Beading in the New Year with Allegory Gallery :: Part 2

 

Welcome to the second installment of my contributions to the Allegory Gallery Bead in the New Year challenge!  I got a little distracted from this second set of prompts what with a Facebook jewelry sale and LOTS of more involved cooking going on lately.  I have no regrets!  I'm still having fun at my own pace and keeping my creativity and productivity going.   Ok, onto the next 10 days of prompts!

Day 11 :: Create a Piece Using one our Luxury Bead Blends

While I did use a tiny bit of one of the Allegory Gallery Luxury Bead Blends I have stashed around my studio space back on Day 4, that didn't feel intentional enough.  Plus the whole point of this is to challenge myself and to keep on making!  So it was back to the bead table armed with some memory wire and a baggie of the Grasslands Bead Blend to whip up a little bracelet.  All the beads that I used came from the bead blend except for the two Czech glass flowers on the ends.

Day 12 :: Make a Project from a Craft Book

So... I'm taking a little liberty with this prompt.  Instead of doing a project from a craft book, I decided to finish up a project from a class I took on last year's Bead Cruise (remember travel? sigh) with the talented Beki Haley.  The design is called Royal Crest and it was my very first bead weaving project.  It felt pretty good to finish something that's been waiting for almost a full year!  Learning to make a warped square (the part that's the bail) is super useful... I can see doing that again in the future for certain designs.  Yay learning something new!!

Day 13 :: Let's See Something You Made Using Ceramic Beads

While I've played pretty fast and loose with a few of the prompts thus far, I took today's challenge to heart.  I only used one non-ceramic bead in this necklace!  When looking for good options for today's prompt I unearthed a ceramic pendant and bead set from my friend Diana Ptaszynski that seemed perfect for the prompt.  I added in some smaller irregular ceramic rounds and knotted them all on four strands of waxed Irish linen.  To pull out the colors from the accent beads, I used one strand of a kind of a minty colored linen along with the strands of brown.  I tied one wooden round above the leaf pendant, which seemed fitting and allowed things to sit a bit better.  The back is two different styles of Vintaj natural brass chain.   

Day 14 :: Break out the Polymer Clay and Create Something

Again, I'm taking liberties here.  I actually have a tray filled with canes I made in November during Heather Powers' online version of her Inspired by Nature Retreat.  I just haven't had the time and energy to finish my last canes and actually make beads.  Hopefully before the month is out I can circle back to that project.  

Soooo... that leads me to what I actually managed to do.  I took two polymer clay butterflies that I made after taking a different class with Heather at a retreat a few years ago (I think at Adornments).  I was inspired to make more little butterfly shapes when I got home but then never got around to doing anything with them.  

Day 15 :: Organize at Least One Part of Your Craft Area

Insert maniacal laughter here.  Seriously, my beading area needs a serious intervention.  Stat.  But, the truth is I'd rather create than clean... and creating is a seriously messy business!  No full scale, or even moderate scale, clean up had been undertaken but I have managed to put away some of my newer acquisitions and/or make something with them so I don't have to find a home for them.  Sigh.  Maybe I'll find some time next month for some much needed organization.  For now, this is the terrible mess I live with on my bead table.

Day 16 :: Use the 2021 Pantone Color of the Year

I'm not gonna lie... I'm often not super excited about Pantone's choice for Color of the Year.  2021 is no exception although I will say that I've hated other year's more, lol.  Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I managed to make not one but two things for today's prompt!  

First up I made a cute little pair of earrings with some adorable beer much charms that Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio made for me.  It's like she predicted Pantone's choice with her glaze color which is clearly "Illuminating."  ;)  I paired the charms with some Czech glass to coordinate.  

While digging for the beads for the earrings above, I pulled out a strand of fun yellow glass beads with a cool texture to them from Allegory Gallery.  I'd never even cut them off their strand so they were just sitting there on my mat.  As I looked at them I realized that maybe they would be an interesting bracelet... perhaps mixed with some grey.  Hmmm.  I ended up choosing some English cut Czech glass with a Mercury luster finish.  My friend Anna said it reminded her of a Lemondrop cocktail.  That may be what I name this design.   

Day 17 :: Focus on Metal as the Main Element in a New Creation

This is another place where my original intentions didn't come to fruition.  I still have another project somewhat thought out on my bead table but haven't had a chance to get out my jeweler's saw and make it happen.  Sigh.  As much time as I have on my hands I feel like I should be doing a little better, but there's always something that gets in the way.  I'm honestly happy I've been as creative as I have this month! 

