Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - December Reveal

It's the last Friday of the month (and the day before my birthday!)... That means that it's time to reveal what I made for this month's Wonder and Whimsy Challenge. Hurray!

As a reminder, for this month's challenge I decided to make jewelry based on The Nutcracker--either the ballet, or the original story that the ballet was based on. After all, watching the the Baryshnikov version is one of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions.

All in all, I made two necklaces for this challenge... I had another one planned, but time got away from me. Ah well. There's always next month. :)

And now, without further ado, here are the necklaces!

The Nutcracker Prince

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

This necklace was actually my husband's idea. He suggested that I make a necklace to represent the Nutcracker Prince himself--perhaps using nut shells, and the iconic colors of deep red and off-white. 

...What can I say? I took the idea and ran with it. :)

I love the relative simplicity of this necklace. It's made using wood, brass, and red suede lace. It honestly looks like something Clara might have made to remember her dream, using bits of nuts cracked by her beloved Nutcracker, and the ribbon used to fix his broken jaw.

Dance of the Snowflakes

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

If the previous necklace is very natural and earthy feeling, the necklace for the ballet's Dance of the Snowflakes is exactly the opposite. To make this necklace, I brought out the bling--to capture the beauty and ephemeral shimmer of the dancing snow. 

Here I am, working on the necklace on Christmas Eve (yes, while watching the ballet):

And here is the final necklace:

  
My original plan was to make this a short, choker-length necklace that could be part of the dancers' costumes. However, as I worked on it, it developed into something long and draping. Still, I'm quite pleased with it... I think it conveys the movement and the dream-like shine of the ballet!

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Not my photo! Picture by Paul Kolnick.

This was going to be this challenge's tassel necklace. 

However, time got away from me--and after making all of the Christmas gifts that I did, my wrist decided that I needed a break.

So! Here is a progress shot of this necklace... like the one for the Dance of the Snowflakes, this one is not skimping on the sparkle factor:

So, there you go! Those are the necklaces that I made (or planned to make) for this challenge. Thank you so much for stopping by today and letting me share my creations!

...And now, it's time for me to go upstairs and get some tea. My desktop is currently set up in the basement, and it's quite chilly down here. Hah! You'd think it was winter or something. :)

Have a wonderful day--and rest of 2017--everyone!