Inspiration for the September 2023 Honey Do List

2023 marks the eighth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

Hey folks!  This month I decided to try something a little different for the challenge: fabrics!  On a recent trip to Denver we visited some old friends from my High School at their fabric shop, Treelotta, and I decided to take some pictures of the cool fabrics and colorful quilting supplies.  Here is one of the shots I took there.  Go for colors, or flowers, or both this month!

The reveal date will be Monday, September 25th.  To make it super easy for you to participate and share your creations, I'll set up an Inlinkz link up so folks can add their blogs or links as they are ready.  Just stop by my blog starting on September 25th and join the fun!  I'll leave the link up open for a while... so you have plenty of time to add your links.  (Last month's is still open... check it our HERE.) No blog?  No worries!  Feel free to send me a picture of your creation and some brief comments and I'll happily share in my blog post.  You can reach me at sjdesignsjewelry@gmail.com  The more the merrier, so I hope you'll play along with me this month! 

August 2023 Honey Do List

2023 marks the eighth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

This month's picture is another of the many street art pieces we saw in Asheville, NC earlier this summer.  I thought the luna moth would be a cool inspiration for jewelry: either moth beads, or the colors in the art.  Next month I'll do something different!

As soon as I saw Eric's photo for us this month I knew I had a few luna moth art beads that just had to come out to play!  Beyond the true lunas, I do have a fondness for moths and butterflies in general... so there was plenty for me to choose from for this challenge.

The first thing that I unearthed from my stash were these sweet faux tin charms from Humblebeads.  I'm 99% sure that I'll keep these for myself, but we shall see.  I made some little floral dangles with some pale green and yellow toned Czech glass and green crystals.  A quick, cute design to kick things off!

Not quite ready to tackle my statement necklace, I turned first to another set of earring charms, this time by Cathleen Zaring of Blue Hare.  Clearly these aren't luna moths, but still fun and fluttery creatures.  I grabbed some little vintage metal teardrops to dangle from the enameled charms along with some Swarovski crystals.

Having stalled long enough, it was time to tackle my necklace!  I love the matte glazes that Sarah Kandell of Slate Studios Supply used on this lovely, large luna moth.  She's just dreamy!  I didn't want supporting beads to be so shiny as to overshadow or compete with the focal.  Luckily I had some nice matte options in both Czech glass and vintage German resin in my stash.  My one real concession to shine are the cranberry colored moon glow lucite rounds.  They are a perfect match to the red in the dress and add a nice pop of color to the design.  I snuck in a little bit of blue fluorite and a Swarovski pearl as well.

To my great sadness, when trying to determine the correct length of the necklace for the dress, I discovered what I had already suspected... the dress is a little bit too small for my current weight.  Hopefully having this delightful new necklace will inspire me to get back to my fighting weight!  I can't wait to wear this necklace!

I thought I was done, but then I uncovered a delightful teapot and teacup pendant set from Jade Scott.  Again, not actually a luna moth, but the colors of the moth were perfect!  It was super fun looking for a fun mix of beads that pulled the various colors out of the resin pieces.  I ended up with a mix of Czech glass, German resin, and a single prehnite round.

One last necklace here... I really was productive this month!  The Vintaj brass pendant that I painted is technically a butterfly, but I feel like the colors worked so I'll take some creative license.  Since the pendant is fairly dainty, I wanted to keep things pretty simple.  Also, I like to be able to offer designs at a variety of price points when I have sales (and I have a big one coming up next month!)  I alternated peridot and blue fluorite rounds with little metallic seed beads in between and delicate (but sturdy!) brass chain at the back.

Now it's your turn!  Please add links to/photos of your own creations below.  I love seeing what everyone else is making too.  Check back on September 1st (or maybe the 2nd since the 1st is our 22nd wedding anniversary!) to see what Eric dreams up for us next.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Humblebeads Mood Board Challenge: Van Gogh Irises

 

It's been a hot minute since the last time I played along with one of Heather Powers' design challenges from her Humblebeads VIP Facebook group, but I couldn't resist this one!  As soon as I saw the post, I had an immediate idea so I got to work.  If you aren't familiar with her challenges, she just asks that you use some things from her website in your entries. 

