June We're All Ears Challenge Reveal

Guggenheim Museum

Hello again and welcome to the June reveal for the We're All Ears Challenge. I would again like to thank Erin over at Earrings Everyday for hosting us each month.  On the first Friday of a new month she posts an inspiration object and then we return on the third Friday to blog about what we created from that inspiration.  

This month Erin chose this view looking up to the top of the rotunda.  I have never been to the Guggenheim (it would be on my list if I ever got to NY) but I had the luck of growing up in the suburbs of Chicago.  This exposed me at a very young age to the architectural wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright.  We would often take trips to Oak Park to look at the buildings he designed there.  

Because of my love of Frank Lloyd Wright, I was really excited about designing something that took the spirals of the photograph and brought them to life.  

City Circles

I used Vintaj brass rings to symbolize the levels of the floors that are represented in the picture.  The larger crystals are in a melon opal shade and they remind me of the white that is in between each brown layer in the photograph.   Finally, I used crystal bicones in greige.  Those little bit of sparkle remind me of the city lights.  

As I worked on my design, I remembered a shopping trip my sister and I took to Oak Park right before Christmas.  It was night time and the city was covered in holiday decorations.   Those little bicones sparkling against the ivory colored ones remind me of the twinkling lights against the snow.  

I had a lot of fun working on this month's design.   I got to take a look back at some of the favorite buildings of my childhood.  And, as my creation came together I was able to re-visit special memories I made with my sister.  

Please check out the Earrings Everyday blog here to see the other submissions this month.   And thank you for stopping by!

May We're All Ears Challenge Reveal

Zigzag Nerite shells - Neritina Communis -
Atlantis Shell Company

A few month's ago, the Earrings Everyday blog started a monthly challenge where at the beginning of the month, they would post an inspiration object and then the participants had three weeks to create earrings based on that inspiration.  This month's piece were these beautiful Nerite shells.

When I first looked at them I thought I would create something sea or shell based.  However, I have been doing that a lot lately in my regular designs, and the main reason why I joined this series of challenges was to push myself outside my design box.  Using inspiration photos that I don't choose has really helped me to do that.  So,  I decided to focus on the colors in the picture and use those as my inspiration.  Here is my design:

Focusing on the red, white and tan colors in the shell I picked beads that reminded me of those colors.   I have very few red beads in my stash because I don't often work with that color, but I just love these crystal rondelles in velvet red (is that not a great color name?)  To add a bit of contrast the center crystal rondelle is slightly larger and is in a melon opal color ( I so love the color names!!)  I used a Vintaj brass connector because the lines on the shells inspired me to add something vertical to my design.  In the end, they came out very Art Deco looking and I really like them.   The ear wires aren't in the pictures but they are brass fish hook wires.

Here is another couple of looks:

Thank you so much for stopping by and please make sure to check out the others participating over at May We're All Ears

April We're All Ears Challenge

It is the third Friday of the month,  so that means it is time to reveal the April We're All Ears design!  Each month over at Earrings Everyday, a new inspiration photo is posted.  Those participating then have 3 weeks to design earrings from some aspect of the inspiration piece.  Today is reveal day!  

Here was this month's inspiration:

www.potterybarn.com

This month, Erin felt called to the great collection at Pottery Barn and asked us to design something from this table setting.  She was inspired by the colors, shapes and textures in the picture, and I agree, it makes for a wonderful place setting.  Since the main colors in my dining room are that exact same green, I felt that this setting would be at home in my own dining room (that is if I cleared all the jewelry supplies off the dining room table).  

I found my inspiration not in the colors or even that sweet little bird, however.  I originally wanted to create something that reminded me of the olives or the little golden berries so I went looking through my bead stash for just the right beads.  But when I got there, my mind went off in a completely different direction.  I started thinking about the dinner party the table was set for, who would be there and what the host would be serving.  While creating the party in my mind, I decided to create earrings that I would wear to this special evening.  

I am so in love with my design.  Dangling from the floral connectors are tiny bicone crystals in citrine and they are my homage to those little golden berries in the picture.  The larger crystal rondelles are actually two different shades.  The top beads are half-tone silver and the  bottom ones are smoky quartz.  

I find these earrings have a great vintage feel and would look beautiful with an ivory silk blouse.  Picture that dinner party with me; good food, good friends...an evening to make memories. 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have enjoyed my creation.  Make sure to check out the Earrings Everyday blog to see everyone else's designs from this month's inspiration.  

We're All Ears-Earrings Everyday Monthly Creative Challenge Reveal

Damsel's In Love

While reading some great beading blogs earlier this month,  I found the Earrings Everyday blog.   I just love earrings.  No matter what you are wearing, you can find something fun to dangle from your ears.  That was why I found the daily dose of love for the ears exciting to read.  Back on the 7th, the blog's author announced that  she would be hosting a monthly creative challenge. Each month would have a new inspiration and based on that item (picture, poem, music) we had a few weeks to design a great pair of earrings.   How could I not say yes to this adventure?  You don't have to ask me twice to make earrings.

When I saw the inspiration for the first month, I wasn't very sure.  If you know anything about me, you know I hate bugs.  I think they are really icky.  But once I got past their heads, I focused on the beautiful colors of these damselflies in love.  And decided to give it a try.

Retrieved from Earrings Everyday 

I mostly design in pinks, purples and blues so when I decided to embrace this month's theme, I focused on using colors outside my palette.  Looking through my beads, I chose to focus on orange, green, yellow and bright blue.

The spots on the orange and yellow-green (the beads are more green than reflected in this picture) really matched the way the brown on the flies legs blended in with their bodies.  I couldn't resist the use of the glass seed beads.  The color was perfect and they remind me of the heads!

So, after all that bead searching through my stash...who knew I had so much orange in my collection...what did I end up with?  Well, without further ado...

Damsels in Love

I strove to create earrings that created a sense of flight.  It was one of the two themes that most inspired me from the picture.  I feel I accomplished this with the length of the earrings in general, and also by the generous dangle.  I also tried to segment the earrings with the different shaped beads to represent the way the bugs body is segmented.  Can you almost sense they are ready to fly away?

Notice how each earring is not exactly the same?  The beads are similar, but not quite identical.  Why? The answer is found in the other bit of inspiration I got from the picture.  The way the individual can come together with another and make a whole.  Humans best represent this when they meet and fall in love.  Each person retains their individuality, but what they build together is even better.    

I am a very symmetrical designer.  My eye finds comfort when every pendant ends up in the middle, or when all the beads match in exact count and pattern.  I have been wanting to try to work on some asymmetrical pieces. The work of other designers has captured my eye lately and I love how designs that surprise you add a lot of interest to the piece.  My use of slightly varying beads is a way for me to crack open the door to another style of design just a little.

It was a lot of fun to embrace this challenge.  I overcame my original response to the photo and also pushed myself to make bead choices I wouldn't normally do.  I am looking forward to see what everyone else has posted and to get started on next month's theme.