Tin Moon Madness

Hello, my Beady Friends!

Happy September!  My workshop is in full Halloween mode now!

    I happened to find this Chocolate tin from at least 20 years ago in one of my nightstand drawers.  It was given to me long before I started making jewelry, so until a few days ago, it was just a cute tin box.  But now, I'm looking at through new eyes!

 

I put my disc cutter to work and began to punch out as many discs as possible, not wasting one bit of this adorable tin.  For this design, I'll just be using the large stripe discs and will save the spooky eyes for another day.

The lovely enameled bats are by Israeli bead artist, Pearly Karpel. 

Thanks for stopping by to see what's happing on my worktable today!  I'm excited about Autumn and looking forward to digging deep into all kinds of Halloween designs for the next couple of months!

 Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Hope Springs Eternal

Being on the cusp of Spring, I bring to you this day ~

Proverb-

"It is human nature always to find fresh cause for optimism."

There are two amazing and glorious things about these earrings: First, the newly created enamel work by Inviciti!!!  Yass! Garden sprouts with seedlings, just ready to emerge from the earth. Also, I'd like to mention that this is one of my favorite retro color combinations! 

Secondly, rare scalloped antique furnace glass!!  I've had this strand in my stash for a long time and I can't even begin to tell you how special it is.  Stunning emerald green with a beautiful scalloped edge that captures light and brings so much texture.  I also found some vintage black spacers with the same scalloped edge to build on.  At the very top are rustic peeled vintage glass pearls which always have a nice mellow color.

♡

Thank you for stopping by my worktable today!!  Happy Spring!!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

In The Pink

I am a gingham lover; they remind me of more innocent times but most of all, they remind me of my grandmother ♡.  

These sweet gingham enamel hearts are by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare.  

Heart charms always have the small challenge of what to do with that center dip.  In my stash, I found these vintage acrylic etched beads with perfect proportions and color.

This was a nice little surprise - the backs had a daisy pattern on them!  Cathleen always finishes her work so beautifully. 

These had been on my worktable for a few weeks.  I have a newfound obsession with vintage sequins.  They were in the same soft pink so I thought I'd include them in today's blog post.

The lovely enameled wire chandelier hoops are by Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

The vintage pink petal sequins are from Allegory Gallery

Thank you for joining me!  I have no clue as to what I'll be working on next ... but hopefully, you'll look for my posting in a couple of weeks!  😺

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Flutterby

Thinking about Spring in January gets me through the winter!

So, how do you like these flirty-girls?  Aren't they sweet?!!

I picked out these lovely vintage petal-shaped sequins from Andrew Thornton and William Jones of Allegory Gallery last summer (they still have them in stock, FYI).  I also purchased them in pink and yellow but my studio seems to have swallowed them up whole and I can't find them at the moment! *sigh

The top Robin's-egg blue, rustic enamel flower wheels, were made by Susan Kennedy of Suebeads.

Transparent sequins in mint green with a lovely pastel iridescent cast.  The quality of vintage sequins is wonderful.

The beautiful pod-like handcrafted enamels were made by Anne Gardanne.

On darker backgrounds and/or in a certain light, the pinks show up! This photo shows all the layers fanned out. When it is worn it hangs straight down.

Well, thank you for stopping by and seeing what I've been up to!  I'll be back in a couple of weeks :)

All the supply resources are linked with the names of the artist or shop.

Cheers! 

(I've been watching a lot of British Shows lately.. ♡)

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Star Bright

Hello!  

Over the past couple of years, I've been very attracted to pink during the holidays.  I love a mid-century color palette but I suppose these aren't quite that.  Would you go for mid-century tribal?!! lol  It really doesn't matter what you call them...nope... blending and mixing is exciting and the eye likes what the eye likes :)

The "sugar beads" at the top are lucite with a coating of tiny glass beads. They were made in the '60s and are loaded with texture and catch the light.    I think the tiny bit of sparkle looks great with the light flecks in the enamel charms below.  It just goes together so beautifully.

The artisan enamel charms were made by Spurwink River Arts.  I adore the freeform star design with the pop of stripe and red in the center on a beautiful grey background.  So organic and lovely.

