The winner is….. Martha Reese!!!! Congratulations Martha! You’ve won the bracelet pictured below!
Thank you to all who entered the giveaway. I appreciate each person who visits my blog and hope you will continue to do so. Hugs!
Linda Landig Jewelry
Several years my husband and I were in Oaxaca, Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration. And Oaxaca celebrated this holiday in a big way!
Dia de los Muertos was originally an Aztec celebration of the lives of those who had died. The Spanish conquerors tried to put an end to the holiday, but were not successful, (thank goodness). Over time el Dia de los Muertos merged with the Catholic All-Saints day and All-Souls day on November 1st and 2nd. The contemporary celebration melds aspects of Aztec ritual with Christian traditions and contemporary life.
Sugar Skulls in Oaxaca
We started seeing sugar skulls in the markets about a week or 2 before the Day of the Dead celebration. Apparently the Catholic friars taught the Mexicans how to make decorations from an ingredient that was abundant and affordable: sugar. Sugar Skulls and other items are often used to decorate the ofrendas on Dia de los Muertos. As in the picture below, marigolds also decorate small home altars like this, as well as large public displays. The bright orange marigolds are said to guide the spirits of the deceased, back to their earthly homes, as they visit their loved ones.
Oferendas with sugar skulls
I wanted to design a Day of the Dead necklace that would reflect these traditions, with respect and authenticity. So I started with an awesome, bronze clay sugar skull by my friend Staci Smith.
I needed some beads to represent the marigolds and these were perfect!
Day Of the Dead Necklace with Marigold beads.
I wired a “marigold” beneath the chin of the sugar skull and dangled 7 other from a strand of black, gray and silver “peanut beads”.
I topped the sugar skull with a dark lilac handmade ceramic bead by Mary Hubbard, of White Clover Kiln and then added a strand of purple, recycled sari silk.
Here’s some additional information of the Day of the Dead, that you might find interesting: http://www.firstpost.com/tag/day-of-the-dead
The Skull Sugar Necklace is available on my website.
I am always delighted to read your comments! Hope to hear from you.
This month’s components are beautiful beaded beads by Sue Kennedy of Sue Beads. I love her beaded beads and her color choices!
Sue’s beaded beads are an obvious choice for earrings, but this time I decided to switch it up a bit and make a bracelet.
I paired Sue’s bead with a lampwork bead by my friends at Beads and Botanicals. and a pretty matte bead with light blue stripes.
I enjoy making bracelets that go from one strand to multi-strands and that was my approach here. When I started my Facebook Destash Group several weeks ago, I realized that I’d been neglecting my gemstone collection, so I chose some amethysts and pearls for the for the first two strands.
Although I rarely use Swarovski crystals any more, they were exactly what this bracelet called for in the third strand.
While I like each strand to be different, I try to tie them all together with some repeating components, in this case, I have light purple seed beads and small, blue cubes in every strand.
At this point, I knew that my usual brass or copper clasps were not going to work at all for this bracelet. Instead I selected a beautiful, hammer textured sterling silver toggle clasp. Ooo, so lovely!
When I was a kid, I had a little garden plot where I grew purple irises. They made me happy and so does this “Iris Bracelet“.
Check out my new life-sized wrist model! This is her début! Does she help you picture how the bracelet would look on you? I hope so.
The Iris Bracelet is available on my website.
The Component of the Month Challenge is a blog hop. Enjoy all the eye candy by visiting the links below.
The Art Jewelry Elements Theme Challenge for March is Hares and Bunnies. The challenge was simple: Make a rabbit or hare bead or piece of jewelry and share it on March 31st.
A collection of earthenware rabbits in Oaxaca, Mexico
I don’t have any rabbit or hare beads with me here in Mexico, so I couldn’t really participate in terms of making something new. So instead I’m going to share a rabbit necklace that is currently available in my shop, as well as some rabbit jewelry that I have designed and sold in the past.
First off is this delightful “Bunny Love” necklace. I was lucky enough to snare this double bunny pendant from Nancy Adams of Round Rabbit. Her ceramic work sells fast, so I was pleased to have been at the right place at the right time to grab this pendant.
The Bunny Love necklace is in my shop, which, by the way, is brand spankin’ new! I’ve been busy this past month setting up my own, stand-alone website. Some things will remain in my Etsy shop, but my complete line of jewelry and ceramic components will only be available on my website. The web address is easy to remember. Its just my name and dot com. .www.LindaLandig.com I will be back in the States soon and all orders placed now will ship on April 7th, via USPS.
Bunny Love Necklace
I love bunnies, so I thought I’d share a couple of my previously sold designs as well. This necklace features one of Jenny Davies-Reazor’s wonderful ceramic hare pendants. I made it for display in her both for Bead Fest 2013.
Lunar Hare Necklace
This necklace dates way back to 2010, but it is still one of my favorites. I love the carved pendant!
Carved Bone Rabbit Necklace
I’m really looking forward to seeing all the rabbit and hare designs. Here are all the links. Let’s get hopping!
I am always delighted to read your comments! Hope to hear from you.
Because I have had art and fine craft shows the past two weekends…
Because it is the holiday season…
Because I had a bunch of (wonderful) commissioned pieces to work on and…
Because I am in the middle of reorganizing my whole bead studio…
This post will just be a picture tour of the second of my holiday shows. There so much amazing talent! All the different ways people find to express their creativity is endlessly inspiring and delightful. Enjoy!
Linda's Bead Blog & Meanderings 