Corrugated Brass And Beaded Beads

Ingredients:

Beades beads by Malin de Koning

Corrugated hollow brass beads

Brass findings

Vintaj brass earrings hooks

All my best,

Malin

Gala

What jewelry would you wear if you were invited to the Oscars?

The dream would perhaps be if you could borrow some really exclusive jewelry. Like the movie stars do. Something dramatic, bold and utterly glamorous. With diamonds and saffires.

Or would you wear something of your own make? Or made by a friend? You could of course still choose something bold and glamorous, but also fun, quirky and exciting. Something unexpected and unusual so that it would no doubt catch everyones eyes.

Like these ones for instance. They move wonderfully when you move your head. Super light weight and so very easy to wear. Because you would of course like to party like crazy all night without having to be worried about anything else.

Ingredients:
Orange large acrylic facetted bicones
Bright red silky covered polyester chains
Oxidized copper wire and large jump rings
Oxidized Sterling Silver handmade earring hooks


All my best,
Malin

Zesty Lemon Curd

Snowstorm outside my window today. I am so happy I don't have to leave my home. As a contrast I have instead played with those large and bright yellow facetted acrylic beads. I love them. Got them very cheap at a clean out sale in an online Swedish shop some weeks ago. I only wish I had bought more of them. Aren't they great. Sometimes I don't understand why things are not popular with other people.

I am very into larger and longer earrings lately. These fulfill those requirements. The materials make them still very lightweight.


Ingredients:
I strung the yellow acrylic beads on 4-ply ochre waxed linen cord together with size 11 matte gold  metallic sead beads and egg shaped white distressed resin beads. They are attached to the handmade earrings hooks  in heavily oxidized Sterling Silver via square profiled pewter rings.





All my best,
Malin

Life is Change

"HEY. That thar's a piece o' wood hangin from yer ear..."

Why yes, yes it is. It's a twig of black walnut, to be exact. Cut into small segments, rounded at the ends, drilled through with a hole, and sealed with wax to help preserve the wood. 

Sometimes I wonder if I've taken my "back to roots" routine a little bit too far. In this example:

1. I love wood beads. 
2. Let's take it back a step to old ratty vintage wood beads. 
3. Oh, but wait, what if we went back even further to part of the tree branch itself and just made that into a mini log-bead? 

Lunacy? Inspiration? The line between the two is far thinner than we like to think.

For this long, swingy pair, I picked out a particularly luscious pair of lampwork glass headpins from dear friend Kim of NuminosityBeads. The swirled moss, sage, delft, and cloudy hues work perfectly to provide a habitat for the natural wood beads. Plump rounded blobs of blackened silver solder cap off the wood, while wee rusty metal bead caps crown each headpin. These are earthy, subtle stunners.

 
I ended up titling this pair "Life is Change". Because I'm sure this black walnut tree could have never dreamt, even in its wildest imagination, that it would one day end up adorning someone's ears.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Fringes of Society

Some days we really do feel like telling everyone to just kiss off, don't we? 

All the expectations, obligations, mores, fashion ideals, traditions, and respectability in the world could not mean less to us in these moments. We're looking for a way to express the fact that we're tired of XYZ (insert whatever you please, here). We're over it. All of it. And we're looking for something different. 

See, now, many people may argue that you're being childish, you're pouting, you're rebelling in such a pathetically predictable way. I say this: it's those who are brave enough to leave the herd that are most capable of discovering new ways forward. Getting pissed off can be a good thing if we choose to channel that energy in a constructive way. 

The past month or so I've been coming to terms with the fact that this year has not been among the best. Perhaps I've been in the "anger" stage of coping, I'm not sure. But I'm not too proud to admit that I have had definite moments of rage--a rare emotion for me. 

So it makes sense that I haven't been creating as much in the studio this year. The spark is still there, it's just not burning in quite the same frenetic supernova blaze that it was last year. That's ok, because I'm going to give myself time. I'm going to tell my own self expectations to buzz off. I'm going to give myself permission to not feel guilty for saying "no" to custom orders. And I'm going to take things at my own damn pace. It's the most loving act of rebellion I can think of.

Today's earrings fall nicely in line with my "f-off" mentality, as they're big, they're wild, they're looong, and they refuse to be overlooked. They feature two carved horn shields from India that have been painted or shellacked, resulting in a lovely crackled honeycomb pattern. Truth be told, I could have just hung these charms from ear wires and been perfectly happy. However, I took the opportunity to add in some additional relatively lightweight components to turn them into real statement pieces. Rusty hoops added behind provide a layered halo effect, and a cascade of mixed metal chain fringe spills all the way down to your shoulders, creating music as you move. Everything hangs from my hammered dark copper ear wires and ends up being a lot less weighty than you'd expect. These earrings don't even need to be paired with a necklace, bracelet, or ring--they can stand strongly alone.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

A Healthy Dose of Inner Peace and Sunshine

In an (ongoing) effort to combat my "jeweler's ass", I bought a bike last week. Because let's admit it, sitting for extended periods of time at my jeweler's bench isn't the best form of exercise. 

