Autumn Glow

As summer days start to fade a bit, I'm looking ahead toward autumn jewelry designs. Although I'm sad that summer will end soon; I really love fall colors! Our early autumns are usually quite sunny and pleasant  here. I love the glow of the sun as seen through a canopy of autumn colored leaves.

I made today's earrings with this image in mind. I started with some small lampwork glass beads by Beads and Botanicals. Brass bead caps fancy them up a bit. Three really cool, fluted vintage beads in yellow and orange dangle from each earring. The vintage beads are acrylic and weigh next to nothing, so although they have a definite presence, they are very comfortable to wear. I wire wrapped the brass around the tops of the vintage beads for an extra decorative touch. I would wear these year round, but especially late summer through November.

What's on your autumn bucket list? We'll be crunching through leaves, taking photography trips and celebrating our granddaughter's first birthday. The Autumn Glow earrings are available in my shop now.  I'll see you again in two weeks.

Linda Landig Jewelry

We're All Ears :: September :: Ode to Autumn

Well, Autumn has not disappointed me yet! She has been mercurial...one moment prancing around like summer rising and the next moody, misty and damp. The colors are just starting to make their debut, while at the same time leaving a crunchy carpet underfoot. She never ceases to amaze, delight and surprise me.

For this challenge - this Ode to Autumn - I decided to sit down with art beads that were leaf shaped. What I came up with for my "leaves" was, at times, surprising.

Resplendent

This first pair started with those handsome carved blood red tiger eye leaf beads. I never know what I am going to find when I sit down to do this, and that bag with the burgundy colored leaves (I also have them in a creamy mother of pearl) literally fell into my lap! I have a little bead shop in my town called the Blue Bead, and although they don't carry much that I like to use, I still feel compelled to go in every now and then to buy something. These were the best find ever! I went over to my tower of black jewelry trays - there are about 8 of them all stacked together with the little flocked inserts holding layer upon layer of art bead treasures, like a sort of beaders' archeological dig - and spied these tiny ceramic flowers. They are from Summers Studio. Miss LeAnn Weih was the artist and I got to know her a bit many years ago when I first started out. I loved her ceramic treasures. But she stopped making things like this back in 2013 or so. I do miss her, so wearing these would remind me of her.

Forest Tapestry

Another artist whose work I have hoarded and who I admire very much is Nancy Adam of Round Rabbit. She is also not making new ceramic treasures. So whenever I unearth them in my tower o' art beads, they always take me back. Typically, I have one-offs and orphans in my collection, but I was lucky enough to have a pair of these marquis-shaped charms (I also have them in a rich purple). I know that these are not leaves, per se, but they have that leafy shape and the colors were just perfect for this season. I paired them with tiny celadon-hued jasper briolettes (at least I think this is a jasper...as I have a whole strand that are each a little different and no notes on where I got them nor what they are called). The design reminds me of intricate tapestries as well as the intricate veining on leaves.

Leaping Greenly

The title of these earrings is a reference to my all-time favorite poem by e.e. cummings, the first stanza goes like this

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
 

These charms really look like the real thing, don't they? I got them from Terri DelSignore of Artisticaos. The finish is very matte, almost chaky, and I wonder if they were actually made from molds of real leaves, because they look so realistic. I paired them with some dichroic baubles from Maryse Fritzsche-Thellens of Glass Bead Art. I originally bought an entire set of these fabulous beads in a variety of rainbow colors. These remind me of glowing embers in a fire.

Thanks for taking a walk with me and my forest of earrings! I am looking forward to seeing how you interpreted your own Ode to Autumn. Here's to the return of sweaters and glorious sunsets and apple crisps and the forest's foliage at its finest! Happy fall!

