We're All Ears :: July Reveal

This month's inspiration photo (above) took me on an interesting personal journey to the Great Lakes, my childhood, and cherished family memories and treasures. My aunt and uncle, who lived in Michigan, owed a beautiful sailboat, and our family was fortunate enough to have sailed with them on the waters of Lake Michigan. I distinctly remember Uncle Phil's sailing instruction and endless jokes related to "coming about." The wonderous freedom of gliding across the blue water, leaving a gentle wake around us. The vastness of the lake. The flapping of sails. Such strong sensory memories. Recently, while snooping around in my dad's trays of slides, I discovered this photo of my mom and I on my aunt and uncle's sailboat.

Seeing that loving look on my mom's face really made me miss her. To feel that comfort and safety in my mother's arms again. To be that loved. That childhood wonder and innocence. These memories and emotions led me to my treasured stash of my mom's old jewelry. Two pieces spoke to me - the black and silver necklace and the silver bar chain. The cupped triangular shapes captured the shapes of the billowing sails, and their black stripes seemed reminiscent of sail graphics. The knotted textures of the bar links resembled sailing ropes. I was off on one of those gloriously-inspired creative whirlwinds. 

After adding some jump rings, a beaded-and-paddled dangle, and some handmade earwires, the earrings for this challenge were done. Certainly, I ignored color palette similarities this time around. Now that I really think about it, I often am most inspired by shapes and textures in these challenges. If the color works out too, then it's an added perk. Anyway, without further ado, here are this month's earrings. 

I seldom can stop with just earrings alone. There were all those other "sail" pendants left on the table and the creative juices were still flowing, so I made a matching necklace. I punched one more hole in the pendant and added a Czech glass dangle. The large-holed ocean jasper beads fit perfectly on the black deerskin leather. Serendipitous that it is "ocean" jasper. More water. I just noticed that!

So here's to my mom, my aunt and uncle, and sailing. Wearing this set will comfort me with sweet memories.

*For this month's reveal, I tried to focus on improving the quality of my photos. I used FotoFuze and Snapseed editing programs on these. Always learning!

Thanks, Erin, for another inspiring photo. To all participating artists, thank you for sharing your creative process and your artwork.  

                                                                                 ~ Cindy 

An InLinkz Link-up

Custom Order

I just finished this set for a loyal customer. These bracelets are such fun to make until the last step. Feeding that fourth strand of leather through that last barrel crimp bead is torture! 

I just can't waste those little scraps of leftover leather. I hate how photos can reveal details I don't like. I know a chaos wrap is supposed to be messy, so why is one just a bit neater than the other? Oh, that perfection thing can be so annoying.

And now from casual to a more formal look . . . 

I'm very happy with the whole set; the blue and copper are striking together. I am sad to see this one leave my studio, but I always feel that way when my babies leave home. :) 

Experiment in Metal

Recently, I stopped by the local recycling center and snagged some scraps of copper. 

After cutting, filing, polishing, and hole-punching a couple of teardrop shapes from this scrap, I riveted a piece of tin onto them and added some beads and handmade earwires. Next time, I will texture the back of the copper before riveting, so that if they flip around, the back side will be interesting, too. Live and learn. 

This time I remembered to texture the back of the pendants, too.

Furniture Lust

Ok, this baby needs to be mine. I have the perfect spot for it in my studio. I visualize grasping one of those cast iron bin pulls and opening those gorgeous oak drawers to find my beads and findings sorted and beautifully displayed. This is serious furniture lust. I never thought I would actually find one of these, but this dream piece showed up in my inbox today. But at the cost to buy and ship, it will have to remain just a fantasy. But what a lovely fantasy it is!

So Much to Buy!

When I'm not creating jewelry, I'm drawing. When I'm not buying jewelry components, I'm buying art supplies. It seems that the economy will always be getting a boost from my need to create. My latest addiction is Copic sketch markers, and with 358 colors to collect, it seems as if I will never run out of materials to buy. Faced with a wall of these markers, my knees go weak and my wallet cringes. 

Then there are Distress Stains. Thankfully, there are only 12 stain colors.

I can't help but think that my dad, the artist, would be thrilled to join me and encourage me in this pursuit of cool new art supplies. Dad, I wish you were here. 

We're All Ears :: June Reveal

Guggenheim Steampunk

For this month's inspiration, Erin's photo of the Guggenheim sky light suggests so many interesting shapes and angles: triangles, arcs, circles, squares, ovals, and nautilus-shaped spirals in neutral colors. 

I was drawn to the shapes in the sky lights. The gear shape in the very center sent me sprinting for my drawer of steampunk gears and cogs. Because of the concentric circles nested inside the gear-shaped window, I knew I needed a nesting feature. 

Next, I was drawn to the arched triangles. After cutting some triangles from sheet metal and rounding off the corners with my file, I searched for something to use to texture the metal. In keeping with the window theme, an old piece of window screen seemed appropriate. 

One of the things I love about these monthly challenges is that I always learn something new from each of them. I remember loving the bead-embellished earwires in Kiersten Giles work, which she credited to Melissa Meman. Now was my chance to try some of those for myself. Fun! (Thanks, Kirsten and Melissa.) Finally, I attached the gears with some wire wrapping. 

But wait . . . the Guggenheim is all about spirals. One more pair of earrings evolved to focus on spirals. I made some spiral dangles from 18 gague copper wire, used my spiral stamp to embellish some antiqued copper washers, and dug through my metal beads for spiral shapes.

(Sorry about the overabundance of earring photos. I've been experimenting with different lighting strategies - in natural light on a window sill and using my light box. Can't decide which ones I like best. Your thoughts?)

Well, the earrings seemed lonely. The old chandelier crystals seemed to mimic the glass in the sky lights. Now there is a complete Guggenheim Steampunk set. 

Thank you, Erin, for the creative inspiration! Now I'm off to check out all of the other blogs. I just love the artistry and positive feedback in this group. I truly appreciate each encoraging comment shared and each cool new idea I learn from all of you. Thank you!

An InLinkz Link-up

More Tins

Here are my latest pieces in my tin collection. I just love creating jewelry with tin! The cutting, doming, and designing are all such fun. I love the challenge of finding beads to compliment the color palette in the tin patterns.

This blue and orange tin caught my eye right away when I saw it on the shelf in the thrift store. Combining the blue kyanite with the matte orange seed and brass beads really brought out the pattern in the tin. 

Same tin in a different style with kyanite and orange recycled glass beads.

The green, yellow, and white of these earrings screams summer and fun.

Blue onyx, Czech glass, and brass pick up the colors in this whimsical tin.

I was immediately drawn to the red, orange, yellow, and greens in this tin, which looks striking with turquoise, Czech glass, and copper.

Coral, glass, bone, and copper