"All about the summer" - Earrings

Why summer? The colours may speak on the first view of autumn. But thinking about this, I see that this is not feeling right. It is rather a 70ies feeling they have for me.

Seeing them I think of summer, of beautiful long and light skirts, flowing fabrics, laughter and music, warm nights under the open sky... (okay, I need holiday now)

Long? Oh yes, and also they weight a little bit more. Not too much but a nice weight were you feel every movement. 

If you are tempted: You can find them here in my etsy shop. Enjoy the summer! :)

"To be told" - Earrings

Grungy, worn, rustic... all of these descriptions come into my mind seeing the feather earrings. The polymer clay charms are looking like worn and old relics. 

Maybe the feathers are really a symbol because the earrings have a tribal vibe for me. Images of people sitting around a fire, a deep voice with a slightly rough edge is telling old stories while the night surrounds them.

This is how they look at the backside ;)

Actually the length is something in between, not too short, not too long. 

In case you are wondering: The feathers are also from my growing polymer clay bead stash I am hoarding. I am trying to use them all, piece for piece. May take a while but one step further! (...not that I am not making more new beads than I actually use ;))

You may also get them here in my etsy shop in case you would like to give them a new home and new stories to be told!

"Magical woods" - Earrings

I made the little polymer clay charm before christmas... before christmas 2013. I went through my own polymer clay bead stash and forced myself to finally use it piece by piece...

They were made with a negative mold I created from a stamp. The whole stamp I used for pendants and christmas tree decorations. The deer and owl are made just using small pieces from the stamp mold. 

...or force myself to part it by giving it away or putting it up in my etsy shop. Either way, beads are not meant to be hidden in the dark, they should get their chance to tell a story and be loved and worn :)

They are long, really, really long but I love wearing long earrings myself. Combined with czech glass beads and copper ear wire. All of the beads are from Rebecca's The Curious Bead Shop. Some are even of one of her monthly bead kits (Curiosity Club). It also just took a long time before I used them ;)

Did I say how long they are? ;)

You may get them here in my etsy shop :)

On my worktable...

Just some impressions of ongoing projects, some may be finished soon...

 ...some may become (strangely ^^) UFOs. These light beads are bone beads recycled/upcycled from some old necklaces from Rumpel's mum!

I started knotting necklaces or also rather some pieces usable for necklaces or bracelets. I like to have a lot of ready to use pieces at hand. The flower beads are from the last Kit from Rebecca's Curiosity Club!

There is just pure beauty in matte etched beads.

Also some numi-sticks on their way to become earrings! This will be finished soon because only the ear wires are missing.

But... this is also somehow the longest step in the earring creation process because I don't like it too much ;)

Wrap it up! Recycle match boxes...

A friend gave me a book with old maps to play with. Since I love to wrap "stuff", I just had to make some boxes! I cut long stripes as broad as the match boxes (uhm... I know have a lot of single matches... ^^) and glued the strip around the box. Simple.

I have some old stamp pads that I only use to age and antique boxes. It is a 4 colour stamp pad collection with brown and black. At first I go with the brown over the edges and then with the black. Just have a look at the effect! 

Some crochet lace, some cord... finish! Three are already gone, I used them for my butterfly copper wings to send them on their way! ;)

"Peacock's pride" - Earrings

 

Peacock's pride - The purple, the blue and the green, all of it together, they create the bright and colourful effect that I connect with the beauty of a peacock... and also as bold! The lampwork beads are made by Julie Wong Sontag from uglibeads. 

Around the tip of the feathers I wrapped them with copper wire, fine wool and seed beads. 

The earrings are really light weight (yes, like a feather ;)), the move easily with the wind and the slightest touch...

...and they are really endless long!

They are in my shop here :)

"Growth" - Earrings

Ha! I thought I forgot to take pictures but it seems that was not true. I just didn't made enough to capture all angles. I made them with some numi-baubles made by Kimberly Rogers from numinosity beads. The little colourful leaves are cut from a candy box ;)

They are unusual from the shape and are not as dangling (except for the leaves) than my usual style. But I love their somehow symbol-like character and the play with colours. They also sold instantly at the first market! 

"Gloriously Summer" - Bright and colourful and dangling earrings!

I love this time of the year. Summer is finally coming (yes, a little bit late around here). It is my favorite time of the year. 

There is a certain fragrance in the air, just lightly but it tells you summer is coming. With all its warmth and light, with all its bright colours and long days, with the ease only summer can bring. 

Summer is for me all this, colours and light, endless long days and wonderful warm nights, music and dance, the world around us alive in a dark and rich green.

There are downsides. If it is really hot and humid and you don't want to move anymore, can't anymore! But every season has its downsides and the bright ones are so worth it! 

The ease of life. Troubles seem less and smiles come easier. Just magic, just summer, gloriously summer!

I tried to capture all of this in these little bright and dangling earrings! The middle beads are lampwrok beads made by Sue Reynolds. I combined them with new and vintage czech glass beads, with oxidized copper,... you may also find swarowskis or old indian silver beads. 

Oh yes, I need to make more of them! 

I also listed them in my shop here :)

"The hare and the egg" - Showing some of Rumpels work!

I loved Rumpels sculptures way before we two got together. Maybe this already tells you something... (or not... ;)). In the past he made bigger ones, in a kind of wax to allow for a mold and a later casting. I hope he will start doing this again. In the mean time I am sooo happy if the makes smaller pieces (rare enough). 

This one was a commission work for a friend. She wanted a hare. This is his interpretation... with an egg! It is made with super sculpey firm, a polymer clay version that I am loving more and more also for my own work. It is not as easy to work with like other polymer clay version but it holds details just so good! Still not as good as the waxy kind of stuff he used to work with but at least this will be baked and is finished. Also you can put polymer clay in the fridge to cool it down.

Afterwards he painted it with acrylic paints (Reeves) and put all together with a nail and a piece of wood. 

He went for a rather comical approach and I love the exaggerated ears and teeth! 

Our friend already found a small and old drawer as a kind of frame for him. 

In the past I showed already some of his work: Here is another sculpture (in our living room) or some graphics I am using for cards ;) (dipus, MIAU, the LOOK).

"Uliginous dreams" - Earrings

Uliginous dreams may sound strange, but seeing these earrings there are so many images coming up in my mind. The dark mood inside the swamps, all the lush growth of plants, the humid air, the air filled with natures own flavour, the strange mixture of flowers and decay, the water with all its life in between, overgrown and hidden. 

There is life everywhere. There seems to be movement around you, but as soon as you try to have a closer look, it is hidden again. 

The earrings jingle while moving, a light and playful sound. Something to lure you in, to tempt you to go deeper inside. 

The enamel metal pieces are tintins made by Kimberly Rogers from Numinosity beads. I love them and struggled a lot if I should really use them together with the brass toads. But nothing else seemed right, nothing except this combination. I oxidized the brass toads to get this dark brown to black surface. The earwires are made from oxidized copper.

And in case you are curious: Have a look at the back! You can see how all the little chains are attached. There are a lot of different chains, all of them upcycled from old jewelery (from the stash Rumpels mother gave me). 

Combined with czech glass bead drops. Julie (from uglibeads) send me some glass etching solutions to play with and see if I need it (the answer is yes! Thank you again soooo much Julie!) and I used it to get these matte glass drops. The clear ones would not have been fitting for my feeling of deep hidden swamps. 

I am just in love and enchanted by these earrings! The movement, the sound, the colours... and most of all, the hidden stories!

 If you want them, you can get them here in my shop :)