Art Bead Earring Swap Reveal!

Good day to you! Today is reveal day for the Art Bead Earring Swap hosted by the lovely and talented Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio! Diana paired me with the very talented ceramic bead artist, Diane Hawkey. Diane was extremely generous and gifted me with two pairs of earrings, thank you so much Diane!

First up is a pair of LOVE hearts with sterling silver earwires. Adorable, and I can't wait to wear them! Diane is very well known in the beading world for her word beads. These beads have a shiny red glaze and the white banner and black words have a matte finish.

Next up is a pair of amber, crackle finish heart beads on brass earwires from Vintaj.

I wore these earrings to work the other day. They coordinate nicely with a necklace I finished over the weekend for Andrew Thornton's September Readers Challenge, which I'll be revealing on Wednesday, October 12 (check back!). This pair has a shiny amber glaze with a slight crackle finish on the beads and I think you can make out a floral and leaf embossing on the beads. Lovely!

Again, I am a very lucky girl! Thank you Diane!

Below is a picture Diane took of the earrings I sent to her (the peril of a daughter taking a photography class this semester is that I don't have my camera available whenever I want it!).

 

For these earrings, I used sterling silver bezel connectors from Rio Grande. I placed sealed scrapbook paper that looks like sand in the back, then teeny tiny pieces of sea glass in shades of brown, green and cobalt and filled them with ICE Resin. I then wired brown seaglass chips, cobalt dyed MOP chips, apatite, peridot and a stone I'm not sure about chips to the bottom connector with sterling ball end headpins and finished them with sterling earwires. I had intended to have all of the dangles be seaglass, however, my Dremel decided to give me fits and only the brown got drilled. This was my first time using resin and I was a wreck (I also made a few other pieces I'll show another day). The ICE Resin is worth every penny, it's FABULOUS! I had NO air bubbles. I can't wait to use it again.

I collected the seaglass at my favorite little hometown beach, Willard Beach. My Uncle Chick (his nickname) was the lifeguard there for 38 years. It's the beach my parents met at and they fell in love there (my dad worked summers for my uncle). I spent many a summer afternoon there with my children when they were growing up. It's a little gem of a beach. Most of the glass I collect there is smallish and usually brown, green or clear, but I love it!

Thanks again Diana for hosting this swap, and thanks for partnering me with Diane! Below are links to the rest of the participants:

Diana Ptaszynski   http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com/ Jenny Davies-Reazor  http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp  http://www.skyejewels.blogspot.com/ Lisa Petrillo  http://www.lucidmoonstudio.com/ Patty Chaban Gasparino  http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/ Susan Kennedy  http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/ Shannon Iko Chomanczuk  http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/ Cilla Watkins  http://www.tellyourgirlfriends.com/ Diane Hawkey  http://www.dianehawkey.blogspot.com/ Pam Ferrari http://www.ferrarioriginalsyahoocom.blogspot.com/ Lori Bowring Michaud  http://www.artfullyornamental.blogspot.com/ (you are here) Stacey M. Curry  http://www.starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com/ Linda Landig  http://www.lindasbeadblog.com/ Norma Turvey  http://www.moonlitfantaseas.blogspot.com/ Melinda Orr  http://www.orrtec.blogspot.com/ Holly Westfall  http://www.silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/ Rosemarie Cowit  http://www.gemrosedesigns.blogspot.com/ Staci L. Smith  http://www.stacilouise.blogspot.com/ Sarah Elder  http://www.mysocalledjunkylife.blogspot.com/