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Goody Two-Shoes

July 11, 2017

Goody Two-Shoes!

Using whimsical  miniatures in your earring designs!

I’ve been collecting these sweet little ceramic earring pairs by Melissa Gabelle of The Clay Hen for a while.  I have a soft spot for vintage items or ones with a vintage/antique feel like these! They really tug at my heartstrings! Turning unique shapes into earring designs can be a challenge, but I found once I jumped in, the ideas started flowing!


I put all the little shoe pairs in front of me on my work table and asked each one  ~ Who are you?
The sweet little yellow boots looked like galoshes and thought might pair with some vintage ‘rain’ crystals and an umbrella! The crystals were salvaged from a 1930 necklace and I used oxidized over-sized bead caps to  give the impression of an umbrella.
Here are some little men’s shoes that felt as if  they belonged to a gentleman of the 1700’s. I wanted to keep it a bit masculine, so I added some antique mother of pearl shirt buttons, some oxidized metal beads and some subtle sparkle with rhinestone spacers.

These are quite possible my favorite!  I get a French military feel with these….I could be all wrong but that’s my artistic license, no?  I added a little flare with the touch of red fabric and the brass wreaths.

It took quite a while to find just the right components. I wanted to enhance the little boots but not overpower them.  I wanted to add to the sweetness.
I think I’m all set for Halloween! I went with the pattern of the socks and decided to go all stripes!  Using Indonesian black and white stripe glass beads I continued to layer more stripes with some tin bead caps by Lorelei Hill Eurto.  Then, softening the look with a bit of frayed silk. 

I was careful to consider the weight of the earrings.  I never make anything that I wouldn’t wear myself and I’m all about comfort.

I was going to end my blog post here, but I still had one pair of boots and an orphan! Here we go….
I decided to create a lariat necklace!  Whaaa… not earrings?!!  🙂
The vintage chain is from Allegory Gallery, more vintage crystals…and wait for it… the bead caps are hand finished bullet shells from Artwear Elements on Etsy!  


Last, but not least, a hand wired pin!  I love this this so much!

Resources

Boots and shoes:  The Clay Hen

Wire, silk and hand finished bullet shells:  Artwear Elements

Vintage supplies and beads:  Allegory Gallery ,  Shipwreck Dandy Supplies, Lorelei Hill Eurto

Thank you for joining me for this month’s post of The Earring Whisperer!  Until next time!

Loralee  🙂

Loralee Kolton Jewelry

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10 Comment

  1. darlene
    July 11, 2017 at 12:58 pm

    Fun all around! Love the lariat! I also love to use bullet casings. I often find them on bike rides. 🙂

  2. TesoriTrovati
    July 11, 2017 at 1:46 pm

    Totally kickin' it, Miss Loralee! These are adorable! I have some vintage mother of pearl boot buttons in white, black and a lovely shade of blue. Next time you have a shoe fix, let me know and I should dig some out for you. Love the idea of a lariat…that would be perfect to wear when I need to get some stomping done! 😉
    Enjoy the day!
    Erin

  3. Kay Mallery
    July 11, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    Love all of them and your thought process!

  4. Lorelei Eurto
    July 11, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    You are just so clever. 🙂

  5. Kathy Lindemer
    July 12, 2017 at 11:28 am

    Very cute and creative jewelry!

  6. The JR
    July 13, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    Cute! Love them.

  7. Barbara Hanselman - BHClaysmith
    July 14, 2017 at 10:00 pm

    These clay boots are absolute winners! AND I love what you have done with them in your earrings and lariat designs – just great!

  8. Ann Schroeder
    July 16, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    These are all so great! I've loved seeing Melissa's shoes/boots, and it's exciting to see how you used them. When I saw the yellow ones before I read the post, I thought of lace up skating boots with a flared skating skirt of the bead cap. But once I read your description, I saw the rain boots and umbrella. Love them either way!

  9. Norbel Marolla
    July 20, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    Loralee, you amaze me. Every single piece here rocks, top to bottom, side to side. Your imagination seems endless. Thank you so much for sharing these! I tend to steer clear of whimsical components. I find I generally make them look "over the top," rather than perfectly complementing them as you have. Great work!

  10. Karen M
    July 22, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    This is a great collection of artwork! I am a BIG fan of Melissa's beads and I love how you paired them with various colors and materials. I find that sometimes when I buy beads that are unique in design I have a difficult time creating something with them. You've done an excellent job of pairing these beautiful focal beads with a variety of findings to create interesting and playful jewelry pieces. I love what you've done.

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