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

Summer Dreaming

Spring is here but I'm thinking up excuses to indulge in as much colour as possible.  When it comes to colours...more is always more.  I've had these polymer drops framed by copper wire for ages, they never worked in my previous attempts.  I also came across these ribbed polymer beads that I've also had for years.  These were part of another pair of earrings which I took apart.  The colours in both sets of polymer beads matched up perfectly.  All I needed to do was create something to go in between...to break them down a bit.

I painted brass tubes, instead of going for darker colours I decided to go all out and match them with the polymer beads. I laid them out: polymer rounds followed by tubes and polymer drops.  They did not look complete. 

I sort of took the 'lazy' approach and wire wrapped some hoops in matching colours as I couldn't think of anything else.....hoping they would all fit together despite the explosion of colours. 

Here's a closer look.  I think the components look comfortable with each other - the oxidised copper wire acts as the 'softener'.

Polymer ribbed beads: Di Keeble

Polymer drops: Holly Stultz

These earrings are now in my Etsy shop.  Have a lovely weekend and I will see you in a couple of weeks. 

Suhana <3

My Etsy shop: Suhana Hart Jewellery

A random mix

Hi everyone, for this week's post I have been playing with my latest haul from Petra Carpreau's shop and came up with the following.  I messed around a lot trying to come up with clever designs, not sure I've achieved anything new but here they are.

I absolutely love love these connectors with multiple wire loops. I had a similar pair from Petra several years ago and was really happy to see them again. Not sure why but I felt like making them asymmetrical even though they looked just fine as symmetrical earrings.  I made some wire wrapped hoops in black and periwinkle, and stacked both with my usual brass bits.

Here I used Petra's bobble flower connectors, topped with brass bits and Czech glass flowers, hanging from the bottom are my wire wrapped connectors with slight asymmetry. 

Bobble flowers again, teamed with brass flowers and insects.  

These are now listed in my Etsy shop.  See you again later this month. 

Suhana 

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

It's a Chain Thing!

 Almost all of my earrings will have some chain (mostly wrapped around beads) on them.  It's a very fiddly job but the end result makes it worthwhile.  Here are some I made this week.

Polymer leaves by Helen Backhouse and lampwork beads by Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens, wrapped with brass chain.

Polymer leaves (by Helen Backhouse) and Czech glass wrapped with silver plated brass and raw brass ball chain.

Polymer leaves (by Helen Backhouse) and lampwork beads (by Maryse Fritzsch-Thillens) wrapped with cup chain.

These are destined for my next online show in the Artist Spotlight fb group on 27th of Feb.  See you again in a few weeks time.  <3

Suhana <3 xxx

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

Randomness

Hi everyone, I'd completely forgotten about today *eek*! Luckily I had an online show a few days
ago which means I have new earrings to show you.

First up are these featuring enamelled shields by Candan Imrak.

Pewter peace charms by Invicit.

Pewter charms by Invicit, polymer connectors by Areto Beads and lampwork by GlassBeadArt.

Ceramic connectors by Areto beads

These are a bit too cute 😀, featuring polymer owls by Areto Beads. 💖💖💖

And these, again with ceramic connectors by Areto Beads.

Some of these have sold and the rest will be available in my next online show in this group before they are listed on Etsy. 

See you again in 2 weeks time.

Suhana 💜💜💜

My Etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

How long?

This week I set myself a challenge to make my longest pair of earrings yet .  These enamelled seahorse charms I'd received from Kaz Baildon a few days ago were small and thin enough for me to start building upon. 

I wire wrapped some hoops matching the seed colours to those on the charms w/o making them 'too matchy matchy' and attached the seahorse charms.

Next I added the oval brass blanks on top of the wrapped hoops followed by the filigree tubes on top.  But it didn't look right so I added the big brass rings behind the wrapped hoops and oval blanks.  The length at this point was just over 4 1/2" which is not long enough in my opinion as I've made longer earrings in the past.  Maybe I should have taken photos of each step?  Something for the next post perhaps.
I spent a long time trying to figure out ways in which I could make these longer - to no avail 😓.  I gave up however they still didn't look right.  I showed them to my husband and he also said there was something missing - there was too much brass between the wrapped hoops and filigree tubes.  I added the little red flower drops which did the trick.

