We're All Ears :: July Reveal :: Cheers!

Greetings from gorgeous Galena, IL!

I am here at the top of a mountain-top resort overlooking the Mississippi River into Iowa, the site of the Adornments Mixed Media Art Jewelry Retreat. I am teaching my second class today as well as a make-and-take and later tonight Heather Powers and I will be doing a LIVE Facebook jewelry designing challenge. If you want to tune in, head over to Brenda Schweder's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BrendaSchwederJewelry/) as she will be our Master of Ceremonies and responsible for the Mystery Component! The fun starts at 8pm Friday, July 20th! Join us!

So this is all a roundabout way of saying that I didn't allow myself a lot of time to make things, plus I limited myself to using what I had on hand at the Adornments retreat. Lucky for me there was a vendor night with Jess from Vintaj and her mom Trish from Rustic River Finds with all manner of beady goodness.

I am kicking back with a glass of Shiraz with the most stunning view imaginable to bring you the July edition of We're All Ears :: Cheers! I made three different earring sets all based on summer drinks that I enjoy. See if you can guess what they are in the comments! I will pick one of the comments at random for a prize I will announce on August 3rd. (P.S. You don't have to get the answers right to win so guess away!)

Hint #1: This frosty drink is best served with both a spoon and a straw. What is it?

Hint #2: This drink is the quintessential summer drink, perfect for sitting on a front porch and I always stop by the side of the road when I see it. What is it?

Hint #3: The Belgian cousin of this drink is typically served with a wheel of lemon, but this truly original US drink is garnished slightly differently. What is it?

So there you have it. A party for July! Drink up my friends and share your favorite summer beverages. Can't wait to toast your creativity!

We're All Ears :: Cheers to July!

Mojito
Margarita
Gin + Tonic
Moscow Mule
Root Beer Float
Chocolate Milkshake
Cold Brew
Lemonade
Wine Cooler
Beer

What is your favorite drink of summer? As this is a holiday week in the U.S. I am sure that there are lot of frosty, frothy, fun drinks being consumed! Tonight is the night for my opening celebration for the gallery exhibit that I am hosting, so I KNOW there will be a drink in my future (probably not with a tiny drink umbrella, but delicious nonetheless!).

Find a picture of your favorite summer drink (I got all of these at Unsplash - royalty free images that are beautiful! Check it out!) and build some earrings around it! The colors, the flavors, the shape of the glass, the way the ice melts, even the sweat stain on the coaster....your choice! (Bonus love if you provide a recipe for the cocktail!)

See you right here on Friday, July 20th for a toast!

Stacked

Greetings from sunny Greece.

This week we will have our second heatwave of this year, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius. We have no air-conditioning in our mobile home, so it will be a bit warm. At the end of the day we will possibly head to one of our favorite beach-clubs to swim and enjoy the beach.























As I couldn't get enough of stacked earrings I made another pair with beads from one of the beautiful muse packs from Smittenbeads.

Thanks for visiting. Wishing you all a wonderful day, full of joy, happiness, laughter and sunshine. See you in a couple of weeks.

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

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We're All Ears :: June Inspiration :: Fireflies

A right of passage. A curious wonder. A light show like no other. An iconic image of summers past.... fireflies.

Have you ever seen a firefly?

By Bruce Marlin - Own work http://www.cirrusimage.com/beetle_firefly_Photuris_lucicrescens.htm, CC BY-SA 2.5, Link

They seem innocent enough, these brown and tan striped, soft-bodied winged beetles. The Lampyridae is commonly referred to as a firefly or lightning bug. These winged beetles have a bioluminescent glow that attract mates or prey. Their bright little light is a 'cold light' in that it doesn't produce any heat, but is a chemical reaction from the lower abdomen and can be seen as yellow, green or pale red. Tiny antennae on top of their semi-circle heads. I love the heart shape of their tiny feet. But they are a rather unassuming sort of bug. Until the twilight hour. That is when this little creature puts on a spectacular show.


What a magical experience..."as if the stars have come to settle in the forest." These synchronous fireflies all start together and flash together and then stop only to start all over again. And it is mainly about getting lucky! They flash each other and hook up. How romantic!

I have only seen fireflies a few times in my life but it truly is mesmerizing. Have you seen these lightning bugs? Do you remember trapping them in jars and watching them all night long?

Share your firefly experience and make some earrings inspired by these mighty awesome bugs. See you for the reveal on June 16th!

Waiting...and Waiting...and Waiting for Spring

Why, oh why, does it seem to take forever for spring to arrive?  Is it the old "a watched pot never boils" syndrome?  Maybe it's just me.

