Really Old :)

Hello! Our Dear Ms. Meridy is unable to be here this morning. She'll be back on her regular schedule two weeks from now.

These earrings are made with authentic Ancient Glass beads, and Antique Ostrich Egg Shell Beads. The glass these beads were made with, if not the beads themselves, was made along the River Niger and excavated in Mali. They’re referred to as Nila beads, or Dardig beads, and are 600 to 1000 years old, if not older. I have and had a good amount of Ancient Roman Glass. These beads are different. Their age is clearly seen in every bead I see and hold. I didn’t think I’d use them, wanting to keep them in my collection. But once I started, I knew it was not going to happen. They are incredible to work with.  I am always attracted to the old, things with history, and love combining them in my own way with my version of "today's" jewelry. Both sets of beads were purchased from the Rita Okrent Collection. The owner of the Collection, Jocelyne, the daughter of collector and artisan Rita Okrent, may be out of town but the shop is open. It may just take some time for her to respond should you message her. She has unique items.

There are three different pairs here. The remainder I made from 16 gauge wire, wrapped the tops in a thinner wire. They've been hammered a bit, etc.

I wish you all a super day, today and every day!

norbel
SheFliesAgain😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

oh yeah. . . here it comes

Hello! I do hope this day finds everyone healthy and well and simply enjoying the day.

When I sat down on Sunday to make a pair of earrings for today, it had been a rough few days out there in the world, for all of us. As much as I say that creating is the time I am able to shut off my mind from the world and simply let myself "be," I don't always sit down and flick the switch and the thoughts stop. This was definitely one of those times. . . . . so much running through my mind. And it all felt so dark. . .

I didn't have a plan; I often have at least a vague idea, or I have them made in advance. I have different ways I use to inspire myself. Sometimes I don't need any; other times absolutely nothing will spark me. This day I decided to pull out, or bring closer, pieces from all of my favorite artisans. . . well, most of them, and only one pair each. I know that often simply going through my treasures will lighten my mood. After I lined up a whole lotta pairs, I realized I had selected all colorful pieces. It was a great assortment of styles and materials, ceramics, lampwork, pewter, copper, etc., but all of them colorful. It was an interesting exercise because it was not at all planned. The other interesting thing is that most of them were -- oh yeah. . . here it comes. . . . Autumn like! 😁

I don't mean to bring it up too early! At least I hope it doesn't offend. I know that summer is all too short in so many places, including here in Michigan, but these years, I don't at all feel sad that summer is ending. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I won't go into another whole slew of emotional things but in a nutshell I find it soothing, invigorating, melancholic, joyful, peaceful, all those things and more rolled into one.

And the winner of my rows of Artisan Beads were these gorgeous ceramic leaves by Petra Carpreau, ScorchedEarthOnEtsy. In person they have a beautiful glossy shine.

Earrings Available Here

I realized late last night as I was uploading the photos here that I had not photographed these to reveal their best. There are lovely areas of metallic coppery pink on the leaves, not revealed due to angle, light and the placement of the "berries." They were made so that they are situated more to the yellow/green side of the leaves when hanging. They aren't real floppy either so as I was handling them, I must've pushed them over a bit and ruined the pictures! lol I apologize. heavy sigh. . . it's always something. 😉

I used Czech glass beads of Gilded Whiskey, Coral Picasso, and Turquoise Picasso Tube Beads on waxed Irish linen, oxidized copper wire, 6mm flat, square Turquoise stones, a beautiful shade of Green Turquoise Picasso glass and the same coral, no metal except for the wire. 

As always, I sincerely thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy the remainder of the summer. I'll be back just after Labor Day. 

Tomorrow you will be meeting and totally enjoying, I'm sure, another new regular contributor to the Earrings Everyday Blog. I know you will love her!

Norbel

She Flies Again                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

I really love these!

Hello everyone. I do hope your week is off to a great start.

This is one of those longer posts I find myself writing now and then. 😃

While making, every once in a while something magical happens and I remember very clearly what it is that I love so much about creating. Those of you who are makers will understand, I think, and I'm sure there are many other things in life that others can relate to, things that create the same feeling: maybe holding your grandchild; sitting with your favorite pet on your lap or at your feet while reading a great book; looking out at the water on a clear, crisp, fall day, trees filled with colorful leaves. That last one is another one for me. They are incredibly special times that create emotions that at least I don't live with regularly. But it's also something that is difficult for me to put into words.

