Boo!

Hallowe'en - one of my favourite times of the year.

'Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Hallowe'en is a time of celebration and superstition.'

Thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, it was a time when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, believing that at the end of summer the barrier between our world and that of the spirits became much thinner.

With Christianity, it became All Hallow's Eve - the day before All Saints Day on 1st November. Hallowe'en was made popular in the USA by Irish immigrants in the 19th Century and it is there it has really taken off, with trick or treating and pumpkin carving. And those films....I recall watching 'Halloween' when it was first released in 1978 and being scared absolutely witless. But on the other hand, we have had some really fun parties for Hallowe'en over the years and I still decorate the house for the seemingly hundreds of local children that come around.

A couple of weeks ago a customer of mine asked me to reprise some earrings I made this time last year. They were great fun to make and had 'ingredients' from some of our lovely team here on EE.

The spooky copper faces are, of course, from Kristi; the squashy pumpkins from  Jetta ; the
sari silk (mummified?) connectors from Anna Pierson; they have vintaj copper leaves and earwires by Lucy.

 The second pair have great wine and orange colours. They're little devils to photograph as they don't lie flat, and really need to be seen hanging!

  The darker pair are reserved, but the first available in my Etsy shop. Do you like Hallowe'en? And have any family traditions? Do tell us about them.

See you next time - stay safe!

Lindsay x

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My Precious, My Own...

Hello! Happy Monday to you all. This is Norbel speaking (writing :) ). I'm sure many of you have noticed the number of changes there have been in our Artisan Contributors over the last several months. One thing I know for sure about life is that nothing stays the same. Things change; lives change. And that is simply how it is. Our wonderful, talented friends that have moved on are really missed. . . . by us and I'm sure by our readers. . . but there is always a silver lining. 😁 And of course, that is that we are able to welcome in wonderfully talented, new-to-Earrings Everyday artisan jewelry designers. You will be meeting three! We are very happy to welcome today Rejetta Sellers, who sells from her shop on Etsy, Jettabug Jewelry. We call her Jetta. We are sure you will enjoy both Jetta herself and her earrings. Here she is! Welcome, Jetta!

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I love using artisan beads in my jewelry. I don't seem to have a favorite material: lampwork, ceramic polymer clay, enamel, patina, leather, painted wood. You name it and I will probably have some of it!

One thing I find myself doing is hoarding pieces from a favorite artist and only letting some go if I am able to buy more of their beads. Umm....I wonder if I am the only person to do this?

You see, for me, those little works of art are like collecting paintings for some people. Or having a favorite vase maker that you spend hours tracking down online. Going to an artisan bead makers shop is like going to a gallery for me. Being able to buy their work is thrilling and I display my pieces in clear boxes. My most prized pieces I display on my work desk to see them every time I create.

I made these earrings to sell in my shop, photographed them, and even wrote up my description. Then I found out Elaine Ray was retiring from making her unique ceramic pieces like these denim blue flowers.

A week or two later Teresa Hulley of Bo Hulley Beads announced she was taking a hiatus from bead making to pursue another dream. These amazing ceramic cream heart headpins had been in my collection for a while and look so perfect with Elaine Ray's flowers.

So these earrings never became available in my shop. They hang with my other favorite earrings and I wear them often. I love showing off my wearable art.

More artists have retired from bead making since the day these two ladies retired. And my bead hording has hit a new level of will-never-let-it-go. Do you have beads you can't let go of for one reason or another? I would love to hear about them. I might have some in my collection, too!

Jetta
JettabugJewelry