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

Simple, But Significant

Hello, friends!

This past week I've been working on a few projects and in-between, have also been playing around with random things living on my worktable.  So, for this blog post, I have an eclectic mix for you.

I may have mentioned in past posts one of my favorite quotes from Mad Men: "Make it simple, but significant."...you'll probably hear it from me again down the road because it's become my mantra.

Lovely artisan enameled discs by Anne Gardanne and wire wrapped fiber cocoons by Anna Pierson.

Outstanding lampwork headpins by Kimberly Rogers that I've looped and added tiny vintage Miriam Haskell wood beads to.  The wood beads were surprisingly delicate to work with, perhaps due to their age.  They are well worth the risk, as they are beautiful.

Vintage Japanese opal glass with delicate frit.  I added artisan hollow glass dangles to the bottom.  I am embarrassed to say I cannot remember the name of the glass artist but I will try to find out and update my info so bear with me!


Thank you so very much for stopping by today and seeing what I've been up to.  As always, if you have any questions please feel free to ask here or message me.

Loralee xo

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

https://www.etsy.com/shop/loraleekolton

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/

Statement Headpins

Some of my favorite pet projects are working on these asymmetrical headpin designs.  It gets my juices flowing - it's all freeform and sort of like a  game of word association (sort of..lol) well, you know what I mean, right?  

These stunning vibrant lampwork headpins are by Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.  

This color combination is by far one of my favorites!

I decided to let the beads move freely on this particular design.  I made large loops at the top leaving space on the wire for movement.

I softened some of the bold colors by adding lovely vintage Miriam Haskell pink glass pearls and balanced the look by adding some spacers with bling.

Here is another example but in earth tones.

I think I'll call these "Twist and Shout"  lol

These organic, etched headpins are also by Kimberly Rogers.  I used recycled African glass with beautiful daisies, one big lustrous Miriam Haskell glass pearl, heavily oxidized spacers, and tiny AB crystals. 

Thank you for stopping by my worktable today!  See you back here in a couple of weeks!

Loralee xo

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

Taking A Moment

This is a little tribute to my friend and glass artist, Amanda Craigmyle, whose beads were the first I fell in love with and fueled my passion for designing jewelry from the very start. Amanda just recently passed away after a long battle with cancer.  She's been on my mind constantly and as I was flipping through photos of our collaborations over the past 12 years I thought I'd share some.

A special bond is formed when one artist passes their work to another, this is common to jewelry designers which is unlike most art.

       

Rest in peace, my sweet friend ~ your art and spirit live on...

Loralee xo

loraleekolton.etsy.com

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again...

Presently, it's all about autumn and All Hallows' Eve on my worktable.  The dog days of summer, in my mind, have drifted away and all I feel is cool crisp air with a hint of mystery.

Striking pewter charms by Inviciti featuring printed images of original art by Nooma Cav.  These are rare pieces and so lucky to get one!

I had some edgy cool glass with metallic raised dots made by Dana M. Graham in my stash.  The petite size was perfect and had a cast of blue-grey which brought out the colors on the bottom of the charms, adding a lot of life to the pieces.

For the finish, I chose some lovely vintage coated glass pearls, the kind that was used by the Miriam Haskell Company, circa the 1940's.  They have an amazing patina in a grey metallic.

♡

Thank you for stopping by and seeing what's happening in my tiny studio!  I'll see you again the first Wednesday in September!  

(that's right, one chair for me and one for the kitty)

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ Artful in beads

Openwork

Hello, hello!!  I'll be on my way to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, WI in a few hours!  It's such a thrill to be around other people who also share the same passion.  You'll see no eye-rolling...or hear, "Omg, is she talking about beads, again?"  Without a doubt, everyone at B&B is as crazy in love with beads as you are ~ and cheers to that!

While I'm there, one of my missions will be hunting for the unusual.  I love looking for interesting shapes and textures.  Here are a couple of cool pieces that I felt were just wonderful together.