I say every once in a while because for me that is how it works. It is not something that happens every time I create something, even if I love the result. There are many days where it is nothing more than a practice of habit. . . . . I sit at my worktable, pull out a hundred and one things and try to "feel" what works that day. And that can change from one hour to the next. Something I'm excited about can quickly turn to "what was I thinking" after frustration and a break away help me see things more clearly.

But this day, these earrings, the magic happened.

I had these sweet bell ceramic pieces fired with a glazed called "Poppy Fields" for only a week or two. They were made by friend-to-many and Ceramic Artisan Petra Carpreau of ScorchedEarthOnEtsy. These were not the only pieces I had out on my worktable. At least a half dozen others and I was not at all focused on anything when for whatever reason the rusted tin ceiling tiles that I cherish crossed my mind. And it simply took off from there.

I knew I wanted thin strips, not really sure yet what I was going to pair them with. I cut them out and as I was shaping and filing, the bells became the focus. My idea was to use white acrylic paint to give them a "whitewash" kind of look but pulled out colorants made by Vintaj instead. Testing the coloring on the back of one, in a split second I knew it was exactly what I wanted. It's a white/blue color named "marine."

The rest of the design went along smoothly but at this point the feeling was already there, and it lasted throughout the remainder of the making and far beyond. Even still, I get an unearthly tingle inside when I look at them. Now, I know that they are simply a pair of earrings, and they may not even be something that many will like. But the feeling doesn't depend on those things. It comes from inside. It's a joy that creating sometimes creates. It is what it is. And I am very grateful to be able to experience joy.

Like so many of us do, I spent many years of my life raising a child, earning a living, keeping a house, taking a bit of time now and then to visit with family and friends, dealing with illnesses and a whole host of other "life" happenings, and keeping so busy that I never slowed down long enough to let the mind and body completely relax and let this brand of joy come.

This feeling, this joy that I'm talking about, comes to a quiet mind. I had a brother just 18 months younger than I, until he left us much too soon at age 47, who told me how being on the golf course was the only time his mind shut down. I could not understand that because I had never experienced it, . . . until I began creating. Then I understood exactly what he meant, and what an incredible thing to be able to stop the mind from its constant meandering all over the place. It mostly ponders the past, the good, the bad and even the indifferent, things that mean absolutely nothing at the moment, rehashing old material and old emotions for no good reason whatsoever, or it ponders the future, the when this and when that, then I'll whatever. What a waste of all the brain power we have. Focusing on something one loves to do and that requires focus and concentration is incredibly healing, agree? I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I mean. :)

Back to the earrings, I debated for a bit putting the tiny, matte finish, faceted glass beads along the edge of the tin. They're a great pink with orange undertones, and I thought I would love it but was concerned about adding three more holes to the thin strip. After weighing the pros and cons, and deciding that re-making the strips was not that time consuming, that I could make them again if I had to, it was something I had to try and it worked so well. It was just another moment of "I Love These!!"

And I really do. To me they are very special. They will always be a highlight for me. . . . . at least until the next time. :)

Thank you! Thank you for stopping in; thank you for listening to the musings of my mind; and thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with me, if you are so inclined.

I'll be back on the 4th of July! See you then.

Sincerely, and with wishes for joy to each of you, each and every day.

norbel

SheFliesAgain

You can also visit me on Facebook and/or Instagram

Earrings Everyday Subscribers receive a 10% discount in my Etsy Shop

Use Coupon Code EARRINGSEVERYDAY anytime

kaleidoscope patterns

Hello. I hope this finds all of you well.

I looked at the glass beads in these earrings so many times before finally deciding to buy them. I often do that and often miss out, not just in Czech glass but in all handmade items as well. I've learned to be really cautious about what I buy, first because I have purchased many a bead that I will likely never use, mostly in glass but not entirely. I make some very bad choices. And then there is only so much money from sales with which to purchase supplies, so I need to be cautious; don't always trust my quick judgment. 😊 But I kept being drawn back to these gorgeous multicolored beads, and when FunkyPrettyBeads was down to the last two listings, I purchased them, and I was not disappointed.

