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Friday, November 30, 2012

Think Pink!


Pretty pink lampwork glass beads created by Jelveh Jafarian have been paired with pleated copper beads and embellished with hand wrought copper caps.

I kind of cheated today, as these have been buried in my shop for a while...forgive me ;)  But look at these cool boots!  I want...I think Jen Judd rocks a pair of similar ones!
Think Pink

Think Pink by melismatic featuring a cat jacket


These and more eclectic jewelry are in my shops...Melismatic Art Jewelry and Etsy!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

End of November Leaf Earrings

The trees are bare now, with only a few leaves as dried husks hanging out before the next big wind comes along.  These earrings remind me of my wild country side as we wait for winter to spread its white blanket across the earth.  The colors are stark, dry and sometimes surprising.

The berry beads are created from polymer clay with tiny pieces of silver leaf speckled throughout. The pewter leaves are created by artisans from Green Girl Studio.  You can find the earrings and bracelet in my Etsy shop.

End of November

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Holly and Berry Earrings

When it comes to the holidays my decorating and dressing up take it's cues from the beauty of nature during the winter months.  I'm drawn to evergreens, pine cones, holly, snowflakes and frosty ice as seasonal motifs.  These earrings reflect that holiday mood without being too Christmas-y, which appeals to me as I'd probably wear them throughout the wear.  The berries have some plum undertones making them read less traditional. 

The leaves and berries were sculpted from polymer clay and paired with brass in warm golden hues.  You can find them in my Etsy shop.

And speaking of what I'd wear for the holidays, I'd like to love to wear this outfit for the candle-light service on Christmas Eve.  I don't know if I could get away with the printed pants, but they sure have caught me eye.
Merry & Bright

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

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.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Drops of Fun!

I have a secret love of polymer clay. These little drops are just simply too adorable not to be paired with some ornate bead caps and girly flowers! I have been particularly drawn to the colour turquoise lately and just loved the way these flowers pulled those tones from the background of the charms.
 These bead caps just make gooey all over. Sooo ornate and just amazing! They fit some nicely over the flowers. Simply perfect!

You can find these and other designs in my ETSY shop. There is even still a sale on just for today... AWHOLIDAY will save you 15% at checkout!! but remember, it's for cyber Monday only!!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Festival

I've been wanting to make some components with lots of holes for lots of bead and wire wrapping, this is one of the first pair and I made one for myself!
 I created the shape and the tribal texture and added lots of holes along the bottom edge!

The beautiful little minty green Chrysophrase heishi worked so well with the copper.
Very Ethnic and Festive, perfect for the upcoming Holiday Season



https://www.etsy.com/listing/115937299/handmade-large-festival-earrings-with



I'm also having a sale in my Etsy Shop today, I know who isn't right.
Check out my BLOG for details.

Kristi

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise, Sunset
The colors in these earrings--from carnelian, lepidolite jasper, and Czech glass--remind me of the lilac Alpenglow of sunrise, and the deep tangerine of sunset. I just love combining opposites on the color wheel--I especially love orange and purple together. The earwires on these earrings are actually made from brass core, silver filled 20 gauge wire from Monsterslayer. I bought some mostly to see how it performed, and was impressed. These earwires are hammered quite a bit where the carnelian hangs from them, as you can see, and the thick, durable plating held up beautifully.

I'm feeling tough today, so this is what I would wear with them!

Sunrise Sunset




Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

You can see more at my Etsy shop HERE.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Waste Not



When you are always trying something new in your designs as I am, you are bound to have some results that fall short of your expectations. So what do you do, throw it out and start over or keep going and adapt?

I started these earrings with a completely different idea in mind, but then my stamping did not turn out well. I was going for a primitive look anyway, so I hammered over the stamping to get a roughened surface.  I continued to hammer the body of the earrings into a slightly domed shape and the finials until they were thin enough to punch holes through. Then I applied a heat patina that brought out a warm brassy tone.

Often the unplanned things that happen, turn out to be pleasant surprises. I love it when that happens!

For a coordinating outfit, I chose to go dressy instead of casual this time around. The earrings, of course, could work either way.

Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Chrysalis Too on Etsy



Ralph Lauren Dress - $415
houseoffraser.co.uk

Ted Baker Blazer - $190
johnlewis.comOffice or Evening



Burberry Pumps - $846
matchesfashion.com

Tote Bag - $3020
asprey.com

LibbySue Scarf - $18
amazon.com

River Island Belt - $29
riverisland.com
 
 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Sisika

Sisika means bird in Native American and these earrings have that feel to me. They remind me of totem poles. I used Sari silk and turquoise seed beads and wire wrapped them up the ear wire. I used gilders paste in Patina on the copper Vintaj birds. * tip When using gilders paste, make sure to seal them so that the color won't rub off.

This picture was taken by Edward S. Curtis 1914


These earrings are available for sale HERE
To see more of my designs please visit my website

Thank you,
Kristy Abner
Kristy's Kreations

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Frilly Hoops

My normal mode of creating is based on  "one-of-a-kind" pieces, with a few limited edition pieces here and there.  I like this mode of work,  because I tend to be a bit like my ADHD son and get bored/lose focus easily!  Currently, though, I am gearing up for a couple of Holiday shows in the next couple of weeks and need to be in production mode and have been going back through past work to find a few items  I think bear repeating.