The top beads are vintage, circa 1950.  They are made of glass in a rare beehive openwork pattern.  I paired them with some newly created enameled charms, also in a openwork pattern, made  by Marie Demicco of Spurwink River Arts.  Although the enamel work is not vintage they share a wonderful old soul that works beautifully. 

So, I'm off to go hunting now ~ Wisconsin here I come!   Along with shopping, I'm also taking a slightly more advanced (then my last) metalwork class.  I'm pretty excited about that, too!

Thank you for stopping by! 

Until next time, hopefully with new goodies to show and tell -  xoxo . 

Loralee :)))

Loralee Kolton ~artful in beads

Rustic Shimmer and Glimmer

Hello! Today I have earrings that combine the lampwork headpins of Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads and some remarkable iridescent spacers by Donna Conklin of Prima Donna Beads.  

Together they are magic!

Kimberly calls her headpins "Combobulations" -  she uses silver reactive glass to get that metallic luster.  I love all the textures she creates, she's always trying out new things!

Donna's iridescent spacers were born as a result of what she calls "Plan B".  She explained that she got an off batch of dichro that just kept burning out on her, but she kept at it and came up with a process that worked, and wow, that effect is amazing!

I love mixing materials so I added some partially patinated copper rings and wired some rare AB violet opal Swarovski crystals.  Next to them I also added some tiny AB faceted glass from the 1920's.  It's all in the details, right?  :)

Many thanks for popping in to have a look!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Plastered

A very good friend of mine is about to move. And not into any old house, but a >150 year old rehabbed work-of-art house in historic downtown Cincinnati. When they bought the property nearly two years ago it was trashed. Not just trashed, but DECIMATED. A hub for a wide variety of unsavory activities, to put it nicely. Floorboards were rotted out clear through to the basement. Stairs to the second and third floors were missing. No running water, no electricity, no legal occupants for decades. It smelled. I toured the property when they first purchased it and my jaw was on the floor.

My friend's husband is a very talented contractor---some would say he's an artist, although I'm sure he'd balk at that, being the "man's man" that he is. He takes old, dilapidated, historic buildings and materials and gives them new life. Over the past two years, I've been fortunate to witness his work on this house at various stages:



We have a front door!
We can walk to the third floor!
We have working lights! 
We have toilets!

My favorite part of their new home is the plaster walls. These original walls, they're gloriously scratched, coated with layers of layers of paint and wallpaper, stained from years of water and smoke damage. Rather than patch, sand, and paint over all this history, they chose to expose it---strip off the paint in some areas, let a patch of color pop through here, maybe a snippet of brick there. They sealed the walls with quality sealant, not unlike what I use when sealing ceramics, metal, or polymer. And now they are breathtaking. 

The amount of work he put into this place has been dizzying. He has turned it into a glorious, sexy, rustic, urban-industrial piece of art, all while honoring its roots. The time has finally come for them to leave their current home and move into this labor of love, so they've been on my mind this week. 

I tell this story because today's earrings remind me of those plaster walls. The ceramic drops at the bottom are made by the lovely Claire of somethingtodobeads. They have been sawdust fired, giving them that smoky, fumed, earthy look. Some of the outer layers have crackled away, exposing other layers, just like with those walls. I love them and have been saving them for a special pair. I capped them with wee bead caps and hung them from old two-toned striped African glass trade beads and big blobs of blackened silver solder. Delightfully swingy, edgy, and tribal. 

Love you, Susan! 

Happy Wednesday,
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Dotty Peacock

Sometimes a particular component, in this case Lampwork Beads are so beautiful they need very little added to them to make gorgeous Finished Jewelry.

I think these amazing beads easily fit in to that category.

I simply added some AB coated Faceted Hematite beads, vivid Turquoise Glass Beads and pretty Faceted Purple Czech beads on top.

Done!!!

Kristi

KristiBowmanDesign.com

KristiBowmanDesign.Etsy

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