The beads were custom-made for a friend of Deb, owner of FPB, and she was able to obtain a small amount to sell in her shop. At some time in the future she may be able to have more made. I'd keep an eye out for them because they are just that cool.

When I received the blue ceramic beads by Gail & Arnold of SandCeramicBeads. . . . . bingo! is what I thought. What a perfect complement to the beads I have dubbed Kaleidoscope. The swirls of blues, greens, purple, on a tan base are as mesmerizing to me as the time spent with my eye glued  to a kaleidoscope, the ever-changing patterns and colors compelling me to continue to turn the barrel one more time. Each bead is different, the colors swirling this way and that, making them much more interesting than if they were all the same.

I accented the beads with turquoise and blue rondelles and round green glass beads, brass toned petal bead caps on both ends of the kaleidoscopes, and tiny brass beads, all wrapped with deeply oxidized copper wire, giving them that bit of a funky feel I need, and three brass-plated rings dangle from the bottom of each. 

So that's that! If you haven't taken a look through a kaleidoscope lately, don't pass it up if you have an opportunity. Colorful, filled with unusual patterns, they're really inspiring. Most of the images I found were not actual kaleidoscope images, but art created with kaleidoscopes in mind. They're pretty, no doubt, but I like the real thing better. This post made me add a kaleidoscope to my wish list.  

Thank you so very much for stopping in. As always, we love your feedback, and comments are always welcome. 

Have nothing but happy days!

Sincerely,
Norbel
SheFliesAgain

If you use Instagram, give me a shout out so that I can follow you, and you me if you'd like. I do have FB pages also, one in my name, Norbel Cylkowski Marolla, and one for She Flies Again. 

insert catchy title here ;)

Hello! Happy February to all of you. I do hope this finds you and yours healthy and well, and enjoying the days.

I have a new shop to share with you today. Ceramicists, Gail and Arnold, husband and wife, who spent the majority of their lives in South Africa and are now residing in Germany. I would imagine at least some of you have stumbled into their shop. Its name is SandCeramicBeads. Their style is unique and rustic.

earrings are available here 

In the first pair I used two different focals. The top beads are made with a rich  brown clay and have a tribal design in aqua, and aqua bars that have two holes. They were made for and sold as "closures," toggles, but I could not resist using them off label as connectors. ☺

African Fabric Beads
can be found here

One of my favorite things made by SandCeramicBeads are these really lovely tiles that are inspired by African fabrics. I used a pair in the second pair of earrings; this is a small set in soft, muted tones of salmon pink, an almost wheat-like yellow, pale blue and a deep blue. Gail has a new series in the shop right now that have a bit different coloring and a wonderful story. All of the upper beads I used were handmade in Africa. Beautiful unusual bright peach recycled glass beads and blue beads from a strand of handmade African seed beads. All of those beads were purchased from a nicely stocked shop, RedEarthBeads.  

earrings are available here

The third pair has a southwest vibe. Beautiful blue leaves by Gail and Arnold; awesome and rustic, natural ceramic disks were made by Jana Bliznakova of HappyFishThings.


I had great fun working with these pieces, and will no doubt be using more. Here are a few of the others I have in my collection. They also make and sell many, many strands of beads. I'm sure you will enjoy browsing.

The earth and moss beads are calling me. :)

As always, I thank you so very much for spending a few minutes to check out what we're doing here.

If you have any questions about anything in the designs, let me know. I didn't discuss any processes, nor many of the accompanying beads. I was excited to share SandCeramicBeads with you.

Thank you! May your days be filled with lots of creativity! It is therapeutic and then some!

Gratefully,

norbel

SheFliesAgain

I am also on Facebook and Instagram :)

p.s. I hope everyone knows that when I share new shops the way I do, it is because I've fallen in love with their work. Etsy is what I call a "sea of shops." There often is no rhyme nor reason to why one shop sells and another doesn't. When I see unusual, quality work, made by caring artisans, I want to share it with anyone who might be interested so that the makers can potentially achieve the success they deserve. 

Scorched Earth, Inviciti, Numinosity & More!

