Saturday, November 14, 2009

Studio Saturday: Intermission with Now Showing Studio


Welcome to Studio Saturday! Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive we offer a free prize each week to bribe you to use that keyboard. The following week we choose a random winner.

Last weeks winner is Denise. Congratulations! You have won one of Creative Impressions in Clay's new Wizard of Oz inspired pendants from the studio of Tari Sasser. Send Tari an e-mail (at tari at claybuttons dot com) with your address and she will get it right out to you.


Hello! It's Melanie from Earthenwood Studio here with a little intermission from your regular Art Bead Scene contributors. It has been a while since I wrote a Studio Saturday post, so I am happy to be here to tell you about the new things I have going on in my studio... and I have been doing some REALLY different and new things, which has been exciting! Like Tari's post last week, I have been inspired by film and movies (and oddly enough, I am writing this while watching the Wizard of Oz!) I sort of happened into a new line of jewelry and pendants inspired by movies, called Now Showing Studio. Let me tell you about it!

Now Showing started when Alex and I stopped into a video store that was going out of business. We found a huge selection of DVD plastic backer cards that they were selling for next to nothing. After a little bit of thought and playing with them, we started a side business making recycled/upcycled jewelry with them! The cards are lightweight, colorful, and whimsical, and I think they make really fun and hip jewelry and pendants. This is a fun little intermission for me and my regular work with my Earthenwood business. You can read a little bit more about our inspiration and process for these new items on the new blog.

While we started Now Showing with the purpose of creating a line of finished jewerly, we are now considering adding a line of pendants that beaders can use in their own designs. This is not a foreign concept for me, as I started Earthenwood the same way, with a finished jewerly line. I started selling beads because beaders kept asking me for my parts! So I am thinking that having finished jewelry and gifts and art pendants in the same store probably makes sense. I would love some input from all of you beaders about pendants for beading like the one below which was made from three different anime movie backer cards.

Ok, now it is time for your question of the week! Since I have been talking about intermission and film, it reminds me of movie snacks! I love popcorn and a cola slushie with a little bit of chocolate... preferably Sno-Caps! What are your favorite things to snack on at the theatre or at home when watching a movie?



Please leave me a comment with your favorite snack (and any other comments or thoughts you have about today's post). Next week, one random winner will be chosen from the comments and the prize is the three Now Showing pendants shown below!


Melanie Brooks is the ceramic beadmaker behind Earthenwood Studio, who blogs from her Metro Detroit, Michigan home.


23 comments:

melanie brooks said...

Nom Nom Nom!

TesoriTrovati said...

Melanie-I love that you are taking something that was almost discarded and using it in new and exciting ways. What a novel approach! I think your new charms and pendants would be fun to mix it up with my Seeds of Inspiration line.....I will put more thought into that!

As for snacks....I love a BIG TUB of popcorn with butter and salt....and Milk Duds....or sour gummy worms or something chewy and sweet!

Great inspiration today!
Enjoy the day!
Erin

Jennifer Pellicone said...

These pendants are so unique and those you have completed with chain and beads are wonderful, with a happy feeling about them. Wonderful idea.
In the theaters I always went for the Sugar Daddy's. At home we now all go for the popcorn and soda.
cspmom at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I love the pendants, bright and colourful, and recycled - can it get any better?
Unusual question this week, not exactly jewelry related. I don't know about a favourite snack, really, but at home I love to have a hot and sweet drink with a movie, some tea, a creamy cappuccino or a hot chocolate. Better than any sweets, doesn't make any noise or crumbles, and you don't have to look at it to see what you're doing.

peacockfairy said...

I love this new idea Melanie - I love it when things can be upcycled and reused! My fav snack is something chocolatey!

Rosanne said...

