Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - June Edition

Hurray! I'm so excited to announce that I am, indeed, resuming my Monthly Challenge this month. What can I say--I missed it!

The theme for this month: Creative Chaos.

The inspiration for this particular challenge comes from something I took part in a few years ago (okay, it was more like five years ago) called the Bead Ruckus. 

The idea behind the Bead Ruckus was simple... There were five designers, and each of us picked a random jewelry-making component. Then, we each made something that incorporated all of those components. It was a great deal of fun, and a fantastic way to stretch my design muscles. (Some of the reveals can be seen here and here, if you're interested.) As I was looking through past years on my blog, I realized that I missed it.

That's when, as I stared into my giant bag of to-be-sorted beads (seen above), I realized that I could do that challenge again. Or, at least, something close to it.

So, I reached into the bag and pulled out a random handful of beads... and my challenge is to make something with them:

In that collection: paper beads (not made by me), swirly blue glass, faceted Chinese crystal, resin, frosted red glass, and green/yellow acrylic beads from a vintage necklace. 

...Not really things I would put together. Heh. But that's part of the challenge, isn't it? :)

My main goal with this challenge is to play. I'm giving myself permission to not be perfect and to experiment. Sometimes I think I put too much pressure on myself to make things perfect on the first try--forgetting that some of the best innovations come from failing. 

So, if I make something wonderful, then hurray! If not, then at least I'm trying something new. And who knows? Maybe I'll be so inspired that I'll pull out more beads and see what I make this them, too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I'm up to... Be sure to stop by on Friday, June 29th to see what I end up making!

Have a  wonderful week, everyone!