Memory Lane

Hi, today I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane. Here are three pairs of earrings I made before, that I hope still can inspire you.

Ingredients:

Faceted pyrite drops

Yellow vinyl spacer discs

Hammered look rhombic lucite beads

Swarovski bicone crystals

Oxidized copper wire

Handmade copper earring hooks

Ingredients:

Stone pebbles, hand picked by a friend of mine near 

where I grew up, then she tumbled and drilled them

Swarovski bicone crystals

Oxidized copper wire, two different gauges

Handmade heavily oxidized silver earring hooks

Ingredients:

Metallic pewter love knot beads

Oval metallic rings

Matte turquoise nuggets

Oxidized copper wire

Handmade brass earrings hooks

All my best,

Malin de Koning

Half Cracked

I've never been one for smooth, shiny, flawless surfaces in my metalwork. There are plenty of artists out there who do it and do it beautifully. I prefer a little more texture, distress, and time-wear. Maybe it's because I'm an old soul with lifetimes behind me, who knows?

So I surprised myself last week when I was tinkering in the studio with some fold formed copper charms. Rarely one to plan out an exact design beforehand, I started out this pair by simply annealing matched squares of copper, folding them, hammering flat, annealing again, and unfolding---revealing beautiful rustic creases in the metal. Now normally I would next turn to my favorite texturing rock (plucked from our garden) and start banging away as if my life depended on it. For some reason, I stopped short halfway through this time. 

How about we just leave half shiny, smooth, and serene---as a stark contrast to the chaos of the textured side?

And this is how designs are born. 

I'm quite fond of making coin-like discs out of copper, so that's the final shape I decided to go with here. Reminiscent of an ancient coin plucked from the soil, perhaps. I filed a bit along the folds of each, sanded, sanded, sanded, oxidized, buffed, and sealed with wax. Simple, perfect for everyday wear, yet noteworthy enough to make you feel like a pagan goddess. 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Dapping Fool

Isn't it wonderful how new tools can gently help guide our evolution as artists? 

For years the only dapping set I've had was cheap, wooden, and next to useless. It would divot whenever I used it, had way too much "give" when I would hammer, and would chip and flake all over the place. I limped by with it on the few projects where I wanted domed metal discs. Oh, and those metal discs? I was cutting those out by hand and praying to the symmetry gods that everything would turn up roses. I'm all for winging-it in the studio and making do with what you have, but come on, this was complete amateur hour. 

A month or so ago I decided enough was enough--I needed a decent set of graduated metal dapping punches, a dapping block, and a disc cutter. In other words, I was putting my artistic big-girl-panties on and growing up a bit. And the difference has been night and day.

So since I've been DAPPING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT lately, the other week I had a notion to experiment with some half-hollow forms. The idea happened to coincide nicely with a new order of deliciously primitive ceramic cone beads from NadiaTerra. The result: half ceramic, half copper, scrappy little oddities. I'm reminded of excavated ancient pottery and weathered bronze age metalwork. 

I cut, textured, and dapped copper discs into domes, strung them on my own fat-bottomed copper headpins along with the ceramic cones, and connected both halves with a ribbon of blackened silver solder. A dot of solder on top, an oxidation bath, and a good seal with wax, and there you have it. 

The only downside to my new tools--I may have to invest in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for my husband, as I'm sure all this hammering is less than acoustically pleasing... 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki 
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Best Laid Plans

I had a vision. 

I was lying in bed--drifting, woozy, floating in that liminal netherworld where ideas come to us so fluidly. What I would do, see, is I would take a piece of copper and fold form it and beat it over some rocks, see, and then texture it and punch it and file strategic places and shape it just so and...

I awoke the next morning with vague recollections of my vision and headed straight to the studio to bring it to fruition. Fifteen minutes into the project when the copper buckled and snapped, I realized:

shit, this isn't going to work

See, sometimes our dreamy ideas seem perfectly logical and functional. And then we go to execute and we realize they could use a little more refinement. There is nothing wrong with this. Rome wasn't built in a day. There is beauty to be found in the process.

Today's pair of earrings features the salvaged results of this vision. I took the two snapped pieces of copper, trimmed them up, softened up the edges, oxidized, sanded, and turned them into simple lightweight earring tabs. And you know what? For being "failures", I'm really quite fond of them. Funny how that works. When life gives you lemons...well, you know.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Spring Love and Bonus Beads

Hi, and here's another pair of earrings inspired by spring, it's atmosphere, colours and the light. I just love MissFickleMedia's green patinated hammered copper rings. 

On another note, do you see those pale pink bicone beads with golden stripes? I got them as a bonus freebee gift with a purchase last year. They are very pretty aren't they. I got only two of them. And an interesting phenomenon I have noticed when it comes to myself is that if I have only one or very few of a particular bead, I tend to be more lusting to use it in my designs. Seems like if something is rare it somehow becomes more valuable. Not necessary money wise, but more as if it is more unique and special and therefor more attractive. And I am always more attracted to things which are more unique. Goes for people, places, objects and just anything really. And beads of course.

Anyway, I wonder if any of you recognize this when it comes to your own bead stash? Or is it just me?

• Patinated hammered copper rings by MissFickleMedia
• Matte golden seed beads
• Pale pink large bicone lucite beads with golden stripes
• Pale pink druk glass beads
• Messy wrapped oxidized copper wire
• Handmade copper (oxidized) ear hooks

I wish you all a lovely Happy Easter and more wonderful spring weather.

All my best,

Malin

www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

Different Facets

Hello, I hope you are well. Here are my latest earrings. A combination of different facets. Sparkling happily when worn on the ear (even if I didn't manage to capture the swarowski sparkle in the photo).  

