Owl - Hoopla

Hello, friends!

I'm in an autumn state of mind! 

Ready for some pretty color and a little whimsy?!!

Sweet enamel owls by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare dangling from a branch of natural black walnut.

Even the backs of the owls are finished beautifully in a lush hue of green.

And some wonderful asymmetrical ceramic hoops by JosephineBeads .

Rustic and cool fabric wrapped beads by Anna Pierson of Sagahus Components.  I added some matte black on black beads for texture.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  It's always fun to share what's happening on my worktable. 

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

I can also be found on Instagram and Facebook under my name. 

In The Pink

I am a gingham lover; they remind me of more innocent times but most of all, they remind me of my grandmother ♡.  

These sweet gingham enamel hearts are by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare.  

Heart charms always have the small challenge of what to do with that center dip.  In my stash, I found these vintage acrylic etched beads with perfect proportions and color.

This was a nice little surprise - the backs had a daisy pattern on them!  Cathleen always finishes her work so beautifully. 

These had been on my worktable for a few weeks.  I have a newfound obsession with vintage sequins.  They were in the same soft pink so I thought I'd include them in today's blog post.

The lovely enameled wire chandelier hoops are by Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

The vintage pink petal sequins are from Allegory Gallery

Thank you for joining me!  I have no clue as to what I'll be working on next ... but hopefully, you'll look for my posting in a couple of weeks!  😺

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Bits & Pieces

I have saved all the bits and pieces from past projects for (at least) the past ten years!  I use mainly vintage chain because I'm so in love with the natural patina and quality, like the tube links above.  I'm embarrassed to tell you though, just how long it took me to find the right way to connect these so they would hang correctly and not turn.  Sure, it looks easy... sigh!  As I'm sure you know, each project has it's own challenges no matter how simple it may appear!  lol

These lovely enamel charms are by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare Artwear.  I remember seeing them in her shop and nearly jumping out of my chair!  I'm especially fond of her rustic work like these.  That beautiful celadon peaking out of white enamel and pops of dark copper - swoon!  I also had perfectly matched tin-cut crystals from the 1930's - The size and cut are perfect and doesn't interfere with the enamel design but still adds so much life.

➼

These vintage tin charms by Tracy DiPiazza Metalworks are so well made.  They are double faced so no matter which way you turn them they show the same image- how great for short or pulled back hair!  She also solders the edges so there are no sharp or rough spots.  Tracy's attention to detail is just one of the reasons I love her.  That might be an understatement - I lovessssss her soooo much!  Last year I purchased one of her necklaces and I've never been able to put it away, I just leave it in an open box on my dresser so I can look at it as I pass by- I kid you not!  :D

Again, I used all sorts of vintage bits of chain, links, and connectors.  The oval ornate jump-rings below have a slight twist and were originally one long chain. Adding them gave a bit of dimension, especially since the overall design is very flat.

Many thanks for taking the time to pop in! I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

loralee kolton - artful in beads on facebook

::: Do I Thrill You ~ Do I Chill You :::

Oh, let's begin with the little ghosts by Jeni Houser Alasad! They are constructed and made of hollow polymer clay and are super lightweight.   I fell in love with their rustic yet adorable good looks.  The glass striped beads have large holes which move freely up and down the blackened chain. Being made of glass also gives them just enough weight so they hang beautifully.

 ♡

Striking enamel skull charms by Cathleen Zaring!  

I've noticed that I have a natural tendency of following shapes and patterns throughout a design - many times I don't even realize I'm doing it until I've already chosen my components and have begun constructing a piece of jewelry.  Looking at this design now, I see that the red silk tassels follow the shape of the jaw in the skulls.  Also, the striped pattern from around the eyes is repeated with the black and white striped beads below.

Once again the glass beads give the very lightweight tassels some swing.

The head actually moves independently from the tassel which gives this design movement and personality.

 ♡

Little bit gypsy-boho-vampy!

Lush red, vintage copper patina hoops, by Missficklemedia. 

I attached wire-wrapped tiny black skulls adorned with Swarovski crystals on their heads for a pop of color and flash.

I love the fringe effect and the crystals really dance in the light.

Many thanks for dropping by!  I will see you all again on Halloween Day!  If you have any questions always feel free to leave a comment or message me!

