We're All Ears: March 2018: Black & White

For this month's We're All Ears challenge over on the Earrings Everyday blog, Erin Prais-Hintz has encouraged us to go monochromatic and work in black and white.  Challenge accepted!

I started out with a couple of pretty simple pairs that are kind of variations on a theme.  The pair on the right features some melon style beads from Golem Design Studio and recycled glass teardrops.  The pair on the left has ceramic beads by Earthenwood Studio with black crystal teardrops and earwires decorated with Swarovski crystals for a little extra bling.

I wasn't sure that I'd manage to make more than those initial pairs, but my husband's renewed interest in miniature painting (for which he uses part of my bead table!) has encouraged me to spend a little more time working on jewelry making in the evenings.  While he was busing painting a couple of ??, I managed to whip up a third pair.  This one is more cream and black, but I'm going consider it close enough for government work!  I've had these cool little links from Earthenwood Studio for quite some time now... always assuming that they would eventually become earrings.  I added dangles with some of my much coveted (and hoarded!) fluted ? rounds fancied up with some brass bead caps.

Again, I thought I was done making for this month's challenge but I was wrong!  I spent the better part of two days working on getting beads and supplies put away and organized.  While I was putting some of my newer goodies away I spotted a few more possibilities and rewarded my hard work with a little jewelry making play time!

I'm glad that I kept going since this next pair is one of my favorites of the bunch!  These are all about polka dots... although the spots on the onyx rounds are tough to see in the photo.  The tube shaped beads make me seriously happy with their happy spots.  I'm not sure if they are bone or horn, but I love the effect!

At the Twin Cities Bead Bazaar a couple of weeks ago I snagged a handful of gemstone links and charms... including a little pairs of black rutilated quartz charms.  I paired them with some faceted rutilated quartz rounds and silver plated spacers.  I like the elegant look of these!

Last but not least, I played with some vintage black and white beads that I bought from Vintage Bead Vault on Facebook.  I snatched these beads up because they were shapes I'd never seen before and I thought they'd play nicely together.  I have to laugh, because I was totally thinking flowers when I made these earrings, but when I took this photo I realized that they totally look like little mushrooms.  Now I can't un-see them!  LOL.

This is a blog hop... stop by the Earrings Everyday blog HERE to see what everyone else was inspired to make!  Have a great weekend!