Stop to Hear the Frogs Sing

For those who have known me since childhood, it will come as no surprise to hear me say that I'm a fan of frogs and toads. I don't know what it is, but they have always made me squeal and immediately squat down to try and catch them. Mind you, not to hold them captive or torture or scare them, but to give their little heads a tap and whisper some cute equivalent of "who's a good boy". 

Even today as an adult I have the same reaction, much to the chagrin (and embarrassment) of my husband. I don't care if a grown-ass woman shouldn't be chasing frogs in a creek, I'm gonna do it. Because I do what I want. 

 
Ground zero for this favorite pastime was my grandparents' farm in central Ohio. They had several acres on which they grew various crops, most importantly strawberries. Locally famous for their pick-your-own berries, their farm was a haven for my brother and I growing up. And especially when it came to the small pond sitting at the back of their land. You wouldn't believe the frogs, fish, turtles, snakes, insects, and fowl that would flock to this watering hole. In the spring you could see velvety soft tadpoles teeming around the shallow edges. As the year progressed, they morphed into wee frogs the size of a quarter and would sun themselves on the embankments. We tried to quietly creep up on them but their keen froggy senses warned them every single time, sending them plopping back into the water with a chorus of "eeeeps". If they were lucky enough to survive adolescence, they would grow into one of the many grandaddy bullfrogs that would serenade us with deep, throaty "moos" while we were picking strawberries in the fields. To this day, if you want me to tear up, just put me in a wide open field on a hot, sunny, breezy day and let me listen to the frogs.

My earrings for today feature small smooth stone bullets of limey green serpentine. The mottled colors and patterns on these stones remind me of the amphibians I adore so much. I have hung them beneath stacks of precious bits, as I am wont to do: grungy antique clear glass "dogon" beads from Africa, two-tone tiger kamagong ebony wood beads from the Philippines, vintage brass saucers, and wee star-shaped metal bead caps. I added in some decorative blackened silver soldering, as I am also wont to do, and hung everything from my extra long curvy copper ear wires.

For all of the nostalgia and anecdotes that I share on this blog, I suppose I do have a loose theme that ties them all together, and today's post is no different. Please don't ever become so jaded that you lose your wonder for the world and its tiny miracles. Even if it's as simple as stopping to hear the frogs sing. 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

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

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

Feeling Bulb-ous

I may jinx us all by saying this, but I think Spring is here. Yes, we may have more freezing nights, maybe even a stray dusting of snow, but for the most part, I think the "great thaw" and the sunshine are here to stay for the next 7-8 months.

 
On Monday it was 70F here in Ohio, so I was out hopping around in the yard clearing out dead plant material from last year and making way for the all the wee spring bulbs poking through the mess. Snowdrops, crocus, wild iris, species tulips, allium - all beautiful hues of purple and green. 

crocus from my yard

 

So when trying to decide on which earrings to post about today, my eye went straight to this bulby springy pair. The beautiful crocus purple of NuminosityBead's lampwork glass beads just pops against the crusty crubbly muted background of dark verdigris and soft moss. I reversed the direction of the stack and threw in some ancient Roman glass, ratty old metal, wood, and artful wire wrapping. 

 





I hope you've had some sunshine and balmy weather in your neck of the woods this week. It does the soul good :)


Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Esty

Feeling down? Say this one word...

...limpet.

No, I'm serious, go ahead and give it a try. Just one little time. Go on...while no one is listening.

See? You feel a little better, don't you? Maybe a teensy smile just crept across your face? A little levity to your soggy gray winter Wednesday? Perhaps even a smidge of impish delight when you imagine the cute cup-shaped domed shell of a LIMPET? 

You think I'm mad, but if you haven't picked it up already from reading my blog posts and jewelry listings, words really do hold that much power in my life. There are some really fun words, like limpet, bauble, and mallard. And then there are some really horrible nasty evil words, like moist. *shudder*

 
All this to say, I found some limpets last week! My day job shipped me off to the Pacific coast of California for a week and our hotel was right on the beach. As in, I could hear the waves crashing from my room. It was like every insanely picturesque post-card you've ever seen, and it was ALL RIGHT THERE. I couldn't help myself but to kick off my heels, sneak away, and do some beachcombing and toe-wiggling in the sand. 

I haven't been to a beach in probably 15 years. As a child, the few times we went I almost lost my head over all the cool little shells, pebbles, and scraps of sea life that would wash onto shore and get trapped in tide pools. I've always been fascinated by it, and nothing has changed as an adult. Every day last week I would sneak furtively back up to my hotel room with handfuls of sandy briny shells.

Now that I'm back home in landlocked Ohio, I've been sifting through my finds and picking out a few shells to incorporate into jewelry, since you know how much I like weaving organic found objects into my pieces.  