Loralee xo

loraleekolton.etsy.com

I'll Follow The Sun...

These completely knock me out of the winter doldrums! Stunning enamel charms by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare Art Wear.  I wanted to set that color off to its fullest, so I went with all black as the companion piece.  Extra fuzzy fabric beads by SagaHus  gave me the impact I was looking for....bold but still soft.  All you would need is a black top and you'd have an outfit!

☀

Hot enamel spikes by Spurwink River Arts!  I wanted to add more pattern but it keep a modern clean line, so I went with a nice thin black and white stripe with a pop of red on the top.  They have a nice tribal vibe.

I'm looking out the window as snow flurries whirl around a grey sky in Chicago.  However, it's nice and sunny inside :D  Hope I've brightened your day, too! 

Loralee xo

☀

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Criss-Cross Applesauce

I know, what does applesauce have to do with this?  Do you remember that saying from when you were a kid?? ... No, you say, I'm just ancient!... lol.  Well, maybe I should update it to "criss-cross awesomesauce"...that'd work, too,  lol!

 The pairs of earrings below have a couple things in common,  a wonderful cross-over wire pattern and cool bar-beads which lend to that tribal look I love so much.  

The amazing hand painted focal beads are by Nooma Cav of Inviciti. They are made of wood so they are super lightweight even though they are on the larger side.  I used painted round wood beads in green to draw that magnificent color back to the top.  The ceramic red bars are by Michelle McCarthy of FireflyStudio and she makes them in an array of colors.  

Stunning enamel pieces by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare; Polymer accent beads by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.  I adore the detail in Heather's beads, it brings so much to a design of a smaller scale like earrings.

It's freezing and kind of grey here in the mid-west, it was so nice to play with some bold colors!  

Thank you for stopping by!!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

There she is again - couldn't stay away

Hello lovely peeps,

Remember my last – goodbye – post….. It was a very short goodbye, cause here I am again, remaining a regular EE blogger, albeit now once a month. Well, I did say “ goodbye for now” LOL. I will not go into details but I like to thank my friends and colleagues of EE and you peeps for your support, sweet words and for putting up with my silliness.

My share for today are earrings I made last year (time flies), forgot to list on Etsy and which are still part of my pile of “still to be photographed-still to be listed-jewellery”. Which seems to grow. I think I will have to start doing something about that.

 For now:

Beautiful enamelled charms made by the amazingly talented and sweet Cathleen Zaring from Blue Hare Art Wear, combined with rose quartz, Czech glass and mixed metals.

Wishing you all a wonderful day, full of joy, happiness, laughter and hopefully not to high temperatures. Yesterday we passed the 42 degrees Celsius mark. 

Thanks for looking!

 Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Something blue

Hello lovely friends. I hope you are all enjoying Christmas with family and friends and that you are having a wonderful time. In the Netherlands Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and 26.  Here in Greece Christmas is celebrated on December 25, so only one day. Do you celebrate a second Christmas Day?

 As you might have noticed I haven’t been around since the beginning of November. I like to thank my wonderful friends and colleagues from Earrings Everyday for their support and taking the time to step in for me. My mom passed away November 4 and I still have to come to terms with that loss.

At the moment my beads are not “talking” to me so I hope you don’t mind me sharing a pair of earrings I made a while back. I am a huge fan of the beautiful enamel charms made by Cathleen Zaring from Blue Hare Art Wear. Here I paired them with lampwork glass beads from Desert Bug Designs, Czech glass and copper findings.

Thank you all so much for supporting me and my bead friends here on Earrings Everyday and I wish you all a joyful New Year’s Eve and a happy, healthy 2017 full of sunshine, joy, peace, success, laughter and beautiful earrings of course.

Thanks for looking!

 Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Artistic style

According to a lot of experts a visual artist should have his/her own signature style. I found an interesting blog (Artzbizblog.com) by Alyson Stanfield about this subject while browsing the internet. She states: “In order to project a professional image as an artist, you must be able to define yourself and your art in a sea of untold numbers of artists. To do this, you must first find your style”.

But what is style? According to wikipedia: “In the visual arts, style is a "...distinctive manner which permits the grouping of works into related categories." or "...any distinctive, and therefore recognizable, way in which an act is performed or an artefact made or ought to be performed and made. "It refers to the visual appearance of a work of art that relates it to other works by the same artist or one from the same period, training, location, "school", art movement or archaeological culture”. 

