Fall, Leaves, Fall

 I've been collecting art beads for over a decade now and I'm pretty good at remembering who made what and when, but for the life of me, I can't recall buying these delicate ceramic leaves.  It's very possible they were included in a package as a gift or a trade at some time.  So if they look familiar, please help a girl out!  lol. They are lovely!

I designed these freestyle- just doing what felt right.  I usually make all my necklaces that way as well, no beadboard.  It's like dabbling on a canvas with paint to me.  These feel tribal with a wee bit of Victorian.

I made the faux tin pieces (on copper) last year at an autumn beading retreat with Heather Powers.  There won't be a retreat this year because of social distancing so I'm really missing being in South Haven, Michigan, right now.  Maybe that's why I pulled these out to work with.

The ornate rings are vintage, as are the tiny wood beads by Miriam Haskell.

Here are some stunning lampwork headpins by my favorite artist Kimberly Rogers.  Falling leaves upon falling leaves with an almost birch tree background.

The accent beads are hollow vintage brushed silver-tone with a light aged patina.  Amber rhinestone oxidized spacers for a little sparkle.

It's an hour and a half past midnight and I'm late with this posting -- life has been busy lately!  Hope I squeezed this in just in time...but I don't think so...lol 

 Please take care and enjoy the season.     Love to you all ~

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Creative Weekend

This past weekend was long-awaited and extra special for me!  Once a year I steal away with one of my best friends to South Haven, Michigan to attend the "Inspired By Nature" jewelry retreat. The event is hosted by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.

One of the many projects we worked on were these lovely faux tin components.  I actually made this pair using our "practice sheet" of tin, before using our fancy copper sheeting.  The practice run was supposed to let us get a feel for applying the transfers and baking which can be tricky.  However, I thought they turned out so well I decided to make a pair of earrings with it!

I oxidized all the copper accent beads and jump-rings to coordinate with the dark navy blue floral pattern and cut tiny squares of tin for fringe (nothing wasted!).

This gauge of tin was extremely lightweight and so nice for earrings.  The charms I made on copper sheeting will have a little more weight and be sturdier however, both materials are great in their own way.

Here are a couple of pendants I've made with copper backing.  Definitely more substantial.  I'm still working on them but wanted to show you.

Here we are working away like little elves in one of our cozy cabins.

All the lovely elves!  ♡

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I'll be back in a couple of weeks with some new things!

♡

Loralee XO

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Devilishly Charming Is What They Called Him...

Hello,  Happy October To You All!

Take a look at this strikingly bold and playful image Anna Pierson of Sagahus Components used on her faux tin charms!  I really fell in love with this guy and ordered a few pairs to play with.  

These charms were made on copper and have a nice substantial weight which dome beautifully. Doming the image really enhanced the facial features and gave it life!  

Don't you just love the little headdress of skulls he's wearing!  What also makes this design special is the soft muted yellow background, it really makes him pop!

I wanted this design to be a bit modern yet keep a warm rustic feel.  I loved the idea of extending the main image so I created a goatee for him!  It's like when an actor leaves the stage and comes into the audience! ha! 

In my stash I had these cool little wire wrapped charms by Shipwreckdandy Supply which were just the right size and shape!  Also, the tin is very smooth and the wire wrapping lends a lot of rich texture. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peek on my worktable!

I will see you back in a couple of weeks!

🔥

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

William Morris Faux Tin

Hello, Beady Peeps!  

I've been working a lot with William Morris prints lately.  The Art Bead Scene Studio Blog has been exploring different Art Journey Challenges this year and this time around it's all about William Morris.  As some of you may know, I do earring designs for them as well as "The Earring Whisperer".  Well, after finishing up my post this month I discovered these gorgeous faux tin crescents made by Heather Powers.  I loved the pattern so much that I decided to do a new pair for Earrings Everyday, too! 

*"William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a revolutionary force in Victorian Britain: his work as an artist, designer, craftsman, writer and socialist dramatically changed the fashions and ideologies of the era."

Arched shaped copper charms, faux tin finish with a William Morris Tulip pattern by Heather Powers.  These hang so beautifully and have wonderful movement.

The carved black horn squares made a beautiful contrast against the print and pops of brassy gold accents.  The Arts and Crafts Movement used a lot of dark rich wood and I thought this deep color horn brought out that feature.

I tried the arcs on the bottom first but loved it more as a prominent "crown-like" top. 

Thank you as always for taking the time to see what's happening on my worktable.  I will see you back in a couple of weeks with some new autumn designs :)

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Faux Vintage Tin

Tin has become increasingly popular and recently I have discovered artists that are making their own! 

Faux tin cicada charms featuring original drawings by Heather Powers.  Heather has workshops where she teaches this craft.  I've been lucky to attend some and it's a fascinating process. It can be quite a labor intensive with all the cutting and filing but with the help of Jess, her husband, they make the most beautifully finished pieces which are smooth like butter.

 Teal lampwork glass with 24k gold leaf and very old ornate vintage chain dangling from the bottom.  Oh, this chain - can we all just pause and appreciate this for a moment - ahh.  I've never been able to get my hands on more, but I'm always searching!

♡

Charms made from salvaged tin embellished with vintage decals by Marina Rios.  Marina has a completely different approach which is partially done over a flame!  She has a wonderful tutorial you can purchase in her Etsy shop.  I've attached a link to name above.

I paired these lovely woodland charms with some roughed up connectors and added small touches of gold leafing to bring out the detail.  I added some long chain with crystals attached at the bottom for some weight, movement, and sparkle.

Oh, and I almost forgot to show you the backs!  Butterflies!  Beautiful on both sides!

So that's me for today.  I'll be back in two weeks with another pair of tin charms and perhaps some enamel :D  Try to contain yourselves...Hahaha!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com