Asymmetry

Yep asymmetry is what I've been playing with recently.  My asymmetry is still balanced as you will see from the earrings.  Next time I hope to push the boat out a bit more ;).

First up are these with some beautiful Susan Silbert Woodworth enamel feather headpins. I started off by wrapping the cupchain on the big hoop using the wire on the headpin.  This is where it was meant to end with ear wires.  I must have spent about 2-3 hours just trying to add ear wires (one of those days) but it just wouldn't work.  I tried adding beads under the ear wire, caps - everything I could get my hands on (that matched) but nothing worked.  After several hours I admitted defeat and put them to one side.  There was no way I was going to waste more time.  I knew I would have to find a way of rescuing them or end up using them as trinkets :D.  I came back to them a few days later with 'a lightbulb moment' - in this case, to wrap some brass bits (hoops, ovals whatever fitted) and hoping they will work!  They did *phew* and here they are, slightly asymmetric with the placement of the ovals and I am finally happy with them.

Here's another picture

Next I have these with my own wrapped hoops (boy do these things take ages to wrap but I'm mad like that!) with beautiful polymer connectors by Helena Benkoczka and some bling :).

Another pair with Helena's polymer connectors and cupchain (possibly my favourite thing to use in jewellery :D). 

I've been hoarding these (I have a few pairs of these) from Claire Lockwood for absolutely ages.  They were already asymmetric with one spike being longer than the other, so I just added some stuff to balance them out.  Maybe next time I will be a bit more bold and try not to balance so much? We'll see.

And finally this pair - I've teamed Helena's connectors with Natalie McKenna's ceramic charms.


















That's all for today.  These earrings are destined for my next Earrings Show on the 16th.  See you soon.  <3

Suhana xxx

Forest Dew Drops

Forest Dew

by Thenevah

Sparkling nymphs play at dawn

With the fae laddies they find fair

To dance many a dance in airs

Above the ground or on lea's green lawns

Betwixt forests mystery where bluebells pair.

Beneath canopy even falls violet

Upon branch and nest lay its breast

Awaiting morns sweet suffuse wet

Cooling the heat of noon's bright protest

In honor of Summers sonata in ultraviolet.

Copper Leaf Shield Components, little Green Glass beads separated by tiny coppery seed beads with beautiful Headpins dangles by HavanaBeads.

Forest Dew Drops available HERE in my Etsy Shop

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

KristiBowmanDesign on Facebook

The Fringes of Society

Some days we really do feel like telling everyone to just kiss off, don't we? 

All the expectations, obligations, mores, fashion ideals, traditions, and respectability in the world could not mean less to us in these moments. We're looking for a way to express the fact that we're tired of XYZ (insert whatever you please, here). We're over it. All of it. And we're looking for something different. 

See, now, many people may argue that you're being childish, you're pouting, you're rebelling in such a pathetically predictable way. I say this: it's those who are brave enough to leave the herd that are most capable of discovering new ways forward. Getting pissed off can be a good thing if we choose to channel that energy in a constructive way. 

The past month or so I've been coming to terms with the fact that this year has not been among the best. Perhaps I've been in the "anger" stage of coping, I'm not sure. But I'm not too proud to admit that I have had definite moments of rage--a rare emotion for me. 

So it makes sense that I haven't been creating as much in the studio this year. The spark is still there, it's just not burning in quite the same frenetic supernova blaze that it was last year. That's ok, because I'm going to give myself time. I'm going to tell my own self expectations to buzz off. I'm going to give myself permission to not feel guilty for saying "no" to custom orders. And I'm going to take things at my own damn pace. It's the most loving act of rebellion I can think of.

Today's earrings fall nicely in line with my "f-off" mentality, as they're big, they're wild, they're looong, and they refuse to be overlooked. They feature two carved horn shields from India that have been painted or shellacked, resulting in a lovely crackled honeycomb pattern. Truth be told, I could have just hung these charms from ear wires and been perfectly happy. However, I took the opportunity to add in some additional relatively lightweight components to turn them into real statement pieces. Rusty hoops added behind provide a layered halo effect, and a cascade of mixed metal chain fringe spills all the way down to your shoulders, creating music as you move. Everything hangs from my hammered dark copper ear wires and ends up being a lot less weighty than you'd expect. These earrings don't even need to be paired with a necklace, bracelet, or ring--they can stand strongly alone.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Rainforest Earrings

Drama!  That's what these earrings have.  Not for the faint of heart!

I recently bought these stunning polymer clay earring spikes from Barbara McGuire.  They were lots bigger than I had imagined them to be.

I didn't want to add any more length to them, but I didn't want to just stick them on ear wires and call them done either. I decided to add a dangle down part of the length of the spikes.  The spikes are drilled horizontally, which made adding dangles a little more challenging.

It took me a few experiments to figure out a successful method.  I cut a length of brass wire and centered a green seed bead, a short length of fine chain and another seed bead on the wire.  I laid these across the front of the spike, threaded both ends of the wire through the hole in opposite directions and pulled it snug.  At the end of the chain, I attached a brass flower charm and another seed bead.

I wrapped the wire above the spikes, added another green seed bead and used the remaining wire to form the ear wires.  The earrings are over 3 inches long, but they are very lightweight, because polymer clay weighs almost nothing.  These are really fun and would look stunning on someone with a long neck.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Pink and Purple Towers

I love to stack stretches of beads one after one another. It feels like I am telling a story. And it creates a nice kind of architectural effect. The beads are like miniature building blocks.

