WEST Summer Promotion: The Silver Agenda

Today I would like you to meet Wendy from The Silver Agenda.

The Silver Agenda specializes in ~Fine Jewelry~Gemstones~Sterling Silver~Recycled Metal~Modern~Romantic~Elegant~Precious Metal~Swarovski Crystals~Pearls

From The Silver Agenda's profile:

Hi, I'm Wendy and I have been a jewelry artisan for 13 years.

After graduating high school I took a course in Silversmithing learning various techniques. I apprenticed with a Goldsmith for two years.

When you look at my shop you will see many different styles: modern, steampunk, romantic, bridal and geekery. I love so many aspects of jewelry making I can't focus on one particular theme. Hopefully this will give you many pieces to choose from.

I want to offer people the ability to own an eclectic and elegant piece of jewelry at an affordable price. I recycle all my materials resulting in no production waste.

I love working with metal clay for the fact that it is comprised of recycled silver and I can recycle every portion that is left over for future projects.

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And just look at this pretty bracelet:

Sparkling opaque and clear aquamarine swarovski element crystals wrap around your wrist to create this elegant and simple spring bracelet.

6mm swarovski crystals are the focal point in the middle of the bracelet. Smaller 4mm opaque crystals surround the larger crystals with sterling silver discs every third crystal. A hand forged silver spiral S hook clasp completes the bracelet.

This bracelet measures 7.25 inches (18.5cm) and comes wrapped in a handmade recycled felt pouch.

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If you'd like to keep up with Wendy from the Silver Agenda, please check out the following links:
The Silver Agenda on Etsy
The Silver Agenda on Facebook

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And if you'd like a chance to win the item featured above along with 15 other fabulous WEST creations, please visit this treasury link and leave a thoughtful comment on the treasury page.  Simple!


*** Only comments on the treasury itself count for entry into the giveaway.  But you're more than welcome to introduce yourself, ask questions or talk about silversmithing with Wendy in the comments below****

W.E.S.T. January Design Challenge Results

The W.E.S.T. January Design Challenge was "The Colour of Love." Members were invited to create something inspired by thoughts of love (positive or negative!). I think we set a record with this challenge, as we have EIGHT entries!

The first entry was from Katie of Hearthfelt Yarn Wreaths:

This pink yarn wreath is perfect for Spring, and will add some romance to your Valentine's Day decor. Soft pink yarn provides a subtle base for delicately formed felt flowers and buds. A subtle way to celebrate your love on Valentine's Day, this wreath is perfect for Spring, too!

Next was this entry from Tawny of Tawny Bee:

Tawny reminds us that all those single socks out there need love too, and this Lost Socks Keeper provides a special place for them to wait for their soul mate. This heart patterned Lost Sock Keeper is on the job until cupid shines down upon your laundry room and blesses your single socks with their perfect match!

Susana from Lemon Dear submitted this entry:

This anatomic heart is a one of a kind embroidery hoop art made by hand in a gorgeous rainbow-like chevron cotton fabric and stretched in a wooden hoop. The message of this piece is that love has no colour, therefore, the colour of love are all colours together.

The next entry was from Evelyne of Evecouture:

This is an Epipen Carrying case made of vintage upcycled pink velvet. If your kids have to wear an Epipen why not make it cute and comfortable!

Jynxx provided this entry for the challenge:

Here is a wonderful, one-of-a-kind, vintage style Valentine's Day charm bracelet that I call " KEY TO MY HEART." It is one-of-a-kind, with a variety of pewter heart, lock and key charms and beads! This bracelet would be the perfect Valentine's gift, or to keep for yourself!! 

Ruth from Periwinkle Dzyns submitted a matching set:

Ruth notes that the colour of love can also be cold, so she chose to represent it with a heart made of brass hardware in a rigid chain maille style, with this Nerdy Geek Chainmaille Brass Nut Repurposed Necklace Heart and matching Nerdy Geek Chainmaille Brass Nut Repurposed Earrings.

