The Unknown

“I will not let you go into the unknown alone.”
― Bram Stoker

October Greetings, My Friends!

Today I have some lovely antiqued collage earring charms by Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws to show you.  

The charms are made of thin porcelain ceramic and are quite delicate. I used a 4 ply wax linen cord to attach them to the rest of the components so there wouldn't be any metal rubbing against them.  In this particular pair, I frayed the ends of the cord to create a tattered look which also went perfectly with the slashes you see in the sleeves.  

I created a sort of gobbet using vintage bead-caps and amber-colored faceted beads.  Well, of course, we all know vampires don't drink....wine...However, they may offer you some to be hospitable. 

I hope you enjoyed your stay at my little bead table today!  It was wonderful to see you again!

Be well,

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com 

 

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

Day Of The Dead Calaveras

As some of you may know, about 6 years ago, my husband and I spent a month on Oaxaca, Mexico; from mid-October till mid-November. This put us right in the middle of one of Mexico's most exuberant celebrations of The Day Of The Dead. Handmade altars, decorated with food, flowers and sugar skulls, were constructed all over the city. Huge skeleton puppets were paraded in the streets and placed in business storefronts.

Near Llano Park in Oaxaca, Mexico

The puppets as well as the sugar skulls, were often crowned with colorful flowers, especially marigolds. Orange marigolds are said to guide the spirits of the departed, back to their homes on the Day Of The Dead.

In keeping with these customs, I dangled bright orange flowers beneath these wonderful pewter skull (Calavera in Spanish) charms by Inviciti.

The flowers have a golden luster finish that looks especially pretty in the light. I made my own Sterling silver ear wires to go along with the skull earrings.

The skull motif is popular year round, but these would be especially fun to wear this month! You can find these earrings in my shop now.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Devilishly Charming Is What They Called Him...

Hello,  Happy October To You All!

Take a look at this strikingly bold and playful image Anna Pierson of Sagahus Components used on her faux tin charms!  I really fell in love with this guy and ordered a few pairs to play with.  

These charms were made on copper and have a nice substantial weight which dome beautifully. Doming the image really enhanced the facial features and gave it life!  

Don't you just love the little headdress of skulls he's wearing!  What also makes this design special is the soft muted yellow background, it really makes him pop!

I wanted this design to be a bit modern yet keep a warm rustic feel.  I loved the idea of extending the main image so I created a goatee for him!  It's like when an actor leaves the stage and comes into the audience! ha! 

In my stash I had these cool little wire wrapped charms by Shipwreckdandy Supply which were just the right size and shape!  Also, the tin is very smooth and the wire wrapping lends a lot of rich texture. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking a peek on my worktable!

I will see you back in a couple of weeks!

🔥

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Along Came A Spider

Jill Stoffregen of Foxpaws made these stunning porcelain discs with a lovely silver luster.  They are  rustic, tribal and made the most lovely spider webs!

I constructed my own spiders from bead-caps, rhinestone spacers, and metal accent beads.  I really love these miniature industrial-looking sculptures.

The spider's legs mimic the web pattern in the discs and it all just works so well together.

🕸

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my worktable today! 

There's a pretty good chance I will be continuing with my spooky designs for a while 'cause - 'tis the season!

Until next time!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Calavera Earrings

Three years ago, I was lucky enough to be in Oaxaca, Mexico for the Day Of The Dead celebrations.  It was magical. Words fail me when I try to convey the beauty, solemnity, humor and faith that filled the city that week.
People create altars all over the city and in their shops and homes.  The altars are decorated with flowers, usually marigolds, special breads made for the Day Of The Dead and brightly decorated sugar skulls or clay skulls, called calavera.

Skulls represent those who have passed away and sometimes have the name of the departed written on the forehead.

I made two pairs of skull earrings to share with you today.  I bought these fun skull beads at Bead Fest in October last year.  But I was so exhausted after vending at Bead Fest that I never made anything with them in time for Day Of The Dead. I didn't want to neglect them another year! This is the first pair I made.

