Button Shopping

Yesterday, I stopped by a local fabric store, found these cute buttons, and had to make another bracelet using another shade of deerskin for the button loop. 

*recycled glass, wood, African sandcast, silver, and crow beads knotted n blue Irish waxed linen with a deerskin button loop.

New Bracelet Design

Lately, I've been making earrings like a madwoman and have completely ignored my first love - bracelets. There's just something so therapeutic about sitting at my work table surrounded by boxes of beads and knotting waxed linen. On a recent spending spree, I added lots of soft, deerskin lace to my stash, which I've been wanting to utilize. 

In my travels through cyberspace, I remember seeing lace used as button loops. I believe it was Lorelei Eurto. That idea has stuck with me for a long time because I wanted an alternative to those waxed linen half-hitched knotted loops that drove me crazy at the end of the bracelet. It never failed that I would run short on cord or it would look twisted. So frustrating! 

I wasn't sure when I bought all of this leather if my rivets would fit the width of the lace, but they ended up fitting perfectly. Love it when that happens. Kismet!

Last night I couldn't sleep and didn't feel too well.  Making jewelry was an excellent distraction and figuring out how to make these lace loops was a satisfying and productive task. I really like how this bracelet turned out.

* Wood, bone, recycled glass, crow, African sandcast, silver, and very old trade beads knotted on brown Irish waxed linen with a deerskin loop and silver buffalo nickel button. 

We're All Ears :: October Reveal

Paper marbling is an art that hooked me instantly. That first swirl of paint was so beautifully intoxicating. I remember holding a marbling "workshop" in my parents' back yard, inviting friends and neighbors to stop by, and watching that same fascination root in each person. I even brought this experience to the middle school where I taught. Who wouldn't be entranced by colors pooling, swirling, and feathering magically on the surface of water? When I saw that this month's inspiration photos were of paper marbling, such fond memories surfaced and made me wonder why I ever stopped stopped dabbling in this art. I wanted to marble more than I wanted to create earrings! 

I wanted to use beads that had a marbled effect, but I didn't have any and wanted to stick to my bead spending freeze. I was inspired by colors, but it was the swirls that really tugged at me. I wanted to capture movement. The first pair of earrings that sprung from this inspiration were just a flirtation with some sheet metal and wire. I did a swirly herringbone wrap on recycled glass beads, textured some copper sheet, and added a swirl of forged wire. I oxidized everything but the wire swirl in order to highlight it. 

Next up, it was time to make use of the 50,000 copper washers I bought at Harbor Freight. (Though that number is hyperbolic, it seems like I oxidized that many in LOS. What was I thinking?) I textured the washers with a swirly design stamp, made a forged spiral, and added another herringbone-wrapped recycled glass bead. Love that blue color!

I was on a roll, and there were more copper washers to use. (I never photograph on black background, but it seemed to best bring out the color of this lavender glass.)  This time I experimented with doming the washers in my dapping block.

 The movement in the earrings I had made so far was only minimal, though. I wanted more. Playing with copper wire in curvy shapes and spirals, these earrings resulted. Indonesian glass, Czech glass, and Baltic amber dance and swing around on three copper dangles. These babies move like crazy!

Now that my earrings are finished, I am tempted to dig out my marbling supplies and play with paper. Now where is that box? Thank you, Erin, for this delightful inspiration, which resurrected the passion I once had for a fascinating art and prompted many hours of creative jewelry-making. 

Be sure to check out the pieces created by other talented artisits at Earrings Everday. http://earrings-everyday.blogspot.com

**During the week that I made these earrings, two serindipitous things happened. 

1) This video showed up in my FB feed. Fascinating paper marbling work!

http://www.littlethings.com/with-only-a-few-drops-of-ink-in-water-this-artist-creates-magic/

(Sorry I can't insert a clickable link on this Blogger app, so you'll have to copy and paste the address. I promise that it is worth the extra step!)

2.) A local artist exhibited these beautiful works. Visit her webpage for more of her marbled art. http://www.lizwalkerart.com/marbled-paintings.html