Have a Heart!! Heart Fest Mini Challenge

I'm really not a hearts type of girl... it's just not necessarily a shape that appeals to me and I'm not all mushy gushy into love when it comes to my jewelry designs.  So, I was surprised when I saw the Heart Fest Mini Challenge over on the Artisans Create Together Facebook page and went digging in my stash, that I had a few hearts hiding out in there!  And I didn't even use all I had for this little challenge.

First up, a pair of earrings featuring some enameled connectors by Blue Hare Art Wear.  I love the black and white speckled look of these and the red and red-orange murrini hearts blooming in the centers.  The two holes at the bottom posed a bit of a design challenge for me but I solved it with some jump rings and fun textured pewter rings.  I like the mix of silver and black tones in the findings.

Next up, a pair of earrings featuring heart shaped bronze clay charms by Lesley Watt.  I paired these with Czech glass in shades of blue and brass findings.  

To break out of my earring run (seriously, I made 9 pairs of earrings in a row!) I did make an necklace.  I used a wonderful polymer clay charm by Andrew Thornton of Allegory Gallery strung with tons of Swarovski pearls in copper and bordeaux.  I was so happy to discover that Andrew's pendant was the perfect color match for these pearls.  It's a simple stringing project, but I think it has great visual impact!

And not to ignore the bracelet lovers out there, I did whip up a batch of bracelets with (mostly) heart shaped button clasps in shades of red, pink, and purple. 

All of these heart themed designs are currently available at Unearthed Arts in downtown Waconia, Minnesota.