Day Three of Artist Showcase

We're on to day three of the artists in the Thanksgiving Treasures earring exchange.  

The first artist today is Sharon Palac of Sharon's Jewelry Garden.  Talented artist in wire and also beautiful clay creations.  Sharon made these gorgeous earrings and a necklace to match for Barbara Lewis.  The colors and swirls  are intoxicating!  Here's what she had to say about her creation. 

"I know she likes rustic, so that's what I aimed for. I made the beads from polymer clay and oxidized the copper."  

Our next artist lives in France making her intriguing pieces.  Her name is Véronique of Narrative Jewelry.  My favorite are her metal etchings which you will see in her creation for  Lorelei.   I just love the French script on these.

"I had been very proud to create something for Loreleï, but it put some pressure on me too. I decided after a lots of hesitations to make something with etched copper, as i read in one of her post that she would like to try it. As she asked for teal, i just put little beads of turquoise, all wrapped in oxydized copper wire. Except the beads, all is handmade."

Next up is Judy from Judith B Designs.  And guess who she made her lovely earrings for?  Me!  And I have to say they are my favorite.  They go with everything and are perfect for my style.  Thanks, Judy!  Here's what she had to say about her creation.

"I was so thrilled when I saw your name as the one to receive my earrings...I felt like I was making them for a friend and not a stranger.  The beads are Picasso glass beads, I just love the colors of them and bought them especially for you. I found the beads in a little bead shop in Nashville ( I have since ordered some similar ones from ArtBeads.com)"

And the final artist today is Lorelei from Lorelei's Blog: Inside the Studio.  I remember when I first started beading and looking in all the various beading magazines.  I kept seeing the same name over and over.  It was Lorelei's name.  Who was this Lorelei?  I started following her blog and found out why she's in all those magazines.  Amazing artist with a big heart!  

"I drew Sharon Palac's name in the earring exchange. Sharon asked for silver, longish earrings in a teal and brown color combination.  I used some lovely ceramic glazed beads in a sage blue green and brown finish. I knew Sharon would like them. I hammered some little fine silver swirls and dangled them below each of the lentil beads and attached a wire wrapped faceted silvery glass bead to add a little bling. The earring wires are silver.  I had such a fun time going through Sharon's blog and trying to figure out what she might like, so I could move in a certain direction. Sharon has bought jewelry from me before and I tried to play off her previous purchases too."

I hope you've enjoyed reading about the artist's inspiration for their pieces.  Please stop back tomorrow for even more!

 

Mystery Solved

Yesterday I had asked about a beautiful vintage swarovski bead and where to find one. Lorelei directed me to Kat at Jewels by Kat. Kat found several beads in this same style at Beadbyus.com with so many color combinations to choose from. I'm in love with this vintage feel with a little bit of bling, bling. Lorelei also found similar beads at AD Adornments. Take a look at both of these!

And how did I come to ask about this bead? Check out this bracelet if you haven't already. I'm intrigued by the colors, materials, and style of this piece. Kat has done a wonderful job! Please check out her shop when you have the time. Jewels by Kat

Both of these ladies were loads of help so a big THANK YOU to them!

I was watching this show last night that I was intrigued by so I thought I would spread the word. It's called "Out of Egypt" and here is an explanation on the show's basis, "Using Egypt as a starting point, Cooney embarks on a journey to find links between the social, cultural and religious practices of several ancient civilizations. She discovers that despite being completely disassociated from one another, the societies had striking similarities in behaviors, traditions and beliefs." The lady hosting the show teaches Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA. Last night's show was about how other cultures cherish the remains of loved ones after they have deceased. Sounds rather morbid, doesn't it? But they believe that there is a connection between the bones of the deceased and their spirit or the heavenly world. Day of the Dead is a good example of this and I was surprised to find that several other cultures around the world embark on the same type of practice holding festivals and eating meals with the deceased. Ok, I guess it's the science geek in me coming out but give it a watch sometime.

On to today's piece for the shop.

October Moon
Gray beach stones play along the deep brown of the Vintaj chain. Soft aquamarine, smokey quartz, a shiny silver bead, and a Vintaj moon charm dangle from the piece which stand out against the muted browns and grays.

I thought I'd add a little groove to your Tuesday. My daughter and I love this song by Shakira and we've been known to howl at the moon when we hear it on the radio. It's named "She Wolf" which is fitting. It's a real sight to see two girls howling in the car driving down the road. Yeah, we're weird, so what. Enjoy!