I will not knowingly eat eyeballs, penis, balls, colons, stomachs, brains of any animal OR anything that is wiggling, I have to draw the line somewhere. The New Years Day fish, someone always eats the eyeball. Its supposed to be an honor. No thank you. Here is a not so funny at the time story. My cousin had the NYday party at her beautiful house as usual, and one of my second cousins prepared and endless supply of the best tasting chicken nuggets I have ever tasted, everyone was gobbling them up and havind a great old time, near the end of the evening it was revealed that these amazing nuggets were not chicken at all, hmmm. Well it was delicous at the time and knowing now what they were I prefer not to eat that part of a bull. Some people were definately angry, I was a bit of a nasty joke but, I can say now I've eaten "Rocky Mountain Oysters or Cowboy Caviar." Again, moving along now...another little factoid is that I do not eat sweets like cakes, cookies, pies and candy. I can/will eat it but if I have a choice I prefer not. Well let me rephrase,  I DO like some unique pieces of candy usually not your common american variety, and sometimes a slice of (salted) watermelon once in a while can be nice, but shoving a candy bar in my mouth is not even slightly appealing to me, and did I mention part of it has to do with the sticky factor..... I'm a bit sticky-phobic. :)

 

"Do you suggest any interesting pairings?"

It must be one of those weird taste-melding things, but I LOVE eating Sprouts and Fish, it mixes together and makes a unique almost metallic flavor, an unusual little flavor I found I liked.

Oh another I discovered last summer was to take a Tsukemono pickled Shiso leaf and wrap it around a cold piece of sweet corn on the cob, yum!

Then there is Tobitoes (my friend Carter came up w/this cute name) It is a dish that is usually served at my families potluck parties. It is mashed Potatoes, Cucumber, cooled and add BestFoods mayo, splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar and Tobiko, if it is around the holidays you can make it festive and buy red and green Tobiko! Otherwise I just use the normal orange. Creamy, slightly sweet and salty goodness!

I could go on but I must stop now! You can find some recipes on the Takasissies Blog, and I will be adding recipes there hopefully this summer I have been saving up lots of pics as I learn to make new foods!

Personal favorites:

Also I need to add this, it may be a tad  bit wierd and strong for most, but if you love garlic then this might be for you! I just love it and cannot get enough when I make it, it is fried Elephant Garlic slices! Slice and fry in oil with salt until golden brown, note that they will stiffen up like bacon after you pull them out of the pan and stick onto a paper towel to soak up the extra oil, then voila eat like potato chips! yum!

OK! ok ok ok, just one more favorite,  "Shishamo!"

You can order it in a variety of ways but my personal favorite is deep fried, no batter added. Shishamo is a little fish(smelt?) that is heavy with eggs, as you can see in the picture. As far as I know they usually are thrown in the fryer frozen. And they always have eggs in them.

Latest discoveries:

Takana Roll @ Sushiland, it is pickled Mustard Greens maki sushi roll. I just bought a little can of pickled mustard greens to try out I hope they are good!

Kale chips: dehydrated with red bell pepper, garlic, cashews, nutri-yeast and other goodness. If you get the opportunity to try these somehow I highly reccomend it!

Double D Meats: has this incredible Brie, it comes in at random to my butcher and is cut from a giant wheel, it is packaged there in house, there is no info on the label, very inexpensive, and it is the most amazing brie I have had locally yet! Sadly is that they are always out! Its probably best they are always running out. :)

 

"What is your favorite studio snack?"

This is a hard one because while I work I cannot be touching greasy foods, I really do not like to eat with my hands because of obvious reasons. So usually I pick at dried pickled ginger and salted dried plum we call sourballs. It is kind of considered a candy maybe, but it is not really sweet, more of a snack, but really too salty to be considered a food snack. Something you can pick on tiny bites with very strong flavor. Which reminds me, I am out of both right now!  Natural Style Beef Jerky is also an easy studio snack for me. I love to eat Vlasic Dill Pickle Sunflower seeds while walking the dogs, but I have not mastered the "mouth only" technique and cannot eat them in the studio, maybe someday!

So I do not eat in my studio much. My favorite drinks are an Italian soda without cream. I make it with a splash of Monin syrup, and Club Soda with a tiny drop of Peppermint extract over ice with a straw! These are my current favorite flavors, Lavender, Jasmin and Rose. If you have a Cash & Carry in your area they have wide selection and cost right under $5 a bottle.

Ok this is all I have time for I could go on forever and ever, tee hee hee :) Here is a link to my Flickr Yummy Food File if you want to take a peek at more (tr)eats!
Thanks for reading I hope you had fun here, below are some team members that have blogged on the same subject this month, thanks for reading and have a great day and eat lots of great food!

 

nina gibson 

stacey hansen

thomasin durgin

inbar bareket

lauren anabela beaudoin

maria whetman

beth cyr
cynthia delgiudice

ann hartley

caitlyn davey

 

Work of Art: Jewelry Challenge: Season 1: Episodes 1-7

Work of Art aka "WOA" is a new (hopefully continuing) television series that is airing its first season here in 2010. It runs along the genre of Project Runway but is directed towards all medium artists instead of fashion designers. I have been hosting this project with my fellow EtsyMetal team members and it has been a very fun exciting challenge so far, it seems we are able to translate the shows challenges to make them jewelry related quite nicely. Currently we are on Episode 8: "Opposites Attract" to be due on August 5th. Below are the first 7 episodes I participated in. To see ALL the groups pieces please go to the EtsyMetal blog. Most of these pieces will eventually be for sale in my Etsy shop.

