The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 12

It's time for the final reveal for my March Monthly Challenge, muffin-tin edition!*

Woo-hoo!

First up: the materials. These are the contents of that final muffin cup, the components for my last project:

A large pendant, some chain, and tiny (2mm) black agate rounds.
Based on this picture's composition, you can probably
already get an idea of what the final design will be.

...And here is what I made with them!

The earrings were actually made as part of last November's Monthly Challenge, and I've been wanting to make a matching necklace for quite some time. When I came across that pendant, I thought it would be the perfect complement--and it looks like I was right!

The necklace is super-long, and can be worn either as-is, or as a two-wrap choker. The little agate rounds match the center of the pendant and pull the entire design together. Overall, I am very pleased!

So, there you go! A fitting final project for an extensive Monthly Challenge!

I truly hope that you've enjoyed today's reveals... I have worked hard in order to bring them to you. (Honestly--12 posts in one day. You know, I'm pretty sure that's a record for me! ...One that I probably won't try to beat any time soon. I have edited so many pictures these last few days. Heh.) 

...But wait, there're more! 

You've made it this far in my reveals, so you've unlocked:

BONUS CONTENT!

I've made so many things this month, that I wanted to share a sneak peak at other things I've been doing:

1. I've been making pieces for the FusionBeads 30 Day Bead Challenge:

This is not all of them--this is just what fit nicely in this photo.
For more pictures, check out my Instagram.
I may post more here on my blog, but it definitely won't be today! :)

2. I've been learning how to make chainmaille:

Yes, that's my wrist--and that's a byzantine bracelet that I made!
Still working on technique, but I've got the pattern down!

3. And I've been having fun playing around with crystal pendants (similiar to the one I used in last month's Pretty Palettes)... So many design options!:

From left to right, the pendants are:
rhodonite, amethyst, red agate, red jasper, and lapis lazuli.
...I may or may not be addicted to making these necklaces now. Heh.

Yeah, I've been super super busy this month. ...I think that I have done justice to both National Craft Month and the 2-year anniversary of my Monthly Challenge, don't you think? Woo!

And now it's time for me to get ready for April! Thanks so much for stopping by today... I hope you enjoyed yourself, and will join me next month to see what other craziness I get myself into!

Happy last day of March, everyone! 

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Here are links to all of the projects:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12 (you are here!)

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 11

Two more Monthly Challenge reveals to go!*

While the previous project was bright and sunshiney, project #11 is... not. I seem to gravitate towards darker hues, and the beads that I chose for this project were no exception:

Shell, tiger eye chips, and a fossilized shark tooth. Like you do.

...Fossil shark teeth aren't usually equated with things that are bright and sunshiney, after all. 

And yes, that is a certified fossil shark tooth. I bought it recently at the Newport Aquarium on one of my many excursions there... I've been wanting to make a shark tooth necklace for quite some time, so this Monthly Challenge was my chance to do so.

This is another design that did not go as I intended. I ended up not using the tiger eye chips at all. I also ended up having to go back to the store to get more of those shell beads, because I didn't have enough to complete my project. No amount of mixing in chain or leather or tiger eye met my vision--and I tried at least three different designs.

Eventually, I decided that simpler was better, and this set came into being:

All of my more elaborate designs just didn't work, because they detracted from the focal... And, since the focal was the entire reason I was making this necklace, I definitely didn't want to do that!

I like the feeling of this set. It's more primal and tribal-feeling than the other pieces that I made for this challenge, which works well considering it's a shark tooth. It also has an amazing weight to it--substantial and striking, it makes me feel like I need to come up with a good shark-legend when I wear it.

All right... One more reveal to go! Can you believe it? Today's blog-post-athon is almost over!

Come back in an hour to see the final project for this Monthly Challenge! Woo-hoo!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11 (you are here!)
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 10

Woo-hoo! We're on the final stretch of this rolling reveal!*

It's time to go down the last column, the one farthest to the right:

This next set is purely my husband's fault. You see, when I was filling these muffin cups last month, I had an extra spot and asked him if there was anything missing from my selections.

He looked at what what I had, and said that I needed something bright. 

Preferably yellow.

And so I went rooting through my beads, and I added these components into muffin cup #10:

Awww, yeah! Lampwork fruit paired with green glass and acrylic striped rounds.

...I really love those lemon and lime slices. They are just so bright and cheery, and never fail to make me smile. And, subsequently, the jewelry set that I put together makes me smile, too:

Bring on summer!

...Or at least some sunshine! (It is a rainy, cloudy, grey day here today--but that's not always going to be the case!)

This set is just fun. It wasn't hard to make, and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a reminder that sometimes I need to relax and just make something for the sheer enjoyment of doing so... Because if I want to make a lemon-and-lime necklace, why shouldn't I?

...My husband is good at helping me laugh and relax and see the fun in life, and this set is certainly no exception.

So, that is bright and cheerful project #10. You can thank my husband. ;)

Two more reveals to go... Come back in an hour to see Project #11!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10 (you are here!)
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 9

Time for Project #9!*

(Hee, that sort of rhymes. Sort of. Perhaps I'm getting a little loopy--this really is a lot of blogging for one day!)

