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Snow Ashes (#12 sold)

Today marks a special day-- I've sold my 38th pair of earrings!

I don't have a particularly close relationship with the number 38.  But selling this pair marks the day I've broken even for the first time since starting this hobby, over a year ago!

I've learned a lot about design and construction since starting Urbane Fashionista, and been inspired in different ways. I've invested in tools, beads and materials and tried to create earrings that showcase not only the beauty of the stones and materials used, but that bring out the wearer's beauty as well!

To celebrate, I'd like to offer everyone a discount to use for ordering from my Etsy shop. My sister remains my only customer on Etsy (lol, thanks L!), and I'd love to boost that number of fully satisfied customers.


Please visit my Etsy page at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnUrbaneFashionista

Entering the coupon code "HAPPY15THSALE" will give you a $5 discount on your purchase, now through the end of the year! 

Trio of the Latest

Early Dusk (when there's a little pink tinge
to the blue sky; for sale on Etsy!)

Olive Cubes II

Jolly Jasper Jubilee 

Custom Order for Dawn

Dawn, a co-worker, saw a few pairs I recently made:

Sprite Treasure (for sale on Etsy!)

Beachcomber II 

And said that she liked both.... with a few minor adjustments.  So I obliged!

She didn't like the wood beads or the shells, so I created the following:

Tiny Sprite Treasure

Rocky Beachcomber

Hopefully they'll meet her style requirements.  ;)

***UPDATE***  Dawn fully approves and will give Tiny Sprite Treasure as a Christmas gift-- Rocky Beachcomber is a Christmas gift for herself.  :)

Blog Word Cloud

I haven't been at home for the past few weeks, since I visited my family in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany and then was at a conference in West Virginia.  So I haven't had a chance to make any earrings. But here's a fun Tagxedo word cloud I made from this blog-- you can see which words I use most often!

I'm eager to get back to the creative process this weekend, so stay tuned for new exciting earrings! ^_^ 

Peacock Pair!

  

My good friend, study buddy and former roommate Martha received a pair of earrings from me last year. Unfortunately, one of the beads was defective and splintered (I think they were amethyst) so I told her to send them back so I could fix them.

Originally, she had requested that I make a pair that followed the color scheme in a peacock's feather. The pair I made last year was very simple, with only a drop-shaped mother of pearl bead and the amethyst beads above the drops.  I decided to bling out the drops and add some more length to the pair, since I know Martha is a flashy, fancy dresser.  :)  I just got some new chain and spacers, so I wanted to use some of those as well. 

The building blocks and color reference

Finished!! 

Hope she likes them! ^_^ 

Jumbo Jasper Jubilee & Violet Leopards

Jumbo Jasper Jubilee: wonderfully weighty 

 I've been getting positive feedback on my simpler designs lately, so these two pairs are a throwback to my earlier, simple days.

The colors in the jumbo jasper pair are mostly green and tan, with some highlights of pink or gray. A tiny tourmaline bead tops off the jasper stack and a tiny sterling silver bead adds a little sparkle.

The violet colored tiger jasper discs are a dark wine color with lighter violet swirls that resemble a leopard print. Rawr.

*** UPDATE *** Both pairs have been snapped up by a coworker! Contact me if you're hugely disappointed-- I have similar materials and could make new pairs.

Violet Leopards, made with tiger jasper discs

Good Homes Wanted

Many of my little twins are in need of new homes! :)

I've been making earrings for a few seasons now, and I still have pairs from when I was just learning.  I think it's time to find some nice adoptive homes for them. I've been keeping an eye out for local markets where I can sell them. Fingers crossed I can find one where lots of new parents adopt my little ones!

Building Blocks!

To design a pair of earrings, you have to take into account a number of things. Size of the beads, colors, shapes and weight. How does a bead interact with the others you put near it? Is the goal a contrast? Matching? Does it make sense?

Beads are building blocks for a pair of earrings, and they need to work together to make a statement. Like words building a sentence, dishes combining to create a meal, or friends meeting to have a great party!

