I assisted Earrings Everyday team member,
Kristi Bowman Gruel, at a show last weekend. She spent two nights at my house, as we live about halfway between her house and the bay side town where the show took place. We always have such a good time together. I love spending time with my beady friends!
A mutual friend and lampwork artist,
Sheila Davis, was also at the show. Kristi cracked me up; entering Sheila's booth, with hands around her eyes, like blinkers. "I'm not looking", she declared, "I'm just here to say hello". I totally get this, because to enter Sheila's booth, is to want to buy every bead and pendant she has made. This is a seriously skilled lampworker! I wasn't nearly as self controlled as Kristi was. I walked in wide eyed and walked out with 2 pairs of marvelous lampwork head pins.
I was attracted to these head pins because the color combination was so unusual. Once I got them home, I realized that they would go perfectly with Mookaite jasper. Mookaite jasper is found only in Australia. It has a wide range of colors, most often it is dark red and ochre yellow, but it can also shade toward mauve, white, tan and even purple.
I placed dark red recycled African glass above the head pins, then gold colored Mookaite nested in copper bead caps. I topped the earrings with small, dark red Mookaite beads. Then I made a double loop of the head pin wire and wrapped it down, around the red Mookaite. I wrapped more wire between the glass beads and the bead caps.
I love how these turned out! Its a good thing I got 2 pair of these head pins, because I may need to keep one pair for myself!
I totally understand why you had to buy these headpins Linda. They are marvelous. And you turned them into gorgeous earrings. I find mookaite jasper a beautiful stone but very difficult to work with. They complement and enhance these headpins in a wonderful way.
ReplyDeleteI saw these coming together over the weekend I spent at Linda's. They turned out beautifully!! I love Mookaite too but as Janine says it can be difficult because there are so many variations in color but it's so beautiful! I had such a great time at your lovely new home, thank you so much for being such a lovely hostess and helping me at my show. I couldn't have done it without you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda! The earrings are beautiful and the headpins go perfect with the jasper.
ReplyDeleteI love Mookaite too, Linda, and you selected the perfect shade of gold to go with the beautiful headpins. How fun for you and Kristi to be able to spend time together! I can imagine there was a lot of laughter, eh? So about the Mookaite, I do love it, but I have never yet purchased any. Some of the strands I've seen have, as you said, beautiful Pinky Mauve stones, deep red, almost like a dark red wine, and striking golds. I will have to ask Janine why she finds it difficult to work with?? You had absolutely no trouble at all! They're wonderful.
ReplyDeletebeautiful pair of earrings Linda, very fall'ish and earthy!!
ReplyDeleteStunning earrings Linda!!!
ReplyDeleteStunning earrings Linda!!!
ReplyDelete