Wonder and Whimsy Challenge Reveal: Falling Leaves

It’s the last Friday of the month, which can only mean… well, I'm sure it could actually mean a lot of things. But! In particular, I’m referring to the fact that today is the reveal for this month’s challenge. Hurray!

As a refresher, this month I decided to make Autumn-tree-inspired jewelry.

I was pretty excited about this challenge. I was not surprised, then, when I actually made a plethora of items... overall, I made 5 necklaces and a pair of earrings. I even had more ideas that I just didn't have the time to make. Don't be surprised, then, to see more leaves and trees on this blog in the future. Hee.

So, now for the reveal. 

First up are two necklaces that were inspired by this beautiful combination of green and orange:

Necklace #1

Tassel time!

This necklace was actually the last piece that I made. I had originally not planned to do a tassel at all... but one of you lovely readers (thank you, Divya!!) planted the idea in my head, and I couldn't help it. You inspired me! And I'm glad you did... I really like the way this turned out. 

The main materials in this necklace are glass and agate, with some gold plated metal thrown in for a little bit of bright contrast. The focal donut itself is agate--and I love how it has both yellow and orange in it. It helps to perfectly capture the balance of bright Autumn orange and the last touches of Summer green.

Necklace #2

While the previous necklace was the last one that I made, this one was actually my first. 

It was inspired by my growing collection of Czech glass leaves, which I really wanted to use to make a piece for this challenge. I really like how these beads offer a combination of different colors and finishes, all while still being the same shape and size.

Since the beads are so similar, I thought I would add visual interest by making the necklace structurally symmetrical but color-asymmetrical. I love the overall effect: it t makes it look like a tree that has half-turned for Autumn, the different shades mixed together.

Necklace #3

While the previous two necklaces feature the beautiful array of green and oranges together, these next pieces highlight some of the more subdued colors of Autumn: coppers and browns and gold.

This particular necklace was built around that stunning focal: a copper piece, made by the talented Patricia Healey. It's been paired with Czech glass and shell pearls. I kept the design fairly simple, just to highlight how gorgeous that focal really is. I love how it turned out.

Necklace #4

Like the previous necklace, this one was built around a beautiful focal. This one was created by the talented Amy Mealey of XAZ beads, and I paired it with different shades of glass (mostly Czech glass, with some Chinese faceted glass as accents).

While the first necklaces were fairly bright and bold, I wanted to make this one subtly lovely--a tribute to the leaves that eventually turn brown, but still maintain a certain appeal. And really, it's hard to go wrong with such a lovely pendant!

Necklace #5

Perhaps the simplest of all the necklaces, this one was a tribute to Autumn acorns. These particular acorns are Czech glass, and what can I say... they make me happy! :)

...bonus earrings!

And, last but not least, here are some earrings I made. I made them to match an outfit, actually, and decided I would include them in here for fun. After all, they go with the theme! Apparently, I've had Autumn on my mind.

As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun with this challenge. It was absolutely delightful getting a chance to explore this theme—and having an excuse to use some of the Autumn goodies that I’ve been collecting. This exercise also highlighted just how many supplies I really have… I didn’t even scratch the surface of what I own, but that just means I’ll get to revisit this challenge at some later time.

Thank you so, so much for stopping by to see this reveal. I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your October, and I'll see you in November.

Have a lovely day, everyone!