This theme for this month’s We’re All Ears earring design challenge was summer beverages. I had a delayed start on this theme because I got myself stumped trying to think of things I like to drink in the summer that could be turned into earrings. Eventually I realized I could just pick some beverages that seem summery and go from there.
The thing is, I drink sugar-free sodas year round, morning, noon, and night, regardless of the temperature or occasion. (Yes, I know artificial sweeteners are “bad” for me.) I don’t much care for sugary drinks, and that includes fresh fruit juices as well as cocktails. I will occasionally order a raspberry lemonade when eating out with friends. Or I’ll make a green smoothie at home when I want to feel virtuous for a day. But sweet drinks always leave me craving a salt fix and a tall glass of ice water to get rid of the sugary mouth feel. So, I was stumped for a bit.
Now that you know more than you needed about my beverage preferences, let’s get back to the beverage-inspired earrings. This first pair of earrings were not made for this challenge, but I did name them after a beverage, so I’m sharing them for the theme. I named them “Green Appletini” because the green foiled glass beads in these earrings remind me of the cocktail that is a favorite of one of my former co-workers.
A Sour Green Appletini cocktail is made with vodka, green apple schnapps and lemon juice. Shaken, not stirred. These earrings have green foiled glass beads with copper accents.
To mix up some fresh earrings for this challenge, I first went to my stash of art beads looking for inspiration. The only thing I found that seemed workable for this theme were some polymer clay diamond focals I made years ago. I had cut them from the left-over veneer created for another challenge. The challenge in that case was to create jewelry inspired by the Greek god of the sun, Apollo. As I was going for a “sunrise” palette at the time, they happen to have a perfectly “Tequila Sunrise” color blend. I wish I had cut a different shape for the purpose of today’s challenge. But you work with what you’ve got when it’s too late to make more by the deadline.
The Tequila Sunrise cocktail contains tequila, orange juice, and grenadine over ice. It is typically served with an orange wedge or slice and a maraschino cherry garnish. I used Czech glass beads to garnish the polymer clay dangles on my cocktail-inspired earrings.
This next pair of earrings are inspired by the drink I always ordered when I went out with friends while in college: a Fuzzy Navel. It’s a very 80’s cocktail, so now you know approximately when I went to college.
A Fuzzy Navel is a combination of fresh squeezed orange juice, vodka, and peach schnapps. It smells better than it tastes, IMO. These Fuzzy Navel earrings have pear-shaped Swarovski crystal pearls in a peachy hue topped with a cluster of Swarovski crystal bicones in an effervescent orange.
While searching my stash for other flavors of beads I found a few bags with round brass charms. One set of charms had a cream and pink marbled swirl that made me think of strawberry milkshakes. Until I got them into better light, at which point I realized the “strawberry pink” had more of a “raspberry purple” flavor. No worry. Raspberry Smoothie is a perfectly acceptable summer beverage.
A smoothie made with raspberries, fresh cashew milk, medjool dates, and chia seeds has a rich and thick texture similar to milkshakes. If you use frozen raspberries, you can even get an “ice cream headache” from drinking your smoothie too quickly. These fruit smoothie-inspired earrings have a stack of pink Czech glass beads that coordinate with the swirls in the brass charms.
Even though I have never had much of a sweet tooth, I was a child once and as a child, I enjoyed a root beer float now and again. Like, every time my family went to the A&W Drive-In. I don’t think I ever finished all the ice cream in my frosted mug – that was Dad’s job – but I did like the way the root beer combined with the ice cream to make a fizzy frothy mess. The bronzite beads in this last pair of earrings might be a bit heavy for earrings, but their chatoyance made me think of fizzy root beer in a frosted mug.
The basic root beer float is made by pouring any brand of root beer over plain ol’ vanilla ice cream. I suspect gourmet vanilla bean ice cream and craft root beer might make it “next level” awesome. I topped the bronzite beads with creamy speckled vanilla riverstone bead clusters on brass wire.
Once I got my perspective adjusted, the ideas for beverage-inspired earrings kept coming as I looked over my beads. Alas, I only had time to make a few pair because I spent too much time initially thinking “I don’t have a favorite summer beverage – I’m going to skip this month’s challenge.” The thing with these design challenges is, well, they challenge me to think about things in ways I might not typically do. Which is why I enjoy them so much. I also get a fresh perspective on the theme when I join the hop and see how other jewelry artists interpreted it.
Which is what I encourage you to do next. Grab your favorite summer drink and hop over to the Earrings Everyday blog to see how our hostess with the mostest, Erin, interpreted the theme. And then click on the links below her post to see more beverage-inspired earrings. Bottoms Up!
I love the earrings that you made. Very creative!
Thanks so much, Kathy.
They all look like delicious ear candy to me 🙂 Especially love the Raspberry Smoothie!!! Wonderful job on these new earrings.
Thanks very much, Debbie.
Your earring designs reflect each cocktail’s colors to a T! Really! Good work.
Thanks so much, Alysen.
You nailed this challenge! I want to drink every one of those earrings you made! 🙂
Thanks very much, Mary. I don’t recommend drinking them all at once. 😉
My favorite is the tequiila sunrise! I love the polymer pendants!
Thanks so much. I loved that veneer and am glad I found a use for the “leftover” beads.
All these earrings look wonderfully inspired and very well thought of! Brilliant job.
Thanks very much, Anita.
Your Tequila sunrise is so on point. Very cool and fun to wear (an make I presume)!
Thanks so much, Divya. I think they would be fun to wear — if I had anything to go with them. LOL.
You make me smile. You don’t have a favorite summer drink yet were able to create so many earrings! They’re all so fun and perfectly summery. I especially light the bright hues of the tequila sunrise pair.
Thanks very much. You’d think after playing along with challenges for as long as I have I would have learned by now not to take it so literally that I can’t come up with anything. *sigh* At least I remembered it eventually.
Yum! I haven’t had a Fuzzy Navel since I was in college either! Must be a gateway drink… but I remember they were tasty! I Also haven’t had a Tequila Sunrise in awhile. I must remedy that lack this weekend! Thanks for playing along in the We’re All Ears challenge. Cheers! Enjoy the day! Erin
Haha – gateway drink. I think you may be right. Thanks for the challenge.
As always, funny and a pleasure to read 🙂 That’s a good point – inspiration may come from things you don’t like! Beautiful, all of them but I’m slightly partial to green, so Green Appletini is my favorite (and I’m not sure I would’ve liked the taste 😉 )
I really enjoyed your post and your earrings are perfect for the challenge. I was guessing the drinks before I read the names!