The Unknown

“I will not let you go into the unknown alone.”
― Bram Stoker

October Greetings, My Friends!

Today I have some lovely antiqued collage earring charms by Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws to show you.  

The charms are made of thin porcelain ceramic and are quite delicate. I used a 4 ply wax linen cord to attach them to the rest of the components so there wouldn't be any metal rubbing against them.  In this particular pair, I frayed the ends of the cord to create a tattered look which also went perfectly with the slashes you see in the sleeves.  

I created a sort of gobbet using vintage bead-caps and amber-colored faceted beads.  Well, of course, we all know vampires don't drink....wine...However, they may offer you some to be hospitable. 

I hope you enjoyed your stay at my little bead table today!  It was wonderful to see you again!

Be well,

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com 

 

Along Came A Spider

Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws made these stunning porcelain discs with a lovely silver luster.  They are  rustic, tribal and made the most lovely spider webs!

I constructed my own spiders from bead-caps, rhinestone spacers, and metal accent beads.  I really love these miniature industrial-looking sculptures.

The spider's legs mimic the web pattern in the discs and it all just works so well together.

🕸

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my worktable today! 

There's a pretty good chance I will be continuing with my spooky designs for a while 'cause - 'tis the season!

Until next time!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Frolicking Bunnies

 I was ignoring the heavy, slushy snow falling outside my window as I was working on these little bun-buns.

 Inside the studio, it was green, grassy and sunny!

I am utterly in love with these guys so don't hate me, but I have to keep these forever!

These sweet ceramic charms were made by Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws and they are her original drawings.

I had pulled a few options for this design but loved them with fabric cocoons by SagaHus the best.  I chose a nice mossy green color with warm ox copper wire.  I used wax linen cord not only protect the delicate charm holes but also to make little whiskers!  I think the frayed cord lends a little "action" to the scene as well.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

you can also find me on FaceBook and Instagram under my name.

On The Worktable, Part Two

Hello, hello!  I just finished up my little project that I wrote about last time~

Here are the last pair of charms that Foxpaws sent in our handmade trade!

The richness of the red Jasper stones really brought out the beautiful detail and made them pop.  The stones are oval in shape, and I wanted to prevent the stones from turning so I crossed wrapped them.  

Here are the original supplies that I had pulled.  The vintage beads are an amazing match in color, but I thought they were just a bit too slim and got lost next to the bold, wider charms.  It was actually a difficult decision because the fabric cocoons were incredibly cool and had oodles of texture, but I wanted to add more color without adding additional length.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!  Until next time, when we meet again in June!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Owls On My Worktable

Hello Beady Peeps!

Recently I had the opportunity to do a handmade trade with Foxpaw Beads.  I chose some items for myself that I had been drooling over, and in return, she sent me some of her favorite charms to create earrings with.  Here are one of three pair.   :)

Two little carved ceramic owls of different sizes with horizontal holes.

I adore the body pattern on the owls, one had stripes and the other, dots.   I really wanted to play on that feature so I did some digging and found some nice pieces in that rich reddish brown and subtle grey.

I used an orphan African ceramic Kazuri bead with stripes and dots.  Next, I found some wonderful spacers by Heather Powers of Humblebeads with a feather like pattern and a deep pink base.

I needed to build some height onto the shorter of the two, so I added a large pinkish/grey, rustic vintage pearl.  I think it added light and softness to the design, as well as length.

Work in progress shot.  A little decorative support to keep them steady.  I continued the wire wrapping partially around the frame and clipped off a couple of wires.

♡

I've fallen for these guys and I'll be sending a piece of my heart back with them.

♡

This is the next pair I'll be working on.... I'm still deciding my direction - we shall see!   I will show you the final design next time!  

As always, thank you for stopping by and having a peek!  

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Lush Branches

Handmade ceramic branch carvings, by Foxpaws.  Beautiful textures, facets and shading are shown in these stunning beads!

I wanted to create a bit of dramatic mood with these unique pieces, so I added lush vintage glass pearls and golden druzy beads.  

These are up there with some of my all time favorite earrings; hope you like them as well! 

