Guest Artist :: Nicola Morse

Today we welcome guest artist Nicola Morse to Earrings Everyday. Miss Nicola lives in United Kingdom. She has a real keen eye for color and pattern, influenced by folk art. Her hand painted metal components are truly special and she has a great sense of design when combining them with handmade beads and components from other artists.

We are pleased to introduce you to Nicola Morse.

Colour and Pattern

Hi everyone, this is my first post here in ‘Earrings Everyday’ so I thought I would start with these earrings I have just made using my own hand painted components. 

The base of my components are metal, usually copper, brass or aluminium to which I hand paint a design and add a layer or two of a jeweller’s grade resin. I love to experiment with colour and pattern and am also  influenced by folk art.

To create the earrings above I have matched my components with beautiful lampwork by Régis Teixera of Magma Beads and hand woven beaded components by Ellie Bead. For the earrings below I have again used lampwork by Régis Teixera with Vintaj bead caps and lampwork discs.

Check out more of Nicola Morse's work on her Facebook page.

We're All Ears :: October Reveal

I took a meteorology class in college because I thought it would be an easy and entertaining way to satisfy my science credit. WRONG! Meteorology = Math, and I am not great at that.

What I did love learning about were weather patterns and cloud formations. I find clouds fascinating. So this month I have been stopping and noticing clouds on my daily commute and find that I frequently take pictures of striking clouds.  

I also love weather maps. You know the ones that show what look like ripples in a pond radiating out? I can recall having to take a photocopy of the US map gathering some weather data and plotting all the wind patterns and isobars on there and then coloring it for temperature variations.  My professor couldn't understand why my wind patterns were always screwed up. But my colors were always perfect! I just love the color coding. Like the maps you find on the back of the USA Today newspaper when you stay at a hotel.

This map in motion from December 25, 2013 is from the Star Tribune website out of Minneapolis posted by meteorologist Paul Douglas. Isn't it fascinating to watch it morph and change? Looks like Christmas was chilly that year!

The colors that are assigned are based on temperature changes of 10 degrees. Red is the hottest, while blue and white are the coldest. These types of maps are called Isotherms.

i·so·therm

ˈīsəˌTHərm/

noun

1. a line on a map connecting points having the same temperature at a given time or on average over a given period.

   • PHYSICS

     a curve on a diagram joining points representing states or conditions of equal temperature.
   • 
     

Since there were so many options with weather (precipitation, wind, clouds) I just couldn't settle on one thing for my own challenge. But then I came upon these maps and the lightbulb went on....  I could make my own isotherm patterns in clay! Eureka! (At this point I should tell you that it was about 9:38pm...)

I set out doing some mokume gane and blended colors from fuschia and magenta, indigo and cerulean, leaf and wasabi, sunflower and pumpkin ending in blood red. I threw in a few layers of translucent mixed with opal and then some variegated gold leaf just for good measure. Then I impressed away with all sorts of tools to make marks. It always looks like a mess at this point. 

You don't know the magic of mokume gane until you make that first slice. They are always destined for the scrap heap, but not this time. I will make so many things from this amazing stack (and just in time for the onslaught of holiday shows right around the corner!)

From there it was just finding the right bezel in my stash. I sliced away, selecting contiguous pairs, covered them with resin. I found the perfect little heart charms for the bottom because I love weather! I think I will see what other bezels I have that might work with these slices... like long thin pendants in my favorite bezel might be awesome!

I call these earrings Isothermic for the variations in color temperature and the fact that they look like impending storms are brewing! Here's wishing you beautiful skies wherever you are!

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We're All Ears :: January Inspiration

^{"Colors this season transport us to a happier, sunnier place where we feel free to express a wittier version of our real selves."Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute™}

  ^{So the Pantone color of the year has been announced... and it is a DUO! Say hello to Rose Quartz and Serenity. Tell me...does this pair transport you to a happier, sunnier place?}

 ^{I am not quite sure what I think each year when these trend reports are released. Mostly I don't like them, but then they eventually grow on me. I am actually intrigued by a pair of colors that can work in tandem and blend and morph. I am not sure how I feel about the rest of the palette for Spring 2016. I am not sure they play together as nicely as these two.  We are told on the Pantone site that this year's palette features color choices that are unisex to reflect a shift in cultural and gender norms. These color choices for both men and women are meant to evoke "a desire to breathe and reflect, then play."   Hmmmm... that sounds like a lot of responsibility for a set of colors. I wonder what you think?} 

