Best Laid Plans...

Well, my original plan was to post my reveal today for my Monthly Challenge. However, I have gotten three hours of sleep and have traveled over 500 miles today, so that I can attend a friend's wedding this weekend... and I'm tired.

So! My pictures are edited, and I will post them when I am able. I'm bummed that I won't get them up today, but thanks so much for understanding.

Have a wonderful last date of August everyone!

Pretty Palettes - August Reveal

Last month's Pretty Palettes was centered around the bold, primary colors of Marimekko. This month... well, this month is a bit more subdued.

Don't believe me? Well, here is the inspiration picture:

And from this picture, here is the beautiful palette that Molly Schaller picked out:

To go along with those warm and earthy colors, here are the beads that she picked to go with them:

Aren't they lovely? 

For my creation, I picked out almost the exact same beads... Well, with a few substitutions, based on the design idea I had in my head. :)

Now, because I've been so busy this month with travel (I'm not kidding--I just got back from a vacation with my family, and now I'm headed back to Maryland for a friend's wedding), my necklace isn't completed yet. 

Still, I didn't want to show up today empty-handed, so at least I can show you what I have made so far!

Here's a hint:

If you guessed that I'm making a tassel necklace, you're correct!

So far, I've only finished the tassel part. It's a combination of Czech glass, crystal, ceramic, shell, wood, and red tiger eye--all wire-wrapped together and made to cascade like a waterfall.

  
Oh, and I chose silver-plated findings to echo the light-ness of the sky in the original picture.

I'm taking the rest of the beads with me on Vacation #2, so that hopefully I'll be able to finish this necklace soon... We'll see how that goes!

Be sure to head over to the official reveal on the Halcraft blog to see what everyone else made... My thanks to Molly for putting this challenge together, and letting me play along! And thank you for stopping by today to see what I'm in the process of making! :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

Wednesday's Worktable

Happy Wednesday!

In the midst of packing for vacation and general life craziness, I've been attempting to finish up some beading projects. I'm coming to the realization that I'm not going to be able to do my normal amount of reveals this month... Between vacation next week, and then coming home only to immediately head out of town for a friend's wedding, I just am not going to have time. 

And that's okay. 

So! I'm doing what I can, and not stressing about what I can't finish. For the purposes of this blog post, however, I do get to show off something that I have finished... Something that started off like this:

...Pink!

Bright, in-your-face, unapologetic pink. I bought those beads on clearance sometime last month... They just seemed bright and happy. 

Oh, and confession time: I'm slowly coming to realize that I have a lot of pink-and-black-and-white clothes. Who knew? Every time I go to wear them, I realize that I don't have anything to match them... So! I wanted to make something to fill that accessory gap.

And that is what lead to this:

...and also this:

...which ultimately turned into this:

That's right! I now have two different pink options to wear with those clothes... One that is bright (pink and clear) and one that is edgy (the pink and black). And, of course, they both have tassels!

  
They are both made with 22 gauge wire (gunmetal for the black necklace, bright silver for the clear one), and a combination of crystal, glass, and antique silver beads. Oh, and if you look closely, you can see that the earrings are sporting some of the headpins I made last week. :)

Hmmm... You know, maybe I'll actually pack these sets to take with me on vacation. Because even though I'm going to be in the middle of a forest in a cabin, I might want to look fashionable. Hah! (Really, I'm just thinking about showing off my handiwork, heh.)

Thank you so much for stopping by today... I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to post next (I'm going to be gone next week in the Land of No Internet), but know that I appreciate all of my readers!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Giveaway Winners!

Here it is... Time to announce the winners of my Giveaway!!

As a refresher, I offered a Giveaway at the end of my Monthly Challenge last month... the prizes were two pendant-and-paper bead sets that I made, based on the works of Vincent van Gogh.

To pick the winners, I went over to RandomResult.com and plugged in the names of those who commented. And so, without further ado, here are the results!

So! Based on stated preferences in the comments themselves, that means...

Winner for Set #1: Cynthia

Set 1: Flowering Almond Branch Pendant and Paper Bead Set

Winner for Set #2: Becca Jackson

Set 2: Village Street and Steps in Auvers with Five Figures
Pendant and Paper Bead Set

Emails will be sent to both winners, so that I can get their mailing addresses... Thanks to everyone who entered! And for those who didn't win, never fear... I hope to do more little giveaways in the future!

