Corrugated Brass And Beaded Beads

Ingredients:

Beades beads by Malin de Koning

Corrugated hollow brass beads

Brass findings

Vintaj brass earrings hooks

All my best,

Malin

I Give You Nothing

Those who know me know that I don't get political with people. It's not my thing. It does not feed my soul. I believe what I believe, and that's enough for me. Likewise, I get nothing out of complaining. Especially aimless, complaining-for-the-sake-of-it complaining.

I try to live a purpose-driven life, and getting worked up over these sorts of things does not serve me. It's a trait that I had to develop and nurture quite a few years ago after hellish anxiety took me for a nosedive. I gently keep after it, as one softly blows on an ember to coax it into a steady fire. I remind myself that we have control over how we live our lives. It's a matter of accepting that control.  
So, I'm going to stay true to form and stop myself right here. I am only going to leave you with a quote that a beautifully kind, like-minded soul gifted me recently. It's from Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes". It dawned on me this morning that it applies pretty damn well to..........well, things of late: 

 

He gathered the boy somewhat closer and thought, evil has only the power that we give it. I give you nothing. I take back. Starve. Starve. Starve.

Today's earrings were named for these powerful words. They feature wee, smooth, matte nuggets of veined howlite. I fell in love with these beads at a local show recently--small, soft little pebbles that roll through your hands like tears. I appreciate that they aren't polished to a shiny gleam--I wish more stones were matte finished. I kept it simple, wire wrapping them in links of three and dotting them with blackened silver solder. 

Keep the fire burning and be strong, my friends.

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

En Tiempos Antiguos

Our color palette for today: blush, cream, pearl, coal. 

I'm not the type of girl who gets dolled up often. It's been more than 10 years since I wore makeup. It takes me just a few short minutes to fix my hair out of the shower. Manicures? How about serial nail-biter? Although, I do admit to loving dresses. So what is it about wearing pearls that automatically adds elegance to a look?

I don't design often with pearls because so many of them are too "clean" to suit my preferred aesthetic: grungy, organic, old-looking. So when I came across this strand of wonky etched Tibetan pearls in Tucson this year, I snatched them up. They have the perfect mix of soft pearliness and aged texture---yum! 


When designing around these, I wanted to utilize beads with a matte finish to balance out the smoothness of the pearl. I went with barrels of fossilized stegadon bone (I know!) and two wee ivory colored lampwork glass beads from Karen Elmquist, fashioned to resemble old bone beads. Add in some pitchy black filigree bead caps and cheeky little wire spirals at the bottoms, and I don't think you'd ever miss the fact that the design is so simple. 

They dangle, swing, and sing from your lobes. And they BEG to be worn with your favorite little black dress: you've got class, but you've also got grit. Git em, girl...

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Asymmetry and I

As a designer who gravitates toward earrings, I'm always thinking in terms of pairs, especially when it comes to purchasing art beads. It's just one of those things that gets engrained in your brain and becomes second nature---like riding a bike, remembering to turn off the burner when you're done cooking, or making sure you put on deodorant each morning.

So when Kim of NuminosityBeads threw me for a loop and offered just ONE of these crazy glowy ultraviolet etched dichroic lampwork glass beads, well, I was vexed. Panting, starting to break out into a cold sweat, I assured myself that I could incorporate it into a necklace...make it a focal...pair it with other complementary beads. It will be fine, right? RIGHT??!!

Against my better judgement, I was determined to make it work in a pair of earrings. Which could only mean one thing: it was time to get asymmetrical. 

Asymmetry and I are good friends---sometimes we veer way off to the left and sometimes we operate in a more conventional range. What's more important to me in a piece is the balance, not so much the symmetry. 

So I pawed through my bead hoard and came to the last tray in the tower (yes, tower)---the box I reserve for my own polymer clay beads. I keep them at the bottom because I don't make many polymer beads. And the sets I do make tend to get mostly used, leaving one or two left over. Those one or two tend to languish and get forgotten.

This pearly cratered lavender polymer chunk was just the ticket. Its soft frostiness plays a beautifully complementary second-fiddle to the intense ultraviolet flash of Kim's glass. I opted to keep the design simple, pairing each bead with two grungy vintage bone "cruller" beads and capping everything off with some soldering. Sweet, dangly, squeal-er-ific. 

Hope you're having a delicious week!


Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Cubist Roses

It's not often that I use clearly identifiable imagery in my jewelry. I usually prefer to leave things more abstract and open to interpretation - makes things more interesting and guarantees that no two people will have the same experience. 

