The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 5

I have procured coffee, and now it is time for the fifth reveal of the day!* Hurray!

So, first things first... Here is what was in the fifth muffin cup:

Bling!

Quite different from the last reveal, don't you think? Instead of being earthy and brown, this collection of components is full of rhinestone-and-red goodness. The materials are: crystal, silver-toned metal, glass, and stone.

And here is what I made!

...Again, I changed up the materials a bit. Instead of the bright red crystals, I substituted some dark silver/grey ones. I thought that they just looked better in the final design. 

And, once more, I chose to use stringing... I started off this design making wire-wrapped links, and, well, it wasn't quite bling-y enough to match the focal. Stringing enabled me to use those rhinestone spacers in abundance... And I'm please with the final result!

...You know, this would match the red dress for this month's Pretty Palettes, too. Since it was made with quite a few Halcraft beads, I think I might include this as an unofficial entry for that, too (in addition to the blue dress, which I posted about yesterday).

So, that is Project #5! 

You guessed it--come back in an hour to see Project #6!

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* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4
Project 5 (you are here!)
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 4

Fourth reveal already? You bet!*

As a recap, I've already shown off everything from the first column (all the way on the left). That means that it's now time to go down the second column:

So, what materials were in the fourth cup? 

I'm so glad you asked!

These materials were in the fourth cup:

In that picture, you can see (from top to bottom): garnet chips, leather cord, ceramic donuts, Czech glass, and brecciated jasper.

Now, this was the first project of the challenge where I started to deviate a little. In other words, I didn't use all of those components I had picked out, and actually added some others.

As I worked, I added some antique bronze pearls into the mix...

Oh, look, a tassel in the making.

...And eventually the leather cord was removed from consideration.

A bead pattern is starting to emerge.

And so the design evolved from what I thought it was going to be (something simple strung from a leather cord) into this: 

Yeah, this is so much more complicated than I had originally intended when I had gathered the materials... And that is a good thing. I am really, really happy with how it--and the matching earrings--turned out.

...I will be honest, though, and say that making it was incredibly time-consuming. It seemed to take forever to do all of those wrapped links, especially since the necklace is fairly long--not at all conducive to working fast. 

Still, I would say that it was worth it!

So, there you go... That is Project #4 of my challenge. 

Come back in an hour, and I'll show off Project #5!

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* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 
Project 4 (you are here!)
Project 5 
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 3

Yep, it's time for Reveal #3!*

The contents of this third muffin cup were quite eclectic: vintage ceramic and wood, coupled with multi-toned metal and Czech glass:

So, why did I put these materials together? Well, my goal was to make something that matched a pair of earrings I made last November:

I'm sure you can guess which pair.

...And, quite happily, I was true to my goal! With those components, I made a necklace:

Oh, look, a tassel. :)

You can't quite tell, but the necklace is actually quite substantial... In fact, there is nothing dainty about it at all! The ceramic beads give it a wonderful weight, and it really looks quite striking when worn.

And here you can see the completed set:

...So, that makes three projects! Only nine more to go! (Heh.)

True to my schedule, there will be yet another reveal in an hour... Please stop by then to see what I made with the contents of muffin cup #4!

---
* - For those of you just tuning in, I'm doing a rolling reveal of all the projects I made for March's Monthly Challenge... It was a muffin tin challenge, and there were 12 projects overall.

Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links--I'll be sure to update as they are posted:

Project 1
Project 2
Project 3 (you are here!) 
Project 4
Project 5 
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 2

It's time for the second reveal of my March Monthly Challenge: muffin tin edition!

This next project was centered around Swarovski crystals:

The contents of the second muffin cup.

Now, I usually pair aqua-blue with silver... For some reason, that's just my go-to combination. 

And that is why I thought I would shake things up a bit this time and use copper. In fact, the materials list for this particular project is quite short... If it's not a Swarovski crystal, it's copper.

Progress shot!

And, with those components, this is the set that I made:

The necklace can actually be worn two different ways... The first is as a two-strand design with the toggle clasp in the front. The second is as a long single-strand necklace, with the chain on one side and the crystal bicones on the other.

This set is gorgeous.

...There, I said it. It just came out so much better than I had even planned, which is always a fun surprise. That, and it's always such a joy to work with Swarovski crystals... they are beautiful in both look and feel, and it's so luxurious when I use them.

So, there you go! Two designs down... 10 more to go!

Come back next hour for the next reveal! I'm on a roll!

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Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links:

Project 1
Project 2 (you are here!)
Project 3
Project 4
Project 5 
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

The Jenny Monthly Challenge - March Reveal, Part 1

Woo! It's reveal time!

For my March Monthly Challenge, I thought it would be fun to do a muffin tin challenge. (For more of an introduction to the challenge itself, go here.) After all, it's the 2-year anniversary of my challenge... and if one project is good, then 12 projects should be awesome!

Heh.

Although it was rather rough (so. many. projects), I am very happy to report that I actually finished all 12 of them! Now, granted, I didn't post them throughout the month like I thought I would, but that's all right... That just means you get to see them all today. Hurray!

As a reminder, this is what I started with:

And this is what I've ended with!

Okay, okay, I realize that the above picture is quite a jumble... It certainly doesn't show off everything that I made to the fullest.

So, I'm going to go through those cups one at a time! Starting at the top left, working my way down each column, I am going to do a rolling reveal today. My goal is post a new project every hour, starting now.

