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Friday, July 31, 2015

Textured Bronze Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

Textured Bronze Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul
Textured Bronze Earrings By Cindy's Art & Soul
 Hand cut and forged bronze with a light embossed fabric texture with Labradorite stone dangles, wrapped in sterling silver. Hand forged sterling silver ear wires. Available at Art & Soul Jewelry.
http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/

Thursday, July 30, 2015

What inspires you? - Guest Malin de Koning

"What are you inspired by when you create your jewelry designs?"
We have all been asked that question, right. :-)
I myself could answer "basically anything". Nature, a film, music, art, people, other's jewelry and so on. But most of all I am inspired by the actual beads themselves and the materials I work with.


And as it happened - it was only the day after I was asked if I wanted to do a guest post here on Earrings Everyday that I received a shipment from Smitten Beads in the UK. It included a batch of large rustic pearls. I don't often work with pearls in my jewelry. But these rustic ones (oh I've bought them before in different colors) are just to die for. So it was easy to make up my mind that I would create earrings with large rustic pearls for this post. And as I am a big fan of art beads I also wanted each pair to contain at least one set of art beads. I made three pairs.

Ingredients:
Cognac brown rustic pearls
Electroplated hematite faceted square heishis
Rust red greek cog washers
Rustic Tin Works caps pins - CrowsCacheSupplies
Silver ear hooks (oxidized) - RubyMountain

Ingridients:
Electroplated hematite saucer beads
Bronze and swirly polymer clay disc - HumbleBeads
Bronze bicone bead with edge pattern - GracefulWillow
Green and yellow drop shaped rustic pearls
Copper ear hooks (oxidized) - RubyMountain

Ingridients:
Beaded beads - Malin de Koning
Olive colored rustic pearls
Patinated brass flower patterned boat shaped dangles - MissFickleMedia


All my best,
Malin de Koning



Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Poppy Pod Earrings

These poppy seed pod inspired earrings seem quite magical, like something fashioned by tiny woodland fairies. 

The polymer clay pod headpins are paired up with Czech glass beads, copper seed beads and sterling silver wire. 

These are alternative project samples for my fall retreat in October. 

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Kenaz The Torch of Knowledge by Art and Soul Jewelry

Kenaz ~ The Torch of Knowledge

 by Art and Soul Jewelry

Earrings, kenaz runic design by Art and Soul Jewelry
"Ancestrally, we each must carry our own torch, creating a path of light that flows through the darkness. These torches are never extinguished, and can be used as signposts in the navigation of the ancestral stream, and to acquire the knowledge and tools from our ancestry" - runesecrets.com 

Earrings, kenaz runic design by Art and Soul Jewelry
A simple, yet bold design. Kenaz, ancient Viking runes, hand stamped on copper disks. Forged into domes. Accented with brass for a beautiful contrast of rich metal hues. Ear wires are hand forged sterling silver wrapped in bronze wire. http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/
 

Monday, July 27, 2015

Boho Ruffled Hoops

I was honored to have several projects chosen to be included in Interweave's 2015 Easy Metal.  I created these hoops based on traditional foldforming techniques.  They are lightweight, colorful, unique and versatile.  I  need to make myself some in other metals as well!

Copper hoops with sterling earwires and Czech glass embellishments
The beauty shot by Interweave
These aren't up in my shop yet, but they will be soon as a custom order, available in 3 different metals.  If you are interested in making your own, be sure to check out Easy Metal...there are a lot of wonderful designs by fabulously talented artists!

These would look great with my uniform of jeans, t-shirt and boots, but are really so versatile, they would go with anything!

Thanks for stopping by!

Melissa Meman

Friday, July 24, 2015

Maple Seed Earrings

I love that you can take a sheet of copper and with a few simple tools transform it into object that mimics nature. These maple seed earrings are copper with a lovely patina, sterling silver, nickel seed beads.
These are available for pre-order here. Or you can learn to make a pair by joining me for my Inspired by Nature Retreat in October. We'll gather for three days of making beads and jewelry. Read all about it!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Allurement

Would you believe that the little stone heishi beads in these earrings I just made are from one of my first ever mail-order bead catalog purchases back in the mid nineties before I even started making my own beads? I think they were from Halstead or Rings & Things. The lampworking came a few years later. I had been making seed beaded moosehide amulet bags and was always looking for suitable beads from my fringes.
Every once in awhile I revisit old stashes and so happy to put them to some new uses.
These torch fired enamel numi-sticks were a rejected custom order so I kept them for myself and was happy that they had so many possibilities for matching colors. the sticks are a much brighter crimson than appears in this photo.




