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.