However, when I saw these burnt graphic ceramic cubist roses from DonnaPerlinplim, SOMETHING inside me clicked. What IS that that thing? Our muse? Our happy place? The voice that keeps talking and doesn't know when to shut up?

 
I took the background golds, silvers, and ivories and pulled them out using my beloved stacked bead approach: old neolithic quartz trade beads from Africa, discs of real ostrich shell (I know!), shards of crusty Roman glass, and some grungy wee metal bead caps. I finished things off with some globby soft soldering on the wire wraps to make things interesting. 

 
The end result is cubist modern meets grungy primitive - now that's not something you see everyday!

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Ubiquitous Retro Minty Green

Isn't it odd how some colors go through trendy ups and downs? Some colors are classic and are always in style - denim blue, bold red, chic black. And then there are other more ubiquitous colors, like burnt orange, pastel pink, and neons (of any kind). Who is it that actually decides what color is going to be "hot" this year, anyways? 

I've noticed the past year or two that pale mint green---you know, the color of your grandma's refrigerator, telephone, and/or toilet back in the day---has been experiencing a real resurgence. I can't say I'm completely nuts about it. I'm just not really a pastel kind of gal to begin with. 

BUT...

It is spring, and we just had Easter, and the tender leaves are all budding on the trees, so that got me in a bit of a softer mood. So I decided to finally use these wee raw chrysocolla drusy drops that I've been holding on to forever. I gave them some messy primitive beads caps with globby solder and hung them beneath stacks of precious bits: antique wood beads, crusty metal spacers, and powdery shimmery ancient glass beads. They make a perfectly light sweet dangley slim set for these springy months - or any month, really.

Hope you're all enjoying spring this year...even if it is a little late :)

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

True Confessions of a Jewelry Artist

I think I have a confession to make: I have artistic ADD. 

This is not something I'm particularly proud of, especially in this world of now-now-now, more-more-more, new-new-new. I try to cultivate mindfulness in other areas of my life, but when it comes to creating, I consistently like to learn new techniques. At my own pace, of course. Now, learning new techniques doesn't mean that I have to abandon current techniques. It all just goes into my arsenal - pieces of the puzzle that can be fit together in any beautifully random way that appeals to me.

I have another confession to make: I'm stubborn. 

I like to do things my own way. I'm not really one to take a class or follow a tutorial. I'd rather fumble around and teach myself until I come up with a method that works for me. I also think this helps me avoid that pesky "copy bug" that sometimes pops up.

However, I have to sing the highest praises for the tutorial I purchased a couple weeks ago. If you're not already familiar with Tracy DiPiazza (pipnmolly on Etsy and DiPiazzaMetalworks on Etsy), please do yourself the favor of clicking and drooling over her amazing works of art. She's been one of my heroes since I first joined Etsy. She has an aesthetic all her own, and her pieces are singular.

Tracy's tutorial gives step-by-step instructions on how to create her signature soft-soldered hollow tin baubles. I've been wanting to learn how to achieve that "blobby solder" look for a while now, and who better to learn from than the master? I used scrap pieces of vintage tin to create the grungy bauble beads you see here. Two old German wood beads plus wee tin bead caps complete the dangly (and surprisingly lightweight) look.

Thank you Tracy for generously sharing your gift!

Happy Wednesday :)

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Jellyfish

Maybe not the prettiest name for a pair of earrings
but that is what they look like so that's what I'm calling them.
 Pretty Jellyfish of course!

The copper pieces have Sea Urchin or Snakeskin Texture.

Jellyfish

Originally I had pretty little faceted orange agates in mind but I decided to go with these very rustic Jasper beads and I love how it looks with the copper. In the center are some Copper Ammonite Cocoons I made some time ago. Nobody bought them so I decided to use them and they work great with this look.

These earrings are available HERE in my webstore.

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

Chain Gang

I designed these earrings around these wonderful African brass beads from Afrobeadia, and my embossed sterling silver rings. I fashioned copper chain links to join the beads together.

I had so much fun with the design, I did it again with my copper embossed rings, and fine silver links! Both pair feature Argentium silver earwires embellished with copper beads and brass wire.

And here's a little tune from the Pretenders to start your work-day off right!

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

 


We're getting closer and closer to my favorite holiday of the year - Halloween. When else do we get the legal (and sane) opportunity to dress up and assume a different identify? And to celebrate all things dark, taboo, and disturbing? And to eat candy...guilt-free?

I'll admit I've always had a fascination with the darker side of life. As the saying goes, you can't have the light without the dark. I lived through quite a few dark years in my 20s, and I wholly believe that my struggles then have made my happiness now that much more sweet. So it's no coincidence that my designs reflect this fascination and respect for the dark. 

