Sometimes simple is best

Hello!

For today's blog, I searched my recent haul from Claire Lockwood's shop update. Claire's ceramic pieces are exquisite. The colours are always a delight -vivid and earthy at the same time. They are so very beautiful that I use them sparingly, and often take them out of their box and give them a little stroke...

And so I faffed about with these for ages, believe it or not. Sometimes, the more beautiful the components, the longer it takes me to decide what to do with them. And I love these. I've bought several pairs of Claire's crescents/half moons in the past and love the shape of them. These are the most wonderful dark, indigo blue with a rustic stone coloured, textured  stripe.

In the end I stopped faffing, because sometimes simple is best....So i added some lovely oxidised copper links by Lucy Haslam and some pretty co-ordinating seed beads

So, if you're stuck -think simple! When it comes to beautiful components like these, you really can't go wrong. If you like these gorgeous components, be sure to like Claire's Facebook page -she posts details of when her shop updates are happening, and they sell like hot cakes so you have to be quick off the mark!
These beauties are up and listed in my etsy shop
See you in a couple of weeks!
Sue x

Drops and Spikes

So here we are in December! I don't really do seasonal earrings, I'm afraid so had a little look in my beady stash for inspiration for this week's post, and thought I'd dip into my supply of Petra Carpreau's ceramic drops and spikes. No-one does drops and spikes like Petra. They are fantastically versatile, come in all the colours of the rainbow and they are just so tactile -gorgeous to hold. I love the way they look like they have been dipped in colour.

Then I got a little obsessed with the same design! I love these pretty czech glass flower beads, and thought they went so well with the drops. I added some antique brass spacers and sweet little yellow picasso seed beads. I love this turquoise version. Who doesn't love turquoise and yellow?

Here's some with rich red drops and gold seeds

Now for some spikes. I love this combination of brass and silver spacers - love the contrast in colour and textures. Some speckled blue spikes and seed beads for this pair

 And green spikes and gold seeds for this pair

Told you I get a little fixated with a particular design!
These pretties are available in my etsy shop, except for the turquoise pair, which have already found a new home.
Thanks for reading! See you in a couple of weeks

Sue x

The Vivid Creatures Can

I don't tend to do green.

I made these cones for my last bead shop update, and decorated them with some new glazes I'd picked up. I was a little underwhelmed with the initial results so I added some teal blue stripes and popped them back in the kiln. When I fished them out I was much happier: they have a seventies ceramics look about them. I nearly kept them from the off but I try to resist keeping the best things when listing beads so I added them along with *a lot* of other pieces. Much of the stock sold quickly but, for some reason, these cones were overlooked. So, taking that as a sign, I decided to pull them out for my own use.

I topped them with some rusted filigree caps and hung them from some blackened vintage copper rings, which frame some pleasingly rustic African brass charms. Within the cones I've added slender lengths of sterling silver and labradorite chain and some patinated copper pieces from Miss Fickle Media. The colours in both work really nicely with the blues and greens in the glazes.... and I'm still highly tempted to keep them!

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

First And Last

I'm drafting this post on 21st December - some days before it's due to be posted. It's one of the last work-related things I have to do before shutting down for 'the holidays'. And boy, do I ever need to shut down...

But it's also a first. I'm taking up contributing regularly again. Well, fairly regularly: I'm taking on one of Cindy's days, so I'll be posting once a month. 

It's nearly a year since I stopped doing a regular post. I needed more time to focus on developing my silver work. Today I'm sharing some simple pairs made with my ceramic drops and silver post components. (I'm sure there must be a more elegant term...)

I made a number of these recently and most have sold. However, there are a few pairs left available in my shop. 

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a whole heap of the best of things in 2017, 

Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com

Hip Chick Star Charm Earrings

First, does anyone know where Hip Chick has gone? I have loved her charms for... forever! I'll admit, I  stopped ordering a while back  when my jewelry designs went a different direction. But I still have a small personal collection I adore (horde).
 
Hip Chick beads & charms are sterling silver and have a rustic handcrafted appeal.



Today I bring you Hip Chick Star Earrings featuring small blue handcrafted ceramic beads by Cindy's Art & Soul Beads. (new sets coming soon!)

Wrapped in a thick gauge pure silver wire with tiny Indigo Swarovski crystals dangling below. 

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry...

Peace & love to you, 
today and always. 

Horrible, Horrible, Autumn is here again.

Just kidding! What's not to love? I've never heard anyone say they didn't like Autumn. It's more often the favorite season. Especially for those who are fortunate enough to enjoy the colorful leaves this time of year. And, Pumpkin spice, anything. My favorite? Pumpkin spice yogurt covered pretzels. <3

All that and a welcome break from summers heat makes this the perfect time of year for me. Everything else is just icing on the cake. 

Including boots and scarves and all the rich autumn hues we can pull from the closet. 

sold

These earring feature handcrafted ceramic beads finished in a mossy green matte glaze; paired with rich Red Creek Jasper. I love wrapping in a thick, chunky fine silver and adding in rustic Hill Tribe silver for added character. Natural found beach stones dangle below. 

