PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz::Color of the Year

                                                     PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz

                                                        Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is the Color of the Year. Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute of the Pantone says: "In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless."

It has a romantic feel to it. This shade has a peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange. PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz evokes a new modernity. It is also a quietly sophisticated and contemporary with an understated but impactful beauty. If you would like to explore the Color of the Year more, please click HERE.  I have written a number of blogs about the Pantone Color of the Year that are available for you to refer.

                                        Color Palette for Design Challenge

I started  the year with a design challenge centering on the Pantone Color of the Year peach,. This color palette inspired my first earrings for 2024 and I feel they hit the mark. I took an vintage style and gave it a contemporary look and incorporated the colors in the challenge palette.

 

                                                    Peachy Floral Earrings by BayMoonDesign

These are pretty peach cha cha earrings that have faceted pastel rose and tiny shimmery peach glass crystal beads along with creamy yellow pearls.  There is a large peach circular Czech bead with a green bead cap at the top and a green bead at the base. Everything is meticulously wire wrapped. It reminds my of a pretty spring flower. The drops hang 2 inches on sterling silver earwires.

Imagine wearing these gorgeous floral earrings for that special occasion like a wedding or prom. These earrings are perfect for a special outfit or occasion or gift. If you are interested in purchasing these earrings it can be purchased in my Baymoondesign Etsy shop.

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What do you think of the color? I would love to read your comments.

Bead Peeps Swap'N Hop '23 Reveal

BayMoonDesign is part of the Bead Peeps Swap'n Hop '23. I love the swapping beads and getting inspiration from a new assortment. In my previous blog, I credited Linda Anderson of Cherry on the Top Design for organizing this event.  I also introduced my partner who sent me a focal, clasp, and some bead soup is Terry Jean Lynch Carter. She goes by the name TappingflamingoBingo. She is from Louisiana by way of Florida. Terry has a boho style and is drawn to the beach boho look. She surprised me with a southwestern selection of ingredients. 

 

The rules of this bead exchange require the participants to use a focal, clasp and some of the beads in the design of the necklace that were sent. This is the focal that I received and it determined the style of my design. It had to be southwestern.

Terry sent me 2 clasps.  I selected the hook clasp that she made.  How could I not use a handmade artisan component!

I then pulled all of the earthy beige and brown round agate beads, and selected copper crystals.  From my stash of beads I added some rectangular blue crazy agate and silver spacers.  Now it is time to reveal what I made!

                                                   
This is the 24 inch southwest style necklace that I designed.  I love the blues in the crazy blue lace agate and the earthy desert colors of the beige and brown agate with it. The blues remind me of the popular gemstone turquoise found in the southwest.

Terry also gave me some of the ingredients for some western earrings which I designed to go with this necklace.  I just had to add the silver jump rings and ear wires.  

I appreciate your looking at my designs.  Please leave a comment with your thoughts.  Also, stop by to see Terry's jewelry which can be found on her YouTube channel under the name tapping flamingo. She also is on Instagram and TikTok. TappingflamingoBingo is the name of her Etsy Shop. 

If you are interested in purchasing this necklace and earrings it can be purchased in my Baymoondesign Etsy shop.

Bead Peeps Swap and Hop '23

BayMoonDesign is participating in Bead Peeps Swap'n Hop '23.  It is hard to believe that the last time was in the 2020.  I love the opportunity to swap beads and get inspiration from a new assortment of them.  This is an event where the organizer Linda Anderson of Cherry on the Top Design pairs participants with other beaders around the world to swap beads and then post the creations made with them.  The reveal of our new handmade jewelry is on April 17, 2023.  

This is a great way to meet other designers and see what they create. My partner is Terry Jean Lynch Carter.  She is from Louisiana by way of Florida.  Terry has a boho style and is drawn to the beach boho look in particular.  Copper, antique bronze and silver are favorite metals which she likes to mix in her jewelry.  She loves working with sea shells that she finds on the beaches well as recycling finds like guitar strings, paper, and fabric. Terry embraces color in her designs.

Her jewelry can be found on her YouTube channel under the name tapping flamingo. She also is on Instagram and TikTok. TappingflamingoBingo is the name of her Etsy Shop. When I looked at her shop two pieces of her jewelry caught my eyes immediately. I love blue starburst pattern glass cylinder beads that she used in both the featured necklace and earrings.

                                                Celestial Bar Necklace by TappingflamingoBling

Terry made this wonderful bar necklace using beautiful starburst pattern glass cylinder beads, antique brass chain and wire, and and mixture of silver tone and antique brass bead caps for a mixed metal piece you can wear with other pieces of your jewelry.