Anyway, when I was prepping for a Valentine's/Love themed jewelry show for this past weekend, I ended up making a pair of earrings that I think fits the bill for this prompt.  The main elements of this design are some lovely patinated copper connectors by Patricia Healey  I added some brass drops as well as tiny Czech glass flowers along the bottom and Vintaj Natural Brass ear wires.  So, while it wasn't my original idea, metal is the star of the show here for sure!

Day 18 :: Utilize Natural Materials to Make Something

But I wanted to play with unnatural materials!  Ok, just kidding.  I think I'm getting just a little bit loopy over here.  This is another new piece that I created with Valentine's Day on the horizon.  The lovely ceramic pendant with botanical imprint is by Lesley Watt.  I knotted it on waxed Irish linen with beads in wood, yellow jasper, and brass.  Gemstones, wood, and linen feel like they match the prompt well enough!  I'm really glad I had the cream colored wood beads and I think they were just the element I needed to pull this all together!  

Day 19 :: Construct a Non Jewelry Piece Using Beads

Of all the prompts, this one is probably the very most outside my comfort zone.  About the only time I normally make something that isn't jewelry is leading up to Christmas when I make ornaments.  I actually have a great idea for this one, but haven't had the time to do it yet.  My friend Diana Ptaszynski sent me a cute little doll to bead embroider... I hope to at least get that started before this month is over.  I'll check back in with my progress if I can get a decent amount done.

Day 20 :: Get Together Virtually with Some Friends to Craft

Getting together in person still feels like a very distant dream (thanks, COVID) so I'm very thankful for all the other ways we have to communicate these days.  Earlier in the COVID times when we were all very much in lock down mode (ok, we still mostly are, but when most of the nation was shut down) my friends Anna, Monica, and Miranda got together via FB messenger calls several times to drink and craft and generally just catch up.  While we have all been friends for a few years, this year has brought us much closer together along with our friend Loralee.  We haven't had a organized call in a while, but not a day goes by that we aren't chatting online, sharing designs, asking for design or pricing advice, sharing the highs and lows of our everyday lives.  I honestly think I may have gone crazy this past year without the support, love, humor, and community that these remarkable women have given me and each other.  

Thanks for staying with me as I recounted days 11 to 20 of the Bead in the New Year challenge.  I hope to complete as many of the remaining prompts as I can before the month ends.  Stay tuned!

Honey Do List January 2021

Sorry to be running a little late with the reveal this month.  Things got a little busy for me last weekend with a Facebook jewelry sale and a TON of cooking.  Better late than never?

2021 marks the sixth 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!  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 inspirations (I just couldn't decide between the two options he gave me) and what Eric had to say about them:

So fitting the winter wonderland we are currently in (Minnesota Yo!) I figured I'd post something wintery.  Here was a photo shoot from last year from inside our warm home.  The juncos were going crazy in the snow and entertaining both me and the cats!  Let's see you get those post-holiday creative juices flowing. 

I have to say that I enjoy watching the birds outside our windows as much as the kitties do... although I don't tend to chirp and "bark" at them!  Juncos are some of my favorites and they aren't here all year in force.  

The first thing I started playing with this month was actually a necklace that never actually came together.  (More about that a little later.)  This pair of earrings came to be as I jumped off of that unfinished design.  I punched an extra set of holes in a pair of Vintaj hammered rings and dangled some little bird and leaf charms from the bottom.  Fairly simple and fun!  The cream and copper bird Czech glass beads share the wintery feel of the photo I think... and the leaves are just a promise of spring to (eventually) come!

I really love how this next piece turned out!  As soon as Eric gave me the photos, I knew I wanted to use one of the sweet winter bird enameled charms from Lindy's Designs.  When I bought them I was thinking earrings, but they were bigger than I had thought so I started thinking necklace ideas!  I wanted to play off the little berries on the pendant and I had the perfect vintage German beads in my stash.  I added in some fun fused glass beads that have a lovely shimmer to them as well as a few kyanite ovals.  Chain at the back completes the look.

And, as promised, here's the idea that never totally came together.  The beads are still rolling around on my bead table so there's still hope that I'll be able to pull a finished design out of my hat.  I love the folk art style painted wooden pendant by Summer Wind Art and think it will be a great spring piece of jewelry.

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 has in store for us next month!

