As a quick refresher from yesterday, my Monthly Challenge for April was to make something using jewelry misfit components that I purchased from my local consignment shop (it's called Shoes Included Consignment for those interested).
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| Look at all the possibilities! I'll give you a hint... today's set was made using two items found in this picture. |
And make something I did--to the tune of three jewelry sets, a pair of earrings, and a necklace!
Now, I have showed all but the last set (the other items can be seen in yesterday's entry). This last set took the most time to make, by far. That's why it gets it's own entry--it's a grand finale, if you will.
So! Here is the teaser picture I posted yesterday...
...But that's honestly getting a little ahead of myself.
You see, that mix of beads didn't start off as a jumble. In fact, it started off as nice little piles, that I pulled from my stash to match the components I wanted to use:
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| Quite the eclectic collection: crystals, Czech glass, semi-precious stones (not sure what type), and different types of glass. |
...And what components are those, you ask?
Well, I picked all of those beads to match this pair of mis-matched earrings:
But, again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
You see, when I saw those earrings, I immediately knew that I wanted to make them into a lariat necklace... Which is exactly what I did:
I embellished the focal beads with bead caps and added some points of interest to the tassels. I then added a very long chain to connect the two--which means that the lariat can be worn tied in the front or as a scarf-style necklace.
...So, you're probably wondering where does that bead pile comes in.
Well, I thought it might be fun to embellish on my mis-matched silver-and-gold, white-and-shades-of-blue theme.
And that's how I turned this...
...into this!
I really pushed myself to make that beaded section completely random--in the type of wire I used for the links (there is both silver and gold), the types of accenting findings I used (again, silver and gold or a mix), and the pattern itself (I just pulled beads out without looking).
...But, I really couldn't decide which I liked more--the golden chain by itself, or accented by the beaded strand..
My solution? Well, if you look closely, you can see that there are little lobster clasps at both ends of the beaded strand, which means that it can actually be attached or detached at will. They're unobtrusive, and honestly can't be seen unless you know they're there.
There are so many possibilities with this set!
The lariat necklace can be worn either with the addition of the long beaded chain, or simply as itself. The beaded strand can be worn as part of the lariat, or on its own--either as a long strand, or as a double-wrapped necklace.
...And, because I couldn't leave just well enough alone, I made matching earrings, which fit the tassel theme of the set:
Here is everything together!
So, ta-da! That is everything that I made for this Monthly Challenge. I really worked hard on these pieces, and I am quite happy with how things turned out. It is always nice when hard work pays off!
...And I already know what my challenge is going to be next month. Woo!
Happy last day of April, everyone... I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!
Wow! Awesome piece!
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