'Mismatched' earrings

Hello to all! Sorry about the long absence ... lots of stuff to do!

I would like to share some thoughts on some new pieces that I've just posted on Etsy! These particulars are some of my favourites that I think I'll have a hard time separating with. How would you like to give them a good home? Click on the picture to purchase!



AHOY! EARRINGS, no. 1 These all started with a purchase of mismatched blue wheel-and-anchor earrings. This particular shade of blue struck my eyes. I really do enjoy a regal shade of blue, because there are so many colour combinations for every mood that can incorporate this colour. Pair it with red, and you have raspberry blueberry pie. Pair it with purple, you have the emperor's favourite robes. These yellow lucite beads are a great combination for a nautical look, and are a great pairing on the opposite side of the spectrum. I also love to mix metals in the same piece, and found the opportunity with the black and gold lampwork bead. Silver endcaps and gold ribbed beads to cap it all off. I've worn these with a simple black-and-white striped v-neck sweater to add some funk, and I've gotten tons of compliments on these! Mismatched earrings are always a great conversation piece because they're so unexpected. I've also seen some daring fashion-forwards in earrings: a dangle in one ear, and a stud in the other! If you're brave enough to pull it off, these would be a great pair to wear one at a time.



 
FOUND ART EARRINGS, no. 1 'Found art' by definition, I may be cheating a bit. I can tell you that all of the pieces used were from other pieces of jewelry: all the lucite pieces (the pink bar, second from left, and yellowish tube, far right) came from the same necklace, the semi-precious stones (in the middle) came from a charm bracelet, and the bronze bell came from a bellydancer bracelet that had broke. Other necklaces and bracelets that had unfortunately seen their time are represented here, as well. Whenever I have those "one-off" beads, or something of very little supply, I have these small dishes that I would keep 'themed' beads. Classic colour combinations, shapes, charms in one bowl, mixed-metal bead spacers in another. These earrings were birthed from that process, involving 4 different 'dishes'. Like I've said before, I love mismatched earrings. These earrings were so fun to make because I like to find the common thread in odd things. Kind of like a painter who starts on a painting, it never looks quite finished until all the colours come together. If you were to take these pieces, separate them, and scatter them in a small jar or on the table, you may not know what to do with them. Once you fit them together in the right place, you see the bigger picture.



STEVE OR JACK? EARRINGS, no. 1 My day job is Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, and one of our competitors is Steve's Music Store. Before I worked at L&M, I had visited Steve's Music whilst in Toronto and bought a bulk bag of 300 guitar picks for the tune of about $35. (This was about 3 years ago or so.) I don't wear these to work because I don't want these to be perceived as a suggestion. I thought it would be fun to play them off as rom-com earrings! The pink and turquoise together gave me a retro feel, and I had just watched Down With Love with Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellwegger. I didn't want to go as far as using completely different selections of beads for each dangle (as supposed to the turquoise lucite, which was a necessity - these were the only ones I had!). Since 'Jack' had the longer turquoise bead, I opted for 'Steve' to be the bringer of 'diamonds' with the faceted crystal on the bottom of the pick. The placement of this bead was out of necessity, as well, because of the hole drilled at the bottom of the pick. When I'm limited with materials, or I'm not able to alter them, I take advantage and integrate it into the design, which usually results in most of my mismatched earrings.

Pick up a pair, and someone will definately notice!

Photography credit: Cassandra Watsham