MONKEY in the MIDDLE!

In trying to figure out what I wanted to design for today’s post, I came across these simply adorable copper enamel monkey charms from Anne Gael that I had completely forgotten about. I just love the colors and how the daisies ⚘⚘ cover the monkey🐵 faces – they make me laugh every time I look at them!

I wanted to keep these earrings as lightweight as possible, and as I went through my bead stash, I just wasn’t having that “aha” moment. And then I remembered these fun, hand-formed polymer clay flowers I made a few years ago…just maybe they would work. Since the flowers are really meant to hang horizontal (what was I thinking?), it took some engineering to attach them so they would be visible from the front.

By keeping the second “arm” of my wrapped loop long, I was able to feed it through the center of the flower and attach it to the wire above and behind it before snipping it off. Then I just worked the first “arm” as usual – walla! To keep a carefree and whimsical vibe to the design, I added a collection of copper seed beads and Czech glass on waxed linen cording to hang from beneath the flowers – super cute and fresh as a daisy!

    

I would love to hear your thoughts, and ideas for future designs!

These earrings will appear later today in my etsy shop, TwinklingOfAnEye

You can find other earrings on my fb page.

Thanks for spending a part of your day with me 🌻. See you in a few weeks, and a very HAPPY MOTHER's DAY to all the moms and special women in your lives! 

Hedgehog Delight

My husband is from Germany and many of the German picture books that his family gave our children, when they were little, featured adorable hedgehogs. Here in the United States we don't have wild hedgehogs, although some people keep them as pets.  One summer, many years ago, we took a vacation with my husband's family, at a resort in Ronshausen. And that's where I first saw these cute little critters. I've been a fan ever since!

I've had these cute little polymer clay hedgehogs for such a long time that I no longer remember who the artist was that made them. Aren't they cute?

The ribbed, gold tone tubes were salvaged from a vintage necklace and I topped them with some luscious, faceted garnets. These cuties are now available on my website.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Autumn Leaves

A couple of weeks ago, my friend, Kristi Bowman Gruel, of Kristi Bowman Designs, sent me these delightful copper connectors that she colored and sealed with ice resin. I love how vivid her colors always are. I added polymer clay leaves, little ceramic flower shaped bead caps, agates and glass, along with my handmade copper ear wires.

 I'm in love with these! They are perfect for fall - but I'd wear them throughout the winter too, because these are my favorite colors to wear! You can find these earrings in my shop now. 

Linda Landig Jewelry

Going Geometric

 Geometric shaped earrings are a big trend now, so I thought I'd make some geometric ceramic earring charms. I started with shapes you might expect. Half circles, triangles etc.

But then next I cut hexagons in half and then cut a half hexagon shape out of the middle! And those are the earrings I'm sharing today.

I used moss green and blue pigments on the clay and then a clear glaze overall.The are quite fun swing lightly from the earlobes.

I hope you are well and, if in the northern hemisphere, that you are blessed with sunny days. Take care my friends.

Linda Landig Jewelry

A Song Of Spring And Summer Summer

Spring, summer and even early autumn flowers make my heart sing. A bad day can always be made better with a bouquet of flowers, (fortunately my husband knows this about me).

I've been trying to transfer my obsession with flowers to my glaze paintings on porcelain. These earring feature my freehand glaze paintings, along with beautiful lampwork glass by Susan Kennedy of SueBeads. The Song Of Spring earrings are available on my website.

In mid- August a friend and I are taking a Zoom class on painting watercolor flowers.  I'm looking forward to seeing how I can apply what I learn to my work in clay. Have you taken any online classes during your pandemic isolation?

Linda Landig Jewelry

Purple Please

I recently received a lovely, large gift of beady goodness from Monica Pena of Mariposa Originals. Contained within the package were a gorgeous pair of lampwork beads. I was so inspired to use them right away. Just look at all the yummy swirls of color in the glass. Swoon!

I paired them up with my ceramic Ferris Wheel components and it was a match made in heaven! I used some purple and blue metallic hexagon beads in the middle. They flash in the sunlight.

Lastly the earrings have some Bali silver beads and spacers sprinkled throughout. Shout out to Monica for generously sharing her stash with so many others. 💓 The Purple Please earrings are available in my shop now.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Sunshine And Flowers

I made a bracelet last week, about which my husband said, "It's pretty, but aren't those kind of Autumn colors?". Well, yes. So today I decided to go for sunshine and flowers. No mistaking which season these are for!

I started with two of my handmade ceramic ovals which I combined with some new brass ovals. My first design had a large flower above the brass ring, but the earrings ended up measuring 3.25 inches long! Back to the drawing board.

