Northern Lights

I love Fluorite and I love pairing it with silver! I bought a strand of these pillow faceted gemstones several years ago and I use them very sparingly (some might call it hoarding!). I oxidized the sterling ear wires, washers and wire with liver of sulphur. One of the things that I find most interesting about using gemstones in my jewelry is the healing powers associated with many of them. Fluorite is known as the "multi-tasking" gemstone. It is what they call multi-dimensional, in that it advances the highest aspect of the mind and balances the negative and positive aspects of the mind and ego which allows one to experience inner peace. Sounds good to me! It is also such a gorgeous gemstone.

Picture found at Shimmerlings.com

These earrings are available here on my website.

Have a fabulous weekend! Oh, and remember next Friday Erin will be posting an inspiration for our monthly "We're All Ears" challenge. This month's challenge was a lot of fun so be sure to check it out. 

Thanks,

Kristy Abner

Kristy's Kreations

Spring Thaw

Spring Thaw

Yeah, it's not quite here yet (woke up to 0 degrees yesterday), but a girl can dream! These earrings make me think of early spring, when the first tender green shoots appear through the ice and snow and the sky is brilliant blue. I love the sound of running, trickling water everywhere here in the mountains when the snows melt, and the sun flashes off of dwindling icicles. I can hear Copland's "Appalachian Spring" in my head just thinking about it!

Here is a little Copland to get you in the mood for Spring:

We're on the home stretch!

Keirsten
Lune on Etsy
The Cerebral Dilettante
Lune's Photostream

Spring Fever Earrings

I bought a set of 8 of these great, curved copper components, from Melinda Orr,  a couple of years ago.  I've made several pairs of earrings with them, and I keep thinking of new ways to use them.  This week I strung a pair of them with orange WoolyWire and accented them with lampwork glass beads from Beads and Botanicals.

Spring Fever Earrings

 These would look great on the weekend or with causal work attire.  They'd brighten things up, without being overpowering. 

Spring Fever Earrings

Like so many of us, I'm getting restless for spring to arrive.  So thinking ahead, I'd pair the Spring Fever earrings with a pretty blouse like this, along with jeans and boots.

Long Stem Spectrum Blouse, Anthropologie

 Wishing you sunny weather!

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry on Etsy

Linda Landig Jewelry on ArtFire

The Crow

The crow bird. 

To some- a sad, lonely, even mean bird. 

Dark, and mysterious. 

Not what I imagine when I see the crow.

I see my (late) aunt on the lawn... feeding them bread. 

I asked her why she fed the birds- she said- 

because I like them. A simple answer. 

What else did I expect?

It's funny what inspires our art, our creations. 

A memory, a lost love, a color we are drawn to. 

Whatever it may be, we know what it means to us. 

Our jewelry doesn't always have to have meaning behind it- 

but more often than not, I think it does. 

That's what makes us reach for it and wear it and love it. 

This set of earrings was inspired by the love for this woman who raised me as her own daughter. 

 Alzheimer diseases took her away from me long before she passed away last fall. 

So now I too am drawn to crows and have a special love for them that I never would have otherwise. 

I found these white bronze charms in a small bead shop in Port Townsend, WA. We took a road trip around the Hwy 101 loop in 2012. An amazing trip with my best friend and partner of almost 30 years. 

Lots of story and love and memories behind these earrings. 

Thank you for reading along and allowing me to share. 

Available in my Etsy shop. 

Peace & blessings ~ Cindy

We're All Ears :: February (+ winners!)

Welcome to the first We're All Ears Inspiration Blog Hop!

We are so excited that you are joining us for this fun adventure. And we hope that we can continue to inspire you every month to make earrings and share them with us!

Here is the inspiration for February:

Damselflies in Love
Photo credit: National Geographic, Yeo Weng Sang

Here is what I created:

Unfurling

 I was inspired by the colors, shapes and textures.
I loved the heart shape that their bodies made. So I fashioned that in a swirly form (slightly referencing a heart) out of copper wire, hammered and antiqued.
I wanted to bring in a bit of that lovely aqua and grass green so I wrapped the swirls in some wooly wire from Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio in her Atlantis colorway. They sort of remind me of ferns slowly growing toward the sun and unrolling their slender stalks.

