Seasonal "Twigz"

Hello!  I have something totally new to share with you tonight!

We all have our favorite beadmakers and one at the top of my list is Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.  I can always count on her to challenge me as a designer which I thrive on.  

One of her latest creations is called "Twigz", they are made of glass on a zigzag of steel wire.

Shown above, are a pair in blood-red garnet glass. I have added lovely mismatched, mellow, Miriam Haskell glass pearls, heavily oxidized caps, spacers, and vintage accent beads. I kept this pair elongated, slim, and elegant.  I purposely left a bend of steel wire exposed as a design element. I think it lends a bit of delicacy and grace if you will.   They have a very gothic vibe.

And moving on into winter ~ Icy Twigz

Here are a pair in etched black glass with hints of blues and greens.  I have wire wrapped some dark grey silk to the top with the tiniest clear AB Swarovski crystals I could find.  

It's hard to photograph just how spectacular the large antique tin-cut crystals are at the top.  They just dazzle in the light.  I used handcrafted ear-wires by Lucy Haslam with that lovely dark twisted effect.

Well, thank you so much for taking a look at what's happening currently on my work table!

Until next time!  Much love from me and the studio cats.

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Fall, Leaves, Fall

 I've been collecting art beads for over a decade now and I'm pretty good at remembering who made what and when, but for the life of me, I can't recall buying these delicate ceramic leaves.  It's very possible they were included in a package as a gift or a trade at some time.  So if they look familiar, please help a girl out!  lol. They are lovely!

I designed these freestyle- just doing what felt right.  I usually make all my necklaces that way as well, no beadboard.  It's like dabbling on a canvas with paint to me.  These feel tribal with a wee bit of Victorian.

I made the faux tin pieces (on copper) last year at an autumn beading retreat with Heather Powers.  There won't be a retreat this year because of social distancing so I'm really missing being in South Haven, Michigan, right now.  Maybe that's why I pulled these out to work with.

The ornate rings are vintage, as are the tiny wood beads by Miriam Haskell.

Here are some stunning lampwork headpins by my favorite artist Kimberly Rogers.  Falling leaves upon falling leaves with an almost birch tree background.

The accent beads are hollow vintage brushed silver-tone with a light aged patina.  Amber rhinestone oxidized spacers for a little sparkle.

It's an hour and a half past midnight and I'm late with this posting -- life has been busy lately!  Hope I squeezed this in just in time...but I don't think so...lol 

 Please take care and enjoy the season.     Love to you all ~

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Unfinished Projects

I made one of these earrings a few weeks back, loved how it turned out.  We all know how time consuming it is to make an item where you design it as you go along. I think I spent several hours creating the first earring. I made the second earring, it was almost finished.  I was rather chuffed with myself until I realised I'd used black thread instead of grey.  I couldn't face re-making the component in that sitting. So off it went in my 'box' of unfinished items.  I think we all have quit a few of these 'boxes' lying around in our studio.

I always make my blog post earrings last minute.  So I looked through my 'unfinished projects boxes' and came across these. I was ready to finish them.  I hope you like the finished pair.

Beautiful enamels by Annet Riabukhina hang from my beadwoven squares.

That's all for today.   See you soon.

Suhana <3

My group: Suhana Hart Jewellery

Good King of Cats

Hello!  

I had received some wonderful polymer charms from a bead artist in Sweden by the name of Anneli Gustavsson.   It was love at first sight!  All the charms had whimsical medieval illustrations and mostly of little animals.  Loveeee I tell you!

I must have tried a half dozen different designs and then I thought to pair them with a cross or sword of some type.  I dug around in my stash of Inviciti charms and huzzah - the perfect rich gold pieces! I almost added some pearls but decided to leave them more primitive. I used handmade twisted ear-wires by Joan Moritz Langmo which add just the right touch.  When you decide on a more simple design it's important that each piece is amazing on its own. Honestly, I couldn't be more thrilled with the way they turned out.

Thank you for stopping by my beading table today!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Come Play With Us, Danny...

I love my little ghouls!

I've had these wonderful little faces by Claire Lockwood of Something To Do With Your Hands for probably a couple of years now.  They have always been a favorite of mine!  I remember squeeing when they arrived from England and I've hoarded them ever since.

Recently I purchased some Czech glass flowers in matte black. As they sat on my worktable, it dawned on me that they would make cool Victorian dresses!

I also added a pair of twisted lampwork beads by Michelle Hicks Lusk of Caliente Art Glass 

I hope these were a nice and strange little surprise!

Thank you all for dropping by my bead table today!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." ~ A.A. Milne

I love playing around with strong contrast, and this pair of earrings has quite a nice mixture of texture and different types of material.