♡

Thank you for having a look at my worktable today!  I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

The Artful Dodger

Hello!  So, here is what I've been working on! 

I've named this earring pair The Artful Dodger, not only for the twisted olive and brown glass but, trying to capture them in a photograph was a real challenge!  Ahem, olive twist - camera dodger -see what I did there? *Ha!

The photo above was taken in bright direct light and the delicate, playful, enameled dots really show! 

Below, moving away from the direct light, it's far more subtle in color a little moody and dramatic.

The twisted glass beads are actually three individual pieces that I've fit together to create an ombre effect then caged in steel wire.  

The glass is by Michelle Hicks Lusk of Caliente Art Glass and the rustic amazing enamel work is by Kimberly Rogers.

“Men who look on nature, and their fellow-men, and cry that all is dark and gloomy, are in the right; but the sombre colours are reflections from their own jaundiced eyes and hearts. The real hues are delicate, and need a clearer vision.” 

― Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

And so, that is me for now!  Thank you for popping in :)

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook

::: Do I Thrill You ~ Do I Chill You :::

Oh, let's begin with the little ghosts by Jeni Houser Alasad! They are constructed and made of hollow polymer clay and are super lightweight.   I fell in love with their rustic yet adorable good looks.  The glass striped beads have large holes which move freely up and down the blackened chain. Being made of glass also gives them just enough weight so they hang beautifully.

 ♡

Striking enamel skull charms by Cathleen Zaring!  

I've noticed that I have a natural tendency of following shapes and patterns throughout a design - many times I don't even realize I'm doing it until I've already chosen my components and have begun constructing a piece of jewelry.  Looking at this design now, I see that the red silk tassels follow the shape of the jaw in the skulls.  Also, the striped pattern from around the eyes is repeated with the black and white striped beads below.

Once again the glass beads give the very lightweight tassels some swing.

The head actually moves independently from the tassel which gives this design movement and personality.

 ♡

Little bit gypsy-boho-vampy!

Lush red, vintage copper patina hoops, by Missficklemedia. 

I attached wire-wrapped tiny black skulls adorned with Swarovski crystals on their heads for a pop of color and flash.

I love the fringe effect and the crystals really dance in the light.

Many thanks for dropping by!  I will see you all again on Halloween Day!  If you have any questions always feel free to leave a comment or message me!

Loralee xo

loraleekolton.etsy.com

Openwork

Hello, hello!!  I'll be on my way to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, WI in a few hours!  It's such a thrill to be around other people who also share the same passion.  You'll see no eye-rolling...or hear, "Omg, is she talking about beads, again?"  Without a doubt, everyone at B&B is as crazy in love with beads as you are ~ and cheers to that!

While I'm there, one of my missions will be hunting for the unusual.  I love looking for interesting shapes and textures.  Here are a couple of cool pieces that I felt were just wonderful together.

The top beads are vintage, circa 1950.  They are made of glass in a rare beehive openwork pattern.  I paired them with some newly created enameled charms, also in a openwork pattern, made  by Marie Demicco of Spurwink River Arts.  Although the enamel work is not vintage they share a wonderful old soul that works beautifully. 

So, I'm off to go hunting now ~ Wisconsin here I come!   Along with shopping, I'm also taking a slightly more advanced (then my last) metalwork class.  I'm pretty excited about that, too!

Thank you for stopping by! 

Until next time, hopefully with new goodies to show and tell -  xoxo . 

Loralee :)))

Loralee Kolton ~artful in beads

I'll Follow The Sun...

These completely knock me out of the winter doldrums! Stunning enamel charms by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare Art Wear.  I wanted to set that color off to its fullest, so I went with all black as the companion piece.  Extra fuzzy fabric beads by SagaHus  gave me the impact I was looking for....bold but still soft.  All you would need is a black top and you'd have an outfit!

☀

Hot enamel spikes by Spurwink River Arts!  I wanted to add more pattern but it keep a modern clean line, so I went with a nice thin black and white stripe with a pop of red on the top.  They have a nice tribal vibe.