We're All Ears :: September Inspiration :: Ode to Autumn

"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons." ~ Jim Bishop

Dear Autumn-

You are so impossibly, ethereally, unbelievably beautiful.
Your sky is a bit more expansive and bluer than it was just a few days ago.
Your clouds are a bit puffier making sunsets so achingly gorgeous.
Your air is a bit crisper causing me to want to bundle up even as your waning sun warms me.
Your trees stand a little taller proudly showing off their forest finery for all to see.
You never cease to take me by surprise, turning cool and smelling of earth all-of-a-sudden overnight.
It takes my breath away each time it happens.
I welcome your return with open arms.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus

Don't get me wrong. I do love all your sister seasons, each serves her purpose in time.
But none can compare to you, my dear Autumn.
It is maddening that you gift me with the shortest time together.
All the more reason to treasure each shifting landscape,
each lengthening shadow, each dappled leaf.
Oh, that I could bottle you up to keep through all the year!

I am truly, madly, deeply in love with you, Autumn!
And I know that you love me, too, as you never fail to come to me,
as if in a the most lovely of dreams, wrapping me up in your beauty
and whispering truths about the meaning of life every time you pass this way.

My life is better because you are in it.

Love, 

Me

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Treasures from the Forest Floor

Fall is the best time for hiking in Colorado.  Temps are perfect, colors are outstanding and the skies couldn't be any more bluer.  Working a 40 hour week, I make it a goal to get outside and enjoy my outdoor playground, let's face it- days are getting shorter and change is coming. 

This weeks share is a design I created embracing my hikes.  As I look around the trails, I find twigs, pine cones, pine needles, acorns and leaves to name a few. A bustling time for little critters to hunt and gather.

So here they are!!  Brass pine cones that dangle from wire threaded with a mix of glass and spacers up top.  

I hammered daggers to serve as my twigs with tiny disc's off to the sides. 

I'm very happy with the overall design and love the mix of silver and brass in any creation.

♥~ Embrace Mother Nature and be,"Inspired",~♥

Thanks for visiting and leave a comment if you wish, always good to hear from you ☺

Your friend~ Lynn Ferro, aka Yucca Bloom

Purple Fall Leaves

One of the fun things about having a new house is that you get to discover what you have in your garden as each new season unfolds.  We have a maple tree in our new front yard whose leaves are turning purple as the cooler fall weather is arriving.  Sure the leaves have tinges of the expected red, especially along the veins, but they are mostly an amazing and beautiful purple. In the morning the dew drops sparkle like jewels on the leaves and once more I am left in awe at the beauty of mother nature.

I've been making a lot of ceramic earring components for fall Bead Fest, which is only a week away! I've been inspired by the fall colors around me and so I decided to glaze these leaf charms purple.  Admittedly, they are not maple leaves, but we'll just chalk that up to artistic imagination.

The links the leaves are hanging from, came from some chain I got on sale.  The price was deeply reduced, probably because the chain is too large for most designs.  But I took all the links apart and they are awesome for use as components!

I dangled etched glass lampwork beads (Beads and Botanicals) from the links, along with some lime green seed beads. The earrings have a nice movement and are fun to wear. I love the traditional Autumn oranges, reds and browns, but its also fun to mix it up a bit with some purple!

The Purple Leaf Earrings are available in my shop.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Rustic

This week I was in the mood for something rustic. Perhaps it's because autumn is on its way. I love the air in the autumn. I go on morning walks on the small road between the fields by my house. Lilo the cat, most often walk with me. He's very nice company. See picture further down :-).

Art beads:
Green ceramic charms - HappyFish

Other ingredients:
Black horn beads
Dark teracotta pony beads
Grey and aqua blue rustic glass discs
Pale yellow rustic glass beads
Hematite discs
Oxidized copper wire (messy wrapped)
Handmade earrings hooks (oxidized copper)

All my best,

Malin

www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

GUEST POST :: Sarajo Wentling of SJ Designs Jewelry

Hello, lovelies! 

Sometimes we have an extra day or two in a month and when that happens we like to extend an invitation to designers that we enjoy to have them share their unique design perspectives. Today, the Earrings Everyday crew welcomes Sarajo Wentling of SJ Designs Jewelry. Sarajo is a regular in our monthly challenges, loves to use art beads in her designs, hand patina on metal is a specialty of hers, and she has a self-directed weekly earring challenge called New Earring Monday where she shares her latest and greatest earring pairs. Sarajo is from Minnesota and lives with her craft-beer loving husband Eric, who is also a gifted photographer. She uses one of his photos for her inspiration today. Check it out! ~Erin

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Photo by Eric Wentling

Fall is my favorite season and it's far too fleeting in Minnesota where it sometimes feels like winter has its icy grip on us for more than half the year!  These earrings are both a nod and a fond farewell to my favorite season and all its fabulous color.  I started with some yummy lampwork glass rings that I bought from Alice St. Germain of Succulent Glass at Bead Fest Philadelphia.  Their colors instantly reminded me of fall and made me think of a photo my husband had taken of some changing maple leaves.  I had just the perfect color Czech glass maple leaf beads to dangle from the lampwork rings to add a fun flair.

