December Art Elements - Handmade Christmas

Photo by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash

I love the theme of the December Art Elements Challenge - Handmade Christmas. As always we can use any medium we choose. We can enter gifts that we make, ornaments and decorations, wreaths, Christmas cards… even cakes, cookies and gingerbread houses – just as long as we have made them.

Winter tree earring by BayMoonDesign

I made a number of earrings with Christmas in mind.  I designed them so that they can be worn for Christmas as well as all winter long.  The ceramic trees remind me of snow covered trees so I wanted to create a pair of earthy looking earrings. The ear wires are natural brass which adds to an earthy look. These snowy tree earrings make a one of a kind art jewelry gift for a nature lover.  The ceramics are made by artist Mary Harding. 

Photo by Brendan Steeves on Unsplash

I love cardinals. When I saw a cardinal image on faux tin beads by a favorite artisan of mine, I knew that that they would become a special pair of holiday earrings. The art jewelry illustrations are from original artwork of Heather Powers of Humblebeads. The image will not scratch off, is water-resistant, and adorable.

Cardinal earrings by BayMoonDesign

I paired sterling silver wires and olive green Swarovski crystals to add sparkle and bring out the green in the beads. If you love nature these earrings make a statement and can be worn all winter. As a gift these bird dangles are sure to put a smile on the face of a bird lover.

Snowmen Ornament by BayMoonDesign

In a previous blog I described how I made a dozen ornaments for the Biggs Museum of American Art .  The museum hosts a holiday market for children. They purchase handmade items by member artisans. 

I went through my stash of tins, card stock, tools, old Christmas cards, ribbons and trim, earrings, holiday pins, odds and ends. Two essentials for this project are a hot glue gun and Modge Podge which I had. The best part of this project was that I did not have to buy a single thing. I had everything I used already at home.  I admit I worked with children for 35 years so I have a rather large collection of holiday pins and jewelry that I hope will bring joy to others as I repurpose them. I wanted them to enjoy life outside of my jewelry box.  This ornament has a trio of ceramic snowmen that I hope is now being enjoyed on someones Christmas tree.

Christmas Card by BayMoonDesign

I made a number of Christmas and holiday cards as I do every year. One of my favorites is this Santa card. If you like this card, you may want to look at my collection of handmade cards that I sell in my Etsy shop.

Photo by Rinck Content Studio on Unsplash

Remember this is a bog hop. I special thanks to Jennifer Davies-Reazor for organizing this. Here's a list of all of the participants:

AE team: 

Lindsay

Jenny

Sue

Karen

Claire

Niky

Cathy

Guests: 

Sarajo

Kathy

Mary

Hope

Tammy

Evie and Beth

Divya

Merja

Sarah

Grab some hot chocolate and see what the others made for Christmas!  Don't forget we love comments.

We're All Ears :: 5th Annual Use Your Leftovers Challenge!

Photo of a pile of Legos by Rick Mason on Unsplash

In my mind this photo shows how I think my craft table looks. Not a pretty sight! In reality it is always a mess. I am trying to do better. Using a muffin tin or any kind of divided tray that holds parts has given me much needed structure.

I look forward to this challenge every year because I love to make earrings and I sell more of them than anything else. I had an especially good holiday season and I need to start thinking of spring designs as well as resupply my popular sellers. I am also trying to embrace my new motto:

NO SHOPPING WHATSOEVER. USE WHAT YOU HAVE.

My muffin tin with earrings parts

I have some gorgeous beads by Susan Kennedy of SueBeads that I wanted to used. I put them in my muffin tin first and worked with them first to insure they end up as two new pairs of spring earrings. I also put some parts to popular earrings. I placed these beads and parts together with ear wires, findings, etc in each division of the tin.

I have a long list of things to do so I made up my mind that I would devote one week to this. I was originally trying to create one pair a day and get all six made in one week. I only got four made but I did get the earrings with Susan's beads done and I am very happy with them. So rather than beat myself up about not making my goal, I celebrated by photographing and listing them on Etsy.

Modern Pink and Black Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I love the black dots and dashes on the lampwork beads by Susan Kennedy. I imagined them as becoming a pair of modern looking earrings. I used some tiny pink and black beads to create stripes for a fun and contemporary look in these pink and black earrings. I combined beautiful artisan lampwork with sterling silver.

Modern Orange Earrings by BayMoonDesign

These handmade modern orange and white floral earrings combine beautiful artisan lampwork with sterling silver. The orange dangles have a contemporary look to them. I used some tiny orange and white floral beads to create a fun look. This orange and white jewelry is a perfect gift or fashion accessory.

The orange and white lampwork beads are made by artist Sue Kennedy.

Navy Blue Earrings by BayMoonDesign

I have found these natural sodalite stones are popular with my customers.  I made these navy blue earrings for those who are looking for long dangles that have a very retro look to them. These blue earrings showcase the natural sodalite stones in sterling silver teardrops. I love how the sterling silver compliments the blue sodalite. 

