Color Fade Bangles and Circlet Earrings for tomorrow

I feel like I'm not making jewelry as much as I used to, but when pop-up sales happen, new jewelry also happens. The above large checker earrings I wasn't going to make, but then I just had to get them out of my head...and they're just as wonderful as I thought they might be. I wore them to work today before cleaning them and putting them for sale tomorrow. 

If you haven't noticed my posting until now, the Ann Arbor Holiday show is tomorrow (Saturday November 8th) at Zal Gaz Grotto, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor from 10am-4pm. It's nice to see people, even if you're just stopping in to say hi or are curious about the guild and what we're up to.

I created some burgundy, tan and black pieces...I keep seeing that "burgundy is the color of the season" and red tones always seem easy to lean into during fall and as the holidays approach. Then I saw a teaser for an article "Forget about Burgundy - This Fall is All About Violet"...so I popped some of the suggested violet tones into the next color fade bangle and circlet earrings I made. It definitely pops more than the previous set. 

Beaded Burgundy Circlet Set

 

I hadn't been beading much (and my weaving is at a standstill). I picked up a new hobby and since it's hard because I'm learning to learn something totally new, my impulse is to go back to beading. It's easy and satisfying where learning electric bass guitar is currently like trying to pat my head and rub my tummy. 

So I pulled some colors inspired by the "color of the season" that some of the titles of the emails I immediately delete say is burgundy. I started with a black, burgundy and champagne combination. Going back to just playing with color movement feels good.

As I worked in this color combo, I started thinking about Harley Quinn, my favorite Batman villain. I think about Harley a lot. This set made me think it might be something she'd wear in a formal ball setting. It's a little more elegant than her classic black and red. So I put her harlequin diamonds in one of the circlet earrings.

I don't know how much more or less beading I'll be doing leading up to November 8th, but that's the day of my only Holiday Pop-up sale in Ann Arbor with the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild. This set will be for sale there, and I look forward to seeing everyone at it! I had a wonderful time last year. 

The AAFG Holiday show is at Zal Gaz Grotto, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor from 10am-4pm.

More Checkers [earrings]

Tan & Light Yellow Checker Huggie Earrings 

can be purchased HERE

I've felt a bit...overwhelmed and lost lately. I haven't gotten to my next weaving on my big loom because I need to dye for it. I have a weave structure that I want to play with on my little loom but I don't have specific imagery in mind for it...I need a bit more direction to get motivated for that weaving. So. Beading checkers. Talking out the weaving issue with my husband led me to the fact I probably need to just start with checkers on the little loom too. Checkers are my default. 

Meanwhile I've been wearing my various colored checker huggie earrings a lot. They're lightweight, easy and out of the way, I've made a few more in different colors. Above is the yellow and champagne checkers, below I was inspired to bead with 24K gold plated seed beads. I did a spray finish to help with the plated finish but these should not be rubbed or exposed to much water, if any. 

Purchase Gold & Olive Green Checker Huggies HERE

I thought that the gold with white would be a classy neutral, I made those first (below). One of the clothing additions to my collection is an olive green midi skirt that I'm leaning towards accessorizing with gold, thus olive green and gold checkers was the next obvious stitching (above). 

And last, checker circlet earrings. I don't lean towards red much, especially wearing it, but, some of my favorite ska band tees are red and I had the red, white and black beads out already for the Resist Bangle. So these large circlet earrings also came to be.

Shop Circlet Earrings HERE

I took checkers to the next personal level adding them to my slowly growing tattoo collection. I have wanted a checker arm band tattoo since my late teens, early 20's. Back then I thought it'd go on my upper arm, but in my 40s...well, thank goodness I waited because upper arms can get weird (mine included) and they may have not looked as even 20 years later. I decided instead to have them tattooed below the elbow of right arm. I went with my friend (for her first tattoo!) we decided to do a walk-in and I ended up with Mo (@mo.mo.tattoos on Instagram) who did an amazing job lining up a very straight, linear design on a very not-straight part of my body. The idea for my checkers probably started with ska music, but they also satisfy my attraction to even numbers, multiples of 2 and 4, things fitting together in a certain way, and a way in which I am constantly using to express myself in my artwork. Checkers just always feel right.