In this version, I used smaller orange glass flowers which I topped with brass filigree bead caps. I dangled the flowers in front of the brass and the ceramic ovals. You can find these earrings in my shop now.

There's a lot of upheaval and unknowns in our world right now, which can make earrings seem almost frivolous. But the creative heart finds balance in the act of making. I hope you are doing ok, as we each seek to make the world a safer and more loving place. I'm sending out big hugs. 💕

Linda Landig Jewelry

Chrysanthemum Earrings

One of my Pandemic Projects has been cleaning and organizing my studio. It had gotten so bad that I had no space in which to work. Oh look! I've organized one corner!

I won't share any other studio pictures, as the rest is still a disaster zone. I'm taking it step by step, otherwise the task is too overwhelming. Anyway, while I was cleaning, I found a pair of earrings that I had started, but never finished. So I finished them up in time for today's post.

The copper shards are the work of Kristi Bowman Designs. They remind me of the rays of petals that circle the center of chrysanthemum blooms. I used enameled headpins by Sue Beads to wire on a pair of carved fluorite flowers. The fancy copper ear wires are by wire wizard, Joan Langmo. 

The Chrysanthemum Earrings are available on my website.
Do you have any Pandemic Projects you're working on? Let us know in the comments. Stay home and stay safe friends!

Linda Landig Jewelry

Harbinger Of Joy

 I always feel like spring is on the way when I see the first crocuses pushing up through the soil or peeking out from the snow. Spring flowers fill me with joy and hope (much needed these days).

The purple and yellow earrings I'm sharing this week remind me of the colors of these pretty, little crocuses. But they could also be reminders of purple Dutch irises, with their yellow centers or purple tulips with their vibrant yellow throats. All of these signal joy to me!

You probably recognize the polymer clay tube beads as being the work of Heather Powers, of Humble Beads. I paired them with hand enameled beads by Susan Kennedy of Sue Beads. I love the way the ribbing, in the metal beads, stands out as a contrasting texture. Buttery yellow ceramic floral bead caps and yellow faceted fire polish beads provide the accents.

Polymer clay is very lightweight and the enameled beads are hollow, so these earring are very comfortable to wear. You maybe thinking, "But who needs earrings now?" Well I have found that wearing a little handmade jewelry actually cheers me up a bit. There were a few of the early isolation days where I never got out of my PJs, but I still wore a blue stretch bracelet (hey, it matched my PJs, so why not?). I have resumed getting dressed daily and creating a normal daily routine, as much as possible. It helps. The Spring Crocus earrings can be found in my shop here.

I hope you and your loved ones are staying home and staying safe. Plus you are saving the lives of other vulnerable people, when you shelter at home. Hang in there and enjoy the spring flowers.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Night Sky at the Cafe Terrace

Look up on a clear summer night. The parade of stars and the moon light up the evening sky and turn it from a flat black to luminous shades of midnight blue. I can see that night sky represented in the lampwork glass beads I chose for these earrings.

 The midnight blue glass has swirls of yellow green in it, that remind me of the night sky in van Gogh's painting Cafe Terrace at Night. 

The ceramic flower beads accent the yellow green swirls. Semi-hidden under the flowers are midnight blue Swarovski crystals and then, suspended from the crystals, is sterling silver chain with Swarovski crystals dangling at the end. Bold, without being gaudy. Sexy and elegant.

Thanks for visiting Earrings Everyday. Maybe I'll have some Easter earrings for you when I come back in 2 weeks. 

Linda Landig Jewelry

Serendipity With Buttons

I had no idea what to make for this week's earrings, until I sat down at my work table last weekend. There, at the table, were all the leftover beads from a bracelet I'd made last week. I know, I know I should clean up after myself, but that's a whole different story.
Among the debris, I found these buttons that I'd bought at an antique/vintage store a couple of years ago. When I made the purchase, I planned to use them to create button closures for bracelets. But I suddenly saw these buttons in a new light.

I realized they could be used like earring charms or dangles! I dug through the other beads on my table and came across these really cool, rustic ceramic discs that I'd picked up at a bead show somewhere. They have very large holes in the center, so that when I attached them to the wooden buttons, the discs covered up the button shanks.

I added some accents and connected it all with brown Irish waxed linen. I love how they turned out. It tickles me that I could come up with a new, unusual way to use some old buttons. You can find these earrings in my shop now. Thanks, as always, for visiting Earrings Everyday. We love hearing from you in the comment section!

Linda Landig Jewelry

New Beginnings

Today we got to meet our new baby grandson, Kai Landig! Grandma and Grandpa got to hold him and give him lots of loves! See how content he looks in his Grandpa's arms!

However, as far as blogging goes, you'll have to forgive the blurry earring photos.