Fall Finery by Sarajo Wentling

I haven't done too much wire wrapping in my jewelry making pursuits beyond simple wrapped loops and bails so I had to overcome my fears of "messing up" and wasting wire.  (Seriously, why has it been so intimidating to me?  The worst thing that could possibly happen would be destroying a few cents worth of wire and having to try again.)  Anyway, I bucked up my courage, cut a length of wire and started to play.  And you know what?  I didn't mess it up at all!  Not only that, I really liked the way my wire wraps turned out!  They aren't overly precise but I think that works with the imperfect shape of the lampwork rings and the organic nature of fall foliage.  

Sarajo Wentling
Sj Designs Jewelry
http://sjdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SjDesignsJewelry

Autumn Wings

I've been collecting leaves on my daily walks.  The colors and the patterns they make fascinate me.  The golden yellow and light green of these earrings echo some of the colors I have been seeing.

These earrings came together serendipitously.  We are placing our house up for sale within the next 2 weeks or so.  I've been trying to clean up my studio to prepare for the house viewings. As I was working, I scooped up these ceramic dangles by Diana P. of Suburban Girl Studio and the glass "Wing-Dings" by Genea Beads.  As I was about to put them away, I realized that they went really well together.  Consequently, I never put them away, I just made them into earrings instead!

My husband and I are at the time of life where we would like to downsize, not only our home, but also all the work that goes with maintaining a big yard and the cleaning and upkeep on the house.  We are only moving across town, and I am happy to say that although the new house and yard are smaller, I will still have room for a little studio and my kiln.
They Autumn Wings Earrings are available in my shop now.

-Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry

Acorn Earrings

When we were in Oaxaca, Mexico last winter I found this necklace made out of drilled acorns.  Once back in the States, I took the necklace apart and have found several uses for the acorns.

 Today's earrings combine two of the acorns with some woodsy colored ceramic components by Marti Conrad.

 The earring are quite simple, but they are fun and combine well with lots of casual outfits. They'd be great to wear from September through the end of November.

I'll be adding these earrings to my shop later this afternoon.

-Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry

Jodhpur

During our travels we visited Jodhpur, the beautiful blue city in Rajasthan, India. Of course we visited the famous Mehrangarh Fort. According to Wikipedia:  “it is one of the largest forts in India. Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 120 metres (400 ft) above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards”.
 

The colors and shape of these beautiful handmade polymer clay beads by Cindy Hinds reminded me of that place. I combined them with handmade pewter charms by Invicite, handmade copper earwires by Faerystones, a bit of Czech glass and some gold and silver plated spacer beads. These are available in my shop.

Hi, my name is Janine Lucas. Originally I’m from the Netherlands but since 2006 I live where our mobile home (a converted truck) is parked. Currently my hubby and I live in Greece but for some years we have traveled Asia and the Middle East.
Next to my official job as a management consultant I am a jewelry designer and (art) bead collector/hoarder/addict (depends who you ask).

This is my first post as a regular contributor of Earrings Everyday and I couldn’t be more thrilled and proud to be part of the wonderful Earrings Everyday team. As a matter of fact I did some really crazy happy dances around our truck once I’ve got the word. I hope you will enjoy my postings.

Wishing you a wonderful day,
Janine
Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop
My website/blog
My facebook page

Give your breath some space

Give your breath some space

When you feel stressed and rushed,

remember to give your breath some space.

When you feel like the thoughts in your head

are like a tangled web of thoughts,

remember to give your breath some space.

When you feel anxious and under pressure,

remember to give your breath some space.

