Ice Queen Bling {Pieces of the Month}

My family and I spent a week in Lake Tahoe for the boys’ Spring break. We sledded, snow-shoed, hiked, and just generally loved being in the Winter Wonderland.  Here we are after a day of exploring where Desolation Wilderness meets Cascade Lake. So much fun!

One afternoon atop Mount Rose summit, overlooking Lake Tahoe, I noticed small icicles in the pine needles. The sunlight was hitting them just right to make them sparkle like diamonds.

I saw there, under the trees, for what seemed like hours. It was probably only fifteen minutes; but it was cold. I waited for snow to melt to catch the droplets.

Inspired, I decided to create my April pieces in crystal, silver, and deep green. Enjoy!

I'll post photos of the pieces soon. Notice I wrote "pieces." I have some subscribers who have been part of the earrings-of-the-month club for five years. They have more earrings than they know what to do with. But, not wanting to miss out on the jewelry fun, I have migrated them over to a bracelet and a necklace subscription. So, if you ever get tired to receiving earrings, that is an option!

Happy (Almost) Spring

I’ve always loved tulips. At my wedding sixteen years ago, my bridesmaids carried bunches of tulips with ribbons wrapped around their stems. I commissioned a local artist to create a sterling silver parrot tulip ring for me years ago. I wear it all the time.

To me, tulips represent Spring which, in turn, represents rebirth and renewal.

I love that they are equally beautiful in the garden as they are, singly, in a vase or as part of a larger arrangement. They are statuesque, graceful, and vibrant.

So, this month, I have made the earrings-of-the-month selections tulip-themed.

Some of the gals are getting handmade lampwork glass tulips from an artist in Oregon (Serena Smith Lampwork); some are getting sterling-over-brass sculptural tulip beads; and some are getting pieces with gems that are my favorite colors of tulips.

Enjoy…and Happy (Almost) Spring.

Deck the Lobes {earrings-of-the-month}

This month's selections are inspired by my lack of space for holiday decorating. We are in the middle of a major remodel on our house and my husband declared: NO holiday dinner parties and NO big Christmas tree! Boo. 

He has promised, however, to restore water and electricity every evening by the time I get home from work. Okay.

 

So, instead of spreading tinsel and hanging delicate glass balls over the boughs of a tree, I have decided to deck your lobes!

This month's earrings are made with sterling silver swirls and swoops - just like tinsel - and sparkling micro-faceted gems - just like ornaments. All are handwired with sterling silver and hang from sterling silver earwires. I hope my subscribers enjoy these pieces made just for them!

Disco Balls {Earrings-of-the-Month}

Who knew that a novel turned movie about an astronaut stranded on Mars would cause a revival of disco?

If you haven't seen The Martian, the soundtrack is enough to send any disco-lover into orbits of elation. So, the other afternoon, D was looking through our CDs to find good "cookie-baking" music; he found a disco compilation. Yes, I have one!

"Mommy, do you think we should listen to disco while we make cookies?" Yes!

"You have terrible taste in music," deadpanned R, quoting Matt Damon's character.

So, while we baked cookies - here are the Kaffir Lime-Matcha Sugar Cookies we made - we listened to Gloria Gaynor, the BeeGees, and more! I even dug my pink glitter platforms out of the costume bin. It's a good thing people can't see into my kitchen too often!

But while looking at my beads, I decided to completely change direction on the earrings-of-the-month. This month, I made disco balls with microfaceted gems handwired with sterling silver.

I had made a pair of earrings for a friend's birthday and she wrote in her thank you note: "Love the purple disco ball earrings - well, they remind me of disco balls anyway. It's like a party dangling from my ears."

I love it! So, here you go, gals. Disco balls for November's EcoChic Designs' selection. It's like a party dangling from your ears. Enjoy!

For the Love of the Vine {earrings of the month}

This month had me thinking about wine and the grape vines. A few vintner friends were talking about the early harvest due to the warmer-than-usual summer. So, inspired by my love of the vine - and, yes, the ensuing liquid libation that comes from those vines - I created this month's pieces in different shades of wine.

See the wines...

I used lemon quartz, green garnet, deep garnet, dusty Burmese raw rubies, green onyx and more to represent the palest gold of Pinot Grigio to the almost inky black of Negrette.

The last of the packages went into the mail today. I hope the gals enjoy these. Cheers!

Rain Dances {Earrings-of-the-Month}

Over eighteen months ago, I made some earrings that were inspired by stormy skies and playful puddles. Well, we haven't had any of those in all that time. It's time for more drastic measures and this month's pieces represent a full-on rain dance! The drought we are experiencing in California is bad. We desperately need rain. We need water. Badly.

So, I was inspired to make some pieces this month – earrings that will do a virtual rain dance, swinging and swaying on ear lobes this month.

This month’s EcoChic Designs earrings-of-the-month pieces are created using upcycled sterling silver chain, rutile quartz teardrops, and faceted grey agate rounds - all handwired with sterling silver wire and hanging from sterling silver earwires.

Enjoy and dance for rain!

Rain

by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--

I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said—

I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Mustard Seeds {Earrings of the Month}

He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." - Matthew 13: 31-32

EcoChic Designs’ August Earrings-of-the-Month –

 MUSTARD SEEDS

I don’t know what your religious beliefs and affiliations might be, but this month, I was inspired by faith. Not mine. My boys.

I was raised spiritually, but not belonging to any congregation or church. I went to an Episcopalian high school, attended Catholic masses – more as a place of quiet and meditation – throughout my teen years, and my husband and I were married by an Episcopalian minister.  While we don’t have a church, I think it’s fair to say that we are both people of faith.

But my two spend a significant amount of time with my parents who are Catholic, having returned to their faith later in life. My parents used to harangue me about baptizing the boys and rolled their eyes when I told them that Jake and I had already baptized them in the ocean. I think they gave up asking me and set their eyes on making sure their “grandbaby boys” were theists.

My boys attend mass with my parents on a regular basis. And, earlier this summer, both boys asked to be baptized. We found a minister and church that we all liked and, earlier this month, my boys were baptized.

I was inspired by the passage in Matthew that likens the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed.  Small, amber rounds represent those seeds; some pieces have yellow quartz as well. And all are handwired with sterling silver wire and hang from sterling silver ear wires. Whatever my subscribers believe, I hope that they enjoy these warm, sunny-hued pieces made especially for them.

Photos to follow. ~CMM