Thanks so much for stopping by today... Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Wednesday's Worktable

In two days, I get to randomly pick my giveaway winners! Interested? Go here to find out more!
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I've been doing enough of these worktable posts to realize that I have a monthly creative rhythm. This week? Well, it's the second week of the month, so that means I'm focused on preparation and brainstorming... Gathering materials and considering designs, starting preliminary work--this time with a little bit of vacation planning thrown in.

That being said, I'm also trying to take time just to play around... And that's what lead me to bringing out my hammering tools, and making some headpins: 

 You know, just for fun.

Now, I know I'm not exactly the world's best wire-worker, but it is good to continue practicing and learning. Besides, those bits of wire were leftovers from another project... And what better way to put them to use than create something with them?

I did some digging around in my odds-and-ends pile and came up with the above collection of beads: wood and copper and glass, mixed with some paper beads I made from a magazine my mother was re-purposing.

So, eventually, some of those leftover wire scraps became this pair of earrings:

Fun and long and extremely light (wood and paper really are great earring materials in the weight department), these earrings actually match none of my other current projects--and that makes them even more playful. I'm a firm believer in the importance of experimentation and play, after all--it stretches abilities and ideas while giving permission to fail... And is just plain fun, too. :)

Thank you so much for stopping by today to see what I've been working on... Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - August Edition

I'm currently having a giveaway! Go here to see!

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I have mentioned in the past that August is my vacation month. That's why, for this month's challenge, I have decided to do something a bit less serious and a bit more... well, fun. 

Now, it is probably no surprise that I consider myself a geek. A nerd. Someone who is interested in science fiction and fantasy and archaeology and video games and creating my own languages for fun. And while those two terms originally had negative connotations, they are now being used more as badges of pride. After all, the world is so full of wonderful and amazing things!

So! My challenge this month: make something geeky.

Now, I realize that covers a huge range of material. For example, I could end up converting one of these store-bought pieces into something different:

Above left to right: Terran symbol (StarCraft 2), Protoss symbol (StarCraft 2),
and the Millenium Falcon (Star Wars).
Below left: BB8 bracelet (Star Wars)
Below right: Health and Mana potions (generic fantasy RPG trope)

...Or I could use one of these pendants I made using cards from Magic: The Gathering:

...or I could even use this One Ring replica that came with a Lord of the Rings collection I bought years ago:

...Or I could make something from a piece from a leftover circuit board. Or I could make something based on the Fibonacci series. Or I could make something based on the works of Jane Austen. Or I could make something based on ancient Mesopotamia. Honestly, the sky is the limit... And that's part of the reason that this is going to be so much fun!

Now, since I'm going to be on vacation the last Friday of the month, I'm changing the reveal date a bit... Come back on Thursday, August 31st to see what geekery I end up making! Yay!

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I'm up to... Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Hello, August!

I have a bit of a soft spot for August. 

Growing up, it was the month of family vacation... That meant that even though school was around the corner, August was a month of fun and travel and summer's grand finale. Even though I've been out of school for years, that feeling is still there... And so, as August begins, I'm pretty excited about what this month holds. (Hah--and it just so happens that this year, family vacation again falls in August. Woo!)

As far as my beading goes, August is definitely starting off on an amazing foot... On my craft table this week, I have something really really special:

That awesome compilation of materials is actually a prize that I won... A prize from one of the most recent Allegory Gallery Design Kit Competitions. 

That's right--one of my designs actually won something!! Just, wow. Considering how many amazing and talented people also entered that competition, I'm floored. (The winning design can be seen in this blog entry--it's Design 4.)

The prize itself is pretty amazing... It's a combination of vintage plastic, vintage seed beads, a luxury bead blend, Czech glass, a hand-dyed silk ribbon, wood beads, waxed Irish linen, a ceramic piece by Earthenwood Studio, a ceramic piece by Gaea Cannaday, and a few strands of stone beads. There's even a book: "Exposed Bead & Wire Jewelry" by Margot Potter, Fernando DaSilva, and Katie Hacker. 

...Since the lighting in my kitchen is a bit off, I suppose I would remiss in not sharing the official prize photo--to give you a better idea of all the lovelies I now get to play with:

Not my picture! Originally from the Allegory Gallery Blog.

I honestly am not sure what all I'm going to create... But, golly, the possibilities are wonderful! And considering that this month's vacation is going to be in a forest, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland, I have to say the color palette is right on point! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today... I truly appreciate the people who read my blog. Just like these beads--and vacation, and August--you make me smile. :)

Have a wonderful August, everyone!