Let's get started!

First up, here's what was in muffin cup #1:

As you can probably guess, I picked the colors of this project based on the hues found in the pendant. 

As far as materials go, the pendant is dragon vein agate, which I coupled with freshwater pearls, two shapes of carnelian, iridescent glass, and a handmade clasp by Bronze Age Jewelry, 

With those beautiful components, this is the set that I made:

Ta-da! A necklace and--not one, but three!--pairs of earrings.

I chose to make the necklace using the simple stringing method... Partially for the sake of my wrist (going into this challenge, I knew that I couldn't wire-wrap every project this month), and partially because I wanted the red and orange to be more predominate in the design (wire-wrapped links adds a lot of metal to a necklace, and space out the color more).

For the earrings, I honestly couldn't decide on one particular design... And so I went with all three.

So, there you go! That's the first project that I made for this Monthly Challenge!

Come back in an hour to see the next project!

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Want to see the other projects I made for this challenge? Here are the links:

Project 1 (you are here!)
Project 2
Project 3
Project 4
Project 5 
Project 6
Project 7
Project 8
Project 9
Project 10
Project 11
Project 12

March Pretty Palettes - Reveal!

This month's theme for the Halcraft Pretty Palettes challenge is "Dress Like a Starlet"... inspired by the Oscars, and all of the glamorous dresses and sparkly jewelry that goes with it!

The curator of the challenge, Erin Prais-Hintz, chose three different dresses--and three different colors--that we could pick from for our inspiration. I personally selected the blue dress as my starting point. (Although, truthfully, I would have loved to have time to do all of them! Maybe I'll have to revisit this challenge later. *grin*)

So! Onwards! These were the beads that were officially picked out for the challenge:

Not my photo!
From the Halcraft Blog.

...And, well, I actually only used one of them: that gorgeous pendant.

I had planned to use them all, but when I was shopping for beads, a design came to mind... So, instead, of using the beads pictured above, these are the materials that I picked out:

Same colorway, same glam and shimmer, but slightly different shapes and sizes. For those interested, in that collection, there is: crystal, Czech glass, silver-plated metal, resin, and glass.

And, from those materials, this is the set that I made:

Since the materials have so much sparkle and texture on their own, I decided to go with a simpler design--one that would let the beads really shine (heh, both figuratively and literally).

I admit to being rather pleasantly surprised at how this set looks when worn... While definitely glamorous, it is not overwhelming. It's on the classy end of sparklebling--not gaudy--and I think it fits the inspiration quite well! :)

So! There you go!

As always, thank you so much Erin Prais-Hintz for picking such a lovely theme to work with!

And thank you, readers, for stopping by! Be sure to check out the reveal on the official Halcraft Blog to see what other designers made for this challenge.

Oh! And be sure to come back tomorrow, too... I'm going to do a rolling reveal of all the pieces I made for my personal Monthly Challenge. There are 12 projects, so there are going to be 12 posts! (There is way too much to show for one post, so I decided to divide it up.)

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

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And, for those looking for my usual Wednesday's Worktable post, I am forgoing the one for this week... I figure that between this reveal, the 12-post-rolling-reveal coming tomorrow, and the introduction to April on Friday--well, this week is booked! And that's not even including the eventual post to cover all the work that I've been doing on the FusionBeads 30 Day Bead Challenge... Yeah, it's been a busy month! :)

Thursday's Worktable

...I apparently fell asleep early yesterday instead of posting my Wednesday's Worktable. Oops. That's what I get for putting off my entry until the evening! :)

So, better late than never... what am I working on currently? Many many projects, but one specific thing that I'll share today: I'm trying to re-learn how to do pearl knotting. I was fairly passable at it a few years ago, but apparently my skills have weakened over time. A lot.

Still! This time, I have a handy little tool! I picked it up while I was out yesterday, and I'm learning how to use it:

Five good knots in a row!
...I'm strategically not showing you the rest of the strand. :)

My grand plan is to apply my knotting skills to some waxed linen--I have a necklace design that I really, really want to knot that way. Unfortunately, my attempts to do so last night made me so frustrated I had to step away from the table--for sanity's sake. I figure I'll keep working with my pearls and silk, and then try again!

So, there you go. Nothing too glamorous, just pushing myself to grow in my skill-set. Lots of messed up knots, lots of annoyance, but hopefully becoming a better jewelry designer as a result.

Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone!

Swap N' Hop: What My Partner Sent Me

I have something pretty to share with you today: the beads that my Swap N' Hop partner sent me! Yay!

Now, I should tell you that I actually received these awhile ago... My partner and I traded beads almost as soon as partners were announced. However, I'm only now getting a chance to blog about it... Hopefully you haven't been dying of anticipation! ;)

So! Without further ado, here is what my partner, Michelle McCarthy, sent me:

This is a whole pile of yay! :)

Handmade ceramics! Flourite! Czech glass! A cute copper bird clasp! ...All in shades that I love!

I'm pretty over-the-moon with what I received, not going to lie. The fact that Michelle made the ceramics just for me--in purple, no less, because it's my favorite color--makes me incredibly happy. 

I cannot wait to start creating!

So, there you go! 

Those are the beads that I have to work with for this Swap N' Hop... And I'm super excited! The final reveal will be on May 15... be sure to stop by then to see what I end up making.

Yay!