We’re All Ears – Floral button earrings

Welcome to theĀ  We’re All Ears, May reveal and our inspiration for this month is Tea parties, China patterns, tea stains and more. As Ms. Erin left it pretty open ended, I made Floral button earrings. Her inspiration pictures were from Getty images and as I couldn’t figure out how to post them for free, I picked some Tea pot/china design from an Amazon store called Gracie China Coastline imports.Ā 
This theme got me really excited for I am an avid tea drinker. My Friend (or rather her mother) making a model of the “I am a little tea pot” rhyme for a school display in kinder garden was how I was introduced to tea and tea pots. I started drinking tea by the time I was nine as it was supposed to help with my frequent colds and lung inflammations. I ended up loving tea, hating coffee and in the process becoming an outcast in my coffee crazy family.Ā 

Indian tea, that is made at home, could be strong or light, bitter or sweet, thick (with more milk) or watery (just a spoon of milk), with or without spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom or even pepper, often with a slightly sour after taste. It could be with milk or black, it could be lemon tea, ice tea, green tea and only occasionally the stereotypical Masala chai.Ā  It could be served in Stainless tumblers with a deep dish saucer called “Davara” or plastic tea cups, with ceramic cups often reserved for guests.
Here, Tea drinking is a social habit – it is integral to a group conversion. Meeting, discussions, interviews and even dates rely very heavily on countless small paper cups filled to their brims with hot tea. Almost every street, in every state of India will have a “Tea Kadai” (a tea shop), a normal petty box store selling everything from newspapers, weekly magazines, fried snacks, biscuits, fruits like bananas, cigarettes and ofcourse the quintessential strong acidic milk tea. It would be made by the tea master using a milk boiler and served in cut glass tumblers, giving the tea the unique name of “cutting chai”. Its a place where men – both young and old gather together to gossip, talk politics, discuss women and everything else under the sun. You would rarely see a group of women there as they would prefer not to stand at a street corner while sipping tea, but I prefer them over restaurants for a quick drink. Take a look at my friend and miniature sculptor Shilpa Mitha’s mini Tea Kadai model on her page Sueno Souvenir toĀ  see what I am talking about.Ā 

Floral button earrings

Though I have never had tea in a “fine China cup” I have always been fascinated by China patterns –Ā  landscapes, floral branches, geometric shapes, dots and stripes. Some are reminders of art and design movements of the bygone era. Some are reminiscent of colonial invasion, rule or domination. Whatever be the case, kitchenware and tableware tell stories of the times, the local culture, places, the people who lived there and most importantly how they lived. Of all available patterns I am most drawn to English Floral designs in Fine China. I fell in love with them when I was first exposed to Calico fabrics in the second year of college.

Floral button earrings

Though it was Vasco Da Gama and eventually the Dutch, who created and exported Calico fabric (muslin) from South of India, it was the British who added the floral motifs to them to make them for saleable and attractive to British Citizens. On one hand it plagued the Indian fine muslin industry so much so that it became almost extinct but on the other hand it added another form, motif and aesthetic to the repertoire of the Indian printer/fabric painter.

For this challenge, I picked flower wooden buttons and made them into statement earrings with a simple wire wrap. They are quite big but relatively weightless. As an afterthought, I made a couple of more beaded earrings using ceramic beads with floral patterns. Both the patterns are very different from the usual ones you find in the Indian market as these beads have smudged – water-color patterns. They look wet, as would motifs on a real tea cup as you wipe spilled over tea off them.

As opposed to some of the other months of this challenge, this month I focused more on my tea memories and less on my design process. The earrings are very simple, easy to make, and are meant for everyday wear – perhaps exactly like tea.Ā Ā 
Tea rejuvenates me, it helps me think and focus, What about you? Do share your “tea memories” and how the sights, smells, sounds and tastes associated with tea help you design.Ā  Visit the reveal page to see what the other participating artists have come up with
Ā I hope you found it interesting
Cheers

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  1. TesoriTrovati avatar

    I love reading about the different cultural influences of tea. I am a coffee addict, but someone in the office is making really weak coffee so I have been drinking more tea. I need to get back to that as it was a simpler time (and easier on my stomach!). I love the china patterns you chose and thank you for sharing your stories of tea with us! Thanks for playing along with me! Enjoy the day! Erin
    P.S. I use the Getty Image Embed service. We have to use that on the Halcraft blog as it is a way to embed the images and share them free of charge as they are not housed on your computer and the images retain the copyrights of the photographer that you can click through to learn more or to license for commercial use. It respects the rights of the originator and is a wonderful service I highly recommend. You should check it out! http://www.gettyimages.com/resources/embed

  2. Divya N avatar

    Thanks Erin, for sharing the embedding process with me. I couldnt figure it out and hence made my own inspiration board

  3. Kathy Lindemer avatar

    My favorite pair of earrings are the ones that you made from the buttons. I adore buttons inn jewelry!

  4. Divya N avatar

    They are my favourite too

  5. Karin G avatar

    Great post and lovely earrings, I love the red and blue hoops.

  6. Veralynne Malone avatar

    Yes, really love those button earrings, and the info you provided was interesting to read. Thanks for posting.

  7. Alice avatar

    beautiful earrings.I love them all. so fitting for spring.

  8. Neena Shilvock avatar

    Love those buttons, they make lovely earrings

  9. Divya N avatar

    Thanks Alice

  10. Sarajo Wentling avatar

    What a fun way to use those buttons! All three pairs are very fun, but I think the hoops are my favorites… so bright and happy!

  11. Michelle L. avatar

    What a great post, D! I am all tea, all the time – so this was very cool to read. Someone entrepreneur should start a chain of woman-friendly Kadais! I love the button earrings, so reminiscent of fine china and perfect for your inspiration. I would never have thought of that!

  12. Divya N avatar

    Thanks Karin, I have been wanting to try a red- blue and white combination for a while now

  13. Divya N avatar

    I am glad you find it interesting

  14. Divya N avatar

    An All women Tea kadi – a very interesting idea indeed! But I guess the store itself isnt the issue but the fact that you have to stand in the street corner while sipping tea is not what many prefer

  15. Marybeth avatar

    Your earrings are wonderful but the information your shared in your post is fantastic! Thank you so much I enjoyed learning more about your culture.

  16. Divya N avatar

    Thanks Marybeth, I am glad that you enjoyed it

  17. bairozan avatar

    I love how the second pair of earrings look like a tea pot and as far as the floral buttons – I have some and it never occurred to me to use them as earrings. Thanks for the tip!

  18. anordinarymiracleday avatar

    You did a great job capturing china patterns in your earrings! – Sarah

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