New Earring Monday: Weeks 41 and 42

Wow!  We are week 42 of 2015 which means only 10 more weeks in the year... and only 5 more New Earring Mondays left!  That just blew my mind a little bit.

This week I'm going to kick things off by sharing another special order that came out of the Art Wander.  In this case, the customer had seen a necklace she liked at my house on the Wander, but ended up walking away.  When she got to Unearthed Arts, where I have my jewelry all the time, she saw a similar design and decided to buy it as a gift... just one problem, she needed earrings to go with it!  We finally got the chance to meet up and design what she wanted and here it is what we came up with...

Next up, I've been playing with a design that I debuted at Art Wander... my long oak leaf and owl earrings.  I've been trying some new colors (love these beads!).  I've only sold two pairs of this style so far, so I should probably slow down on production, but I love this design!  I'm in desperate need of an Etsy shop revamp, and I'm thinking I'll list these there and see what happens.  I know long isn't for everyone, but I'm hoping that the right person will find these little hooties.

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Art Bead Scene October 2015

The inspiration for this month's Art Bead Scene challenge is a painting of the goddess Ma'at from the tomb of Queen Nefertari.  You can read more about the artwork and Queen Nefertari over on the ABS blog HERE.

Ma'at from Tomb of the Queen Nerfertari

1255BC

Valley of the Queens

At first I was at a loss for what to create this month.  In all honesty, I think all the yellow in the artwork was throwing me off... yellow is most definitely outside my design comfort zone!  Then my package of goodies from Havana Beads arrived and a light bulb went off when I saw my new lampwork beads in person.  I had managed to snatch up a couple of sets of her matched earring pairs (and I'm still kicking myself for not buying the third set she had...)  Here's the set that got my creativity jump-started:

I started out thinking I'd use the cobalt blue pair on the left.  The color is very similar to lapis lazuli and that dark blue was the color that resonated the most with me from the painting.  The crusty feeling to these matte lampwork beads speaks of antiquity... they could have been uncovered in an ancient Egyptian tomb.  (And, by the way, I love that this set is called "Treasure Coast."  Seems fitting!)

As I continued to dig around looking for something to pair with my new lampie lovelies, I ran across a pair of little ceramic scarab beads that I bought last October when we visited Allegory Gallery (I'm pretty sure that they were some of Eric's picks).  Since the scarabs are more of a teal color, I decided to switch to the darker turquoise/teal pair.  I don't usually work with gold plated or filled findings, but made an exception in this case.  Luckily, I had some gold colored German wire and some other gold beads and findings that I bought in my very early days of beading on hand.

While I don't think I'll run out and start doing a lot in gold tones, I'm really happy with how these earrings came together.  I'd like to think that the end result would be fitting for a queen!

We're All Ears October 2015

For this month's We're All Ears challenge, we have been challenged to create earrings to accessorize a look from the fall fashion runways.  Erin Prais-Hintz found a great collection of looks from designer Monique Lhuillier's fall line.  She chose a trio of looks from two different color themes.  I love the rich colors and immediately thought that some Swarovski pearls might be just the ticket for this month's challenge.

For this wine colored trio, I pulled some of my Bordeaux colored Swarovski pearls (one of my favorites!)  I originally thought I'd do a two tier style with two sizes of the pearls... something similar to a pair I made for myself ages ago with brass instead of silver.  But then my eyes rested on some oval pewter links that I've never played with.  I decided that they would add a more casual feel to the earrings while still giving a dramatic effect.  I think that they would look cute with outfit A or possibly C (but the coat's collar might get in the way of the dangles!)

For the purple mini-collection, I went with a more sleek and paired down look with a larger sized Swarovski pearl in dark purple with silver plated "pringles" and lighter purple crystals.  I feel like the simplicity of the beads on the long arched ear wires feels elegant and would pair well with either look D or F.

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New Earring Monday: Weeks 39 and 40

Hey folks... it's already New Earring Monday again!  I have to admit that the last two weeks haven't been super productive in the earring department.  Leading up to the Art Wander I was in mostly bracelet and necklace mode.  The week after the show was mostly spent tagging jewelry and restocking my area at Unearthed Arts... and recuperating from a busy September!  I welcome October and a (hopefully) slightly less hectic schedule.