A few months ago I created these fold formed hoops. I had been wanting to make more of these, but not really these, though..you know? After sifting through my scrap metal, I decided to change the overall shape and bling them up a bit.
 

I got the copper ones done, and totally fell in love, so I hauled out my tiny hoard of sterling sheet.  It is so expensive, I have been holding on for just the right project! I think I'll go ahead and use it up on more of these...what  do you think?




Here is a fab outfit I put together on Polyvore that I would wear either pair with!

Frilly Hoops

Frilly Hoops by melismatic featuring white wool pants




Find these and more at either of my shops...Melismatic Art Jewelry or Etsy!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Take a Peek

I actually haven't had time to make any earrings lately (shocking!) with some other projects that have taken hold of my life, but I am thinking about all the gifts that I would like to make for the holidays, and earrings are at the top of the list. They are easy and fast and can use up the things that you have lying around on your beading table. But sometimes I think my presentation of them is a bit lackluster.

Remember those pop up books from your childhood where you would peek into the hole and see a whole world inside? That is the first thing I thought of when I saw these clever earring cards/displays.

{Take a peek inside these clever earring cards/displays from ScrappThis on Etsy}

The creator of all this cleverness is ScrappThis on Etsy. There are other boxes and displays for all sorts of jewelry from pendants to necklaces to bracelets. These would look great on a show table and be a clever way to send your jewelry designs out into the world.

{Instant present! Just add ribbon! Earring Display boxes from ScrappThis on Etsy}
Wouldn't you love to get a gift all wrapped up like this? This would be perfect for fall shows, or holiday sales. I could see making up a bunch of random earrings and boxing them up like this tied with festive ribbons and sitting in a bowl by the front door. Perfect to have your guests select a party favor or to just say thank you to those service providers that help you all year long. Just give me some pretty ribbon and this is ready for gifting!

Check out these and other clever designs from ScrappThis on Etsy.

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.

Monday, November 12, 2012

A touch of Vintage

 Inspired by something I was at a glance worn by someone on a TV show. I really liked the idea of a simple bead dangling from a stem. It looked simple but elegant with a touch of rustic fun!
I made two pairs that have different colours of beads and different styles of bead caps. The tubes are Vintage upcycled brass tubes that I took off of a necklace ages ago. I have kept them for something special and used 4 with these. I am very pleased with the results. You can find these and many other earrings in my Jewelry Shop on Etsy. I hope you go pay a little visit and have a look around!

Marie
Please respect all designs on this blog as original and copyrighted. Please only use for inspiration. Thank You.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Autumn Owls


These little Copper Owls were made to use as toggles but I thought they'd also make cute earrings!


Whoooo doesn't love Owls?!?!



Source: tumblr.com via Shelley on Pinterest


Kristi


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Lilac Dewdrops

Lilac Dewdrops
I have a pile of top-drilled gemstone teardrops like these, but have never been able to figure out what to do with them. I thought I'd try wiring them onto an earwire! I rather like how they turned out. These are amethyst, with copper and purple glass. Surprisingly lightweight and unexpectedly glam!

Of course, they need a dress and killer shoes:
Via Polyvore
Lovely lampwork bracelet by OneEyeCatStudio.

See more in my Etsy shop HERE.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Inspired by Very Berry



I was inspired to make these sweet dangle earrings when I saw this awesome art print on Pinterest.  Very Berry by Poppy & Red could make a really sweet fabric pattern too couldn't it! Sweet little berries, cherries, flowers, and leaves!
The earrings I created have handmade silver flower headpins from Ruby Mountain Metal, scalloped edged Czech glass seafoam green beads, and faceted Yellow Czech glass rondelles- on silver earwires also by Ruby Mountain Metal.

Available for sale on Etsy, HERE.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Developing Your Own Style

 
Some women develop their style very early; they just know what looks good on them and what they feel comfortable wearing. Others spend a good part of their adult life trying to identify their individual style. I worked with a woman once who wore the same jewelry every day, a gold serpentine chain and diamond stud earrings. Her goal was to look professional and conservative and she achieved it. 
 
Toward the other end of the spectrum, you can find women who express their unique personality by their wardrobe and accessory choices in a less conservative way. Whether the style is traditional, contemporary, bohemian, tribal, or even steampunk, it can be done tastefully. The key, of course, is not to overdo it by wearing too much.
 
Gloria Ewing

Pumpkin Red Green
 
Jigsaw Trapeze Sweater - $125 johnlewis.com, Lily and Lionel Rossi Silk Scarf - $225 the-dressingroom.com, Gerard Darel Oxford Leather Shoulder Bag - $585 forzieri.com, Current/Elliott Straight Leg Jean - $178 amrag.com, Wrap-it-up Hooded Sweater - $159 titlenine.com, John Fluevog Luna Boots - $349 fluevog.com

Blog: Chrysalis For The Curious
Artfire Studio: Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Etsy Shop: Chrysalis Too on Etsy
 


Friday, November 2, 2012

Smitten

I just love these pretty ceramic flower links by Starry Road Studio. I paired them with Czech beads and faceted Carnelian gemstone beads for a pretty color combination. Perfect for this time of year!

I think they would look great with this pretty scarf by MoonSun on Etsy.


 If interested, you can purchase these earrings here or you can check out more of my designs by visiting my website.

Thank you....

Kristy Abner

Kristy's Kreations