Celestial Star earrings by TappinflamingoBling

The matching earrings are made using the steel blue glass English cut crystals, blue star burst pattern glass cylinder beads, silver and brass bead caps and antique colored wire to create these celestial style earrings.

I can see why Linda Anderson paired me with Terry. We both have a boho style and used mixed metals. We also both have a fondness for the beach and that love shows in our jewelry. We even use burlap and coral reef in our photos of our jewelry!

BayMoonDesign has lots of beach inspired pieces of jewelry also. Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I have been up to. All of my handmade greeting cards and jewelry can be purchased in my online BayMoonDesign shop.

Spring in the Mid Atlantic

                                  Photo by Sean Oulashin on Unsplash

It looks like summer is finally headed to the northeast at long last.  It feels like it has been a long and cold spring with lots of wind on the east coast.  Enough is enough.  The hot weather has arrived and my thoughts are turning to all things summer.  After updating my summer clothes and sandals, my thoughts are now turning to designing summer earrings and necklaces. I like to use some of my new pieces of clothing and nature to inspire my original, one of a kind jewelry designs.

I just updated my shop with 3 summer earrings.

                                             pastel blue fish bone earrings by BayMoonDesign

Swim into summer with these pastel blue fish bone earrings. These statement earrings are pale aqua and white ceramics with sterling silver ear wires and amazonite chips. I love the color of amazonite. Its color reminds me of tropical waters. Amazonite is also associated with money, luck and overall success. Bone fish remind me of past family trips to Jamaica where I saw them.

                                        

                                                        Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

I know a number of fisherwomen. I am not but I do love watching fish swimming in the ocean.  I have been fortunate to have been on some wonderful snorkeling trips in the Keys and Caribbean so I have spotted some really scary and beautiful fish and sea shells over the years. These adventures inspire lots of my jewelry.  

 

                                                   Seashell Earrings by BayMoonDesign

These sterling silver seashell earrings are made with mint Czech glass beads that remind me of seashells.  I  combined them with faux sea glass.  I also added a vintage white Swarovski crystal to each. These beads are meticulously wire wrapped with sterling silver wire on large sterling ear wires. 

                                         Photo by Linus Nylund on Unsplash

Who doesn't find the shape of the starfish fascinating. Starfish are also referred to as sea stars because of their star-shaped appearance. They aren't fish. They are related to sand dollars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers and are found in nearly all marine habitats. I love to use this shape in my designs.

                                        starfish earrings by BayMoonDesign

These sterling silver green starfish earrings are large but light in weight. The handmade turquoise beach earrings dangle below a green accent bead that is attached to hand wrapped sterling silver dangles. These ocean inspired earrings are 2.75 inches long. I love how the blue and green color looks with silver.

I have lots of very unique pieces of jewelry in my online store. You can see additional earrings in my shop by visiting https://www.etsy.com/shop/BayMoonDesign.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what Spring inspired me to make. All of my cards and jewelry can be purchased in my online BayMoonDesign shop.

Very Peri:: Pantone Color of 2022

                                                   Pantone Color of the Year 2020- -Very Peri

My February 2022 blog is about the Pantone Color of the Year --Very Peri. Pantone said that this year marks the first time it has created an entirely new color instead of choosing one from its roster. Very Peri can be described as a periwinkle blue hue with a violet red undertone.   Pantone said Very Peri is the “happiest and warmest of all the blue hues”   It is a fusion of a dynamic peri (winkle) blue and a vivid violet-red undertone. The color creates a new shade or purple. It is meant to symbolize transition and new possibilities.  

Since Pantone just released this new color, you may not be able to find items in the exact shade yet.  Since I love purple, I have a pair of earrings that I feel hit the mark.

                                                   Very Peri Earrings by BayMoonDesign

These round purple earrings have textured ceramics that give them a modern geometric look. A lilac crystal sits on top the Pantone color of the Year Very Peri colored ceramics. I used sterling silver in my wire wrapping. The ear wires are sterling as well. I love how the color of the boho ceramics looks with silver. These earrings are 2 inches and are light and comfortable to wear.

The artisan ceramics are made by Marsha Neal Studio.

These make a great handmade and artisan gift to yourself or a fashionista friend.

What do you think of the color? I would love to read your comments.

December Inspiration::All Things Christmas

                                                         Photo by Olesia Buyar on Unsplash

This December's Art Elements theme is --all things Christmas.  You can use any medium you feel inspires you.  This time of year, I love to make handmade ornaments and gifts.  I also made it a goal to cut down on waste in wrapping and tags.  