So here they are, long earrings for most people I think but I failed in creating my longest pair - again something I can work on for a future post so all is not lost 😄.















These earrings are now listed on Etsy.  See you again in a couple of weeks time. 

Suhana 💜💜💖

My etsy shop: Buttoned Up Beads

Holiday Sparkle

This is my last post this year so I thought I'd jazz it up a bit with some bling 💖💖💖. 

First up I have these featuring enamelled charms by Kaz Baildon.  I wanted to attach these rather large rhinestones to the charms but wasn't quite sure it would work because of the size and fear of damaging the enamel with the more robust wire wrapping needed in this case.  As you can see from the picture (below) it worked 😄. 

This pair was easier with much smaller rhinestones.  Ceramic drops by Petra Carpreau

These last 2 pairs are simplified versions of one of my signature designs.  Ceramic drops by Petra Carpreau.

That is it for this year.  Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. I shall see you next year armed with lots more designs no doubt 💖💖💖

Suhana <3

My shop: Buttoned Up Beads

That Little Extra Touch

I wanted to share with you a little added touch I stumbled upon with some simple metal flower drops that can make a creation blossom. 

Below is a before and after- I wire wrapped seed beads up the stem in a flower pattern and added enamel charms at the bottom.  You can add more decor up top or leave them as is.

I went a little crazy once I figured out the technique, the other photos show examples of more designs.  The last pic is my absolute favorite because they are just down right funky♥

Thanks for heading over here, please share a few comments if you can, and we will see you again in two weeks, ♥

Lynn

My Etsy Shop- Yucca Bloom

(Please) Forget to Wash Your Hands

I'm sure we all heard this at least once during our childhood: "don't forget to wash your hands". As a tomboy and serial creek-hopper, I probably heard that at least once a day. My grubby little paws were always busy and exploring---catching crawdads for the boys who were afraid of getting pinched (come on, guys!), playing on the swingset, picking bouquets of flowers for mom, netting butterflies in the garden, romping through the woods behind our house. 

We assume that dirt and the accumulation of "stuff" is a bad thing. Now, to be fair, in many cases, it is. Germs are not fun. Smelly stuff is not fun. Grody stuff is not fun. However, when it comes to dirty beads with a history, I'm all for it. 

When I'm at a show or am trolling Etsy for new components and I see a strand of beads that have grime, I usually pounce. And once I get them on my bench, the thought of WASHING the beads to remove that beautiful patina of time...well, it never even enters my mind. Some people prefer their beads and jewelry to be new, pristine, shiny, and spotless. That's fine, no problem with that. But there's also something very sterile about it to me.  


Take, for example, the collections of old antique beads found in my earrings for today. Just look at the macro shot on those babies! Pitted, caked with decades and centuries of grime---people rolling the beads around in their hands, wearing them, treasuring them, trading them for goods. Different cultures, different continents, different purposes. In other words, these beads have LIVED. They've outlived generations of humans. And they live on today in their current incarnation as earrings. If that doesn't get your juices flowing as an artist, then I don't know what will.

These earrings feature lime green ancient glass beads, clear "dogon" glass beads, and pale robin's egg blue amazonite stone beads---all from Africa. I added in small vintage wood beads and little bead caps to complete each quintet. The wirework is all hand-wrapped steel, because you know how much I love organic gnarled vining forms. Hooped, lightweight, and fluid.

Happy Wednesday...and have fun getting dirty!

Nikki 
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Vine Weave

I've made several pairs of these earrings, all slightly different in style, but carry the common weaving look design.  I absolutely love them and they really aren't that hard to make.

If you are using lamp-work head pins, be brave!!  go ahead and make a hoop with what ever tools you have and wrap excess wire along the bottom.

Take about 6-7 headpins with an assortment of glass seed beads and work them around the hoop all the way to the top.  I always seal the wire work with a watered down metal sealant, it makes the weaving rock hard.

You can always do a weave all the way around too.  Make sure your committed, because once you bend that head pin, at least for me, there's no turning back.

We're starting off 2016 with some awesome posts already!!! 

