Week 5 kicked off with these gorgeous lampworked beads, from Radiant Mind Beads. Originally on Etsy, it looks like she’s moved to a different site, but she’s still out there making art glass!
I wanted to show off the beads in a different way, and really, the colors are so spectacularly luminous, I didn’t want anything detracting from or adding a lot of visual mess to them. I took some patinaed 20 gauge sterling wire and hammered it flat, then gently textured it with my hammer, bent it into these little trapeze shapes and wrapped off the top. Patinaed earwires to match. Super simple. They are really swingy and fun to wear and the very minimal frame of the wire does let the beads be the superstar. I like them a bunch, but miss Em the youngest says they are not her favorite and she would like me to go back to the drawing board on this idea. So I guess these are destined for the big wall ‘o’ earrings called “keepers” and that’s just fine by me.
I wish I’d gotten a better shot of these, but I was rushing to get to Crafted this morning and this was the best shot I got. The beads are from Julie Miller Glass on Etsy. I had a couple of these little ceramic dangles from Elaine Ray, and they finished off the stack nicely, especially with a couple of luminous cream colored keishi pearls thrown on top. I put them on copper so I could see how they’d hang, but later swapped out to sterling earwires because these weren’t so groovy with the mixed metal look. I like that much better.
These were definitely not the most challenging in terms of a creative conundrum, but I liked the mismatched but still familial bead colors together and I liked how the matching dangles pulled them together and gave them some uniformity. These are pretty comfortable to wear, not too heavy, the components were all surprisingly light when I got them put together. They will not be in the store either, as they are currently in my ears which is where I put them the minute those earwires were swapped out…
I’ve got some great ideas for this coming week, and am going to try my hand at making a few of my own components with PMC.
Check out the rest of this week’s blog hoppers here at the AJE page.
If you want MORE art bead goodness from this challenge, check out the AJE Pinterest board!
...a homeschooling, unjobbing mama and modern day Mrs. Lovett. Knitter. Cat lady. Artist. Tattooed and irreverent, with a twist. My purpose on this earth is to bring a little inspiration and delight to all of y'all. Life is amazing! Grace is everywhere. Let me show you...
Love the second pair. Why do the ones I want keep ending up in your ears? ; )
Probably because I have fabulous taste?
Also, YOU have fabulous taste!
Your design really showed off the beautiful lamp work beads! I’m looking forward to seeing what you make next!
Thank you! So many amazing glass artists… I’d had those beads from Radiant Mind for a while just hanging out in my stash. It was so nice to get a chance to use them.
I LOVE the holy rollers!!!! Could you make something like that for me? Puppy-dog eyes. I can’t wait to see what you do next with gorgeous lampwork beads like these. So much fun!