One of my favorite artisans is Brooke Bock.  She made the ceramics that I turned into Christmas ornaments.  The first ornament is for a special friend that loves the beach. Our favorite thing to do is to go to the beach to sit and catch up on our lives.  I only needed to add the connection between the ceramic and my handmade hanger.    

My next ornament is for the nature lover in my family.  I added a cream ceramic to Brooke's.  This cream ceramic is one that my cousin made which makes this ornament even more special in my eyes.  A red bow and handmade ornament hanger complete it.

Next I made this holiday wreath for my daughter's door.  I am very proud of the  bow which I made.  I bought a bow maker a few years ago. I have yet to use it, but I am determined to master it.  I have dragged it out to use which caused me to look at the instructional video twice. It seems to have a big learning curve but I am determined to master it.  

I feel that reusing and recycling is becoming more important every day.  In my last blog about gourds,  I talked about putting my pumpkins outside for the animals to eat and to keep them out of the landfill.  I did this and to my surprise when I returned to see the pumpkins, the ones that I had cut open when placed in the woods were completely eaten.  There was nothing left. The pumpkin in the above photo was originally whole when left outside.  Currently, you can see some animals worked hard to get into it and I am sure they will return and finish it off. 

My efforts to do better with my Christmas wrap were more successful than last year's.  I began with my giving up using glitter on most things.  I love glitter but I learned it is bad for the environment.  This year instead of buying gift tags, I embossed brown bags and used a die to cut them into gift tag shapes.  These tags looked especially cute with brown craft bags that many stores gave out and I saved to reuse.  I had thought about stamping the bags with snow flakes but I simply did not have the time.  I added some festive tissue paper and some ribbon. The gifts had a co-ordinated look plus I saved at least one trip to the store.  

Throughout the month of December projects can be posted on Instagram using the hashtag #aethemechallenge or and tag it with @art__elements (2 underscores between art and elements) and they will repost your images. You can also post it to the Art Elements Community Facebook page. 

 

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy 2022!  I would love to hear any tips you have for cutting back waste and reusing.

November Inspiration::Gourds

                                                       Photo by Jenny Kalahar on Unsplash

This month's Art Elements theme is --the gourd.  You can use any medium you feel inspires you.  This time of year, I love to decorate with my favorite gourd --the pumpkin.  Its range of colors make it perfect for fall inspiration.   

 

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Now that the  trick-or-treaters are gone and the costumes and decorations are packed away and Thanksgiving is over what about the pumpkins? 
Millions of pumpkins are sent to landfills each year, There they will decompose, releasing methane — a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide — into the atmosphere.  Rather than sending your pumpkins out with the trash,  think about some other options.  Composting is a perfect solution.   Even if you're going to compost your pumpkins, scoop the seeds out first and save them for the wildlife.  If that is not an available option then consider cutting your pumpkin into pieces and spreading outside as a treat for local critters. Birds, squirrels, chipmonks, foxes, deer and other mammals.will feed on the flesh of the pumpkins in addition to the seeds.

Pumpkin Earrings by BayMoon Design

These unique pumpkin statement earrings combine beautiful ceramic orange ceramic ovals that remind me of pumpkins. I added small green beads that look like stems. I used brass leaf bead caps and copper wire to create the stems. Natural brass ear wires provide contrast.

Throughout the month of November projects can be posted on Instagram using the hashtag #aethemechallenge or and tag it with @art__elements (2 underscores between art and elements) and they will repost your images. You can also post it to the Art Elements Community Facebook page. I hope you have discovered a new way to reuse your pumpkins and help the planet a bit. 

October Inspiration::The Skull

 

It wouldn't Halloween without some fun scary skulls, skeletons and ghosts.  The  Arts and Elements Inspiration for the month of October is Skulls.  This is a perfect time for me to make some Halloween earrings.  I grabbed a pair of skeleton beads I had on hand and then looked through my bead to see what I could add.  It wouldn't be Halloween without lots of orange and black so I used that as my color palette.

These are long skull earrings that are perfect for Halloween and Dia de Muertos . The skull is pale gray with piercing black eyes. This skull art jewelry is hung on sterling silver ear wires. Black and orange are traditional Fall colors so I added the orange ceramic bead to bring in those colors. I loved creating the loops at the end of the earring with the black wire the beads are stacked on. These light weight earrings are about 2.5 inches long and are sure to make a statement.