As a kid, we practically grew up outside---sloshing through creeks, trekking through woods, catching butterflies in fields---exploring, experiencing, growing. A big part of this involved riding our bikes. At a time when we were still too young to drive cars and unable to own horses, having a bike was a great alternative. You could just hop on and pedal away---leaving your worries behind, if only temporarily---powered by just YOU and your sense of direction. It's an empowering thing, when you think about it. 

Flash forward 15 or so years. My parents had recently been cleaning out their garage and doling out childhood items back to my brother and I. It had been years since I had ridden a bike - this was going to be great! The initial excitement about having my old Huffy soon faded when I realized the tires were both flat, the gears rusted, and the brakes dried out and cracked. Old friend, you gave me much happiness, but that chapter has ended. 

So I stewed. And stewed. And then decided to get a new bike.  Not a cheap Walmart bike, but a real grown-up bike that will last me for years. It's sleek, efficient, and just what I need to explore trails. 

I knew that I had missed biking, but I didn't realize HOW much I had missed it until I hit that first downhill coast. You know that feeling you get at the top of a roller coaster when you crest and know that you're about to head down? That delicious anticipation and excitement? And then you're speeding downhill and the wind is whipping your hair and the scenery is blurring past and you're grinning like the biggest idiot alive. THAT. I've missed that.

So instead of slaving away at the stinky claustrophobic gym like a robot this past week, I've been enjoying a healthy dose of inner peace and sunshine. Hell, I even have a little bit of a tan on my lily-white arms. Now this changes everything...

These earrings feature two incredible slabs of chrysocolla stone---the marriage of warm sandy brown to the deep teal veins struck me immediately. I like to let stones like this speak for themselves, so I very simply capped them off using silver solder, oxidized, and left it at that. Long, slender, and serene.

Wising you much peace and much sunshine this week!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Ubiquitous Retro Minty Green

Isn't it odd how some colors go through trendy ups and downs? Some colors are classic and are always in style - denim blue, bold red, chic black. And then there are other more ubiquitous colors, like burnt orange, pastel pink, and neons (of any kind). Who is it that actually decides what color is going to be "hot" this year, anyways? 

I've noticed the past year or two that pale mint green---you know, the color of your grandma's refrigerator, telephone, and/or toilet back in the day---has been experiencing a real resurgence. I can't say I'm completely nuts about it. I'm just not really a pastel kind of gal to begin with. 

BUT...

It is spring, and we just had Easter, and the tender leaves are all budding on the trees, so that got me in a bit of a softer mood. So I decided to finally use these wee raw chrysocolla drusy drops that I've been holding on to forever. I gave them some messy primitive beads caps with globby solder and hung them beneath stacks of precious bits: antique wood beads, crusty metal spacers, and powdery shimmery ancient glass beads. They make a perfectly light sweet dangley slim set for these springy months - or any month, really.

Hope you're all enjoying spring this year...even if it is a little late :)

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

We're All Ears :: August Reveal

These stunning sculptures by artist Gabriel Dawe seem so dreamlike to me. I love the linear quality of both the kaleidoscopic threads and the railings of the stairs. The overlapping colors look like they are floating in the air, like when you see those dust motes drifting in the air currents of a sunbeam.

For my earrings I found a stash of some Swarovski crystal briolettes in a rainbow of colors that were left over from a wedding I did in February. I love briolettes but finding a way to connect them always irks me. I usually resort to a thin gauge double wire wrap at the top, but that would feel too heavy for this inspiration. So I devised a new way to hang briolettes using beading wire and crimps. I like that you can see the entire top of the bead and they almost seem to float.

Here is a bonus step-by-step showing how I created the briolette connectors:

Since I wasn't making one pair of earrings in all the colors, I decided that I would make a series of them in a variety of colors. I even tried them in silver with a clear crystal. I see the beginnings of a collection happening here!

I like my earrings long with movement and texture. These certainly fit the bill and are something I would wear with every outfit every single day!

I couldn't come up with a name for them. Plum out of ideas. Any thoughts?

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Climbing Ivy or Red Carpet Envy?

My earrings titled 'Climbing Ivy' are featured on page 70 of the 2013 issue of 101 Bracelets, Necklaces and Earrings. These beauties are a shoulder-dusting style in a deep emerald green color - the Pantone color of the year - with ombre faceted Czech glass beads dangling from between the rhinestones in a cup chain. The picture feels a bit flat to me in the magazine, because these babies sparkle like precious gems and really grab your attention.

When I sent them for the magazine, I also whipped them up in red for my Christmas outfit. And since Christmas is a mere 105 days away (I know! I can hardly believe that it is coming so fast myself!), I thought about bringing these back and making them in a variety of colors for all the festive seasons. Wouldn't these look great with pearls? or clear crystals? They would be marvelous for a wedding I think!

