Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - October Reveal

Here it is, time for my Monthly Challenge reveal! Woo!

As a reminder, my goal was to make at least five jewelry sets to go into the silent auction for charity hosted by my friend's workplace. (For those interested, I wrote about it here.) 

...And I am happy to report that I did just that! I made exactly five sets. (In fact, my friend actually ended up making more than I did--hah! We are, indeed, taking over the auction with jewelry. *grin*)

Now, to show you what I made--in no specific order! 

Set #1

I showed this grouping of beads in the entry introducing this challenge... And with them, I made this:

...Although, to be fair, I actually switched out the purple glass beads with the AB finish to similar purple glass without such a finish. I thought it matched the pendant better. 

Set #2

This second set was a bit of a challenge... The combination of coral pink and pewter is not one that I usually go for, but I wanted to make something with those pendants. Overall, I think it turned out pretty well:

...And, what can I say? Those coral-colored round beads match the pendant perfectly!

Set #3

This set was actually a surprise. I've had that blue crystal pendant for years now, and when I was rooting through my stash it jumped out at me. I had never been able to figure out a design that did it justice... That said, I am very pleased with how this set came together! :)

Set #4

This is the one season-specific set I made for the auction. I was inspired to make it by looking out the window at the red-and-gold trees. It's no secret that I love Autumn... and I think that love just sort of flowed over into this set.

Set #5

These beads are ones I bought specifically for this challenge... The materials include enameled metal, glass, and adorable little freshwater pearls. 

Delightful and delicate, I turned them into this set:

This is actually the first set that I made--and the only one that was not made by stringing. I actually have some of the materials left over, and I am seriously considering making another one for me!

So, there you go! Those are all of the sets that I made for this challenge. 

And, believe it or not, this was actually quite a challenge... Knowing my audience, I tried to keep the designs fairly simple (they don't necessarily like the big statement necklaces I enjoy making), and it was rather hard to reign in my desire to make everything super complicated. It was a good exercise in restraint. ;)

Here's one last look at them, all packaged up and ready to be auctioned off:

The actual auction is this weekend... I can't wait to see how it goes! I love being able to use my gifts to benefit others, and I am exceedingly grateful to my friend for letting me be a part of this. What a lovely way to finish up October. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I made!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Thursday's Worktable

Today is a cold and rainy day--a perfect day for tea and a cuddly sweater. 

...And beading!

You may have noticed that yesterday was devoted to sharing my Pretty Palettes reveal, so there was no Wednesday's Worktable. However, I still wanted to show what has been on my worktable this week... So, now I'm going to do just that! 

...Oh, look! Brass and bronze and green and leaves!

...And wire-wrapped links, of course!

This is a necklace I'm putting together with some of the components from this month's Bargain Bead Box. I love the combination of green and brass, and I'm always a sucker for leaves. Just the right project to keep me busy on this chilly drippy day.

Pardon me while I go get another cup of tea.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

October Pretty Palettes - Reveal!

There was no set palette for this month's , but rather an idea. That idea is best described in the words of Erin Prais-Hintz, written in her post introducing this month's Pretty Palettes inspiration:

This October create something meaningful – a piece of jewelry, an accessory or decorative object – that you can gift to one or two friends to let them know that they matter to you and to remind them to take time out and be good to themselves.

Now, I knew who I wanted to make something for (one of my best friends), but I was really struggling on just what to make. 

So, I asked her if there was anything she wanted. In response, she mentioned that she was hoping that I could make her a multi-color wrap bracelet. (Or, rather, a "llama bracelet"... named after the awesome fashion sense of one of my Anthropology professors in college, who did ethnological research in South America and thus wore colorful and cheerful llama sweaters to class. Honestly, Anthropologists tend to have the most awesome outfits... I want to be like that when I grow up!)

So, with that inspiration, I picked out some 4mm mis-matched multicolored beads at Michaels:

Then I went digging through my stash, and came up with a few more 4mm beads to add to the mix:

And here is the multi-color bracelet that I made for her! 

And, if you look closely, you can tell that I actually used way more beads than I previously pictured. So. Much. Color!

...I really, really had fun making that bracelet.

So much fun, in fact, that I made one for me, too! It's like adult friendship bracelets! ...or something. Heh.

Her bracelet is on the left, and mine is on the right.

Now, these bracelets are slightly different. For instance, her bracelet is made with brown cotton cord (she is vegan):

And mine is made on black leather:

I also kept almost all of the colors in the pattern the same, but made hers slightly more brown overall:

Here is the comparison while worn... Mine is on the left, hers is on the right (they aren't perfectly lined up, but you get the picture):

I truly enjoyed making these bracelets, and hope that they remind both of us to take time out and take care of ourselves. After all, we're worth it. :)

So, there you go! Thanks so much for stopping by... And thank you, Halcraft blog and Erin Prais-Hintz, for another month of wonderful beading inspiration!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

Reveal - SJ Designs Jewelry Honey Do List October Design Challenge!

It's been awhile, but I'm happy to say that I was able to play along with this month's Honey Do List challenge! Yay! (And, to be fair, I actually made things for the last few challenges--I just didn't get a chance to blog about what I made. Heh.)

For those who don't know/don't remember, the Honey Do List challenge is the monthly challenge that Eric Wentling has been giving his wife Sarajo over at SJ Designs Jewelry.

This month's challenge was inspired by the following, taken by Eric while he and Sarajo were visiting Disney World in Orlando:

Not my photo!
Photo from the SJ Designs Jewelry Blog.

Oh look--it's a photogenic giraffe!

I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to make for this challenge, but I rooted around in my stash and was delighted (and rather surprised) to find that I actually had a giraffe--and matching beads--in my collection:

The giraffe itself is handcarved wood, and was salvaged from a broken vintage necklace. And so, with it--and the coordinating beads--I made this asymmetric necklace:

Materials include mookaite chips, peridot, wood (green rounds and tan stacked cylinders), clay, brass, and copper. I am personally quite fond of the various shades of the mookaite; I think they do a good job matching the dappled look of the giraffe itself.

Also, I realize that the color scheme is a bit brighter than the inspiration picture... But, hey, at least there's a giraffe! And there's a tassel, which I think mirrors the tree fronds seen in the photo. (Which I also admit is just an excuse to have a tassel, but that's okay too. *grin*)

This necklace went through many, many iterations before I finally settled on the current design. The straight, rigid legs of the giraffe added a whole extra layer of challenge. I wanted to make it into a focal, but the location of the hole (and the aforementioned legs) was hindering it from laying correctly. 

Incorporating it into the side of the necklace seemed to be the answer. Asymmetry has never been my strong suit, but it works! At least, I think so. :)

Overall, I think that this is a whimsical and happy necklace. I enjoy the mix of colors and materials--and how it is rather unlike anything else I have ever made. I also enjoyed overcoming the challenge posed by the giraffe bead--it's always fun to feel clever!

So, there you go! Thank you so, so much for stopping by to see what I made for this challenge... And thank you, Sarajo and Eric, for letting me play along! I look forward to see what next month's challenge will be!

Have a wonderful night, everyone!