--- Nathalie Lesage

Fall Sky Copper and Blue Quartz Earrings by Nathalie Lesage

It's great to finally be able to dive back into some creative time!

I wanted to capture the warm copper hues that we're starting to see up here,

mixed in with the changing Fall sky.

Bare tree branches that seem all intertwined and the air floating through the openings.

I've been extremely busy during the past few months.

I was super-focused on my husband's health (and mine too)
as we've lost 90 pounds combined... no joke!

I was also working really hard at getting my Health & Fitness Business off the ground,

as well as working on revamping my Art website (aiming to re-open Oct. 1st).

There wasn't enough balance in my daily life.

I became even more aware how IMPORTANT it is to find the right balance,
and doing what my soul needed to do.

Now that this overwhelmingly busy time has passed, 

I think back on what has helped me through

and aside from the love and incredible support of my hubby,
often, it was this simple thought:

"Give your breath some space"

This was part of my inspiration for today's earrings.

Taking a deep breath and giving it the space it needs

to flow, be light, be airy, be at peace :)

My Art website is not ready yet, but if you're interested in purchasing these earrings,

you can always message me via my FaceBook business page HERE,
or contact me via my BLOG which I've just revamped too.
It's been busy!!

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a wonderful day :)

Nathalie Lesage

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

We're All Ears :: November Reveal

So what did you think about that sweet little short animation?
 
I was completely enthralled by it. I watched it over and over and paused and pressed rewind so many times. I just wanted to zoom in and see it even closer! What I took away from that film were three things: the leaves and foliage on the mountainside and in the woods; the details on the outfit of the little girl; and the diaphanous wings of the creature. I sought to do something inspired by all three of these inspirations.

I loved this recent post that Miss Gloria just shared with us on how she approaches her task of making earrings for her reveal days. Since I really only get one reveal day a month, I like to make sure that I have more than one pair of earrings created for the challenge, and the way that Miss Gloria approaches her creative sessions is one that I quite like and decided to put into action: creating in your comfort zone and taking a risk. So for this first set of earrings, I focused on a tried and true design of mine: falling articulated color-filled leaves. Leaves are everywhere in this short...from the misty treetops on the hillside to the cool green vines snaking their way around the massive boulders. There seemed to be three different colors of the leaves: white and misty, rust and copper and fresh and green. I made a pair of earrings in all three colorways using at least 4 different metal patinas to hand paint each leaf before assembling.

Clearly, I love making these, as I have made them before in all the colors of the rainbow. I love that they are lightweight and dangly. I always sell out of them at $22 and my own personal favorite pair is periwinkle blue leaves. I must have eleventy-billion of these sweet little leaves, so I am sure that I could make you a pair if you like! ;-) Just ask!

 

The outfit of the little girl is intriguing... does it hint at a rustic peasant lifestyle? a bygone era? a faraway land? It has a decidedly ethnic quality to it, from the fur trim to the brocade to the beaded tassel (did you catch that?). I wanted to make something inspired by the beaded tassel, but found myself drawn to the ornate trim on the edge of her coat. I spied a little bag of some of my favorite Vintaj components in these sweet little flower designs and kept is quite simple. Long again, as that is how I like my earrings (could easily go shorter), with a faceted merlot pearl dangling. I employed a new-to-me trick I learned of making knotted head pins. I learned it in a little online tutorial and thought I would give it a shot. Pearls always have such small holes, and this solves my dilemma of how to string them in an elegant way.

And following along with Miss Gloria, I had to take a risk. The feathers of the mystical creature seemed like the perfect way to test that out. In my printer's cabinet pearl drawer I found a small compartment of small top-drilled stick pearls. I thought they looked a lot like feathers, so I set about trying to come up with a design that would mimic the look of the wings.

I played around with a little dark annealed steel wire to make a crescent shaped form. Then using a contrasting bronze colored wire (more out of necessity than esthetic), I wire wrapped the stick pearls to the form. At the bottom I dangled a crystal briolette, reminding me of the flash that the water made as it coursed through the creature. I even made my own ear wires, something I would like to do more, but rarely have the time. These were a risk for me in the unexpected shape and the complete handcraftiness.  I quite like the way they hang and hug the curves of my jaw line. I think I will explore this shape some more!

