Making Earrings

Yes, that big mess below is my dining room table, covered with beads and half-made items of jewelry.

In the last few months I’ve been making earrings and other things in my spare time. Making jewelry the way I do it isn’t hard — it’s just threading beads and twisting wire, really, and not difficult. It’s a form of relaxation for me, and often while I’m fiddling with small beads and trying different designs, in some other part of my head, I’m working out a scene from the book I’m writing.  I know it sounds like an excuse for procrastination, but it’s really not.

But after those rotten movers stole a heap of my bead supplies when I moved into this house, I lost all heart in making jewelry — and I think my writing suffered too. But in the last few months I’ve recovered my spirits, gone on-line and to my favorite bead shop to buy more supplies, and started making things again.

Last week, at the gym I attend (for strength training) one of the girls admired the green earrings I was wearing. I immediately said, “I made them — would you like some?”

She was a little taken aback at first, until I explained that it was a hobby, that I did it just for fun and never sold what I made, just made things and gave them  to people I liked. (I might have used the term “foisted them on people.” ) I also showed her some earrings I’d just made for my trainer’s girlfriend. So she said, yes, if I was sure, she would like some in blue. I also love blue, so I have heaps of blue beads. Here are some earrings I’m making at the moment. The ones with the hooks are finished, and the others with the long pins are still designs I’m playing with. I’ll show them all to her and she can choose what she wants.

And then she asked, “Do you make Christmas earrings?” Of course I said yes.
And thus, though it’s only just September, I’ve been making not only blue earrings, but some Christmas earrings she can choose from.  I’ve made lots of Christmas earrings in the past: one time I made twenty-five pairs —all different — for a writers’ group I was in. But I like to make up new designs, so I spent a few hours yesterday making up some new Christmassy earrings. You can see them in the pic below. I love those metal deer head charms but I haven’t decided what to do with them yet.

I don’t want to make things with snow or snowmen or many of the images usually associated with Christmas, as Christmas here comes in hot weather, so I’m sticking to the traditional colors or red and green. And though deer aren’t native to Australia, we do have some deer farms — and besides I just loved those charms so have included them in my range.

Anyway, that’s what’s keeping me entertained at the moment, when I’m not writing. And if you ever want to make jewelry or anything else crafty, there are heaps of youtube videos to show you how. Honestly, these days, youtube can teach you just about anything. And making jewelry or other things is fun,  not too difficult, not too expensive, and a lovely creative break.

Do you have a favorite of the ones I’ve shown here? I’d love to know.