This is Not Goodbye

 
Rather, this is just a little slide to the side. A clearing of the throat. Making room for another voice.

Over the past +3 years that I've blogged here at Earrings Everyday, I've shared some wacky stuff with you beautiful people. I've bared my soul in small, scary ways that have both helped me to process and you to relate to this thing we call life. 

Creating jewelry (and art) is about so much more than "making pretties", amassing goods, or trying to keep up with trends. It's a much more personal, spiritual thing that can enrich both the maker and the wearer.

 




I have met some of the most incredible, kind, serendipitous souls through my business. Some days it's overwhelming. How else would a hermit like me have reached out and touched each of you, if not for this? 

Just when I begin to feel that humanity is too far gone into a self-absorbed downward spiral, you all pick me up. Make me realize that for ever bit of dark, there is just as much light to counter.

And for all of that, I deeply thank you. 
 





I'm stepping away from Earrings Everyday to make room for other artists who have wisdom and beauty to share. Because there are so many of us out there, and we each have something unique to say. I'll still be making jewelry, I just won't be "here"---although you may see me return for a guest post every now and then.

So I won't say goodbye. You know where to find me. And I know where to find you. 

Much love <3  
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

A Wise Woman Once Said...

...treat yo'self. 

Putting aside the trendiness of the phrase, there really is a lesson to be learned about knowing when to gift yourself a little something special. And I don't mean in a spoiled millennial consumer-happy "I deserve it" spending spree kind of way. You know, just a little something every now and then---maybe once a year, maybe more, maybe less. 

--- A "me-day" where you only do what you want to do, even if that means doing NOTHING. 

--- A nice bar of that fair-trade dark chocolate from Askinosie that you love. 

--- A new shift dress to show off those humble legs you've been working on shaping up.

It can be anything, and it doesn't have to have dollar signs attached to it. Sometimes the smallest, cheapest gifts can be the most meaningful.

For several years now, I've had a little box of stones that I have set aside for "me" pieces. Things that I knew I wanted to make for myself, given the time. Occasionally I'll come across a new cabochon that speaks to me and I'll gently place it in this little box. Promising that I'll get around to making myself something "some day". 

The other week I was noticing that this little box was close to overflowing---both with stones and with the best of intentions. Realizing it had been a while since I deliberately treated myself, I vowed to focus. 

These two sagenite spray agates were destined to be paired together in earrings. Mismatched but complementary, I love the movement of the spray in each. They remind me of tufts of black fox fur---primitive, animalistic, and in the dark neutral color palette that I've been loving lately. I set them both simply in sterling silver and hung them from hand-cast sterling silver studs so they can be worn as post earrings. 

When they were finished I squealed, thanked myself, and all was well in the world <3 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Dapping Fool

Isn't it wonderful how new tools can gently help guide our evolution as artists? 

For years the only dapping set I've had was cheap, wooden, and next to useless. It would divot whenever I used it, had way too much "give" when I would hammer, and would chip and flake all over the place. I limped by with it on the few projects where I wanted domed metal discs. Oh, and those metal discs? I was cutting those out by hand and praying to the symmetry gods that everything would turn up roses. I'm all for winging-it in the studio and making do with what you have, but come on, this was complete amateur hour. 

A month or so ago I decided enough was enough--I needed a decent set of graduated metal dapping punches, a dapping block, and a disc cutter. In other words, I was putting my artistic big-girl-panties on and growing up a bit. And the difference has been night and day.

So since I've been DAPPING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT lately, the other week I had a notion to experiment with some half-hollow forms. The idea happened to coincide nicely with a new order of deliciously primitive ceramic cone beads from NadiaTerra. The result: half ceramic, half copper, scrappy little oddities. I'm reminded of excavated ancient pottery and weathered bronze age metalwork. 

I cut, textured, and dapped copper discs into domes, strung them on my own fat-bottomed copper headpins along with the ceramic cones, and connected both halves with a ribbon of blackened silver solder. A dot of solder on top, an oxidation bath, and a good seal with wax, and there you have it. 

The only downside to my new tools--I may have to invest in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for my husband, as I'm sure all this hammering is less than acoustically pleasing... 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki 
LoveRoot on Etsy

RinTinTin

I've had a hankering lately to play with materials that I've taken a break from in the past year, including tin--both vintage and new. I shared this story earlier in the week on my Facebook page, but I do believe it bears elaboration here. 

