Stacked Earrings Challenge #3

Welcome to round 3 of the Stacked Earrings Challenge. We are 5 designer friends and bead nerds who take turns in sending each other a set of beads. (Rebecca Anderson, Leah Curtis, Claire Lockwood, Heidi Post and me Malin de Koning.) From the set we shall make earrings in the stacked style. At least three of the beads from the set shall be used in each pair. These are the simple rules we set up. 

This time it was Leah Curtis who sent the beads. Oooooohhhhhhh just look at them!! Such lush colours, fun shapes and lovely gems. 

If you know my design style you would know that often I am attracted to colours and bold shapes, but for some reason I ended up using more of the beads in the right side of the image this time. Something about the colors and the sizes. I don't have all that much of that in my own stash, so I guess they were more unusual, and hence more fun, for me to work with. Challenge :-). 

1. My first pair, I love those small ridged wooden or clay beads or whatever they are. I combined them with the white flowers and the red flowers from Leahs's set. From my own stash I added the brass head pin and the brass square profiled rings.

2. I really like the irregular effect of the amber/topaz coloured chips together with the side drilled iridescent purple discs. I also used the pale purple round gems, the even smaller turquoise rounds and the little transparent drops. The copper and brass coloured mushroom shaped polymer clay bead is made by Shannon German of MissFickleMedia. The beaded bead is one of my own from the beaded beads craze I had a couple of years ago.

3. Those dark metal links I just had to use. A very unusual type of component for me. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted them to hang from the hooks. What would work well and look good? I ended up creating those horse shoe links myself. I really like creating my own components, it happens way too rarely for some reason. I think I need my studio more suitably set up for metal work. The mini garnets are just adorable. And at the bottom hanging the brown stone drops from Leah's set.

4. I used the beautiful facetted gem lentils (what are they?) from Leah's set, two of the mini garnets, some of the metallic seed beads and the brass bells. The stoneware clay beads with seaside-ish motifs are by BHClaySmith.

5. The purple transparent discs together with pink rhinestone washers from my own stash create almost a space ship like shape. Metallic seed beads from Leah and myself.

Check out all of us here:

Rebecca Anderson - SongBead

Leah Curtis - Beady Eyed Bunny

Claire Lockwood - Something To Do With Your Hands

Heidi Post - Ex Post Facto

Malin de Koning - Beading By Malin de Koning

All the earrings are for sale, please contact me if you are interested in any of them. malindekoning[at]hotmail.com

All my best,

Malin de Koning