Here is what the Pantone Color Institute has to say about the top 10 colors for 2016:

• The soothing, calming nature of colors in the Spring collections are led by Rose Quartz, a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Like a serene sunset, flushed cheek or budding flower, Rose Quartz reminds us to reflect on our surroundings during the busy but lighthearted spring and summer months.
• The fashion and design communities, and consequently, consumers, have been in love with orange for several seasons. Coming to the fore this Spring is, Peach Echo, a shade that emanates friendlier qualities, evoking warmth and accessibility. It is an all-encompassing, tempered companion in the playful orange family.
• Weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, Serenity comforts with a calming effect, bringing a feeling of respite even in turbulent times. A transcendent blue, Serenity provides us with a naturally connected sense of space.
• A maritime-inspired blue, Snorkel Blue plays in the navy family, but with a happier, more energetic context. The name alone implies a relaxing vacation and encourages escape. It is striking yet still, with lots of activity bursting from its undertones.
• While the majority of the Spring/Summer palette trends toward calmness, a few diversions from the theme emerge that offer a contrast. With Buttercup designers reveal a shining beacon transporting its wearer to a happier, sunnier place.
• A shade of aqua that leans toward the green family, Limpet Shell is clear, clean and defined. Suggestive of clarity and freshness, its crisp and modern influences evoke a deliberate, mindful tranquility.
• As in most any season, the need for neutrals arises. Essentially a basic, the subtlety of the lilac undertone in, Lilac Gray, adds a distinctive edge to this classic gray shade.
• The high energy Fiesta is a harbinger of excitement, encouraging free-spirited exploration to unknown but welcoming locales. A strong and fiery, yellow-based red, the vivid Fiesta provides a stark contrast to the calming, softer nature of this season’s palette.
• A transitional color that will take us through the seasons, Iced Coffee manifests as another strong neutral for the season. With its natural earthy quality, the softness and subtlety of Iced Coffee creates a stable foundation when combined with the rest of this season’s palette.
• Green Flash calls on its wearer to explore, push the envelope and escape the mundane, radiating an openness that combines with the rest of the palette in unexpected but serendipitous ways. The popularity of this brilliant hue is representative of nature’s persistent influence even in urban environments, a trend continuing to inspire designers.

^{It seems to me that these colors are fairly reminiscent of the 2015 colors, but in a bit more vibrant palette. Do you see that? What do you think? Our challenge this month is to use the spring 2016 palette to create with. Do check out the Pantone Color report for more information, including pairings for each of the colors which I find intriguing. And of course, if you choose to just stick with the two colors of the year, that is a great challenge in and of itself...how to make baby pink and light blue sophisticated and fresh and fit for more than a baby shower...} 

 

What colors do YOU like from the 2016 Pantone Spring color forecast?
What will you be wearing - or creating with - in the coming year?

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To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:

Make earrings inspired by this inspiration.

Write a post on your blog.

Add your exact blog post URL link to the
InLinkz code right here on 

Friday, January 15th.

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P.S. I promised winners for the last challenge and then dropped the ball with all the holiday prep. I decided that all those that entered the last blog hop were winners just for carving out time to do it! All those that participated and uploaded their link by the deadline are winners and have all be contacted to arrange for their prize! I do plan to make the Use Your Leftovers an annual event, perfect for the end of the year and the gifting season. Looking forward to more earring fun with you in 2016!

We're All Ears :: May Reveal

"Sure he was great, but don't forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards
...and in high heels!" ~ Bob Thaves, creator of the Frank & Ernest cartoon

With a challenge like this, that is at once visual and auditory, I spend a lot of time looping the music and the video to really immerse myself in the inspiration. Luckily, this song is quite nuanced and intriguing and the video is equally as fun to watch. Each time I watched it, over and over, I found something new to focus on. One time it was her dress...another time her shoes...then his perfectly hued wardrobe...and yet another was on the walls that served as their colorful backdrop.

As I watched, I had a pad of paper with me. I sketched shapes that seemed to recur to me, wrote notes on the colors that jumped out at me most (and the ones where I liked her outfits ;-) and made a whole word cloud of the words and phrases that came to mind.

I was struck by the give and take of the dance. The measured steps. The total control. And the giving into the seduction. These dancers are different, unique, distinct when separate, but they move as one. That is what I set out to capture with my earrings.

I wanted to bring lightness, an ease, effortlessness to these earrings, but yet I also wanted them to be strong and substantial. They also needed to have an element of male/female, yin/yang, give/take. And they had to have COLOR!