I haven't been a total slacker.  I did manage to complete two of the four special orders that came out of the Art Wander that were for earrings.  So I guess that's my theme this time!

First up, a pair of earrings made for a new customer.  She brought me a pair of earrings on long, arched ear wires with some bright lampwork beads.  She liked the style but wanted something more neutral.  I didn't have any art beads that fit the bill for her, but I was able to pull out a couple of other boxes of beads to show her some options.  She ended up liking some Czech glass saucer beads in s funky iridescent light blue and brown.  There's color there but it's subtle.

My other special order came from an ex-coworker who found a necklace that she loved but needed earrings to go with it.  Again, I was able to pull out some of my bead boxes to show her some options for custom earrings.  (This is one of the best things about being a studio on the tour instead of a guest artist... I've got all my supplies at my fingertips and can easily adapt a jewelry piece or make something new for a customer.)

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Inspired by Reading: Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

September just flew by for me... I can hardly believe that it's already October 1st!  I had to skip several of my favorite challenges (even though I had some perfect beads) since I was so busy getting ready for the big show I had last weekend.  Thank goodness Andrew Thornton decided to push back the date for this reveal or I would have missed the Inspired by Reading Book Club too!  Hopefully October will be a bit more calm and I will get back into the swing of things.  Ok, let's be honest, that's probably wishful thinking!

Anyway, onto the business at hand... the September selection for the Inspired by Reading Book Club was Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.  I picked this one up in paperback at a library conference a while back on the recommendation of my friend Dena... and now I finally had an excuse to read it!

I'm going to apologize for not having super deep or coherent thoughts about the book... it's been more than a month since I finished reading it and all my brain power has been siphoned off in other directions.  This was a super fast and fun read for me and I plowed through it to find out what was going to happen.  This is totally goofy, but I also loved the fact that the paperback edition that I have glows in the dark... so fun!

Our main character, Clay, finds himself working the overnight shift in a very strange 24-hour bookstore where actual sales are few and far between.  The story ends up being part mystery and part adventure as Clay seeks to unravel the mysteries of the bookstore and it's odd owner and discovers that something much bigger is going on behind the scenes.  I don't want to give too much away, and also I have mush-brain, so I'll leave it at that.

Blame it on all my pre and post show craziness, but I went fairly literal again this month.  I had gotten the cutest little ceramic book bead from fellow book club member Mary Harding and I decided that this was the perfect time to finally use it.  I knew from the moment I saw that little book bead that it was for me and me alone, so this challenge was perfect timing for me to actually make something for myself.  We'll consider it a reward for a successful show!

There are some great colors in that little book (and if you know Mary's work you aren't surprised to hear that) so I had a good starting point for pulling together a design.  Feeling in a mostly gemstone mood, I grabbed some agate, petrified green opal in a great diamond shape, carnelian, and a yellow gemstone of some sort.  (Any guess on that one?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!)  For an extra pop of orange I also pulled in one Czech glass rondelle... I had two different ones pulled out and I'm not 100% sure if I'm happy with this one, but I was past out of time!

I added some little charms dangling off the bottom of the book including a little brass key that symbolizes the unlocking of the mysteries of the bookstore and ancient order behind it.  I would normally just use chain at the back of a necklace like this but, on a whim, I went digging through my ribbon stash and found the perfect piece.  I keep trying to get myself to do more with various fibers, so this was good for me.  I like the soft feel of the ribbon on my neck, so, who knows, maybe I'll try this more often.

Head on over to Andrew's blog HERE to see what everyone else created for this month's challenge.  My sweet husband is playing along again this month with his photography and you can find his post HERE.  

