A Lick and a Promise

"A lick and a promise" is a phrase that my mom used to use to describe making our house presentable now and doing a full housecleaning later.  I'm afraid that my post today is going to be a little bit like that--short and hopefully presentable!--since I've caught my grandson's cold/bronchitis.  I'm not feeling so great, and on top of that, the cough/cold medicine has zombie-fied me to the point where all I really want to do is stare into space 😵 or curl up with a blankie and pillow. 💗

But I still wanted to share these new earrings with you since they just feel so much like

summer to me, with all the flowers and aqua and lavender!  The lovely blue-and-purple

striated-and-dotted lampie beads are by Terry Turner of Silverfish Designs, and

Raida Disbrow of Havana Beads made the exquisite enameled charms.  I added Czech

rondelles and discs, in purple and aqua; leafy copper bead caps; tiny aqua Swarovski

bicones; and even smaller seed beads, also in aqua.  Thank you, Raida and Terry, for

making these gorgeous beads and components that allow me to make beauty in turn.  💗

Thank you all for being understanding.  I promise to be back next time

(May 24, I do believe) with an entire "housecleaning."  😊💗

xoxo

Meridy

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Classic Bohemian Girl

I've been on "Standby Service" for the Sacramento Superior Court all this week and have been checking the court's website every evening after 5 p.m. to see if they want me to report to Court the following day.  So far, I haven't been called in, so I've been catching up with projects I haven't finished and have been digging into the serious mess that is my studio.  It's like a treasure hunt when you clean up, and I struck gold when I found a little bag containing these meltingly pretty polymer clay teardrop charms by Helena Benkoczka of Areto Beads and Jewellery.  

So, with an eye to an imminent spring (and then a hot summer), I decided to use Helena's pretty charms to make one of my favorite fiber-wrapped designs, one I've made many times.  I love this design and enjoyed gathering the ingredients:  pretty purple Czech glass Saturn beads, turquoise Czech glass discs, little purple faceted rondelles (also Czech glass), and 8/0 purple-lined seed beads.

I hadn't made a wrapped design in a while, so I especially enjoyed the wrapping part of making these earrings: the tension needed to keep the beads at the top straight and strong, then the precise wrapping at the tops of the charms, adding the tiny 15/0 beads that nestle inside the teal rings, tying the thread off at the back, and covering the thread with matching colored paper and glaze.

Interestingly enough, as I'm finishing my blog post, I find out that I have to report to Court tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.  I guess duty calls!

Thank you so much for reading!  I love you guys, and I'll see you all again in two weeks.  💗

xoxo
Meridy

My shop

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Long with large acrylic or resin

I am happily continuing on the path I've been on lately with long eye catching earrings with large light weight resin or acrylic beads. Varitions on a fun theme that I very much enjoy working with.

Ingredients:
Large black and brown faceted acrylic beads
8/0 matte metallic bronze seed beads
Black faceted glass beads
Vintaj brass large jump rings
Vintaj brass earring hooks
Strung on 4 ply walnut brown waxed irish linen cord

All my best,
Malin

Bound and Twined

A couple posts ago I mentioned how I have been further exploring the use of fibers in my pieces to add textural and tactile variety. I use a lot of "hard" components---stone, metal, ceramic, glass, etc. So in the ever-present quest for balance, I like to add in some "soft" ingredients, as well. 

The problem I have with so many textile-based materials is that they wear too easily. Either that or they discolor or soil, like sari silk, and are almost impossible to wash when incorporated into a larger piece. So I've found myself turning more and more to waxed twines made of durable material, such as hemp, flax, and nylon. 

I'm such a fangirl of the magical and talented Rey at greybirdstudio and have always appreciated the way she wraps, weaves, and melts fibers into her intricate, organic pieces. So when she started offering her hand-waxed, dyed Belgian flax twine for sale to other makers such as myself, I squealed with excitement. The process she goes through to create the soft leathery finish is painstaking yet without a doubt worth it. I had the good fortune of snapping up a bundle of it one day---if you follow her work, you'll know how quickly things fly out the door! 

The twine is very fine and has a nicely tacky quality to it, allowing it to stick nicely to itself when overwrapped, as I did on the "bead caps" in today's pair. Bonus points that the fibers will not discolor with wear and contact with our skins' natural oils. I took a matched set of beautiful blush chohua jasper---one of my favorites---and knotted and wrapped and knotted and wrapped and knotted and wrapped and...well, you get the picture. 

I was at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago last week and was amazed at the ancient jewelry from many of the native tribes of North America. OK, amazed is an understatement. My husband had to restrain me at certain points. But the underlying technique and overall aesthetic of today's earrings remind me of some of those pieces. Art influences art, always!

Happy Wednesday, 
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Tangled Up In...Sinew?

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Sinew? Errrrrrrr...ewww?" 

Yes, I agree. 

Next fall will mark 15 years that I've been a devoted vegetarian. So rest assured when I promise you that the sinew used in these earrings is completely faux, imitation, no animals harmed. It consists of polyester fibers which have been spun together and waxed, making it tacky to the touch yet pliable and knottable. Good buddy Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads fame turned me on to this material a bit ago. 

 
My crude knotting pales in comparison to some of the intricate, exacting work seen in many cultures, both old and modern. But I really dig the native primitive vibe that it adds to pieces. Plus I'm always looking for ways to incorporate textiles and fibers that will hold up to the test of time and wear. 

 


I've had a leisurely summer in the studio but am on the cusp of releasing a new batch of earrings that feature grungy, earthy neutrals, since that's where my head has been lately. This taupe and fawn hued pair fit the bill nicely. The stones are Polish flint, otherwise known as banded flint or striped flint. Mined in Poland, this stone is famous for its swirling, mesmerizing banding. At first glance the color may seem rather boring, but relax your eyes and let the patterning lure you in...peaceful magic.

To create these, I knotted faux sinew around the tops of each stone to form "caps" of a sort and then hung each from my extra long oxidized copper ear wires. Simple, versatile, soothing, neutral, unique.

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Navy Gold and White

THIS dress that I stumbled upon on ModCloth today inspired these beaded earrings. They feature some buri seeds, Lucite, and glass rounds, with some sunshine  yellow silk ties, and hand-cut vintage tin discs. I love this color palette, and the dress is amazing. I might even think about it for my sister's wedding.

These earrings will be available momentarily at my Etsy shop!

VooDoo Daddy

Whimsical skull charms and ceramic hoops stir up a feeling of Louisiana VooDoo. African captives and their knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Louisiana Voodoo.  The deep orange glaze on these ceramic hoops is dramatic and the two different skull faces  are perfect in every way. Simple deerskin leather lace is knotted and lend to the rustic feeling of these one of a kind earrings.

I've always been intrigued by the mysteries of voodoo and the stories behind these Voodoo queens. But I do home that watching this stuff on tv is the closest I ever get to experiencing the magic of Louisiana voodoo.

These earrings are not hexed, I promise you. They are available for sale here, at Etsy!