Do any of these beads catch your attention?

Shell rings

Tiny blue porcelain propellers

Autumnal leaves

Fossilized coral from Indonesia

Shells, chryscolla and orange agates 

Custom-Made Pairs for Co-workers

Lanikai Plums (made with shells, garnets and lapis lazuli)

Lilikoi (passion fruit) 

View for daydreaming

Top: Cerulean Treasure
Bottom: Orbs 

Mariner's Wish: Sea Glass!

My first foray into the world of wiring sea glass.  I found these pieces of sea glass on the shores of the island of Kauai here in Hawaii. Along with the brown glass, this pair of earrings features cowry shells and turquoise coins.

Front of Earrings, with wire curl

Back of earrings, with wiring crossed

I have other pieces of brown, white and green sea glass that I'm looking forward to using in more earrings soon!  :) 

Revamped Earth Ovals

My co-worker wanted a pair of earrings for her friend, made from chrysocolla beads.  I had made a pair called Earth Ovals back when I started to design earrings last fall.  They looked like this:

I decided that since I had made this pair so long ago and they hadn't sold, I'd reuse the beads and make them into a pair my co-worker could give to her friend. She wanted them to look more like the Elephant Footprints pair: 

So I made these, Revamped Earth Ovals:

I hope she likes them!

Snow Ashes

Snow Ashes 

I received an order to create a mostly gray and black pair of earrings, so I put to use this beautifully mottled pair of snowflake jasper beads. Added rainbow black opals, septarium and lapis lazuli beads, plus a pair of sterling silver round beads to make them sparkle a bit.  Voila!  I hope they meet expectations!

***UPDATE (7/11/13)  They were a hit, and have solicited a follow-up pair, this time with main stones of royal blue!*** 

Beachcomber and Meadow Nest

Beachcomber

Hawaiian monk seal, Poipu Beach, June 2013

Meadow Nest

 

Kalalau View, June 2013

Lime Margarita and Anemone Dream

Keauhou residents

Lime Margarita

Anemone Dream

Kona Sunset, June 2013

April Update

I've officially sold six pairs of earrings, one pair on Etsy and five locally!  ^__^ 

Prices of these pairs range from $10 to $20, and include the pairs called Water Wheels, Botswana Doubledecker, Rainbow Tiers, Onyx Dangles, Jupiter Leaves and Jasper Ice Cream.

I'm really excited to share my hobby with others, and love feedback on color combinations, shapes and the materials I use.  As I'm making more pairs, I find myself using some beads more often, such as the tiny sterling silver round beads, which add a bit of light and sparkle. Wooden beads are great, adding a bit of calm without the weight of a darker stone.

I'm looking forward to soon going to a farmer's market here in Honolulu to see how I could sell my earrings at a booth.  This may involve leaving work early during the week, or getting up early on a weekend depending on which market I try.

I've made a few pair this weekend and they're a bit darker than my earlier earrings. Tiger jasper and snowflake blue goldstone are featured in these pairs. Hope you like them!  :D

Midnight Whispers (Tiger Jasper)

Hookah Magic (Snowflake blue goldstone)

Hookah Magic 

Combining Beads & Some Inspiration

Designing earrings can be difficult, since when you see beads laying in their boxes or on the table, they can look totally different once they're put on a wire.  It depends on their size, where their holes are located for the wire and how they balance.  

Here is an example: 

Loose beads on the table

Once they're stacked on a headpin, they look a bit different!

And the finished product: Waikiki Bungalows, available on my Etsy page

 Below are a few different beads I have. Sometimes just looking at them and combining them in different patterns is a great source of inspiration. 

Shells and assorted wooden beads

Freshwater pearls

At other times, I need some inspiration from the natural beauty around me. 

Kailua beach, Oahu Jan. 2013

Kapiolani Park and Waikiki, from Diamond Head, Feb. 2013

 Appreciating the beauty around you helps when you're trying to be creative and design something beautiful yourself.  ^__^