Chain, Chain, Chain!

Yesterday was the 100th day of 2014, and the end of the 100 Pairs in 100 Days Challenge hosted by Copper Diem. Did I make my goal of an earring a day? More like an earring every other day! My final designs all feature chains, either by using them traditionally as dangles, or by deconstructing ornamental chain and putting individual segments to work as components. From everyday hoops to date-night statement pieces, these were great fun to design!

Central component is stitched in RAW and embellished
with pewter and iolite. Iolite and pearl dangles.

Nothing says date night like sterling and crystals.

When I began this challenge, I had a real preference for bead and wirework earrings, and took up metalworking just to be able to design them for myself. Looking over my collection from the last 100 days, I was surprised to find that my favorites were the beadwoven designs! A new passion on the horizon? What earrings do you find yourself reaching for every day?

A Tray Full of Spring

It was nothing but sunshine and a Spring palette of inspiration on my bead tray this week to create another group of earrings for the 100 pairs in 100 days challenge.

Here in Atlanta we can usually count on mild winters, a heartbeat of spring, and then full-on summer, which hit us this week, with gorgeous blue skies and morning temperatures reaching into the '80's. Those blue skies inspired my first two pair of earrings which incorporate focal components by Marsha Neal (top) and Kimberly Branch (bottom), along with waxed linen for a Spring-perfect look!

 

 

The rest of this week's designs give a shout out to the slowly emerging flowerbeds and foliage of Spring.

 

 



(I've given credit to the art bead creators over on the 100 Pairs in 100 Days Pinterest board.)