Leafy Stacks

These Copper Leaf Components are a little different than the leaves I usually make. Instead of a hole in the top I brought the sides around to create a little bit of a tunnel. 

Then I went through all of my beads that had holes big enough to fit through and created these earrings.  I used cool Lampwork Rings made by Paradise Beads on the earrings above, also adding Freshwater Pearl buttons and touches of mixed metal by using tiny silver beads in 2 ways.

The above earrings are available HERE.

These leaves were actually the first pair I made, they are a bit larger and although I like them I'm not completely happy and I have an idea in my head to change them. So they will probably be taken apart and re-worked.

The smaller Leafy Components will be available during my next online show starting Saturday Feb 4th along with lots of other new painted components.

As always thanks so much for joining us here on Earrings Everyday!!!

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

KristiBowmanDesign on Facebook

Forest Dew Drops

Forest Dew

by Thenevah

Sparkling nymphs play at dawn

With the fae laddies they find fair

To dance many a dance in airs

Above the ground or on lea's green lawns

Betwixt forests mystery where bluebells pair.

Beneath canopy even falls violet

Upon branch and nest lay its breast

Awaiting morns sweet suffuse wet

Cooling the heat of noon's bright protest

In honor of Summers sonata in ultraviolet.

Copper Leaf Shield Components, little Green Glass beads separated by tiny coppery seed beads with beautiful Headpins dangles by HavanaBeads.

Forest Dew Drops available HERE in my Etsy Shop

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

KristiBowmanDesign on Facebook

One Day I Will Be A Mountain...

...but today I am a fault. 

Oh, how I can relate. I mean, life is all about duality and growth, right? We all have sides to ourselves that make us proud, and of course the sides that make us want to do better. Sometimes it's extremely gratifying to walk in darkness, while other times we seek the light and peaceful way. Positive and negative, light and dark, life and death. I love exploring these dichotomies, both in my jewelry design and the titles behind each piece.

 


I especially love how these warm organic earrings evolved from cold hard metal. I used a simple fold-form technique on copper sheet to obtain the weathered "fault" lines. I then added in myriad punches for that decayed pock-marked look, and applied lots of pounding, heat, and magic to help to create that natural vivid red patina. The overall shapes are evocative of wings---or perhaps leaves---both of which bring to mind the idea of growth. See how many opposing adjectives I chocked into this paragraph? It's all about the dichotomies, baby.

The most wearable earrings for me are those that contain multitudes without overdoing the components, color palette, or the weight. I strive to achieve this balance in my designs, but it's also not bad advice for life, in general. 

It ain't always easy, but it's most always worth it!

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

First Frost

I know we're just getting in to Spring but these Frosty Silvered Stone Lampwork Beads by
  Judith Billig and some of my Copper Leaves definitely need to be called "First Frost".

I topped them with a little bit of coiled wire and some Copper Bead Caps with a beautiful Scroll design and Hypo Allergenic Niobium Earwires.

I took this frosty photo a few years ago for a Macro Challenge, thought it was a perfect time to share it again. 

These earrings are available HERE in my webstore.

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

Stillness in my soul

I had heard and read many times that when we go through some challenging times, it's like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It's not an easy process to break through the cocoon and spread your wings free, but the result is certainly worth it in the end.

So, today, I want to show you the design that I've created in my own design evolution...

Stillness Earrings by Nathalie Lesage of NatLJ.com

These earrings feature a gorgeous pair of luminous lampwork glass beads (I apologize, I did not note down the artist who made these as I bought them several years ago), a pair of my handmade .999 pure silver (PMC3) leaf charms, sparkling Swarovski Crystals on earth tones hemp cords and hypo-allergenic Niobium ear wires:

I love the explosion of color that occurs when the sunlight hits these earrings... 

just like the wings of a blue butterfly in the sun :)

As a jewelry designer, I've worked with many different types of supplies, and learned many techniques over the years, all with the end goal of "finding my own voice" in terms of design. 

As hard as the past 5 months (already) have been for me, I feel that this whole experience is helping me hone in to my own 'design' voice. It seems that I've finally found it.

This feels like 'me', 1000000%.

I will be exploring this style further. Exciting times ahead ;)

Many thanks for stopping by to read...  

You can find these earrings listed HERE on my NatLJ.com website.

Nathalie

Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

The Anti-Trend

There are some designs and motifs in jewelry making (and art, in general) that keep coming around time and time again. We may be tempted to roll our eyes and groan if we see YET ANOTHER person doing YET ANOTHER version of XYZ. 

Now, sure, there are definitely trends out there -- always have been and always will be. But I think some designs transcend the trendy. Some designs are so elemental and so universal that they we'll always identify with them. Some designs can be dressed and polished and sparkled up just as easily as they can be beaten and dirtied and rusted down. I'm going to venture that the humble leaf is one of those eternal designs. 
 