Hello! I do hope everyone has had a joyful Christmas and is looking forward to a fresh, new year. It always seems to be a time of hope, regardless of what recent times have been like. There's no real reason to expect new and different, but to me a "fresh start" nonetheless increases the sense of change is in the air.

I have had a rough couple/few months. And the little girl of a muse that usually accompanies me seems to have vanished right before my eyes. I don't know what to think about that! :) But it has me bogged down in many ways, or rather, I suppose she's gone because I am bogged down in many ways. Onward and upward!

There are always one to three days at the end of the month that aren't covered with our regular twice a month schedule. That is when our visiting artists come in to share their beautiful creations. This month Kristi and I are picking up the two extra days at the last minute. Not having anything prepared, I decided to do what Lynn did yesterday and share with you some of my personal favorites from the last couple of months, and maybe a couple have been used as part of a post? Not sure! lol These have sold, but I believe some could possibly be available for custom orders.

BTW, you'll notice a new Artist Contributor appearing at the end of the column!! There are actually two; we don't have a design picture yet for the second. I'll wait and let you be surprised by who it might be. I, for one, cannot wait to have them both share their amazing work with all of us. They will be starting the second week of January! :)

Please note that the captions under the photos are links to the shops whose pieces were used in the designs.

NuminosityBeads
NomvulaCrafts
TheFickleBead

NuminosityBeads
EclecticPrairie
DyedBoneBead

DyedBoneBead

NuminosityBeads

HappyFishThings
DyedBoneBead

NuminosityBeads
DyedBoneBead

Inviciti
CrowsCache

ScorchedEarthOnEtsy

ScorchedEarthOnEtsy

My wishes are for all of you and all of your families and friends to experience a New Year filled with love, laughter, joy, and above all, peace of mind. I am honored to be able to share my work with you. Thank you!
norbel
SheFliesAgain

In Space - Outer Space - Out of Space -

Full of Space

I feel as though I haven't been here in a long time. It's a good feeling to realize how much a part of my life this group has become. I've been with EE a year now. Time it does fly. I hope all of you had a peaceful Thanksgiving, and that you are now pulling out the Santa hats and getting in the groove. My husband does the decorating. Our home has become very festive this year. Now that he's retired, he has much more time to "play." He even has put up a pretty good-sized oval of track for the Lionel Trains he received as a young child. I love that. Movin' on. . .

So! I have another new shop for you! FullofSpace is the name of the shop where I purchased the focal beads for today's earrings. Once again, a good friend, Susan Delphine Delaney, is responsible for leading me to the shop. She has sent me so many inspirational Pins and leads that have led to real ideas and wonderful beads! Perhaps some of you have already found it as Carolina, the owner of the shop, has received a good number of sales since I purchased my beads on the 21st of November. I was surprised when I popped in last night to see all of the beads I had missed, but happy for her that she had been found by others. Her work is unusual, and I'm drawn to a lot of it. 

So here are the earrings I made. The beads came in a set of 8.

The hoop is not a heavier gauge and soldered hoop. It was made out of the same 20 gauge wire I continued on to the top, using the bottom strand for a few wraps at the top of the hoop, and then coming down one side. I did harden the hoop so that it's not wimpy. I did that by hand with flat-nosed pliers. I found that squaring off the bottom of the hoop made the beads feel more at home. 

The red bead is actually a natural, not-dyed, Red Sandalwood seed. I'm pretty sure I talked about this before, but if you missed it, these seeds are amazing in their color and gloss. I purchase them from TheFickleBead. And then of course the almost always present in my jewelry these days, hand-dyed bone beads, these in soft grey, are purchased from DyedBoneBead. 

These were a lot of fun to work on. I'm just finishing up a necklace with the rest of the cone beads. I love it. It's not listed yet; should be in the shop in the next couple of days. 

Thank you once again for taking the time to visit with us. We always appreciate it. Always grateful for feedback, too. Thanks so much! See you in a couple of weeks. :)

norbel
SheFliesAgain

how do things end. . .

. . . up the way they do?

Hello! Happy November, and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to give us a look.

I don't know how others design jewelry. I've never sat with anyone else while they were designing, nor had discussions about it. But for me, very often, I don't know what I am going to end up with. Sometimes it's great; other times not so much. But either way, it's a joyful adventure and a learning experience for me. And yes, I'll admit, sometimes a little bit, or more, of frustration. 