Thank you for stopping by today ♡

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Ancient Petroglyph Design

Hello. We have a new guest today! Please welcome Chris Kaitlyn.

I view making earrings as making a small sculpture or painting, blending elements together until I create a design that pleases my eye. I had so much fun putting these elements together to make a colorful bold earring design. Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws Ceramics made the focus component for the design. Jill’s petroglyph of people outlined in blue against a brick red background goes well with the blue and red lampwork glass beads from Jody Brimhall of Inspire Glass Studio. 

Chris Kaitlyn Jewelry

Years ago while reading about materials in jewelry designing I came across black annealed steel wire. I tried some and fell in love with the product. It is a sturdy wire that supports any material I need to wire to other elements whether it is gemstones, ceramics or glass. It is also easy to find at my local Ace Hardware store. I also like that it is a black to steely black color and doesn’t compete with the various elements in the design. Currently I’m using a lot of 28 gauge wire as it bends and wraps well and doesn’t wear out my hands. 

Chris Kaitlyn Jewelry

The other element in the earrings is a new one for me. I have used black and antique copper Niobium ear wires from Tierra Cast for years now, but the colored ear wires are new in my earring designs. They really lend themselves well to colorful earrings and they are made so well. The Niobium is a non-allergic metal, being free of nickel, lead, or other additives. The color is applied through an anodizing process where the metal is dipped into an electrically charged solution making the color bond to the metal so it will not flake or chip. They also make head pins and jump rings in colors, but it is good to note that just as with yarn and fabrics, the color can change a bit from one lot of jump rings, to head pins, to ear wires, but they will all look beautiful together.

To avoid getting confused I put all of one order of a specific color in its own tray and do not mix them with the next order as they can be a slightly different shade. Today’s earrings feature blue ear wires. They also come in purple, green, teal, pink, and yellow and look even better in person than in the pictures.

Chris Kaitlyn Jewelry

Thank you to the Earrings Everyday Crew for the opportunity to be today’s guest writer.

ChrisKaitlynJewelry
Chris Kaitlyn Jewelry on IndieMade
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Rustic Christmas

Merry, Merry!

Hi, all~ Loralee here!  I'm getting so excited with the changing seasons and thrilled to share these rustic earrings with you today!

The lovely ceramic striped beads were handmade by my sweet friend, Gaea, of Gaea Handmade. I chose these in particular, not only for their rustic pattern and color combination, but also, for their unique free-form, oblong shape. 

The Copper patina charms are made by Jill Stoffegen of Foxpaws!  These  amazing copper charms are the finest I have ever come across. Not only beautiful to look at, but they feel magnificent in your hand!  In her description on Etsy, Jill wrote of their history which makes them all the more special:

"This copper is from our family farm. The Farm was homesteaded in 1850, with a log cabin. In the early 1880's a three story barn was constructed on the farm site. It was the only three floor barn in the state with drive in access on all three floors. This large barn housed the families draft horse breeding farm. This copper was salvaged when the barn was torn down last year. The copper was from a water trough used by the horses and later animals. That puts the aging process on this copper at over 120 years. The patinated surface is extremely durable, nothing seems to damage it. The surface has not been color altered. There are slight variations of color depending upon which salvage sheet they are from and some natural rugged edges were also used. You will be hard pressed to find copper like this with its history!"

♡

I was lucky enough to have a second pair of cooper charms! I'm so crazy for the dappled star pattern!  Again, everything done to a perfectly smooth satin finish.  

I wanted to play-up the dotted pattern so I paired the copper charms this time with lampwork beads by Petra Marikova.  Her work is meticulous and she is just outstanding!  The ivory with hints of brownish tan around the raised dots really make them pronounced.  Ivory looks amazing with the wintery sage green - bold yet subtle.

♡

Both of these earrings have me dreaming of a simpler life without electronics and so much noise.  I think of being in a cabin, under a blanket, next to a fire....hot coco and a big old-fashioned peppermint stick!  Okay, with a beading table in the corner....with a cat, or two...  blissssss  

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton - artful in beads