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Beading in the New Year with Allegory Gallery :: Part 1

 

I'm not going to lie... I got into a bit of a creative slump after the holidays.  In a normal year my downtime/slump tends to come after I make it through my biggest show of the year at the end of September...  but we all know that 2020 was anything but normal.  Anyway, this fun New Year's challenge from my friends Andrew and William at Allegory Gallery has helped get my creative juices flowing again and has me spending at least a little bit of time at my bead table each day.  I'm going to attempt to complete as many of the prompts this month as I can... although I doubt I'll do them all.  Here's the first round of my makes to Bead in the New Year!

Day 1 :: Make a Pair of Earrings

So, the challenge starts out easy... Make a pair of earrings? No sweat!  I made two.  Full disclosure, I had these two pairs of aluminum discs that Kimberly Rogers of Numinosity Beads colored with alcohol inks sitting around on my bead table along with some new acrylic and resin beads that haven't found a home yet.  After making these two pairs of earrings I had a couple less things to put away!  Both pairs are ultra lightweight.

Day 2 :: Create a New Bracelet

Still easing into things, day 2's prompt was to make a bracelet.  Part of what I hope to accomplish by participating in the challenge is to use some things in my stash that have been waiting far too long to see the light in a finished design.  This cute sea turtle bracelet bar by Michelle McCarthy of Firefly Design Studio needed to come out and play.  I paired it with a lampwork glass bead by Firelily Glass, wood, brass, and faceted aventurine on coordinating leather cord.  This design also pushed me out of my comfort zone, another secondary goal of this challenge.

Day 3 :: Put Together a Necklace

I had a bunch of potential necklace options in various stages of being figured out, but I pretty much ignored all of them and went in a totally different direction.  I grabbed one of the Allegory Gallery inspiration kits that I bought last year (and still hadn't used or put away... sigh).  Pretty much everything in this necklace design came from the kit other than the clasp, the vintage twisted brass teardrops, gold plated spacers, and some frosted Czech glass rounds.

Day 4 :: Make a Matching Set of Jewelry

I really went for it with making a set this time and did the whole necklace, bracelet, and earrings thing!  The last time we went to Bead & Button I picked up a whole bunch of new beads and pendants from Golem Design Studio including some that could be turned into matching sets... so that's where I went for Day 4!  (Sorry for the picture quality... winter light here can be super tricky.)  I started with the multi-strand bracelet and let my bead choices there guide the rest of the set a little bit.  One strand is an Allegory Gallery luxury bead blend, one has some seed beads and Czech glass leaves, and the tow others have some India glass rounds that I bought my first year of beading.  I thought the darker ones looked a little like pomegranate seeds.  For the earrings I used the same leaves as in the bracelet as well as a lighter and brighter leaf and more of the "pomegranate seed" beads.  In the necklace I used the same pale yellow vintage German glass rounds as I had in the bracelet, some amber/orange colored saucers from an Allegory Gallery grab bag from ages ago.  I also included some red line agate and a few other goodies.  

Day 5 :: Use at Least Three Artist Made Materials

I'm not normally a heart girl, but I'm a little bit smitten with the hearts and rainbows bracelet that I made for Day 5!  The design started with an adorable rainbow polymer clay heart by my friend Erin Prais-Hintz.  As I was digging for things to go with it, I rediscovered a set of bright lampwork glass from Beadygirl Beads.  I picked the four that went the best with Erin's heart and strung them pretty simply with black Czech glass and seed beads in between them.  I added a little textured hear charm onto the chain for fun... another item that's been hanging around for who knows how long.  

Day 6 :: Fashion a Design Using All Glass

Ok, so it's not all glass... but other than the chain and findings it is!  I bought a super bright set of lampwork beads from Beadygirl Beads what seems like a million years ago at a local bead show.  These are still bolder than my norm today, but they were really out of my comfort zone then... but they spoke to me so I bought them.  Years later they are finally making it out in the world in a design!  I decided to use the whole set at once strung in just the order they came in... I only added black glass seed beads as spacers and some bright Czech glass rondelles from a mixed strand I've had for a long time too.  (Yay for using some things up that have been languishing for too long!)

