Art Elements December Theme -- White

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

This Art Elements December Theme is white.   There are so many shades of white.  Just consider the collection of white dresses above.  There are so many whites in the dresses-- a bright stark white like found in ice, the warm shade of egg-shells and antique linen in some of those dresses.

About the same time that I read about this challenge, I read one of the Crafty Hope blogs where she shares a look at her week.  At its end, she shares a few of her inspirations.  Her inspirations sometimes become mine.  In this particular blog,  Hope highlighted some Wire Whimsies by Fresh Bakes Designs that are great for gifts or decorating gifts. 

I decided I would make a set of white flowers as a gift for my daughter.  She has planter's on her deck that a set of these flowers would look cute especially when waiting for spring flowers.  I gathering my tools which included:
Wire cutters (not jewelry cutters)
wire straightening tool
round nose pliers
24 gauge wire
16 gauge black annealed wire
30 6 -8mm beads -your choice
Sealant for wire-I used steel and Renaissance wax

Next, I spiraled the wire right off the spool to prepare the wire. I cut a total of 7 feet of wire and rubbed it with steel wool and then Renaissance wax to make it suitable for the outside. Fresh Baked Design offers another way of treating the annealed wire.  I then took 5 feet of wire and made 8 wraps. I bent the wire at 90 degrees and straightened the curve out with my wire straightening tool for a stem. Then, used pliers to create the leaf. Nipped off the end to leave the stem piece about 12 inches long. The length is up to you. The total wire length for the frame was about 7 feet. The flowers ended up being 4 to 5 inches in diameter.

Using the 24 gauge wire, I wired the bottom of the flower spiral to the stem and wrapped the beads around the outer spiral. You can use the 24 gauge wire wrapped to wrap down the stem to add a touch of more detail and stability.  The amount and size of the beads you use will affect the stability.  Expect to use about 6 feet of this wire.  I plan to go back and do that.  I found stability a slight problem that I will correct and I think it will add to a whimsical look.

whimsical wire flower by BayMoonDesign

I really like how these are free flowing and a bit wonky.  I think it adds to the charm! You can also fiddle with the spirals to suit your needs. Or push them out a little so they have some dimension. I used white beads that had a blueish glow like an iceberg.  I plan to make a set of white wire flowers for me.  I have always wanted a night garden of white flowers.  I don't have a green thumb so I see this as the perfect solution for me.

Pewter ladies earrings by BayMoonDesign

I am happy to report that this month's inspIration finally pushed me use a pair of ladies in pewter by Inviciti.  They have been on my jewelry table for at least a year while I waited for a perfect background for them.  For awhile, I had planned to make a copper oval disk and use that as the background for the ladies. When I spotted these vintage white mother of pearl disk in my stash, I saw that they made a nice, bright background for the ladies.

Photo by Sarah Shaffer on Unsplash

Grab your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy seeing what this talented group of artisans creates with white as the inspiration and the medium wide open.

Guest Artists

Alysen

Anita

Beth

Cat

Divya

Elaine

Hope

Jill

Karin

Kathy (here)

Lucy

Rozantia

Sarajo

Susan

Tammy



Art Elements Team

Caroline

Cathy

Claire

Laney

Lesley

Marsha

Susan

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Thanks for stopping by!  I love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't already follow my blog and facebook page, please do.  I am having a 20% off sale in my BayMoonDesign online store to celebrate my having surpassed a total of 700 sales on Etsy.   This is a great time to stock up on my handmade greeting cards and art jewelry.  Grab an end of the year bargain between now and New Year's 2019 Day.

We're All Ears :: 4th Annual Use Your Leftovers Challenge!

Make your own Keep Calm poster at http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

Make your own Keep Calm poster at http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

The We're All Ears::4th Annual Use Your Leftovers Challenge arose out of the furry of activity around Thanksgiving and Christmas for those of us who make jewelry. We are usually surrounded by lots of beads and baubles and bits that are cast-offs from our flurry of frenzied making leading up to the holidays.

It seems that I devote much less time to putting things away then I do to adding to the collection aka pile of beads. As a designer there is no way that I escape the curse of leftovers--mounds of beads in my case. And that is exactly what this month's challenge is all about.

Earring parts

There is only one thing to do with a bead crafter-math like mine: use my leftovers!

To give you an idea of the scope of my aftermath, I will just focus on my earrings. The picture above is just my selection of matched pairs of beads under my main focus for earring designs--not my entire collection.   Now, imagine the ear wire selections I need to have, the different gauges of wire and colors of wire. Then, there are the beads. This is the point at which the reality of my environment sets in.  How do I maintain the size of my bead collection in my environment? I have beads grouped by color, size, metals, fabrics etc. I think you can see that to maintain the organization that I have in place, I need to put things back into their defined category. I like this the least of all my creative processes. Truth be told if I were a hermit and left to my devices, I would just have piles everywhere.

