Wonder and Whimsy

Friday, April 6, 2018

Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop - 2018 Reveal!

Well, here it is... the reveal for this year's Bead Peeps Swap N' Hop! Hurray!

It's always fun signing up for these sorts of swaps, where partners exchange beads and then make something with them... I enjoy the opportunity to work with new color schemes and beads that I might not have put together myself.

For this swap, here are the beads that my lovely partner Karin King sent to me:

Beautiful things! Lampwork beads that she made, vintage German glass, Swarovski crystal--yay! I love the combination of the bright fire-colors with the dash of dark blue. Overall, I made three pieces with these beads.

...And, without further ado, here they are!

Necklace 1

This necklace was a lot of fun to make. It incorporates the majority of Karin's lampwork glass, paired with the copper spacers and the blue/purple vintage glass.

I also used bumpy copper chain and bumpy copper beadcaps from my stash--chosen because they echo the delightful "bumpiness" of the focal bead. I even used extra links from the chain to make the matching pair of earrings.

Oh, and speaking of that focal bead, it took me quite some time to figure out exactly how I wanted to use it. While I knew that I wanted to use it as the central part of the necklace, it took quite a few different iterations to land on a design. Ultimately, I'm very pleased how this turned out... And, imagine, it doesn't even incorporate a tassel! ;)

Necklace 2

This was actually the first of the necklaces that I designed--although the last I actually assembled. When I first looked at the beads from Karin, this is what popped out at me... and making it was my reward for completing the other two necklaces.

When I did make it, everything just fell into place. Isn't it wonderful when that happens?

It incorporates more of the beautiful lampwork beads that I was sent--the focal, some of the lovely headpins, and the luminous rondelles. It also uses the copper spacers and the Swarovski crystals. I even had enough elements leftover to make the matching earrings.

I love the fiery, summery look of this set... a much needed splash of color, considering how much it's been raining here recently! (And snowing, too, but I'm not dwelling on that part. Hah!)

Necklace 3

Ahhh, here it is. My most ambitious of the projects. I knew exactly what I wanted to make when I saw that focal bead--I knew that I wanted to pair it with that clasp, and that chain, and those beads (Czech glass and faceted matte glass, for those curious).

It just took some time to finish it.

That's because, in order to get there, I had to teach myself some wire-weaving first. Hah! What can I say, I like challenges. :)

And, honestly, this necklace was a challenge for me...

It's asymmetrical.

It involves wire-weaving (something that I had never done before).

It mixes metals in a way that I don't usually do (dark copper, shiny copper, gold--partially chosen because I wanted to add a bit of depth to the design, but mainly chosen due to the materials I had on hand).

...And it didn't actually turn out like I pictured it in my head (the connection between the clasp and the pendant didn't quite go the way that I wanted, and so on).

All of those things aside, though, I'm insanely proud of this necklace. Because I did it. I decided to do something different, and I stuck with it. And more than that, it's actually quite lovely, even if it's not quite what I pictured.

So, here's to pushing myself--and seeing lovely results!

Bonus!

Necklace 4

...You know how I mentioned that, in order to make the previous necklace, I needed to teach myself wire-weaving? Well, here is my very very first attempt--made with another of Karin's lampwork beads. My wraps are sloppy, but I love it. Hurray for learning new things! :)

So, there you go! Those are the pieces that I created for this blog hop. Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I made... And thank you to the organizer of this hop, and to my partner for all the beautiful beads!

As a reminder, here are the beads that I sent to my partner... I'm excited to see what she ended up making!

And now, for links! Here are the participants!

Beaders
Linda Anderson http://fromthebeadboard.blogspot.com (Hostess)
Inge von Roos https://ingetraud.wordpress.com

...If you've made it all the way to the end of this very long entry, here is another thank you for being awesome. I hope you have a truly lovely day! :)

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Hello, April!

I have news! Exciting news!

You see this?

I've been published!

More specifically, one of my designs has been published--yes, in the incredible magazine seen above. If you're interested, I'm on page 90--hee!

I'm beyond thrilled... especially since this was my very first attempt at submitting something to a magazine. (I know, I know, I went straight for one of the hardest magazines to get into--what can I say, I like challenges. Heh.) It is also incredibly validating... I regularly struggle with not feeling good enough, and it's nice to have concrete evidence to remind myself that I am a jewelry designer... And a good one, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and celebrating with me... May this month also bring you reminders of how wonderful you are. I know that I, for one, appreciate you. :)

Have a wonderful April, everyone!

Friday, March 30, 2018

Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - March Reveal

It's time for the reveal for March's Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge! Hurary! It's the 4th Anniversary of my monthly challenge--can you believe that?

And this month, it's all about space!

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

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.

Not my photo!
Photo by NASA

For the next necklace, I journeyed a little further out in the solar system...

Bringing of Jollity

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? :)

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

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.

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!