Gradations...

There are times that I've bought beautiful components because I fell in love with them, and sometimes they've sat in a drawer for years.  And there are the "most of the time" purchases, the ones that are transformed into jewelry fairly quickly, though I don't always know immediately how or what to design with them.  And then there are the times when I know exactly what I want to do with something the moment I see it.

Seeing (and buying) these charms by Inviciti was one of those times.

The first thing I wanted to do with these charms was to paint the crescent moons a pearlescent white and then string 15/0 glass seed beads on 2-ply gray Irish waxed linen thread and wrap them around the charms.   

My usual modus operandi would be to search through all of the most rich, saturated colors I could get my hands on (because COLOR!), but for the Lady Moon and these lovely dark and rustic charms I wanted to stay with a palette based on moonlight, moonshadow, and the dark of the night sky, so I chose an ombre shading of pearl white, into silver, into dark gray, into black (and back again).

The earrings are lightweight, with backings of fine paper to cover the thread and ensure the strength of the earrings.

Many thanks to you all for reading.  I will be back on the second Thursday in February!  Love you all!  💗

xoxo
Meridy

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Gratitude and Joy

In the U.S., today is a day officially set aside for giving thanks.  Thanksgiving Day was designated a federal holiday in 1863, during the American Civil War, to be celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November.

Well, as it happens, the fourth Thursday of the month is one of my regular blog days here at EE.  So I thought I'd share a few thoughts about thankfulness and gratitude...and maybe show off a new pair of earrings too. 😊



Long ago I was taught the benefits of an "attitude of gratitude," being grateful for the good things in your life, no matter how small, instead of focusing on the negative.  Being actively grateful takes some effort and retraining of the mind. Meditation is, of course, an excellent mind-trainer (and mind-quietener), but I learned that even just making lists of things I'm thankful for is a good (and easy) way to start.

So on this day I'm thankful for all of you EE readers and writers and for creators and appreciators of beauty in all its different forms. And I'm sharing these joyful, whimsical earrings on this day because I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to make them. 

Recipe for the Earrings

Colorful dotted charms by Nicola Morse

Dotted golden hollow glass rounds by Beth Mellor  

Orchid lampwork glass discs by Beth Mellor

4-mm faceted purple garnet coins

Gold-filled bead caps, Swarovski crystal rondelles

Gold-filled ear wires

💗 Thank you, Nicola and Beth! 💗

Thank you for reading...and Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo
Meridy

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FaeryLights

Hi, everyone!  💗

Lately I've been making a lot of chainmaille jewelry, which I really love.  It's precise, sleek, and meditative and also beautiful, intricate, and versatile.  But after so much time working ring-by-ring, I was ready for festive, vibrant color...and glass.

FaeryLights can be purchased here.

Pati Walton, one of my favorite glass designers, made all the lampwork glass beads in these brightly beautiful earrings.  And, oh, the COLORS--fuchsia, yellow, orange, blue, purple, and green "painted" in ribbons across Pati's glass head pins and added as bubbles on the little lampwork beads.  Even the  little Czech glass rondelles and Swarovski crystal bicones I added to the mix are rich and vibrant. 

I love the way the light filters through the colored glass and crystal, turning the beads into their own kind of light. 

Color is nourishment for our creative hearts, I think.  And I'm so glad I made these little FaeryLights at this magical time of year.

Thank you so much for reading!  I wish you all a wonderful (and heart-nourishing) New Year, and I'll see you all again in 2018!

xoxo

Meridy

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Homespun Chandeliers

Homespun Chandeliers

I made these earrings around folded cones I made from raw copper sheet (Click HERE for a short tutorial on how to make these cones)--I hung seven lengths of fine chain from each one, and petite clear glass beads in an iridescent finish from the end of each chain. The beads remind me of tiny light bulbs. I would love to have an old nautical pendant lamp in a crusty finish, with cascades of crystals hanging down!

Why hasn't anybody done this? Anybody want to do this? Anybody? I have the perfect corner for it. Let me know.

In the meantime I will have to just content myself with these miniature versions.

(Someday when my eyes are no longer up to making tiny things, I will make lamps!)

Keirsten
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