Last night on our way out the door to go to see Cake
Made by me: Olive and Gold checker earrings

Green, Neon and Neutral Checker Bangle

Totally Tank, design by by Jessie Maed Designs

Checker Circlet Earrings and Bangle Inspired by Ally's Hair

I've been escaping into color lately, anything that draws me in and sticks with me. Ally's mohawk is half bright dark pink and half bright orange right now and whenever I see her selfie posts I can't stop thinking about the color combo and how much joy it gives me. So I decided to mix it in with checkers since I know her from the Michigan Ska Scene, and well, checkers are part of that. 

Shop these earrings HERE

I got to see Ally yesterday at the Splish Splash Bash and her hair was still these colors, it was nice to see her and her hair in person. Despite the heat it was a really fun show with lots of awesome bands, some we know and have seen before, some totally new to us. 

While I recuperate from yesterday's long day outside I'm actually getting everything properly photographed and posted. You can shop the bangle on my website HERE and the earrings on my website HERE. 

Shop for this bangle HERE

For those of you who follow along on my personal social media...Bryan's car became no longer repairable and, somehow, his dream car was within our price range in AWD. It's a 2023 Dodge Challenger in a custom pearlescent blue. We're both very color oriented and didn't think the blue was great until we saw it in person. So now whenever we peruse online shopping we compare it to see if it matches the car. I've missed having a fun car to drive, but I personally need something I can fit doors and looms in, so I'm glad we have a fun one now too! I suspect my next color influence will be towards this blue: 

(And yes, he was pulled over less than 24 hours after we purchased it for no real reason)

Bright Fuchsia and Green Stripe Mix Bangle and Earrings

When I don't have an outfit or a specific inspiration it's sometimes difficult for me to come up with what colors I want to play with. Green and purple tend to be my go-tos, but, apparently I keep gravitating towards bright pink/fuchsia combined with green also. I did this a few years ago, which I forgot about until I started beading this combo. 

Shop for this bangle HERE

Life has been...a lot lately. So not thinking too hard about my beading, just letting the colors play is both satisfying and relaxing. When I pulled these 4 bead colors I thought I was going to do checkers but I hadn't done stripes in a while and they seemed to suit these colors better.

Shop for these earrings HERE

The brightest pink bead in these is a stunning galvanized pink color that feels very summery. I had a difficult time getting the color with my cell phone but the light box and better camera does it justice. 

I actually finished this set just in time to wear out to the show we're going to tonight, we managed to get tickets to another sold out show at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids which will be fun and hopefully not too hot in there. We're looking forward to seeing IDKHOW (But They Found Me) live. I'll pop it up on my website shop soon too. 

Black Based Fade Bangle and Earrings

We went to a formal dinner that a friend is hosted on Sunday and it dawned on me that I haven't had a reason to wear a more formal dress in ages...and do I have any that fit? I looked through what I have in my closets and pulled out a few options, hoping that one I got from Grace would still work. It did and I decided to make a new bangle and earring set to go with it.

I wanted to stick to playing with color without trying to graph out any designs. I also imagined the bangle to be mostly black, like the dress. So I pulled a basic opaque black bead and a matte black to go along with colors in the dress. I made half the bangle black and the colored potions smaller sections on the other half. I was hoping that the black would help create a little more drama and I it turned out as I had hoped.

I thought I might make this bangle wider but I got a bit bored of beading the black so it's only 1/2 inch wide. Then, of course, earrings to match. I having been making my circlet earring with multiple "mini" bangle but these I wanted to keep simple. They are beaded to match the bangle, half blacks half colors. I liked them so much I decided to try a second pair with a pearl accent inside of the circlet.

These simple circlets are now available on my SHOP HERE.

The bangle and pearl earrings are headed to Crooked Tree's Gallery on Sixth this week if you're looking to shop for them. I'm keeping the "plain" circlet earring in my personal stock and might get it up on my online shop eventually. I've been avoiding the computer/smartphone a lot when I'm home so I'm slow to post...anything. I'm enjoying life a lot more worrying less about online stuff. 

Vintage Rainbow Circlet Earrings and Bangle

This color combination started with just the earrings, but I couldn't help make a bangle to match. A few new seed bead colors always make me want to use them right away. Mainly the matte orange/red in these pieces was calling. 

I blame watching Joker: Folie à Deux in theater, the vintage feeling colors were really jiving with me for weeks after seeing it. (I loved the movie too, not just the colors in it).

This little set was finished just in time for Midnight Madness in downtown Ann Arbor tomorrow night (Friday, December 6th).  I'll be over at Bløm Mead + Cider from 5pm-11pm (or until it slows).