Goody Two-Shoes!
Using whimsical miniatures in your earring designs!
I’ve been collecting these sweet little ceramic earring pairs by Melissa Gabelle of The Clay Hen for a while. I have a soft spot for vintage items or ones with a vintage/antique feel like these! They really tug at my heartstrings! Turning unique shapes into earring designs can be a challenge, but I found once I jumped in, the ideas started flowing!
I put all the little shoe pairs in front of me on my work table and asked each one ~ Who are you?
The sweet little yellow boots looked like galoshes and thought might pair with some vintage ‘rain’ crystals and an umbrella! The crystals were salvaged from a 1930 necklace and I used oxidized over-sized bead caps to give the impression of an umbrella.
Here are some little men’s shoes that felt as if they belonged to a gentleman of the 1700’s. I wanted to keep it a bit masculine, so I added some antique mother of pearl shirt buttons, some oxidized metal beads and some subtle sparkle with rhinestone spacers.
These are quite possible my favorite! I get a French military feel with these….I could be all wrong but that’s my artistic license, no? I added a little flare with the touch of red fabric and the brass wreaths.
It took quite a while to find just the right components. I wanted to enhance the little boots but not overpower them. I wanted to add to the sweetness.
I think I’m all set for Halloween! I went with the pattern of the socks and decided to go all stripes! Using Indonesian black and white stripe glass beads I continued to layer more stripes with some tin bead caps by
Lorelei Hill Eurto. Then, softening the look with a bit of frayed silk.
I was careful to consider the weight of the earrings. I never make anything that I wouldn’t wear myself and I’m all about comfort.
I was going to end my blog post here, but I still had one pair of boots and an orphan! Here we go….
I decided to create a lariat necklace! Whaaa… not earrings?!! 🙂
Last, but not least, a hand wired pin! I love this this so much!
Resources
Boots and shoes: The Clay Hen
Wire, silk and hand finished bullet shells: Artwear Elements
Vintage supplies and beads: Allegory Gallery , Shipwreck Dandy Supplies, Lorelei Hill Eurto
Thank you for joining me for this month’s post of The Earring Whisperer! Until next time!
Loralee 🙂
Loralee Kolton Jewelry
darlene
July 11, 2017 at 12:58 pmFun all around! Love the lariat! I also love to use bullet casings. I often find them on bike rides. 🙂
TesoriTrovati
July 11, 2017 at 1:46 pmTotally kickin' it, Miss Loralee! These are adorable! I have some vintage mother of pearl boot buttons in white, black and a lovely shade of blue. Next time you have a shoe fix, let me know and I should dig some out for you. Love the idea of a lariat…that would be perfect to wear when I need to get some stomping done! 😉
Enjoy the day!
Erin
Kay Mallery
July 11, 2017 at 3:21 pmLove all of them and your thought process!
Lorelei Eurto
July 11, 2017 at 4:26 pmYou are just so clever. 🙂
Kathy Lindemer
July 12, 2017 at 11:28 amVery cute and creative jewelry!
The JR
July 13, 2017 at 12:28 pmCute! Love them.
Barbara Hanselman - BHClaysmith
July 14, 2017 at 10:00 pmThese clay boots are absolute winners! AND I love what you have done with them in your earrings and lariat designs – just great!
Ann Schroeder
July 16, 2017 at 2:37 pmThese are all so great! I've loved seeing Melissa's shoes/boots, and it's exciting to see how you used them. When I saw the yellow ones before I read the post, I thought of lace up skating boots with a flared skating skirt of the bead cap. But once I read your description, I saw the rain boots and umbrella. Love them either way!
Norbel Marolla
July 20, 2017 at 4:55 pmLoralee, you amaze me. Every single piece here rocks, top to bottom, side to side. Your imagination seems endless. Thank you so much for sharing these! I tend to steer clear of whimsical components. I find I generally make them look "over the top," rather than perfectly complementing them as you have. Great work!
Karen M
July 22, 2017 at 1:23 pmThis is a great collection of artwork! I am a BIG fan of Melissa's beads and I love how you paired them with various colors and materials. I find that sometimes when I buy beads that are unique in design I have a difficult time creating something with them. You've done an excellent job of pairing these beautiful focal beads with a variety of findings to create interesting and playful jewelry pieces. I love what you've done.