Inspiration for the March 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:   

On our amazing walking food tour of Puerta Vallarta recently, the first restaurant we stopped at had these amazing painted and beaded skulls on the walls.  I thought this would be an interesting design challenge for my beady friends!  I took some jewelry making classes on the Bead Cruise, so now I'm one of you all!  

The reveal date will be Monday, March 27th.  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 March 27th 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! 

Inspired by Reading :: In Other Lands

After a long hiatus, the Allegory Gallery Inspired by Reading Book Club is back!  I missed the first online meet up (for both January and February selections), but I did read the January book and actually make something.  It may be a sign of the apocalypse, lol.  

This young adult was totally new to me... it hadn't been on my radar at all.  It was an enjoyable read even if in some ways it didn't totally break new ground.  The main character Elliot comes from a bit of a troubled home where his mom left when he was very young and his dad pretty much totally checked out.  As a young teenager Elliot is is invited "over the wall" and into the Borderlands where elves, harpies, trolls, and, yes, mermaids all exist. The book follows Elliot and his two best friends Serene and Luke over the course of their schooling at the Border Camp and their various exploits along the way.

For whatever reason, Elliott's infatuation with mermaids, even though they are not exactly the beautiful creatures of some fairy tales, really amused me.  He was really so excited to meet ALL the mythical creatures of the Borderlands and that was endearing.  Anyways, it was the mermaids that inspired my creation for this book.  

Originally, I was planning on making a necklace and earrings set with some mermaid tail pieces I have from Michelle McCarthy.  Time ran out on me and I never had an idea fully some together for me on this so I pivoted.  I found a lovely mermaid key from Green Girl Studios in a patinated copper finish that seemed like a good fit.  I had just gotten some Czech glass beaded chain and decided to meld the two things into one design.  The chain has a raw brass finish so I set about to combine the two metals throughout the necklace.  

To give more visual and physical weight to the pendant, I wire wrapped a turquoise nugget with some copper plated beads, Czech glass in a coordinating color, and brass wire.  Not my normal for mixed metals, but I really like how tis came together.

I'm sure that I won't be able to keep up with every month... (heck, I've already missed February!) but I'll enjoy playing along with the book club when I can.  I may start reading the April book on my upcoming trip to Alabama to ensure I get it read in enough time!  

If you're interested in finding more about the Inspired by Reading Book Club and maybe joining in this creative challenge, you can read more HERE.

February 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 everyone!  I didn't have a single picture that really spoke to me this month.  Instead, I decided to try a mix of texture shots to test your muses!  Take these pictures as inspiration directly, or just make good use of textures in your work this month.  Good luck!  And next month I should have some pictures from our upcoming trip to warmer climes...

I really like this trio of textures that Eric chose for our inspiration this month!  I had some immediate ideas but not much time until pretty late in the month due to our travels.  I ended up focusing more on the idea of the textures than the actual colors that Eric captured.  Creative license!

While I know that the green and cream/yellow texture on the left is flaking paint, it made me think of some jasper pieces that Eric bought me for Christmas ages ago.  There was a fairly large pendant piece and a strand of puffed rectangles.  I wanted to add some extra oomph to the pendant (not that it really needed it with its size!) just to give a little more visual interest beyond the beauty of the stone itself.  I dug through my collection of Vintaj embellishments and came up with a copper ivy vine piece that fit the stone nicely.  It only has one hole in it (at the top) so I did a little wire wrapping at the bottom to keep it nice and secure.  I just don't love relying on glue.  Anyway, I strung a few of the smaller jasper beads interspersed with a mix of Czech glass and brass beads and used Vintaj natural brass chain at the back.

Next I made the pair of earrings that were actually my very first thought for the challenge.  When I saw the crater like texture in the upper right hand I thought of the ceramic moons that I got in my subscription box from Artisticaos a while back.  (I'm really bad about not just hoarding all her lovelies so I'm proud of myself for actually using these, lol.) The color is obviously more golden than the inspiration, but I still think it works.  I decided to dig deep in my Humblebeads stash for this and found some gorgeous headpins that I've had forever but have been too scared to use.  (Seriously, I have a thing about decorative headpins!)  Some Czech glass beads and brass bead caps round out this design.