Those are wonderful pendants and I am glad to see you making use of those cards that are cool all by themselves. You are so talented!
At home when we watch movies, its usually popcorn and colas. But at the show we spend a fortune on goodies, my favorite is Good and Plenty or I take my extra quarters in and buy Boston Baked Beans out of the machines. I get by with water. And we don't forget the popcorn either. Speaking of shows I have a list of ones I want to see, so there's lots of popcorn in my future...

Kym Hunter Designs said...

What a great idea! My son is a big fan of anime movies and comics and he thinks your pendants are very cool!

As far as movie snack...I like warm popcorn with Milk Duds dumped in. It's very yummy, but can be a little messy if the popcorn is really fresh, so have plenty of napkins.

Alice said...

I saw these on your blog and think they're just awesome! How wonderful to be embarking on this new adventure! I love the idea of making pendants out of these backers.

As far as movie snacks, I love buttered popcorn with pepsi. Of course I have to follow that up with something sweet like Reeces Peanutbutter Cups. But boy howdy those snacks aren't cheap!

Amanda said...

Oh, Twizzlers, most definitely. I can't go into a theater without Twizzlers somewhere on my person. Raisinets, Twizzlers, and Reeses Pieces are my movie-candy holy trinity.

Must Create said...

I love those pendants, so cool.
Movies- it's always popcorn out and jelly belly licorice flavor at home. jamd@iname dot com

Mary K. McGraw said...

The pendants are great, especially like that they are recycled.

My favorite snacks at the movies are buttered popcorn and Junior Mints.

the glitzy gypsy said...

Yummmmmmmmmm...hot popcorn with M&Ms thrown in--they get melty on the inside and the sweet and salty is magnificent!!!!!!!!!
Great art!!!

Unknown said...

i watch most movies at home these days. my favorite snacks of late are; honey sesame sticks, pistachio nuts and of course an extra large iced tea


(beautiful necklaces by the way)

Jen Judd said...

I'm not sure if I'm more impressed with the jewelry or the suggestion to mix milk duds with hot popcorn...awesome!

I have one (probably dumb) question...do you have to worry about copyrights or anything like that when you use part of an image? I love the idea of reusing material but have been hesitant because I don't understand the "rules." If you have advice, that would be really helpful for me!!

Thanks so much!!!

Jen

thecolorofdreams said...

Cute pendants and great idea to use recycled materials.
I like to have popcorn and M&M's.

Susan Z said...

Love your colorful necklaces--I'm really into altered stuff and love how you have reused the comics.
For movies, my all time favorite is popcorn (it is my favorite anytime snack) and before I had so much dental work I used to love JuJuBes. Susan Z

sandi said...

Love the pendants; yes I could use them in designs for sure.

As far as movie grub, my homemade popcorn with melted butter/brown sugar/sea salt/roasted pecans!

sandi
sandra.miller15@yahoo.com

Ann said...

Love the tag pendants! It is great to recycle!

I love a tub of popcorn with butter and loads of salt... though I always regret it later! That paired with a large Pepsi!. Lately though, I have been more frugal and just get the soda and have a handful of tootsie rolls from the halloween candy jar.

Ann

Amy-Sprite said...

My favorite movie snacky-thing is popcorn drenched with REAL butter! *nom!*
Secondary options include Milk Duds and Whoppers!
Cherry Coke would be my drink of choice!

I am excited to see this new line of creations! I think they look fabulous. I can see that other artists would want to use just the pendants in their own creations, so I think offerings some pieces just as they are and some finished jewelry.

Lisa Crone said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pendants!! So colorful, cheerful and fun! Great idea!

Mel Mel said...

Popcorn with butter/salt & I love Swedish fish!!! At home- Microwave soft pretzels with cream cheese!! (My husband and I both love them but my husband likes mustard on his.) I also like Fritos corn chips with Root Beer. Your new pendants are great. Fun & funky. Melanie

Andrea said...

Love your site, met you when you came to Cleveland, OH,
my son treats me to a movie every Sunday, we get buttered p-corn, large coke/cherry icee's and assorted candies.
Andrea

Cline Jewels said...

M & M's and Cheeto's