Star Burst Ceramic Earrings

Floppy hat, 

long dress, 

wind in your hair...

earrings.

 Red Creek Jasper, Found Sea Glass, Hill Tribe Silver, Handmade Ceramic 

..............

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry

Stillness in my soul

I had heard and read many times that when we go through some challenging times, it's like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It's not an easy process to break through the cocoon and spread your wings free, but the result is certainly worth it in the end.

So, today, I want to show you the design that I've created in my own design evolution...

Stillness Earrings by Nathalie Lesage of NatLJ.com

These earrings feature a gorgeous pair of luminous lampwork glass beads (I apologize, I did not note down the artist who made these as I bought them several years ago), a pair of my handmade .999 pure silver (PMC3) leaf charms, sparkling Swarovski Crystals on earth tones hemp cords and hypo-allergenic Niobium ear wires:

I love the explosion of color that occurs when the sunlight hits these earrings... 

just like the wings of a blue butterfly in the sun :)

As a jewelry designer, I've worked with many different types of supplies, and learned many techniques over the years, all with the end goal of "finding my own voice" in terms of design. 

As hard as the past 5 months (already) have been for me, I feel that this whole experience is helping me hone in to my own 'design' voice. It seems that I've finally found it.

This feels like 'me', 1000000%.

I will be exploring this style further. Exciting times ahead ;)

Many thanks for stopping by to read...  

You can find these earrings listed HERE on my NatLJ.com website.

Nathalie

Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

We're All Ears :: March Inspiration

If you've been with me long enough, you know I love macro photography.

There is something really special about seeing the tiniest things blown up to mammoth proportions that so intrigues me. There is an endlessly fascinating array of things that can be magnified by the macro lens and those that take such photos have my utmost admiration. I do have a macro lens on my regular camera (that hasn't seen much use in the past year or so), as well as a Photojojo macro lens that snaps onto my iPhone. But the best macro shots I managed to take were ones with a set of progressive filters that just screwed onto the regular lens of my big-ass camera (the one that doesn't see much action... after I dropped it on said lens...). I really need to get a different regular lens and break those out. I miss them.

So I was really thrilled to just do a random search to see what I could find and something that would help me get in the mind frame of the coming spring (it is coming, right?). 

I discovered these marvelous macro photos by Martin Amm who is a German nature photographer. Each of these is an extreme close up of dragonflies or damselflies covered in morning dew. I couldn't decide on just one so I grabbed a few to hopefully capture your interest from different angles.

Positively effervescent, don't you think?
And I just realized that the very first We're All Ears challenge in February 2014 was a pair of damselflies...sort of like coming full circle!

What intrigues you most about this up close and personal photography?

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To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:

Make earrings inspired by this inspiration.

Write a post on your blog.

Add your exact blog post URL link to the
InLinkz code right here on 

Friday, March 20th.

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The Riches

I'm sure we all have colour combinations we can't resist. I love magenta and copper.

I made these back in.... I can't remember! Some time ago. They have been in my shop waiting patiently for a new home. 

See how patient they look? I've mixed copper-coloured czech glass with pink impression jasper wheels, and finished them off with some vintage copper-tone drops. They've been patient so long that they've been placed in a temporary sale section. I'm also offering 25% off all jewellery this week. All of this means that you can grab these for less than £10 - or under $15 - if you use the discount code SPRING25. Here's a link. Am I alone in my love of magenta and copper?

bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com

A Time Before Kings

Every so often you either stumble or make a calculated fall into a design or an aesthetic that really takes you. More than just an "oh wow, I really like how this came out" kind of way. But in a "THIS" kind of way. 


As I've continued to play with copper and fold forming in the studio, I found myself gravitating toward elemental glyphic shapes over the last week. No complicated over-wrought heavy designs. Just simple eye-catching statements that end up saying more while actually saying less.

 



The end result (or perhaps just the beginning?) is a series I'm dubbing "A Time Before Kings", due to the primitive ancient finishes and the glyphic symbology. My love affair with purposeful firescale results in pops of thick blood red while pockets of raw copper and blackened darkness add light and depth.  






I considered using these metal charms as part of larger designs, but in the end decided to let them speak on their own. 

Sometimes you need a break from the norm so you can explore further along down the path.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

"Esnorkeling"

Caribbean Copper Enamel Earrings

I can't help it! Those of us who haven't already been on a winter getaway are yearning for warm sunny beaches and clear blue green waters where we can play and forget for a time that winter is not yet over. My husband and I like the Riviera Maya, south of Cancun, where there are so many old Mayan ruins and beautiful places to go snorkeling, or as the natives tend to say "esnorkeling".

My earring design captures the colors of the Caribbean with tropical blue recycled glass, rugged turquoise and gorgeous enameled copper drops by Cathleen Zaring of BlueHareArtWear on Etsy. I used bronze accents and copper wire to wrap the stacked beads and blend the textures together.

Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry

Daisy Pallet _ Hessonite and Ceramic Earrings

I was fortune last week to get a little (unplanned) bead shopping in. It was an impromptu stop and I had no list or agenda when entering the store. This type of shopping is the most dangerous (expensive) kind... for me. Just grabbing every beautiful, wanton strand I could manage to get off the hooks and into my basket.

After a few deep breathes and sorting them at the counter I ended up putting a few back.. but kept the most exquisite and beautiful ones to bring home.

What inspires my jewelry work most is the materials. When I have beautiful materials to use - how can I go wrong? Secondly... is the world around me. Nature.

This set brings them together. Spring flowers and sunflower yellow faceted gems.

I adore this weepy flower stamp. I have created these charms from hammering out fine silver. Paired with handcrafted ceramic beads - finished with a blue-gray and topaz colored glaze. I found this little peekaboo of topaz color was absolutely brought to life next to these squarish Hessonite beads I picked up last week. Wrapped up in fine silver wire and dangling from hand forged sterling silver ear wires.

Hessonite garnets - local Seattle bead shop - Alexanders Bead Bazaar

Handcrafted ceramic beads - Cindy's Art & Soul 

+ Handcrafted fine silver charms 

Available at Art and Soul Jewelry