I find that using something that has compartments for little bits and parts is wonderful to have. I picked this muffin tin up at the Dollar store and it is perfect. I had big plans to make 6 pairs of earrings. I got 3 done and 3 more planned.

                                                            Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I wanted to use a lovely pair of Susan Kennedy's lamp work beads and I also wanted to photograph them in a way that shows their beauty. I love the deep purple mauve swirls and the fact that the beads show through the light which reminds me of a purple haze. I spent a great deal of time and built a large pile of beads trying to decide what I had that would really show her beads off. I decided on some lavender and cream Czech leaf beads and some pretty crystals in a matching shade of purple mauve.

Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I am happy to report that I finally decided on how to use a pair of ladies in pewter by Inviciti that I have had on my table at least a year. I found the perfect beads to pair with the pewter. For awhile, I had planned to make a copper oval disk and use that as the background for the ladies. When I spotted these vintage white mother of pearl disk in my stash, I saw that they made a nice, bright background for the ladies.

Earrings by BayMoonDesign The third pair of earrings feature ceramic circles by Marsha Neal Studio and a pair of beads with gorgeous swirls of copper and brown. I love the subtle pop of blue in the brown glaze of the these ceramics. Personally, I love large, circle earrings. What makes these special are the ceramics. I hope you will visit the others in this challenge which is open until Dec. 31. I am looking forward to it after the holidays. Please feel free to leave comments.

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?

October Theme Challenge – Petroglyphs

photo by KLindemer of BayMoonDesign

October's Art Elements Host is Karen Totten and the theme is Petroglyphs. These are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often but not always associated with prehistoric peoples. They are one of the three different techniques used in Rock art, the prehistoric precursors to art.  I have always been interested in prehistoric civilizations and enjoy looking at Petroglyphs as an art form in my travels.   One of the first trips my husband and I took in our RV was out west.  One of the magnificent places that we stopped by was Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.  This challenge reminded me of that trip.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico

We saw multi-story buildings and engineered roads in the high desert of New Mexico that were built by this ancient culture.  Chaco Culture National Historical Park preserves their legacy. It is one of the most visited prehistoric ruins in the United States, and is also a World Heritage Site for its “universal value.”

Visitors can explore stone ruins from a previous millennium, step through T-shaped doorways, go up and down stairs of multi-story buildings, and look out through windows into the endless desert sky.

Chaco was an important ceremonial, trading and administrative center in a sacred landscape, laid out in a network of roads connecting to the great houses. One theory is pilgrims came to Chaco with offerings, and participated in rituals and ceremonies at auspicious times. It’s unlikely large numbers of people lived here year round, despite hundreds of rooms, which may have been used to store objects.

Chaco photo by KLindemer of BayMoonDesign

It might not look like much, as it is unrestored and stone walls crumbling. When you walk on the one mile trail loop around the site, much of the ruins are sitting underneath your feet, covered by desert sands.

Chaco photo by KLindemer of BayMoonDesign

The trail through the site goes along the cliffs. This is where you can look for petroglyphs carved in the sandstone. Petroglyphs relate to clan symbols, records of migrations, hunting, and important events. 

By Acwassink [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons


Some of the petroglyphs are carved high up, 15 feet above the ground. Images in the petroglyphs like the one above are birds, spirals, animals, human figures.

polymer clay components by Brooke Bock

 When I thought of petroglyphs and this trip, I thought about the colors of the desert and I was reminded of a component by Brooke Bock.  It looked like petroglyphs and it was beige and brown of the desert.  I also had another of her components in the same colors.  I made a totem of sorts and added some ribbon.  To complete my focal I attached it to a round wire component by Vintaj.   I used some vintage yellow crystal, Czech beads, Vintaj natural brass wire, and chain.  

petroglyphs necklace by BayMoonDesign

I invite you to stop by the other participants and see what they created for this blog hop.

Art Elements Team:
Lesley Watt: http://www.lesleywatt.com
Jenny Davies-Reazor: https://jdaviesreazor.com
Cathy Spivey Mendola: http://cmendola.blogspot.com
Sue Kennedy: http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com
Caroline Dewison: http://www.blueberribeads.co.uk
Laney Mead: https://laney-mead.blogspot.com/
Marsha Neal Minutella: http://blog.marshanealstudio.com
Claire Fabian: https://saraccino.blogspot.com


Our Guest Artists:
Jill Egan: https://kilnfiredart.wordpress.com
Tammy Adams: http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog/
Alison Herrington: http://AlisonAdorns.blogspot.com
Alysen: chicchixnchampagne.blogspot.com
Sarajo Wentling: https://sjdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com
Jenny Kyrlach: http://anafiassa.blogspot.com
CraftyHope: http://CraftyHope.com
Kathy Lindemer: https://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/ (HERE)