 



This pair of earrings is perfect for any time you're feeling a little brooding, a little mysterious, a little edgy. And the colors are very Halloween-ey without being cheesy: sooty grungy black pewter charms from Inviciti, vintage African bauxite trade beads, and my own mossy green polymer clay nuggets.

So start counting down the days...and make sure you've got your black eyeliner handy ;)

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki


LoveRoot on Etsy

Tender Greens

It's finally here - that time of year when trees start to take on a misty green hue. Buds appear, swell, and burst into leaf. Skeletal gray branches come back to life, filling out and reaching toward the sky. It seems like this past winter was more brutal than most for those of us in the US - you can certainly tell by the recent posts here on Earrings Everyday! It seemed like Spring would never get here, but that's the beautiful thing about nature, you can't stop her...

Coming off of a 70F degree day full of warm sunshine, daffodils, and singing birds, I thought I'd post about a recent pair of earrings that celebrate the tender, sweet, young green of Spring. 

 


This sweet, simple little pair

features a pair of my own polymer clay "bud" beads that dangle lightly from the bottom of two amazingly craggy raw green garnet stone nuggets. I textured and painted the poly beads and then kissed them with a little gold on top for some warmth. Each bead has been crowned with wee etched nickel bead caps from Maire Dodd.

 

I hope everyone is able to pause and soak up the season this week <3

Nikki 

LoveRoot on Etsy

Daisy Doodads

I was just messing around with these wonky little spacer beads that I have on my table and they jumped onto these jump rings (get it?) and proceeded to hook up! I call these Daisy Doodads because to me they look like the petals of a daisy. I think these would be fun with mixed metals and rings of bright colors as well. I might just have to experiment with that.

They are what I call "Go-To's"... you know... the sort of earring wear-with-everything jewelry that is your Go-To when you can't find anything else to wear, or no matter what you wear. Dress it up, dress it down. It still works. Yeah. These fit the bill.

Today I would pair it with this top

{Essential Scoop-Neck Tunic - Garnet Hill}

 
this skirt

{A-Line Lace Skitr - Garnet Hill}

and these shoes.

 

Tomorrow... who knows?

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.

Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights

I have been really enjoying etching using some lovely digital damask patterns from Aesthetic Addiction on Etsy. I was toying with some double-sided folded shapes for earrings, trying to think how I could add hanging loops here and there for beads. I had sketched out this idea and these were my prototype. I was so thrilled that my "thought experiment" worked in real life! The beads are Czech glass--daggers and roundels in a moss green, and lovely lavender nuggets.

Call  me crazy, but I picture them with jeans (or your favorite belly dancing costume):

Arabian Nights casual by lunebijoux featuring lacy tops

And when you wear your hair up, these earrings will look exactly the same from the back!

These are sold, but I will be making more and adding them to my Etsy shop. Stay tuned!

Provence

Haystacks in Provence

These earrings are based on a tube bail design I did, but flipped upside down and miniaturized for earrings. I added little loops at the bottom for hanging beads. The etched floral design makes me think of sunflowers, so I knew I wanted some kind of goldenrod color in them. I searched through my stash and these gold coin pearls were just the thing. I tried four or five different color combinations with them, and this amazonite appealed to me the most. The gold and pale robin's egg blue made me think of French country decor!

These are totally South-of-France-vacation earrings, or weekend-shopping-for-French-country-decor earrings. I imagine them worn with something like this:

Provence 2 by lunebijoux featuring a leather shoulder bag

These are listed in my Etsy shop. Stop by to see what else is new!

Slender Buds

Wine and Lilies

I just love long, slender earrings, it's a shape I'm drawn to again and again. These are made from a pair of my copper lily-style cones, but in an elongated, slim silhouette. I paired them up with deep red Czech glass.

I picture them with a dramatic, floor-length gown, in deep garnet tones:

Via Polyvore

See more at my Etsy shop, HERE.

Rustic Dangles

When I saw how perfectly these 2 components complimented each other

 my first instinct was to try to put them together as one unit which I do all the time

 but I wanted to step out of my usual so I went with Dangles this time.

These amazing Rustic Bone and Teal Lampwork beads by Lori Lochner

 and Enamel Copper Beads by Maryann Carroll are a match made in heaven!

Rustic Teal by kristibowmandesign featuring high heels

Calypso St. Barth / Maison Scotch / Acne high heels / Beach tote bag / Balmain , $600 / Handmade Rustic Teal Jointed Lampwork and by KristiBowmanDesign

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy