Pages

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

The Tin Man was always my favorite

Good Morning! Today is my first post as an Earrings Everyday contributor! I am excited to be here, and look forward to having fun with all of you, and earrings. :) 
***A friend pointed out that I had not introduced myself. I apologize. My name is Norbel Marolla. I have a shop on Etsy named "She Flies Again". I was recently asked to join the Earrings Everyday blog as a regular contributor. One of the members is leaving, but I better leave that to them. 

There are very few things on the planet I love as much as I do designing and creating jewelry. To me it is akin to meditating. At no other time is my mind so completely removed from thoughts or worries. It's simply wonderful. :)

So here is my inspiration! 
I found these very cool vintage, fully rusted, tin tiles. I put them out on my table and just let them be for a few days. Still not knowing what I intended to do, I started to cut one of them into smaller pieces and decided to focus on two of the flowers. Earlier, I had flipped over the tile and applied JAX green patina to a small area on the back, just to see what would happen. Who knew!! that what I would get is this awesome rusty yellow patina. (photo below) I certainly didn't anticipate that but was pretty excited about these little flowers now
Tin, Copper & Lampwork Earrings

I needed some stability for the thin tin; hence the copper circles. Curling up the edges was something I tried, looking for interest and dimension; I liked it. 

The small glass bead on the front is strung on waxed Irish linen and put through holes I made in both pieces. I've also done this recently on the connecting holes in between elements. It makes the hole disappear. :) A fun little detail.


So oxidizing, buffing, oxidize a little more, a little more JAX, etc. and those elements are done. Up top hand-crafted lampwork glass beads that I absolutely love by Terry Turner of Silverfish Designs. I knew I wanted to use green turquoise beads and liked the contrast in the lampwork. The others are Czech glass. All simply wrapped with oxidized copper, hung from black Niobium ear wires. These earrings are a jumping off point. I could have gone in so many different directions. Lots of dangles on linen, punched holes along the outside of the copper, so many things. I kept them pretty simple; I was out of time. :)

Ya know, I think you all can relate to this: These earrings are a product of "playing". There are times I have the components in mind I want to work with, but I need to remind myself to "play". That is when I enjoy it the most, and often the best pieces come of it. I simply pull things out, LOTS of things, keeping my eyes open for that little something that looks just right that day; put things back, take out more, spread them out, put them in piles; you know what I mean, don't you? For me it's the funnest part of designing jewelry. I have a tendency to get caught up in "the shop" and all that goes with it, and I allow myself to forget WHY I starting doing this. The peace and joy of the process is something I really need! 

These earrings were fun to make. I love what I do, and I'm happy to be able to share them and some of my process with you. Enjoy the day! I'll be back the 3rd Tuesday of the month, December 15th.


19 comments:

  1. Ooo, these are pretty Norbel! I'm excited to see you sharing your gift, your such a naturally talented artist, and it really shows in your work. I can totally relate to the "playing" and taking out a ton of different things you may want to use, sorting them into groups of components and beads you think could come together to create something beautiful, that is almost always how I begin any new design, some sketch ideas, I like to see and touch and feel, so I can completely relate to your process. Loved that patina too! It is so bright and happy, wonderful how it turned out, and I love your bead filling the hole trick, one of those "why didn't I think of that" tips! Can't wait to see your next pair! HUGS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Mary! That bead filling the hole is cool, huh? lol I love it. Thanks for checking in and giving me your thoughts. I do appreciate it!

      Delete
  2. Wow those tins are awesome, quite a find!! I adore what you did with them, I bet it was so much fun to play with them!! Beautiful earrings!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't they cool, the tins I mean. Amazing. :) Thank you, Kristi. I think you know how much I appreciate your feedback. ;) Thanks!

      Delete
  3. I LOVE what you're doing, you're such a clever gal. Welcome to EE. You're a great addition!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim!! Thank you so much! Your feedback means a great deal to me. :) Isn't that the old saying, with age comes. . . clever? No. . . that's not right. . . . something like that. ;)

      Delete
  4. Welcome, Norbel! And what a fabulous pair to start with!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claire, thank you so much! I really ran out of time or they'd a been a little different. :)

      Delete
  5. Wonderful earrings, Norbel! But then I love all your work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Welcome, Norbel. Just want to say hello...all the way from...Davison Mi.! ( lol) What a great way to repurpose those rusted tin tiles. Love the treatment you gave them too...made the details pop. A cool pair of earrings for sure! Looking forward to future posts and inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Terri, thank you so much for the welcome. That truly makes my day. Davison! It's so nice to meet you. Thank you also for the detailed feedback. That helps me know whether something worked, or not. I appreciate it. Thanks again!

      Delete
  7. lovely post Norbel and I love what you did with the tiles, thanks for sharing your tips with us and look forward to your next post!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lynn. I thought you might like the tiles. . . . you are the expert on making tin work!! I was really surprised by the coloring I got. You just never know, eh? Thanks, Lynn. :)

      Delete
  8. Love the cut metal flowers! Really beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations Norbel! I love all your artistic pieces and these gorgeous earrings are no exception :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right, I would not have known who you were! lol Thanks for filling me in, Susan. Thank you so very much for your congratulations. You know in what company I am here; I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of talent. And thank you also, of course, for your kind words about my work. Happy Day, Susan! :) Thanks again.

      Delete
  10. Woohooo Norbel *waving like crazy* I'm so happy you join us. In just a very short time I have come to know you as a wonderful, kind and lovely lady who is very very talented. Thank you for that!! Beautiful earrings. I love what you did with that tin.

    ReplyDelete