Here is Wendy's entry from The Silver Agenda:

Wendy notes that she's a wee bit obsessed with arrows right now and wanted to add more bracelets to her shop. This Sterling Silver Arrow and Heart January Birthstone Garnet Wire Wrapped Metalwork Bracelet includes a hand forged sterling silver arrow running through a fine silver fused heart. Wire wrapped genuine garnet beads are set between sterling silver diamond cut links. A handmade hook clasp finishes the piece. 

And the last entry was from Laura of Prairie Threads:

Laura notes that there was a time when one of her daughters loved "pink and more pink," and she was thinking of her as she made this Gypsy Pink Round Coiled Bowl from all her pink fabric scraps.

Now don't we have some awesome talent in Winnipeg? Thank you to all the participants in this month's challenge!

We'd love to hear from you--what do you think of when you think of "the colour of love?"

Stay tuned for the next challenge to be announced soon!

W.E.S.T. November Design Challenge: Fall Colour Trends

It won't be long before our world in Manitoba will be enveloped in--dare I say it--snow! Soon we will be longing for more colour to brighter our moods and our days. This month's design challenge is based on the Fall 2011 colour trend forecast from Pantone:

Bamboo. Emberglow. Honeysuckle. Phlox. Cedar. Deep Teal. Coffee Liqueur. Nougat. Orchid Hush. Quarry.

Mix and match. Use these colours for inspiration--don't be worried about matching the exact hue! Consider adding texture, contrast and colour in your work: pair masculine with feminine, warm prints with cool metals, include both old and new influences and create an intriguing balance between the colours.

For inspiration, here are some examples of existing listings from WEST members:

I just love the contrast between these "cedar" coloured jasper beads and the silver clay beads on these earrings made by Wendy from thesilveragenda!

Fine Silver Metal Clay Grass Jasper Bamboo Earrings by thesilveragenda

Carla Dyck's stunning photograph of the "honeysuckle" coloured daisy with the textured wood and rope in the background is simply gorgeous!

Honeysuckle Rose Coloured Bloom Floating on Wood and Twine Background.Fine art photo entitled Floating - 8 X 10 by Carla Dyck

Here's how each design challenge works: 
Check the forums and blog at the start of the month to get the inspiration topic. As you mull over what that particular idea means to you, jot down some notes in the discussion thread or leave a comment on the blog. Take pictures of your process and finished item and post them in the forum thread. We would love to hear the story behind how you arrived at your finished object! I will post a separate feature for each item entered into the design challenge with a round up at the end of the month. 

A few notes: 
Create something new, especially for the challenge. Entries for each month should be finished by the last day of the month. Vintage and supply sellers are welcome to participate too, with a focus on artful photography and careful choice of item. 

Happy designing! 

W.E.S.T. August Design Challenge Results

You may remember that the W.E.S.T. Design Challenge for August was "Back To School".

My little guy is heading to Kindergarten later this week. So it's a perfect time to do a round up of all the Back To School entries.

Crocheted Messenger Bag - Teal and White Stripes
By Mon Cherie Creations

10 Colourful Fabric Bookmarks - Vintage Inspired Set
By Tawny Bee

Fine Silver Apple Pendant Necklace
By The Silver Agenda

Aren't these entries terrific? I kinda wish I was going back to school. I miss all the fun back to school shopping.

And remember: Handmade is best - even when back to school shopping! :D

Stay tuned tomorrow when I announce the September design challenge for our talented WEST bunch!

July 21st - Item of The Day

Recycled Fine Silver Pearl Pebble Stack Earrings by The Silver Agenda

Recycled silver pebble disks add movement to these simple and unique earrings. I shaped metal clay into flat pebbles and then rounded their edges. After the clay was fired in my kiln, I wire wrapped a peacock freshwater pearl to the disks and then to a length of sterling silver round cable chain. Finishing the earrings are fine silver ear wires.

The length of these earrings are 1 & 3/4 inches(4.5cm).

Each item purchased in my shop comes wrapped ready for gift giving, or just for you!

I welcome custom orders!

This piece is part of my new collection, Noble Silver which is made from metal clay.

The clay is shaped and then dried, and when fired in a kiln produces pure silver. Fine silver will not tarnish as readily as sterling silver and is strong enough to be heirloom quality.

