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Friday, February 27, 2015

Beer Quartz


I have to admit to hoarding these beer quartz gems for quite some time! They are faceted and lovely. I really miss The Earth Bazaar. They were an online site that had gorgeous gemstones at great prices and you didn't have to buy large quantities. I think they have been gone for a couple of years (at least). What are some of your favorite online sites for gemstones? I like buying them at bead shows (if I can) because then you can really see what you are getting. I have certainly been disappointed many a time at ordering online. Please feel free to share your favorite site in the comments section.


                       These earrings are available for purchase here on my website.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

Kristy Abner
Kristy's Kreations

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Art Deco Revisited

Art Deco
I found these fabulous fan-shaped shell beads at a local shop, Powderhorn Trading Company. They are just lovely, like giant pearls. I used my embossed poppy caps on them in sterling silver, with Argentium silver earwires and Indonesian glass beads (from Happy Mango Beads) in a soft turquoise color and matte finish.

I was surprised, when they were finished, what a strong Art Deco vibe they had, which delighted me because I adore Art Deco!! I think it was the repeating fan shapes and angular lines, with both the shell beads and the caps--there are fan shapes, sunbursts, and similar motifs everywhere in Art Deco! And of course an emphasis on angular patterns:
From Wikipedia, 1930 Milwaukee Gas Light Building, Photo by Seth Anderson
From Wikipedia, Chrysler Building, New York City, Photo by Postdlf
From Wikipedia, Sunburst, Eastern Columbia Building entrance, photo by Binksternet
From Wikipedia, Griffith Observatory detail, Los Angeles, Photo by Nathan Day
I've never really considered myself a triangle person, but all this Art Deco goodness could make me change my mind...

More information available at my Etsy shop, HERE.




Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Celebration Earrings

What are we celebrating?  I don't know, but wearing these earrings is like having a party on your ears!  These bright colors make me so happy that I just want to celebrate the fact that it is a new day!

Celebration Earrings, with polymer clay beads by Margit Boehmer.
I've always loved playing with colors, but being in Oaxaca, Mexico this winter has made me even bolder.  Check out this house, just down the road from us.  Can you see how the house colors play out in these earrings?
No pastels going on here!  Bright, in-your-face colors.  The colors make me happy, so I named these my "Celebration" earrings!
Do you have certain colors that always put a smile on your face?
Linda

Monday, February 23, 2015

Spring Vibe

Last week, Nikki asked us in her post about the 'motifs' that keep coming back in our designs, and I know I have a few favorite ones (swirls, hoops/circles, leaves...), my brain went straight to a type of stone and color: Turquoise.

I have this whole need to hoard my Turquoise beads and cabochons going on,
and letting some of them go. It. Is. So. Hard. 

But once they are out into the world, I feel happy that they can be enjoyed by others. I was an only child, maybe that's the root of this feeling of not being always so great at sharing my goodies LOL
(I do share, my hubby will tell you, but with certain things, well, I've got issues I guess, ha!)

So I made these wrapped Copper earrings:

http://www.NatLJ.com
 

I couldn't let go of the whole Turquoise idea, and I knew I had this absolutely perfect pair of gorgeous rustic 'spotted' copper-ish looking handmade ceramic beads (made by our very own Cindy Pack). 
I wanted to pair them with Chinese Turquoise, copper wire and accents, and here we are :)

http://www.nathalielesagejewelry.com/collections/designer-earrings-copper

These earrings are 2" tall (trying to make shorter pairs from time to time) and hang from a pair of hypo-allergenic Titanium matching ear wires with a small copper bead accent.

These earrings are listed HERE on my website.

Rustic, bright and cheerful, calling on Spring to arrive soon :)

Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Nathalie


Friday, February 20, 2015

We're All Ears :: February Reveal... and Winners!

First off, thank you to all for the wonderful comments on your ideas for some future inspirations! I have written them all down and will refer to it for future reference. You never know when your idea might just pop up!

Second, thank you to the editors that have gifted some great prizes. Random.org picked the winners. And congratulations to the winners!

