A Little Rosiness

For my first post here on Earrings Everday and for the week of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be appropriate if I showcased a little rosiness. Those of you who know me, however, know that I'm not really a conventional "hearts and flowers" kind of chick. I'm all about the organic, the weathered, and the primitive. 
  

I've been playing lately with making textured handpainted "polybells". I take polymer clay and fashion it into raggedy bell flower shapes and then hand paint each one for a layered, antiqued look. A little whimsy, romance, and nostalgia, all mixed with a dash of curiosity - especially in this pair. I like to think of each bell as its own species, made unique by my two little hands. 

This pair features a wine-colored base that has been layered with honey brown and beige. A quick wire wrap at the top plus some of my hand hammered oxidized copper ear wires, and that's all you need. 

My favorite part of this pair are the frilled wilted ends. And the great thing about polymer is that it's strong enough to be pulled thin. It creates an extremely fragile look while remaining quite strong. Quite the durable material, light as air, and they won't break if you drop them!  

And let's not forget that pop of wineberry inside of each bell...a little surprise that's enough to make you squeal.

I'm tickled pink (pardon the pun) to be a part of the Earrings Everyday blog and look forward to sharing some drool-worthy pairs with you all in the months to come. If you like what you see here, check out my Etsy shop for more ear candy: 

LoveRoot

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

Happy Tuesday!
Nikki

Wild Blackberry Cordial

Wild Blackberry Cordial for sale at my website www.tesortrovati.com

These wine-stained etched and dapped disks from Lisa Liddy of Metal Me This reminded me of blackberries and the color that your fingers get when plucking them ripe from the vine to pop into your mouth. That made me think of how delicious they would be as a drink, a sweet cordial perhaps mixed with a bit of brandy. Good to the last drop.

Blackberry Eating

I love to go out in late September
among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries
to eat blackberries for breakfast,
the stalks very prickly, a penalty
they earn for knowing the black art
of blackberry-making; and as I stand among them
lifting the stalks to my mouth, the ripest berries
fall almost unbidden to my tongue,
as words sometimes do, certain peculiar words
like strengths or squinched,
many-lettered, one-syllabled lumps,
which I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge well
in the silent, startled, icy, black language
of blackberry-eating in late September.

Galway Kinnell