Everyone associates black and orange with Halloween. I decided to see what I could find out about this tradition. In fact, these two colors have been a staple in Halloween celebrations throughout the United States for over a century. Along with pumpkins, orange represents the changing of the seasons that comes with Halloween. Orange is also associated with the harvest season, fire, and warmth. Black represents darkness, death, and winter. Together, the colors are high-contrast. In recent times purple has made its way into the Halloween colors. 

                                                       Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash

Throughout the month of October projects can be posted on Instagram using the hashtag #aethemechallenge or and tag it with @art__elements (2 underscores between art and elements) and they will repost your images. You can also post it to the Art Elements Community Facebook page. I hope you have fun with this challenge! I certainly did.

                                                      Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

My September Inspiration is a Favorite Book

                                                         Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

This month's Art Elements theme is "favorite book."  A broad interpretation is permitted.   It can be your favorite book ever, favorite book this year, or favorite book from a specific period in your life. Or, if you couldn't possibly narrow it down to one book, pick one that creates vivid imagery for you. Or maybe literally use a favorite book to create something new.  There's bonus points if you tell us about the book and why you love it or why it inspired you to create.  You can use any medium you feel inspired to share your books. 

I decided to select Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh as my inspiration.   He is a fictional teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne  and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.  He comes to life in the stories as  soft-voiced, cuddly, loveable,  quiet teddy bear and the main protagonist. Despite being naïve and slow-witted, he is a friendly, thoughtful and sometimes a very insightful character who is always willing to help and try his best. As you might imagine his love  for honey often leads to trouble.  In the books, Pooh is a talented poet, and the stories are frequently punctuated by his poems and "hums". He is humble about his slow-wittedness, but comfortable with his creative gifts.

                                                           Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Being a retired children's librarian and a huge fan of Pooh.  I still have the Pooh stories that I read to my children and now I am excited to share them with my grandson.   I also happened to have a little collection of handmade ceramic beads inspired by these stories.  I could not resist them!

                                                        Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

Winnie the Pooh Earrings by BayMoonDesign

These handmade sterling silver Pooh Bear and Piglet earrings are made for adult Winnie the Pooh fans.   As a gift these are unique dangles are sure to please.  I used sterling silver wire to connect the charms to the blue Czech flower beads.  The earrings hang 1.75 inches below sterling ear wires.  The ceramic charms are made by Scottish artisan Grubbi and are available for purchase in my BayMoonDesign shop.. 

 

Throughout the month of September projects can be posted on Instagram using the hashtag #aethemechallenge or and tag it with @art__elements (2 underscores between art and elements) and they will repost your images. You can also post it to the Art Elements Community Facebook page. I hope you have fun with this challenge!  I loved it.  My only regret is not having gotten to making a necklace for these earrings--another challenge!

Turtles

                                                          Photo by Wexor Tmg on Unsplash
 
The Art Elements monthly challenge theme for August is the turtle.  I think of the turtle as my spirit animal.  Turtles are thought of as easygoing, patient, and wise creatures. Due to their long lifespan, slow movement, sturdiness, and wrinkled appearance, they are associated with longevity. I consider myself slow but steady in how I approach things.  Having a degree from the University of Maryland, their mascot the terrapin has a fond spot in my heart. Plus, I am certainly old and wrinkled now!

                                                   Photo by Kris Mikael Krister on Unsplash

Turtles have regularly been incorporated into art and literature over time.  I like to use turtles in my handmade art jewelry and cards as well.  This challenge motivated me to create this handmade card.  I love to look for turtles in the clear waters of the Florida Keys when I am lucky to be there.  I incorporated a reef into this card to capture those memories.

                                                       Green turtle card by BayMoonDesign

I am always on the lookout for turtle beads to incorporate into my jewelry. The turtle is the focus of this handmade bracelet.  I included a unique yellow lampwork seashell and sand bead, sand dollar charm, and aqua blue Czech glass beads. This boho blue bracelet is held together with natural color Irish waxed lined and natural brass lobster clasp and natural brass starfish charm that has had a patina applied.  

Turtle Bracelet by BayMoonDesign

This green turtle bracelet features a unique handmade polymer clay turtle by Brooke Brock. This bracelet also has pretty green lamp work beads by Susan Kennedy. It is held together by a black lobster clasp. I used annealed steel wire which was treated to bring out the black in the turtle. 

                                                    Green Turtle Bracelet by BayMoonDesign

Throughout the month of August projects can be posted on Instagram using the hashtag #aethemechallenge or #aeturtles and tag it with @art__elements (2 underscores between art and elements) and they will repost your images. You can also post it to the Art Elements Community Facebook page. I hope you have fun with this challenge!

                                        

                                                         Photo by Scott Stefan on Unsplash