Create Everyday Challenge: Day 8

Day 8! Woohoo!

Today's pull from the Bag of Goodies was a rather interesting one...

Those are paper beads that I salvaged from a vintage necklace. I have no idea how old they are, or who made them... I just know that the shape and color intrigued me, and I wanted to make something with them.

Now, it was kind of interesting trying to make something with such long, skinny beads with big holes. I knew I wanted to make earrings--mostly because my first inclination was to make a necklace, and I wanted to challenge myself.

And yeah... it was a challenge.

After trying a few different designs, I decided I wanted to make something that had the beads dangling next to each other. Yet, none of the chandelier findings I had looked quite look right. 

Eventually, I decided to get out some wire and my bail making pliers, and make my own chandelier findings. 

This was the result:

I actually really like these. They move and dangle delightfully, and are lightweight enough to satisfy my very particular tastes. (Apparently, I really don't like heavy earrings... heh.) 

And more than that--they're different! I've never really made my own chandelier findings before, and thought they turned out just right. Since I make so many of my own paper beads, I'll have to give this design another try at some point.

Oh, and I have five of these beads left! I want to make a matching necklace... trying to decide if I want to make a pendant like these earrings, or do something different. Something to think about. (And work on, when I have more time.)

Thanks for stopping by today. Come by tomorrow for Day 9!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 7

Ta-da! I've been doing this challenge for a full week!

For Day 7, this is what I pulled out of the Bag of Goodies:

...some pretty little Czech glass flowers!

I had like fifteen different ideas of what I wanted to do with them, but eventually I settled on this earring design:

Elegant and simple, and definitely a design I will make again. (So many different possibilities! Different color flowers, different shaped beads... a whole world of options.)

Thanks so much for stopping by today... See you tomorrow, for Day 8!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 6

It's been a busy day... but, hurray, it's now time for Day 6's reveal!

From my Bag of Goodies, this is what I pulled out:

Fun little planet charms!

I bought these awhile ago. I was inspired to do so by my little nephew, who has been absolutely obsessed with space. At age 2 and a half, he could tell you the names of the planets, in order.

And, since I'm always looking to be the Cool Aunt, I thought it would be fun to make some planet-inspired jewelry. 

So, today, I did just that!

...that's a hairstick and some earrings, in case you can't tell. :)

I look forward to wearing these next time I see him. 

Thanks for stopping by today. As I said, I've been pretty busy today, but I'm still glad I get to share some fun jewelry. 

See you tomorrow for Day 7!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 5

It's Day 5!

Yesterday's challenge entry was a little sparse, I admit. But don't you worry, I made up for it today!

For today, from my Bag of Goodies, I drew out this lovely collection:

Those are strands of acrylic beads that I bought on vacation.

They are bright and whimsical, and there is absolutely nothing delicate about them:

See? Aren't they colorful and fun?

Now, I realize that sometimes acrylic beads get a bad rap... especially when they look cheap, or have visible seams. I personally am very picky about my acrylic beads, although I definitely use them. (Their lightweight nature helps when making tassels!)

These particular beads have no visible seams, and are actually pretty substantial and well made. Besides, they're just so fun that I couldn't pass them by.

...I also got a lot of them. 

So! That means that I made a lot of items for today. 

Overall, I made a necklace and seven (yes, seven!) pairs of earrings.

All of the beads are from the strands that I pulled out of the Bag of Goodies, except for the white glass pearls that I used to finish off the necklace. I went with white, because all of the marbled beads have some amount of white peeking out, and it seemed to be a good unifying color.

I also challenged myself to make something using stringing--because I always make chains out of wire-wrapped links, and I need to remember that stringing is also a viable construction method.

As far as the earrings go, I made lots of them--because they are fun and bright and, again, lightweight. I think it's fun to wear big chunky earrings that don't weigh a ton!

My overall goal with making this set was to make jewelry that was whimsical and lighthearted, but did not look cheap or chintzy. 

Honestly, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out!

So, ta-da! That's what I have made today. There's a lot going on in my neck of the woods (today is Election Day here in the U.S.), and I'm glad to add a little brightness to the world.

I look forward to tomorrow, and seeing what Day 6 holds!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 4

I have simple project today for Day 4.

Here is what I pulled out from my Bag of Goodies:

...Okay, you can't really tell what that is. 

That's a bag that has two different types of chainmaille dragon scales I had left over from last year. I had some small gold ones, and some medium sized silver ones.

I used them together to make this pair of earrings:

Nope, not complicated. But I will absolutely wear them all the time. The combination of gold and silver means that they will match practically everything I own... and I still have more scales leftover! Maybe I'll make something else with them... Hmm.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm excited to see what I pull out of the bag tomorrow! 

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 3

It's already Day 3! This challenge is coming along quite nicely.

Today, I had the fun of pulling this little mix out of my bag of goodies:

It's a collection of glass and goldtone beads from one of the past Magical Mystery Bead Boxes, a monthly subscription box put out by Jesse James Beads. I have an entire pile of these kinds of mixes, and it was fun getting a chance to play with one of them today.

Overall, I made two pairs of earrings and one necklace from this mix... Oh, and I have a pair of hairsticks planned, I just need to get the right kind of glue to make them. (I suppose pictures of those will come later.)

In the meantime, though, here are the earrings and necklace!

I am very fond of that little cluster pendant. It lays very well when worn, and is delightfully understated. 

As someone who makes so many larger, more complicated designs, it was fun challenging myself to make something using only primarily what came in the little mix. While both pairs of earrings feature additional beads (the little 6mm white rounds and the little black cubes), the necklace only features beads from the mix. Not too shabby!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Come by tomorrow for Day 4!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 2

It's Day 2!

For today's challenge, I pulled these out of the bag:

Charms! ...Or pendants, I suppose. Whichever you prefer.

These pieces are a combination of resin and wood. In this particular collection, most of the colors came in matching pairs, which automatically made me think earrings. And while they're on the larger side, they are also very lightweight. Again--good for earrings.

And so I got to work!

Overall, I made 5 pairs. 

For two of the pairs, I combined them with some pretty matching beads:

And for the other three, I had fun adding additional charms:

These were a lot of fun to make. They were also quite the opposite of the dainty set that I made yesterday... they are big and bold, and definitely statement pieces. While perhaps not for everyday, I think they are delightful.

So, ta-da! That's what I made for Day 2 of my challenge. Stop by tomorrow for Day 3!

Until then, have a lovely day, everyone!

Create Everyday Challenge: Day 1

Today, from the bag, I pulled out:

These!

In case you can’t quite tell, that is a strand of little funky-shaped faceted glass beads. They’re sort of like little trapezoids, but not quite. I bought them because they made me think of little ice crystals—perfect for wintery designs.

Here's a slightly better picture of them, out of the bag:

So, what did I make with them?

This set!

…The beads themselves feel pretty delicate, so I thought I’d make designs that echo that. The earrings are little icy cascades, and the necklace is very understated. I realize that not everyone goes for big-and-bold designs, and I thought these beads lent themselves very well to something a bit more dainty.

Another thing to add: recently, I haven’t really been making designs that showcase only one type/color of bead. It was fun challenging myself to use these beads--and only these beads. I still have most of the strand left, so who knows? Maybe they’ll feature in future designs, too… maybe even a tassel, knowing me.  

So, ta-da! That's what I made for today. Come back tomorrow to see what beads I pull out from the bag—and what I make with them!