Friday, October 20, 2017

We're All Ears: October 2017

The inspiration for this month's We're All Ears challenge over on the Earrings Everyday blog is all about the moon.  Ok, it was actually supposed to be the Harvest Moon but I used some creative license and went with the moon in general... mostly because I didn't have anything that felt harvest-y.

Photo by Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash

I started out looking for art beads to use... not feeling confident that I had anything at all.  Surprise, surprise!  I actually found a set of moon and star charms from Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio.  I paired them with some chunky faceted chalcedony, Czech glass, and, for sparkle, crystal studded rondelles.


Never satisfied with making just one pair for this challenge, I put on my thinking cap and came up with a second design.  I had a pretty tiny scrap of etched copper left over from a past project... just enough to cut two very small crescent moons from it.  At first I was thinking that I would rivet the crescents to a larger "full moon" made from hammered Arte Metal circle blanks.  (I used two different sizes of my ball peen hammers to get the "craters.")  With how tiny the copper pieces were, I felt like I'd end up covering up most of the shape.  Plan B to the rescue!  I ended up just punching one hole in each copper crescent and then using jump rings to hang them in front of the circles.  Above my dual moons I wire wrapped some moonstone beads with matte bronze Czech glass spacers.


Don't forget to stop by the Earrings Everyday blog to see what everyone else was inspired to make HERE.

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11 comments:

  1. CraftyHopeOctober 20, 2017 at 7:12 AM

    These are both just lovely But I absolutely love the second pair and all the detail you put into them. And using moonstone beads. . . genius!! You definitely rose to this challenge!

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  2. TesoriTrovatiOctober 20, 2017 at 7:24 AM

    Yes! Chalcedony always makes me think of the shimmering moon! And I love LOVE the craters in the hammered piece. Perfect for this month's challenge! Thanks for playing along with me at the We're All Ears challenge. Enjoy the day! Erin

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  3. Divya NOctober 20, 2017 at 7:29 AM

    If you thought you used creative license then you must see mine. I drove off an exit and reached another country...haaaa. I agree with Hope, I too like the second pair with all its details. The copper beads and discs match wonderfully well with the crescents

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  4. Mary RedmanOctober 20, 2017 at 10:01 AM

    You have a very creative thinking cap!

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  5. Deborah SchlegelOctober 20, 2017 at 10:55 AM

    Gorgeous and perfect for moon inspiration! I love the blue ones with chalcedony - and they reminded me that January 2018 has a blue moon we can be inspired by.

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  6. baymoondesignOctober 20, 2017 at 2:54 PM

    My favorite pair is the second. I love the craters. I also like the contrast of the copper against the darker color. Well done!

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  7. Ann SchroederOctober 21, 2017 at 2:50 AM

    Both very pretty, and I love your tiny crescents in the second pair. I also liked reading about your process.

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  8. anafiassaOctober 21, 2017 at 8:27 AM

    I'm absolutely in love with what you made for this challenge. The first pair is definitely ethereal and reminiscent of the moon, and the combination of metals and moonstone in your second pair... *swoon* Ahem. Your work is always gorgeous--thanks for sharing!

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  9. SusanDolphinDelaneyOctober 21, 2017 at 1:08 PM

    Exquisite!

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  10. Terry Ricioli DesignsOctober 21, 2017 at 2:00 PM

    Great designs! I especially like the moon craters with two different sizes of ball peens!

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  11. bairozanOctober 26, 2017 at 11:24 PM

    These two represent the moon how it is and how we see it - the yellows and oranges are actually an illusion created by the particles in the atmosphere :) The second pair speaks creativity!

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