Honey Do List: March 2018

This marks the third 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... it's the Honey Do List 2018!  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:

I decided to go with a monochromatic shot this month, as winter drags on.  This picture of a window was taken while on a walk through D.C. last summer.  Let's see what you can pull off with this unusual inspiration!

As soon as I saw this photo, I thought of some one of a kind patinated charms by Inviciti that I had managed to snag.  (I'm usually WAY too slow to snag the OOAK pieces from Vincent and Nooma!)  I love the rustic finish on them and the orange with black peaking out (and even the shape) reminded me of the bottom center two panels.  In keeping with the shapes and angles in the photo, I chose some English cut beads and some square plated hematite spacers.

Originally, I thought that I'd use the art beads from the next two pairs of earrings in one extra fabulous pair... that turned out to be a little much and a bit too long for my liking, so I decided that they would be two separate sets!  I think I made the right decision.  The first pair features some yummy, crusty, rustic looking lampwork by Donna Millard paired with Czech glass and brass on some of my favorite Vintaj Natural Brass ear wires.  The second pair are all about the goldenrod colored sari silk "cocoons" by my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus with some star cut Black Gold Amazonite.

Not wanting it to be all earrings all the time this month (not that I don't love me some earrings!), I also whipped up a necklace and earrings set.  I'm thrilled to have found the perfect project for this great geometric pendant by my friend Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead!  Actually, all the beads and the clasp in this necklace have been hiding in my stash for quite a while, so I think that this design perfect for the intent behind the Honey Do List.  I used a fun strand of square Czech glass beads and some Wooden Jasper rounds with brass findings.  The earring drops are deep maroon Mookaite.

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Honey Do List: November 2017

Last year, my husband Eric has decided to issue me a design challenge each month to get me out of my comfort zone and to help clear out my bead stash... and we're continuing the Honey Do List for 2017!  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!  

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

I haven't really taken many pictures in the past month, so I took this chance to delve deep into older photos for something lost in the archives.  This is a really cool old stained glass window in the Schlitz Brewery building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that really struck my fancy.  The colors and shapes should be a fun change from my usual naturalistic photos. 

Even though these colors aren't necessarily in my normal wheelhouse, I got pretty excited about this month's challenge.  It probably doesn't hurt that I love stained glass!  Anyway, I pretty much immediately started pulling together some possible beads to play with.  Here's a sample of what I gathered up:

The first art beads that jumped out at me were a set of lampwork beads that I bought last month at the Twin Cities Bead Bazaar from Donna Millard.  (If I'm honest, I probably would have skipped the show this time but I wanted to see Donna's work in person.)  Anyway, I immediately pictured a set in my mind's eye using the really cool, almost tribal beads in black and cream... so that's what I did... sort of.

I love all the circles in Eric's inspiration photo and I wanted to keep playing with that shape beyond the lampwork focal bead.  Luckily, I had a nice selection of coin beads to choose from in yellows and grey.  (I ended up choosing some vintage glass, Labradorite, and faceted Yellow Jade.)  To continue with the circle theme, I also picked a cone with some swirly circles to round out the pendant focal I built up.  I mixed up Vintaj Arte Metal and silver plated findings and chain to complete the design.

A closer (and better!) look at the focal and tassel.

Next, I intended to make a bracelet... this is where my plan went a little off the rails.  I wire wrapped one of Donna's lampwork beads with some Czech glass and little "pringle" spacers.  (Ok, I don't know what they're actually called, but that's my name for them!)  Unfortunately, the resulting bead unit was a little too long for my bracelet focal but I'd already gone through the work of cleaning, hammering, and sealing the steel wire for the link so I didn't want to tear it apart.  Never fear, the set had three beads so this one quickly became a second necklace!  I dangled some little beads and a small black key charm from the bottom and put it on a long length of chain.  Voila!

Back at the drawing board for my bracelet design, I tried again for a steel wire wrapped focal bead unit.  This time I kept it really simple with just Donna's bead and the little pringle spacers.  Much better!  I then made a chain of wire wrapped beads including faceted pyrite, Czech glass, and the black lampwork beads that came with the set.  This bracelet is a little on the petite side size wise, but I could always add more links if a customer needed more length.  

Last, but not least, I also whipped up a little pair of coordinating earrings to complete my new Honey Do List set.  I picked out a little pair of grey cocoon beads from my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus.  I had the same pearlescent yellowy-ivory Czech glass rondelles in a slightly larger size than what I used in the necklaces that made great dangles for these little ear bobs.

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