Art Elements November Theme Challenge:: Stars

This November's Art Elements Challenge is to interpret stars as you see them, in astrology, Celtic art, magic, beautiful quotes to live by, decorative arts, jewelry, painting... the list is endless and the media is wide open. I thought about each idea and breezed right past beautiful quotes to live by when I read the challenge the first time. On the second reading, I thought about some of quote beads that I just got from Grubbi Ceramics.  I remembered that I had some quote beads as well as some of her nautical beads that would be just perfect for this because these beads included some of her starfish as well as quotes that would work with them.  

a favorite color palette of mine

For inspiration, I have lots of my photos and memories of beaches from many different locales to pull from.  The variety of blues in the ocean never fails to amaze me. I love to create ocean inspired pieces with a palette of blues,  whites, and beige.

in the open sea my soul is free bracelet by BayMoonDesign

I selected a quote bead that reads "in the open sea my soul is free". I combined a ceramic sea shell, a starfish ceramic, anchor bead with the quote bead to create the focal of the bracelet. The turquoise blues and greens in the bracelet are used to give this message bracelet a bohemian beach feel. Natural Irish linen thread was selected for the casual feel it creates.  The color also helps to add the beiges of sand. This ocean inspired jewelry is sized to fit a 7 to 7.5 inch wrist. If you need to have the size adjusted, just convo me.

saltwater cures all wounds by Bay Moon Design

For the next message bracelet I used a quote bead  "saltwater cures all wounds".   I added a ceramic sea shell, star fish ceramic and a word bead. Turquoise blues, greens, whites in the bracelet are used to give the bracelet a bohemian beach feel.   I added some white beads that remind me of  white coral.  Natural Irish linen thread was selected once again to add the color of sand and to give the bracelet a casual beachy feel. This beach inspired jewelry is sized to fit a 7 to 7.5 inch wrist.

I can't wait to see what all the participants in this blog hop created.

Guest Artists

 

Jill

Divya

Alysen 

Kathy (HERE)

Tammy 

Cat 

Samantha

Anita

Karin

Sarajo

Rozantia

Kimberly

 

 

Art Elements Team

 

Jen 

Jenny  

Niky 

Laney 

Claire 

Cathy 

Marsha 

Caroline

Susan

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I would love to have you follow it and we all love comments!  Kathy
BayMoonDesign

We're All Ears :: November Inspiration :: Cornucopia

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

In the United States, November is a special month.  We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of the month.  This is a holiday created to express gratefulness and reflect on the plentiful abundance we have to offer the world. The cornucopia is the perfect symbol for our We're All Ears inspiration this month. 

Horn of Plenty

The Cornucopia is also known as the Horn of Plenty. As a symbol, a Cornucopia is typically depicted as a horn shaped receptacle overflowing with fruits, grains, flowers, and/or vegetables. It signifies good luck and abundance.

Cornucopia Earrings by BayMoonDesign

The Cornucopia Earrings that I designed were inspired my wish that  the positive changes in nature that have taken place over recent years continue. The ozone layer - which protects us from the sun's harmful radiation - is slowly healing, the United Nations announced recently. Over the northern half of the world, the layer should be completely repaired by the 2030s, the report said. The good news is due to decades of worldwide cooperation to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals. Another piece of good news is that the eagle our national symbol since 1782. In the 1960s and 1970s that Bald Eagles became an emblem of the environmental movement as their numbers plummeted from the effects of the pesticide DDT. Once DDT was banned and the species was protected under the new Endangered Species Act. Eagle numbers began to rebound, gradually at first and then with increasing vigor. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Bald Eagle from the federal endangered species list.  Where I live there is a noticeable increase in bald eagles.  

I took this photo of a pair of bald eagles chatting near my home a few weeks ago.

We still have lots to do to protect our natural environment and we have lost the battle in some areas, but we are seeing progress in some major ways and should celebrate those victories and we must continue the effort.

For those who follow my blog, you have seen my travels to many of the wonderful National Parks across the nation from Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park , Virginia to Big Bend National Park, Texas.  I am thankful we have the National Park System.  I love to spot different wildlife and photograph them while there.  

Ibis in Everglades National Park, Florida

Cornucopia Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I incorporate into these earrings birds, flowers, and butterflies to celebrate  nature.  The delicate orange flowers have swarovski crystals in them to give sparkle. Copper butterflies and birds add an earthy look. The orange shades of the earrings make these fall earrings perfect for fall and especially Thanksgiving. I mixed the metals up to add to the boho vibe. The filagree gives the dangles additional texture and visual interest.

Copper colored and orange butterfly and  flower

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash

I would love to hear your comments and have you follow my blog.  We're All Ear's is a blog that I follow and I can't wait to see what that blog inspired others to create.

A Must Try Trend in 2018: Plaids : My Reveal

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

I took on the October challenge of We're All Ears .  The theme was Plaid.   What I didn't reveal was the main focus of the challenge--the earrings. The reason that I didn't post the earrings was because I was waiting for plaid components to arrive from Ireland. Now, I can show you the plaid earrings that I was inspired to create .  

 Front of Plaid Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I came up with a design.  I even had everything needed on hand except for the most important part--the plaid components. Faced with hunting down some plaid tin and then cutting the disks myself or finding the perfect plaid tin disks for my design online, I could choose either option. Being short on time last month, I thought that there must be someone on Etsy who has already done the disk cutting and is selling plaid disks. After all, plaids are always popular and very in fashion this fall 2018 and winter 2019. I did some searching online and discovered exactly what I was hoping to find. The plaid was even in a favorite color combination of mine--red and turquoise. Perfect except for one thing, the seller balancedARTandCRAFT was in Ireland. Being of Irish ancestry, I thought that was really cool and I was excited for an excuse to buy something from the old country, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't get them in time. I took a gamble on the postal services and lost. Ten days for a shipment to make it from Ireland to US is cutting things close even when it isn't holiday time. I knew it would be close. The disks came the very next day. I think that is pretty darn good and well worth the wait.

To make these earrings you need:

2  ear wires

2  1 inch metal disks 

4  tin disks 

2  6-8 mm beads 

1 foot  18 gauge wire

2  rivets

Jewelry Pliers, 1.5mm Round Hole Punch

Jewelry Hammer

Bench Block

Back of Plaid Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I put 2 complimentary plaid disks on the back of the metal disks.  I considered "the back" to be the side where I cut the rivet.

I really like the modern, clean look of the design.  

Photo by Marcos Amaral on Unsplash

I am very fond of plaids. They are a timeless trend. There’s something very special about them during the colder months. The instant I see plaid prints hit the stores in the autumn, I start to think about the holidays. 

Photo by Shelbey Miller on Unsplash



For me, Christmas is not complete without a closet full of flannels, tartan, and buffalo checks!  How about you?