I can't complain about the cold and snow, because I live in Sacramento, California, which has pretty nice weather, actually.  It has a Mediterranean climate, rainy in the winter (no snow), hot and dry in the summer, and spectacular in the spring.  Seriously, in the spring, virtually everything blooms here.  Having moved to Sac (as we say) from Colorado, I wasn't used to that.  Colorado has its own stunning beauty, but here everything grows fast, gets large, and blooms--all sorts of flowers, bushes, and even trees, from huge magnolia trees to ornamental trees that fill the skies with beautiful blooms of red, fuchsia, baby pink, or purple.

And spring comes early here.  Our first flowers usually start peeking out of their beds in mid-February, maybe a crocus or a dwarf iris.  The warm weather usually follows along gradually, getting a little warmer each week.  This year, however, California had heavy rains caused by "atmospheric rivers" that parked themselves over the state, causing floods and mudslides.  We were happy to have the rain because California was in a five-year drought, but these heavy rains caused real problems.  The cold, heavy rain lasted for almost two months, with only a few short breaks of blue skies and sunshine here and there.  We were starting to really feel the lack of sun!

Anyway, since it's been such a cold, wet winter, I decided to make these golden-sun, grass-green, and blue-sky earrings using Cathleen Zaring's beautiful enameled copper earring charms and a pair of lovely green

These "Bringer of Spring" earrings are available here.

lampwork discs by Terry Turner.  It's only recently started to warm up here, and I'm really feeling the quiet arrival of spring, with its fresh energy.

Who knows--maybe my earrings will help move things along a bit.  After all, the Spring Equinox is only about ten days away!  ;)

As always, thanks so much for reading!  I'll see you in two weeks. 💙

xoxo
Meridy

My Etsy shop

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We're All Ears :: June Reveal

The strawberry. A delicious taste of summer.

[Photo credit :: Benil Benjamin :: Unsplash]

I have memories of my mother taking us out the the U-Pick strawberry fields nearby our hometown very early on a June morning. Once I had kids of my own I made sure that we did this trek a few times as well. I remember that they would give us shallow cardboard boxes and drive us by tractor out to a distant row mounded over with lush green plants. Each row would have multiple pickers all hunched over with big floppy hats eagerly gripping the bright red berries. As a kid it was a feast! More berries went in my belly than in my flat! At the end of your row, you got to take your flats to the farm to be weighed. Then it was home to wash and process all the juicy goodness, usually into canned preserves. 

And then there were the treats. Fresh berries piled on pancakes, overflowing over ice cream and floating in my cereal. And the desserts... pies and strawberry shortcake, or mixed with rhubarb from grandma's garden in a fluffy trifle. Yum!

I still haven't had my first strawberry shortcake of the season, but I did see that they are advertising it! Yea! So when I get home on Sunday night from the second of my trips this month, I think I know where I will be celebrating!

Since I haven't had any fresh strawberries...yet...I thought that I would make some of my own in anticipation. I found these wonderful headpins in my stash...I am quite certain that I got them last year at the Bead & Button show, but for the life of me, I cannot remember who they belong to. I thought that they looked very much like strawberries, but even more so once I added the little hand-painted bead caps. I call these "Fragaria" for the genus of the species that is more commonly known as the garden strawberry.

And I really liked the tiny little green berries in this picture, so I made those as well, aptly named, "Unripe."

Perfect adornment for berry-picking days!

I found a web page that had 14 facts about strawberries that I thought were really interesting. How many of these were new to you?

1. Strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds on the outside. The average berry is adorned with some 200 of them. No wonder it only takes one bite to get seeds stuck in your teeth.
2. Strawberries aren’t true berries, like blueberries or even grapes. Technically, a berry has its seeds on the inside. And, to be über technical, each seed on a strawberry is considered by botanists to be its own separate fruit. Whoa, meta!
3. Strawberries are members of the rose family. Should you come upon a bush of them growing, you’ll see: they smell as sweet as they taste.
4. The strawberry plant is a perennial. This means if you plant one now, it will come back next year and the following and the year after that. It may not bear fruit immediately, but once it does, it will remain productive for about five years.
5. Americans eat an average of three-and-a-half pounds of fresh strawberries each per year. It’s closer to five pounds if you count frozen ones. In a study, more than half of nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit. They’re nature’s candy!
6. Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries. In the gift shop at Le Musée de la Fraise (The Strawberry Museum), you can buy everything from strawberry jam to strawberry beer.
7. Native Americans ate strawberries long before European settlers arrived. As spring’s first fruit, they were a treat, eaten freshly picked or baked into cornbread.
8. The ancient Romans thought strawberries had medicinal powers. They used them to treat everything from depression to fainting to fever, kidney stones, bad breath and sore throats.
9. Sex & Strawberries? In France, where they’re believed to be an aphrodisiac, strawberries are served to newlyweds at traditional wedding breakfasts in the form of a creamy sweet soup.
10. Strawberries are believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers. They are low in calories and high in vitamins C, B6, K, fiber, folic acid, potassium and amino acids.
11. Strawberries contain high levels of nitrate. This has been shown to increase blood and oxygen flow to the muscles. Research suggests that people who load up on strawberries before exercising have greater endurance and burn more calories.
12. California produces some 80% of the strawberries in the U.S. They grow about 2 billion pounds of the heart-shaped fruits per year. Every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada grows their own.
13. To store fresh strawberries, wash them and cut the stem away. However, if you plan to keep them in the fridge for a few days, wait until before you eat them to clean them. Rinsing them speeds up spoiling.
14. Strawberries can also be pickled. Especially when picked green or unripe. If your berries are overripe, make jam!

Now it is your turn! Show off your best berry baubles!

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Guest Post: Crabby Earrings from Humblebeads

Summer flies by so quickly, a snapshot here and there capture the fun loving and lazy days that slip through my fingers.

The etched farfalle beads look like foamy waves hitting the shore. The playful crab charms were inspired by some New England inspirations earlier this year.

I'm ready to hit the beach - nautical tote needed, comfy sandals, striped shirt, sunscreen, a big blanket and tasteless book. Add in a pina colada and I'm all set! I'd like a day to beach comb, walk along the shore, wade in the water, and watch the sunset. Who's ready to go with me?

Crab charms can be found at Humblebeads.com.

The Sun Goddess

Yesterday marked the longest day of the year for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. I've been consumed with honoring the solstice and the sun for weeks. Working long hours to complete a new Sun themed collection for my store.

Originally I was just thinking -- Sun images... 

But then I pulled out my Citrine stones and new they were the perfect feature for this Sun collection. 

I ended up using a mix of the imagery and yellow stones, along with handmade ceramic, Czech glass, Bali Silver and Hill Tribe Silver beads. 

My last post post talked about "riffing" on an idea and this is another form of that process.

Being inspired by an idea, an image or a feeling and then bringing that to life through your jewelry - such a wonderful feeling - and then to have it completed and be able to look back on your creations. Very fulfilling.

And I already have my next collection planned! 

Sun inspired earrings featuring Citrine gemstones... 

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/collections/solstice-celestial-collection

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/products/citrine-gemstone-earrings-silver-sun-flower

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/products/citrine-stone-earrings-w-bali-silver-sun-queen

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/products/large-fine-silver-hoops-citrine-sun-goddess

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/products/citrine-smoky-quartz-earrings-sun-maiden

 

Happy Summer Solstice! 

Beach Girl

The weather is changing here in WA state. They say we will be in the 80's later this week. My inspiration keeps turning to spring and even summer. Everything is SO green... and bugs are coming out again. This will be our first summer with our new (rescue) dog Molly. She cracks me up the way she chases bees and pretty much anything that flies. One of these days, I'm afraid she will catch one... 

One of my first jewelry stamps - the dragonfly. I think I've only used it twice before. I'm really pleased with how these earrings turned out. I feel like the Iolite with it's royal blue color invokes images of tall blue Iris flowers... and the dragonflies buzzing about... 

Beach Girl by cindybeads featuring etched glasses

These earrings are available at Cindy's Art & Soul 

 http://www.cindysartandsoul.com

Peace and Blessings ~ 

Cindy 

It's Summer Somewhere

It's summer somewhere. Like in Australia. I'm going to cling to that today as I trudge through the deep snow in my winter boots, looking forward to the coming and going of the shortest day of the year.

These carved golden agate flowers remind me of cosmos:

Seeds available from Urban Farmer!!!

If I were in Australia, wearing these earrings, I would probably be wearing this comfy number with them (although cosmos are not native to Australia, but rather the southern United States, Mexico, South and Central America, and even now South Africa, so I sort failed with the conceptual symmetry here):

Cosmos by lunebijoux featuring Nine West

The fabulous little blue flowers are recycled glass beads from Africa, available at Happy Mango Beads. The robin's egg blue seed beads on the earwires are also from Happy Mango.

You can see more at my Etsy shop HERE.

Sailing...

These ceramic charms by Suburban Girl Studio are so much fun! I couldn't wait to make a pair of earrings with them and did just that as soon as they arrived in my mailbox.

