Autumn Leaves

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Kristi Bowman Gruel, of Kristi Bowman Designs, sent me these delightful copper connectors that she colored and sealed with ice resin. I love how vivid her colors always are. I added polymer clay leaves, little ceramic flower shaped bead caps, agates and glass, along with my handmade copper ear wires.

 I'm in love with these! They are perfect for fall - but I'd wear them throughout the winter too, because these are my favorite colors to wear! You can find these earrings in my shop now. 

Linda Landig Jewelry

Mod Moons

Hello, Beady Peeps!  

I've been working on Autumn designs for an upcoming show and so I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of one of my favorite pairs.

 

Rustic blackened discs with magnificent enameled silvery moons and golden halos, by Anne Gardanne.

As much as they are rustic, they are equally modern as well.  So, I decided to add some irregular handmade copper rings for perfect visual balance and a striking look without overpowering the charms themselves.  The creamy background adds a lot of visual weight and I truly felt adding beads would just ruin the beautiful lines.  If you can't already tell, I'm sorta crazy about these - or should I say "over the moon"?

Thanks for dropping by my work table to see what's happening!  Until next time~

Loralee xo

https://www.facebook.com/loraleekolton.jewelry/

One Day in September

It's not hard to find inspiration for earrings at the moment. I'd nothing ready for today, but doing a bit of deadheading and clipping back in the garden this morning, it was all around me. I decided to make a pair to reflect what was going on - it was warm and sunny, leaves were a mixture of green and red, butterflies were fluttering around the last flowers on the buddleias, and there were even a few ladybirds left - it's been a very good year for them. Noisy starlings were squabbling over the bird feeder. Bliss.

It also gives me the opportunity to introduce you to a new ceramicist - ceramiky, from Poland.

The first pair use Ceramiky connectors - rich and rustic - with Czech glass and lampwork leaves, a tiny brass bird atop a lampwork 'nest' by Julia Hay, dark copper leaf by Lucy Haslam, peridot, a dark copper butterfly and tiny Czech glass ladybird. Just fun! Then I couldn't resist another pair; these have ceramic leaves by Michelle McCarthy, fabulous picture jasper beads and those tiny ladybirds creeping up the connectors. 

 

 

I'm really making the most of the garden now, as it won't last too much longer. she says sadly! At least the earrings will last all year round, and they're available my Etsy shop.

 

 

See you in two weeks time; take care

 

Lindsay xx

 

My Etsy shop

 

My Facbook page

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

Land of the rising Sun

I was scrambling at the last minute for ideas to make some earrings. I always have a hard time deciding which colors to go with. I think I need to start writing colors onto pieces of paper and just draw a main color at random and go from there lol

So instead, I went on my FB page and asked my friends what colors I should go with. Orange and Fall colors were some of the suggestions (among many other fun ideas), and since I had a pair of handmade polymer clay components that had some nice orangey shades to it, I pulled out some Carnelians and went to town:

I'm a sucker for Copper, especially when it comes to coupling them with rich Fall jewel tones. I wanted to use some kind of bead cap for the chunky faceted carnelian briolettes, but I didn't have anything suitable on hand. I pulled out some of my handmade slightly domed copper beadcaps and bent them to make a bit of an Asian style cover for the top, as I wanted to add a bit of width to the bottom part.

A few more copper accents and carnelian beads, and voila!

I wish the "rising sun" would make its appearance here. We've been drowning in rain for the past couple of weeks now. I had just a wee bit of a break to go plant my seed garlic in the garden (after the blizzard we had, I thought I had missed the window to plant garlic). It's been very wet and dreary here... these sunny Carnelians were a very welcome sunny sight on my bench!

I need to take better pictures before I list them, although it looks like they might be spoken for already :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends in the US!

Cheers,
Nathalie
Visit my shops:
My Garden of Love on Etsy
The Crafty Tribe on Etsy

Fall Beauties

Hey everybody! I hope you're all doing great and that the weather is behaving in your neck of the woods. I'm sorry I went MIA a couple of weeks ago. I injured my knee the day I was supposed to make earrings, take pictures and write a post, and my coconut just totally zonked out with the pain killers and the ice.

My knee is fine, thankfully... my coconut, well...... it's getting older. I'll leave it at that LOL ;)

I've got a showcase coming up on FB on Nov. 2-3rd in the Handmade Beads and Findings group (I hope to see you there!), and I've been making various things, including these:

But, my heart wanted to make something with one of the pairs I had made, so I grabbed them and here's the pair of earrings I designed for you today:

Handmade polymer clay round earring connectors featuring modern leaves, with shades of orange, russet, and aqua blue, with a touch of brass. I love how the colors play against each other.