I hear people talk about sketching their designs, and that sounds so wonderful. They can visualize the beginning and the end. I do have some visual but it often ends up different. If I'm making wire or sheet metal pieces, those I do lay out on paper. Anything else generally starts with a lot of handcrafted components out on the table, and I take the ones that yell the loudest. "Me, me, pick me! "Nah, not me, I don't feel like working today." :)

From there, I ponder a bit where I want to go; I go through colors, textures, beads in my mind until something clicks, and then I might pull out many possible complementary things, glass, bone, metal, chain, linen, etc. I often do basic try this, try that. A lot of trying. And if after whatever amount of time I find reasonable, if nothing is working for me, I go back and start again with the other things I had out that are in their containers on my table, out of the way but close enough to pull them right back. Or something else entirely might pop into my head. That is basically how it goes. Not at all scientific. There are many times that I want to work with a specific something. Sometimes I can; sometimes I cannot. I think the bottom line is that it ends up being all about how I feel. My head doesn't get too involved. There are even the rare occasions when I'm not sure how it all got put together and all of a sudden it's done! Love when that happens. :) I would very much like to know if others work in this relatively haphazard fashion, or how do you generally work? 

Over the weekend I selected these sweet, little, pale blue handcrafted ceramic drops by Lorna of Balela Ceramics. She has a distinctive soft and muted style in much of her work, yet will also throw out the most gorgeous bright and shiny blue beads here and there.

You can find these earrings here

These drops were sweet and a bit whimsical. I wanted to "rustic them up" a bit so I selected stone-like ceramic beads, also by Balela Ceramics, and a simple handmade copper bead. That was all I had at that point. So I cut a long piece of copper wire and wrapped it around once, finished up the top, and then went back down to the other end of the wire and decided to wrap a whole bunch of it in a deliberately wide and messy fashion. I would have stopped there except that there was an ugly vacant space left below the wire, which showed only the bare loop at the top of the dangle and it all looked not so nice. But I didn't want to wire all the way down; I wanted the dangle to be able to move. So I added back in a bit of whimsy and created a series of "swags" with tiny 2 and 3mm beads along the bottom, sides and back of the wire. No more empty space, and I liked the result. 

You can find these earrings here

And that is how they ended up the way they did!

Thanks so much for visiting us. I hope you enjoyed my musings today, and I'll be back in two weeks' time. :)

Norbel Marolla
She Flies Again

To Crystal or not to Crystal

Hello everyone, and thank you so much for joining us.

I rarely use crystals in my work. Not that I don't love them because I do. As an object they are fascinating. The sparkle and colors, twists and turns, are mesmerizing. And sometimes I wonder why I don't use them? I think there is still a part of my process that isn't fully open. Why can't I use a Swarovski crystal rather than a Lampwork bead? I don't know the answer to that, and I think the answer is buried underneath what I think I SHOULD do rather than doing what pleases me. This writing, what I am writing right now, has brought this to my attention and it is something I need to explore. I always say, with all honesty, that I make what I like, not what I think I should. Yet if I like crystals and don't use them, that seems to belie the fact. It's amazing to me what sitting down with a "pen and paper" can do. So you have now just witnessed a revelation! lol True. The title of this post was not "To Crystal or not to Crystal" before I wrote this paragraph! 

Okay, back to the task at hand. I love both of the handcrafted pieces in these earrings. The beautiful, celestial, pewter pieces were made by Vincent 'n Nooma of Inviciti. I think this is my favorite to date of their work. And the headpins at the bottom! When I received these, I honestly felt I could never do them justice; still don't think I can. They are one of the most unusual pair of headpins I've ever seen. They were made by Sasha Crow of CrowsCacheSupplies. 

You can view the full listing here:

I had already added the Swarovski crystal to the pewter pieces, knowing I wanted to use them, but there was nothing else going on as far as a complete design. I simply put them aside and went on to other things. I have pulled out the glass/solder headpins frequently over the last couple of months, not necessarily with the intent to use them; I just love them! Many times I thought I would simply put a bead on them that I love and keep them for myself, but that never happens. :) 

Pondering what to add to the bottom connection of the celestial pewter, the idea of clear crystals, or Crystal Quartz nuggets kept coming up as a possible, and eventually the vision of the clear glass struck and I leaped from my chair -- literally lol -- and knew that is where they would go. Adding a simple silver metal spacer and a second Swarovski bicone was perfect. 