I used the simple fine gauge steel wire for the messy wrap to go through the assorted heishi and sunstone and some EdenArtGlass patina jump rings to connect them and some of Lucy Haslam Faerystones "Simples" earwires.
Seems that my newest designs get snatched up the quickest, I had to say goodbye to these at our local farmers market in Fairbanks, Alaska last Saturday.

I'm hoping you all are having a great summer. My next post will be coming from the road as we will be driving from Michigan to Maine on my next scheduled day.

Stay cool! 
Kimberly



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Sailing Under The Stars

My husband and I celebrated our 42nd anniversary, last weekend, with a visit to Port Townsend, WA.  Port Townsend has been one of our favorite getaways for about 30 years now.  We love the ocean, the Victorian seaport homes, the many art galleries and the delicious restaurants.

And if all that weren't enough, PT (as the locals call it), is also home to Wynwoods Gallery and Bead Studio, one of my favorite bead shops!  The shop owner, Lois Venarchick, designs and casts her own line of metal charms.  I added these delights to my stash last weekend.
Today's earrings feature the Lois' bronze sailboat charms, which I paired with gorgeous matte lampwork beads by Out West.
I knew immediately that the charms and the beads belonged together.  Together they seem to tell a little story.  The bronze sailboats are sailing under a golden star and the blue, turquoise and black beads above the star represent the night sky. Everything feels peaceful and tranquil. It is all smooth sailing.
Lois Venarchick
Lois Venarchick
The Sailing Under The Stars earrings are available in my shop.
Lois Venarchick

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Rustic Gemstone Hoops

Copper Gemstone Hoop Earrings

It's not often that I have the patience to sit down and seriously attempt anything this intricate, but I managed to overcome my tendency toward ADHD and finish these wire wrapped hoops just in time for today's post. I used a new jig to form loops for the bottom of these teardrop shaped copper hoops, and then added a little more embellishment with the wrapped seed beads. My goal was to make a pair of gem laden hoops that aren't too heavy or overwhelming.

It can sometimes be difficult to capture all of its beauty in photos, but I have always loved using labradorite in jewelry. It has a lovely iridescent quality along with its tantalizing flashes of blue. Here the dangles are faceted onion brios wrapped in oxidized copper wire. As a contrast to the labradorite, I use London Blue Topaz for the center drops, wrapped in the same style as the labradorite.

The result is a boho southwestern mix of rustic copper and glittering gemstones.












Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Monday, July 20, 2015

Rainforest


The itch to wrap beads latched on to me today, I can't remember the last time I did that!
It took me awhile to pick out the beads I wanted to use and then once I decided it took me quite a bit more time to use them in a way I was happy with.


I really love how these Rainforest earrings turned out.
Gorgeous Rainforest Agate all bunch up underneath and also topping off Ceramic Beads by MaryAnn Carroll of Artisan Beads Plus.

Funny how these beautiful Ceramic Beads sat in my stash for probably a couple of years and now suddenly I've used them in 2 Earring Designs.
I guess that's why some of us never want to get rid of anything in our stash!!

These earrings are available HERE.

Kristi

Friday, July 17, 2015

We're All Ears :: July Reveal


"The quilters start at one of the corners of the sari and work their way around it, usually in a counterclockwise direction. They fix patches made from the family's old clothing to the sari with a running back stitch that eventually covers the entire quilt, both patchwork top and sari bottom. Some quilters create small, close-spaced stitches, others spread them further apart. The stitches exhibit a distinctive rhythm that is part of the individual quilter's visual signature."
~Professor Henry Drewal

There is color and life in these textiles and a lot of heart. What I was intrigued by most was the manner in which the Siddi quilts are constructed. The idea of starting in one corner and working around the outside to the inside in a sort of rectangular spiral, if you will. That was the impetus for my earring design.


The spiral is such an ancient symbol. It is representative of the cycles of birth, life and death, which is a fitting image for these quilts. They are often given to babies in their cribs and I suspect that they are carried for comfort all the days of their lives. The way they spiral the winding path of fabric patches is quite like a tactile labyrinth. Labyrinths are sacred spaces slowing down time in the meditative act of walking one. I imagine that the stitches in these quilts are like one foot in front of the other, slowing time down, focusing on the change that comes with building the textile, living a life. Walking a labyrinth is a metaphor for life—the path shifts in unexpected ways, sometimes diverting you from your goal, but ultimately leading you to the center. Unlike a maze, there are no dead-ends and you can't get lost.