Originally, I gave these earrings the name 'Red Carpet Envy' as I felt that any ingenue worth her salt would kill to have a pair of these dazzlers dangling from her lobes as she sashayed down that crimson carpet. And everyone who saw her in them would certainly turn a shade of green. (They must have thought that the 'Climbing Ivy' moniker was a better fit. I think it is kind of an expected name. But what do I know.) At the time there were many bright green dresses popping up on red carpets all over the place. I think you might even still see them in the coming months. The intense green seems to work great on any skin tone and really is a standout against that brightly hued rug. Don't you think they would be the perfect complement to this Catherine Deane design in pleated emerald green chiffon with a charming lace detail at the back?

Makes me wish for a reason to dress the part!

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.

Tick Tock Turquoise

{Would you like a pair of your very own? Email me and we can discuss what beads in my stash might work for you!}

I haven't been home before 9:30 since March 1st in case you have been wondering where I've been. Between birthday parties, the religious ed classes I am part of to sponsor a college student getting First Communion and Confirmation at Easter, nightly rehearsals for a tap performance my daughter was in last weekend and the Band Extravaganza concert last night (that I only found out about at 7:30 am Monday morning when my darling daughter brought me the permission slip for the afternoon rehearsal), I have not felt very connected, and certainly not pulled together. To top it all of I realized at 9:42 pm last night that today was my day to post, so I sat down in the {neglected} studio and pulled together these earrings lickety-split from what was lying on the table.

These pretty lampwork beads are from my friend Julianna Cannon of Julsbeads who makes the most lovely glass beads. The dangles are made from hammered 16 gauge aluminum flat wire (and actually are a shade darker than what you see). They take a hammer so nice! They swing back and forth just like a pendulum counting down the minutes for me to get ready in the morning. 5-4-3-2-1. A few quick touch ups to hair and make-up, layering a great color for spring, then slipping on my leopard print pumps and I am out the door. Having the perfect accessory - and the perfect lipstick (Raisinberry from Mary Kay) - makes all the difference in how put together I feel. I think I will be digging out my leopard print pumps this week!

Wild At Heart by erin-prais-hintz featuring marc by marc jacobs handbags

Frosted Flakes

“Frost grows on the window glass, forming whorl patterns of lovely translucent geometry.
Breathe on the glass, and you give frost more ammunition.
Now it can build castles and cities and whole ice continents with your breath’s vapor.
In a few blinks you can almost see the winter fairies moving in . . .
But first, you hear the crackle of their wings.” 

~Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration 

I noticed today that the Wisconsin River outside my office is frozen. Yesterday it was flowing along and today it is a mirror of the first layer of ice, reflecting the clear gray sky. Brrrr! It's cold outside! I guess that means it is time to start wearing socks.... (tomorrow ;-)

Each year I make some new holiday creations. The ones that I keep coming back to are snowflakes. I love the delicate intricacy, the beautiful geometry. This is the only sort of math that intrigues me and inspires me.

 I created these Frosted Flakes as a nod to my favorite winter motif. 

  

I made these Frosted Flakes in brass with a ginger color that remind me of painting the cookie roofs of my gingerbread houses with creamy frosting icicles. These charms are also available in my shop in a silver lacy bezel with a steel gray color in case you would like to make a pair for yourself.

Just like in nature, no two flakes are alike. And these sets of Frosted Flakes are the same - mismatched pairs of flakes to remind me that the smallest thing has beauty in my life and I need only to stop and look for it. 

 I kept it simple and added some graduated dangles of tiny vintage glass pearl icicles. This is the perfect outfit to wear for your gingerbread house decorating and cookie baking party, don't you think?

Available for sale in my Etsy Shop.

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.

Like Royalty

Berenice Bejo is an Argentine actress that I have never heard of until recently. Her performance in the movie The Artist is winning rave reviews and recently at the Golden Globes captured three titles.

She recently showed up at the Critic's Choice awards wearing what seems to be a signature color, by on of her favorite fashion designers, Ellie Saab. But I think that she missed out on a golden opportunity to wear some knockout jewelry, don't you think?

Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab. Photo from ElieSaab.com.

As an aside, Ellie Saab's website is stunning in that you can actually see the entire collection on the runway. His Haute Couture for Spring/Summer 2012 literally took my breath away. Oh, to be 5'10" and skinny as a beanpole. If I were, I would rock his lush romantic looks.

Berenice Bejo in Emilio Pucci. Photo from MTV.com

For her most recent win at the Golden Globes, Miss Bejo showed off that deep hue of blue in a dress by Emilio Pucci. The bustier style dress reallly shows off her beautiful neckline and her winning smile. She is so beautiful! And while jewelry from Chopard might be nice, I think that these earrings I created would work well with either dress as well as rocking a more casual look with jeans and a t-shirt.


{Like Royalty for sale on Etsy}



What do you think?

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 new line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.

Creeping Vines

I have been inspired to make longer earrings lately. The demand is there for them, I never seem to have any left after a show. These are the newest ones, I am totally in love with the Etched pieces, they remind me of...

Creeping vines...

from Pintrest

Also from Pintrest

 There is just something so soothing about vines, something that just makes me smile :)

You can find these earrings and others in my Skye Jewels Etsy shop

Thanks for stopping by!

Marie