Giveaway #1 :: Lynda of Fresh Baked Designs
The winner can have her pick of any ONE (1) pair of earrings in my new (lead-free) Pewter-Swarovski collection here: http://bit.ly/EELoveFest2015  
donated by Nathalie Lesage, Nathalie Lesage Jewelry

Giveaway #2 :: Angi Mullis

$10 credit in either Etsy shop: www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com and www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
donated by Claire Lockwood, Something to Do Beads

Giveaway #3 :: Nadine Edris
Handcrafted ceramic sand dollar pendant charm + two rounds.
donated by Cindy Pack, Cindy's Art & Soul Jewelry 

Giveaway #4 :: Cindy Martin-Shaw
"Gypsy Boho" earrings published in 101 BNE in the 2014 issue.
donated by Kristy Abner, Kristy's Kreations
Giveaway #5 :: Alice Peterson
A set of four Facet Effects beads (as seen in my Fabulous Facets DVD) in your choice of colors perfect for making your own earrings! 
donated by Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry
 
If you won, please email me at enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com with your full name and mailing address and I will pass that along to the appropriate editor for your prize distribution!

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So this month was all about soft and pretty and loads of flowers. But florals in a way that you might never have seen them before! The paintings/pictures of the flower girls by Love, Limzy are so enchanting. Perfect for the romance of the recent Valentine's day, don't you think?


Recently, I have been making good on my 2 year old promise to myself to start sculpting flowers for pendants that are patterned after the birth flowers. Did you know that each month has a flower (or more than one) associated with it? And that each flower has special meanings? I am not really one to get totally into the zodiac signs, but this is something I could get behind. I had the idea years ago, but wasn't able to make it work to my liking until I made my Poppy Dreams pendant for the February Art Bead Scene challenge and my offering to my Simple Truths Sampler Club. Or maybe I just didn't have the skill when I came up with the idea. I am hoping to add to the flower offerings - called 'Floriography' or the Language of Flowers -  every other month or so. I just developed a mini version of the Poppy Dreams pendant for these earrings. Poppies are the flower for August and stand for moral integrity as well as a fulfillment of dreams.



I have been making these little Rosebud charms over the past few months. They are an off-shoot of my pendants Everything's Coming Up Roses and Call Me Rosebud pendants and as charms they have been showing up in mother's necklaces and bracelets. I think they add a little bit of vintage sweetness to whatever design they are in. These tiny Rosebud charms are now available in either silver or bronze finish. Roses are the flowers for June. The meanings of Roses can vary from Love (red), Passion, Beauty and Perfection (white).



My next flower that I am working on perfecting is the daffodil, also known as narcissus. My daughter tells me that they are her favorite flower (who knew?). And since her birthday was yesterday (happy birthday Tiny Dancer!), I came up with one that she can wear as a tiny pendant, and looks equally at home as a pair of delicate earrings. Daffodils are a quintessential spring flower paired with bunnies and eggs. I had a hard time with these, but I am going to keep at it. I want to achieve the classic look of the 6 white petals and the central yellow trumpet shape. I can't wait until I see them in season and I will buy my darling daughter a big bunch as a surprise for no reason. Daffodils are the flowers for March because they symbolize the end of winter as a gift of these flowers conveys the hidden meaning of friendship, prosperity and happiness.


I have a particular fondness for pansies. I have to confess that I had a rather unhealthy attachment to them in my early married years. I could not pass up buying anything (and I do mean anything) with a pansy on it. The only room in our first home that was actually painted and decorated was the guest room that was a complete ode to pansies from floor to ceiling, vertical and horizontal surfaces (I think my husband may have thought I was nuts!). They are the flower of my sorority (hello, Tri Deltas!) and so they were very special to me. But then I had a child and the room quickly went from pansy bouquets to construction trucks! I do still love pansies. Their velvety faces looking up to the light never fail to make me smile. Violets or Violas are a type of species of which the pansy is a part. According to Wikipedia, the term "pansy" is normally used for those multi-coloured, large-flowered blooms which are raised from seed and used for bedding. The terms "viola" and "violet" are normally reserved for small-flowered annuals or perennials, including the species. But they both have a similar look. Viola typically have heart-shaped, scalloped leaves. Colors vary, ranging from violet, through various shades of blue, yellow, white, and cream, while some types are bicolored, often blue and yellow. Therefore, I am open to making the violets, or pansies, in a variety of colors! I enjoyed making these and will add these to my store as well as a bigger pendant size soon. Violet or pansy is the flower for February.



