We're All Ears: May Inspiration

This month's We're All Ears challenge was inspired by tea.

Yay, tea!

While I might not be quite on the same tea-loving level as my friend who has an entire pantry devoted to it, I can say that I definitely love tea. My personal favorite is Earl Grey, and has been for as long as I remember. (And while I don't think it was because of Star Trek, I'm sure hearing Captain Picard repeatedly say "Earl Grey, hot," certainly didn't hurt!)

When I read about this month's inspiration, I immediately thought of delicate china and tea parties in the garden, scones with clotted cream and cucumber sandwiches. It was based on this mental picture that I made these three pairs of earrings:

Teapots!
Made with cherry quartz and white glass pearls.

Teacups!
Made with pink glass pearls and white freshwater pearls.

Made with freshwater pearls and Chinese crystal, these could be worn to a high tea.
I can just taste the scones.

...Before this morning, that was actually where I was going to stop this entry. After all, three pairs of earrings is plenty!

Yet this morning, when I was preparing this post, I realized something: while those pairs of earrings capture the elegant fancy-china, pinky-up types of tea, they didn't really convey the pure at-home everyday comfort that tea can provide.

After all, I have plenty of fancy tea cups and tea pots...

...but my everyday tea supplies are much less photogenic. I mean, come on... My fresh loose leaf tea is kept in airtight containers with bright orange lids. Not exactly something you'd see in a fine tea room!

Fancy teapot being used for decoration,
while my actual tea-making supplies are on the counter.
See what I mean: bright orange lids! 

I live 10 minutes away from Teavana.
My tastebuds think this is wonderful... my bank account, not so much.

So, back to my beading table I went, and created one more pair of earrings...

This time, made in shades of tea--whether it be sugary and sweet with lots of cream (the light bronze pearls), or heavily steeped and dark (the dzi agate). 

This pair is less bright and gilded than the other earrings--less special occasion, more everyday, but elegant in their own right. Just like tea... it can be as fancy as a proper British high tea or an age-old Japanese tea ceremony, or as comfortable and cozy as a mug of tea brewed at home on a rainy day. (Like today. Yep, it's raining again.)

Now that I'm thinking of it, I want to make some earrings that are devoted to the different kinds of tea--matcha and chai and rooibos and white tea. Gah--too many ideas, not enough time!

...Did I mention that I love tea? ;)

So, there you go! That's what I made for this month's We're All Ears challenge. Thank you, as always, to Earrings Everyday blog for hosting this challenge... and thank you, wonderful readers, for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! ...and maybe drink some tea, while you're at it. :)