You can view the full listing here: 

 I began to have thoughts of adding Crystal Quartz dangles here and there and more silver. . . and then I stopped myself. I thought about it, talked to myself about it. I have a tendency to want to keep going. . . I'm not sure why that is. Both of these handcrafted pieces could stand on their own, with nothing added. Yet I often persist in adding more embellishment than they need. I am really working on that!

The psychology of creativity confuses me. I've worked hard to encourage myself and allow myself to be me, to create what I want to create and be okay with it. Things changed a bit when I decided to sell my "art" in an attempt to contribute to the family income. Long story there completely unrelated, but all of a sudden I went from the joyful time spent creating to attempting to think business. I've done that most of my life, not a big deal, but THIS is very different and it became a big deal. It is still something I struggle with, but it no longer causes serious anxiety or sleepless nights. I've learned to not allow life in general to do that to me, and that includes designing and the sale of same. 

What I think is required for me, and for anyone who has that tiny (or large) feeling of insecurity about their work is to STOP (in the name of love. . .  :) comparing my work to that of other designers; no bouncing around Etsy and Pinterest viewing the work of those who are more successful than I am, more talented than I am, better at marketing than I am. Those people will always exist. There will always be those that are better than I am in all of those areas.  Loving my work and being proud of my work is a must if I am to create honest work. 

So join me in being free with your designing. Don't allow visions of the designers and shops that are more successful than you are enter into your design process. Designing that way inevitably looks contrived.

For me it continues to be a process. For the most part, I am free of it. Then a dry period, or a dry-er period comes around and the little gremlins start trying to spin the wheels. I take those little angry creatures and pop them right off their tiny stationary bikes and stop the wheels in their tracks! It is NO fun that way! 

So my bottom line is, and it's always my recommendation to en"joy" creative time; create what makes "me" happy, not what I think others might like, not what I think might sell. I think that keeps my designs honest and fresh.

Well, that was not at all the post I had planned. :) lol 

Thanks so much for stopping in. 

Yours in joy,
Norbel
She Flies Again Etsy Shop

Wire is my Friend. . . .

. . . .except when it's not! 

Hello, and Happy Day to you!

I love playing with wire. And every once in a while something fun that I can use comes of it. I don't mean the soldering kind of playing; just taking various gauges of wire and trying to make things. In recent months I've been playing around with what what I call "bead frames." I haven't yet made one that actually looked like something I'd like to use, but I keep playing.  

So speaking of wire, which is my friend so much of the time, I have two earrings for you today. Two earrings, but they don't match. And no, they're not asymmetrical in design. They are two earrings, one each of both pairs I planned to share with you today. 

So yes, I love playing with wire. It's fun, it's therapeutic, and I love putting in something a bit quirky in designs. The problem comes in when I have to repeat what I did the first time! There is nothing so complex to warrant such difficulty in either of these designs, but I spent way too much time attempting to make the second earring for both of these. 
These earrings are not at all complete either. I'll say they're "half baked." Consider it a prototype. :) They will be oxidized and look more pulled together when finally completed. The Peace Sign with charms by Vincent & Nooma of Inviciti, and the Lampwork Glass by Leese Mahoney of GlassByLeese, will be oxidized to black. That will highlight the tiny silver beads around the frame. The same tiny beads run up and down the wire connected to the charm, on both sides.

The "Scream" earrings, copper by our very own Kristi Bowman-Gruel of KristiBowmanDesign, will be oxidized and buffed back to highlight the copper loops in the center. These pieces felt so not me at all but yet I wanted them, and in the end I loved them. I had a couple of more "Halloween-like" ideas I thought I'd try, but in the end I kept it more everyday wear, the ivory and black looked much better than the white and black I initially tried. And anything colorful didn't work for me. The lava stones add a bit of rustic, which you are not getting at all from my photos. The ivory Lampwork is shiny; I tried the matte version; didn't like it. The top bead you aren't seeing well either, really. It's shiny, but it has a very full Picasso finish underneath the shine. It's an interesting bead. :) This is probably a good time to apologize for the poor photos. I have lost the best place to take my pictures in natural light. So forgive me as I struggle to figure it out, or decide to depend on a light box. 

