Monday, June 25, 2012

Monday, Monday....

And here it is Monday...which is kinda like a day off in that the shop is closed although there is usually something that needs attending to, most generally paperwork.  But today?  I went outside about 9:30am and watered since it's been so hot and dry.  And i went to the shop and picked up the trash and recycling about 6:30pm.  Inbetweentimes?  i loafed.  i lounged.  i lazed.  i read another couple of chapters in Book 5 of the Song of Ice and Fire saga.

i was a bum.  it felt...weird, so after i got back from fetching the trash, i made earrings.

omg!  i know, right?

Don't get too excited.  My plan was to make several pair and thus move along in the 365/365 challenge.  Rather than accomplish that, however, i spent way too much time tinkering with today's  offering.  No worries.  "..tomorrow is another day." (-Scarlett O'Hara, on more than one occasion)

anyways.  i started out simple but the design called out for more and before i knew it, i was thinking in patriotic detail! 


This box holds most of my glass beads.  From it i picked this strand of blue lentils that i bought probably four years ago and had not cut apart until today.  They're such a pretty blue! 

On the first attempt, i combined a blue bead with a red drop.  The inspired moment was deciding to put the 8mm twisted jump ring through the drop hole instead of attaching it with a briolette wrap.  Then several design false starts until i got this far. 

Still lacking oomph and pizzazz and all that jazz until BOOM!  Fireworks lit up the design station!  Make it red white and blue! And make each bead component just a lil' bit different...

for each earring:
(1) blue lentil-shaped glass bead
(1) white round glass bead
(1) red drop glass bead
(2) 2mm silver rounds
(2) 8mm twisted jump rings
brass and silver-plate wire
ear wire

Open the 8mm jump ring and thread it through the hole of the drop.  Leave open.  Using 18ga brass wire and simple loops, make a component with the round white bead.  Add this component to the jump ring holding the drop and close the jump ring.  Using silver wire (it's thinner, probably 22ga)and 2mm silver rounds, make a component with the blue lentil bead,  again with simple loops. Open a second 8mm jump ring and add the white/red component and the blue.  Close the jump ring.  Attach the other loop of the blue component to the ear wire.  Repeat for second earring. 

 i'm not a huge fan of holiday jewelry but the Fourth of July IS next week.  Then we've got the All Star game right here in KC and then the Summer Olympics begin towards the end of July.  Star spangled summer, baby!  Now's as good time a time as any to wear the home colors!