Here are the materials that I had to work with for this project:

That is a mixture of mother-of-pearl shell and two shapes of amethyst. Unfortunately, I did not snag a good picture of those components before I started using them. Oops. The above picture just does not do them justice--they really are gorgeous.

Now, this is another project that morphed while I was working on it. When I started off working on this necklace, the design looked like this:

...But I simply could not get myself excited about it. It looked too much like one of the necklaces I made last year for Christmas (the amethyst one), and while it was pretty, I wanted to do something different. Nothing I tried looked right.

I was stumped.

And then I received an order that I had placed with a Facebook bead seller. She included a couple freebies with my purchase, and one of those freebies just happened to be a purple shell pendant.

And with it, everything just fell into place: 

This set is brought to you by sweet serendipity!

What do I like about this set? Most everything, actually. I like how everything just happened to come together. (I love it when it works like that!) I like the color--which isn't a surprise, because I love purple. I like the mixture of materials--the combination of the tranparent amethyst and the smooth shell. I like the tassel.

...Did I mention that I like how everything came together?

...I have one more thing planned for this set: a wrap bracelet. There just wasn't enough time this month to make it--imagine that! Maybe next month.

And that completes part 9 of this reveal! Come back in an hour to see part 10... There are three more projects to go!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9 (you are here!)
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 8

Project #8 was the exact opposite of project #7. While #7 turned out exactly like I was picturing it, well, #8 definitely did not!*

I'm getting ahead of myself though. First things first, here are the beads that were in the eight muffin cup:

There you see a nice eclectic mix of vintage ceramic, wood, crystal, and glass. (As a sidenote, I bought those ceramic tube beads at the same time as I bought the ones I used in Project #3... I was on vacation with my parents a year ago, and ran across them in an antique shop. These particular beads made me think of dragon's scales, so I just had to get them! *grin*)

And here is what I made with them:

...That is not the first necklace design that I made with them. In fact, this is the last piece that I finished in this entire Monthly Challenge--I kept poking it and poking it, trying to get it perfect. Everything that I tried just didn't look right.

(Another sidenote: this is also why I was trying to re-teach myself how to pearl knot last week, so that I could knot these beads on waxed linen cord... That did not go well. At all. Ah well--maybe next project!)

Still, persistence paid off! After much trial and error (and some tears... yeah, there were tears), I am pleased with how this final version looks. So much so, that I went ahead and made some earrings to match! 

Yes, these are pretty identical to the earrings that match Project #3.
Variations on a theme... If it works, don't mess with it!

I think my favorite part of this necklace is how it drapes... Which is made possible by those lovely gold connectors that I snagged from another vintage necklace. It's always so fun to repurpose pieces of broken jewelry, giving them new life:

So, after a lot of frustration, I am happy with this set. Those beads still make me think of dragon scales, and I like how they look with the mixture of brass and gold. The necklace is adjustable, so it can work with almost any neckline... And that drape is simply lovely.

Success!

There are four more pieces to go in this rolling reveal... Come back in another hour to see project #9!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8 (you are here!)
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 7

Woo-hoo! Reveal #7!*

That means that not only are we now halfway done this rolling reveal, we are now starting the third column of the muffin tin:

So, what was in muffin cup #7, you ask? 

Materials that were lovely and quite monochromatic:

Swarovski rivolis paired with Chinese crystal bicones
and silver tone metal.

...but still gorgeous! 

After all, it's really hard to go wrong with Swarovski rivolis. ;)

Here is what I made with them:

This design is pretty much exactly as I was picturing it... Nothing exotic or incredibly intricate: just straight-forward loveliness. I wanted a design that would subtly accentuate the pendant, not overwhelm it. 

Elegant simplicity.

I make so many large statement necklaces, it's always fun to challenge myself to do something that is: 1.) in a single color scheme, 2.) straightforward, 3.) rather dainty, and 4.) still gorgeous.

I think I did pretty well on all accounts!

So, that is reveal #7.

You guessed it--come back in an hour for project #8!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6
Project 7 (you are here!)
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 6

Onwards to reveal #6!*

Here are the components that I used for this project:

A unique pendant paired with crystal, olive serpentine,
mother-of-pearl shell, and bright silver chain.

And now it's storytime!

You probably wouldn't have guessed it, but that pendant is actually a broken hairstick piece. I sanded down the broken edge and glued a beaded headpin to the top of it to make a bail. 

Now, why on earth did I save a broken hairstick piece? Well, two reasons. Mainly, I really like the design on it. Secondly--and just as importantly--I'm a sentimental sillyhead. 

You see, I was wearing those hairsticks when I moved to Ohio years ago. I happened to break them during the move, and decided to save a piece--both because I like the design (and have never seen another pair like them), and because I wanted to commemorate the beginning of this chapter of my life. 

Taking my time to figure out my design.

And now, finally, I did something with it! 

Years in the making, here are the finished pieces--a necklace, and matching earrings:

This set makes me happy--and not just for sentimental reasons. It is bright and cheerful, and sways nicely when worn. I should have done this years ago! ;)

So, there you go! Reveal #6!

We're now halfway through this rolling reveal! I hope you're having as much fun as I am... I've been working hard this month, and it's happy to be able to share what I've made!

Come back in an hour for reveal #7!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5
Project 6 (you are here!)
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12