Everyone has their own version of the leaf -- they're like fingerprints. Some artists celebrate the unbridled budding potential of the new spring leaf. Others rejoice in the resplendently lush summer leaf. There are those of us who prefer the mysterious crash-and-burn of the autumn leaf. And some are drawn to the dormancy and negative space of the winter leaf. 

So at the risk of being that chick who's posting YET ANOTHER pair of leaf earrings, here I go...

I was in Tucson at the huge gem and mineral show a couple weeks ago with my dear friend Kimberly of NuminosityBeads (mwahh!). We came, we saw, we bought, we gorged, we emerged exhausted yet triumphant -- beads and stones in-hand. When I got back home to Ohio, I couldn't wait to get back into the studio and do some creating. And wouldn't you know it, one of the first designs I created didn't use any of my new haul. 

 
Instead, I created a simple pair of fold formed copper leaves. Distressed, punched, fire-scaled, beaten, oxidized, licked with verdigris, and sealed. Simple. Timeless. And so ME.

What motifs do you keep coming back to in your designs and in your life? And what does that say about you? Food for thought :) 

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Stand Still

My iPhone is constantly loaded with pictures that I take whenever my husband and I go on our various road trips. I cannot get enough of nature, and I treasure each instant that I can capture... 

such as this one:

I am in awe at the vastness of it all, the colors, the textures, that raw untouched feel,

like the rest of the world does not exist and time is standing still...

Stand still my child,

Listen to the sounds of nature,

Mother Earth's breath gently caressing your face...

Enjoy the light scent of wild flowers,

And the sun's warm touch on your soul...

Inspired by blue skies, tree branches and leaves, the color of the earth...

as well as by pebbles and rocks, I've designed these earrings:

Stand Still Turquoise Hemp & Fine Silver Earrings

These earrings feature gorgeous natural Sleeping Beauty Turquoise pebbles, a pair of my hand made .999 Fine Silver (PMC3) leaf charms, suspended on variegated hemp cords in earth tones and Sterling Silver accents and a pair of my handmade Sterling Silver Ear Wires.

 

Rustic, light and serene, these earrings take me back to my mountains...

I'm seriously considering keeping these for my private collection, so I'm not listing these just yet. 

I might make others in a similar style... time will tell.

Today is my (late) father's birthday. He would have been 81.

Happy birthday papa... may you have a wonderful birthday with the angels xoxo

Nathalie

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

Forest Dew Drops

Forest Dew

by Thenevah

Sparkling nymphs play at dawn

With the fae laddies they find fair

To dance many a dance in airs

Above the ground or on lea's green lawns

Betwixt forests mystery where bluebells pair.

Beneath canopy even falls violet

Upon branch and nest lay its breast

Awaiting morns sweet suffuse wet

Cooling the heat of noon's bright protest

In honor of Summers sonata in ultraviolet.

Copper Leaf Shield Components, little Chalcedony beads and Headpins by HavanaBeads.

Forest Dew Drops available HERE in my Etsy Shop

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

KristiBowmanDesign on Artfire

The Last Leaf

Snow is now covering the ground outside. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a few leaves still clinging to the trees.

These pretty leaves from Humblebeads are my favorite new beads of 2012. I simply cannot get enough of them! I think I have them in every color and size that she makes. I created The Last Leaf earrings from these golden tipped leaves, peanut beads, Czech glass in a deep red berry and an old gold on fancy copper headpins dangling from rose gold ear wires.

I would wear them with this fringed cowlneck sweater

{fringed cowlneck from Anthropologie}

and these brass heeled knee boots

{brass heeled knee boots from Anthropologie}

Available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Gift wrapped free for Christmas!

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.

Leafy Love

There are still a few dark, damp and deeply scared leaves clinging to the trees. Just a few more days remain before the branches release their finery and their knotty fingers reach forlornly to the cold gray sky.

These brass leaf earrings with their embossed veins and their new spring green and aqua color remind me to appreciate the color of green when it returns in the spring. Until then, I am grateful that I get to wear cozy sweaters and earthy hues that can be punctuated by pops of bright color.

I don't have the occasion to dress up that often, but when I do I like to wear classic styles with just a touch of quirk. I would pair these earrings with a brilliant green top that would stand out in the gray days ahead paired with a tweedy pencil skirt. And I am so glad that I never got rid of my leopard print pumps as they are back in style with a vengeance. 

Coral is the perfect foil to all this bright green and makes the green a neutral with its in-your-face-kapow color.

I can be fine with the coming winter as long as I can surprise even myself with these escapees from the Crayola factory.

Of course, I am usually wearing jeans, a t-shirt and cardigan and a pair of flats. But if I were to dress up, this is what I would choose to release my inner goddess.

What outfit would tell your story?

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work and purchase your special wearable art treasure at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or find her line of 'Simple Truths' pendants in her Etsy shop.

Secret Garden



Secret Garden



Secret Garden by kristibowmandesign featuring knitted scarves

Acne slim fit jeans / Western cowgirl boots, $56 / rag & bone knitted scarve / Handmade Secret Garden Ceramic and Copper by KristiBowmanDesign

Kristi
KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy.com