Doesn't Miss Delia look lovely in these Unfurling earrings?

And those bug eyes! They look like droplets of water! I found these amber glass drops from Cindy Gimbrone for that perfect water droplet effect. The copper rosette ear wires were hand made for me by Rebecca Anderson of The Curious Bead Shop. I bet she would make some just for you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothin' But Blue Skies

 For the second pair I focused more on the color.
I have these beautiful denim blue enameled beads from SueBeads. I was waiting for just the right occasion to use them. No time like the present!
I found some funky little brass bead caps and decided to add some patina to them to make them look like verdigris. Tiny agate rounds brought in the pop of orange. These sort of feel like party balloons and streamers!

Nothin' But Blue Skies

I can't stand to have un-embellished ear wires. So I added these frosty iridescent Rizo beads in a salmon color. They remind me of the shape and movement of those damselfly wings!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's see what you created!
Please take the time to hop around to the participants.
Leave kind, encouraging comments.
Visit their shops.
Make new friends!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An InLinkz Link-up

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to add the InLinkz code to your own blog? 
 Click this link to get the code!
get the InLinkz code  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, to kick off this new feature, we also have our Earring Love Fest giveaways. Nine of them! And they went to these lucky, randomly selected ladies. Congratulations!
If you are a winner listed below, please email enjoytheday@tesoritrovati.com the following:
Your full name & address 

I will pass that information along for your prize to be sent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #1 from Claire Lockwood

Winner :: BeadRecipes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #2 from Keirsten Giles, Lune Artisan Designs

Winner :: Sarajo Wentling

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #3 from Linda Landig Jewelry

Winner :: Jean Yates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #4 from Cindy Pack, Cindy's Art & Soul Jewelry

Winner :: Shaiha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #5 from Kristi Bowman Design

Winner :: Louise

Giveaway #6 from Kristi Bowman Design

Winner :: Deb Fortin
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #7 from Kristy Abner, Kristy's Kreations

Winner :: Tanya Goodwin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway #8 from Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry

Winner :: Shannon Chomanczuk

Giveaway #9 from Erin Prais-Hintz, Tesori Trovati Jewelry

Winner :: Cindy Martin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tell us what you think about the new We're All Ears Inspiration challenge! Didn't get a chance to play? It is not too late! The InLinkz code (see above) will be live for one week. 

C'mon and join in the fun!

Amber Iron

It's going to be a short post from me today.  I woke up at 5.30am following a nightmare and I don't function well with too little sleep!  I have managed, however, to fix up some new earrings to share with you today. I'm picking up where Nikki left off yesterday, with more crustiness.

The rusty droppers are some I made a while ago and they've been hanging out on my desk, as beads do, waiting for a fit.  I particularly like this rusted iron patina, which I've dotted with yellow dye-oxide.  You wouldn't think they have a polymer clay base.  These earrings are available now in my Etsy shop.  Similar beads can be found in my bead shop.

Before I go, a quick reminder about tomorrow's blog hop.  I hope you'll think about taking part.  I've got mine made!  There are also some beautiful earrings up for grabs, along with some fabulous components and a rather splendid earring stand and there's still a chance to enter.  Click here to read all about it and get involved.

Bye for now, Claire

(something to do with your hands)

Embrace the Crust

Can we talk about crust for a second? Now I know what you're thinking - crust is the stuff of early mornings and dirty dishes. It shouldn't be glorified, should be swept under the rug, and should never be mentioned. I'm going to whiplash your opinions on this topic - behold a wee pair of earrings I recently made using lampwork glass beads from Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.

She describes the style of these beads as crubbly - a combination of crusty and bubbly. To me they look like the beginnings of a swirling cosmic universe. 


I pulled out the caramelly ambery tones of her beads by using some Baltic amber resin chips and then added some textural play using two small "urchin" style African brass baule beads. Small little myrrh resin nubs at the bottom add a faint exotic fragrance. 

These earrings make a statement without being too heavy or too over the top - they're tribal, futuristic, organic, and primitive...all at the same time. 

So the next time your wrinkle your nose at the mention of crust, think twice...


Happy mid-week <3
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy