Art Jewelry Elements Challenge to Use Some of Our Stash

Florida Bay

This challenge is inspired by a simple question.  Do you have components by any of the 14 AJE teammates in your stash?  It just so happens that I have several and they are by 2 of my favorite artists.   I have always loved sailing and sailing boats.  I often make jewelry with sailboats or other nautical themes.  I seek out ceramic artists that make components with those themes.  Lesley Watt and Diana Ptaszynski are 2 AJE team members that have some wonderful ceramics with sailboats.

Red boat earrings available for purchase at BayMoonDesign

The first components I will share with you are ceramics made by Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl.  I used these 2 stoneware sailboats for a pair of earrings. These sailboat earrings have a nautical look with the  stoneware boat on them. The nautical earrings are paired with a bead of the same color.

Sailboat Necklace available at BayMoonDesign

The next component that I used is a handmade stoneware sailboat in red and bluish green by UK artist Lesley Watt. I love the boho, summer look of this necklace. The necklace started with the sailboat. I then found a handmade white ceramic to attach it to using some sterling silver and metal work. The turquoise Irish waxed linen adds some additional color to it. I made the angular sterling silver clasp to mirror the angles in the sails of the ceramic boat.  This necklace has red sponge coral and white beads attached with boho looking turquoise Irish waxed linen thread. The red sponge coral makes this a great necklace for this spring since it is the popular marsala Pantone Color of the spring 2015.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of my favorite sailboats!

Bay Moon Design Meets Art Jewelry Elements January Component Stash Challenge Featuring Lindsay Starr's Focal

Inspiration Piece

Most if not all beaders have piles of jewels that they hoard over like the dragon above.  In the case of the Art Jewelry Elements team, they have lots of art beads.  January's Art Jewelry Elements component stash challenge called for 9 lucky readers of the Art Jewelry Elements blog to be selected randomly to receive an art bead from members of the team.  Sue Kennedy, Lindsay Starr, Jen Cameron. Center: Caroline Dewison, Lesley Watt, Melissa Merman, Kristen Stevens and Linda Lang each contributed a bead.

Free Form beading by Lindsay M Starr of Phantasm Creations

I was lucky enough to win  beadwork by Lindsay M Starr of Phantasm Creations. Lindsay is a beadwork artist living in Nashville, Tennessee, but she says she is a west coast girl at heart.   She is continually inspired by nature, especially the sea, sea life, and insects. She loves learning, and always challenges herself with new color palettes, materials, and techniques.

Starfish

As soon as I saw the bead, I was reminded of a starfish.  I am luck to live by the Atlantic Ocean in Lewes, Delaware in the summer and Blackwater Sound in Key Largo, Florida in the winter so I get much of my inspiration from the water.  I wanted to use the turquoise, golds and whites in her piece to create a necklace.  I love how her beadwork is 3 dimensional.   I was challenged to find a way to attach Lindsay's piece to other beads to create this necklace.  I knew seed beading was not an optional that I wanted to use.   I also knew that I didn't want to cause any stress on her beadwork which looks very delicate so I dug out a finding that I have been hoarding for several years now. 

I added some brass loops to the component and then sewed the back of Lindsay's beadwork to it.   The finding turned out to be the perfect size to hide behind the beadwork and it also had holes in the metal work where I could attach the beadwork.

Starfish necklace available at  Bay Moon Design

I added some gold glass beads and turquoise beads and a brass clasp that I made to it.  What are your thoughts on my using the metal finding as a base for the necklace?  I would love to hear what some of you might have done instead.

Here is the list of the participants - the team, winners and special guests! Please visit them!

AJE team: 

Kristen Stephens 

Susan Kennedy 

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Lesley Watt    

Melissa  Meman

 Lindsay Starr 

Jennifer Cameron 

Caroline Dewison

Linda Landig

Guest Participants ( aka winners)

Lee - Strega Jewellry

Shai - Shai’s Ramblings

Samantha- Wescott Jewelry

*** you are here Kathy - Bay Moon Designs

Nikki - Silver Nik nats

Melissa Trudinger

Becky Pancake

Yvette - Blue Kiln Beads

Karin - Ginko et Coquelicot

Bonus participants! 