My husband and I host a family Christmas party every year. Last year someone brought cookies on a red and white tin plate which got left behind at the end of the night. For all of the past 12 months, Matt and I have kept the plate stashed on top of the fridge, loathe to throw it away because it was kind of nice, but not wanting to keep it because it's not really our style. Being slick, flat tin, it would occasionally slide off the fridge and clatter to the ground, eliciting expletives and foul moods. 

the devil platter on the workbench

Last week I decided that enough was enough. I took metal shears and cut it up for use in hollow tinned metal baubles. Annoyance eliminated, jewelry gained. 

Using a technique elaborated by guru Tracy DiPiazza of pipnmolly, I cut out circles in the tin, gradually dapped them into half spheres, soldered them together using my soldering iron, filed, sanded, oxidized, and waxed. In the past I have typically hung each bauble with a lightweight wood bead of some sort. However, since I've been headed in a "less is more" direction the past year, I decided to let these little wonders speak for themselves. I simply torched up some fat-bottomed copper headpins, dotted them on top with some additional silver solder, and hung them from my long copper ear wires.


I did a whole series in different prints and colors. And when they were all done I sat on my couch and let them pour through my hands, making the most delightful muted popping noise. 

Quite the transformation--from annoying clatter to music for the ears. 

Happy New Year!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Best Laid Plans

I had a vision. 

I was lying in bed--drifting, woozy, floating in that liminal netherworld where ideas come to us so fluidly. What I would do, see, is I would take a piece of copper and fold form it and beat it over some rocks, see, and then texture it and punch it and file strategic places and shape it just so and...

I awoke the next morning with vague recollections of my vision and headed straight to the studio to bring it to fruition. Fifteen minutes into the project when the copper buckled and snapped, I realized:

shit, this isn't going to work

See, sometimes our dreamy ideas seem perfectly logical and functional. And then we go to execute and we realize they could use a little more refinement. There is nothing wrong with this. Rome wasn't built in a day. There is beauty to be found in the process.

Today's pair of earrings features the salvaged results of this vision. I took the two snapped pieces of copper, trimmed them up, softened up the edges, oxidized, sanded, and turned them into simple lightweight earring tabs. And you know what? For being "failures", I'm really quite fond of them. Funny how that works. When life gives you lemons...well, you know.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Fringes of Society

Some days we really do feel like telling everyone to just kiss off, don't we? 

All the expectations, obligations, mores, fashion ideals, traditions, and respectability in the world could not mean less to us in these moments. We're looking for a way to express the fact that we're tired of XYZ (insert whatever you please, here). We're over it. All of it. And we're looking for something different. 

See, now, many people may argue that you're being childish, you're pouting, you're rebelling in such a pathetically predictable way. I say this: it's those who are brave enough to leave the herd that are most capable of discovering new ways forward. Getting pissed off can be a good thing if we choose to channel that energy in a constructive way. 

The past month or so I've been coming to terms with the fact that this year has not been among the best. Perhaps I've been in the "anger" stage of coping, I'm not sure. But I'm not too proud to admit that I have had definite moments of rage--a rare emotion for me. 

So it makes sense that I haven't been creating as much in the studio this year. The spark is still there, it's just not burning in quite the same frenetic supernova blaze that it was last year. That's ok, because I'm going to give myself time. I'm going to tell my own self expectations to buzz off. I'm going to give myself permission to not feel guilty for saying "no" to custom orders. And I'm going to take things at my own damn pace. It's the most loving act of rebellion I can think of.

Today's earrings fall nicely in line with my "f-off" mentality, as they're big, they're wild, they're looong, and they refuse to be overlooked. They feature two carved horn shields from India that have been painted or shellacked, resulting in a lovely crackled honeycomb pattern. Truth be told, I could have just hung these charms from ear wires and been perfectly happy. However, I took the opportunity to add in some additional relatively lightweight components to turn them into real statement pieces. Rusty hoops added behind provide a layered halo effect, and a cascade of mixed metal chain fringe spills all the way down to your shoulders, creating music as you move. Everything hangs from my hammered dark copper ear wires and ends up being a lot less weighty than you'd expect. These earrings don't even need to be paired with a necklace, bracelet, or ring--they can stand strongly alone.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Shady Sinner

I seem to be in the minority when I say that I really don't prefer jewelry/beads/components that include words. Which is an odd thing for me to say, being a self avowed word nerd, bookaholic, and walking dictionary. There's something about the bluntness (?) of it that doesn't appeal to me. It's hard to describe, other than you will 99.9% of the time never see these in my work. The same goes for beads and charms that feature humans or body parts. But that's another story.


HOWEVER. 