The bright colors are typical of most Mexican celebrations and the flowers above the skulls represent the flowers on the altars that welcome the departed spirits back home.

I made the second pair of skull earrings using gunmetal finish wires and slinky chain tassels.

Follow the link below, if you would like to learn more about Mexico's Day Of The Dead celebrations. https://www.tripsavvy.com/day-of-the-dead-vocabulary-1588706  
Both pairs of earrings are available in my shop now.

Linda Landig Jewelry 

Glowing In The Night

Striking polymer headpins with an amazing crackle and glowing finish by Kimberly Rogers of
Numinosity Beads.  

The design challenge for me was, that the headpins are very bold and I wanted accent beads that were just as bold but didn't compete with each other.  I had these lovely matte black vintage lucite accent beads with brilliant gold stars and thought they'd be perfect mates.  They work well because they are predominantly black.  Also, having one component with a matte finish and the other with shine is a nice contrast and gives more definition.

The headpins are substantial in size but being polymer also, super lightweight!  Lucite is also very light so they make a nice statement earring without losing any comfort.

I love that the stars are carved and not just printed images.  I also added a little rhinestone spacer for a little extra sparkle.

Kimberly's headpins and beads are a favorite of mine; I'm a huge fan of her work!

Luna and I thank you for stopping by and will be back in a couple of weeks

 ~ Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ Artful Jewelry in Beads

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again...

Presently, it's all about autumn and All Hallows' Eve on my worktable.  The dog days of summer, in my mind, have drifted away and all I feel is cool crisp air with a hint of mystery.

Striking pewter charms by Inviciti featuring printed images of original art by Nooma Cav.  These are rare pieces and so lucky to get one!

I had some edgy cool glass with metallic raised dots made by Dana M. Graham in my stash.  The petite size was perfect and had a cast of blue-grey which brought out the colors on the bottom of the charms, adding a lot of life to the pieces.

For the finish, I chose some lovely vintage coated glass pearls, the kind that was used by the Miriam Haskell Company, circa the 1940's.  They have an amazing patina in a grey metallic.

♡

Thank you for stopping by and seeing what's happening in my tiny studio!  I'll see you again the first Wednesday in September!  

(that's right, one chair for me and one for the kitty)

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ Artful in beads

Hair'em Scare'em

Velcome, beady peeps!
Loralee, here - Von't you come in...

I enjoy taking different spins on Halloween designs.  For me, it's not just about witches and goblins, but, how the season makes you feel deep inside. Shorter days bring a sense of urgency and a bit of drama with the darkness.

I had started out with these silky, glossy, long, black tassels.  At first, when I purchased them, I wasn't even sure what they were going to be used for. However, I knew I loved them and that's always a good place to start.

I was picturing a night out, something special to wear with that black dress. Something a bit out of the ordinary....perhaps even a little 'witchy'.

I attached the tassels to some tribal inspired connectors by Jana of Happy Fish Things.  I wanted to keep the focus near the top and not interfere with the long strands so I added some short, beautiful, vintage, faceted crystals on each side for some sparkle.

This time last year, a sweet friend, Lena Moore, sent me a pair of extremely fuzzy fiber wrapped beads by Sagahus,  I didn't get a chance to use them, so I tucked them away until now.  It was a good thing, too, because, recently I discovered a wonderful bead artist in France with the shop name, Verreet Cuivre. I'm not sure she intended them to look like candy corn (is candy corn even a thing in France???) .....but, they sure do, in a more sophisticated way!

I love the rustic texture surrounded by the hairy softness of the fibers.   Ha, I don't think I've have ever written that description for earrings before...."the hairy softness"...lol  Anyway...lol

Last but not least, another photo of hairy softness, his name is Vincent, and he's turning 6 months old!

             
                  

 Loralee Kolton Jewelry - artful in beads

                                                 

Wishing you all, the best of this wonderful season!

L ~

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

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


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