And this month, it's all about space!
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA on Unsplash |
I had so many things planned for this challenge. Ultimately, I made 4 pieces--but I have at least two more planned.
However, in this particular reveal, I'm only going to show you 3 of those pieces. The last one, I'll show you after April 6th. (To make it, I used a similar technique as I did with one of my Swap N' Hop pieces--which originally was going to be revealed before this post. Hah! Ah well, hopefully you can wait until then!)
So! Now to the reveal!
For this first necklace, I decided to start close to home:
Cloudy Skies
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
This necklace was inspired by views of Earth from space--the glittering oceans, the swirling clouds. To capture that aesthetic, I had to look no further than a cabochon my wonderful mother-in-law bought me for Christmas... and, from there, the rest of the necklace practically made itself.
The cabochon is by Carol Christensen-Day of GlassyFields. (Didn't I mention that my mother-in-law is wonderful? She even knows who some of my favorite lampwork artists are!) I added the bail, picked out the beads, and strung them all on beading wire.
The beads used to complete the look are pearls and imperial jasper--and brass, warm like the sunshine glinting off the water, far below.
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
For the next necklace, I journeyed a little further out in the solar system...
Bringing of Jollity
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
The above image is actually what gave me the idea for this challenge. That happens to be Jupiter (called the "Bringer of Jollity" in Gustav Holst's orchestral suite, the Planets, hence the name of this piece). That image, along with the other recent pictures sent back from the Juno spacecraft, are absolutely breathtaking... the swirls in particular captured my imagination, because they make it look like a painting.
...or a lampwork bead. :)
So, yes. I scoured the internet, and found these: the perfect Jupiter beads. These, in particular, are by Kimberly Biery of Fresh Baked Beads... and they are perfect! (She actually has a set of glossy beads, too, in similar colors... I may end up getting those, too. All the jupiter beads! *grin*)
Construction-wise, this necklace is pretty simple... golden beads were added as accents, and everything was strung on fine black chain. Why black chain? To reflect the blackness of space, of course.
Overall, I'm quite enamored of this simple necklace. I may tweak it a bit more at some point... but concept-wise, I think it matches my vision very well. I mean, come on... how does Jupiter not look like an amazing lampwork bead? :)
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
For this last necklace, I looked past the solar system, to the rest of the universe:
Reach for the Stars
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
This necklace was inspired by our view of the stars--distant galaxies, nebulae, stars and worlds undiscovered. They show up as distant spots of light, juxtaposed against an inky black expanse... amazing things, that we are only catching glimpses of.
To capture that feeling, I used a very special focal bead set that I purchased from Juli Cannon, with this particular necklace in mind.
Paired with the lampwork beads are rondelles--both Czech glass and black agate--and silvertone findings. They have all been wire-wrapped into a long chain that sways when you walk.
...I think it's fair to say that I love this necklace. Granted, I love the inspiration, too... I doubt that I will ever venture off this planet myself, but it can be beautiful to dream.
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| Not my photo! Photo by NASA |
So, there you go! Those are the pieces that I made for this month's Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge!
Thank you so, so much for stopping by today to see what I made--and for allowing me to go on this journey with you. (Yes, both through the stars with this particular post, and through the years as I've grown through this challenge. *grin*) I appreciate all of you so much!
Come back next week to see what I'm doing for April's challenge...
Until then, have a wonderful weekend--and Happy Easter--everyone!
Wow! You picked perfect beads for every picture! Your creations are beautiful---you did the beads justice!
ReplyDeleteThat cab is perfect for this challenge! I absolutely see it as the swirl of clouds over the earth. And the black chain on the second necklace - I would have never thought of that to have it represent the darkness of space, but it's perfect. What a fun challenge.
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