Strawberry-inspired earrings.
This month on the We’re All Ears earring design challenge, the inspiration is all about strawberries. Summer is the season for berries and melons. Unlike me, they seem to thrive in the heat. They’re also the perfect thing to eat when it’s too hot to even think about cooking.
When I started rummaging around in my bead stash looking for strawberry-esque components, I found these great Scorched Earth ceramic pods by Petra Carpreau. I bought them last spring or summer, and remember thinking “these look like strawberries” when I put them in my cart. I also bought some ceramic “carrot” and “aubergine” pods at the same time. You know what they say about shopping when you’re hungry?
Beads from my stash that looked strawberry-ish to me: ceramic drops by Scorched Earth, with Czech glass daggers, rounds, and flowers.
I also pulled a few strands of Czech glass beads in strawberry colors, including some juicy red rounds, green Picasso-finish daggers, and white flowers. And then, I sat and stared at my bead mat for I don’t know how long trying to decide how to pull them together into earrings.
I had this idea to use the dagger beads as leaves ringing the tops of the ceramic drops. After wasting a good bit of wire trying to make my overly literal interpretation of a strawberry happen, and them remembering I had some little white bellflower beads, I finally came up with a design.
I give you “Rustic Strawberry” earrings featuring artisan ceramic drops accented with Czech glass on copper wires.
Of course, I couldn’t stop at just one pair of earrings for this challenge. And if you follow my blog, you know how I like to play with polymer clay. I happened to be making some polymer clay dragonfly pendants the weekend before the reveal for this earring challenge. The dragonflies are for another design challenge, and you’ll have to stop back in a few weeks to see what I did with them.
While I had the polymer clay studio all fired up for the dragonfly production, I grabbed a few bits of red and green clay blends left over from past projects. And made the cutest little strawberry headpins.
How adorable are these strawberry headpins? I think my polymer clay sculpting skills are improving.
I thought about antiquing the little strawberries with a wash of acrylic paint, to bring out the details. Or making them super shiny with a coat of polyurethane. But I couldn’t bring myself to risk ruining them. (As if I couldn’t just make another pair.) I also couldn’t decide which beads to pair them with for a set of earrings. In the end, I went against my nature and kept the design simple. Because sometimes just plain strawberries are sweet enough.
Simply Strawberry earrings: polymer clay drops on copper wires.
That’s it for my strawberry-inspired earring designs. If you want to see more, be sure to hop over to the Earrings Everyday blog to see how our hostess, Erin Prais-Hintz, and other jewelry artists interpreted this challenge. And if you’d like a pair of my strawberry earrings for your very own, be sure to look for them in my shop on Etsy.
I just adore your strawberry earrings! Both versions are absolutely delightful.
Thanks so much, Terri. I had fun with this theme.
What fun you had! I love the rich combo of beads in that first pair and am so impressed with your strawberry headpins!
Thank you, Sarajo. I love it when I find things in my stash that all go together as if I planned it that way when I bought them. 😉
How lovely! I like both pairs–the first one is beautifully balanced and classy, and the strawberry headpins are adorable! Lovely work! 🙂
Thank you, Jenny. The first pair is more my style, but I have to admit I could be tempted to wear the cute pair too.
Tammy, love your earrings! Great design: perfect for these challenge!
Thanks so much, Oksana.
What lovely drops! Beautiful.
Thank you, Katherine.
So very sweet Miss Tammy! I love those Scorched Earth drops. I have always wanted some of her things. The color is fantastic and I like the tiny white flowers. I would suggest going ahead and antiquing those polymer clay pretties. I think that would make the details pop. Then I would take a light dry brushing (I actually use my finger tip with the lightest amount of paint on it) some pearl paint over the top. Dark brown would be best for settling in the cracks, then the pearl just brings out the highlights. And then seal them! I bet you will be surprised at how that will transform them! Thanks for playing along with me in this juicy June challenge. Stop by at Earrings Everyday on July 1st for our next inspiration! Enjoy the day. Erin
Thanks, Erin. I don’t know why I am always hesitant to add paint to things. I usually like them once they’re done. It does accent the details. And give it a more rustic look, which I love. But there’s always a part of me that thinks “what if I ruin it?” Which is silly in this case, because I can always just make another set.