I managed one last design... a pair of earrings that may be for me.  I've had this pair of wonky lampwork rings in my stash for quite a while that Eric and I picked out together at an art show.  I had originally planned on some sort of wire wrapping situation (which always gives me fits!) but decided on a simpler route with jump rings. It gives them a lot of movement!  Some faceted gemstones and creamy Czech glass with a little bit of an AB finish finish these up.

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 March 1st to see what Eric dreams up for us next!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Inspiration for the February 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 everyone!  I didn't have a single picture that really spoke to me this month.  Instead, I decided to try a mix of texture shots to test your muses!  Take these pictures as inspiration directly, or just make good use of textures in your work this month.  Good luck!  And next month I should have some pictures from our upcoming trip to warmer climes...

The reveal date will be Monday, February 27th.  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 February 27th 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!

January 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:   

I struggled a bit this month to find a suitable picture, mostly because we are in the depths of white snow, ice, gray skies, and all-around "Blah."  So here are some majestic Redwoods from Northern California that we got to see this summer.  I had never been to the Redwood Forest and was blown away by the size and beauty of this area.  Pictures don't do it justice! 

Our visit to the Redwood Forest truly was a highlight of 2022... so awe inspiring!  I love that Eric chose one of his pictures from that trip for us to start of the new year.  It really captures how small you feel looking up in the midst of these giants.

As is my norm, I started out with some earrings... easy to get something done and know that I would have something for the reveal if time ran out on me (which it always seems to do!)  My first pair is very similar to something I made (and sold) before Christmas with a different pair of charms.  I liked the first pair so well that I whipped these up in the same style.  They feature enameled copper charms by Lindy's Designs paired with Swarovski pearls, acrylic, and Czech glass.

Next, I decided that a pair of Vintaj wood pop outs that I had stained in green and brown would work for this challenge.  I paired some fun Czech glass and brass for these.  I look forward to making time to play with more of this line of products from Vintaj in 2023!

Continuing on the earring design train, I had one more pair up my sleeve.  This time I got to use some stunning enameled charms by Gardanne.  Photos just don't do them justice... especially those gold dots!  Wanting to keep them at a reasonable weight, I grabbed some fun new corrugated acrylic beads that I snagged and coordinating Czech glass.  To go with the gold spots, I used gold plated spacers and gold filled ear wires to complete the design.

Looking through my Golem lentil collection (trying to find something for a different project) I found a bead that felt really appropriate for the Redwood inspiration so it was time to make a bracelet!  I used a mix of wood, Czech glass, and a few gemstone rounds on brown waxed Irish linen and brass.  

I had a few other ideas and art beads on my bead mat, but time ran out on me... story of my life!  Considering how busy this month has been, I'm pretty pleased that I got this much done.  I wish I could say that February will be slower, but that's a lie.  Eric and I are hitting the high seas on the Bead Cruise soon with a brief stop at Disneyland beforehand.  Should be a fun time and I'm sure I'll be telling you all about it when we're back on dry land. 

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 February 1st to see what Eric dreams up for us next!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Bead in the New Year Challenge

 

For the last several years my friends Andrew and William at Allegory Gallery have come up with a month of design prompts to inspire their followers and community to be creative.  I always love having some parameters to focus my design process... it keeps me from being overwhelmed by all the bead choices in my stash.  I don't always manage to hit them all, and I'm sure this year will be no different, but I figured I would do what I can and share with you all what I do make!  

The month starts out pretty easy and open in the prompt parameters.... make a pair of earrings (my favorite!!), create a bracelet, put together a necklace.  They sky is the limit otherwise. Started by using some pieces already on my bead mat seemed like the prudent thing to do.  I had been playing with some of the new(ish) Vintaj Ultimate Stains and Jewelry Pop Outs so I had some pieces on the bead table ready to become jewelry.  