I have recently started a group on Facebook to offer supplies. I am downsizing my studio and will be offering a significant amount of my own handcrafted findings, and beads as well as my sea glass collection, other artist beads and commercial beads, findings and raw materials. 

Please join me and bring a friend. https://www.facebook.com/groups/643280319164605/ It's going to be GREAT!! I will be starting listings in the coming weeks. Lots, no... loads of beads. Beautiful beads... okay, do I have your attention now? 

Peace & love, 

  

Autumn Moon

Hello and check me out!!! This is the first time I've actually named my jewellery :D. 

I don't tend to follow seasons, I just make whatever catches my eye on the beading desk.  For this post however I was determined to make something autumnal.  

I picked up these Muscha discs by Petra Carpreau as they had orange in them.  I wrapped some teeny leaves, orange seeds and of course rhinestone chain around big hoops and positioned the Muscha discs inside the hoops.  This was going to be it.  I was going to keep these short and simple.  But my Cathleen Zaring order arrived yesterday with these gorgeous moon connectors.  They matched the original earring colours so well that I just had to add them somehow. 




Muscha discs by Petra Carpreau

Luckily in the original design I hadn't cut off the excess rhinestone chain from the bottom of the hoops yet.

I added a moon connector to one of the earrings with the rhinestone chain hanging from the bottom.  I used some teeny leaves to fill up the gaps.  For the second earrings I decided to leave the rhinestone chain as it is and attach the moon connector next to it.  I think the asymmetry adds a lot more interest to the design.  I like the way they've turned out and hope you like them too.

Enamel moon connectors by Cathleen Zaring

Coming back to naming the earrings.  There wasn't much rocket science involved.  There were moon connectors and the colours were autumnal, hence Autumn Moon hehe.  There you have it.  My Autumnal earrings.  Take care and see you soon.

Suhana <3<3<3

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

Rhinestone chain

Hello, I'm back again and this time I'm sharing some earrings with rhinestone chain, which I absolutely adore.  I try and add some to every piece of jewellery I make :D. 

First I have these made with my very first Bea Stoertz enamel components.  Also featuring polymer roses by Leah Curtis along with my wrapped hoops and rhinestone chain.

Here I have wrapped rhinestone and brass chain around Petra Carpreau spikes and Leah Curtis roses.

Petra Carpreau ceramic with Nikki Tunnah lampwork

And finally I have teamed rhinestone chain with Cathleen Zaring enamel charms.

That's all for today.  See you again soon.
Suhana <3

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

Earthy Ceramics

I'm a big fan of ceramics and porcelains in my pieces and I'm always on the look out for new works.  I just happen to stumble across ETSY shop Butterfly Emporium who started offering these little ceramic charm sticks/slabs.  I was drawn to them for their rich color, organic textures and overall pricing.   I ended up purchasing three sets to start and all sold in just a short period of time.  They are super light in weight and all come with a wire loop.  

I love this bursting blue flow,  I just happen to have some lovely lamp-work glass caps that were some what mismatched in color, because the drops had such a variety of tones, there was no problem combining the two, ☺

Another great earthy look with more mismatched lamp work square glass beads.  Bottom pair is combined with Etched Agate rounds and porcelain spacers.

So head on over and see if there is something you cant live without,  I guarantee your gonna love em!!!

See you in a couple weeks friends, ♥

Lynn Ferro

My shop-Yucca Bloom on ETSY

Little Cubes Of Happiness

As I was thinking about how happy the little ceramic cubes look in today's earrings, I all of a sudden remembered another type of cube from my childhood.  Sugar cubes! "Back in the day" there used to be sugar cubes, in bowls, at restaurants.  The sugar cubes were all wrapped up in paper, like tiny, little Christmas gifts!

Waiting for your food in a restaurant was boring, so as kids we'd use these tiny cubes of happiness like blocks; building towers and fortresses made of sugar.  Of course these days kids keep themselves entertained with electronics, but when I was a kid, little cubes of sugar could become castles or rodeo rings, with a bit of imagination.

Nowadays little cubes of ceramic can become earrings, with a bit of imagination on my part.  I've had these ceramic cubes for nearly 15 years!  I guess I've just been hoarding them. I put matching green "dog bone" shaped beads at the bottom of the cubes and topped them with brass, glass and tiny orange rubber O-rings.  Now I can wear tiny cubes of happiness from my ears!

These earrings are available in my shop, here: Linda Landig Jewelry - Earrings

Just Needed Some Love

There the asymmetrical etched spotted headpins sat in my shop. 

unloved, un-bought-en and finally expired

Then they become my challenge.

I just got some of RaggedRobyn's wonderful stoneware bicones in the mail this week

A little Bali silver and Lila Koberstein's ceramic discs to equal out the length a bit

Good to go, ready for some lobe love!

