Thursday, August 9, 2012

Earrings for my Mom

Last Sunday, Aug. 5th, was my Mom's birthday. She looks young for her age, which by the way is 82. She has always looked younger, and thankfully, it runs in the family. **wink-wink** I made peridot gemstone earrings for her last year, since her birthstone is peridot. It's my birthstone too, as I was born 3 days before her birthday. I put peridot chips inside sterling silver round bezels and sealed them with epoxy resin. They turned out so beautiful and sparkly! I forgot to take pictures though. Oh well...
This is my Mom when she was 18.
I was going to make my Mom a bracelet or a necklace this year, but I decided on another pair of earrings when I found my vermeil teardrops. I got them from a friend a few years back and completely forgot about them. I made a necklace using one of the drops as part of the focal and it ended up getting published in the Jan. 2009 issue of Bead Trends. That was my 1st publication. I was on cloud nine for a long time! lol Anyway...I had 2 of the vermeil drops left, but I put them away and never used them. Now that I think about it...I think I was waiting for the right time to create with them. And this time I took pictures. ;)
And here they are! I paired the vermeil drops with antique bronze filigree cones that I bought from my friend, Cairn @ OverstockOutlet. The filigree cones are stunning! They look like they were made for the drops. I made the earwires with 14K gold wire (20ga) and hammered them only a little around the curves.
I'm super happy with the earrings, and my Mom is too. She even went as far as to send me a "thank you" card. That made my day! She was absolutely thrilled with them, and I'm so happy about that. I'm even more happier knowing I put a smile on her beautiful face on her special day. :)

Monday, August 6, 2012

Pantone Fall Colors-2012

Quote from Pantone's Fashion Color Report for Fall 2012.
"From love potions and the magical hour of sunset to witches and warlocks, fantasy and illusion are inspiring designers this fall season. With an unexpected mix of darks, brights and neutrals, they cleverly manipulate reality to transport consumers to an enchanting place, free from the stresses of everyday life."

Artbeads.com can help you choose Swarovski Crystals that closely match these magical Fall colors. Check out their blog post; "Pantone Colors for Fall 2012."

I'm loving these colors! Looks like I'll be doing some bead shopping soon. ;)

Friday, August 3, 2012

Giveaway Friday

Northridge Publishing is giving away a fantastic collection of cardstock, patterened paper and embellishments with the "Summer of '69" kit from Studio Calico. This kit is sold out, but you have lots of ways to enter for your chance to win it. Click on the photo above or HERE to go straight to the giveaway. "Good Luck!"