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! 

June 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:   

During our trip to the arty city of Asheville, NC recently, I took a ton of pictures of amazing graffiti.  Take a decrepit brick building and make it into a work of art? Check!  This month's challenge is to use either this graffiti/mural as inspiration...or take your own photo and use it as inspiration!  

I love both the cute little bird with his kind of sad expression and the colors and patterns in this photo!  The bird itself (himself?  males are usually the colorful ones) started off my creativity for this month as I started to grab beady possibilities from amongst my stash.  

What did I make first?  Earrings!  Who is surprised??  What, no one is?  That's fair.  First up, a pair of earrings highlighting a pair of winter bird porcelain charms from Artisticaos.  The colors were perfect even if they aren't exactly summery.  

For my second pair of earrings I picked a cute set of birdie charms from Happy Fish Things.  The colors really worked for the inspiration and I feel like their little body decorations fit with the feeling of the mural too.  These really didn't need much from me... all I did was add some little Czech glass beads for legs and brass ear wires.  

  

I eked out a little more creative time this past weekend and managed to finish two more pieces for this challenge.  I had pulled a fabulous ceramic pendant from Golem Design Studio and am so happy I managed to complete a necklace with it.  I adore their fun and colorful designs and am in awe that each one is hand carved and glazed.  Anyway, I wanted to do something asymmetrical with some yellow Czech glass leaves.  to balance those leaves and a faceted yellow jade teardrop on the one side, I used a trio of Czech glass flowers on the other.  Pulling from the colors of the pendant, I selected some Swarovski pearls in Petrol and some aqua colored crystal.  

Last but not least, I whipped up a sweet little bracelet using a set of polymer clay beads from Humblebeads that have languished in my stash for a long time.  I kept the design fairly simple just adding some spacers between Heather's beads.  For the rest of the bracelet I used a mix of enameled link chain and a more plain gold plated oval chain.

I really had hoped to play with some lampwork glass from my stash that channeled some of the colors and patterns in the mural.  Sigh... so many ideas, so little time.  Maybe, just maybe something will come of those before I clean off my work space again.  

But enough of might of beens... it's time to see what YOU created! Please add links to/photos of your own creations below.  I love seeing what everyone else is making too.  Check back on July 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 June 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:   

During our trip to the arty city of Asheville, NC recently, I took a ton of pictures of amazing graffiti.  Take a decrepit brick building and make it into a work of art? Check!  This month's challenge is to use either this graffiti/mural as inspiration...or take your own photo and use it as inspiration!  

The reveal date will be Monday, June 26th.  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 June 26th 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! 

May 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:   

For this month, I've chosen a cool interior shot of a giant bank vault from the St. Louis City Museum.  I love the details in an area that most people would never see. They just don't make them like they used to!  

Despite the lack of vibrant color this month, there's a lot to love in the photo Eric chose for us.  Gears, the floral etching, bolts, mixed metals...  I had hoped to play with some of the etched copper that I have already cut, or even do some new etching, but I ran out of time for this challenge.  So instead I focused on the gears and more of a steampunk vibe with what I pulled to maybe use.

First up, I grabbed a pair of charms by Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood Studio that I've had since my early days of beading.  It's hard to capture in photos, but the glaze on these has so much metallic depth!  I whipped up an asymmetrical design with some Czech glass in metallics and some black and copper niobium ear wires.  

Next up, a necklace with a lovely polymer clay focal from my friend Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati.  I had a bit of a struggle figuring out what to dangle from the pendant, but eventually hit on these little brass teardrop charms.  To play off the crystal in the center of the pendant, I paired matte Czech glass rounds with crystal spacers.  

I'm pretty pleased with how both my designs turned out this month and I can't wait to see what you came up with for this challenge!  Please add links to/photos of your own creations below.  I love seeing what everyone else is making too.  Check back on June 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 May 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:   

For this month, I've chosen a cool interior shot of a giant bank vault from the St. Louis City Museum.  I love the details in an area that most people would never see. They just don't make them like they used to!  

The reveal date will be Monday, May 29th.  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 May 29th 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: All the Light We Cannot See

 

I took March off from participating in the Inspired by Reading Book Club hosted by my friends Andrew and William at Allegory Gallery, but I'm back in action this month!  

As usual, I'm pretty terrible about describing a book and the inspiration for my jewelry without giving too much away... so if you plan to read this moving novel, just stick to looking at my creations and skip my rambling, lol.

Set during the years leading up to and during World War II in both France and Germany, All the Light We Cannot See weaves the stories of two young people together along with that of a supposedly cursed diamond, the Sea of Flames.  Marie-Laure, a blind girl who begins the book living with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History where he is the principal locksmith... and Werner, a German orphan who has an amazing affinity for making and fixing radios, a skill that eventually makes him useful to the German war effort.

