Paradise Calling Challenge for We're All Ears

Each month, Erin at Earrings Everyday poses a challenge for the readers. It's called the We're All Ears challenge. This month, she chose "Paradise Calling" as she was about to leave for the Humblebeads Bead Cruise and a paradise of her own. Today's reveal day! 

I suppose each person has their own vision of paradise, but mine has always, always been the beach. It's the water that calls to me - the weightless bliss of floating in it and the rhythmic sound of the waves. I will never get enough. It's lucky that I live so close to Alabama's beautiful Gulf Coast. 

And, while our beaches are superb, images from our vacation to Aruba many years ago are what sprung to mind. First and foremost, that crystal clear water was not to be missed.

I wanted to evoke the translucent quality, the blue, and the peacefulness of water with this first pair of earrings. 

I used fairy flowers from Mermaid Glass and lampwork glass spacers from StudioJuls. Silver-tone wire was chosen for its fresh feeling. These pieces were paired with bead caps from Patina Queen. 

Thinking about vacation and spending time at the beach makes me long for a rum drink or two. While in Aruba, we tried mojitos for the first time. They're definitely one of my favorite beach-side beverages. 

Made of rum, simple syrup, mint, soda water, and lime and served over ice; they are crisp and clean-tasting. I let the colors and feel of a mojito inspire these next earrings.

Green was an obvious choice, though I had a hard time deciding what shade, finally setting on these Czech glass ones to represent the lime and mint. Simple clear faceted glass rondelles were stacked on the top as the simple syrup and soda water. It needed a little something more, so I chose pewter-colored blanks from Vintaj and embossed them with squares to signify the ice. 

While mojitos are wonderfully refreshing, bushwackers are much heavier and more decadent. 

They're also made with rum, but include cream and/or ice cream, coffee liqueur, cream de cacao, coconut milk, and chocolate syrup. These are blended with ice and often served with whipped cream and a cherry. They're like a milkshake, with alcohol.

I used mother of pearl buttons because they're as heavy and creamy as the ingredients blended together. Deep brown glass pearls are silky and remind me of the chocolate. I topped the pearls with little white beads like the whipped cream on top.

Even after a full day at the beach, at the end of the day, I can hardly resist a beach sunset. My phone and camera are full of sunset photos. Here are just a few of them.

But, the one I let guide my inspiration was yet another photo from Aruba.

I really love how the colors just meld together. It's hard to make beads meld, but it was easy enough to stack the colors. 

I used faceted glass beads in orange, yellow, and deep blue to represent the sky of a sunset. Then, I embossed dark Vintaj blanks with a pattern that looks like moving water. 

I have to admit that I made all of these within an hour or two in a very rushed manner. But it was so nice to just think about the beach for a little while. Thanks for that bit of a mini vacation, Erin. 

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else interprets this challenge. Make sure to head over to Earrings Everyday and see for yourself.