Thanks for visiting 

Kimberly Rogers

www.facebook.com/numinositybeads

https://www.etsy.com/shop/numinositybeads

www.pinterest.com/numinositybeads

www.instagram.com/numinosity

The Wild Child

These earrings were inspired and created to match a necklace I recently made, using similar components and beads. The inspiration necklace included a beautiful artisan lampwork focal I picked up in a tiny little (The best kind!!) bead shop in AZ last year. Really nice workman ship. I love buying artist's beads. Knowing that I can contribute to someone elses art while feeding my own creative needs is the most rewarding experience for me.






The artisan lampwork bead has shades of black and gray and a bit of a lavender hue as well. 

I played off the colors of the bead by adding in some lavender jasper (from Alexanders Bead Bazaar- Seattle, WA) along with some gray labradorite, white African glass and finally some handcrafted ceramic beads (Cindy's Art & Soul) in shades of gray.

Wild Child by cindybeads featuring nars cosmetics

Black stone, Periwinkle Jasper and Handcrafted Ceramic Earrings by Art & Soul Jewelry

With the earrings I had to get creative since I didn't have the large focal to work with - I chose some small (found) black stones. The stones were hand picked from the beach here in WA - just last week! I drilled them and wrapped them with fine silver wire - adding in the lavender Jasper and handcrafted ceramic beads by Cindy's Art & Soul. The ear wires are hand crafted, sterling silver.

You can find these earrings along with the matching necklace at www.ArtAndSoulJewelry.com
If you are looking for ceramic beads - there's a small collection there for those as well. And more coming next week! (ya!)

Peace & Blessings,

Of The Earth

Hiking at Cape Disappointment, WA 2012

It's winter here in WA state. The landscape is a lot of gray, and muddy browns. I'm not one that dislikes one season or another, one day over another.

Yes some are easier than others. Some more enjoyable. But I like to keep an open mind and take in all that my surroundings have to offer.

My jewelry work is largely inspired by nature and the beauty I can find there. No matter what the season, no matter what the weather.

Winter brings cold and rain and mud. It also brings green trees, red holy berries, water puddles for children to stomp! Just remember, it's all good.

Of The Earth. 

Silver, Gemstone, Ceramic Earrings, Art & Soul Jewelry

I found these gemstones at a bead show in Portland, OR. Purchased from Dava Bead & Trade. I clearly remember picking up the strand... mulling it over in my head. Why I should I buy these? They were on the $$$ side and they were mostly flawed stones.

The woman in the booth saw me and she must have read my mind because her words to me where that these stones are Of The Earth. Each one special and precious and the cracks and flaws are actually what make them beautiful. And I must have believed her because I bought them, and have loved them ever since!

None are matching. Yet I have still managed to make several great looking pairs of earrings with them. I love the facets, the deep brown color and how each one is unique. And yes, they are Of The Earth. How can that ever be bad?

Silver, Gemstone, Ceramic Earrings, Art & Soul Jewelry

I have wrapped them in .999 fine silver wire. And paired with some handmade ceramic beads finished with a two part brown and red glaze. Ear wires are hand forged, .925 sterling silver. Available at Art and Soul Jewelry.

I see this set with a soft, red, long sleeved sweater. Maybe a V neck or deep plunging neckline. A pair of soft brown corderory jeans and some tall boots. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Looking for handmade ceramic beads? Check in  with me the last week of this month! I will be offering sets of handmade beads! http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/

Peace & Love,

Blueberry Blues Gray Blue White Color Scheme

This morning I was on a popular social media site that regularly posts ads off to the right. Of course they catch your eye and then you go back to doing what ever you were doing... but sometimes they really get your attention. Like today.

It wasn't so much the cute sweater I noticed but the colors. Grey, dark cool blue and white. Really caught my eye and had me instantly thinking about how I can translate this to jewelry. 

What beads do I have? 

I am imagining a *collection* of jewelry at this point...

My next action was to head over to Pinterst to find inspiration. And inspiration I did find. I wont re-post here so as to not violate any copyright laws. If you'd like to see some of the inspiration seeds I found, please check it out! https://www.pinterest.com/artsouljewelry/color/ 

 What I decided upon were some of my handmade ceramic beads with a lovely gray glaze, blue-gray coral, cool blue Czech glass, fine silver nugget charms, and white moonstone.

The ear wires are made to match with super huge balled and hammered ends. Honestly, I struggled with these a while. But finally, finally was able to get them to hold.

Look for these with my next shop update, Tuesday December 1st! 

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Skyline

One of the joys of making my own beads is being able to make just the right thing for a particular design. Other times, I just make things that I think could be useful - shapes and sizes that I often find myself using. The little yellow discs in these earrings are an example of this.

I made a number of pairs and when I came to use these ceramic droppers, which I also made, these sunny yellow discs were just the thing.  Added to the geometric antique silver connectors, they give the earrings a graphic, mid-century look that is very much my bag.  They're listed here in my Etsy shop.

Whilst I'm here, a quick reminder: tomorrow is they day of this month's We're All Ears challenge blog hop. Head here for the details. There's still time to take part!

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com