Playing Catch-up with the AJE Earring Challenge...Reveal 17

I am so behind on this challenge, I have decided to do double duty.  Hopefully, if I create an extra pair every 2 weeks I will be able to!

Here are 3 pair I created during the last couple of weeks:

Torch-fired enamel on copper, Czech glass and sterling silver

Some of my most favorite lampwork by Sue Kennedy, torch-fired enamel caps, Czech glass, copper and sterling.

Repurposed brass leaves, torch-fire enameled by me, Czech glass leaves, flowers and berrries; copper and sterling.

Go on over to the AJE Blog for the reveal to see a few I featured today, and be sure to click on the links of everyone else that participated!

Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge, Weeks 25 and 26

Today is the halfway mark for the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge, and I actually made earrings for this one! Granted, they were also made for other deadlines, but hey, that counts!

These were made for the AJE June Component of the Month, featuring ceramic charms by Jenny Davies-Reazor, and my torch-fired enamel.

These were my tribute to the 4th of July, over on Earrings Everyday, featuring more of my torch-fired enamel, coral flowers and lapis briolettes.

Hopefully, I will be able to finish up the last half...I'd better get to work!

June Component of the Month Reveal - Summer Blossoms

Art Jewelry Elements' Component of the Month for June was sweet, little organic ceramic charms by Jenny Davies-Reazor.  Aren't these pretty?

I asked for a surprise, and got some pretty yellow ones.  I must admit, I didn't decide what I was going to make with these for quite a while.  After posting yesterday on AJE about my affinity towards complementary colors purple and yellow, I had an idea.

I layered some enameled flowers onto oval filigree components, then dangled the charms beneath! Pretty summery blossoms for your ears!

Thanks, Jenny, for contributing such fun components! Now go and visit all the other wonderful creations!


Guest artists: 

Leah - http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.com

Elisabeth - http://beadsforbusygals.blogspot.com

Jean - http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com

Sarajo - http://sjdesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

The AJE Team
Jennifer Cameron -  http://glassaddictions.com/
Jenny Davies-Reazor  -  http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog 
Susan Kennedy  -  http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/
Linda Landig -   http://www.lindasbeadblog.com/
Melissa Meman   -  http://melissameman.blogspot.com/ (you are here!)
Rebekah Payne  -  http://www.treewingsstudio.com/
Jo Tinley  -   http://daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com/
Lesley Watt  -   http://thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com/
Francesca Watson  - http://www.francescawatson.com
Diana Ptaszinski   - http://www.vintagebluestudio.typepad.com/
Kristi Bowman -  http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com
Kristen Stevens  - http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/

Spread too thin...

It seems that lately I am behind on everything...my 9-5 job is really annoying me and cutting into my creative time!  If I didn't have pesky expenses, like mortgage and that silly "eat food" habit, I would quit! In all seriousness, I think I signed up for too many things with deadlines...AJE Earring Challenge, AJE Component of the Month, Bead Soup Blog Hop, Focus on Life-52 photos, Challenge of Music...all challenges that motivate me to be more creative, but all require time, thought, and preparation.  I will get there, I just need to plan ahead and stop procrastinating...remember my word of the year - Focus!

My "Focus on Life - 52 photos post for Week 7 was due this past Saturday.  The prompt for the week was Beauty of Flowers.  I love taking shots of my flowers I grow every year in my garden...not much there right now, however but dried out stuff waiting for new growth.  Soon, though!  Fortunately, my hubby is an orchid-lover, so there is always something blooming there.

And here is a shot of one of my African violets at work...they have been blooming almost non-stop since I got this fluorescent task light under my shelf!

This one inspired me to make these earrings...

They are today's post on Earrings-Everyday!

Speaking of earrings...my AJE Earring Challenge Reveal #3...I only got 1 pair finished for this reveal, so will catch up and make 2 for this week (she said)!  Here is the pair that I did get posted...

Embossed copper and Czech glass

There, I feel much better!  A couple of things done.  Now, I need to get my bead soup out the door to my partner.  I'll be blogging about that soon and introduce you to my partner and show you this gorgeous soup she has sent me.

Later ;)

Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge - Reveal #2!

Earrings for weeks 3 and 4...

Beautiful purple ceramic beads by LeAnn Weih, paired with my embossed and patinaed
copper circles and Czech glass!

More embossed copper and Czech glass!  Love my Big Shot!

4 weeks down!  Only 48 more to go!  Have you checked out the AJE Earrings Challenge PinterestBoard?  Loads of gorgeous, handmade earrings featuring art jewelry elements!

AJE Earring Challenge - 1st Reveal...

but I hope not a dollar short!  What is the AJE Earring Challenge?  Over at Art Jewelry Elements, the gauntlet has been thrown down!  Make 52 pairs of earrings...seems like a lot, but it is only 1 a week...easy, right! Unless you are a procrastinator, like me ;)  The catch is that they must contain an art bead or component and you must credit the artist, even if it is yourself!

I started out on Week 1 with sterling paddles and lampwork glass disks from the amazing Sue Kennedy of SueBeads...my favorite part of these, aside from the obvious lovely lampwork, are my hand wrought molten silver drops I learned to make from Stacie Florer at the last ArtBliss workshop!

For week 2, I created a pair from pretty, floral blue and green ceramic charms from the lovely and talented LeAnn Weih of Summers Studio...she is such a sweetheart!  I have had these in my stash for a while because I wanted to do them justice...what do you think?  I added Czech glass flowers and some sweet Thai Hill Tribe silver flowers as well as my hand wrought earwires.

You can visit other bloggers who are participating in the challenge by going here...or find all the beautiful earrings in one place on Pinterest!