I limited myself to a single, continuous piece of wire, much like the threads that are woven in the blankets. I tried adding some simple color with tiny beads and textiles in the form of some sari silk. But they seemed too fussy. So I opted to leave them plain.



As I was creating these I sought out some appropriate background music and opened up my Pandora channel for Cirque du Soleil music. I really like the haunting melodies, the ethereal voices and the "cirquish" nonsensical lyrics with a world-beat sort of vibe. Listening to such music helps me get into a flow. I hit upon some Adiemus on the channel that at once had a Celtic and African vibe to it (you might recognize their musical style from the movie Avatar). I could imagine the joyful rhythms being hummed as the Siddi women worked on a community quilt. The distinctive rhythms of their stitching echoing in the song of life.


These earrings are quite long, about 2 1/2-3" each, yet extremely lightweight. Their continuous form is like the road that each of us is on. We may not know what the journey ahead will give to us, but there is a definite beginning and and ending, with plenty of twists and turns in between to keep things interesting. I call these Life Labyrinth earrings, and each pair, just like each one of our journeys, is different.


 
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Thursday, July 16, 2015

A Catch Of Thorn

As you may or may not know, I'm also a contributor to the Art Bead Scene blog. Today the ABS editors are participating in a blog hop, sharing pieces inspired by this month's challenge image.


Still Life with Shells, 1640
BBalthasar van der Ast

So, I thought I'd share one of the pairs of the earrings I made here.


I've mixed some Glass Bead Art lampwork and some Slate Studio ceramic spines with some pieces of twig and some vintage copper filigree bails, which I've blackened. I finished them off with trios of scarlet seeds.  You can see the other pieces I made and get links to all the other participants blogs by visiting my blog.  These earrings are available here in my Etsy shop.

A little reminder: tomorrow is the reveal day for this month's We're All Ears blog hop. Have you made a pair yet? - there's still time!

Bye for now, Claire



Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Nautical, Dude

If my feet were put to the fire and you forced me to choose the most popular colors when it comes to my jewelry, I'd have to say blues and greens. Perhaps I'm biased (ok, I am) - I tend to design more with these colors, so I suppose it's natural that they sell more. But in general, the cool organic lushness of these hues tends to attract very devoted followers. 

A couple weeks ago I was scrolling through my shop and realized it was really starting to lack in the blue/green department. Blasphemy! I started to paw through my (ever growing) stone cabochon hoard, looking for inspiration. I tend to design in series, and this was the perfect opportunity to do an earrings series featuring blue/green stones set in sterling silver. 

Originally I was planning on creating three pairs...that soon grew to five...and ultimately ballooned to a total of eight pairs (clockwise from top left): blue opal, Sonora sunrise, chrysocolla, Royston ribbon turquoise, natural turquoise, chrysoprase, imperial jasper, and plasma agate. I mean, how can you stop yourself when you're surrounded by such pretty rocks?! 

One of my favorites of the series is a pair of minty green chrysocolla stones, nestled in a symmetrical setting that reminds me of a compass or some type of nautical instrument. The dark negative "splatter" space at the center of each stone really sets them off, while thin webby veins of blue azurite add extra visual appeal.

 
So now that I've exhausted my supply of blue green stones, that can only mean one thing: it's time to go rock shopping. Eh? EH???!!

Happy Wednesday!
 
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Green River Black Copper Hoops by Art and Soul Jewelry

Lazy days by the river, camping July 2015- with Molly
Green River Hoops by Art and Soul Jewelry
Green River Hoops by Art and Soul Jewelry
 "Green River" fused, cascading copper hoops featuring shimmering Czech glass, faceted with a Picasso finish on hand forged copper wire headpins. Available for order at Art and Soul Jewelry

Happy Happy Summer! 
 http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/


Monday, July 13, 2015

Lavender Ocean


I'm sure many of you have figured out by now that I LOVE Sea Urchin beads. I use them quite often. These beauties came from Sheila of StoneDesignsbySheila. She does a fabulous job on these beads and I'm always pestering her for more!


I was lucky enough to have these amazing Discs by MarshaNealStudio that were such a great match then I added a touch of Sari Silk as I so often do and topped them with pretty Recycled Glass and Bronzy Faceted Czech Glass beads!

These earrings have sold!
Thank you!

Kristi