What is the Honey Do List Challenge, you ask? It's where her husband, Eric, issues her a beading challenge--with the intent that she both use up some of her bead stash and get out of her comfort zone. Luckily, she lets others play along, too!
Here was this month's inspiration:
And here is what Eric said about it:
I haven't really taken many pictures in the past month, so I took this chance to delve deep into older photos for something lost in the archives. This is a really cool old stained glass window in the Schlitz Brewery building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that really struck my fancy. The colors and shapes should be a fun change from my usual naturalistic photos.
Now, I have two things to admit about this challenge. First, I really really enjoyed it. After the more naturalistic photos, it was fun to tackle something a bit more abstract. Also, the color palette was not something I usually work with, which was interesting and challenging and all-around fun.
Second... Well, second, is that I actually bought something for it. Hah! In the past, I've attempted to only use what I have in my stash, but in this case I bought the focal bead for the necklace. Once you see what I made (seen below), hopefully you'll forgive me! :)
The focal bead is by Golem Studio Beads. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to use it for this challenge. I'm glad I did, too--when it arrived, I was absolutely thrilled. The circle swirls remind me so much of the circles seen in the inspiration picture... it's perfect! :)
The rest of the necklace is made with lava beads, larvikite, white magnesite, and glass--specifically black seed beads, two shades and sizes of Czech glass, and crackle glass.
I went with those choices in an attempt to echo not only the color of the stained glass, but also its texture... I'm particularly pleased with the black-grey-silver-white Czech beads for that reason. :)
Also noteworthy: Yep, I'm still obsessed with this type of necklace construction (tassel, focal, beaded chain). It's so versatile, and fun to make... It appears to be my go-to design right now. And that's not a bad thing! Mostly, I'm just amused at myself... It's always fun when you find a design that just clicks. :)
So, there you go! That is what I made for this month's Honey Do List Challenge, hosted by Sarajo Wentling. Be sure to hop over to SJ Designs Jewelry to see what she ended up making... And thank you so much, Sarajo and Eric, for letting me play along!
And now, it's time for me to go work on the other reveals for this week. So many pretty things to show!
Thanks so much for stopping by today... Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Oh my gosh, that Golem bead is perfect! And all the dangling beads are so fun - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I was so excited when I found that Golem bead... putting this whole necklace together was such fun! :)
DeleteSorry for the delayed response... it's been a week over here. I love, love, love your necklace! That Golem focal was a perfect choice for the challenge and you picked wonderful beads to go along with it. If I may ask, how do you construct your tassels like that? I've got a project (repurposing some very old beaded lamp fringe into a tassel style necklace) that I think this would be perfect for. TIA. Anyway, thanks for playing along! Check back later today to see what Eric has up his sleeve next!
ReplyDeleteNo worries about the delayed response--I totally understand. This week has been a doozy over here, too. Oi.
DeleteAnd I don't mind you asking about the tassels at all! It's not actually something that I figured out on my own... I just watched all sorts of youtube tutorials on how to do them, lol. Mostly, I do a variation of this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB4_lAq00VI ...I have found it to be the most secure, and less likely to spill beads everywhere. (You can probably figure out how I learned that one. Hah. People who regularly work in seed beads truly amaze me.)
Some other small things to add, that I learned through trial and error... Depending on the cap you're using, you may want to vary the amount of slack (extra thread between the loop and the first seed bead on the strand, if that makes sense)... longer, skinner bead caps work best with more slack, while fatter wider ones look better with less. Also, most of my tassels are between 8 and 15 strands full (again, depending on the cap), and approximately 3-4 inches long (depending on the dimensions of the focal and the look I'm going for).
I don't know if any of this is helpful... if you need me to clarify anything, just let me know. I'm muddling my way out of a post-sickness stupor, so forgive me if I'm just babbling. In any case, I'm super excited to see what you end up making, and if there is any other way I can help, just let me know! :)
Great job! I really like the beads you chose for this one and it really works with the tassel design. I recognized that Golem bead right away...maybe Sj has taken me to their booth too many times at Bead & Button?
ReplyDelete