It's a good sign of what's to come in the New Year, ☺ 

See you again tomorrow friends, ♥

Yucca Bloom on ETSY

Yucca Bloom on Face Book

Yucca Bloom on Pinterest

Spinners

Earlier this summer I wrote about how I had bought a bike and was beginning my cycling journey in an effort to combat this "jeweler's ass" that I've mysteriously managed to amass *cough*...

I'm happy to report to that I'm steadily winning the war. But more importantly, I have an empowering way to get outside, move, savor the changing of the seasons, and be alone with my thoughts.

I have approached my bike with the same kind of blossoming passion that I approach jewelry. It started with an uneducated leap of faith and has gradually turned into an all-encompassing learn-as-you-go journey. I feel that I'm part of a community and am so grateful for that--that goes for both cycling and jewelry making. My heart is full.

So in the vein of "spinning", here's a glowy little pair of spinners that I created several weeks ago. These feature a pair of lampwork glass Basha beads from her "blue black" series. I speared them on hand forged copper and wire wrapped them just-so, allowing them to rotate freely on their spindles, throwing light every time you move your head.

Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Weaver of the Web ☼

Hello everyone, my name is Lynn Ferro and this is my very first post!  I cannot tell you how thrilled I'am to be included in this blog, sharing my work with some of the most talented creators I know.  I have been creating and selling since 2007 and currently have a shop on Etsy named Yucca Bloom ☼

I find it most appropriate with my first post coming right before Halloween to show off my spider web earrings.  I purchased these connectors from Petra Carpreau of Scorched Earth on Etsy back in March, 2015.  I instantly fell in love with their unique look, but struggled immensely with a great design.  It all came to light looking back at some photos of tiny spider webs formed in the corners of a bridge handrail.  I did my best to weave my own web with glass seed bead droplets. I think they turned out pretty sweet, don't you?

Amazing how nature can have such an impact in your designs, I plan to do it more often ♥

As the weaver of the web, the spider symbolizes the spirit of creation and is associated with female creative energy.

Sounds like were all tiny spiders in our own weaving way♥


Thanks for stopping by, leave me some comments and we'll see you again soon.

my Etsy Shop
my Face Book Page

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

Strength in nature

"Let’s take our hearts for a walk in the woods,

and listen to the magic whispers of old trees." 

~Author Unknown

Trees are healing, nurturing and comforting,

not only to us, humans, but to animals and our entire planet.

 I was inspired to create this week's pair of earrings

by my latest watercolor painting called Strength...

Strength Watercolor Painting by Nathalie Lesage

Strength Trees Of Life Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings with Gemstones by Nathalie Lesage

I pulled the colors for the gemstones from my painting, and painstakingly created two fairly similar Trees Of Life using 26g Sterling Silver wire. It takes patience to work with the delicate wire, and try to make the small 1" trees come out as similar as possible.

The gemstones that I used are all AAA... Purple Garnet (amazing purple color),

Green Tourmaline, Neon Aqua Apatite from Brazil, and Carnelian.

You can find these Tree Of Life Earrings listed HERE on my site.

As a special gift, the person that will purchase this pair of earrings, will also receive

a 5" x 5" limited edition print of my painting as well in their package :)

Have a wonderful week!

Nathalie

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

http://www.TheCraftyTribe.com

Feeling Bulb-ous

I may jinx us all by saying this, but I think Spring is here. Yes, we may have more freezing nights, maybe even a stray dusting of snow, but for the most part, I think the "great thaw" and the sunshine are here to stay for the next 7-8 months.

 
On Monday it was 70F here in Ohio, so I was out hopping around in the yard clearing out dead plant material from last year and making way for the all the wee spring bulbs poking through the mess. Snowdrops, crocus, wild iris, species tulips, allium - all beautiful hues of purple and green. 

crocus from my yard

 

So when trying to decide on which earrings to post about today, my eye went straight to this bulby springy pair. The beautiful crocus purple of NuminosityBead's lampwork glass beads just pops against the crusty crubbly muted background of dark verdigris and soft moss. I reversed the direction of the stack and threw in some ancient Roman glass, ratty old metal, wood, and artful wire wrapping. 

 





I hope you've had some sunshine and balmy weather in your neck of the woods this week. It does the soul good :)


Happy Wednesday!

Nikki
LoveRoot on Esty