Flowers in the Snow

My earrings this week reflect what is going on outside; it's very odd weather, as it's been a reasonably warm winter so far and all the snowdrops, early daffodils and primulas are already out and tiny pale pink blossom is beginning to appear on our cherry tree. And yet this last couple of weeks we have had storms, a fluttering of snow and it is wetter than wet. So the need to wrap up warmly remains.

These began with my desire to use some of my new gorgeous soft pink organic banana yarn; I wrapped and secured it around two Faerystones black copper twisted sisters, added some beautiful creamy rustic pearls from The Curious Bead Shop and popped them on these lovely polymer clay floral beads that our own Janine Lucas made. Aren't they unusual? Pink and black - always an unbeatable combination.

So here you have - flowers with snow, and a scarf! They'll be in my Etsy shop, should you like them.

                                            See you again in a couple of weeks - keep well.

                                                                            Lindsay x

                                                                        My Etsy shop

                                                                    My facebook page

Whimsical Wings

Hi everyone, it's been crazy weather here for the past couple of weeks, with lots of rain and wind. I'm yearning for spring now!

These earrings in warm tones of orange and yellow with contrasting dark wood might very well brighten anyones day in the mean time.

The wings, made by me are hand painted wood with Pyrography line work and the exquisite lampwork beads are by Régis Teixera. They have been teamed up with wooden spacer beads, copper bead caps and Czech glass bead caps. The ear wires are copper.

The earrings are available in my FB show today in The Jewellery Show.

Thank you for taking a look, if you would like to see these and more earrings this is my group, 

Nicola Morse - Jewellery & components

We're All Ears :: Reveal :: Land Art

I would have loved to spend more time in the amazing world of Jon Foreman and his incredible Land Art installations. They are intricate and precise and yet made from things that are exactly the opposite. It thrills me to see all the color along with the patterns. If I had more time I would have done more with the patterning and the placement of pieces.

But what I decided to focus on was making my own stones.

Yes! I made every single one of the stones here in a challenge within a challenge.

To create these faux stones, I started with translucent polymer clay and incorporated different inclusions, from mica powder to mica chips and embossing powders. That is all the coloring you see here, and it was fun to see how I could make them look like some sort of stone found along a lakeshore. Shaped haphazardly and baked, the embossing powder adds a dimension of realness. They may look like stones but they are as light as a feather!

So I have a couple pairs of the faux stones that I created that would love to come home and play with you! If you enter a pair of earrings, you will automatically be entered to win a pair of "stones" of your very own. And if you didn't get a chance to enter some earrings (remember you have a week to do so!), just leave a comment telling me what your favorite type of stone is and you can win a pair of my Stoned earrings! I will announce winners on Friday, March 6th.

Your turn! Show me your nature inspired land art earrings!

In The Pink

I am a gingham lover; they remind me of more innocent times but most of all, they remind me of my grandmother ♡.  

These sweet gingham enamel hearts are by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare.  

Heart charms always have the small challenge of what to do with that center dip.  In my stash, I found these vintage acrylic etched beads with perfect proportions and color.

This was a nice little surprise - the backs had a daisy pattern on them!  Cathleen always finishes her work so beautifully. 

These had been on my worktable for a few weeks.  I have a newfound obsession with vintage sequins.  They were in the same soft pink so I thought I'd include them in today's blog post.

The lovely enameled wire chandelier hoops are by Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

The vintage pink petal sequins are from Allegory Gallery

Thank you for joining me!  I have no clue as to what I'll be working on next ... but hopefully, you'll look for my posting in a couple of weeks!  😺

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Moonstone

Hello Earring People!

I'm really enjoying using gemstones at the moment. I love that they have their own special meanings, and whether you believe in their properties or not -it can make gifting them particularly significant.

Now my particular favourites at the moment are citrine, labradorite, carnelian and moonstone. Moonstone is the star of this blogpost and is supposed to represent new beginnings through promoting inner strength and calmness, enhancing inspiration and good fortune and releasing love. As we are still at the beginning of 2020, couldn't we all do with a bit of that?

So, these pretties started life as bits of sterling silver sheet and wire. I wanted to make something rather elegant to set off the pretty moonstone oval cabochons, so went for a diamond shaped setting, which I embellished with little silver balls. Those little silver balls are great to make! You just use some left over bits of wire or sheet and heat them with a torch until they contract into perfect little balls. Now one of those little minxes fell off when they were in the tumbler and I only noticed after I'd set the stone and you really can't solder a setting with a stone in! I didn't have the heart to discard them, so they'll have to stay a little imperfect!

I fancied doing something a little different with the earwires. These are just sterling headpins I made, which I then twisted round to make earwires. I rather like the twirliness!. I also love the flash of the moonstones. Like labradorite, moonstones have the prettiest flash of blue/grey in them. Delicious.

That's it from me. These will be available in my next showcase in Facebook Land  -on the Jewellery Show in March.