I'm editing them on my phone, in the motel room near our son's  house, whereas I usually take them with a regular camera and edit them in Photoshop,  on my laptop.

If you do crafts of any type, have you had days where your hands seem to have a total disconnect from your brain and they bungle anything you try to do? I was having such a day when I made these earrings. The first earring came together reasonably easily,  but the second - gah! Either the decorative, crossed wires on the pearl, wouldn't lay flat or the cross was too high up and couldn't be coaxed back in place or....you get the idea. I had to keep cutting it apart and starting over. And this was Sterling silver wire I was mangling! 

Anyway, eventually I wrestled it into compliance. 

The earrings feature my own handmade ceramic dangles, colored mother of pearl beads and sterling silver. I named them New Beginnings in honor of Kai's new beginning in this crazy world of ours. 💖

Linda Landig Jewelry 

Knotty Or Nice?

OK, forgive me for the title. I love puns and with the holidays approaching, I couldn't resist this one. So I learned a new thing last week. Using YouTube I learned how to make these knotted leather infinity links. I actually found two YouTube tutorials and each taught the infinity knot in totally different ways - even though the end result is identical. I found it intriguing that such different approaches ended with the same result. The earrings below were the first ones I made. The leather is quite thick. I think it is 1.5 mm. It's also a somewhat rough or rustic leather cord. It was a bit difficult to knot tightly, especially since this was my first try. I had to unknot it and start over a couple of times till I got the hang of it.

 I used the second knotting tutorial for the earrings below and found it much easier to follow. I also used a lighter weight cord (.5 mm), which means that in order for the leather to hold its teardrop shape, I had to use lighter weight dangles. This cord was very smooth and I think that helped me make better knots.

I had fun making these and I know I'll be making more. These knots can also be used as clasps and connectors. Guess I'll be needing more leather soon.

What is something new that you have learned recently? Doesn't need to be jewelry related. Let us know about it in the comments below! Thanks for visiting Earrings Everyday. See you in two weeks!

Linda Landig Jewelry

Looking Forward To New Adventures Ahead

I made today's earrings the day before my 66th birthday. As I was trying to name the earrings, it occurred to me that the turquoise parts of the lampwork beads looked kind of like eyes. They even have a little air bubble decoration in the center, that could be interpreted as the iris of the eye.

Well, anyway, that's how I saw them, late at night after a glass or 2 of wine... Anyway, my thoughts went to the fact that even though my body sometimes fails me at 66,  my eyes (and heart) are still always looking forward to the next adventure in living this life of mine. The adventures may not be as physical, as they once were. I have some chronic illnesses that I have to contend with.

So I may not be hiking in the mountains or backpacking all over Europe anymore. But life holds many different types of adventures. I look forward to watching my grandkids grow up and being a part of their lives. I look forward to learning more about ceramics, to making new jewelry, to growing older with my husband. I maybe entering into senior citizen land, but I have much to look forward to.  So the turquoise "eyes" in these earrings symbolize looking forward to all the adventures to come. What are you looking forward to?

The Looking Forward earrings will be in my shop later today or tomorrow. Thank you, as always, for visiting Earrings Everyday.  I'll be back in two weeks.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Metal...and Rainbows

Hi, everyone!  

My latest pair of earrings, below, is the fourth in a series of similar earrings I've made over the years.   

When I created this style in 2015, I was playing with several pewter charms by Inviciti that all had open spaces in them that could be filled with a stack of little beads.  The earrings were designed to be whimsical and eccentric.  Interestingly, what I discovered while working on this post is that my newest design in this style is probably the least eccentric of all of them. 

These earrings, below right, were the first of the three pairs I made in 2015.  I was learning how to wrap the red linen thread around the top of the "shoulders" of the component and to bring both ends of the thread down on each side, stringing my beads on the front, then threading both ends through the bottom hole and tying them together at the bottom.  I trimmed the linen thread to a nice spiky length.

These little ones below were more overtly whimsical, I think, because of the shape of the charm:  a fish!  So when I put these earrings together I made sure to wing the thread out in the same plane as the "fish tail" of the charm.  💗

These, below, also from later in 2015, are just a little over the top, with two strands of beads, in front and back.  I don't think I would do that again, because it doesn't look particularly tidy.  I do love the stripy beads and the orange-red discs and just the "go-for-it" sort of vibe these earrings carry.

So back to this year's model. 😉 These earrings are more polished, with their threads pulled tight to their backs and tucked under some nice--and carefully glued--red handmade paper.  They're also sporting a beautiful pair of small red and cornflower lampwork glass beads by Beth Mellor of Beeboo. 💗

Thanks so much for reading!  I will be back in two weeks' time.  💗

xoxo
Meridy

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