Confessions of an earring addict

I've really come to terms over the last few years with the fact that earrings really are my jewelry of choice. I enjoy necklaces but invariably strangle myself at some point during the day, which takes away from the whole appeal. I do wear the occasional bracelet but they're not an every day thing for me - not the most comfortable accessory while I'm clacking away on the keyboard at work - so I tend to reserve them for evenings out and weddings. Ever since getting married, I've also neglected most of the rings I own in favor of proudly displaying my wedding and engagement bands. The beauty of earrings are that they can be anything from ridiculously wild and playful to demure and understated...and once they're in your ears you can forget about them but know that they are keeping you well adorned in the simplest of ways.

I recently signed up for an earring swap on Craftster, seeing as my earring collection needed a little rejuvenation. Over the last year, I managed to lose one of each of the earrings from two of my favorite pairs. This was definitely a good time to replenish with some new favorites and maybe take the opportunity to dig around in my box of beads and findings for some new inspiration.

I'm still waiting on the rest of the earrings from my swap partners but I was really happy to get back into the swing of things with this pair made from shells and wooden beads. I made some for one of my partners but loved them so much I wanted a pair for myself.

I also took this opportunity to bust out my wigjig and make some swirly wire bits. I'm still using the wire that came with it, which I'm finding to be very easy to bend but entirely too fragile for my liking. However, I was still very happy with my first attempt and have offered them up for another swap on Craftster. I'm going to have to pick up some heavier wire at the store and go to down with squiggly earring designs! The possibilities really are endless so what kind of designs would you like to see?