The beautiful porcelain earring charms are by Terri DelSignore of Artisticaos.  They have all the qualities I love - beautiful color, nice lines, and endless possibilities for designing with.

 I decided to build an abstract sort of flowering weed.  I didn't want to add a lot of color to the top of this pair, keeping the focus on the colorful stems. I used dyed lucite berries and added some sweet vintage glass pearls for a little softness and light.  It's a nice sophisticated and versatile color palette this way.

It popped into my head to use some bold rustic metal bead caps to represent the withering sepal. Also, they complement the outline of the leaves. I think the rustic look of the metal lends a nice little element of surprise, too, and really brings the whole design together.

Thank you, thank you, for stopping by to see what's happening on my worktable today!

See you back here in a couple of weeks!  

Loralee xo

https://www.facebook.com/loraleekolton.jewelry/

Hello?

I am 'sort of' back.  I'm going to try and post more regularly 🤞. 

I took up beadweaving last year, and I am hooked!  I'm a novice but I am loving using the teeny bit of skill I've acquired.  Today's earrings feature a pair of beautiful porcelain wings by Terri DelSignore.

Here I have added red delicas to the rectangle frame.  I know there isn't any red on the main components (wings) but I think the pop of red makes these look more interesting. 

I do love using rhinestones on everything and these didn't get spared either.  I matched them up with the purple on the wings so they don't take away from the red. 

Here's another view on my 'earringquin' 😆 

I hope you like them. These are available, not sure where I will list them yet as my Etsy shop is closed.  Feel free to contact me via Facebook or my group if you're interested.  See you in a couple of weeks time.  Stay safe and well ❤🤗❤

Suhana xx

My FB group: Suhana Hart Jewellery

Mod Squad

Is 'Tribal Mid-century' even a thing?  Well, that's what I'm calling this pair!

Fabulous French artisan lampwork beads by Un Vent de Liberte.

Very cool asymmetrical charms by Yvonne Irvin-Faus which are made of painted plexiglass.

Thanks for stopping by my bead table today!

I know my taste can be eclectic and sometimes I get questions or comments about my stash of supplies. Well, I simply buy what catches my eye or what moves me emotionally. Normally when I make a purchase it will sit in the drawer a long while - even years.  Last week, for example, I bought a tiny vintage glass pickle button, circa 1930.  I have no clue how that will be used in the future, but I know it will be waiting for me when the time is right! 

Loralee xo

https://www.facebook.com/loraleekolton.jewelry/

Chrysanthemum Earrings

One of my Pandemic Projects has been cleaning and organizing my studio. It had gotten so bad that I had no space in which to work. Oh look! I've organized one corner!

I won't share any other studio pictures, as the rest is still a disaster zone. I'm taking it step by step, otherwise the task is too overwhelming. Anyway, while I was cleaning, I found a pair of earrings that I had started, but never finished. So I finished them up in time for today's post.

The copper shards are the work of Kristi Bowman Designs. They remind me of the rays of petals that circle the center of chrysanthemum blooms. I used enameled headpins by Sue Beads to wire on a pair of carved fluorite flowers. The fancy copper ear wires are by wire wizard, Joan Langmo. 

The Chrysanthemum Earrings are available on my website.
Do you have any Pandemic Projects you're working on? Let us know in the comments. Stay home and stay safe friends!

Linda Landig Jewelry

Sweet Bun-Buns

Joan Miller of Joan Miller Porcelain is the amazing talent behind these sweet little bunnies.  For me, the biggest design challenge working with Joan's pieces is enhancing without overpowering; adding just enough to the ongoing story. 

Atop are bunches of tiny hand-painted flowers. I love the contrast of the matte mottled metal against the glossy clean lines of the porcelain charms.  The copper accents are warm and mingle nicely with the color palette. The heavily oxidized ear-wires give balance to the dark outlined characters.

Below are hand-painted pewter bunny silhouette charms by Kelly Luttrell of Soul Relica.  I love the softened squared off clover shape, it's just perfect for a tiny rabbit portrait.

I've hoarded these matte floral cubes for years, again by Joan. They look great not only colorwise but in proportion and shape as well. 

My adorable plate was made by The Storybook Rabbit. If you've never checked her out you should!  

I've provided links to all :) 

💜

Thank you so much for stopping my worktable today!!  Hoppy April, Y'all!

Loralee xo

https://www.facebook.com/loraleekolton.jewelry/

Harbinger Of Joy

 I always feel like spring is on the way when I see the first crocuses pushing up through the soil or peeking out from the snow. Spring flowers fill me with joy and hope (much needed these days).

The purple and yellow earrings I'm sharing this week remind me of the colors of these pretty, little crocuses. But they could also be reminders of purple Dutch irises, with their yellow centers or purple tulips with their vibrant yellow throats. All of these signal joy to me!

