Here's this month's inspiration and what Eric had to say about it:
With more and more snow around us, I struggled to find something with color for this month's challenge. I discovered this picture I took of a mural inside Breakside Brewery in Portland last year and felt I had color, shape, and texture all for your inspiration pleasure! Have at it!
As luck would have it, the same day that Eric gave me this inspiration photo I had a torch enameling class scheduled with Sara Lukkonen of C-Koop. She had some millefiori for us to try out and I managed to make a pendant that perfectly echoed the mural's design! Since I wasn't really sure what things would end up looking like, I'm pretty pleased with the results I got. I knew that I was going to be in big trouble with the hubby if I didn't make something with this little guy, but not surprisingly, the pendant had some flaws from trying to get it off the welding mandrel. I ended up working some magic to hide the flaws with my messy wrapped bail and a copper spacer.
This one is probably for me since it's my first real enameling attempt. I strung the pendant with tons of Czech glass, fire crackle agate, star cut carnelian, and yellow jade. Lots of yummy colors that I pulled from the pendant design as well as the inspiration piece!
Seeing as my bead purchases tend more toward the organic than the geometric, I was worried about having things that would work in my bead hoard. Luckily I did find a few goodies! First up, a pair of earrings with some fun charms by Diane Hawkey that I paired with some sari silk cocoons from my friend Anna Pierson of Saga Hus.
I also still had a couple of fun and bright focal beads from Golem Design Studio that featured a series of bulls eye shapes in various colors. (I made a different tassel necklace with one of these back in March 2017 but with a plain chain and beads decorating the chain tassel ends.)
When I was looking for the cocoons for my first pair of earrings, I discovered some other fun goodies from Saga Hus that felt right for the challenge. Anna wrapped some fun millefiori glass beads with fibers and wire for bright and cheerful links. I added some Czech glass dangles in coordinating colors and used niobium ear wires with bright copper accents.
Still thinking about how the patterns in millefiori glass echoed the mural, I grabbed some little coins in orange, white and clear. I added some teardrop shaped beads on jump rings as a fun dangle for these playful ear bobs!
Now it's your turn! Please add your links to your own creations below. I love seeing what everyone else is making too. Please check back March 1st to see what Eric has in store for us next month!
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/share/party/8fe82efdb5034060b3b562a6b8a4b0e4
