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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

What's in a Face?

Hello! And Happy June.

I don't have a lot of clear early childhood memories, but there are a handful that I have always remembered, for whatever bizarre reason as they don't seem to connect to anything major at all, and one of them has to do with faces. I was a very young girl, obviously working on expanding my mind, which it certainly needed based on the thoughts I was having. :) I remember clearly pondering and being perplexed by the fact that every person on the planet looked so different, when we all have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. Remember, I was really, really young. :) But that was the beginning of my fascination with faces, their expressions, and my emotional reactions to them. Not just human faces; I'm fascinated by canines, felines, other primates. Faces in photographs, paintings, sketches, I love them all.

So it was no surprise to me when I found myself gravitating to faces in jewelry components as well. And there is so much to choose from. 

Today's earrings are "Serene Faces" made by Andrea Salkowe of Josephine Beads. They are, indeed, serene, and this pair is graced with a beautiful, high-gloss, golden brown glaze with shadows and shadings of deep brown. Simply beautiful. The glaze seems to almost sparkle.


"What's in a Face"
Initially these earrings were a fiesta of color, and they were fun, but they had lost some of their serenity, and I wanted them to stay serene. So a two-color palette is where I landed. I used varying shades of brown aged glass beads, natural Turquoise disk stones and matte finish, opaque turquoise glass beads, with one rogue red glass bead on each, all wound on ball-tip headpins I made with 20 gauge copper wire, and 22 gauge copper wire was used to wrap above the faces. 

As an aside, I generally don't like working with 22 gauge copper wire. Even though the wire I use is "half hard," 22 gauge is "wimpy," even when work hardened. But many things, like these Turquoise disks, won't fit on 20 gauge. They just require a little extra TLC.  And Black Lip Shell heishi beads sit atop the Turquoise disks.

What's in a Face?


Thought I'd also share with you my current little stash of Face Beads. All of them are ceramic. The artisans who made them are Jana Bliznakova of Happy Fish Things; Petra Carpreau of Scorched Earth on Etsy; Andrea Salkowe of Josephine Beads; Nadia Karepencheva of Nadia Terra. I have a whole lot of fun to look forward to! :)


Fun Fun Fun!
Thank you so much for taking the time to take a look. We appreciate it! I'll be back on the 21st of June. 'Til then, I wish you all days filled with sunshine, peace & joy. 




Norbel Marolla
She Flies Again on Etsy
She Flies Again on Facebook
She Flies Again on Amazon Handmade

10 comments:

  1. I love faces too Norbel and I adore Josephine's beads, she is such a sweetheart! I find faces easy to work with, they set off a tribal feeling for me, you did wonders with these and it looks like you have some fun in front of you!, ♥

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    1. Thanks so much, Lynn!! I appreciate your feedback, and your taking the time to stop by. Hugs.

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  2. Beautiful. I love the 2 color pallet you've chosen. I think it fits perfectly. Great face bead collection. Thank you for sharing!

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  3. Norbel, your creations just get better and better! I love that, like a true artist, you reworked this piece so that its colors matched its serenity. Brava!

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    1. Thanks, Susan. I appreciate your feedback. Re the re-do, nothing is ever perfect, of course, but if I don't like something, it has to go. lol :) Thanks again.

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  4. Thank you so much for the credit on the ceramic faces. You did a magnificent job realizing their potential! They are FABULOUS!

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    1. Credit deserved!! I love your faces! And now everyone else knows about them too. :) Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you like them. That makes me very happy. :)

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  5. Love the post Norbel, and love the earrings. You indeed kept the serene feel in these. I like to look at face beads, but somehow I am not able to work with them. I just cannot do them justice. You, lovely lady, can! I cannot wait to see what you make with the rest of your collection.

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    1. Thanks, Janine. You are so wonderfully kind! I'll send you pics. It won't be any time soon. :) Thank you!

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