You probably recognize the polymer clay tube beads as being the work of Heather Powers, of Humble Beads. I paired them with hand enameled beads by Susan Kennedy of Sue Beads. I love the way the ribbing, in the metal beads, stands out as a contrasting texture. Buttery yellow ceramic floral bead caps and yellow faceted fire polish beads provide the accents.

Polymer clay is very lightweight and the enameled beads are hollow, so these earring are very comfortable to wear. You maybe thinking, "But who needs earrings now?" Well I have found that wearing a little handmade jewelry actually cheers me up a bit. There were a few of the early isolation days where I never got out of my PJs, but I still wore a blue stretch bracelet (hey, it matched my PJs, so why not?). I have resumed getting dressed daily and creating a normal daily routine, as much as possible. It helps. The Spring Crocus earrings can be found in my shop here.

I hope you and your loved ones are staying home and staying safe. Plus you are saving the lives of other vulnerable people, when you shelter at home. Hang in there and enjoy the spring flowers.

Linda Landig Jewelry

Hope Springs Eternal

Being on the cusp of Spring, I bring to you this day ~

Proverb-

"It is human nature always to find fresh cause for optimism."

There are two amazing and glorious things about these earrings: First, the newly created enamel work by Inviciti!!!  Yass! Garden sprouts with seedlings, just ready to emerge from the earth. Also, I'd like to mention that this is one of my favorite retro color combinations! 

Secondly, rare scalloped antique furnace glass!!  I've had this strand in my stash for a long time and I can't even begin to tell you how special it is.  Stunning emerald green with a beautiful scalloped edge that captures light and brings so much texture.  I also found some vintage black spacers with the same scalloped edge to build on.  At the very top are rustic peeled vintage glass pearls which always have a nice mellow color.

♡

Thank you for stopping by my worktable today!!  Happy Spring!!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Night Sky at the Cafe Terrace

Look up on a clear summer night. The parade of stars and the moon light up the evening sky and turn it from a flat black to luminous shades of midnight blue. I can see that night sky represented in the lampwork glass beads I chose for these earrings.

 The midnight blue glass has swirls of yellow green in it, that remind me of the night sky in van Gogh's painting Cafe Terrace at Night. 

The ceramic flower beads accent the yellow green swirls. Semi-hidden under the flowers are midnight blue Swarovski crystals and then, suspended from the crystals, is sterling silver chain with Swarovski crystals dangling at the end. Bold, without being gaudy. Sexy and elegant.

Thanks for visiting Earrings Everyday. Maybe I'll have some Easter earrings for you when I come back in 2 weeks. 

Linda Landig Jewelry

Serendipity With Buttons

I had no idea what to make for this week's earrings, until I sat down at my work table last weekend. There, at the table, were all the leftover beads from a bracelet I'd made last week. I know, I know I should clean up after myself, but that's a whole different story.
Among the debris, I found these buttons that I'd bought at an antique/vintage store a couple of years ago. When I made the purchase, I planned to use them to create button closures for bracelets. But I suddenly saw these buttons in a new light.

I realized they could be used like earring charms or dangles! I dug through the other beads on my table and came across these really cool, rustic ceramic discs that I'd picked up at a bead show somewhere. They have very large holes in the center, so that when I attached them to the wooden buttons, the discs covered up the button shanks.

I added some accents and connected it all with brown Irish waxed linen. I love how they turned out. It tickles me that I could come up with a new, unusual way to use some old buttons. You can find these earrings in my shop now. Thanks, as always, for visiting Earrings Everyday. We love hearing from you in the comment section!

Linda Landig Jewelry

New Beginnings

Today we got to meet our new baby grandson, Kai Landig! Grandma and Grandpa got to hold him and give him lots of loves! See how content he looks in his Grandpa's arms!

However, as far as blogging goes, you'll have to forgive the blurry earring photos.

I'm editing them on my phone, in the motel room near our son's  house, whereas I usually take them with a regular camera and edit them in Photoshop,  on my laptop.

If you do crafts of any type, have you had days where your hands seem to have a total disconnect from your brain and they bungle anything you try to do? I was having such a day when I made these earrings. The first earring came together reasonably easily,  but the second - gah! Either the decorative, crossed wires on the pearl, wouldn't lay flat or the cross was too high up and couldn't be coaxed back in place or....you get the idea. I had to keep cutting it apart and starting over. And this was Sterling silver wire I was mangling! 

Anyway, eventually I wrestled it into compliance. 

The earrings feature my own handmade ceramic dangles, colored mother of pearl beads and sterling silver. I named them New Beginnings in honor of Kai's new beginning in this crazy world of ours. 💖

Linda Landig Jewelry