Day 7 :: Utilize Your Favorite Gemstone in a New Piece

Picking a favorite gemstone is like picking a favorite kitty in my house... it's all about the mood I'm in at any given moment.  This time I picked out a pair of Red Creek Jasper charms that I've been hoarding (along with waaay too many other gemstone matched pairs) for too long.  I mostly probably "save" them because I'm always intimidated by the wire wrapping required.  For this pair of earrings I added some polymer clay discs from Humblebeads as well as some little Czech glass beads and brass bead caps.

Day 8 :: Use a Stringing Material You Don't Normally Use

Leather is probably the stringing material that I use the least often even though I have a pretty large supply of it!  I think it comes down to knots making me nervous... I want to know that things are going to stay put!  Leather seems like the obvious choice for the large hollow lampwork bead that I chose as the focal for my necklace.  The lampwork (focal and two spacers) are by a local artist Mary Ila Duntemann.  I paired it with some wood saucers and turquoise colored rounds as well as fun Nepalese cane glass.  Overall, I like the effect.  It's got a chunky look but is still lightweight.

Day 9 :: Produce a Piece Using Gemstone Chip Beads

So gemstone chip beads aren't in my regular rotation for designing... so today's creation probably speaks more to the letter of prompt rather than the spirit.  Oh well, it's my challenge to do with as I will, right?  Early on I bought I decent amount of them because I didn't feel like I could afford more regular cuts... or justify buying them.  I've had these amber chips for more than 10 years and they seemed like a great complement to the ceramic daisy lentil bead by Golem Design Studio.  There's also a bunch of Czech glass as well as bone and a large holed crazy lace agate bead.  

Day 10 :: Challenge Yourself by Using Sari Silk Ribbon

I have a decent stash of sari silk that I don't make as much use of as I should.  In the past I've mostly used it as ribbon at the back of necklaces so I wanted to go in a completely different direction for today's prompt.  Another thing I don't use as much as I should is my Now That's a Jig.  Two birds with one stone design!  After some guidance and advice from my friend Monica, I used one of my bracelet pucks to form the base of my bangle in copper wire.  I hammered it a bit to work harden the wire but then I was so eager to get started with wrapping the bangle in sari silk that I totally forgot to patina it first!  I chose a bundle of sari silk that had an ombre effect to it along it's length and then added some a coordinating seed bead mix along the wire I wrapped around it.  I'm pretty pleased with the end result and learned some things along the way.  

Well, that's the summary of the first 10 days of the Bead in the New Year challenge!  Hopefully I can continue to keep up with is and will share the next batch of creations soon.

Inspiration for the January 2021 Honey Do List

Happy New Year everyone!  As we welcome in a new (and hopefully better) year we've got a new Honey Do List challenge for you.  2021 marks the sixth 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... time sure 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 inspirations (I just couldn't decide between the two options he gave me) and what Eric had to say about them:

So fitting the winter wonderland we are currently in (Minnesota Yo!) I figured I'd post something wintery.  Here was a photo shoot from last year from inside our warm home.  The juncos were going crazy in the snow and entertaining both me and the cats!  Let's see you get those post-holiday creative juices flowing. 

The reveal date will be Monday, January 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 as they are ready.  Just stop by my blog starting on January 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

Honey Do List December 2020

Wow.  What a year 2020 has been!  It's been long and stressful yet I have much to be thankful for... not the least of those things continued health for myself and my sweet husband.  We are drawing to a close the fifth year of the Honey Do List! Thanks to all of you who continue to follow and play along with this monthly design challenge.

This is a shot from up near International Falls from last year.  This was just after sundown, and I really like the vibrant blues and purples.  This is kind of a strange one for inspiration but I'm curious what people will do with it.

What I mostly remember about this photo shoot was a lot of waiting around and trying not to be eaten alive by mosquitos!  But the end result sure is pretty!  I may have missed an opportunity to play with some of those purple tones, but my muse pulled me more toward the green/teal colors.  Hey, I was just happy to find some energy to create!

I started out with a major necklace this time that started with a lovely ceramic connector from Lisa Peters Russ that I got at Bead & Button last year.  My photo doesn't do it justice (thanks, crappy winter light) but it's a rich mix of greens and turquoise with a green crystal at it's center.  I balanced the weight of the ceramic focal with a nice slab of chrysocolla on the opposite side.  I strung a chunky mix of fluorite and turquoise nuggets with some interesting Czech glass square pillows, matte Czech glass melons, and vintage corrugated steel mesh beads.

