Studio Saturday with Shannon LeVart

 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.
  This weeks winner is Alice with The Bliss Guild! Congratulations! 
You have won a LUV2TRVL button from the studio of Tari Sasser with Creative Impressions in Clay. 
Send Tari an e-mail with your address and she will get that super fun button shipped out to you.

 This week we visit the studio of Shannon LeVart at missficklemedia.com.

I'm making buttons. 
Fine silver buttons that look ancient, as if they were dug up from an archeological dig or tumbled through the sea.

  I love antiqued metal; the subtle shine, the durability, the "go with anything" aspect of it. While I was wishing to be working with copper or bronze clay, I already had a pack of fine silver precious metal clay unopened for months that I settled for. Using molds that I had made by hand, I began pressing small balls of pmc into each one, delighting in a deeply textured patty of fine silver clay. I was tired of making pendants and buttons have such versatile uses so I created simple shanks with 19 gauge wire and pressed them into the backs of the molded clay. Dried, sanded, fired and tumbled; these buttons turned out beautiful!

As soon as I had the chance, I designed several pieces with them. A wrap bracelet created from sari silk and a hand forged sterling clasp features the Shiva button;

And the Sea Urchin button created a rustic bracelet being used in conjunction with patina-ted brass chain and brown suede;

 And the Wild Horse button acts as the clasp and the focal in this simple leather choker;

 So how do you use buttons in your hand crafted jewelry?

Leave a comment below sharing your button technique and next Saturday one of our editors will draw a number. You could win this fine silver shell button!

Thank you for visiting us here at Art Bead Scene!
Much Love & Respect,
Shannon


missficklemedia.com