Thursday, January 24, 2013

AJE Earring Challenge :: Marsha Neal Studio

I'm continuing to work on my one pair of earrings a week challenge from AJE. Ok, is anyone keeping count? Just to keep everything honest here, this is pair #3.

Recently I was at a bead show and saw some of Marsha's workI could not help myself as I love the organic look of her pieces!  Her beads and charms just make me want to create. I did some serious damage to the credit card at her table. 

This week I saw a write up at Love My Art Jewelry of how Marsha creates her patterns by rolling clay out over textured plates - so cool! She also talks about what inspires her and how she manages to still find enough balance in her life to spend time with her family.

These earrings feature a pretty ceramic porcelain in a soft green that I paired up with hand hammer 16g silver wire. I just love a good hammering session... great stress release! And I managed to not hit a thumb - most excellent. 

The pair turned out to be whimsical with a nice swing to them and the swirls remind me of new ferns in the spring as the furls are just starting to unwind. They are now in my Etsy Shop. I've pulled out several pairs so I can do a 4 season series. This is the first in the series, so I will be back with a few more.

20 comments:

  1. Cynthia, you have a great eye for the most unique charms! I love the swirly design and the hammered bits :)
    The soutache cameo is amazing!

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  2. I love it, love the ceramic charms, but most of all the hammered squiggle, i bet making that was fun!

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  3. You have the best taste Cynthia, these earrings are truly charming.

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  4. Beautiful earrings!! I love the spring green color of the charms, and your hammered wire squiggle is wonderful!!

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  5. Good to know your thumbs are intact, those are pretty earrings!

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  6. These really say Spring! Stress relief without hitting your thumbs=priceless!

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  7. Love em! and the swirls in the metal go so nicely with the swirls in the ceramics. these are full of the promise of springtime! looking forward to seeing the other seasons.

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  8. I'm a huge fan of Marsha's pieces, too, and I love how you've combined them with your hand-hammered design and unique earwires. I'll be watching for the whole series!

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  9. I love the swirl paired with that fun color! Great new design!

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  10. The swirls also remind me of new ferns. Pretty and so very feminine :)

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  11. Wow, those turned out really neat! I LOVE the hammered curly cue part- makes them such a unique design! Very cool.

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  12. Some beautiful, earthy tones on these pieces.

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  13. The clay work is beautiful! I would love to play around with making more of my own materials like that, but most of the time, I satisfy myself with buying handmade supplies for others.

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  14. What a pretty piece you made. The bead is so cute with that swirl. You have introduced me to Marsha's design. Thank you, Cynthia. Thank you also for coming to my blog. It was nice to know that you went to the 50th year of Freedom Celebration in India.

    Have a great day. Dita.

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  15. These are really, really pretty! I love the design and I love the green! So happy you didn't hit your thumbs ;o)

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  16. These are gorgeous Cynthia!!! I have recently discovered the greatness of hammering! It cracks me up because I am senstive to noise, particularly loud ones. For some reason, hammering metal does not bother me. LOL

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  17. I love those earrings, great color and design! I always love a good hammering session too.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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  18. Love what you did with the wire! Beautiful design!!

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  19. These are just amazing!!! Love your design!
    (Hello little beads! Glad to see you arrived safe to your next destination...)

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