Now I have to admit that I don't leave myself much time to do any of these challenges. I sat down on Wednesday evening and thought that I could pull off a rather complex technical feat, but that didn't quite happen.

I have been researching the mysterious art of plique-a-jour which literally means "glimpse of daylight." I intended to make organic, flowing wire forms that held translucent color in the cells. Plique-a-jour is much like cloisonne, but there is no backing, so the light travels through the cells (or cloison) much like stained glass. I wasn't able to do exactly what I have in mind...but my mind is still racing with ideas to make this happen for real that will continue to feed my creative hunger. I WILL master what I have in my head. These are only the beginning.

So tonight, after I got home around 8:30 after a baseball double-header an hour away (we won both games - yea!), I set to work making a total of 4 different pair (I was shooting for 6...not bad!).

 

 I formed the shapes in my favorite dark annealed steel wire and then colored some of the cells. I think the naked wire forms look pretty darn great, but the color just makes them pop, and when I figure out how to make them more translucent, I know they will be even better!

They still need to be sealed, and perhaps some resin over the colors to make them last at bit longer. They are just experiments at this point, prototypes, if you will. But I am encouraged by the way this is turning out.

 
You will notice that I don't have any ear wires.... I want to make them myself but right now it is nearly 2:00 am and I have to get some sleep! I didn't think they looked good with any of the mass-produced ones that I have, so that will wait. Plus, they were technically still drying! ;-)

I can't wait to see what marvels you created from this color-filled and musical inspiration!

 

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Let's see what you created!
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Leave kind, encouraging comments.
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We're All Ears :: October Inspiration

Like a lot of people, I have done a wide variety of craft pursuits over the years. (What?! You, too?!) One of my favorites is something that I picked up in college and did for a short period of time: marbleizing.

What looks like a very complex craft is really not much more than water, paint, alum and toothpicks. Okay. There is a little more to it than that, but really it is something special that you can do with very little investment and a lot of messy fun. Marbleizing paper is a great rainy day craft. 

There is something sort of Zen-like to floating the colors on the surface of water, laying the paper or fabric on top and watching the magic unfold as the colorful pattern is transferred. The richness of color and detail in marbled works of art is stunning.This is an art that captivates me.

Galen Berry is a renowned American marbleizer who has a very informative website. I also discovered an artist from the UK named Jemma Lewis who makes beautiful patterns and swirls of colors. I couldn't select just one, so I decided that two collages would be a better option so that you could choose the one (or more!) that speaks most to you. Be sure to check out their websites for more beauties!

What inspires you about these marble-ous works of art?

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To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:

Make earrings inspired by this picture.

Write a post on your blog.

Add your exact blog post URL link to the
InLinkz code right here on 

Friday, October 17th.

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We're All Ears :: August Reveal

These stunning sculptures by artist Gabriel Dawe seem so dreamlike to me. I love the linear quality of both the kaleidoscopic threads and the railings of the stairs. The overlapping colors look like they are floating in the air, like when you see those dust motes drifting in the air currents of a sunbeam.

For my earrings I found a stash of some Swarovski crystal briolettes in a rainbow of colors that were left over from a wedding I did in February. I love briolettes but finding a way to connect them always irks me. I usually resort to a thin gauge double wire wrap at the top, but that would feel too heavy for this inspiration. So I devised a new way to hang briolettes using beading wire and crimps. I like that you can see the entire top of the bead and they almost seem to float.

Here is a bonus step-by-step showing how I created the briolette connectors:

Since I wasn't making one pair of earrings in all the colors, I decided that I would make a series of them in a variety of colors. I even tried them in silver with a clear crystal. I see the beginnings of a collection happening here!

I like my earrings long with movement and texture. These certainly fit the bill and are something I would wear with every outfit every single day!

I couldn't come up with a name for them. Plum out of ideas. Any thoughts?

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Let's see what you created!
Please take the time to hop around to the participants.
Leave kind, encouraging comments.
Visit their shops.
Make new friends!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An InLinkz Link-up

Perfect Pots for your Earrings of course!

 

I am feeling colourful today! I think these pots by KarensCoolPots on Etsy will be just the thing to keep all our lived bright and cheerful!

  All custom made from every colour of the rainbow! Choose your favorite!  So hard to pick a favorite! So come pick out your favorite Pots and remember to visit our shops so we can help you fill them!

Wishing you an earring filled weekend from the gang here at Earrings Everyday!