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Showing posts with label rose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rose. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Cubist Roses

It's not often that I use clearly identifiable imagery in my jewelry. I usually prefer to leave things more abstract and open to interpretation - makes things more interesting and guarantees that no two people will have the same experience. 

However, when I saw these burnt graphic ceramic cubist roses from DonnaPerlinplim, SOMETHING inside me clicked. What IS that that thing? Our muse? Our happy place? The voice that keeps talking and doesn't know when to shut up?

 
I took the background golds, silvers, and ivories and pulled them out using my beloved stacked bead approach: old neolithic quartz trade beads from Africa, discs of real ostrich shell (I know!), shards of crusty Roman glass, and some grungy wee metal bead caps. I finished things off with some globby soft soldering on the wire wraps to make things interesting. 

 
The end result is cubist modern meets grungy primitive - now that's not something you see everyday!

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Friday, February 20, 2015

We're All Ears :: February Reveal... and Winners!

First off, thank you to all for the wonderful comments on your ideas for some future inspirations! I have written them all down and will refer to it for future reference. You never know when your idea might just pop up!

Second, thank you to the editors that have gifted some great prizes. Random.org picked the winners. And congratulations to the winners!

Giveaway #1 :: Lynda of Fresh Baked Designs
The winner can have her pick of any ONE (1) pair of earrings in my new (lead-free) Pewter-Swarovski collection here: http://bit.ly/EELoveFest2015  
donated by Nathalie Lesage, Nathalie Lesage Jewelry

Giveaway #2 :: Angi Mullis

$10 credit in either Etsy shop: www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com and www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
donated by Claire Lockwood, Something to Do Beads

Giveaway #3 :: Nadine Edris
Handcrafted ceramic sand dollar pendant charm + two rounds.
donated by Cindy Pack, Cindy's Art & Soul Jewelry 

Giveaway #4 :: Cindy Martin-Shaw
"Gypsy Boho" earrings published in 101 BNE in the 2014 issue.
donated by Kristy Abner, Kristy's Kreations
Giveaway #5 :: Alice Peterson
A set of four Facet Effects beads (as seen in my Fabulous Facets DVD) in your choice of colors perfect for making your own earrings! 
donated by Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry
 
If you won, please email me at enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com with your full name and mailing address and I will pass that along to the appropriate editor for your prize distribution!

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So this month was all about soft and pretty and loads of flowers. But florals in a way that you might never have seen them before! The paintings/pictures of the flower girls by Love, Limzy are so enchanting. Perfect for the romance of the recent Valentine's day, don't you think?


Recently, I have been making good on my 2 year old promise to myself to start sculpting flowers for pendants that are patterned after the birth flowers. Did you know that each month has a flower (or more than one) associated with it? And that each flower has special meanings? I am not really one to get totally into the zodiac signs, but this is something I could get behind. I had the idea years ago, but wasn't able to make it work to my liking until I made my Poppy Dreams pendant for the February Art Bead Scene challenge and my offering to my Simple Truths Sampler Club. Or maybe I just didn't have the skill when I came up with the idea. I am hoping to add to the flower offerings - called 'Floriography' or the Language of Flowers -  every other month or so. I just developed a mini version of the Poppy Dreams pendant for these earrings. Poppies are the flower for August and stand for moral integrity as well as a fulfillment of dreams.



I have been making these little Rosebud charms over the past few months. They are an off-shoot of my pendants Everything's Coming Up Roses and Call Me Rosebud pendants and as charms they have been showing up in mother's necklaces and bracelets. I think they add a little bit of vintage sweetness to whatever design they are in. These tiny Rosebud charms are now available in either silver or bronze finish. Roses are the flowers for June. The meanings of Roses can vary from Love (red), Passion, Beauty and Perfection (white).



My next flower that I am working on perfecting is the daffodil, also known as narcissus. My daughter tells me that they are her favorite flower (who knew?). And since her birthday was yesterday (happy birthday Tiny Dancer!), I came up with one that she can wear as a tiny pendant, and looks equally at home as a pair of delicate earrings. Daffodils are a quintessential spring flower paired with bunnies and eggs. I had a hard time with these, but I am going to keep at it. I want to achieve the classic look of the 6 white petals and the central yellow trumpet shape. I can't wait until I see them in season and I will buy my darling daughter a big bunch as a surprise for no reason. Daffodils are the flowers for March because they symbolize the end of winter as a gift of these flowers conveys the hidden meaning of friendship, prosperity and happiness.


