We're All Ears :: October :: Plaid

Happy Plaidurday, y'all!

Did you know that today, the first Friday in October, is known around the world as Plaidurday? Me neither! Coincidentally, I have been playing around with trying to make a polymer clay version of plaid, and I thought that plaid might make for a nice theme for this chilly fall month. Little did I know that great minds think alike and there was already a celebration for the day! 

Plaid is really just the fabric. Tartan is the pattern. The weaves of alternating bands of color woven in a criss-cross right angle pattern is the tartan, and plaid was the heavy woolen cloth that was made from that weave. The Scottish started using their tartans in the 1700s as blankets and kilts. Certain clans of Scots would all get their weaving done by the same weavers which is how the patterns became associated with specific clans. It wasn't until the popular fabric crossed the ocean that the terms became synonymous. And associated with lumberjacks... and ultimately hipsters. ;-)

According to the Yupper who created the Plaidurday Facebook page back in 2010, here are 10 ways to celebrate Plaidurday:

1) Take a photo in your plaid and share with#plaidurday so we can see all your beautiful faces. {Upload here.}

2) Give a high five to others wearing plaid.

3) See someone wearing polka dots? Encourage them to try some plaid.

4) Help others in need by donating clothes to shelters and second hand shops.

5) Give lots of compliments. They’ll see your plaid and think, “Gosh, people who wear plaid are really nice!”

6) Bake and share plaid cookies, cakes, and other tasty treats.

7) Make plaid crafts, Plaidurday cards, and let your creativity shine.

8) Give the gift of plaid to friends and family.

9) Organize a staff or classroom photo.

10) Look good, feel good, and spread some cheer, because we’re all connected by a common thread.

So let's see your best plaid/tartan earring interpretation, right here, on Friday, October 19th!

We're All Ears :: October Inspiration :: Harvest Moon

What's in a name? that which we call a moon

By any other name would shine as bright.

 (With apologies to William Shakespeare)

I love the sky in October. It is my favorite time of year. There is a crispness in the air that I swear makes colors brighter against the blue expanse of sky. The sunsets are richer, and seem to catch fire to the trees that respond in kind with sunset robes of their own. 

Photo by Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash

Did you know that there are names for all the moons throughout the year? There's the Wolf Moon, Crow Moon, Flower Moon, Fruit Moon and the Frosty Moon. But the moon that I always remember is the one that rose last night, October 5, 2017...the Harvest Moon.

"Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we call the closest full moon to the autumn equinox the Harvest Moon. In 2017, the September equinox came on September 22. And the September full moon came early in the month, on the night of September 5-6 for the Americas. Thus, for the the Northern Hemisphere, the full moon of October 5 – the closest full moon to our autumn equinox – is our Harvest Moon." 
from EarthSky.org

Photo by Tony Detroit on Unsplash

The Harvest moon is pretty special. It was named such because farmers could use the bright illumination of the full moon to bring in their burgeoning crops into the night. The full moons closest to the autumnal equinox rise sooner after sunset than at other times, just 35 minutes versus 50 minutes. That early moonrise gives the appearance that it is hanging low in the sky, so close that it looks as though you could reach out and pluck it from the sky. This is called the Moon Illusion. The orange color is just a trick of your eyes. The atmosphere at the horizon is a greater thickness than higher overhead. The increased thickness of the atmosphere at the horizon scatters blue light in the spectrum the most allowing red light to pass to your eyes which is why the hue will appear more yellow, orange or reddish.

So go out and take a peek a the Harvest Moon tonight or this weekend and get inspired. If you miss it, you can set your calendar for the Hunter's Moon, which is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon and will set the sky ablaze on November 3rd and 4th as a supermoon, meaning it will be even closer in orbit to the horizon causing it to appear HUGE!

Are you up to the challenge? What does that mean? I am glad you asked! Here's a recap of the challenge to hopefully encourage you to play along! Won't you join me? Reveal date: Friday, October 20th.

We're All Ears :: October Challenge

The weather is a fascinating force. It is totally awesome in it's impact. I took a meteorology class in college because I thought it would be an easy way to get my science credit. Wrong. There is a heck of a lot of math involved in that study! But I did find it fascinating to learn about clouds and wind patterns and lightning and tornadoes.

Right now the eastern coast of the U.S. is getting hammered by the largest and most dangerous hurricane in over a decade. Stay safe, my friends, if you are in the path.

