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

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

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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/

Child's Play

In a previous life, these tin strawberry components were a vintage child's tea set.  Kimberly Rogers found the little plates at a rummage-type sale where she freeform hand-cut and filed each one.

Shabby chic, rustic with a playful history.  I love the roughed up bits on these charms as they show the many hours of fun some little girls must have had with them.

A row of pretty champagne colored rondell crystals added to the bottom for a little subtle bling.  

I love a pop of dark metal so I paired these with some handmade oxidized sterling silver ear-wires and blackened jump-rings.

Vintage celluloid strawberries in a beautiful iridescent cream, circa 1940.  I think they lend sophistication and polish to the mix and a lovely balance of color as well.

A sweet little Valentine for you all! ♡

Thank you for stopping by my worktable!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com

Bunny-Go-Round

Hello!  It's Loralee, thought I'd show you something fun today!  

Stunning lampwork glass headpins by Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.

Vintage lucite bunny that looks very much like stone, stunning vintage glass Haskell pearl and vintage German glass accent bead in a circular pattern.

These reminded me so much of a carousel.  I added a tiny pop of red which really enhanced the beautiful variations of grey tones. 

I always love working with these magnificent headpins, it gives me a chance to do something asymmetrical and experiment! 

Thank you for stopping by today and seeing what I've been up to - I'll be back on Wednesday!

Loralee xo

www.loraleekolton.etsy.com 

Keep On Haunting Me

 October Greetings, Beady Ghouls! 

Rustic, spooky, yet hauntingly glamorous with their golden touches are these wonderful enamel houses by Anne Gardanne.   

I used a sweet little mix of vintage bobbles:  AB faceted crystals and peeled vintage faux pearls.

Darkly oxidized metal bead caps with soft lightweight rattling chains - a must for every haunted house.

👻

Garden spirits of a summer gone by.  

Lightweight polymer leaves by Heather Powers, etched lampwork glass with touches of autumn color by Kimberly Rogers and carved bone spirited little folk.

Boo! From, Luna!

Thank you, as always, for popping in and having a look at what I've been up to.  I love hearing from you and appreciate your time!  Wishing you all the best of this glorious season!  I'll be back in a couple of weeks with some bold spooky designs!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads.  

P.S. I haven't had time to list these earrings but feel free to message me!

5 Artists To Make One Pair Of Earrings

5 artists and 5 different materials and textures:

Brass handmade rings with a saffron patina by Missficklemedia

Woven beads by Rebecca Anderson
Polymer discs by Heather Powers
Vintage rustic plum wood beads
Glass headpins by Kimberly Rogers

I began with the luscious pumpkin orange etch glass headpins. These have to be one of my favorite headpins that I have ever purchased from Kimberly. 

 I felt like going in a jewel tone direction, so paired them with rich plum vintage wood beads.  I pulled both colors together with some polymer discs by Heather Powers.  This is precisely why I love Heather's cane beads!  

I created a little visual space to the design by adding the hand forged rings by Shannon German.  I almost called it complete, but something was still gnawing at me.  I decided to look at it with fresh eyes in the morning.   The next day I started playing with different beads to partially fill the hole of the rings.  Nothing seemed quite right until I opened my little tin of woven beads I had in my stash.  Ahhh, I found the perfect color, size, and the texture the design needed all in one small bead. 

Well, that's all for now!  I'll most likely be back on Oct 3rd with something spooky!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~  artful in beads

A Question of Balance.

Asymmetry. Not always easy, is it? To some it comes quite naturally, to others not so much. My head veers to the matching pair and I have to force myself to deviate. And how to achieve a sense of balance when your components/sizes/colours are different? This pair was a case in point.

 

 

These great neutral tribal patterned stoneware beads and charms are of course by the one and only Jana Bliznakova, but one is different in shape and considerably shorter than the other. The answer came in the form of this one off crusty soldered headpin that Lucy Haslam made for me. Fits perfectly with the design and balances the length. In the centre we have black crusty lampwork criffles by Kimberly Rogers - Kim and her husband Dave are about to set off from Alaska  to come over to the UK and we are hoping to meet up again (not least because she has a huge stash of stuff for me!) Criffles just make any design dance; like little ballet tutus. Joyous.

                                   Hope you all have a good week - see you again soon. 

                                                                 Lindsay x

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Happy Ending For The Bride & Groom!

While preparing for their wedding day, this June bride and groom experienced a near tragedy!  *Gasp!

Either the agate bead had a hidden flaw, or pressure from the steel wire wrapping was too tight for the etched Dzi bead and it crumbled right in my hand.

I thought of a couple of options, but as you know, you don't get a second chance wrapping lampwork headpins.  Once you've made the commitment (like our happy couple, here) there's no turning back!

Even before the mishap, I had wanted to bring more warm gold tones into the design.  So, I decided to do a fabric wrapped bead in a mellow gold tone wire on a dark background.  I had also thought of stacking ornate open jump-rings but there would be too much gold on one side; this had better balance.