I'm looking out the window as snow flurries whirl around a grey sky in Chicago.  However, it's nice and sunny inside :D  Hope I've brightened your day, too! 

Loralee xo

☀

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Autumn Moon

Hello and check me out!!! This is the first time I've actually named my jewellery :D. 

I don't tend to follow seasons, I just make whatever catches my eye on the beading desk.  For this post however I was determined to make something autumnal.  

I picked up these Muscha discs by Petra Carpreau as they had orange in them.  I wrapped some teeny leaves, orange seeds and of course rhinestone chain around big hoops and positioned the Muscha discs inside the hoops.  This was going to be it.  I was going to keep these short and simple.  But my Cathleen Zaring order arrived yesterday with these gorgeous moon connectors.  They matched the original earring colours so well that I just had to add them somehow. 




Muscha discs by Petra Carpreau

Luckily in the original design I hadn't cut off the excess rhinestone chain from the bottom of the hoops yet.

I added a moon connector to one of the earrings with the rhinestone chain hanging from the bottom.  I used some teeny leaves to fill up the gaps.  For the second earrings I decided to leave the rhinestone chain as it is and attach the moon connector next to it.  I think the asymmetry adds a lot more interest to the design.  I like the way they've turned out and hope you like them too.

Enamel moon connectors by Cathleen Zaring

Coming back to naming the earrings.  There wasn't much rocket science involved.  There were moon connectors and the colours were autumnal, hence Autumn Moon hehe.  There you have it.  My Autumnal earrings.  Take care and see you soon.

Suhana <3<3<3

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

Vestiges

Hello - It's been a while! I had to drop out of writing regular posts because I needed to find some more hours in my days. But, I'm filling in today, and it's nice to be back, albeit briefly. The Earrings Everyday team is so packed with talent right now, and I had the rare pleasure, earlier this month, to meet one of the other team members, the marvellous Kimberly Rodgers.

Here I am with Kim and that wonder woman, Petra Carpreau. This was a real rare treat and we had a fabulous time. And, Kimberly kindly came bearing beads, including some of her much sought after enamel components. So, I thought, today, that I'd share a new pair of earrings featuring some of Kimberly's work.

I've had these dagger shaped droppers for a little while. I actually made the wire frames up top for a different pair of earrings but the design didn't hang right; then I remembered these enamel pieces. I filled the frame with some yak bone beads, some grungy metal barrels, and some mismatched seeds; then I added some slinky chain dangles for a bit of extra interest.

Thanks for having me. I hope I'll be back here again soon.

Bye for now, Claire

something to do with your hands on Etsy 

something to do beads on Etsy 

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Pink and Purple Towers

I love to stack stretches of beads one after one another. It feels like I am telling a story. And it creates a nice kind of architectural effect. The beads are like miniature building blocks.

I wanted/needed to add something odd to that slim tower, so hence the upside down enameled bead caps by Jade Scott. Inside them a Swarovski crystal is hiding.

I don't know what you see, but I myself find these earrings have a monumental quality to them. Even though they are so slim and delicate. Interesting. Perhaps my mind is effected by the fact that my son and I have been talking about architecture over the past few days. Or the We Are All Ears Challenge for September. As always so brilliantly put together by Erin Prais-Hinz of TesoriTrovati. Very inspiring!

Handmade Art Beads:
Glass Head Pins Capped in Tinwork - Sasha Crow of CrowsCacheSupplies
Enameled Three Petal Bead Caps in Purple and Orange - JadeScott

Other:
A variation of different styles of seed beads
2 sizes of Swarovski bicone crystals
Purple electroplated hematite discs
Vinyl discs
Sterling Silver Handmade and oxidized earrings hooks

All my best,
Malin
www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Gloria

You know those earrings you really want to keep hold of?

I've layered some 4 Ophelia enamel plates over some vintage pendants which I've treated to give them a weathered look. Above, I've included some wavy vintage caps which are particularly lovely. They're topped with some fluted czech glass bicones and some teeny freshwater pearls. 

I've listed them - reluctantly! - here on Etsy.

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com

www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com