Day 86. I made some hooks! I am so pleased with these really long and rounded hooks today! After all of yesterday’s news and still feeling a little flat today, I almost felt like I was cheating making another pair of red, black and white earrings! But, I am glad that I decided to try something new, and really pleased with how they turned out. Can you possibly help me pick three more colours that you think look great together? I will use your inspiration to make some earrings!
Day 85. No words today, just a picture of some earrings that I made.
Day 84. Often the making is the easy part. Most of the time it’s the design that takes a long time. Putting this bead on, changing it for a different colour, trying something else. When the design feels just right, the actual making happens easily. And yet it’s the design process that really captivates me at the moment.
Day 83. Continuing my limited palette, I love the spots and stripes in these earrings. While many of the galleries that I sell my work in are choosing to close for the time being, you can always order my work online and I will post it to you. I have an online shop on my website, and I also sell through Etsy. Also happy to still do custom orders. Just in case anyone was still thinking about having a birthday this year 😛
Day 82. There was a period of time when all I wore were clothes that were either red, black or white. That was it. It made buying clothes really easy, and it made getting dressed each day pretty simple. I can’t remember when I stopped doing that, but slowly my wardrobe has become a lot more colourful. I still love the idea of limiting colour palettes, and yesterday I made a bunch of beads in red, black and white….and I am going to spend the next few days making earrings with these beads. Today’s earrings are mismatched, to match the feeling of the world at the moment. Nothing feels normal. And that’s something we will have to get OK with. For now.
Day 81. I have been making jewellery for 30 years. Yes, it’s been THAT long! Over the years I have collected lots and lots of books on jewellery making, and I used to spend a lot of time immersed in these books. They have helped inspire me to try new things. Lately my own making has been inspiring me to make new things. You may have seen my post about tweaking old ideas. Today I made these cute little earrings, inspired by old findings I had tucked away. Now I think I am ready to have another look at some books and see where that inspiration might lead me. You never know. In times like this I feel like I have to think outside the box, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised by what happens. Worst case…I made something!
Day 80. In times like this, when things are changing every day, and we have no idea of how much more change or for how long these changes will be in place…it can be easy to think “why bother?” I spent some time thinking about that today as I sat down to make my daily earring challenge. Why am I bothering? And for me, it was actually easy to know why. It’s because it’s actually more difficult for me to think about my life where I am not making something every day. It’s not like breathing, or eating, but it has become a really important part of what I do every day, and to stop doing that…well, THAT makes no sense to me. I have been feeling the pressure and the anxiety of our world, and I have been challenged by it, and will continue to be challenged by the daily updates, but I will keep making, because that’s what makes the most sense to me at the moment. Hope you are all navigating things as best you can. Find your own happiness every day, make every day count! Oh, and it was super cool to see this article published in Embellish Magazine about my artistic endeavours too.
Day 79. I was just talking to my friend Jenny as I was making this pair of earrings, and then I realised that I had to photograph them and put them on Instagram before it got dark! I will call her back as soon as this has posted 😛. Thinking of everyone in these mind-losing times!
Day 78. When all else fails, take an old idea, and tweak it a little. These earrings feature beads from recycled and Italian glass.
Day 77. In a world that is in turmoil at the moment, it’s hard to stay positive and optimistic, and yet I am still trying to make a pair of earrings every day! Hoping these earrings made from Bombay Sapphire Gin and Banrock Station wine bottles.
