EARRINGS - FROM FORMAL TO FREE-FORM WIRE WRAP

I wanted to make a formal pair of "wedding" earrings for a friend, so found this pattern "Diamonds in the Rough" by artist Cassie Donien. They are so light and elegant in person - perfect for any wedding fare!  I had a tiny bit of difficulty photographing them in the best light -- I wanted the camera to highlight the AB superduos in the center, as they sparkle ever so beautifully when held up to natural light.  But, alas, that is sometimes the difficult part -- bringing artistry to the eyes of others through a photograph.  I love the overall photo with the tree greenery in the background though... ha ha! 

  

 

The earrings below are my free-forms - I sometimes get in specific moods... and right now, that includes some wire wrapping.  In the pair below, I truly did try to be free-forming, so the wire is not wrapped as exact and tight as I normally would.  The wire has a little air if you will. The green to blue shades of seed beads are lovely together, and I think the 8mm round Swarovski crystal at the bottom, along with the Czech glass milky opal flower cap, pull it all together.  The facets of the crystal are awesome in person. 

 

LOVE how this funky pair below turned out!  I started by making my own wire rounds, using 18 gauge patinaed copper, and then wrapped with 26 gauge.  Once I got started, the colors kept coming!  When I first finished, I felt they needed one more something, so I added the outside wire with add'l beads for some spunk!  Again, love the colors together -- these will be my prototype for future designs.

 

 

 

HEARTS PAST...

I do love hearts, have I mentioned that??? and while I didn't get my Valentine's Day post done in time, I'm going to post anyway, even though late.  Better late than never - and, hearts are wonderful all year round.  I'm especially proud of these because I taught my very first earring wrapped wire beaded heart component, after I made the first pair, which was a hit.  Wrapping the wire and making two "close" to the same size/shape components is always the challenge, but also the fun part of this creation.  I lived through the class - and, so did they, but because they are my very special beading sistahs, they are SO forgiving -- I thank them for that experience!  Here are the results... my latest heart creations.

This pair is different than the top pics, which you may note already because the heart shape is a little wider - but the colors are more peachy/pink, and if you look close you can see the translucence of the 11.0 sbs on the first brick stitch go-around the hearts.  Love these!  I started this pair during the class I taught.

SPRING LOADED TRIANGLES

A new design by TrendSetter Marcia Balonis aptly named "Spring Loaded", learned in a class taught by Sandy Taylor @ Bead Street.  Dang it, my photos came out slightly overexposed - it was pretty bright out this morning when I took the pics.  But, you can still get the idea of how incredible the blues and  the turquoise colors mesh in this design.  The dark blue pearls are absolutely incredible -- really a warm shade.  I actually changed the design slightly and added the Czech flowers in the center, instead of round button beads as in the original design - you really can use anything that's 10mm without having to alter the number of 11.0's you use.  I'm in the process of completing this set with earrings and a necklace.  Will post when finished.  Thanks Eileen for providing such wonderful beads so we can all make beautiful jewelry!!!!  Couldn't do it without you!