Pink Agate Earring by BayMoonDesign

I bought a string of these pink agate stones that I use either upright to look like hearts or upside down to look like teardrops.  These are pale pink heart earrings for those who are looking for heart shaped dangles. These pink earrings feature natural agate stones and sterling silver. I love how the sterling silver compliments the pink. The pink and grays in these stones are gorgeous. These pink geometric earrings are modern looking.

Which pair is your favorite? I am looking forward to seeing how others did with this challenge.  This is a blog hop so make sure to head over to the Earrings Everyday We're All Ears and see what others created.  You might get inspired!

Thank you Erin Prais-Hintz for this inspiration.

November Art Elements Inspiration - Fossils

Dinosaur Skelton Photo by Jon Butterworth on Unsplash

The inspiration of November's Art Elements challenge is fossils. Fossils are what's left of plants or animals after being buried in mud for a very long time until it turns into rock. Hard parts of animals, like bones and teeth, are the most common things that turn into fossils. Some fossils are the remains of animals that lived long ago and are now extinct, like dinosaurs. Fossils are excavated from many environments, including ancient riverbeds and lakes, caves, volcanic ash falls, and tar pits.

Plastic Dinosaur Toy

My love of fossils began as a young child. Like many children, I was fascinated by dinosaurs. Whenever I was near a museum with dinosaurs, I always made time for a visit. My own children loved dinosaurs. My collections of plastic dinosaurs and books grew as my children's collections were added.  I look forward to passing this collection to my grandchildren.

Photo by Michel Porro on Unsplash

As an adult, I moved near the ocean and  I became interested in ammonites.  Ammonites are perhaps the most widely known fossil.  They usually possess the ribbed spiral-form shell as pictured above. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago, when they became extinct along with the dinosaurs. Ammonites belong to a group of predators known as cephalopods, which includes their living relatives the octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

Fossil Necklace by BayMoonDesign

This unique fossil necklace has a pendant inspired by an ancient ammonite fossils. I added the long fine chain to the ancient fossil. To complete my focal I added a neutral ceramic bead. The neutral colors in this boho necklace make it perfect for lots of outfits. It is also a light weight necklace that can be worn comfortably.

The one of a kind polymer clay fossil bead is by Brooke Bock. The ceramic is by Sandra Sapienza. It is a long 30 inches around with the focal hanging below 2.5 inches.

ammonite Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

This is a blog hop so grab a beverage and enjoy seeing what everyone created for this challenge.  We all love to hear your comments so please tell us what you think of our pieces.

AE Team

Jen

Lesley

Sue

Claire

Jenny

Niky

Guests

Cat

Tammy

Susan

Dawn

Michelle

Sarajo

Evie & Beth

Divya

Kathy

Thanks to everyone who participated. 

We're All Ears--November Inspiration--Names

Random Name Generators exist to help people come up with all sorts of names...for characters in your next novel, Scientific-sounding bird names, Music Band Names, Dragon Names and much more.   The FantasyNameGenerators website is far more robust and offers far more types of names. The list below are names generated to serve as an inspiration this challenge. We can pick one or more to create a pair of earrings that embodies this spirit of the name.  What a fun inspiration!.

Inspiration Names from Random Name Generator

With the holiday season and a craft fair right around the corner, I focused on names with red and green to serve as my inspiration.  I am thinking that folks will be looking for those colors.  

Fields of Jade by BayMoonDesign

From the list I selected "Fields of Jade" as my inspiration for this pair of earrings that remind me of a field of ferns. These fern earrings are made from natural brass sheets embossed with a fern pattern and painted with green and yellow patinas. The metal has a protective coating to keep the color vivid for years to come. I hung them on brass ear wires and added green Czech beads at the top. Natural brass ear wires add to the earthy look.

emerald abyss earrings by BayMoonDesign

Once again, these emerald abyss earrings are made from natural brass sheets that I embossed with an undersea pattern and painted. They are hand painted with yellow, aqua and green patinas to created this scene that I imagine in an ocean abyss. The metal has a protective coating and I hung the earrings on brass ear wires.

Ruby Steel Earrings by BayMoonDesign

For my last pair of earrings, I used a pair of red and green lampwork beads made by Susan Kennedy. I paired them with red Czech glass bells and silver earwires. I used sterling silver wire to connect the beads. I imagined all of the silver to resemble steel in these "ruby steel earrings".  These are perfect for the holiday season.  All of these earrings are available to purchase in my online store.

How did I do with this challenge?  I certainly enjoyed it.  Thank you Erin Prais-Hintz for this inspiration.

 Photo of eyes looking through hole by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash

October Theme Challenge – Eyes

October's Art Elements challenge is all about eyes. If you think about it, a large proportion of mental activity is generated through the eyes. The eyes are constantly moving, looking for something to focus on or selecting random stimuli. The eye transmits information to the brain. Some of the information that’s taken in is immediately discarded. The brain coordinates input from the eyes and prevents us seeing the world as a rapid sequence of flash-images.