If you were inspired to create something based on the inspiration animation, please add your link below. And be sure to come back on Friday, December 5th for our next We're All Ears inspiration!

What inspired you about the animation Nebula? Do share!

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Let's see what you created!
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Leave kind, encouraging comments.
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One leaf, two leaves

Will you mind another autumnal earring design from me? I hope not.  It seems that, unsurprisingly, a number of members of the team have been relishing the inspiration the season brings.

Falling leaves

Happy Autumn / Fall to you all!

I've been in autumn mode for some weeks now. I've also, as you may have noticed from my recent posts here, been loving asymmetrical earring designs. The enamel leaf here is from C-Koop. I got it months ago and had forgotten all about it. I spotted it when looking for something else the other day and knew it was time to use it. I had the Vintaj copper leaf on my table already, so these fell together quite nicely.

They're available here in my Etsy shop.

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com
www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com

Change is a-Comin'

Let's face it, we all have a favorite season: 

...the quiet white introversion of winter...
...the unrestrained energetic rebirth of spring...
...the saturated free-wheelin' heat of summer...
...and then there's the spicy moody deliciousness of autumn...my favorite, the best.

Every time this year a little kernel of excitement starts to grow in me as I realize that fall is right around the corner. By the time the leaves have burst into flames and pumpkins are on every porch, I'm in full-blown heaven. And Halloween - oh, the mystery and the wickedness!

Lately I've subconsciously found myself gravitating to designs using the patron colors of autumn - burnt orange, rusty red, golden honey, warm brown, and faded sage green. It's as if even my design sense realizes that change is coming. 


One of nature's little miracles, Picasso jasper, happens to capture all of these hues perfectly in one stone. When I saw this pair, I knew that some angular primitive metalworked post earrings were in order. I bezel-set the stones in sterling silver and then soldered a few hammered bars on for a spray of movement. When worn just-so, the shape of these stones accentuates the ear perfectly. 

Get your sweaters ready as you walk through the crunchy sweet leaves, hear the din of late year cicadas and crickets, feel the nip of cool evenings on your nose, and warm yourself around a blazing bonfire with a mug of hot mulled cider.

Happy Wednesday :)
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Autumn's Splendor

Today the weather has turned. It is 25 degrees for a high. But the sun is shining and there are still a lot of party-colored leaves on the trees. Paired with the gentle rolling ripples on the water of the Wisconsin River, the gold and chartreuse leaves on the trees on the banks just a few yards away are very inviting.

Fall in Wisconsin is glorious. I found out this past weekend that fall in Western Michigan is much the same. I was attending the 3rd annual Inspired by Nature retreat. Heather Powers is a marvel at making you feel welcome and loved. The venue is so peaceful and beautiful and spacious. The food was excellent (thanks for the French Toast bake, Miss Terri - I need that recipe!). And the projects were so great, open to so many creative interpretations, which is a plus in my book. If you ever have the chance to take a class or a weekend art retreat, do it. I drive 6 hours one way just to get there and I wouldn't miss it. The new friends that I have made, the ones I have re-connected with, the techniques learned, the laughs shared, the fun had... simply cannot be experienced any other way. But I digress...

These are not earrings that I made this weekend, but I shared them with the group on Saturday night. Heather asked me to teach a little mini-workshop on nifty tips for jewelry designers. I did a little thing I called Tricks & Treats: Nifty Tips to Make Your Jewelry Designs Sweet. Since I struggle with thinking that what I do is 'nifty', it was hard to come up with some ideas until she reminded me that it is the little details that she loves about what I make. So I made these earrings as an example using one of my favorite tricks to embellish ear wires that are pre-made. While I would love to make my own ear wires, I just don't have the time, but I still want to make them special.

Basically, I like to embellish the ear wires in different ways, and my favorite way is to use seed beads on kidney shaped earrings wrapped with wire. A simple touch that makes all the difference.

I call these 'Autumn's Splendor' for way they look like the tree that is bursting with life right outside my window.

And I would wear them with a cozy sweater like this one from the Sundance catalog, coincidentally called 'Autumn's Splendor.'

Makes me want to go shopping for cozy sweaters right now!

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.