"Tribal dance " - Earrings for the bead hoarders blog hop

Lori invited some time ago to join in her "Bead Hoarders Blog Hop" to finally use your precious little gems. I took this chance to start with some of my first bought art beads (not counting my own ones as well as the single random ones from markets or gifts). For years I really had to calculate my money strictly. But now I have more to spend, to treat myself a little bit more. Still, I was hesitating buying expensive treasuries. 

The person breaking through this with her work was Kimberly Roger. I was following her work online for a long time until she had a facebook auction for orphan beads. I could not... not... join and finally seeing the beads in real life... let's say... just got me. Since then (we are also not talking about a long time period rather the opposite) I got more of her beads and of course started a growing collection of art beads from other artists. Kimberly makes lampwork beads as well as these great copper sticks with enamel, her so called Numisticks. She made some in an unusual form and I instantly wanted some to challenge myself! 

The earrings you see are made with these Numisticks. It took me some time to finally decide how to incorporate them into the design. The pieces are just laying over each open therefore they are open but with the copper wire going through the pieces as well as before and behind and being wrapped with additional wire at the sides they are able to move but not to get lost without using so much force that you would be able to destroy any kind of jewelery. 

Hoarder... is a hard word but... yes I have a hoard. Not in a negative sense but rather like a dragon hoarding all its treasuries. Knowing each and every one, gaining pleasure by looking at them, by touching them, by dreaming of all possible designs and simply just by having them.

Strange thing is: I never ever had troubles giving a finished piece a new home if my work was loved. Even though that the beads were gone. 

One thing which may be a reason being afraid of using the little precious parts is (at least for me) not the fear of not doing them justice (honestly? Just start over!) but rather that by defining the one design you are losing all the other dreamed of possibilities of creation. 

This also reflects my desire to create. I wear my own earrings nearly every day, just change for some old special pieces (precious metal as well as cheap stuff but with stories to tell) as well as newer ones that are handmade by other artists. Still, even though I love them, even though I enjoy wearing them and the idea of losing them is a horrific one, I am not looking at them as often as I am looking at my beads. The beads are the ones that have the untold stories and images in them. 

If you wonder why I am saying stories: There is a feeling in every bead and piece I create. Sometimes more, sometimes less... Due to this I also started naming my creations, trying to reflect a little bit what I felt about them. 

There is something special in bringing a story to life but this one story destroys all the other possible stories. This is not a bad thing because this one story is growing in its creation process and the end is so much more than I ever thought of. But the first step to grow is to decide and to let go. The worst thing is to never ever have any story at all. Dreaming is something that shows me how beautiful the world around me is, gets me out of my dark moments and is the driving force of my creativity. But dreams require to give them life. Not all dreams can be part of our reality but also they don't have to. 

I try to use every bead I have as well as any other material. No matter how precious to me (be it handmade, with a special story, the only one left...). By not using them they never ever get the chance to tell a story. In the end it is not about losing all untold possibilities but to never ever give them life at all.

There may be just one... small... problem...

Ehm.... 

The amount of beads. ^^

If you are still with me after this long rambling you earned yourself some of the real life pictures! The ones reassuring ourself that we are not alone in our chaotic ways! Here some of my beads that are on the living room table right now (I am moving with my stuff despite the fact that I have a crafting room but Rumpel and I prefer to be together in the same room and he is tolerating my chaos). This is the tray ongoing projects. The bird I made for the challenge last month over at Art Bead Scene but never finished my idea of a necklace.

Mostly my own polymer clay beads and other handmade components as well as some random item. All stuff I would like to use soon therefore they are in an extra tray next to me ^^

Some of the pieces: A turtle I made for a challenge, wings, butterflies, beads...

An old tile piece I got from a friend (she found it at the coast, it is absolutely smooth): I soldered it and added wire to use it as a center piece n an necklace. I already love it until now but it takes time to go on. I already remade some pieces several times. I will also redo the connection between the tile and the white polymer clay bead ^^

A view of my packed art beads. The box also has some foam pads to keep them safe and secure!

Finally I started soldering! HA! I already did this during our work internship in the 9th grade in school (for three weeks with a goldsmith) and last year I had a weekend course. But now I also have all the materials at home for small work. Actually I even soldered the loops of the "Tribal dance" earring of the ear wire!

This could have been part of the annual pink advent calendar I make for a dear friend but... didn't make it...

Some dangling earrings in process with beautiful lampwork beads made by Sue Reynolds. She also send me some beads with a tough (but gorgeous!) challenge. More about this later...

Last but not least some new polymer clay beads in progress... still a long way to go!

So... and finally that was it: Earrings made for the blog hop, some images of work-in-process as well as chaotic bead mixes ^^

And again: Have a look at all the other beautiful beads here :)