WEST Meet And Greet - June 5th

Yesterday WEST had an informal meet and greet at the Norwood Community Centre Park.

It turned out to be a beautiful day. We all chatted about various crafty things including craft shows, photography, Etsy shops, shipping (OK that's not so crafty) and enjoyed the sun. Our kids played. Our husbands babysat. And we swapped some terrific supplies!


Starting with Kami who is standing and going clockwise:
Kami from Marathon 1981
Ruth from Periwinkle Dzyns
Miriam from Mon Cherie Creations
Katie from Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths
Wendy from The Silver Agenda
Evelyne from Eve Couture

Tawny from Tawny Bee (Photographer)

I hope that all of you WEST team members that are reading this right now can make it out to our next event. We've got all sorts of ideas floating around and lots of new and exciting stuff in the works. :)

WEST Fun at the River East Collegiate Craft Show

There were a bunch of WEST'ers at the River East Collegiate Craft Show and Sale this past Saturday.

The show was not too bad for a Spring show. As I was wondering around (yes there was time to wonder around - boourns), I talked to a few people. Most made their table fees back plus a little extra and had some chance to give out their business cards and put their name out there. Success in my book!

I took pictures of the WEST booths that I could find. Sorry if I missed you!

Heartfelt Yarn Wreaths

The Silver Agenda

Garden Gate Painting

Tawny Bee

Jonathon Wayne Designs

Don't we all look nice?

It was awesome meeting you all and finally putting some faces to the names I've been talking to these past few months! I'm looking forward to seeing you at upcoming WEST events and more craft shows of course!

W.E.S.T. Design Challenge: "Earth Day" Results

The WEST design challenge for April was in honour of Earth Day.

Three of our talented jewelry designers came up with their interpretations of this theme with beautiful results.

First up is Marcella of Waterlelie Jewellery with a recycled vintage coin from Brazil on a sterling silver chain with a chunk of citrine.

Brazil Vintage Coin Pendant/Necklace

Gorgeous!

Next up is Wendy from The Silver Agenda with her Green Blooms Necklace:

Wendy writes:
For this challenge I wanted my piece to be comprised of recycled materials. I'm happy to say that I have switched my metal clay supply to a brand that is made entirely out of recycled silver. The Prehnite briolette that is suspended from the fine silver pendant came from an old pair of earrings that were broken. Absolutely no materials were wasted in the making of this piece.

Green Blooms - Recycled Fine Silver and Prehnite Wire Wrapped Necklace

The next project comes from Corina and Emily from jake and cleo.

Corina and Em write:
We used dill flowers to leave the impression of a flower garden or trees on our fine silver pendant. The pendant was created with 100% recycled silver which starts as a silver clay and when fired results in .999 fine silver. Happy Earth Day! We're looking forward to real gardens to start popping up in Manitoba :)

I couldn't find the listing for this particular one (sold perhaps?), but I found a very beautiful one using blades of grass. Check out their shop for more eco-friendly creations.

Aren't these interpretations of Earth Day just exquisite?

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Stay tuned for the announcement of the May WEST Design Challenge!

W.E.S.T. Design Challenge: "March Into Spring" Results

For the Month of March, the WEST Design Challenge has been "March Into Spring."

Quite a few of our members have been super busy getting ready for the Mother's Day shopping season. Some have been dealing with personal crises. Others have been excited to get outside in the newly sunshiney spring weather. And I think every one of us has Spring Fever.

While everyone was dealing with things elsewhere in their lives, we are thankful to announce that one member took up our Spring Challenge and came up with a lovely creation.

Wendy Mierke of The Silver Agenda writes:

I wanted to design something light and fresh for the March Design Challenge. I saw these beautiful grass jasper beads that resembled bamboo and decided to play up that feature. I cut out small circles of clay, poked a hole in the middle and once they were dry, I rounded the edges for a softer shape. After they were fired in my kiln, I wire wrapped the beads and metal clay to form a bamboo stalk. Finishing the piece are handmade fine silver french ear wires.


Aren't they gorgeous?

