Friday, August 26, 2016

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - August Reveal, Part 2

All right! It's time for the second part of August's Monthly Challenge reveal. 

I have now shown you the random--and beautiful!--beads that I received for this challenge... 

Want to see what was in this box?
Go to my previous entry, found here!

...And now I get to show you what I made with them! 

Hurray!

A quick overview: I made five necklaces overall, four of which have matching earrings, and three of which are going to be featured in this entry. They were all finished this past week--despite my grand plans to work on them over vacation. (Which is just as well--gave me something to look forward to, since coming back from vacation is never fun.)

So, without further ado: here they are! 


Necklace Set #1

Me on vacation--hard at work, or hardly working? 

This first set was the one and only piece I worked on while vacationing--although I didn't actually finish it until after I got home. 


Of all the beads that I received for this challenge, the golden bronze pearls were my mum's favorite... And so, I wanted to make a necklace for her. I matched them with garnet (also from my random FMG order), and knotted them on ivory silk.

I then made some earrings using the same materials, and thus the set was complete:


The overall length of the necklace is 17 inches. I made it that way specifically for my mother, since that is her preferred length--a nonstandard length that is particularly hard to find. It's always fun specially-making things for those I love! 




Necklace #2


This second necklace has a very similar colorway to the first, and was made using some of the tigereye and garnet seen above. Brown and burgundy, check!


The tiger eye focal is also from the random mix I purchased for this challenge--specifically, the collection of gemstone donuts.


The links are wire-wrapped with 26 gauge goldtone wire, making this a very delicate little 16 inch necklace. 

In fact, this delicate nature is why I haven't made a pair of earrings to match it... I couldn't settle on a design that wouldn't be too overbearing. After all, not everything has to have matching earrings. (I just like making them, hah!)




Necklace Set #3

This third necklace set was finished just this morning--and is definitely not a color combination I usually work with.

And why is that?

I have one word for you: pastels.


As with the previous items, this necklace and earring set was made exclusively with beads from the random mix I received. The materials include glass and quartz, as well as the mystery stone of the focal. (I can't remember what my father and I decided it was, sorry!)

Unlike the two previous necklaces, this one is quite long--with long earrings to match!





The construction is fairly straight-forward: wire-wrapping with a bit of chain thrown in. Even so, it is quite elegant when worn... and I am very fond of the shape of the focal!




So, there you go! Those are the first three sets that I made for this Monthly Challenge!

And I actually have two more sets to show, but I am running out of steam. I do hope you will forgive me if I post them over the weekend... Just think of it as a bonus!

I truly had fun doing this challenge. This has been a particularly rough week, and working on these pieces helped keep me sane. I do look forward to showing you the other things I have made, when I am more awake!

Thanks so much for stopping by... Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

3 comments:

  1. Those are awesome...I love all of them. The pastels are my fav. Great challenge. How do we follow you to do it again?

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  2. Oh. . .what lovlies you created! Those bronze pearls really are something special. The variation of color on each of the pearls is so cool. And, your pairing them with the garnet makes for an interesting color combination. I'm sure your mother loves her necklace and earrings. Your other two necklaces are really beautiful as well. The pastel one is so sweet and perfect for spring while the tiger eye one is so very Autumn. Wonderful job with these surprise beads.
    Oh, and just to let you know. I did play along with you with the few sets I ordered. It was a lot of fun. Thanks again for the heads up about the sale!

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  3. Absolutely amazing! And lovely! Your wire wrapping is something special. And I'm so lucky:)

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! :)