Let the design go where it may!

I really struggled with making this design come together.  I'd add stones, take them off, second guess and put them back on...and on and on for over an hour.  Finally I had to step back, take a big breath, and let the design go where it wanted to.  The results?  Proof that I need to listen to the muse and stop trying to control the ride.

Catching Up

It's been a month since I last posted?  Yikes!  I've been a busy little bee.  I took some time off from the shop and the day job to spend time with my son for Spring Break.  Then I took a little more time off and spent it working in the studio - bliss!  Here's a tiny glimpse of what I've been up to...

I bought some pretty, sparkly gemstones!

I started experimenting with mixing leather and gems.  Still a work in progress, but I think the end results will be lovely.

I spent too much time watching the kitty sleep...but he's too cute to resist!

More work in progress

A finally, here's a few completed projects (there are too many to list)...

You can see all the new pieces here. 

Spring 2013

I love this time of year when things begin to grow and bloom, the temperature is just right, and the sky is a lovely bright blue.

This Spring, I've gathered a mix of lush emerald greens, vibrant pinks and oranges, and sweet pastels to celebrate the season.  I hope you'll enjoy the new designs!

To kick-off the new season, I'm having a sale!  Choose your coupon code - SPRING (for 15% off any purchase) or FREESHIPPING (for free shipping - includes international orders).  Sale ends March 11, 2013.  The coupon codes are for use on both my website, www.KristinaHenning.com, and Kande, my Etsy shop.

Kande Earrings with ruby zoisite

Kande Earrings with hot pink quartz

Ashley Necklace

Olivia Earrings with opal quartz

Hadley

Finally had time to work in the studio a little bit this weekend - yay!  I've had a few requests lately for smaller earrings for everyday wear so I came up with the Hadley earrings.  I love the way these turned out.

Hadley Earrings

Sage green quartz, labradorite silver and gold

I'm hoping my shipment of wire arrives this afternoon.  I've got a lot of creative energy to burn off!

Exciting News

My Delilah Earrings are featured in Bead Style's 365 Earrings, Special Edition. January 2013!  Thanks so much Naomi for giving me this great opportunity!

Delilah - Pink amethyst, antique pink glass seed beads, sunstone,silver and gold

New this week

It feels so good to be back into the regular routine.  Best of all?  I've got some new sparkly girls going into the shop this week! 

Thalassa Earrings - ammonite fossils with a mix of green and brown gemstones and pearls

 

Gesine Earrings - sugilite, silver and gold

Satchel Earrings - mix of green and teal gemstones

 

Autumn Earrings - gemstones, crystals, gold and silver

 

Olivia Earrings - crimson red quartz and gold

 

Verdant Earrings - black geodes, quartz, silver, gold

Saturday Progress

It's a rainy day down here in little Mauriceville, TX.  Its been raining all week...I'm so ready for it to move on.  On the bright side, I've managed to make a bit of progress in the studio.  Here's what I spent my morning working on courtesy of Instagram...

I'm loving the black geodes with the sage green quartz drops.  I love the sugilite too - the purple color is gorgeous.  

Time to head back into the studio.  I hope you're enjoying your Saturday as much as I am. Bye!

Frosty

From top left: Icicle cave (pinterest), Cerussite (mindat.org), Snow (pinterest), Adelyn Earrings (kristinahenning.com)

New Gemstones. Winter Sale.

Well, the holidays are definitely on the way! Things are crazy-busy in the studio, but in between orders I'm planning out new pieces for 2013.  I'll try to pop in here and share news when I can...like these sparkling beauties that arrived the other day...

Olive quartz, ametrine, and teal quartz

If you're looking for a gift or want to treat yourself, drop by the shop for my annual Winter Sale...

Save 15% off orders at KristinaHenning.com or at my Kande shop on Etsy.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Well, I'm still toiling away in the studio in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Thought I would drop in and share one of the lovely pieces that found its way in the shop this week.

