A Tutorial For You On A Snowy Day!

Since moving from sunny Arizona back to my small hometown in central Illinois last fall (yep, I moved back to 'Mayberry'!) I've come to appreciate the beauty of winter again. 

Atlanta, Illinois - Photo Credit: Marsha Hindman

 

A while back, my brother-in-law asked me how I was adjusting to the mid-west weather and small town living again. 

 "I decided, no matter what, I'm going to find the beauty in every day", I answered. 

His reply, "Well then, don't look in the mirror, Shelly!"

LOL! 

Yep, gotta love 'Old Man River'.   He comes up with the best comebacks and can make you laugh at just about anything. Even yourself.

So today, as we started getting hit with freezing temps, gusting winds, icy rain and snow flurries, I saw the beauty in the snowy white scene outside and went to go look for some fun, white pearl earrings to wear today.

I came across these beauties in my jewelry box. 

 

These white, cascading Keshi Pearl earrings are the first piece of jewelry I ever had published in a jewelry magazine - BeadStyle Magazine - and I thought they were very appropriate for today. 

Just the way the snow is dancing and sparkling in the wind outside, these Keshi Pearl earrings will be dancing and sparkling on my shoulders, making today bright and sunny, even in the dead of winter! 

You can make your very own pair of these fun, flirty earrings and have a beautiful, winter-white day while still remaining warm and toasty!
 

Just hop on over to Kalmbach Publishing's Jewelry and Beading Store HERE and grab this tutorial and create a pair, or two!

And, created with white keshi pearls, this Keshi Necklace by Naomi Fujimoto would be the perfect one to pair with your newly created earrings!

 

Necklace by Naomi Fujimoto - BeadStyle Magazine

Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Fun with Pearls!
Cheers,
~Shel~

Jumping Through Hoops!

Hoop earrings are always in style and if you practice making several sizes and embellishing them in different ways, then you’ll always have this essential earring staple to complete your wardrobe no matter what the current trends may be.

Here's a simple tutorial for creating some basic hoop style earrings.

Flush cut two (2) pieces of 20g wire to your desired length. Your length will depend on how large or small you wish your hoops to be.  For these photos I cut two, 5 inch pieces of wire.

Make a simple loop on one end of each of your pieces of wire.

To form the hoop portion, you will need a mandrel.

This can be a fat marker, an actual ring mandrel, a nail polish bottle, a film canister or your looping or wrap-n-tap pliers.

Wrap each piece of wire  around the mandrel you've selected to form a round shape.

To keep the shape you’ve created, you will want to lightly tap each ear-hoop with your plastic or rawhide mallet, either on your bench block or while it’s around your mandrel.

Neither the plastic or rawhide mallet with flatten your wire, but it will work harden it enough so that your hoops will keep their shape.

Take your jewelry file and smooth out the straight part of the hoop.  This portion will go into your ear so you want to make sure it is smooth and won't scratch your ear.

Grasp the straight part of the wire you just filed with your chain nose pliers,  about 2 to 3 cm up, and bend it to a 90 angle to form the ‘hook’ that will fit into the loop portion of your hoops to close them.

Lay your hoops on your bench block and hammer the bottom of the hoop portion to flatten it a bit. This not only gives it some strength, but some style as well.

And, if you're planning on wire wrapping some lovely little gemstones or beads on to your hoops, this will help the wire from spinning around while you're wrapping!

And remember, your hoops don't have to be round.  Oval hoops are quite fun and stylish, too!

Now for the fun part! 

You can leave your hoops they way they are right now - simple and stylish - or you can embellish your hoops with bead dangles, wire wrap them with a different metal for a mixed metal look or you can wire wrap some fun beads on them to add color and texture.  

 

You can even wrap ribbons, leather or cord around them with wire or add charms or other beads for a truly unique and textured look!

Whatever you do, have fun and Hoop It Up!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Hoopty-Do!!

Cheers,

~Shel~