I have no intention of dropping these designs all together; I like them and will keep going. If I decide to make a change along the way, well, that's a designer's prerogative, isn't it? And I do that a lot! ;) Truthfully, I simply ran out of time to finish for today. Never did I expect to have such a problem with these. One, maybe, even though it didn't cross my mind, but both? Well, it is what it is. 

In the "Scream" earrings, it's a wonky piece of wire work to begin with, so it wasn't at all that I was trying to make them perfect one to the other as far as the wire. But it is the kind of design that for me requires the length to be the same. With many handcrafted components it's a challenge, but these two sets were perfectly matched. But length was the main problem I was having, and similarity of the loops in a secondary way. All I did was roll three rounds of wire on the step pliers with a wire pointing in either direction at the end. The wire facing down was bent inward to become the wire that the lava stone was put on, and then into the Scream face. The wire facing up was bent down and inward to wrap around the first wire. I then took a second wire and strung it through the middle of the three loops and wrapped it up from there.

The Inviciti Peace Sign earrings were a different story. I broke several pieces of wire from overworking while attempting to get this done. I could NOT get the wire centered in the kite-shaped frame, nor could I get it to come out the same size. Measurements did no good. Gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I was so frustrated. Wire DOES, in fact, have a mind of its own, and you will never be able to convince me otherwise. 

So these earrings are not yet available; they will be but I don't know when. :) I've also attached a collage of a few of the things I've done with simple wire stuff; nothin' fancy; just fun little things that add a quirky something. These earrings have all sold; some of them recent, a few of them two or three years old. Like I said, I love wire; she simply doesn't always want to do what I ask her to. It's okay though; I'll keep her around anyway. :)

So thank you for taking time out of your busy day to have a look at what we've got going on here. We all appreciate it. We also appreciate comments or questions. We very much appreciate that! I'll be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please let me know if you have some fun playing with wire! 

Thank you!

Happy Days to You!

Norbel Marolla

She Flies Again on Etsy

She Flies Again on Facebook

p.s. I wanted to mention that we are attempting to organize a request for a challenge made by an EE follower. Not all of us will be able to participate, but those of us who are able will be working on it. She has requested that we each start with the same elements, a pair of "something," to see how differently we all use the same pieces. Fun idea! So we're working on it and will keep you posted. We hope you'll enjoy it. 

The Weight. . .

of the world earrings on your shoulders ears ;)

A while back Kim of Numinosity and Numinosity Beads, mentioned some of her more senior customers have difficulty with heavier earrings. Me too. But I wasn't able to wear heavier earrings when I was younger. They're just not comfortable for me. 

I noticed my friend, Chris Kaitlyn of ChrisKaitlynJewelry, was showing the weight of earrings in listings. I talked to her about it, she shared info, and I decided it was a good idea. At some point I realized that, okay, the weights are there but they're in a vacuum. What do they mean? I know what they mean to me but there isn't a "chart" to help customers decipher what they mean. Honestly, it's not possible. Weight is relative, and involves too many factors. I do, however, have customers ask me from time to time, "are these heavy?" There will never be a hard and fast rule, but I'm going to share with you the guidelines I use for myself.

 My earrings today are designed with beautiful, slim and lightweight ceramic leaves by Petra Carpreau of ScorchedEarthOnEtsy. These pieces are fired with leaves embedded, given this gorgeous glazing and fired again. I paired each with three 6mm, Natural Apatite stones. Apatite has become my favorite stone. The color is a rich, muted teal. Purchased from TheFickleBead. There are copper and copper-plated beads up top, along with handcrafted ceramic beads by Barbara Hanselman of BHClaysmith, another unique and talented ceramic artist. I used 22 gauge wire, not my first choice, but I knew it would help to keep them lighter and I'd be able to wrap it the way I wanted to. 