I added copper tone chains for a feminine wispy look, on which I suspended a pair of pretty TierraCast hearts. I've also included some cool funky shaped 'tube' Blue Apatite gemstone beads that i bought many many years ago (yes, I'm a hoarder!!), sandwiched between some rustic TierraCast rondelles, topped with sparkling yellow glass seed beads.

These will be available for sale in my Etsy shop HERE over the next couple of days, as well as new handmade polymer clay jewelry making components!

I wish you all a Beautiful Fall season (and my heart goes out to all those still dealing with all the fires, and other storms going on at this time)

Cheers,
Nathalie

Visit my shops:
My Garden Of Love Jewelry Supplies
The Craft Tribe Instant Download Printables

An apple a day

... keeps the doctor away :) Well, at least let's hope so!

I was talking with my hubby a couple of months ago about wanting to make some mini apples and pumpkin beads for Fall creations. It's my favorite season in terms of the richness of colors, the nice cool crisp air, and because it's actually cool enough for me to snuggle up in a cozy sweater. I love handmade sweaters!

I don't knit much these days, but playing with beads is always on the agenda... So my hubby made me a small batch of super cute apple and pumpkin beads! Yippee!!

I may be biased here, but I think he did a really fabulous job. He's very patient and likes a challenge. Each one is individually hand sculpted by him and I added the finishing touches of pretty shimmering mica colors and protective glaze.

Check these out:

Polymer Clay Handmade Red Apple Beads

Don't you just want to eat these precious little Red Apples?

Although I don't eat 'pumpkin' anything.... I know, bad girl lol - but hey, that leaves more for you!
I really adore how these little pumpkins turned out:

Polymer Clay Handmade Pumpkin Beads

I wanted to make a pair of Red Apples Earrings and this is what I made, featuring a pair of my honey's gorgeous apple beads:

Handmade Fall Apple Earrings by Nathalie Lesage

I've added a dangling drop of wood beads (for the tree), and some green and copper Czech glass beads, as well as some Swarovski crystals in Light Siam and Topaz. Lots of sparkles showcasing end of Summer/Fall colors!

Most of the pumpkin and apple beads sold in my FB showcase in July, but we made a couple of extras to list them in my Etsy shop HERE (the quantity is VERY limited). Grab 'em while you can. We're both quite unwell at the moment, and I'm not taking any more custom orders at this point.

These one of a kind Fall earrings are also available for grabs HERE in my shop :-)

Our thoughts and prayers are going to everyone in the path of all the hurricanes, as well as those affected by all the wild fires both in the States and up here in Canada.
Be safe, stay strong, don't give up xoxo

Nathalie
Visit:
My Garden Of Love Etsy Shop
The Crafty Tribe Etsy Shop

Fall Sunshine

Since I last wrote on this blog, my dear tiny yorkie fur baby girl passed away. It's been really difficult for me, as both her and her brother were my partners in crime in my studio and my babies for almost a 1/3 of my entire life. I've lost them both now, 7 months apart :(

My little fur-baby girl. I'll see you at the Rainbow Bridge xxx

Trix was 14 years old, and had lived a good and full life full of adventures with her brother Diesel (he passed away in January at the age of 13)... One of the things they loved most was jumping in the van and go out for a ride and a walk in the forest.

Fall was the best time as it wasn't too hot, or too cold. It was just perfect. Gorgeous colors in the trees, and the sunshine adding to the joy of being out in the fresh cool Fall air... so in their homage, I've designed these Fall Sunshine earrings:

Warm Fall colors in Polymer Clay, Glass and Copper

Using fold-formed textured copper components that I made a long time ago (I keep all sorts of parts, I'm a hoarder!), and some copper wire and tiny seed beads in rich Fall colors, I wire wrapped my handmade polymer clay drops together with the copper elements - If you've never tried Fold-Forming metal before, I highly recommend it - it's fun, although it takes a long time to go through the process of heating/forming/cooling and repeating until you're done, the resulting raised edges and textures are worth it in my opinion:

Fall Sunshine Earrings by Nathalie Lesage

When I designed my polymer clay drops, I embedded some small super sparkling orange artisan glass cabochons. It's like a ray of sunshine when you look at these. I only had this one pair of orange glass cabs (I don't even remember where I grabbed these, it was a long time ago), and I wanted to use them for something special.

These earrings, along with a few other pairs are listed in my Etsy shop HERE.

I've also uploaded a series of one of a kind new clay components to my shop, check it out when you have time, it may trigger some design ideas for your creations!

It's been a rough 10 days since Trixie passed. I was expecting it given her age, of course. Her ashes should be ready for pick up by Friday. I have a special urn in my studio where her brother is waiting to be with her again... I know they're both waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge, but I just wish they could have stayed with me here on Earth.

