Friday, October 19, 2018

We're All Ears: October 2018: Mad About Plaid

This month Erin has given us a great challenge over on Earrings Everyday for We're All Ears... plaid!  While I'm all about rocking some comfy tartan flannel pj bottoms or having my sweetie on my arm wearing one of his many plaid brewery shirts, as a jewelry concept, this one stumped me a bit.  Never one to shy away from a good challenge, I forged ahead to try and make me some earrings.


Luckily, I remembered that I had gotten a pair of black and white plaid cocoons from my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus.  That sort of seemed like a gimme... I added some little dangles with fun polka dotted onyx beads.  Not the most involved design that I've ever made, but a cute little pair of earrings nonetheless!


For my second pair, I wanted to try a more involved idea.  I have an embossing folder that has some great geometric patterns on it... one of them reminiscent of a plaid pattern.  My thought process was to try and use Vintaj patina paints to create a colorful, yet simple, plaid pattern.  Well...  my painting skills weren't quite up to the challenge.  This is where things stood after combining, or attempting to combine, the blue and yellow paints that I had chosen... not great.


Determined to salvage something from my mess, I mixed up some glaze and metallic bronze patina and brushed over the top of my little blanks.  It's not perfect by any means but I think that the glaze mixture worked some magic.  It's hard to see the metallic sparkle in the charms, but it's there.  I paired them with some blue and gold striped Czech glass rounds and some creamy-yellowish mercury glass finished rondelles with brass findings.  Overall, I'm not sure the picture totally does these justice...


This is a blog hop so snuggle up in your favorite plaid clothing... or maybe under a cozy plaid blanket and check out what everyone else was inspired to make this month over on the Earrings Everyday blog HERE!


6 comments:

  1. How fortunate to have had the plaid cocoons just in time for the challenge! I think just adding a simple bead to them was perfect as it let them be the star. Your embossed and painted plaid earrings are so great. You definitely have more patience than me to have tried to paint each of those little indents. It really did work out well. And, even though you didn't like it, you found a way to enhance them even more with the bronze. Genius! It gives the earrings a watercolor effect. Lovely.

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  2. Those Sagahus components are perfect for this challenge! I love that you persisted even those this was a challenge...that is the whole point! I quite like the painted components as well. Maybe with a coat of gesso to paint over it might be more obvious, or a couple thin lines painting in a contrasting color, like orange or fuschia, but I totally get the plaid reference. Well done, my friend! Thanks for playing along with me! Enjoy the day! Erin

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  3. The cocoons from Anna Pierson of Saga Hus are perfect for this challenge. They turned into a great pair of earrings. Your patina adventure was a great idea. I wouldn't consider it because it is too tedious for me. I love the metallic plaids you created. Well done!

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  4. Love those plain cocoon links too! Soft and hard at the same time. The black bead dangles are the perfect touch!

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  5. I like the second pair. It is very "Lumberjack" plaid

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  6. I love your plaid inspired designs. The metallic glaze did save those charms you weren't happy with. There is something so cozy about plaid; I just love it. Even though the earrings with the Sag Hus components weren't complicated, I love them because plaid is so unexpected.

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