With all the talk of keys and locks, my mind went first in that direction.  I have a pair of keyhole connectors from Diana Ptaszynski's Suburban Girl ceramic days that I've been hanging onto for some time.  I decided to whip up some simple earrings with black metal key charms.

Next I turned my thoughts to the idea of the model scales of the neighborhoods in which Marie-Laure and her father lived.  Beyond being an accomplished locksmith, her father made amazing models and puzzle boxes for his daughter.  In particular, a model of her great-uncle's tall house by the sea in Saint-Malo that comes out of the neighborhood model and hides the very valuable diamond the Sea of Flames. Another piece that has long lingered in my bead stash is a little 3D house bead from Green Girl Studios.  This seemed like the perfect time to use it!  It's got some heft to it, so I struggled a little with how to best incorporate it into a necklace.  I knew I wanted to use gemstones as a nod to the diamond and the wider collection of the Natural History Museum.  I didn't have anything to approximate the blue of the Sea of Flames, so I had to go with what worked size wise.  In the end I decided on an asymmetrical design with LOTS of my hoarded fluorite beads and little Czech glass beads as spacers..  A large fluorite nugget opposite the house helps balance the weight of the design.

I had a few other lock and key pieces that I wanted to play with as well as another Green Girl pendant, but time ran out.  Story of my life!  This was a fun one to design for!  Next month's book isn't available locally so I'll probably sit it out.  We'll see when I pop up to participate again.  Until then, happy reading and happy creating!

April 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:   

For April Showers (or blizzards if you live in Minnesota,) here is a shot of some amazing umbrellas from the port of Puerta Vallarta from our recent Bead Cruise.  I got a lot of colorful pictures on this trip suitable for Spring, since Minnesota is still covered in layers of ice and snow.  Good luck and happy inspiration everyone!

As much as this picture totally brings my heart joy, I wasn't initially sure how I was going to approach this month's design challenge.  And then Diane Hawkey had a Facebook show with the most adorable umbrella charms!  While this defeats the point of using my stash... I couldn't resist!  Read on and I'm sure you'll agree.  

This month was another busy one for us so I was a bit worried about my timeline for creating for the challenge.  Truth be told, I waited until the very last minute to get something done... both my pieces were made just yesterday.  I've always worked better under pressure!  

Anyway, with the time crunch, I started with a pair of earrings to make sure that I had at least one completed piece.  I whipped up a bright and whimsical pair of earrings with a pair of Diane's umbrella charms paired with moon glow lucite and Czech glass.  I think the colors here really work well with Eric's inspiration photo.

Next up, a necklace!  Diane's umbrella pendant is just so bright and joyful... even on a rainy day, I think I'd be happy if I was wearing all this vibrant color.  All the beads are Czech glass except for the dark blue rounds which are ceramic.  The pendant is pretty light weight so I may need to wear this one to see if I need to add a bead above the umbrella to add more physical weight.... To be determined! 

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 May 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 April 2023 Honey Do List

Apologies for posting the new challenge a day late... I didn't want anyone thinking it was an April Fools joke!  LOL.

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:   

For April Showers (or blizzards if you live in Minnesota,) here is a shot of some amazing umbrellas from the port of Puerta Vallarta from our recent Bead Cruise.  I got a lot of colorful pictures on this trip suitable for Spring, since Minnesota is still covered in layers of ice and snow.  Good luck and happy inspiration everyone!

The reveal date will be Monday, April 24th.  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 April 24th 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! 

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!  

These skulls were seriously cool!  You can't tell from the photo, but the middle one's design was made from tons of tiny beads attached to the skull while the other two were colorfully painted.  I took inspiration from the idea of the designs more than the actual colors and patterns for my creations this month.

First up, I decided to revisit some fun floral cork from my stash.  Sadly the seller close their shop last year and I haven't found another source with as many options, but I still have some good stuff in my collection to play with.  Anyway, I cut teardrop shapes from the cork as well as tan Ultrasuede for the backing and did some bead embroidery to stitch the two fabrics together and give it a loop at the top.  It makes for a nice finished look.  I then connected some copper plated charms to the brass ear wires for some added interest.  These just sold but I could certainly make more like this or similar.    

As I was thinking about the beaded skull, as well as tons of other beaded little statues and other works of art on our trip, it reminded me of a couple of pendants that I had picked up randomly a few years ago.  I pulled them out and managed to whip up a fun necklace with one of them for this month's challenge.  

Last but not least, I switched gears and moved over to a skull theme.  Since I was fresh out of cattle skulls, I went for a fun sugar skull enameled pendant by Anne Gardanne!  I stayed with gold plated findings to go with the gold accents on the pendant and decided to really focus on the blues as well.  I used a mix of Czech glass, agate, and vintage speckled matte lucite.  Probably not the best time of year for this one to find it's forever home, but I guess I'll be ready for Day of the Dead this year!

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