Updates in Etsy Shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/enolafrost

I have added some additional listings to my Etsy shop this afternoon!  Here's a preview:

Giveaway!

Thanks for coming out to my blog!  To show my thanks, I will be holding a drawing on Saturday morning at 9:00 for a free pair of earrings of your choice from my Signature Colors Collection pictured below.   To enter, comment here or on the Facebook post with your answer to this question:  If you only wear one piece of jewelry (other than a wedding ring,) what do you choose?

Reunited!

I know that war is devastating and tornadoes are destructive and that life is generally really hard. For this very reason, I need to rejoice in the little things.

A very little thing, indeed, but a treat for me this year is that I was reunited with earrings. For nearly fifteen years I haven't been able to tolerate the metal in my ears because of instant and painful contact dermatitis. It didn't matter if it was stainless steel or pure gold, it was not happening. One day after I was stricken with the beadworking bug I was thinking how nice it would be if I could wear the earrings I could now make. A simple idea struck...what if the actual metal did not make contact with my skin? I grabbed a pair of earwires and thoroughly painted them with clear fingernail polish. When they were dry, I slipped them in and waited. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes...2 hours, 3 hours. No redness. No pain. No burning. Take it away, Peaches and Herb!

Vintage Fresh 2

Kathy, from Icebox Antiques and Collectibles in International Falls, MN, has given me a vicarious thrill by shopping for vintage jewelry and beads that I can reimagine. These wine-colored beads spoke to me right away, but I wanted more glass and metal to make them look more up-to-date.

I showcased beads with interesting finishes and shapes and created a focal bead by netting around one of the larger ones. Finally, I strung some seed beads that I love (matte and rainbow peridot with bronze lining, shimmery burgundy, etc.) together with premade chain and added dangles of glass flowers and leaves.

Several days after I made the necklace above, I pulled it from its display and cut a few links from the chain above the glass flowers and leaves because the proportions were bothering me. While I was at it, I crafted some cluster drop earrings with the same motif.
I've added this additional photo of the necklace so that the beads are more easily seen. The initial picture showed the shape, but not the cool finishes and textures that enchanted me!

Vintage Fresh

Vintage beads from a broken necklace! Even though the finish on these plastic beads was worn, they were irrestistible. They had organic shapes, but an electric color! I played with some color combinations and decided that less was way more!

First, I made a focal pendant by wire-wrapping one of the "crumpled" beads. Next, I used a more substantial wire than I have previously to crochet new aqua seed beads together with glass bicones and faceted plastic beads that were rescued from a stuffy black vintage necklace.Note to self: Plastic crochet hooks do not stand up well to the lower gauge wire. Invest in an aluminum one.

Spring Play

The internet is a beautiful thing! After admiring the coil-style earrings around town, I found a tutorial online. (I'll post the link as soon as I can find it, again!) Honestly, my first try wasn't so great. I ended with one passable drop, so I took that to be a sign that it was meant to be a pendant rather than an earring. That said, the coiling gizmo was so fun, that some silly earrings came out of the deal. The photograph doesn't do the pieces justice...they are odd, but I love the colors.