1. Episode 1- Self Reflexive, 2. Episode 2: The Shape of Things to Come, 3. Episode 3: Judging a book by its Cover, 4. Epidode 4- Sticker Shock! a>, 5. Epidode 5- Art That Moves You, 6. Epidode 6- Open to the Public, 7. Epidode 6- Open to the Public-pt 2, 8. Episode 7- Childs Play

Episode 1: Self Reflexive

"The artists size up their competition and are randomly put into pairs for their first elimination challenge. They learn that after only one night together, their mission is to create a piece of art that captures the essence of a fellow competitor."
"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation"
After you get your partner, you will each take your perception of thier essence and create a piece that Is YOU but reflects something you feel about them. I drew Bijougirl's name! She makes beautiful jewelry. I have not ever met her in person but she is my fellow team member. Her work feels romantic, feminine, graphic and palyful. She uses flowers often in her pieces, so this aspect really stood out for me and I chose to make some flowers to reflect her feminity and a symbol she uses often.

Episode 2: The Shape of Things to Come

Title "Amblyopic Opera Glasses"

"For their second challenge, the artists are taken to an appliance graveyard filled with televisions, toaster ovens, and an array of broken electronics. Using the trash heap as their canvas, the artists are charged with transforming one man’s trash into another man’s piece of art."

"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" Participants should take a old electronic found object and incorporate it into thier piece, OR if you do not want to use alt materials then feel free to just use the idea of one for inspiration!

 Episode 3: Judging a Book by its Cover
The contestants meet the President and Publisher from one of the largest book publishers in the world, who guides them through the impressive history of the marriage of art and literature. For their elimination challenge, the artists are charged with creating innovative cover art for a classic novel.
"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" This week choose between list of the sevenbooks below and make a representation of the book. Pretend it will be the jewelry piece that is sold along with the book when it launches. Something that reperesents characters or the book idea in general. "I chose Alice in Wonderland-Through the Looking Glass".

Episode 4: A Shock to the System

Title "Sticker Shock"
The challenge for the contestants was to make a shocking piece of art.
"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" Exactly the same as the contestants but interpreted into a piece of jewelry.
This week I decided to make a play with words, on the show most everyone did a sexual or grotesque theme. I felt that would of been way to easy and I really didnt feel insoired by the theme so I took another direction. In my Etsy shop I listed this simple ring for $1000, I took a screen shot and left it for a few weeks until someone flagged me and I had to take it down per terms of use policy with Etsy. It was fun while it lasted!

Episode 5: Art That Moves You

Title "Fuel Injected"

In this episode the contestants are given a fleet of cars and told to drive them through New York City, ultimately arriving at the Audi Forum. An artist’s city often serves as a source of inspiration, and for their elimination challenge, the artists must create a piece of work that is reflective of their experience driving through the streets of Manhattan.

"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" Please make a piece that involves "cars" somehow!
"For this challenge my dear sweet partner says, "why don't you make an engine?" I said, "No." So he begins to show me all these car parts and I stop him when I see these freaking gorgeous Hilborn fuel injector stacks. Please let my heart be still, I do not think I did these beauties any justice but they definitely were all my inspiration for this piece. Their wonderful shapes is a favorite of mine so how could I not indulge? The little stacks in my ring wriggle around in the setting. Materials: Sterling Silver, Oxidized and Fabricated"

Episode 6: Open to the Public

"EtsyMetal Charm necklace"
In this episode 6, The remaining artists are challenged to create a large-scale, outdoor installation piece. The artists must put egos aside and collaborate effectively in order to create a public art masterpiece in just two days. The challenge culminates in a public viewing.
"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" For this episode we asked participants to all make a charm, these charms are being mailed to me as we speak. These charms will be put onto a handmade charm holder and the be available in our "public" EtsyMetal Team shop. *Click here to see the charms!

Episode 7: Childs Play            

Title "The ModernMacaroni"                                                              

The artists find themselves in the Children’s Museum of the Arts, filled with finger paint portraits and crayon collections. Their challenge is to create a work that is symbolic of the moment their artistic expression began, using only kid-friendly materials to create an adult masterpiece.

"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" Last week we asked our team members to create a piece that has some personal connection and representation to their childhood.

For this challenge I was kind of stumped. I could not really pin down a pivotal point in my childhood where I decided I wanted to be an artist or anything like that. I have many memories of just always creating while I played, making dirt roads and towns for my Tonka trucks (I did not play with dolls), melting crayons with a magnifying glass into pools of swirling colors on the patio, building crazy contraptions just to turn the light off from my bed using string and eye screws, contraptions to dump beads on your head if you snuck into my room unannounced. I just liked to draw and make things. Feels pretty much like what I do now! So this little modern macaroni necklace is an iconic symbol for every ones childhood. I think it may be the one thing almost most of you can remember making as a youngster? So I took the easy way out and made the familiar for everybodys amusement and memories.

Next Week Episode 8: Opposites Attract

The artists are paired and must create works about opposing forces:

Heaven and Hell

*

Male and Female

*
Order and Chaos

"EtsyMetal Jewelry Translation:" For this episode we are asking our team members to make a piece that depicts both opposing forces, pick one of the three pairings!