Ingredients (bottom to top):

Pyrite facetted drops

Heavily oxidized copper wire 24G

Yellow thin vinyl discs

Vintage lucite beads reminiscent of hammered bronze

Swarowskis bicone crystals

Vintaj brass earring hooks

All my best,

Malin de Koning

Purple Haze

My hammered copper & torch-fire enameled morsels, embellished with Jen Cameron's fabulous lampwork headpins which have been wrapped into a bail, finished with  my hand-wrought sterling and copper earwires.

"'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky"...(thanks, Jimi!<3)

"is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?"

Have a "purple haze" kind of day!

Disclaimer...after writing this post and looking at the photos, I realized that these aren't truly purple, but more raspberry-ish?  But, I have been singing "purple haze" now for at least a day, and can't really get it out of my head, but if you like, you can substitute "Raspberry Beret" by Prince :)

Melissa

Cosmos

There are some beads that require no introduction, no explanation, no overwrought designing. Basha Beads typify this. Barbara has perfected this lampwork glass technique and her beads are singular---immediately recognizable and always breathtaking. How does she capture all that glowy magic and all those cosmic nebula in each little bead?


I'll admit to being a Basha Bead hoarder - no shame there. I only like to use them when I truly feel like my design can do them justice.

 

I had a stroke of inspiration lately on how to make some wicked primitive earrings that highlight these beads without being too complicated. Plus it let me really wail on some copper with a hammer - that's always fun (read: stress relief). 


I made several variations: soft glowy ancient glass, red garnet, and scuzzy green Roman glass. For those days where you're feeling  mysterious, fiery, or calm and reflective.
 


Surprisingly simple, but these babies pack a lot of punch. I've even had guys notice them - when men start noticing your jewelry, that means you're on to something. 


Happy mid-week,

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Earrings and Inspiration

There are as many sources of inspiration as there are earrings created. Each pair has it's own story and original creative energy.

I find Pinterst to be a *great* source of inspiration. From design and fashion to a simple color concept. I tend to view color inspirations in vast categories. Meaning I don't just look at flowers for purple or sky photos for blue inspiration. 

The great thing about Pinterst is that you can search a color or colors and it will show you everything under the sun and more! 

Here is a glimpse of My "Color" board on Pinterest~

Sometimes just looking at the colors you want to incorporate is all that is needed. 

Inspired earrings...

These earrings will be available 

at Cindy's Art & Soul

Be sure to check out the 

Earrings Everyday Blogspot Pinterst Board  

for more inspiration

Enjoy the day!

Cindy

Peruvian Opal

Peruvian Opals are one of my favorite gemstones and so I wanted to make a pair of earrings that would definitely show off these beauties. I used 16g sterling silver wire and wrapped it around a dowel and then hammered it. I used liver of sulphur to patina them along with some sterling wire that I needed to use for wrapping and ear wires.  I'm pleased with how they came out...they will be hard to part with!


Did you know that the Peruvian Opal has soft relaxing energies. Legend says that it takes the tension out of communication and helps ideas flow freely. It softens the impact of stress from the outside world and can help one to release the trauma of old wounds. It facilitates facing the future with a tranquil healing nature.  **info found on www.bernardine.com
 

Check out my website to see more of my work. These earrings just sold but I have some copper ones listed on my website here. 

Thank you,

Kristy Abner

Kristy's Kreations

Crazy long colorful earrings!

I posted a free-form wire fibula tutorial over at Art Jewelry Elements this past Saturday...you should really check out AJE if you don't go there regularly...lots of cool stuff in the works, but I digress!  Playing with the wire got me thinking about some other fun things to make with free-form shapes, and I came up with these earrings.

The wire components were all ready to go, and I knew I wanted to incorporate these juicy red-orange Czech glass slices I got from ArteBella Surplus, but really wanted to do the unexpected.  After perusing my lampwork box of goodies, I spied a couple of borosilicate beauties I acquired from my fellow Frederick artist, Julie Delaney.  A very cool, sea green with hints of rusty brown!

Okay...I couldn't think of a name for these...maybe you can suggest one in the comments!

Find these and more at my shop on Etsy...Melismatic Art Jewelry! 

Lilac Drops

This green and purple color combo is one of my all time favorite...think pretty new spring green leaves and little purple flowers, like these beautiful lilacs....mmm, I can just imagine the lovely aroma!

via Pinterest.com

Sweet, petite lampwork discs created by Karen Leonardo have been wire-wrapped to hammered copper sticks, then embellished with Czech glass flowers and enameled headpins.  Long and linear...perfect with a summery updo, or for that super-short pixie cut!  These would look equally stunning with a breezy summer dress or your favorite jeans and white shirt...maybe even these boots!

Sheplers Corral Vintage Boots, via Pinterest.com

These and other jewelry designs by me can be found at Melismatic Art Jewelry (still a work in progress) or my Etsy shop...stop by and say hello at my blog!

Versatile Wire!

The only way to put it is to say, I am in Love with wire!! The more I use it, the more I Want to use it! It is versatile and fun! So here is to wire!!

You have to look at the different ways it looks when you move it around in the light. Shimmering and shinning. Dull and Dark{in a good way}. It is simply wonderful! This is solid copper wire that I patinaed in LOS for a nice Vintage feel!

You can find these in my ETSY shop! I hope to make more soon in different colours, with the wire curved differently. The possibilities are endless!!

 Wear them with a chic little Jacket!

Found on Pintrest

Click on photo to take you to original link

You can also find more designs on my Website
Please read my blog for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping in for a visit! We love to have you!

Marie