 
When my latest order of ceramic beads from the insanely talented and lovely Claire of somethingtodobeads arrived, she included a generous pair of freebies: grungy twirled smooshed ceramic beads stamped with two simple, devious, wicked words---SHADY and SINNER. 

Now, when I laid eyes on this pair, my first thought was oh, now that's cheeky. And my next thought was wait, those actually kinda go together. Followed quickly by a grin and an oh yes, challenge accepted. 

 
And, thusly, today's pair of earrings was born. I torched my own fat-bottomed copper headpins, strung each ceramic bead on, and then topped them with graduated stacks of rusty, crusty, patina-riddled bead caps---no two the same. I dotted the top loop of each with some silver solder, gave each earring a good oxidation bath, and then hung each from one of my long curvy copper ear wires. Swingy, potbellied little devils.

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Pobrecitos

I was chatting with buddy Kim of NuminosityBeads the other day and she called something or someone a "pobrecito". Being from the Midwest, Spanish isn't as prevalent in my lexicon as I'd like it be. Since I'm a word hound and love to pepper my conversations with obscure underused linguistic gems, I immediately googled this funny little term. Turns out a "pobrecito" is more or less a "poor little guy". What a perfect expression!

 You stubbed your pinkie toe--it's a pobrecito.

Your basset hound puppy trips over his big floppy ears--he's a pobrecito.

You always got picked last for the kickball team in gym class--you're a pobrecito (or pobrecita).

As I was in the midst of creating a silverworked agate drusy earring series several weeks ago, I found myself cooing over this wee lilac purple pair. So tiny, so easy to overlook, so easy to underappreciate next to their bigger, swankier mates. The earlier conversation with Kim was fresh in my mind, and voila, a star was born. 

To create these teeny post earrings I cut, soldered, filed, and sanded sterling silver sheet and bezel wire plus trios of my hand-cast cratered granules. Such a soft spring hue to usher in all the budding flowers, bulbs, and blooming trees. Squeal-worthy little babies.

So now you have a new word for the day--use it with abandon!

Happy Wednesday,
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

My Soul is a Private Place

We all have moments where we just want to curl up and shield ourselves from something: the world, reality, a specific event, a person, or...whatever. 

Last week was one of those moments for me. It sounds cliche to have been so affected by the death of a celebrity, but David Bowie's passing hit me pretty hard. My husband and I are both avid music lovers, and many of Bowie's albums are among our favorites. The beautiful and private ending that he chose for himself deeply resonates with me. You see, I'm a private person, too. And as a fellow creative, I have nothing but respect, awe, and thanks for the art that he so generously shared with us, the world.

So in the vein of needing a little bit of temporary protection, here's a pair of copper fold-formed and repousse-ed earrings I made several weeks ago. They curl and buckle in all the right places, reminding me of an insect carapace or one of those rolly-poly bugs we used to find under rocks as a kid. I finished them with a weathered yet warm patina. Moderately bizarre, but kinda cool. I'd like to be able to swear to you that these will help repel the negative. Guess my skills haven't quite progressed to that level yet ;) 



Hope you're all staying warm and grounded this time of year! 

Happy Wednesday,
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Beauty in the Eyes

 
Isn't it the truth? It's old-timey, cliche, and overused, but the saying that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder will always hold water. One of the incredible things about humans beings is that we all have different ideas of what beauty is---what pleases us, makes us smile, stays in our mind long after the initial vision is gone. 

No one version of beauty will ever trump. How boring would it be if everyone looked the same, anyways? Diversity: it's necessary on a biological level as well as a "keeping your interest" level. 

 


While I tend to mix media with abandon in my jewelry, I like to think that my pieces still share a common aesthetic thread: primitive organics. My version of beauty pays homage to forms occurring in nature---however abstract, however old, however futuresque. I love to mix sprawling organic forms with manmade art beads or vintage bits from the past. 

Today's pair of earrings is no exception. Two segments of copper have been beaten, twisted, and oxidized so that they resemble branches or vines. I strung each hoop with a single vivid otherworldly lampwork glass Basha bead. The dichotomy between the gnarled twisted copper and the striking flash of the beads just makes my neurotransmitters go crazy...in the best way possible. 

So if you've been bored with mainstream ideas of beauty and have always wanted to explore different aesthetics, go ahead and take the plunge---you'll be surprised how many people from your tribe are out there. 

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki 
LoveRoot on Etsy

True Confessions of a Jewelry Artist

I think I have a confession to make: I have artistic ADD. 