I wanted/needed to add something odd to that slim tower, so hence the upside down enameled bead caps by Jade Scott. Inside them a Swarovski crystal is hiding.

I don't know what you see, but I myself find these earrings have a monumental quality to them. Even though they are so slim and delicate. Interesting. Perhaps my mind is effected by the fact that my son and I have been talking about architecture over the past few days. Or the We Are All Ears Challenge for September. As always so brilliantly put together by Erin Prais-Hinz of TesoriTrovati. Very inspiring!

Handmade Art Beads:
Glass Head Pins Capped in Tinwork - Sasha Crow of CrowsCacheSupplies
Enameled Three Petal Bead Caps in Purple and Orange - JadeScott

Other:
A variation of different styles of seed beads
2 sizes of Swarovski bicone crystals
Purple electroplated hematite discs
Vinyl discs
Sterling Silver Handmade and oxidized earrings hooks

All my best,
Malin
www.beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com

We're All Ears :: September Inspiration

I live in a mid-sized town of about 25,000. The tallest building we have might reach up to 4-5 stories. There are no sky scrapers to be found in our area.

[Photo credit  :: New York City :: Anthony Delanoix :: Unsplash]

So when I see sweeping vistas of glittering glass dissected with strong steel beams reaching up to the sky, it feels like I am looking at a sci fi movie or a distant alien planet.

[Photo credit :: Lee Aik Soon :: Singapore :: Unsplash]

I am sure that some of you out there might live in big cities, or at least visit them once in awhile, so it isn't such a big deal, but to me these views are breathtaking.

[Photo credit :: Nirzar Pangarkar :: New York :: Unsplash]

I love the geometry...

[Photo credit :: Peter Nguyen :: Singapore :: Unsplash]

and the repetition.

[Photo credit :: Erol Ahmed :: Chicago :: Unsplash]

I love the simple clean lines and the jumbled boxes-on-top-of-boxes shapes.

[Photo credit :: Vladimir Kudinov :: New York :: Unsplash]

I love the fact that there is always one building that totally stands out and dominates the skyline, making an unique skyline that is instantly recognizable as a particular place.

[Photo credit :: Sebastien Gabriel :: San Francisco :: Unsplash]

I love the fact that even if it seems cold and unyielding there really is a wealth of colors all around.

[Photo credit :: Brandon Moore :: Chicago :: Unsplash]

I love the juxtaposition with the hard lines of the buildings paired with the softer aspects of the natural world always trying to intrude.

[Photo credit :: Drew Coffman :: Tampa :: Unsplash]

I adore the reflective quality of the materials.

[Photo credit :: Joshua K Jackson :: Unsplash]

I love the intersecting lines and the dizzying perspective.

[Photo credit :: Matthew Wiebe :: Unsplash]

I find them particularly fascinating at night....

[Photo credit :: Daniel Chen :: Unsplash]

especially when you can see lights dotting the surface hinting at what might be going on inside.

[Photo credit :: Vladimir Kudinov :: New York :: Unsplash]

I truly couldn't pick just one image to be our inspiration, so this is just a small smattering of images I pulled from Unsplash....(trust me... I have double this that I wanted to use!) 

[Photo credit :: Joey Kyber :: Atlanta :: Unsplash]

I wonder which one of these spectacular images will capture your imagination?

Pick an image that speaks to you,

make some earrings

and be sure to join me right here on

Friday, September 16th for the reveal!

Please pass the word

and get a friend to join you in the fun!

What's your Favorite _________?

Hello, and Happy September to all of you. I do hope this finds you and yours healthy and well. 

Someone really asked me this recently: "What is your favorite element to work with, just one?" Really? Really. That's like asking me what's your favorite Beatles song? Impossible! What is your favorite element? I can't answer that. Is it just me?

Ceramics were my first love, and the collection I continue to build is filled with little pieces of art. I love taking them out and holding them, staring at them, simply enjoying them, as you would any piece of art. But ceramics don't stand alone. I need copper and maybe glass, and whatever else I might choose to use. So I could never simply answer "ceramics." 

And lately I am being drawn more often to Lampwork glass. I've always used it and enjoyed it, but I am developing a much bigger appreciation for it and the many amazing ways the very talented Lampwork artists create with it. 

These earrings started with the Lampwork glass disks in a soft, weathered light olive green by Leese Mahoney of GlassByLeese, with an orange-like amber edge. I had my eye on the tan and orange stone-like Lampwork beads by Terry Turner of SilverFishDesigns to work into the design. Before actually working out a design, I thought I might want a pair of beadcaps. I couldn't find anything in my stash that looked quite right so I pounded out two small, rustic, flat pieces of copper sheet metal, distressed them, curled them under here and there. They're rough and rustic, and I liked them. 

"Vintage Ferris Wheel"

Here's the rest of the design process. I strung 20-gauge copper wire through the disk, brought the wire together at the top and put several glass beads and a blackened brass rice bead on the wire on both sides of the disks. I joined the wires together at the top of the disk, leaving just a bit of room above the disk, and used a Nephrite Jade stone with a large enough hole to fit both wires. I separated the wires a bit and put blackened brass rice beads side by side. Brought the wires together again and put on the Lampwork glass bead, topped it with a bead cap, and wrapped the remainder of the wire in a double loop. 

"Vintage Ferris Wheel"

That's that! i re-made these earrings a couple of times each. They didn't come together easily. Eventually I worked it out, and I liked them! 

As always, I thank you all for stopping by and visiting with us today. Comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Norbel 
She Flies Again - Etsy Shop
You can find me on Facebook
and Instagram