I'm too ill to look after another pet or a new pet, but now we have a grandson who's growing fast, and we're going to focus on him. He's very snuggly and fun, and he's helping to heal my saddened heart.

I want to give a big HUG to everyone who has a pet waiting for them at the Rainbow Bridge too....

For those who still have their pets...Please hug and kiss your fur-baby for me today xoxo

Nathalie
Visit my shops: My Garden Of Love on Etsy & The Craft Tribe on Etsy

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

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

Fall

As you probably might know I’m not a full-time jewellery creator. In my other professional career I’m a self-employed chartered accountant. Due to my crazy working hours of late I didn’t have much time to spend on social media. And guess what, I felt more relaxed as a jewellery creator. Normally I see the most gorgeous jewellery pieces of other jewellery designers in my news feed. When I see this beautiful handmade jewellery I am in awe. I feel overwhelmed and I have to admit, insecure. My designs are not that sophisticated. I am not able to make my own beads. Well, not as long as we are still living in our motor home. 

Then I remember the wise words of Lesley Watt in an interview I held with her: “If I were to offer one tip it would be: be true to yourself and don't be tempted to compare. By which I mean don't compare your work, your style, your sales, your success, your prices with those of others because it will only cause you heartache".

These words are so true. We cannot all be famous or successful etc like… (You can fill in your own hero). But that doesn’t matter. As long as we remember we are all unique human beings, beautiful in our own way.
If you are struggling with insecurity as well, I hope Lesley's wise words can help you, they way it helped me.
For me it means that as long as I enjoy creating my jewellery and I’m doing it the best that I can with the best materials I can afford it is ok. They might not be masterpieces but they are made with love and they are unique.
As for these earrings. They don’t contain expensive handmade beads. I found the glass leafs in a craft store. I always have silver plated beads, Swarovski crystal and Czech glass in stock and I think the combination is lovely.

Thank you again Lesley for your wise words. Thank you all for looking. These fall earrings will be available later today. Wishing you all a wonderful time, full of happiness, laughter and fall joy.

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Fall Mood

I have to admit, October is a spectacular month.   It's the shift of seasons, the change in the light, crisp air and damp smells all preparing us for change and opportunity of letting go.

It puts me in the mood of creating fall colors, something different, earthy, rustic and organic.  I have two designs this week that I'm really excited to share.  

This first design is a collaboration of bone, wood, chain, glass, gemstones and leaves all capturing what I call Flourishing Fall.  

Are they not screaming EARTHY party of one!

My second design holds a more festive look for Halloween with the help of Kristi Bowman-Gruel, she sells these wonderful little pumpkin ghouls and if you're needing a pair to create with, you can get them from her website ►, Kristi Bowman Design.  She should be well stocked because we all told her to make more ☺, so don't wait, not sure how much longer she's going to offer them. I know I need to order more myself.

  Are they not just the cutest things ever!!!

I made two different designs utilizing different bead caps complimented with wiggly wires on the sides serving as the pumpkin vine.

Thanks for stopping by, share a few words if you can and remember to enjoy the season, embrace the change and don't forget to let things go, ♥

Lynn Ferro aka Yucca Bloom

Lost in Petra

 During our first longer travel my hubby and I visited the lost city of Petra in Jordan. Oh…my…goodness. Till this day it is the most beautiful site I have ever seen.Wherever you look, beautiful buildings and tombes are carved directly into the vibrant white, pink, brown and red sandstone cliffs. This city was once the capital of the Nabataen empire (312 B.C – 106 A.D) and a thriving trading center. It was “lost” for centuries, only to be discovered in the early 1800s.

"Al Khazneh seen from the end of the Siq" by Bernard Gagnon 

At that time I didn’t have a digital camera, I therefore choose some beautiful pictures of others to show you the beauty of this site.

"PetraSandStoneRock-cut tombs" by Etan J. Tal

The colors and patterns of the picture jasper used in these earrings just reminds me of that special magical place. I teamed them with Czech glass, some (vintage) brass bead caps and vintage Swarovski rhinestone beads.

"Lost in Petra"

And I believe these look very autumnal as well, don't you think?

"Lost in Petra"

These are available in my shop.

Thanks for looking!

Wishing you a wonderful day,

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Red Raku Earrings

When I showed these earrings to my friend Rebekah Payne of Tree Wings Studio, her comment about the color palette was, "Bright, clear blue autumn sky... last green of summer... rusty red shades of turning autumn leaves. Yep, works for me!".

The raku fired ceramic drops were made by Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio.  And the hand-dyed and hand-felted Wooly Wire is the creation of Nellie Thomas.

The Red Raku Earrings are available in my shop now. 

-Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry

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
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