This is not something I'm particularly proud of, especially in this world of now-now-now, more-more-more, new-new-new. I try to cultivate mindfulness in other areas of my life, but when it comes to creating, I consistently like to learn new techniques. At my own pace, of course. Now, learning new techniques doesn't mean that I have to abandon current techniques. It all just goes into my arsenal - pieces of the puzzle that can be fit together in any beautifully random way that appeals to me.

I have another confession to make: I'm stubborn. 

I like to do things my own way. I'm not really one to take a class or follow a tutorial. I'd rather fumble around and teach myself until I come up with a method that works for me. I also think this helps me avoid that pesky "copy bug" that sometimes pops up.

However, I have to sing the highest praises for the tutorial I purchased a couple weeks ago. If you're not already familiar with Tracy DiPiazza (pipnmolly on Etsy and DiPiazzaMetalworks on Etsy), please do yourself the favor of clicking and drooling over her amazing works of art. She's been one of my heroes since I first joined Etsy. She has an aesthetic all her own, and her pieces are singular.

Tracy's tutorial gives step-by-step instructions on how to create her signature soft-soldered hollow tin baubles. I've been wanting to learn how to achieve that "blobby solder" look for a while now, and who better to learn from than the master? I used scrap pieces of vintage tin to create the grungy bauble beads you see here. Two old German wood beads plus wee tin bead caps complete the dangly (and surprisingly lightweight) look.

Thank you Tracy for generously sharing your gift!

Happy Wednesday :)

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

2014 Has Left the Building

As we bid farewell to 2014 today, I'm reminded of the importance of making a memorable exit. Preferably a graceful one, although we all know that sometimes that isn't the case ;)

Creatively, this year has been my most thrilling yet. I've been humbled time and time again by the kindness and friendship I've encountered from souls all across the globe. The sharing of personal journeys, compassion during painful times, and inappropriate hilarity over silly stupid stuff. And all from just jewelry! I'm not talking about tackling world hunger or making peace between warring nations - simply putting beauty into the hands of individuals, one by one, piece by piece. 



So while I sometimes feel petty and materialistic for being so obsessive over jewelry, I quickly remind myself that it's about so much more than bead hoarding or shnazzy techniques or the biggest bling. The happiness you bring to others' lives is immeasurably priceless. Because in the end, this life is all we have, and love is the only thing that matters.

Well now that I've gotten all philosophical and misty-eyed, let me get back to my original thought about leaving with a bang. 

This pair of earrings is 100% party and will have people remembering you for all the right reasons. I dare anyone to make yummier lampwork glass headpins than my dear, dear friend Kim of NuminosityBeads. This sleek drippy slate gray pair has been dotted with gemmy confetti, crowned with a stack of crusty Roman glass discs, and wire wrapped for a slinky yet playful silhouette. 

So on that note, Happy Wednesday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

White Christmas...or not?

I don't know about you guys, but I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I think about a nice fluffy blanket of pure white snow on Christmas morning. A soggy, gray, 40F day just won't cut it. I need icicles hanging on the eaves, biting cold, frozen breath, and plenty of quiet crystalline snow.

 









Well, here in Ohio it's not looking very festive weather-wise. Granted, Christmas is a week away, but I'm hoping we can get our act together and get some snow on the ground in time for the holiday festivities. 

Today's earrings are another in my series of "polybells" that I form out of polymer clay, texture, hand paint, and then seal. This pair just shimmers with snowy white, a lacy texture, kisses of silver, and a raggedy edge. And they're lightweight like you wouldn't believe - like wearing snowflakes on your ears. Finished off with a pair of my extra long copper ear wires, and you'll look like a Snow Queen. OK, perhaps not, but at least you'll be properly festive!

Happy Wednesday and Happy Holidays!!!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Layers Upon Layers

 
I've always been fascinated by the layers in things. Nothing is ever black and white, most things are gray...meaning there are nuances, multiple factors, different sides. Maybe that's why I have such a hard time making decisions sometimes! 


Lately I've been on a big layering/stacking kick with my earrings. Taking lots of little bits and stacking them together haphazardly yet melodiously and then using wire to accentuate. 


It's been fun to experiment with stacking things both vertically and flipping them on their sides horizontally. Quite the challenge to dig through +20 bead boxes to find that one PERFECT missing element. But then again, that's the fun of assemblage jewelry. 


One of my latest pairs features several elements that I've really been digging on: muddy ceramic discs from Marsha Neal and blackened pewter charms from Inviciti. Married together with my beloved Roman glass, rustic wood bicones, and some pyrite. I love the browns and robin's egg blues of this pair. Very soothing and natural. And they have such fun swing to em!


Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy