AJE Earring Challenge, 1st Reveal

Hi there!  As part of my effort to blog more (and because it sounded like fun... lol!) I'm participating in Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge.

So here goes!

First up, the earrings I made with beads I bought from my favorite local bead shop, Sparkle Spot, which were hand delivered to Kelley from Hungary!  And now, they're in my earrings!  Beads by Reka, of CheekyBeads. The pic doesn't really do these beads justice--they are such a beautiful buttery-tan shade, and the dots are FABULOUSly fun! :)  I've got the beads dangling on lengths of chain, for a fun fidget earring. 

These might possibly be my favorites of all time.  The components were made especially for me in an Artist swap on the Bead Swap-USA page.  Diana Keever, of Diana Keever Jewelry, made the happy cat charm (I have two kitties...) and wire wrapped the key and pen nib for me ("writing is the key!").  I just added the earwire to the key and nib charm, and added some coordinating danglies to the happy cat to tie it all together in some fabulous "self-portrait" mis-matched earrings. 

And these are double-art bead earrings!  lol!  The lampwork rounds were made by Lampwork Beads by Linda, and I made the netted pearl beads.  These go with my Goddess set that you can see here. 

So there you have it!  I had fun creating these, and hope to have lots more to share with you soon!

You can check out the other participants here, and there's a Pinterest page here.

Thanks!

RanaLea

You say your earrings don't match?

Neither do mine! :) 

Awhile back, I signed up to participate in the Mismatched Art Bead Earrings Swap over on the Art Jewelry Elements blog. We were all matched up with a partner, made a pair of mismatched earrings, and sent them off to our partner.  

My partner is the wonderful Kay Hand, of the Creative Tangent blog (and you can find her here and here--she has the coolest shawl pins here!!!--on Etsy). I'll show you the GORGEOUSNESS that Kay made for me in a few minutes. :) 

One of my stumbling points as a jewelry designer is that I'm very concerned with things matching. Both sides of a necklace must be even... a bracelet MUST be symmetrical... and earrings HAVE TO MATCH!  In fact, I get downright annoyed with myself when things don't match up.  

I've tried before to break the habit, and I've even bought lampwork beads SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of making mismatched things. Those beads?  Yeah, they're still in the box...

Don't they look so sad?  Non-made dino earrings...  :(  Soon! 

Now, for the awesome!

From Kay, I received the niftiest pair of shoulder-sweep earrings.  These babies are LOOOONG.  I love them.  She used gorgeous lampwork beads, fun charms, chains, bead caps, and quite possbily the prettiest earwires I've ever seen! They're bright, and colorful, and will go with so many different things! 
Here, look! 

Pretty!  Lookit how pretty!  I love them!

And, they're fidgety! I love fidget earrings.  

Kay also sent me the matching bead to the red lampwork in the earrings.  And it has an eyeball!!!

Creepily awesome. :)  I'm sensing mismatched Halloween earrings! 

Now, just before I began making the earrings to send to Kay, I received a bead swap package from one of my bead groups. My partner in that swap, Kelli, sent me the coolest polymer clay skull beads (she made them herself!!  They are AWESOME!!!)  And it had been awhile since I wrapped any wire, so I thought it might be fun to play with that, too.  Plus, Halloween is coming, and it IS my 2nd favorite holiday ever! So, I ended up creating a rather over-the-top (and kinda largish) pair of wrapped hoop earrings for Kay.  

For an idea on size, my form was a pill bottle...   Yes, they are BIG.

And now, the blog list!  Go check out the awesome earrings created in this hop! :) 

• Diana Ptaszynski  http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com
• Lisa Liddy http://www.lisaliddy.wordpress.com
• Kari Asbury  http://www.hippiechickdesign.blogspot.com
• Jayne Capps  http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com/
• Rebecca Anderson  http://www.songbeads.blogspot.com
• Lesley Watt  http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com
• Lori Bowring Michaud  http://www.artfullyornamental.blogspot.com
• Renetha Stanziano  http://www.lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com
• Holly Westfall   http://www.silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/
• Theresa Fosdick  http://www.thoughtful-notions.blogspot.com/
• Ali McCarthy  http://www.northwoodscreativestudio.blogspot.com
• Shai Williams  http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/
• Iveth Caruso  http://www.creativeatelier.net/blog.html
• Carolyn Collins  http://www.sparklingwaterstudio.com
• Elaine Ray  http://www.elaineray.blogspot.com
• Kristen Stevens  http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/
• Charlene Jacka  http://clay-space.com/blog
• Jan Onipenco  http://www.MoltenMayhem.typepad.com
• Stephanie Woods  http://www.rainydaysdesigns.com
• Eleanor Burian-Mohr  http://www.cornerstoregoddessjewelry.blogspot.com
• Shelby Foxwell  http://www.sundownbeaddesigns.blogspot.com
• Pam Sears  http://www.crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com
• Mary Harding  http://www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com
• Lisa Johnson  http://www.Whimsyswonders.blogspot.com
• Kashmira Patel  http://www.sadafulee.blogspot.com
• Penny Neville  http://www.copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com
• Dee Elgie  http://www.cherryobsidia.blogspot.co.uk
• Sarah Small  http://www.bysalla.blogspot.com
• Carolyn Lawson  http://www.Carolynscreationswa.blogspot.com
• Karin Slaton  http://www.backstorybeads.blogspot.com
• Ashleigh Becker  http://www.seladesignsjewelry.blogspot.com
• Kay Hand  http://www.creativetangent.blogspot.com <--My partner!!!  :)
• Rana L. Wilson  http://ranaleadesigns.blogspot.com <--Me! :)
• Sandra McGriff  http://www.skyescreativechaos.blogspot.com
• Dawn Pierro  http://www.turtlemoondesigns.me
• Shelley Graham Turner  http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
• Karen Mitchell  http://www.overthemoon-design.com
• Melissa Trudinger  http://www.beadrecipes.wordpress.com