Since the weather is all over the news even more than just on the Weather.com channel, it seems that it might be a good inspiration for this month's We're All Ears challenge.

I found this website called The Earth Wind Map. It is a beautiful real-time rendering of wind patterns for any spot on the planet. You can click and drag the map to view where the wind is anywhere in our world. Where you see thin strands of green, there are gentle breezes. Long streaks of bright yellow are strong winds. Swirling angry red spots indicate the strongest wind gusts. Quite mesmerizing!

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a part of their site dedicated to Weather Art, specifically historic art, including this picture from a vintage German Cloud Atlas book.

The Met has an interesting slideshow presentation on Clouds in art and life. I found it intriguing to listen to and to see the works of art featuring clouds. Who doesn't love to lay around on a summer day and see pictures float by in the clouds? Clouds were my favorite thing to study in that meteorology class. Cummulus. Cirrus. Nimbus. And this interactive Clouds in Art site teaches you the different types of clouds as represented in master works of art. Love the names of cloud formations. This Van Gogh is one of my favorites. I took a Master Painting class about 15 years ago and this is the painting I set out to replicate. Those swirls! Oh my!

So our challenge for We're All Ears for October is the weather... wind patterns, cloud formations, precipitation... whatever you would like to represent! Looking forward to seeing what you create on October 21st!

We're All Ears :: October Inspiration

I admit that I am not the most fashionable person (as confirmed by my snickering teenage daughter), but I do love those that have a sense of style. I also don't follow trends or fashion magazines, but I am a Project Runway junkie (something my daughter and I can share). I just learned of a documentary that is out about Iris Apfel, that quirky and oh-so-colorful nonagenarian fashion icon that I simply must put on my Christmas wishlist. With the recent close of the New York Fashion week for fall, I started turning my mind to the changing seasons and the fashions that go with it as I swap out my own wardrobe (again, not nearly as stylish).

 
I did a little googlifying "fall 2015 fashion" (just putting in random words and seeing what comes up) and I spotted a set of aubergine hued dresses from designer Monique Lhuillier that really impressed me (there was also a rich teal that was lovely, and a drop dead gorgeous liquid copper dress, but I want to keep things in the same color family). The deep, saturated colors... the mix of patterns with lace... the layering effect... all of these make this Fall 2015 collection from Lhuillier really spectacular. She is known for her corseted looks, her dreamy romantic wedding ensembles, and stunning red carpet gowns, so this collection is a bit of a departure for her. I am not usually a lace or pattern person, and I could never pull off any of these looks, but I love it! (Okay...maybe I would rock that furry coat ;-)

What impressed me was that each of these pictures, while obviously part of the same collection, seems to exude a completely different woman. From young and hip to stylishly classic. So I thought that a fun challenge would be to pick the one woman (or more!) from these pictures and design earrings to go with her outfit. The only thing that is lacking in this collection is the jewelry, so why not provide it for her!

Your challenge this month....select one of these looks and create a pair of earrings to accessorize it.

See you on October 16th for the reveal!

We're All Ears :: October Reveal

The inspiration for October was the super cool art of marbleizing. I desperately wanted to do some marbleizing for my earrings but time got the better of me and I couldn't work out all the kinks. I did, however, make a glorious mess! That is part of my process, it just didn't work to my advantage this time. I did have some limited luck doing what is called water marble, which you can check out on this great YouTube video tutorial. You basically float nail polish in a small cup of water and you can achieve the similar look of the marbleized paper but on three dimensional objects, like nails (although that would be crazy messy!). Check it out!

As luck would have it, I did remember that I happened to have a few strands of some marbleized wood beads. These are inexpensive spacers, and I got them several years ago at, of all places, an interior design shop in downtown Galena, IL when I visited the ladies of Vintaj. I was just intrigued by them, but never found a good use for them, until now. 

I decided to keep these simple. I went for a double strand of some black leather cord with the bright primary colors. I added these funky flower gear shapes for a little interest. I think they have a bit of a free spirit about them. I like that they would go with a lot of things in my closet!

My second pair is a marble pattern in black in white. So I did a simple stack of the beads and broke them up with some gold plated pyrite nuggets, placed at different points for interest and a little bit of flash. I have a tendency to make things really fussy, so it felt good to make something simple with great visual impact.

I don't think that I will abandon my quest to marbleize something. I am still working on the ideas, and one day I will get back to it, even if it is just to make a huge mess!

What inspired you about the marbleized papers? Do share!

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