Earring Partnership: Nina Designs and me

So far, the new year has brought me luck. One of my good luck events has been partnering with Nina Designs. Their representative, DeAnna, sent me a package of goodies that included the bronze three tear drop links and bronze hook earring finding

The minute I saw the tear drop links, I imagined a set of earrings combining the beautiful golden bronze with silver accents. Mixing metal colors would make the earrings go with any outfit. I had just finished taking an online jewelry class where we had re-used vintage rhinestone jewelry. My jewelry supply stash was overflowing with bits of rhinestones which were the perfect accent to the warm bronze color.

Showing off my quirkiness - one of the links is upside down!

What's even better about these earrings is they're quick and easy to make. You need four silver plated 6mm jump rings along with two vintage rhinestone drops, two teardrop links and two earring findings. Attach the teardrop links to the earring finding using the 6mm silverplated jumprings. Use the other jumprings to attach the vintage rhinestone findings to the smallest drop.

Quick, easy and beautiful. That's how I like it. What a beautiful partnership!

Tuesday Tangle: Duos Earrings

 Finally!  A piece of finished jewelry from the metal clay class!  These are meant to be very worn and rough. They were extra test blanks I had rolled out to test the kiln. But their simplicity is striking - copper base with bronze centers. The violet patina on the copper earwires is made in a flame.

What do you think?

Tag-a-long-Tangle: On the front cover!

I'm thrilled that my Easy Loop earrings project is on the front cover of 10 5 Minute Wire Jewelry Projects from Interweave. Great news for you too, Interweave is having a sale on their books this week. So be sure to check it out!

Tuesday Tangle Tutorial: Well Loved Earrings

This week the Tuesday Tangle is a tutorial.

A Tangle Tutorial - get it?

Ok ok, before I chase you away with my bad jokes,  today's tangle is a reward for you coming back. Last Saturday, I debuted my new word beads on Studio Saturday. So today, I'd like to show you a quick pair of earrings I've made with the new beads. I call these, "Well loved" because your best friends and allies love you best.

Supplies:

Ally word beads
Two (2) Vintaj pearl headpins
Two (2) Vintaj kidney earring wires
Two (2) Vintaj 8mm foliage bead caps
Four (4) vintage 3.5mm orange firepolished Czech glass beads

Tools:
Dapping Block/punch set
hammer
roundnose pliers
wire flush cutters
file


1. Open the Vintaj 8mm foliage bead caps to fit the 12-13mm Ally word beads. Place in the dapping block and hammer with the punch to widen the 8mm bead cap. Start with a size just slightly larger than the 8mm bead cap. Go up to the next size and tap with the punch to widen the bead cap more. Keep gradually widening the cap until it is able to fit over the 12mm Ally word bead. Do this with all four beadcaps.

2. String in this order onto the Vintaj pearl headpin: vintage orange Czech bead, foliage bead cap, Ally word bead, foliage bead cap, vintage orange Czech bead.

3. Cut the headpin down to approximately 1/2 inch from the top of the orange Czech bead. If the end of the wire is sharp, file to make it smooth.

4. Use your round nose pliers to make a loop. Do steps 2-4 to make the matched pair.

5. String onto the kidney wires.


There you have it!  Your own set of "Well Loved!"

Wednesday Wire: Wire Wrapped Earrings

I've done the wire wrapping this week folks. In the mood for some Lynne Merchant style wire wrapping, I used round and barrel black onynx beads from Auntie's Beads to whip up these earrings.(*)

I learned that my favorite stepped pliers don't make nice wrapped loops like my regular round nose pliers do.

Why, you ask?

The stepped pliers have one round and one flat side. I need to grasp the wire with two round sides to make a nice wrapped loop.

Do you have a wire tip to share with me today?

Flowers are Tethered Butterflies

The butterfly is a flying flower,
The flower a tethered butterfly.
~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

Made with my Stile Floreal Tulip Charm and Vintaj Natural Brass. "Flowers" is available at my Art Fire.

Monday Giveaway! Double Dip

In the spirit of more giveaways on my blog, today I'm going to giveaway a Silver Ivory Double Dip. I used these in the Meandering earrings.



Tell me what you'd make with a Silver Ivory Double Dip and I'll choose the idea I like the most as the winner! You have until midnight tonight (November 9, 2009) EST. Winner will be posted Wednesday - don't forget to come back!

Don't forget - Wednesday winner is announced!

More Is Less

I always have several projects in progress on my workbench. Projects can go half finished for months as I decide exactly how I want to put a piece together. Today, I wanted to show how I used the happy little balloon like Double Dips.

Poor Double Dips, they were created last year and then I did nothing with them. I guess that's a project half finished, huh? Well, I combined a half finished project with a half finished project. I had cut and stamped a couple of pieces of copper with the phrase "More is Less" - a play on the phrase "Less is More." Wasn't sure at the time where I was going but now with the new "Live a Slow Life" series, it fits right in.

More can make us miserable, it can make our life less than what it is. So I combined the happiness of the balloon like Double Dips with the reminder that having more isn't the answer to happiness. Being present in our life right now and enjoying it is what will bring us happiness.



More IS less, don't you think?

Giveaway: Summer 2009 issue of Step by Step Wire and Earrings

Since I'm in this month's Step by Step Wire, I'm going to give away a copy of the magazine and a set of the post earrings I made for the photo shoot. The earrings are petite, 21mm in length (approximately 3/4 inch) and made of 20 gauge wire. The step by step directions on how to make them are in the magazine. A quick and easy project!

Here's a picture of one of the earrings I took while I was shooting photos for the magazine. It's made of my favorite bronze colored wire!


Tell me why you think you should get a copy of Step by Step Wire - maybe you live in a place that doesn't carry it or maybe you're learning wire or would like to learn wire techniques or you love the earrings and want to make them!

Cosmic Bling Link Earrings

I've been on a earrings kick lately - whipping up earrings as fast as I can. Artbeads is carrying Swarovski Crystallized Cosmic Ovals that pair nicely with my Bling and Glass Links. I chose colors from the Volcano Cosmic Oval, pink, blue, orange, silver. I wanted the oval to hang in an usual way so I wove 26 gauge Artistic Wire in Rose to hold the Silvered Sky Bling Link to the Volcano Cosmic Oval. The weaving was a variation on the technique I used with the Lava and Ivory Links earrings. The gauge was smaller so I wove more wire in order to hold the oval. The pink echoes the color in the oval as does the golden jump ring and sterling silver hand formed ear wire. The lovely colors of the Volcano didn't show through in my photograph so I've borrowed one from Artbeads.com where I got the oval from:



Pretty, huh? I've got a couple other Cosmic Ovals I'm working into another project. The ovals work very well with all of my Bling, Frost and Glass Links. I love them and Artbeads.com!

Oh, and by the way, the white ceramic coffee cup makes a nice canvas don't you think?

Step by Step Wire Jewelry

I've got a easy wire project in the summer 2009 edition of Wire Jewelry - "Easy Loop Post Earrings." I was working on the pictures for this issue back in January. Six months later, the finished product! It's a quick project on the back page.

Lava and Ivory Bling Link Earrings

Hand formed French earwires coupled with my torchwork Ivory Bling Links and Rings & Things Lava round beads make an organic set of earrings. The ivory, brown and silver will go with any outfit - and in fact, that's what I've been wearing these with - any outfit!

So now, you've seen two sets of lovely earrings done with the ivory bling links, Lava and Ivory Bling Links and Loopy Tuesday...hmmm maybe I have something with the alliteration of "L" in earring design? Or maybe I should keep going and see just how many different designs for them I can come up with. What do you think?