Bead in the New Year: Part 1

My friends Andrew and William of Allegory Gallery in Ligonier, Pennsylvania have designed a fun creative challenge to kick off the new year.  They're calling it Bead in the New Year and it's been a wonderful way to get my creative juices flowing after a bit of a holiday break.  January is often a time of year that I find myself in a slump and this has been a fun way to get me out of that funk and making something everyday.   Here's the calendar that they've come up with for us:

Now I have no illusions that I'll manage to complete every prompt or get things finished on the "correct" day, but that's totally ok!!  I'm going to do my best and thought I'd share my progress with my readers along the way.  If you're looking to get inspired, I encourage you to play along too!  There's a Facebook group for Allegory Gallery's design challenges where you can share your progress... check it out HERE.  If you do decide to take part and are looking for something for Day 16 "Ask a friend for a creative challenge," consider our Honey Do List challenge for that one.  Check out Eric's January design inspiration HERE.

Alright, now to share with you all what I've made so far...  There's a lot of jewelry to share this time so I'll keep my comments on the short side.

Day 1: Make a pair of earrings.

Both of these designs include some leftover beads from past Allegory Gallery design challenge kits!

Day 2: Create a new bracelet.

All the blue beads were also from a past design challenge!  This is a variation on a design I've been making lately.

Day 3: Put together a necklace.

Rose quartz, an art bead by Tesori Trovati, my first time making a sliding knot on leather!

Day 4: Make a matching jewelry set.

Bracelet and earring set featuring gorgeous ceramic beads from Golem Design Studio!

Day 5: Use an art bead.

A sweet pair of earrings featuring fun, pastel charms from Humblebeads.  True confession, I made these on Day 6 to go with my next design but had originally grabbed both for the Day 4 prompt.

Day 6: Fashion a design using Czech glass.

Pendant by Humblebeads strung with tons of soft colored Czech glass!

Day 7: Utilize your favorite gemstone in a new piece!

And my favorite is Labradorite!!  The shine in the charm pair and the larger rondelles is so hard to capture.

As it is January 7th as I write this, I'm caught up for the moment!  I'll share more of what I accomplish for the various prompts as the month goes on.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit today!