In other words, an artist has its own artistic style when he/she creates work that others can identify with him or her. Others can recognize the work of that artist. It has to do with consistency. I believe a signature style is important for an artist.

When I look at my designs I’m not sure I have found my artistic style yet. Not much consistency there. I design my jewellery depending on my mood. As a result I’m generally all over the place, style wise. There are so many styles, materials, colour schemes and techniques to explore that I am still learning, I am still trying out new ideas. And for me, that is ok for now.

As for these earrings. In my personal life there are a lot of issues right now with which my family and I have to deal with. To battle depression I designed my bohemian chic collection. To balance my "black" mood I need color, lots of color. To balance my frustration of not being able to chance things for the good I need movement in my jewelry.

So in my bohemian chic collection you will find lots of pastel colours, lots of charms and flowers. These earrings are an example. Cathleen Zaring just makes the perfect, perfect charms for this bohemian style. I made the tassels myself. In the past years I have amassed quite an amount of embroidery thread in lots of fun colors (my friendship bracelet period LOL). Czech glass, Swarovski crystal, brass and copper completed the design.

These will be available from August 21. If you are interested in my new collection just head over to my facebook page where you will find info how to buy these pieces. 

 

I like to know your thoughts about artistic style.
Do you think it is important for an artist?
If you are an  artist, do you have a signature style?

Thanks for looking. I will be back with new designs in two weeks. And they probably will be in a totally different style compared to these LOL.






I wish you a wonderful day with lots of joy, sunshine, happiness and flowers.

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Having fun with Enamels

I have been hitting it hard with all the enamels out there!

What incredible talent we have in our little beading community, every time I turn around, someone is coming up with something new that I just can't say no to.  They are so much fun to work with and I never have a problem coming up with a way to use them....well, most of the time that is.

One of my favorite artists is Cathleen Zaring, she has this process down.... every pair just stunning with vibrant colors.  When they arrive I just stare at them for a while in amazement.

The two pairs below, spiky flowers and rugged hoops are charms by Cathleen.

A new artist I just discovered is Carolyn Conley, I love the soft pastel, almost folklore look of her enamels in the two pair below.  The very bottom pair with the hoops in the back ground are currently available in my ETSY shop.

You can find both Cathleen and Carolyn on ETSY, links provided below.

Thank you again for stopping by and taking a peek,  Enjoy you Memorial Weekend!!  

See you again in two weeks friends, Lynn

My Etsy Shop►Yucca Bloom on ETSY

Cathleen's Etsy Shop►Blue Hare Art Wear

Carolyn's Etsy Shop►Beads By CC Design

Earrings instead of Chocolate Eggs

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter with your loved ones. Did the Easter Bunny hopped around and left you delicious chocolate eggs? Here in Greece we have to wait some weeks for Easter. And no chocolate eggs for me. Nope, not for me. I will stay strong; I will not touch any chocolate eggs. I think. I hope.

Well, enough about chocolate eggs, let’s talk about earrings. That’s what you are here for, right?
I’m a wee bit busy with my daytime, number crunching, job at the moment, so there isn’t much designing going on right now. Except for last Saturday. I made some custom order bracelets and of course a pair of earrings.

The beautiful enamelled earring charms made by Cathleen Zaring are my go-to charms when I want to make something colourful. Her designs never fail to brighten my day and make me smile.
Here I combined them with lampwork glass beads (Radiant Mind Beads) in a delicious pink, vintage Swarovski beads for a bit of extra bling and sari silk.

Thank you for looking!
I wish you all a wonderful week.

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

Rays of Sunshine

Most of you will probably know Cathleen Zaring from Blue Hare Art Wear. She just makes the most amazing enameled (earring) charms. 

 

 When I opened my parcel, these charms were the first I saw. And my mouth dropped open. Such vibrant brilliant colors.

 

These charms are so beautiful; they didn’t need much to turn into earrings. Just a couple of yellow Swarovski crystal, some brass links, beads and some chain. I painted the brass links so the color exactly matches the crème/brown of the charms.

 

 Voila…”Rays of Sunshine” is born.
Now available in my shop.

Thanks for looking!

Wishing you a wonderful day,

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page