So even though we may not remember seeing the billions of images that pass through the eyes, the brain is constantly experiencing them. Closing your eyes can bring about a huge change in your consciousness fairly quickly. 

Photo of woman with closed eyes by Amy Treasure on Unsplash

Eye focus, or drishti, is key in yoga practice. Different types of yoga use different eye positions, and even within one practice, the eye focus will vary throughout the class. The first step to developing the capability to hold a drishti is learning to practice with the eyes closed. As soon as the eyes close and are focused on a fixed point, you will begin to feel a shift in your thought patterns.

Photo of yogi with eyes closed by Form on Unsplash

When I read the saying “Close your eyes and open your mind” made me realize that I wanted to use closed eyes rather than open eyes as my inspiration for this challenge.   I used a polymer clay focal by artisan Brooke Bock. The focal reminds me of an ancient Greek statue.

Ancient Greek Necklace by BayMoonDesign

This unique Greek necklace has a pendant created with this ancient face. I found the long fine brass chain to pair with the ancient face. To complete my focal I added a vintage crystal and a key. The long necklace is 30 inches long with the focal hanging below 2.5 inches.

Ancient Greek Necklace by BayMoonDesign

This looks like a very quick and easy necklace to make, but I ran into a major snag-- the chain which I adored. I loved the look of it but when I went to work with it, I realized that the holes in the chain portion were so tiny that I couldn't pass any kind of wire through them. What I ended up doing was using two crimp covers to attach the chain to the lobster clasp on both sides. It worked great because of the tiny decorative balls. They were perfect anchors for the crimp covers to be nestled between.

I use crimp covers to attach the clasp parts

This is a blog hop so please visit all who participated and leave comments.

AE Team

Susan
Marsha
Claire
Cathy
Jenny
Niky
Jennifer
Laney

Guests

Dawn  

Hope  

Beth & Evie  

Kathy  

Michelle 

Tammy    

Cat  

Elaine

Altered Tins Morph into Holiday Ornaments

I have been saving Altoid tins for a number of years and have several blogs about creating Christmas ornaments with them. My first blog on this topic goes back to 2017. I have also collected ideas of what can be done with Altoid tins as well as tutorials here on Pinterest.

I received an invitation to create some holiday ornaments for the Biggs Museum of American Art . The museum hosts a reasonably priced holiday market for children. They purchase handmade items by museum member artisans that are purchased then purchased for family members.

I went through my stash of tins, card stock, tools, old Christmas cards, ribbons and trim, earrings, holiday pins, odds and ends. Two essentials for this project are a hot glue gun and Modge Podge which I had. The best part of this project was that I did not have to buy a single thing. I had everything I used already at home.  I admit I worked with children for 35 years so I have a rather large collection of holiday pins and jewelry that I hope will bring joy to others as I repurpose them. I wanted them to enjoy life outside of my jewelry box.

Santa ornament by BayMoonDesign

I pull the Altoid tins apart with my bare hands.  I take advantage of the larger width of the bottom of the tin and use decorations that wide in them.  The tops are used for the thinner items.   All of my tins have their surface covered with carefully cut to size high quality card stock and Modge Podge which is generously applied on both sides of the tin. The Modge Podge acts as a glue as well as a sealant. When it dries it is invisible. 

My first ornament features a Santa from a holiday pin.  I pulled the pin off with pliers and hot glued the pin to cardstock that has the Modge Podge already applied and dried.

Back of the Santa Ornament from BayMoonDesign

I enjoyed seeing a favorite Christmas card that I saved. Now it is on the front and back of the Santa ornament. The plaid ribbon is repurposed from an old toy.

Snowman Ornament by BayMoonDesign

The snowman comes from my extensive collection of 1980's button covers. I bet a lot of my readers have never heard of button covers and that is probably a good thing. The snowflake is a repurposed earring. I just snipped the post off the back and hot glued it on.

Mr. and Mrs. Owl Ornament by BayMoonDesign

This ornament has a repurpose Christmas wreath pin and 2 owls that are 3D stickers that I hot glued on.  

Front of Sleeping Owls Ornament by BayMoonDesign

back of Sleeping Owls Ornament by BayMoonDesign

All of  paper that I used is high quality card stock. It has the weight and thickness needed.

Sleeping Owls Ornament by BayMoonDesign

I used a variety of trims along the edges.  Hot glue is used to attach the trims.  A metal punch makes small holes at the top. I pulled gold cord through both of the top holes.  Sometimes when I make these ornaments I hang beads from the bottom.  On some of the ornaments has small silver bells hung.  The sky is the limit on what you can use and create!

My hope is that these ornaments from repurposed items will be enjoyed for many years to come.