Broken

Hello Earring Lovers!

No new makes from me today I'm afraid, but I made these recently for a showcase, and they were probably my favourite pair. They feature beautiful rustic ceramic drops by Nitta of Corvus Ceramics. If you haven't checked out Nitta's work -go take a look at her beautiful work on Facebook. So clever the way she's stapled the pieces together, don't you think? Adds to their rustic, delicate appeal.

There was a slight sepia look about Nitta's drops, which I wanted to complement. I chose delicious citrine -probably my all time favourite semi-precious stone. Apparently, it improves self esteem, and energises and stimulates creativity. What's not to love, right? I added a brass connector at the back of the ceramic drops, and finished these pretties off with a little co-ordinating czech glass briolette.

They'll be in my shop soon. 

See you next month!

Sue

Forever Amber

I clearly recall reading 'Forever Amber' by Kathleen Winsor in my teens; it became an international bestseller, spawning a whole new generation of girls called Amber!

Abandoned on the streets of London, pregnant and penniless, 16 year old Amber St Clare manages by her wits, beauty, and courage to climb to the highest position a woman can achieve in Restoration England - that of mistress to Charles II.

                    Thank goodness that isn't the height of ambition for women these days!

Seriously though, this week's earrings all feature amber. Amber is fossilized tree resin, appreciated for its colour and natural beauty since Neolithic times. It comes in a range of shades from sunny yellow to dark and treacly. I love them all. The first pair is rustic - in mid shade, with rhyolith discs and copper shell segments by Helen Backhouse.

Next we have the sunny yellow with shimmery lampwork wing headpins by Juliette Mullet and faceted citrine. The rose gold findings add to the warmth of this pair - downright pretty.

And last, my favourites, looking ancient with roman glass and polymer clay vessels by Jon Burgess.

The amber nuggets and the citrine I used here are from Sylvia Stungo's shop Fizzy Elements; a real treasure trove of colour and texture.

 Hope you like them. I've also used them as three of my Instagram posts for the #100DayProject - #100DaysofArt which has just begun - are you joining in?
The top pair are gone but the other two will find their way into my Etsy shop over the next couple of days; and I'll see you again in two weeks time.

                                                                       Lindsay x

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Unusual, Irregular and kinda Sexy

I have absolutely no idea how this design came to fruition.  The hoops were actually irregular squares to start.  Taking my pliers to them, I worked them to long ovals. I don't remember where I was going with that thought, but looking across my work bench, I saw this enameled blue chain link that I purchased at Hobby Lobby a long time ago. The two looked pretty sweet together, however I had to get creative on how to attach the links to the hoops vertically and tight so they wouldn't slide all over the place.

Unfortunately the links did not match up to the size of my hoops, (keep in mind this was a design in progress and I would have made the hoops fit to size), nevertheless, I took 28 gauge thin wire and threaded it through the links winding it over the hoop ends reinforcing with a dab of super glue.  I know....super glue?? I don't have the means to solder in my current work space, but I'll tell ya, those babies aren't going anywhere.  I added the stones of Citrine at the bottom to bring out the tones of the brass around the blue links.  I was quite thrilled with the end result.

So that's my lesson learned for the day, as it turned out on a positive note.  I plan on making more of these with different chain links and drops, the possibilities are quite endless.

Thanks for visiting and we'll see you again in two weeks,  

Lynn♥

Yucca Bloom on Etsy

Summer in the Prairies

Summer in the Prairies could be summed up by one word: Grain.

In the Central-Northern region of Alberta, every year in July, you see yellow as far as the eye can see.

Canola oil production is a huge deal around here, and confirmed by the sea of yellow Canola flowers that you see all around you, no matter where you turn your head. It's beautiful, happy and sunny!

Couple that with vast clear blue skies, and you know that you've arrived in the Canadian Prairies :)

I have two go-to oils when I cook: Canola Oil and Olive Oil... I love to cook, and the beautiful golden color of canola oil is a staple at our house and in our RV.

Inspired by all this, I found in my stash a pair of beautiful yellow golden citrine drops (their shape and color reminds me of large drops of Canola Oil), that I have coupled with a pair of very playful and sunny artisan glass beads with shades of yellow and a pop of red for a touch of playfulness. These beads also have that bit of 'stormy weather' in there with the silvered glass reaction, which instantly transforms sunny skies into storms almost every night here. 

All set on 14kt Gold Filled, for this golden-colored metal speaks of Summer:

Lightweight, flirty and happy, you can find these Prairie-Inspired earrings on my website HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

 (Don't forget to participate in our July Inspiration Challenge!)

Nathalie Lesage

Metalsmith & Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com