I had gotten these fun little charms in a destash bundle from Heather a while back and I thought this was a good time to finally play with them.  Since the wire was black I paired them with some open ring Vintaj decorivets.  I added some coordinating seed beads to silver plated jump rings to jazz things up a bit and finished the design off with black niobium ear wires with silver decoration.

Next up, I grabbed a pair of Heather's disc beads in colors appropriate for her inspiration.  I had no doubt that I would have at least one set that would work... so it really came down to which ones went best with the Czech glass melon drops I had chosen.  (Full disclosure, it didn't hurt that the glass beads were part of the mess on my bead table already!)  Some more Vintaj arte metal components round out this design.  These are long but the materials keep them relatively lightweight.

While this last piece doesn't qualify for Heather's challenge, I had to share it here anyways!  As I was designing this necklace I really did try to work some Humblebeads into it, but I felt like I was just forcing it and it wasn't coming together.  The sweet little pewter iris pendant from Green Girl Studios was just too perfect for the challenge.  I'd had it sitting on my bead mat for months (gulp) along side a strand of multicolored pearls.  Heather's Van Gogh inspiration was the kick in the pants I needed to pull this simple necklace together... so thanks for that!!

Thanks for stopping by to see what Heather (and Van Gogh!) inspired me to make!

Inspiration for the August 2023 Honey Do List

2023 marks the eighth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

This month's picture is another of the many street art pieces we saw in Asheville, NC earlier this summer.  I thought the luna moth would be a cool inspiration for jewelry: either moth beads, or the colors in the art.  Next month I'll do something different!

I've already got some ideas... my big project really should be a gorgeous luna moth pendant from Sarah Candell that I've been holding onto for way to long.  Can't wait to have time to get started!

The reveal date will be Monday, August 28th.  To make it super easy for you to participate and share your creations, I'll set up an Inlinkz link up so folks can add their blogs or links as they are ready.  Just stop by my blog starting on August 28th and join the fun!  I'll leave the link up open for a while... so you have plenty of time to add your links.  (Last month's is still open... check it our HERE.) No blog?  No worries!  Feel free to send me a picture of your creation and some brief comments and I'll happily share in my blog post.  You can reach me at sjdesignsjewelry@gmail.com  The more the merrier, so I hope you'll play along with me this month! 

July 2023 Honey Do List

2023 marks the eighth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

Here is some inspiration from our trip to Asheville, NC earlier this summer. I took this picture of pink dogwood flowers right outside an art gallery, so I feel like bringing this around full circle.  Give us some flowers, some leaves, some pink stuff, whatever!

I just adore dogwoods... they are part of my childhood.  I spent many an hour as a kid climbing the one in my grandparents' house in Birmingham... although that one and the one at my house had white blossoms.  

I started out making a couple of simple pairs of earrings with sweet pink Czech glass dangles.  One pair from some cool copper plated filigree connectors.  It's tough to tell from this photo but they have a little bit of a dome to them.

My second pair uses some floral brass deco rivets that I've been hoarding for a while.  I need to break these out more often!    I sanded them down a bit to bring out the pattern.  

Next up, a necklace featuring a ceramic pendant by The Classic Bead that I had forgotten that I even had!  With the way its loop was situated, I decided that my best bet to attach it was to make a little beaded bail with some wire and a Czech glass bead.  I strung the front part of the necklace with more Czech glass beads and some rutilated quartz ovals.

Another little gem in my bead stash for this challenge was a sweet little rose gold colored dogwood pendant from Humblebeads.  I really wanted to do something to give it a little more visual oomph.  I played with a lot of different filigree type options to go behind it before landing on a sort of shield shaped one.  I made bead links with Czech glass and moonstone beads and finished the back with brass chain.