Muffin Tin Challenge Reveal: Redux

Think way, way back to January and you may remember that Heather Powers hosted a Muffin Tin Challenge where participants were encouraged to fill a muffin tin with all the goodies needed for a project and get as many as possible completed during the given time frame.  It was a wonderful creative challenge that helped me get my creative mojo going.  I used the challenge as a way to make some pieces to submit to Create Jewelry, a special issue of Stringing magazine and, since they actually wanted to see a number of my submissions in person, I wasn't able to actually show off my finished projects for the Muffin Tin reveal.  Better late than never, I'm finally going to share the rest of my creations!

Here is how my muffin tin looked when I first started.  I finished 7 necklaces and 6 pairs of earrings during the challenge but still had projects left in 4 cups when the challenge ended.  (I'm happy to say that I eventually finished all but one of the intended projects... Jenny Davies-Reazor's pendant is still waiting for some love.)

Moth Collector: This necklace features a resin filled pendant that I made, a mix of silver plated chain, mookaite, rhodonite, and septaria.  I'm always pleased when I can successfully achieve asymmetry!

Seahorse Cove: Andrew Thornton's porcelain pendant was the starting point for this necklace.  I had grabbed this one and several others at his shop Allegory Gallery when we visited Ligonier last fall.  I used a mix of ceramic, glass, and apatite beads with sari silk at the back.  I'm thrilled with the way this one turned out!  I'm still pretty new to mixing fibers into my designs so I'm proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone.

Proud Peacock: This one started with a set of beads from Gaea.  I added some brass beads and some random gemstones in complementary colors and had fun playing with a mix of waxed Irish linen colors.  This one is BIG... a real statement piece for sure!

Lotus Blossom: My sweet husband bought me this ceramic lotus flower pendant from Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio for Christmas.  I added in a couple of types of jade and some brass beads along the waxed Irish linen.

Cracked Earth: This amazing sunflower pendant from Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead was in my wonderful grab bag on my first Bead Cruise.  Yes, it has been languishing in my stash for that long!  Well, the time was right for it to get out of cold storage and into a design mixed with red creek and crazy horse jaspers as well as some petrified green opal nuggets and some metallic peanut beads.

Last, but not least is Secret Sunflower:  This is the one necklace out of the bunch that actually got published!  I used a cheerful shadowbox bead from Round Rabbit and added Czech and recycled glass links in bright pinks and oranges.  This was my first time having a necklace appear in a national magazine so that was pretty exciting.  This is one design that I just can't bear to part with.

I'm very happy to say that all but Lotus Blossom and Cracked Earth found good homes at this past weekend's show, The Edge of the Big Woods Art Wander!  Another huge thank you to everyone who Wandered by over the three day studio tour.  It was wonderful to see old friends and make new ones.
This week finds me tired but happy.  I'm giving myself a couple of days where I'm not pushing too hard but still getting things done before I get back on what passes for a normal schedule around here.  Thanks for stopping by today... have a great week!  

New Earring Monday: Weeks 37 and 38

Happy Monday everyone.  I don't know about you, but I'm looking down the barrel of a super busy week.  If you haven't heard me mention it yet, this weekend is my big three day art show... The Edge of the Big Woods Art Wander!!!  I've got tons to do before the show starts Friday afternoon and, per my usual way, I'm sure I'll be scrambling until the last minute (and possibly beyond).  Luckily, I thrive under pressure.  It's a super fun show and totally worth all the frantic energy that goes into it.

Last month I shared all my art bead spoils from Bead Fest Philadelphia HERE... I've managed to make a pretty good dent in my new found stash.  I'm proud of myself for getting in there and using so many of my new pretties instead of just rolling around in them and hoarding them all!  (Of course, I probably shouldn't give myself too big a pat on the back since using them meant that I didn't need to put them away!)

Time is at a premium, so I'm going to let the earrings mostly speak for themselves.  Enjoy!  And if you're in the local area, come see me this weekend at Studio J on the Art Wander!

Left to right beads by: Firefly Design Studio, Humblebeads & Jenny Davies-Reazor, Humblebeads & Firefly Design Studio

Left to right beads by: Humblebeads, Humblebeads & Nichole Valentine, Humblebeads & Spacer Bead Shop

Left to right beads by: Humblebeads & Nichole Valentine, Humblebeads & Firefly Design Studio, Humblebeads

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