Sarajo Wentling

Leah Curtis

Susan Delaney 

New Earring Monday -Weeks 3 and 4

Florida Bay

Welcome to weeks 3 and 4 of New Years Monday sponsored by SJ Designs.

I started week 3 by focusing on turquoise, a color I have been using frequently.  I think that is because I am a snowbird living in the Florida Keys and I am surrounded by gorgeous turquoise water.  I just came back from a boating trip to Florida Bay,  The water was amazing.  There were all different kinds of blues, green, and turquoise.  I want to share with you a pair of earrings that were inspired by that trip--my seahorse earrings.

Turquoise Seahorse Earrings available at BayMoonDesign

These seahorse earrings are made from natural brass sheets that I embossed with a seahorse pattern. I then hand painted the earrings with blue and green patinas to created turquoise earrings. I used blue glass wavy and gold beads to create a rolling sea look. The metal has a protective coating to keep the color vivid for years to come! I have hung them on gold wires to accentuate the metal that shows through the patina and the gold wavy beads.

Shamrock Earrings available at BayMoonDesign

The next pair of earrings I made for my BayMoonDesign shop for Saint Patrick's Day.   They have a gold shamrock on green and sparkly, green swarovski crystal and gold beads have been added. I had the luck of the Irish with these Celtic earrings last year!  I sold several to people in Great Britain and the United States.  This year's earrings are similar but slightly different.  I hope they will be popular again.

Bead Peeps Swap n Blog Introduction-A Little Bit about Bay Moon Design

Latest necklace by BayMoonDesign

I am waiting for a partner for the Bead Peeps Swap n Blog. Bead Peeps are a group of jewelry makers on facebook. A partner will be assigned to me by the organizers of the hop shortly.  I thought I would help this process by telling a little about myself and my jewelry.  Much of my jewelry creations are drawn from influences found in nature, and each piece is designed to be comfortable and fun to wear.  I began making jewelry when I took a jewelry making lesson with a friend and we had a great time making a necklace and drinking wine with some other ladies.  I took more lessons and then I began buying beads. I enjoy shopping for beads almost as much as creating with beads.  I find making jewelry a challenge and a creative outlet.

I make a variety of different kinds of jewelry.  I do this mainly because I like to learn new techniques and expand my range.   I really don't know how to describe my style because I think it changes.  I am really drawn to make jewelry that is inspired by a bead hop where you are given a piece of art as an inspiration. The multicolored necklace pictured above is such a piece.

A favorite necklace of mine that is feminine and sophisticated and inspired by nature

I know some of my jewelry has been described as delicate, sophisticated, feminine.   Personally, I like jewelry with a BoHo look.   I do know that I don't make anything that I will not wear.  Most of the jewelry that I make I sell in my BayMoonDesign shop.  For that reason, I tend to make jewelry that is geared to a season like the holiday season or fall.  Currently, I am in Florida and I am working on jewelry for Saint Patrick's Day and the summer craft fair season.  Since I live in the Florida Keys in the winter and by the Delaware Bay in the summer, my jewelry is inspired by nature.

Saint Patrick's Day Earrings Available at BayMoonDesign

Sailboat Earrings available at BayMoonDesign

Starfish  Bracelet Available at BayMoonDesign

I like to use vintage or materials from nature.   I love to use materials found in nature like sea shells and pearls and materials made from nature like ceramics..  From looking at my jewelry you can see I love to use ceramics and polymer clay beads as focals.   I use a wide variety of beads.  I use to use beads that were on the small side, but recently I have started working with larger beads.
 I have started doing more metal work.  I bought Cindy Wimmer's book about making chains and clasps from metals and I bought a tumbler so I am now making more of my components like the silver connector and silver clasp in the blue necklace.  I don't really care to work with tiny seed beads.  I do like peanut beads and superduos.  I love the texture of Irish waxed lace and use it in lots of my jewelry like the starfish bracelet.

I really use every color.  Personally, I love greens, purples, and blues the best.

I can't wait to see who my partner is and get beads from him or her.  I do love beads!