Next up, earrings!  I snagged these fabulous ceramic earrings charms from Artisan Clay during a benefit for one of my good friends.  Always happy to buy beads for a great cause!  The crackle glass in the middle made me think of the water and the blue was a nice compliment to the photo.  I paired the charms with moon glow lucite, Swarovski crystal spacers and silvery Czech glass.  

Next up another pair that feels "watery" to me.  I combined some fun Czech glass melon drops with super fun swirled glitter confetti acrylic rounds.  There's an extra touch of bling with the crystal spacers tucked in there.

One more pair of earrings celebrating the green tones as well as the wavy patterns of the grass and water.  I managed to snag these awesome colored pewter charms by Inviciti and while working on putting them away I saw that they went really well with some new green glass drops with a wonderful sheen to them.  A simple but cool design I think!

Last up, another quick necklace I whipped up at the last minute.  I made a chain tassel with Czech glass and crystal bead dangles to hang below the lovely teal ceramic bead by Golem Design Studio.  I added a few faceted Czech glass rounds and a pair of Apatite ovals along the long brass chain for extra interest.  

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 January 1st to see what Eric has in store for us next month!  Until then, wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a happy and healthy New Year!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Art Elements Theme of the Month :: All Things Christmas

 

It's been a while since I have made enough for one of the Art Elements themed challenges to warrant a blog post, but I've actually been fairly busy with holiday themed items lately for a series of online shows I've been a part of over in my friend Anna Pierson's Sagahus Components Facebook Group.  Yay!  

I made a little collection of earrings using upcycled tins pairing them with snowflake charms and really fun Italian glitter resin.  I think my favorites are the ones with the embossed silver snowflakes that I cut from some small storage/gift tins that I snatched up last year at Michael's after the holidays.  

I also made a few more wintery versions of my etched copper earrings that use the leftovers from my Christmas ornaments.  I like the combination of the copper evergreen patterns with pewter charms and luckily I had the perfect niobium ear wires in grey with copper accents.  

I don't always buy a ton of holiday specific artisan beads, but this year maybe I just felt the need for a little extra Christmas cheer.  I snagged some fun enameled charms from Lindy's Designs (left and right below) that I paired with more of the Italian glitter resin.  The middle pair of earrings below are some adorable, slightly mismatched poinsettia ceramic charms by Golem Design Studio paired with vintage German marbled resin and Czech glass.

Necklaces featuring artisan beads with some holiday flair were also on my creative docket.  I bought a set of partridge and pear ceramic lentils from Golem Design Studio at Bead & Button last year and I knew I wanted to make a tree for the little bird!  I used the general idea from one of Heather Power's tutorials to shape the tree out of copper wire and then hammered the whole frame to work harden it.  I then filled in the tree with a mix of seed beads, Czech glass, and Swarovski crystal pearls in colors to coordinate with the ceramic bead.  The middle necklace features a whimsical reindeer enameled pendant by Lindy's Designs strung with tons of Czech glass and some lavender candy jade.  The necklace on the right is a stack of polymer clay goodies from Humblebeads.  Love the the little red bird, it's sweet nest, and the snow kissed pinecone she made.  I added a few elements including some copper plated branches and Czech glass beads.    

If you've been following my creative journey on Instagram or Facebook you know that I've been having lots of fun with beer bottle caps and bead embroidery.  Bell's Brewery has some of the best bottle caps around for their seasonal beers.  They had a holiday ale with a cute Christmas tree on it that has become a couple of pins so far... and I'm still hoping to make one more as a gift but it will probably be late.  The middle pin below is the Fulton Brewing logo but it kind of made me think snowflake surrounded by silver.

Last but not least, I made another batch of saltwater etched Christmas ornaments this year.  It's a fun but sometimes frustrating process as you don't always get a clean or deep etch.  I only had one true failure this year... so that's good!  I really should do some non holiday, non ornament etching at some point... or at least start using some of those things I've done in the past.  New Year's resolution maybe??  

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour through this year's holiday makes!  Wishing you all a joyful holiday season!

Inspiration for the December 2020 Honey Do List

Sorry for the delay (again) this month.  We've been a little preoccupied with other things here.  We'll just chalk it up to 2020.  Better late than never!

2020 marks the fifth 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 2020! 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!

This is a shot from up near International Falls from last year.  This was just after sundown, and I really like the vibrant blues and purples.  This is kind of a strange one for inspiration but I'm curious what people will do with it.

The reveal date will be Monday, December 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 as they are ready.  Just stop by my blog starting on December 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 and end 2020 with a bang!