I think the Mr. is looking even more dapper now.  I love this design far better than the original!  Now they compliment one another and each has their own individual style - like every couple should. 

~

Umm, it's honeymoon time...we should be leaving now I'm thinkin'.

♡

I hope if you experience a mishap while working, you'll think of it as a challenge!  You may discover a new technique or come out with an even better design!  I believe many refer to it as a "happy accident".

The amazing skulls were made by Gaea Cannaday of Gaea Handmade.

The lampwork headpins are the creations of Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads.

Many thanks for stopping by today, it's always a joy to be here and show you what's happening on my work table!

Loralee xo

Loralee Kolton ~ artful in beads

Goldenrod

Our son Jesse, who lives in Kansas City, has been visiting for the last few days.  As I'm writing this, we've just dropped him off at the airport, and I'm feeling tenderhearted toward the world at the moment. 💗

That, and that feeling you often have when your grown kids leave after a visit...that bittersweet wish that they could stay longer.  But the sweet thing is that these earrings are a gift for Jesse's sister, Rhia, and working on them has added to that tenderhearted feeling too.

And about the earrings...  They owe a lot of their sleekness to these gorgeous asymmetrical lampwork headpins by Kimberly Rogers.  Their beautiful colors of mustard yellow swirled with gleaming gray and their crusty/shiny glaze make them irresistible.

I emphasized the slim, elongated lines of the headpins by topping them with slender copper tube beads wrapped with what look like little vines, and then adding small bead caps, rustic yellow Czech glass beads, and finally beautifully faceted topaz-colored helix-shaped glass crystal beads.

They're lightweight, sleek, and elegant.  (And I hope Rhia loves them!)  😊

Goldenrod

Headpins:  Kimberly Rogers
Copper tube beads:  by JBB Findings (at Rings and Things)
Bead caps:  Copper plated pewter bead caps by TierraCast (Fusionbeads.com or your favorite place to buy TierraCast)
Helix crystal beads:  Available at Danette Darbonne on Etsy.


Thank you so much for reading--I'll be back in two weeks!

xoxo
Meridy

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A New Riff on the Criffles - Topsy Turvy

Many of the components I make aren't exactly matching.

That's the case with a batch of polymer clay pieces I made.

I love how they automatically lend themselves to asymmetrical designs.

I am especially fond of reverse placement in my designs on earring pairs.

Balanced yet more compelling to my eyes with the different placement of the components.

Paired with some of my lampwork "criffle" discs

Topsy and turvy (hmm, those words by themselves are just a bit weird. I think I've felt both topsy and turvy at different times)

These earrings have lots of splash and length but are very lightweight.

How about you? Do you like designing asymmetrically?

Thanks for visiting and Happy Summer creating!

Kimberly Rogers of NuminosityBeads

www.numinositybeads.etsy.com

Vestiges

Hello - It's been a while! I had to drop out of writing regular posts because I needed to find some more hours in my days. But, I'm filling in today, and it's nice to be back, albeit briefly. The Earrings Everyday team is so packed with talent right now, and I had the rare pleasure, earlier this month, to meet one of the other team members, the marvellous Kimberly Rodgers.

Here I am with Kim and that wonder woman, Petra Carpreau. This was a real rare treat and we had a fabulous time. And, Kimberly kindly came bearing beads, including some of her much sought after enamel components. So, I thought, today, that I'd share a new pair of earrings featuring some of Kimberly's work.

I've had these dagger shaped droppers for a little while. I actually made the wire frames up top for a different pair of earrings but the design didn't hang right; then I remembered these enamel pieces. I filled the frame with some yak bone beads, some grungy metal barrels, and some mismatched seeds; then I added some slinky chain dangles for a bit of extra interest.

Thanks for having me. I hope I'll be back here again soon.

Bye for now, Claire

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Edgy Slices

I cannot tell you what a thrill it is to get your hands on the works of Kimberly Rogers at Numinosity Beads.  The only disappointment was the fact that I didn't order more, what the heck was I thinking!!!!  I could have sold these over and over again.  However, the slices did go like hotcakes, so I was lucky girl to get my hands on a few.

One of my favorite color combinations is blues and greens, so I felt that tiny tubes of turquoise were most appropriate followed with Ethiopian copper spacers.  These have a 2 hole connection at the top. A little bit more challenging in my opinion, so I went with some rusty rings to bring it all together.  Perfectly balanced, bursting and unique ♥

This second pair is also a HUGE favorite.  I adore the colors of rusts, oranges and burgundies. 

I call this my romantic~rustic look.

The glass discs are from Terry Turner of Silverish Designs.  Another impeccable artists who;s work is hard to get your hands on these days. They accent Kim's charms like a match made in heaven. I must say, these were hard to let go.  

Thanks for taking a peek friends, see you again in two weeks, Lynn Ferro

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