Very few components are "too heavy" to use. It depends what you do with them. It's wonderful to create without thought! It's art! It's what I love to do! But then I often end up with a wall hanging, not an earring. (I think I heard that saying here before) I'll keep going and going and going until they weigh an ounce! Well, what's an ounce you say? Here we get to what the weights mean. One of today's earrings weighs 0.23 oz, 6.68 grams. Less than a quarter of an ounce. A good weight for most women, I think, but it is not featherweight. Lightweight for most, in my opinion, but it won't be long until it creeps up into an area that will be too heavy for me. If I want to wear something all day and not think about it, I won't go much higher than this, around a quarter of an ounce. When I let something get to 0.30 oz. . . . that is getting out of the comfortable range for me, certainly not all-day wearable, and maybe not wearable at all. For Me!

My MIL split her lobe all the way down in her 60s with a gold hoop, so it does happen, even though she'd worn those for decades. 

You are not going to find weights in most shops and websites; It's not a necessary thing for a large part of the population. My customers run the gamut from very young adults to women in their 60s and beyond. It was the questions about the weight that encouraged me to try to find a way to give them a meaningful answer. For designers, if women in the AARP age group (that's 55 and up ;) are in your target market, you might want to think about weight with them in mind.

I see many listings that give the earrings a featherweight, lightweight, or medium weight. If you aren't offered a weight, and IF this is an issue for you, ask the seller for their opinion. On a weight scale of one to ten, where would they put the earrings. Remember, though, that it's an opinion, likely based on what is light, medium or heavy to them. 

If you would like to have a little more detail regarding weights and what they mean to me, please just let me know. I will always address a comment/question left here, and you can always message me through She Flies Again, my Etsy shop, or Facebook.

Thank you for stopping in today! We appreciate it!
Norbel

Hippie Things. . .and Abstract Stuff

Happy July. To those of you in the States, I hope you were able to enjoy a long weekend and are back to it relaxed and refreshed!

I think those of you that visit here know by now that I love Artisan Made Beads, all types. They inspire me! They challenge me! And they're simply beautiful art. Every once in a while though I need to challenge myself to create without them.

Well, a simple copper hoop is certainly not unique, and not very inspiring either. But it is a challenge; it's a challenge to do something with it that feels good and makes the hoop sing! 

So first I pulled out the torch and made the hoops. The beads I selected are Czech glass with an earthy Picasso finish. I love the way a jazzed up hoop feels, and the little ching ching you might hear when you turn your head. Each earring has six dangles with 3mm glass beads above and below. I initially planned to use tiny copper beads but when I weighed everything, they were heavier than I wanted. In the end, the small beads were a better choice. I added a half dozen small copper rings made of 16 gauge wire, placing one in between each dangle to add a bit of distance between them and one on each end. I find these simply refreshingly fun. 

"Hippie Hoops"

And now the abstract! This pair of copper earrings has plagued me with failed after failed attempt to do anything with them. I haven't even been able to simply let them be as they are, which is how I meant them to be! I have tried everything I could think of to hang them and it just wouldn't work. I soldered a small half hoop at the top, thinking surely that would be perfect but all that happened is the entire thing pointed nose down. I could not find a way to keep them in the position they were meant to be in, which is STRAIGHT! :) I tried cord, leather, wire in various places, and have put them aside every time without success. I was really determined this time. I made these; I should be able to control them.

Abstract

Again I soldered a "handle" at the top at what I thought would surely be the proper angle but it did not work. Cut that off, sanded it down again with a Dremel. After trying a couple of other things I went back to one that I thought had a bit more success than the others, which is two copper jump rings, the same 16 gauge I used above, placing one on each side of the "rays." Put the wire through the two rings and had the wires meet in the middle. Now I went on a hunt for an abstract bead because I knew what I was going to have to do to make this work. I settled on the two funky Tyvek Beads, made by Carol Ann of BombPop, which is currently on hiatus. The end result, I knew, was that I was going to have to angle the loop, and voila, it worked! I love them! And they have been a true labor of love.

Abstract

Thanks for visiting! We do appreciate all of you. We appreciate your comments, questions, and feedback! I'll be back on the 19th. The Awesome Ms. Nikki Zehler, creator of all things LoveRoot, will be here tomorrow. Enjoy it!

Norbel Marolla
She Flies Again Etsy Shop 
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