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Stay tuned for the April Design Challenge Announcement on Monday!

February Design Challenge Projects

For the month of February, the WEST design challenge has been "Geometry Class." It's been an interesting exercise in patterns and geometric shapes. We were challenged to keep in mind the "now" colours of turquoise and yellow and the popularity of industrial items.

The challenge was wide open to interpret these ideas in a unique and exciting way.

And two WEST'ers rose to that challenge this month. Here are the fantastic results:

Fine Silver Hand Built Swarovski Pearl Cube Pendant

First we have Wendy of The Silver Agenda.

She writes:

When I saw the design challenge I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try building with precious metal clay. I then decided on the simple (or so I thought) plan of a cube.

Baby Blue ZigZags Teddy Bed

Next we have Tawny from Tawny Bee. I feel a little weird writing about my own, so I'll paste what I wrote with my entry:

Because I design for children, I tend to think of geometry as big and bold and crazy! Zig Zags were perfect.

I also wanted to use simple shapes that children would recognize in my design. So I started with a simple triangle and made a zigzag patterned Teddy Bed.

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Two very cool and unique ways to interpret Geometry Class. :)

Stay tuned tomorrow for the announcement of the March Design Challenge for WEST!

Feature Friday: The Silver Agenda

I'm Wendy Jenkins-Mierke of The Silver Agenda, custom and handmade sterling silver jewelry. I'm a mom of two busy boys and work part-time at an employee benefits company. I think I've always known that I wanted to do something creative when I grew up because as a child I was always giving my mom a new hairdo or sewing my own clothing. After I graduated high school, I heard about the Jewelry Construction course offered at Sturgeon Creek Collegiate. I enrolled immediately and discovered a love for designing jewelry. While I was taking the course I had the great opportunity to intern at a goldsmith's shop. There I learned how to repair items, re-shank rings and the finishing process of custom made jewelry.

Some years went by, and being married and becoming mom took over. A few years ago during a reflective moment, the idea hit me: I have to get back into making jewelry. After teaching myself some new techniques I had made enough to start selling my designs. I received much positive feedback and gained the opportunity to showcase my work in a local shop on Corydon Avenue. This past January I opened my Etsy shop.

Sea of Love - Made To Order

Explain your creation process?

I try to find a few moments a day where I reflect on making a new design. I have a little sketchbook I keep close by so I can quickly draw an image that pops into my head or even a few words that describe my designs. My husband recently turned our backyard storage shed into a studio for me, so once the little ones are tucked in I can retreat to my own private place and focus my attention on designing. When I'm working on a piece I think of its practicality, if it's truly wearable and how much diversity the customer can get out of the item.

Red Swirl

What is your most significant goal for the coming year?


My primary goal is to launch my new line, Noble Silver. I have striven for all my pieces to be made with genuine silver. A few months ago I learned of a new medium, precious metal clay. It resembles clay, but contains millions of particles of pure silver. When the organic binder is burned away, either by torch or kiln you are left with a pure (.999) piece of silver jewelry. I am excited to be working with metal clay, because now I have the ability to make rings and set gemstones in my pieces without the use of expensive equipment. As well, with this new venture I am able to recycle all my materials resulting in absolutely no waste. I hope to launch my new line by November 15, 2010.

Blackened Grape Cluster

What has been your proudest moment as an artist?

It was was definitely seeing that other people are interested in my work and are attracted to my designs. Just realizing that I'm not making jewelry to suit my own tastes, and that I'm appealing to a broader audience makes me happy.

Orange Zest

Why do you enjoy your craft?

I like to be challenged and am constantly studying to improve my work. I like that it keeps my mind active and my fingers nimble. As a mom I sometimes lose sight of my individual identity, so having this special skill helps me stay balanced. I love that I can create something suited to an individual that showcases a special memory or person in their life. Seeing the person's face light up when they open the jewelry box is worth all the time and energy I put into my craft.

New Wave - Large

You can visit The Silver Agenda on Etsy, or "like" The Silver Agenda on Facebook.

Stay tuned for another feature interview from the Winnipeg Etsy Street Team next Friday!