Sue
Utterly Lovely Stuff

Exploring the Ancient

Hi again - it's February already!
Welcome to my current obsession - sourcing old necklaces and chopping them up for interesting components. I have a stash of old necklaces left by my mum, who used to haunt antique shops and wander around flea markets looking for old broken necklaces to repurpose, so I guess it's in the genes. But hers are mainly old Victorian glass, pearls etc and although I often use them, I'm looking for something a little more eclectic. This week, it's old yak bone from Tibet. 

In the pair above, I've used old yak bone tubes above elephant ceramics by Majoyoal and wrapped the ends of the tubes with gorgeous recycled sari silk in deep blue, embroidered in scarlet and secured with vintage bronze wire. The earwires are handmade brass.

My second pair have wonderful deeply carved and aged yak bone beads, spacers and bronze wavy discs with tribal faces that Helen Backhouse moulded in polymer clay from a  piece of wall art I have. Great job too!

These two pairs will be in my Etsy shop, should you want either. Thankyou as always for visiting Earrings Everyday - we are always so happy to see you. And I'll see you again, in a couple of weeks.


                                                              Lindsay x

                                                         My Etsy shop

                                                        My Facebook page

Serendipity With Buttons

I had no idea what to make for this week's earrings, until I sat down at my work table last weekend. There, at the table, were all the leftover beads from a bracelet I'd made last week. I know, I know I should clean up after myself, but that's a whole different story.
Among the debris, I found these buttons that I'd bought at an antique/vintage store a couple of years ago. When I made the purchase, I planned to use them to create button closures for bracelets. But I suddenly saw these buttons in a new light.

I realized they could be used like earring charms or dangles! I dug through the other beads on my table and came across these really cool, rustic ceramic discs that I'd picked up at a bead show somewhere. They have very large holes in the center, so that when I attached them to the wooden buttons, the discs covered up the button shanks.

I added some accents and connected it all with brown Irish waxed linen. I love how they turned out. It tickles me that I could come up with a new, unusual way to use some old buttons. You can find these earrings in my shop now. Thanks, as always, for visiting Earrings Everyday. We love hearing from you in the comment section!

Linda Landig Jewelry

We're All Ears :: February Inspiration :: Sculpt the World

Jon Foreman is a land artist from Wales. He was inspired by the natural materials abundantly found in his seaside location to create his ephemeral land art sculptures. Stones, sticks, shells, leaves, sand, and more find their way into his hauntingly beautiful mandala-like sculptures. Can you imagine the delight in coming upon one of these out in the wild?

From his website - https://sculpttheworld.smugmug.com -

A creator of various styles of Land Art, he is ever in search of “different.” Be it with stones or leaves, inland or on beaches. He has even created works in derelict environments using materials such as broken glass or ashes and general debris. The scale of his work varies massively; he may use stones or driftwood to make something small and minimal. Otherwise he may be seen drawing massive scale sand drawings up to 50 metres across. His work is ephemeral in many differing ways; Most often the weather and immediate climate will make his work disappear (be blown down/washed away by the tide), and sometimes other people will interfere. This is all part of the creative process and has proven to benefit his work. Jon’s practice is not just something he enjoys but it is also a therapy for him, an escape from the stresses of everyday life. Jon began his journey making Land Art/Sculpture while in college but he feels his creative play with materials and innovative ideas are something which started long before. Most of his work takes place in an already beautiful setting such as the Pembrokeshire coastline. Having grown up there he saw the beauty of the coastline and woodlands and made use of them by collaborating with nature itself.

When I first saw these images on www.BoredPanda.com I immediately thought of beads! Each of these experimental sculptures is massive yet so intimate. The act of placing each stone, stick or leaf in just the right place based on color, size and shape is really remarkable. The circular shapes, with radiating rays and spirals are so very ancient and powerful. I imagine that there is a lot of planning that goes into these, and a meditative experience in completing them. Reminds me of my process of working with just the right beads that I "happen" to find in my beady landscape!

Be sure to look through both the 70+ pictures on the BoredPanda site for more inspiration as well as checking out his website for other materials and sculpture installations. There is even a short film of him working on a massive sand canvas piece along a rugged Welsh coastline. Beautiful! Well worth the time to watch. Show him some love, because his art is awesome!

Jon Foreman - Sculpt The World

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Of course you could just focus on the patterns and shapes that Foreman uses, or you could incorporate natural elements like sticks and stones and leaves into your interpretation. Lots of options! Hope to have you play along with me...and tell your friends, too! Be sure to come back on Friday, February 21st for the reveal!

Child's Play

In a previous life, these tin strawberry components were a vintage child's tea set.  Kimberly Rogers found the little plates at a rummage-type sale where she freeform hand-cut and filed each one.

Shabby chic, rustic with a playful history.  I love the roughed up bits on these charms as they show the many hours of fun some little girls must have had with them.

A row of pretty champagne colored rondell crystals added to the bottom for a little subtle bling.  

I love a pop of dark metal so I paired these with some handmade oxidized sterling silver ear-wires and blackened jump-rings.

Vintage celluloid strawberries in a beautiful iridescent cream, circa 1940.  I think they lend sophistication and polish to the mix and a lovely balance of color as well.

A sweet little Valentine for you all! ♡

Thank you for stopping by my worktable!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com