I managed to make one last necklace before my birthday trip to Denver.  I'm kind of shocked that I created as much as I did this month considering I was gone for a week.  For this design I used a vintage ceramic pendant that I had picked up in Asheville, NC a few years back.  I made links using Czech glass and Rose Quartz on brass findings.

Now it's your turn!  Please add links to/photos of your own creations below.  I love seeing what everyone else is making too.  Check back on August 1st to see what Eric dreams up for us next!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

We're Going on a Picnic!

 

You may be aware that myself and four of my bestest beading friends Anna Pierson, Monica Pena, Loralee Kolton, and Miranda Trebesch have been doing regular jewelry sales on Facebook as the Five Friends.  We are gearing up for our July show at the end of the month and our theme is going to be summer picnic.  I've been having so much fun designing new jewelry for this show that I just couldn't wait until then to share some of it with you all!

As I started thinking about the theme, my mind went to juicy watermelons (even though I don't enjoy eating it myself), fruit salad, ladybugs and other summer buggy friends, and, in case your picnic ends up lingering until dusk, fireflies!  

So... here's a sneaky peak at what I've been working on so far starting with some fun ladybug designs!

The first things I made were a couple of multi-strand bracelets with some Golem Design Studio focal beads.  These are so bright and fun... and who can resist the little Czech glass ladybug beads that decorate one strand in each bracelet.  I can't wait for a time that I can buy from Golem in person again... I need more ladybug beads to replenish my stash!  The design is from Lorelei Hill Eurto from a long ago bead magazine and one I revisit often.  

Next up, some ladybug earrings for your enjoyment.  I couldn't resist snagging a couple of pairs of cute enameled ladybug charms from C-Koop a while back and I'm finally using a pair!  I paired them with some vintage fluted acrylic beads and sliver plated accents for a fun look that doesn't get too heavy weight wise.

My second pair of earrings features more beady goodness from Golem Design Studio!  I paired them with blackened elements, red crystal, and some leaf charms.  

For when your picnic time stretches into dusk, let's switch gears from ladybugs to one of summer's other favorite insects... fireflies or, as I usually call them, lightning bugs!!  I finally relocated the box with my sweet collection of firefly jars that I ordered from Blue Hare Art Wear.  I have so many fond memories of running around the yard chasing lightning bugs and sometimes catching them in jars to try and keep... this just screams summer time to me.  

I just had to get at least one watermelon design finished for this blog post and the winner was a necklace featuring a long-hoarded Jade Scott pendant!  It's a sweet little piece of art so a daintier design was in order.  I strung it on a mix of Rose Quartz, Czech Glass, Peridot, and dyed Agate with brass chain and findings.  I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.

I'm not done designing yet... we'll see what other summer picnic inspired creations come off my bead table in the next couple of weeks.  I know that the other ladies have some fun stuff up their collective sleeves as well!

If you're interested in these designs and other summery good stuff from the Five Friends, I hope you'll join us for our Facebook show starting July 28th.  You can find us over in the SagaHus Components group if you want to take part. (P.S. I really think you're going to want to be at this show!)

Inspiration for the July 2023 Honey Do List

2023 marks the eighth year that my husband Eric has been giving me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... The Honey Do List!  (Y'all, time really does fly!!)  I know that I'm not the only one who loves a good design challenge, so I'm hoping folks will continue to play along with us!

Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:

Here is some inspiration from our trip to Asheville, NC earlier this summer. I took this picture of pink dogwood flowers right outside an art gallery, so I feel like bringing this around full circle.  Give us some flowers, some leaves, some pink stuff, whatever!

The reveal date will be Monday, July 31st.  To make it super easy for you to participate and share your creations, I'll set up an Inlinkz link up so folks can add their blogs or links as they are ready.  Just stop by my blog starting on July 31st and join the fun!  I'll leave the link up open for a while... so you have plenty of time to add your links.  (Last month's is still open... check it our HERE.) No blog?  No worries!  Feel free to send me a picture of your creation and some brief comments and I'll happily share in my blog post.  You can reach me at sjdesignsjewelry@gmail.com  The more the merrier, so I hope you'll play along with me this month!