I have a particular fondness for pansies. I have to confess that I had a rather unhealthy attachment to them in my early married years. I could not pass up buying anything (and I do mean anything) with a pansy on it. The only room in our first home that was actually painted and decorated was the guest room that was a complete ode to pansies from floor to ceiling, vertical and horizontal surfaces (I think my husband may have thought I was nuts!). They are the flower of my sorority (hello, Tri Deltas!) and so they were very special to me. But then I had a child and the room quickly went from pansy bouquets to construction trucks! I do still love pansies. Their velvety faces looking up to the light never fail to make me smile. Violets or Violas are a type of species of which the pansy is a part. According to Wikipedia, the term "pansy" is normally used for those multi-coloured, large-flowered blooms which are raised from seed and used for bedding. The terms "viola" and "violet" are normally reserved for small-flowered annuals or perennials, including the species. But they both have a similar look. Viola typically have heart-shaped, scalloped leaves. Colors vary, ranging from violet, through various shades of blue, yellow, white, and cream, while some types are bicolored, often blue and yellow. Therefore, I am open to making the violets, or pansies, in a variety of colors! I enjoyed making these and will add these to my store as well as a bigger pendant size soon. Violet or pansy is the flower for February.



What is your favorite flower?
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Let's see what you created!
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Leave kind, encouraging comments.
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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Prairie Rose

I'm running the risk of repeating myself here! I've just looked over my last post, having started writing this one, and I was basically about the say the same things. So, suffice it to say here, that not much has changed in the last two weeks!  So I'm sharing a pair of earrings I made shortly(-ish) before Christmas.

They're predominately czech glass, with a few Indonesian glass beads and a couple of dinky pearls thrown in. They're available here in my Etsy shop.


It seems odd that I've yet to make anything new, jewellery-wise, in 2015 - apart from magazine work. I'm really looking forward to getting back to designing and kicking off the year with some new and fresh pieces. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

A Little Rosiness

For my first post here on Earrings Everday and for the week of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be appropriate if I showcased a little rosiness. Those of you who know me, however, know that I'm not really a conventional "hearts and flowers" kind of chick. I'm all about the organic, the weathered, and the primitive. 
  
I've been playing lately with making textured handpainted "polybells". I take polymer clay and fashion it into raggedy bell flower shapes and then hand paint each one for a layered, antiqued look. A little whimsy, romance, and nostalgia, all mixed with a dash of curiosity - especially in this pair. I like to think of each bell as its own species, made unique by my two little hands. 
This pair features a wine-colored base that has been layered with honey brown and beige. A quick wire wrap at the top plus some of my hand hammered oxidized copper ear wires, and that's all you need. 

My favorite part of this pair are the frilled wilted ends. And the great thing about polymer is that it's strong enough to be pulled thin. It creates an extremely fragile look while remaining quite strong. Quite the durable material, light as air, and they won't break if you drop them!  



And let's not forget that pop of wineberry inside of each bell...a little surprise that's enough to make you squeal.

I'm tickled pink (pardon the pun) to be a part of the Earrings Everyday blog and look forward to sharing some drool-worthy pairs with you all in the months to come. If you like what you see here, check out my Etsy shop for more ear candy: 

LoveRoot

Happy Tuesday!
Nikki

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Garden Party

Garden Party
These earrings started with just a pair of enameled tulip beadcaps from Gardanne Beads, in an inspiring mix of butter yellow, green and strawberry. I combined them with antiqued copper, pink quartz marquise briolettes (from Fine Gems), seed beads in pale peach knotted onto waxed linen, and Czech glass roundels in antique rose on the earwires. Oddly enough, the soft linen in these earrings reminds me of Lamb's Ear in a garden, surrounded by other flowers.

I picture them with a little retro springtime ensemble!
Pink and yellow


I have few more pair of earrings in my shop right now using Gardanne Beads beadcaps--you can check them out HERE.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Toile Earrings

After all the work I did to get these earring charms ready, I finally have something to show for it! My new Shabby Chic Earrings!
I really enjoyed making these. I wanted them to reflect my love of all things French! I think I accomplished that!
 I made three colours of charms, so I felt it was appropriate to make three pairs of earrings, one in each colour! I love the mix of the Shabby Chic with the dark metal!
 A little bit of elegance mixed with rustic charm! I think these will look lovely on any earlobe! Hope you agree! You will find them in my ETSY SHOP! Of course if you just have to make your own the charms are also available in my other ETSY SHOP ;)

Thanks for stopping by!
Marie

All designs fall under copyright laws, so please respect the original designs by only using them for inspiration! Thanks so much!

  

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The Coin of the Realm

Rosettes
These little rosettes were textured using a 1963 two shilling coin that was in my coin collection. I loved the intricate pattern on it! Over the weekend I textured about 25 little copper hearts and flowers with assorted foreign coins--you can see the process HERE.

After antiquing and tumbling it, I sat with this little flower in my hand for what felt like hours, thinking how I might embellish it. I finally settled on punching little holes at the tip of each petal, and adding a copper ball headpin swirled into a rosette. I added little Swarovski crystals in Vintage Rose to the earwires.


I picture these with a long flowing silhouette, feminine and filmy!
From Idea2LifeStyle on Etsy
You can see more of my metal "experiments" in my Etsy shop, or read about them at my blog.