Swing from the Chandeliers!

I always feel as if I'm in constant motion from Halloween through New Year's Day. So, amid all the chaos that is the holiday season, I was inspired to make earrings for my Earrings of the Month members that remind them to enjoy life, create memories, giggle, and swing from the chandeliers…not literally, but you get the idea.

These one-of-a-kind pieces are made with each recipient in mind using glass, gemstones, and sterling silver. They are all handwired with sterling silver and will ship out later this week.

The Ice Cream Orchid

I am easily swayed to make new jewelry. And it's usually spawned by something I'm reading...or eating. Since I just started reading Tim Ecott's Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I wanted an orchid necklace.

Luckily I located a local artisan who handcasts all of his pieces using the lost wax method. Check out Pete Conder's shop on etsy.

I handwired his sterling silver orchid with clear quartz coins and faceted rondelles of golden citrine to create this one-of-a-kind necklace. Then I made coordinated earrings with faceted pear chalcedony briolettes and clear quartz coins.

I'll have to check out more of Pete's pieces. This orchid is eye-catching and gorgeous without being too heavy. It was exactly what I wanted.

Bushels of Beads

One of my favorite family activities for this season: picking apples with my boys. Of course I love the jams, pies, tarts, and chutneys that result. But there is something inspiring about the reds and greens of fresh Fall fruits. And it is with winesaps, pippins, and galas in mind that I created my October EcoChic Designs' earrings-of-the-month - Bushels of Beads. Think red chalcedony, green aventurine, Burmese rubies, garnets, and green onyx...all handwired with sterling silver. All one-of-a-kind. All made specifically for each recipient. These went out to my subscribers this week. I hope they enjoy them!

Two of Two

In addition to everything else I have scheduled this weekend, I - happily! - added two bracelets for a dear friend. She wanted some pieces for her girlfriends and described one as a stunning Chumash with black hair and blue eyes. Love that combination. For her I picked a combination of faceted smoky quartz barrels, faceted London blue topaz rondelles, shiny hematite, and a lone recycled blue bead...all handwired with sterling and closing with a sterling hook-and-eye. I hope she likes it!

First of Two

A gal who used to teach at the boys' school and I keep in touch via facebook, but I was still surprised when she asked me to create some bracelets for two of her best friends. She had seen another bracelet I made for a former teacher when she had her baby last Spring. So here's the chain of events to this commission: I mailed a bracelet to Oregon, posted a photo of it on facebook, and, then, a friend in Egypt ordered two and has me sending them out from California. Gotta love the internet.

We chatted, online, about colors. And here's the first one...I've blocked out the name because it's a surprise!

She asked for gold colors and an opulent feel. I went for earthy gemstones with facets. Lots of facets. Facets add that glizty, glam feel. I created this custom piece with faceted golden citrine ovals, faceted lemon quartz nuggets, faceted smoky quartz triangle briolettes, and - of course - a single saffron-hued recycled glass bead. It closes with an oxidized sterling S clasp. Hope she likes it!

OLIVE My Earring Club Members!

It's the end of the month...which means that my next month's creations for the earrings-of-the-month club gals goes in the mail today.

Having won a recipe contest through We Olive, I roped some friends into joining me and my family at the Paso Robles Olive Festival, an all-day celebration of all things olives. We sipped olive oils, bent olive branches into crowns, spooned olive jam onto olive oil crisps, slathered olive oil lotion onto sun-baked skin, and cooled off with olive oil ice cream – topped with balsamic vinegar. What we didn’t do, that I thought we would: taste olives. You know, the actual fruit. I envisioned tubs of green, almond-shaped cerignola; slightly wrinkled, almost midnight gaeta olives; and the green picholine to the purplish liguria all swimming in their pools of delicious brine.

So, while dreaming of olives, I decided to make that the theme for this month’s Earrings-of-the-Month selection: Olives!

The earrings are made with eco-friendly olive-shaped acai seeds handwired with sterling silver, lava beads, and hematite. Here’s what my vendor writes about their acai beads: “Our beads are made in our small workshop in South America. The workshop is clean and workers receive a fair wage so everybody's happy! Plus collecting and selling seeds creates income for the indigenous people. Without this income, the rainforest is often destroyed to provide for a more agrarian society.”

Olive Love

I recently won an olive oil recipe contest - check out my Malfatti di Ricotta e Bietola (dumplings with chard and cheese) - and, as part of my prize, get to attend the Paso Robles Olive Festival this weekend. I get some other fun perks, including access to the We Olive! VIP tent, wine, beer, a gift certificate, and tickets to the growers' dinner! Woohoo. I love olives.

So, naturally, I had to make some jewelry to wear - to the festival, during my interview...and just to get in the olive mood.

I used a sterling silver olive leaf as the focal point, dangling a deep purple, kalamata-shaped recycled glass bead from the finding. Then I handwired rough garnet nuggets - wrinkled like the gaeta olives - with watermelon tourmaline slabs - with colors of green picholine to the purplish liguria.

The matching earrings have garnets and watermelon tourmaline as well. Can't wait till Saturday!