Wouldn't they look fab with this summer outfit?

Summertime by kristyabner featuring gauze dresses
  

Ah...it would be nice to be on Cape Cod again about right now...Sailing....

To see these earrings and more of my work, please visit my website.

Thanks,

Kristy 

Kristy's Kreations

Full Circle

Summer calls for easy, breezy clothes when the sun gets hot. Today I am wearing the first maxi dress that I have ever owned. I have been holding off wearing it because I didn't want to look like I had a baby on board. But after spending the morning in it, I actually feel cool and comfortable and really pulled together.

[Green Stripe Halter Maxi Dress by Jessica Simpson]

 
I paired my own emerald green and navy color blocked maxi with these simple earrings in silver and copper: different sized twisted wire jump rings wrapped with thin wire for a cage effect. This dress from Jessica Simpson (yes! that Jessica Simpson!) has a similar flowy feel perfect for louging poolside... or even picking up groceries. Add a long dangly necklace, some bangles climbing your arm, strappy sandals - a must - and you look like a million bucks. I feel like I am on vacation when I wear this dress even though I am just sitting in my office.Who knew that this much fabric could be this much fun?! To me it finally feels like summer has arrived and come full circle.

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.

Fabulous

 

I apologize for the late post today! I got sucked into some projects that have been at the top of my priority list and I forgot all about the earrings I had planned today! I hope to do them soon, for my next post, hopefully.

These are some danglies that I created this week. I was inspired by an earring design that I saw recently by my friend Gaea Cannaday. She is amazing designer! I made a few modifications to my earrings as far as using leather, and attaching small porcelain beads onto jump rings along the bottoms.

This is a fun summer color palette and the criss-cross glaze around the Joan Miller Porcelain beads adds some extra texture!

These are available in my etsy store.

Damask Whispers

In March I took a class with Debbi Simon, who is an innovative jewelry designer. We worked with metal and torches, stamping images that were then resists for the flame to produce these marvelous colors and patterns.

I took that knowledge to make some pendants for the senior dancers from my daughter's dance studio. Puzzle pieces to symbolize how they are all interconnected and a necessary part of the whole, and each was stamped with a different pattern to symbolize their uniqueness.

Some of my practice pieces were copper blanks that I had cut in 3/4" x 1 3/4" so that I could practice the technique. To me they look like the softest and most luxurious damask linens that have a shimmery reversed pattern in swirls of blues and greens and purples on the copper. I couldn't let these test pieces go to waste.

This picture is really hard to show the beauty of the colors. You will have to trust me. The pattern shimmers in the light with rainbow hues. And there is pattern and color on each side so you look as good coming as going.

I paired these copper damask dangles with some terra cotta colored lampwork glass beads rolled in silver leaf from Julianna Cannon of Studio Juls. These one of a kind earrings are available on my website.

I would pair these earrings with a soft and flowy sundress like the Varanasi Maxi from Anthropologie.

 

 

Erin Prais-Hintz invites you to go on a journey of inspiration at her blog Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Everywhere. You can view a gallery of her work at http://www.tesoritrovati.com/ or purchase her popular line of 'Simple Truths' in her Etsy shop.

Sea Flowers

I haven't been doing much creating lately...the last week has gone by in a blur!  My son started middle school, then Thursday, he had the audacity to turn 11! Imagine that!  Then it was Labor Day weekend, and my birthday, and now a week later I am back at my 9-5!

I was surfing around Pinterest and found this pretty fabric swatch from JoAnn.com with chartreuse and blue flowers.  I thought, "hmm...this is really pretty. I think I have beads in those colors...what can I make?"

These are what I came up with...

Czech glass beads in pretty shades of blue and chartreuse green, sterling silver and some fabulous Hill Tribe silver ornate caps I forgot I had!

Fabric swatch from JoAnn.com, via Pinterest

These colors are so calming to me...colors of the sea!  As ready as I am for Autumn weather and the rich colors the season brings,  these earrings are a reminder that summer isn't quite over yet!!

These and more of my eclectic jewelry can be found on my website, Melismatic Art Jewelry, or in my Etsy shop!

Dragonflies of Summer

Mixed metal dragonfly charms from my Melismatic Morsel line have been adorned with emerald green teardrop Swarovski beads.  Finished with hand-wrought sterling earwires, these lovely earrings will dance flirtily from your earlobes, just like the lacey dragonflies flying around in the summer sun!

photo courtesy of public-domain-image.com

note - the bluish tint on the metal is not patina...just a lighting thing that I couldn't correct!

Find these and more at my website, Melismatic Art Jewelry.