Day 1: Make a Pair of Earrings

I started things out by pulling together a pair of earrings using a couple of wooden Jewelry Pop Outs from Vintaj that I stained at the end of the year.  They were still sitting around because I hadn't quite figured out what color beads to pair with them.  In the end, the polymer clay discs from Humblebeads that I used were actually on my bead mat too... the last in a set that I had pulled to make a different pair right after Christmas.  And bonus, I didn't have to put some things away since I used them!

Day 2: Create a Bracelet

Bracelets are not my favorite things to make or to wear.  I'm sure there's a connection there!  I was looking through my art beads for a small charm or two to use on bracelets and I came upon a cute little ceramic heart charm by Mary Harding and it sparked something for me.  I decided that a memory wire bracelet could be fun in the bright colors of the charm.  Unintentionally, it has a little bit of a love for Ukraine feel to it with the colors and hearts.  

Day 3: Put Together a Necklace

This one was another adventure in playing with stains and pop outs!  I paired the pendant component with a mix of Czech glass, cultured sea glass, and brass in a fairly simple design.

Day 4: Use Silk in Your Design

Ok, this one follows the letter of the prompt but maybe not entirely the spirit.  While I have a stupid amount of sari silk ribbon in my stash, I don't use it a ton.  What I do enjoy using are the little silk wrapped cocoon beads that my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus makes!  So, I grabbed a pair of those cocoons and some coordinating lampwork beads by Tanya McGuire that I've had for ages and whipped these little guys up... easy peasy!  

Day 5: Design Jewelry Using Your Favorite Gemstone

How does one pick a favorite gemstone??  There are so many that I love for totally different reasons.  I settled for a pair of matched amazonite teardrop charms I've been hoarding for too long and paired them with some coordinating polymer clay disc beads from Humblebeads and some Czech glass.  I always think that aqua/turquoise tones go so nicely with copper, so I chose that metal and niobium ear wires with copper balls.

Day 6: Use Czech Glass in Your Design

Honestly, I use a LOT of Czech glass in my jewelry designs.... like it's fairly rare that there isn't at least a little bit of Czech glass in a designs.  I really love glass of all kinds and that was part of my entry into making jewelry when I first started.  Anyway, I decided for this challenge that I would only use Czech glass beads and metal spacers, really keeping the focus on the glass.  

Day 7: Use Metal as a Main Element in Your Design

Being a little crunched for time, and needing to get some custom orders done for a friend I'm visiting next week, I went with earrings for this prompt.  My friend had purchased some upcycled tin discs from my friend Anna Pierson and asked me to make her some things... voila!  Tin is metal and also definitely the main element of these bright earrings!

Day 8: Use African Beads in a Design

I don't have a ton of African beads in my stash... so this one was more of a stretch for me.  I did finally find a couple of decently well matched beads in a light aqua color that I could use for earrings.  I kept the design pretty simple, only adding two pewter spacers and a charm.  

Day 9: Create a Piece Using Only Two Colors

My friend's special order strikes again for this prompt!  The blue and white upcycled vintage tins set the color palette for these earrings.  

I'm hoping that I'll have time to follow through on at least some of the rest of the Bead in the New Year prompts before the month is over... so perhaps there will be a part two for this post to come.  I've got a lot of travel coming up so who knows what will happen.  If nothing else, this was a fun way to jumpstart my January!  

Inspiration for the January 2023 Honey Do List

Happy New Year!  And welcome to what I hope will be a better, brighter year for myself, friends, and family!  Sorry that we unexpectedly took December off from the Honey Do List, but life was just feeling a bit too hectic to add one more things.  But now I'm ready to organize my bead table, dust off my tools, and get back to beading!

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:   

I struggled a bit this month to find a suitable picture, mostly because we are in the depths of white snow, ice, gray skies, and all-around "Blah."  So here are some majestic Redwoods from Northern California that we got to see this summer.  I had never been to the Redwood Forest and was blown away by the size and beauty of this area.  Pictures don't do it justice!

The reveal date will be Monday, January 30th.  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 January 30th and join the fun!  I'll leave the link up open for a while... so you have plenty of time to add your links.  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!