What is your favorite flower?
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Let's see what you created!
Please take the time to hop around to the participants.
Leave kind, encouraging comments.
Visit their shops. Make new friends!
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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Bow Bound

Must hurry! Must hurry! I feel like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland at the moment. I keep dashing around but I never catch up! So, I'm afraid today's post will be a little short and sweet. Last time I posted a pair of earrings that I made for a blog hop. I made seven pairs in total so today I thought I'd share another pair here with you.


I've bound the wooden beads with simple square knots and finished by tying the linen cord into dinky little bows. I've already kept two of the pairs I made for this blog hop and I'm rather tempted to keep these too!

EDIT: And don't forget: Tomorrow is the reveal date for the We're All Ears Blog Hop! There's still time to get some earrings made! Click here for full details.

Bye for now, Claire



Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Anti-Trend

There are some designs and motifs in jewelry making (and art, in general) that keep coming around time and time again. We may be tempted to roll our eyes and groan if we see YET ANOTHER person doing YET ANOTHER version of XYZ. 

Now, sure, there are definitely trends out there -- always have been and always will be. But I think some designs transcend the trendy. Some designs are so elemental and so universal that they we'll always identify with them. Some designs can be dressed and polished and sparkled up just as easily as they can be beaten and dirtied and rusted down. I'm going to venture that the humble leaf is one of those eternal designs. 
 
Everyone has their own version of the leaf -- they're like fingerprints. Some artists celebrate the unbridled budding potential of the new spring leaf. Others rejoice in the resplendently lush summer leaf. There are those of us who prefer the mysterious crash-and-burn of the autumn leaf. And some are drawn to the dormancy and negative space of the winter leaf. 


So at the risk of being that chick who's posting YET ANOTHER pair of leaf earrings, here I go...

I was in Tucson at the huge gem and mineral show a couple weeks ago with my dear friend Kimberly of NuminosityBeads (mwahh!). We came, we saw, we bought, we gorged, we emerged exhausted yet triumphant -- beads and stones in-hand. When I got back home to Ohio, I couldn't wait to get back into the studio and do some creating. And wouldn't you know it, one of the first designs I created didn't use any of my new haul. 

 
Instead, I created a simple pair of fold formed copper leaves. Distressed, punched, fire-scaled, beaten, oxidized, licked with verdigris, and sealed. Simple. Timeless. And so ME.

What motifs do you keep coming back to in your designs and in your life? And what does that say about you? Food for thought :) 

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki

LoveRoot on Etsy

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Northern Lights

Northern Lights Earrings

As a person who has lived in the northern tier of the country for most of my life, you would think that at one time or another I would have seen the northern lights. Charged particles from the sun that dance and shimmer in the night sky in awe inspiring displays, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora. But I am still a northern lights virgin, and have to imagine what they might look like based on the eye witness accounts of others.

Gorgeous Basha beads have the look of ancient primitive glass, with colors that dance in the light like the Aurora Borealis. So, what to do with these ethereal and slightly intimidating lampwork beads? I fashioned rustic copper arches, hammered them with a rugged texture, and darkened them. The idea was to provide a primitive looking hoop earring base for the Basha beads to hang from, surrounded by messy wrapped copper wire.




Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Monday, February 16, 2015

Stand Still

My iPhone is constantly loaded with pictures that I take whenever my husband and I go on our various road trips. I cannot get enough of nature, and I treasure each instant that I can capture... 
such as this one:


I am in awe at the vastness of it all, the colors, the textures, that raw untouched feel,
like the rest of the world does not exist and time is standing still...

Stand still my child,
Listen to the sounds of nature,
Mother Earth's breath gently caressing your face...
Enjoy the light scent of wild flowers,
And the sun's warm touch on your soul...