These earrings are quite special, as they feature some really sweet little purple banded limpets that I collected. They swing lightly under stacks of ancient Roman glass, wood bodhi beads, pyrite nuggets, and some antique opalescent Venetian glass "moon" trade beads (100-200 years old). Purples and teals and indigoes, all wire wrapped up together and ready to whisper songs of the sea into your ears.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

2014 Has Left the Building

As we bid farewell to 2014 today, I'm reminded of the importance of making a memorable exit. Preferably a graceful one, although we all know that sometimes that isn't the case ;)

Creatively, this year has been my most thrilling yet. I've been humbled time and time again by the kindness and friendship I've encountered from souls all across the globe. The sharing of personal journeys, compassion during painful times, and inappropriate hilarity over silly stupid stuff. And all from just jewelry! I'm not talking about tackling world hunger or making peace between warring nations - simply putting beauty into the hands of individuals, one by one, piece by piece. 



So while I sometimes feel petty and materialistic for being so obsessive over jewelry, I quickly remind myself that it's about so much more than bead hoarding or shnazzy techniques or the biggest bling. The happiness you bring to others' lives is immeasurably priceless. Because in the end, this life is all we have, and love is the only thing that matters.

Well now that I've gotten all philosophical and misty-eyed, let me get back to my original thought about leaving with a bang. 

This pair of earrings is 100% party and will have people remembering you for all the right reasons. I dare anyone to make yummier lampwork glass headpins than my dear, dear friend Kim of NuminosityBeads. This sleek drippy slate gray pair has been dotted with gemmy confetti, crowned with a stack of crusty Roman glass discs, and wire wrapped for a slinky yet playful silhouette. 

So on that note, Happy Wednesday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

You're Alright, Kid

Sometimes in life you just need someone to tell you:

...you're alright, kid...
...you done good...
...you're a superstar...

Go ahead, laugh, but I'm serious! Think about it. As children, we're rewarded all the time when we ace a spelling test, or draw a pretty (read: hot mess) picture, or build a wonky sandcastle on the beach. 

As adults, we're lucky if we get some garbled recognition from our boss on a job well done, or if our tired spouse mumbles that the dinner you cooked was good, or if a neighbor stops to comment on how nice your flower garden looks. We just don't get the positive reinforcement that we became accustomed to as kids. 



Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing worse than an inflated ego, but when we're typically our own worst critics, it can be really refreshing to hear someone else appreciate our hard work.


Well, I'm here to tell you that you're awesome. You get a gold star...or at least a couple rusty patina-ed ones. 
 



These cute little spiky stacked earrings feature ceramic horns from Marsha Neal along with some prized African bauxite, old Neolithic quartz trade beads, and crusty metal spacers. I love the verdigris-meets-terracotta color palette, and I love the subtle faded military theme with the little star charms. 

So the next time you're feeling a little beaten up, take a second to pat your own back and realize how hard you really do work. 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Stacked

It seems so simple - making a stack of something. We make piles and stacks of things all the time in our everyday lives - bills, shoes, sandwiches, dishes, folded clothes, the list goes on. Yawn. Boring.

Now talk about making jewelry stacks and you've got my attention. I've been loving stacked earrings lately, both vertical and front-facing. It's an exercise in graduated size, texture, color, and medium. I love to mix ceramics, glass, stone, textiles, shells...you name it.

 

Here's an sweet little pair I listed last week that plays with all of these different elements. Two reptilian ceramic discs from Petra at ScorchedEarthonEtsy serve as the base, and I've layered them with art nouveau steel PMC washers from Kiyoi Design as well as crusty little shards of violet Roman glass and flashy raw moonstone nuggets. 

I love how the garish chartreuse olive yellow-green of the ceramic base contrasts with the eggplant purple of the Roman glass and the ultraviolet flashes in the moonstones. Olive and violet - a weird color combo I've been stuck on lately. 


OK girls, now get stackin'!

Happy Wednesday :)

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Other 1%

We all have them squirreled away in our wardrobes and jewelry boxes, don't we? That hard-edged bracelet or scissored dress or tall boots that just make us feel take-on-the-world confident. I'm 99% a quiet, sensitive, artsy type, but every now and then I enjoy flaunting my 1% bad*ss.

These earrings have all the oil-slicked iridescent flashy black magic that you could ever want. Raku ceramic discs from Urban Raku, crusty little shards of gray ancient Roman glass, plus two insanely flashy electric blue nuggets of white moonstone. Stacked and wrapped. 

Bring it :)

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Embrace the Crust

Can we talk about crust for a second? Now I know what you're thinking - crust is the stuff of early mornings and dirty dishes. It shouldn't be glorified, should be swept under the rug, and should never be mentioned. I'm going to whiplash your opinions on this topic - behold a wee pair of earrings I recently made using lampwork glass beads from Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.

She describes the style of these beads as crubbly - a combination of crusty and bubbly. To me they look like the beginnings of a swirling cosmic universe. 


I pulled out the caramelly ambery tones of her beads by using some Baltic amber resin chips and then added some textural play using two small "urchin" style African brass baule beads. Small little myrrh resin nubs at the bottom add a faint exotic fragrance. 

These earrings make a statement without being too heavy or too over the top - they're tribal, futuristic, organic, and primitive...all at the same time. 

So the next time your wrinkle your nose at the mention of crust, think twice...


Happy mid-week <3
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy