Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - October Edition

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you have probably heard me mention that I love purple. 

Simply put, it is my favorite color. 

(Disclaimer: I actually love all of the colors, so saying I have a favorite is rather silly... but, if you randomly stop me on the street and ask me what my favorite color is, I'll definitely say purple. Also, most of my wardrobe is purple, in case you were curious. *grin*)

So, for my challenge this month, I have decided to indulge that love of purple. 

The challenge? Simply to make jewelry that is purple--and only purple. All shades are fair game!

Not my original graphic... I found it here.

Not my original graphic... I found it here.

I suppose I should also say that metal findings are allowed if need be. While I know I have some purple wire lying around, I'm not entirely sure about purple clasps (or purple buttons that can be used as clasps). Still, you know me--I'll definitely try to be creative!

I realize that not everyone loves purple as much as I do, but if you want to see the lovely monochromatic purple jewelry I create this month, stop by on Friday, October 30th!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal, Part 6

It's the last day of September!

...And it is also the day that I finally finish showing you all of the muffin tin projects I made for this month's challenge. These aren't the only projects I made--not by a long shot--but I didn't want the month to end without at least showing you the completed muffin tin.

For today's reveal, I am going to show the bottom two projects: the collection of silver beads, and the collection of purple beads. I chose to reveal these two projects together because they are thematically related. 

...When you see them, you'll know what I mean.

Here is the finished silver bead necklace:

And here is the final purple necklace:

They are both super long, over-the-head style. They both have beaded strands connected to chain. And, of course, they both feature keys. (For some reason, I just really like key necklaces.) There isn't anything too revolutionary about their style, but I really like them just the same.

And with that, I'm done! Well, with the muffin tin projects. Throughout October, I plan to show you some of the other things that I completed this month. I have gone to town finishing up old projects and making space on my craft desk.

Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure! Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day, everyone! :)

And, for fun, here are the links to the other posts in this reveal:

Part 1 - Introduction Post and Sneak Peek

Part 2 - Colorful Matching Friendship Necklaces

Part 3 - Pretty Palettes Gradient Necklace

Part 4 - Phoenix Feather Necklace

Part 5 - Pretty Palettes Nautical Necklaces

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal, Part 5

...I am slowly, slowly making my way through this reveal. I have so many more things to show--I might not be done by the end of the month. Ah well! I'll get there. :)

For today's reveal, I'm going to share what I made with the beads in the middle left cubby seen in the muffin tin below.

If you look closely, you can see some bright silver jumprings and blue glass teardrops. Underneath those, not seen, are some creamy bone rondelles.

Before I get to what I made, however, here is some background on that particular project. You see, that collection of beads is actually from last month's Pretty Palettes.

Which brings me to a quick sidenote. I am going to take a moment to share something else that I made this month to go along with this palette. Yep--you guessed it! A mask!

...I am so ridiculously happy with how the colors and theme of the mask match the colors and theme of the challenge, I just had to share.

Ahem.

Now to go back to the beads at hand.

So, what did I make with the beads in that cubby? Well, I made this:

It's a combination of shaggy loop chainmaille and wire-wrapping. I actually debated doing the shaggy loops all the way around, but decided that I liked the combination of techniques better. It has a gorgeous drape, and is quite a fun statement piece.

So, that is what I made from those beads!

...And, just for fun, I'll share the project I made for the Pretty Palettes challenge last month, but just never got around to posting. You'll notice the jumprings, teardrops, and bone rondelles make another appearance.

And, with that, today's reveal is done! Another project finished! It was fun playing around with some other techniques for this one, reminding myself that I am capable of making things other than tassels. :)

So, there you go. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

And, for fun, here are the links to the other posts in this reveal:

Part 1 - Introduction Post and Sneak Peek

Part 2 - Colorful Matching Friendship Necklaces

Part 3 - Pretty Palettes Gradient Necklace

Part 4 - Phoenix Feather Necklace

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal, Part 4

It's time for another finished project reveal!

This time, I'm showing off what I made using the materials found in the middle cubby on the right (it's the one with the combination of copper and red).

From those materials, this is what I made!

It's a phoenix feather necklace!

For this necklace, I had already finished the pendant--and that was it. I made the feather back at the beginning of the year, paired it with a beautiful handmade lampwork bead, but never got around to making the chain for it. 

So! That's the part that I finished for this challenge--creating a beaded chain, so that I can actually wear my new necklace.

That's right--I'm keeping this one. And I'm so, so glad it's finally complete!

Thank you so much for stopping by today for yet another installment of this reveal... I hope you have a wonderful day, everyone!

And, for fun, here are the links to the other posts in this reveal:

Part 1 - Introduction Post and Sneak Peek

Part 2 - Colorful Matching Friendship Necklaces

Part 3 - Pretty Palettes Gradient Necklace

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal, Part 3

Today is my 12 year wedding anniversary! 

...which means this isn't going to be the longest entry ever, because in a few minutes I'm being treated to an absolutely delicious dinner. But! I did want to post at least one more installment of my Monthly Challenge reveal.

Today's particular reveal is going to be the project found on the top left:

This project was actually a signature tassel that I started for a Pretty Palettes challenge. This one, to be precise:

I had everything designed and laid out... I just needed to assemble it. 

And so, that's just what I did. Here is what it looks like, all assembled!

...Not the best pictures, I realize, but you get the idea. :)

I always enjoy making a good tassel, and this one was no exception. Oh! And I made matching earrings, too!

And now it's dinner time! I hope you enjoyed seeing completed project #2! Thanks for stopping by today... Have a wonderful day, everyone!

And, for fun, here are the links to the other posts in this reveal:

Part 1 - Introduction Post and Sneak Peek

Part 2 - Colorful Matching Friendship Necklaces

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal, Part 2

As suspected, yesterday was super busy... thank you for your patience as I do a rolling reveal for this challenge!

That being said, it's time to reveal the first project from the muffin tin! Woo-hoo!

This particular UFO is on the top right of the above picture. As you can see, it's a collection of brightly colored beads. Also in that cubby are two matching seahorse keychains from the Newport Aquarium. My best friend and I bought those keychains ages ago, with the intention of me turning them into semi-matching friendship necklaces.

And so, at least a year after we did that, I finally did just that!

The two necklaces are similar, but not identical. My best friend picked the one on the left, which has more yellow and green in the chain, while I am keeping the one on the right. They are lightweight and cheerful... and man, it feels nice to have this project no longer sitting on my craft table! :)

So, that's the first of many projects I finished off for this challenge. Be sure to tune in again soon to see more! (Not sure as to when--I'll definitely try to post at least once a day until I'm done.) 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope everyone has a lovely day!

And, for fun, here are the links to the other posts in this reveal:

Part 1 - Introduction Post and Sneak Peek

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - September Reveal

Happy last-Friday-of-the-month! Today is the reveal for the Wonder and Whimsy monthly challenge... and I am happy to report that it was a resounding success!

...So much so, that I'm not even going to try to fit it all into one blog entry. That's right, I'm going to be doing more than one reveal entry! Mostly for the sake of my sanity, hah.

As a quick refresher, this month was dedicated to finishing up unfinished projects (or, as I like to call them, UFOs--unfinished objects). To start, I put some of them in a muffin tin:

And I finished each and every one of them! Woohoo!

Here is that same muffin tin, this time with finished projects:

Tune in soon to see up-close pictures! 

(Hopefully more tonight, but we'll see--there is a lot going on, and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep.)

Thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to showing you more pictures here soon!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

September Reveal - SJ Designs Jewelry Honey Do List Design Challenge

Sarajo Wentling, of SJ Designs Jewelry, has been continuing her Honey Do List challenge... and this month, I've been able to play along. Hurray! 

Here is the picture that served as the inspiration for this month:

And this is what her husband Eric has to say about it:

This flower is from a trip to Florida, ages before the COVID times stopped us from traveling.  I went low key on it to make the flower itself pop.  I like contrast of colors in this one and hopefully it will speak to folks. 

For this challenge, I was inspired by the combination of colors--complimentary colors, black and white, purple and yellow. And so, I rummaged through my stash, found two types of purple Czech flowers, and came up with this set:

It all came together very quickly--I decided not to agonize too much about it, and just make the first design that came to mind. 

Honestly, I'm pretty happy how it turned out... Although, truth be told, there are a few things I might end up tweaking, construction-wise. Namely, I want to remake the pendant with a thicker gauge wire... I'm not completely pleased with how delicate it is. Still! I like the design, and am pleased with how nicely the components balance each other.

Here is a more complete view of the necklace, just for fun:

And I have a bonus project to share! 

Recently, I have been making masks to go along with challenges, too. I figure if I have to wear masks, they might as well be cute! And how fun to have some that match the jewelry I make. Here is the one that I made for this challenge:

And so, there you go! Those are the items that I made for this challenge. Thank you, Sarajo and Eric, for continuing this lovely challenge, and picking such fun inspirations! I very rarely use this particular color combination, and I really like how it looks!

And thank you, everyone, for stopping by to see what I made. I hope you all have a wonderful day!