Giselle Earrings with Sleeping Beauty turquoise, gold and a touch of silver

These turquoise drops are from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona.  Wonder what the heck that looks like?  Well here are some pictures:

Sleeping Beauty Mine

By the way, I've had several questions this month about sales for the upcoming holiday season so I thought I would throw this out there for all to see:

* I will be having my annual Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale this year from 11/23 - 11/26 (on my website & on Etsy)

* Yes, there will be a coupon code especially for my FB fans to use during that time...but, no I don't know what it will be yet

I haven't figured out all the details, so that's all I can say about it right now. I will release the details of the sale on Monday 11/19.  Check my Facebook page for details http://www.facebook.com/KandeJewelry

Lapis & Gold

With the holidays rapidly approaching, things have really picked up in the studio.  I'll be posting sporadically over the next two months as I try to keep up with things - sorry in advance!

This past weekend, I wrapped up a pair of lovely lapis drops for these earrings...

Peyton Earrings with lapis and gold

From time to time, I thought it would be fun to show pictures of the different gemstones and metals that I use in my jewelry in their "natural state" - before they're cut, polished, heated, etc.  Sort of like a view of each in the wild!  I did some searching and found these beautiful examples of lapis and gold au naturel....

Lazurite from Sar-E-Sang, Kokscha Valley, Badakshan, Afghanistan - Arkenstone

Gold from Colorado Quartz Mine, Mariposa County, California, USA

Gorgeous, huh?  I found both of these specimens on a fabulous site called Arkenstone.  If you're a rock lover like myself, you could search their website all day and never get bored.  Check them out if you get a chance at http://www.irocks.com/index.htm.

Going Long

I found this article in InStyle magazine's June 2012 issue.  Wow!

 

I'm torn between loving them and knowing that these would quickly become a pain to wear (literally).  They are gorgeous though!  Right now, I happen to be in love with long earrings and have several pairs that I switch between.  My son likes to call them "cheek slappers" and yes, he does insist that I vigorously shake my head back and forth so he can see my earrings smack me in the face.  Here's a pair of cheek slappers I made for myself back in May.

 

I love these earrings and wear them constantly. I think this is the first design I made in which I mixed rose gold with darkly oxidized silver.  They are about 3 1/2 inches long from the tops of the ear wires to the bottoms of the geodes which is a good length for me.  I wanted a lot of movement in these earrings so I added the rough diamonds to dangle from the main wire wraps.

I think I might have to make a pair of the really long danglers soon...just to try them out. The ones in the articles range from 7 1/2 to 10 1/4 inches long.  I'll share some pics here on the blog when I get around to making a pair.

A girl and her torch

Yikes!  Its amazing how easily a week away can turn into 2 months.  Its been incredibly busy around here -  I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to blogging!  I've been learning new techniques and trying to improve others - working with fine silver clay, soldering, using gilder's paste, and more.

Here's some pics of a pair of earrings I made using a mold of an antique button, fine silver clay (PMC3) and a handheld torch:

I fired my silver pieces with a handheld torch since I do not have a kiln.  I do all of my torch work out on my back porch so I don't get fumes in the house.  You can see from the pictures that it was a nice sunny day.  I now do my firing later in the day so that it is easier to see the color of the clay as it heats up.  For those of you who haven't worked with fine silver clay before, you have to keep the piece at a certain color (this indicates the temperature) for a certain amount of time.

The top two pictures show the finished pair of earrings.  After firing, I oxidized the silver and then added dark blue Gilder's Paste to the recessed areas.  I also soldered on the sterling silver ear posts.  It has been a few years since I soldered and it took a few times to get it right.

I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out.  I've got a couple more projects planned with the fine silver clay.  I can't wait to get started!

My earrings are featured in Bead Style Magazine! & a GIVEAWAY

Can you believe it?!?  Lots of the happy dance happening in the studio this weekend.

Here's the story:  I was contacted by Naomi Fujimoto, Senior Editor of Bead Style Magazine, back in November 2011 about featuring a pair of my earrings in their March 2012 issue.  These earrings -


So I packaged them up and shipped them off to be photographed, but I was afraid to let myself believe this was really going to happen.  I kept telling myself not to get excited, don't tell anyone yet, they might have to cut your earrings due to space issues or something like that.  Basically, I've made my life a living hell worrying over the details.  But Friday morning, guess what I found in my mailbox?


And even better - Look at page 16!



Yep, those are my earrings!  This is heady stuff for a small town girl like myself!  Needless to say I have been flashing my magazine at family and friends all weekend.  I have since renamed the earrings Naomi as a small thank you to the lady who made this possible.  If you get a chance, check the magazine out.  It will be arriving in bookstores across the U.S. on January 31.