Inspired by blue skies, tree branches and leaves, the color of the earth...
as well as by pebbles and rocks, I've designed these earrings:

http://www.NatLJ.com
Stand Still Turquoise Hemp & Fine Silver Earrings
These earrings feature gorgeous natural Sleeping Beauty Turquoise pebbles, a pair of my hand made .999 Fine Silver (PMC3) leaf charms, suspended on variegated hemp cords in earth tones and Sterling Silver accents and a pair of my handmade Sterling Silver Ear Wires.

http://www.NatLJ.com

 
Rustic, light and serene, these earrings take me back to my mountains...

I'm seriously considering keeping these for my private collection, so I'm not listing these just yet. 
I might make others in a similar style... time will tell.

Today is my (late) father's birthday. He would have been 81.
Happy birthday papa... may you have a wonderful birthday with the angels xoxo

Nathalie


Friday, February 13, 2015

Boho Fringe


Oh how I love the Bohemian look! Peasant blouses, broomstick skirts, scarves...and of course long earrings that dangle.  I am going to see Fleetwood Mac on Tuesday and I think I need to make a pair of these earrings for myself! I need to decide what I am going to wear first...decisions, decisions....

                                          These earrings are available here on my website.

Don't forget about our giveaway here on the Earrings Everyday blog! 


I will be giving away my "Gypsy Boho" earrings that were published 
in the 101 BNE 2014 Issue.
 Winners will be announced here on February 20th.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

Kristy Abner
Kristy's Kreations


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Hugs & Kisses!

Hi there! Melissa here, filling in for Keirsten today.  When she asked me to post today, I was a bit worried I wouldn't have anything, but after I got home from work yesterday, I took a look at what was already in my work area and found some sweet red lampwork from Sue Kennedy.  Hmmm, Valentine's Day is just a couple days away and these would be perfect!


Sue trailed fine silver over the beads, "hugging" them with brilliance.  I chose some of my new little metal clay morsels...white copper hearts to dangle beneath.  I was going to let it go at that, but decided they needed a bit more "oomph", so went back through my stash and found these white pearl sticks.  After seeing the little x's the wire-wrapping left, I thought of how we sometimes use x's and o's to symbolize hugs and kisses.


Too late to purchase in time for Saturday, but they will be up in my shop a bit later.  I also have a few more tiny heart charms there as well ;)





Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Valentine's Day! XOXOXO!

Melissa Meman
Melismatic Art Jewelry

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Sutherland Earrings

I've had these earrings in my head for about a month now.  I intended to make them for the Art Jewelry Elements Components January Challenge, but I ran out of time.  So I am happy that I finished them and can share them here, finally.

The earrings proved difficult to photograph.  If you lay them on a horizontal surface (as in the picture below) then the dangly chain slinks off to the side.  When worn, they hang as in the picture above.
The lampwork glass beads, by Genea Beads, have swirling colors of jade green, tan and blue, with cream colored tops and bottoms.  The ceramic, dagger shaped dangles, by Suburban Girl Studio, have a gradient of colors from, light blue-green to jade, to a deep green-teal color on the tips. I added a little bit of decorative chain just for fun.
As I was admiring the colors in these earrings, I realized that they were the same blue and greens of Lake Sutherland, where my family used to vacation when I was in elementary school.  Its an alpine lake on the Olympic Peninsula, in Washington State.  If you woke up early in the morning, before the boats were out, the water was as smooth as glass and emerald green.  I was always my happiest and most peaceful self when I was at Lake Sutherland.
Isn't it cool that the colors can bring back such a flood of happy memories?  And its a great treasure to have memories that fill you with joy, even 50 years later.
 Maple Grove Resort on Lake Sutherland, in the 1950's, when my family vacationed here.  Found this vintage photo in a Google search.
Linda








Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Azure Lake Ceramic Circle Earrings


Nature inspired color palette. 
Handcrafted ceramic circles 
by Cindy's Art & Soul. 
Wrapped in fine silver wire, 
dangling from sterling silver ear wires.
http://blog.bandagedear.com/2012/05/15-nature-inspired-color-palettes/
 
Earrings can be found at  

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 And while I have your attention!
Please be sure to check out this months  

 I am offering one of my sand-dollar pendant beads as one of the prizes along with a set of matching round beads that would be a great set for earrings (not shown with original post)

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Stop by and join in the fun with us! 
 
 http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/