Wonder and Whimsy Monthly Challenge - February Reveal, Part 1

So, who's ready for February's Monthly Challenge reveal?

Polymer clay!
...in case you needed a reminder what this month's challenge was. :)

...Not me, actually. Heh. February is a short month--and it was made even shorter, because I was sick for the majority of it. (Bleh.) Still, I am definitely feeling better now... And, looking over what I made for this challenge, I'm rather surprised by what I accomplished. 

In summary, I tried three main polymer clay approaches (techniques?): making simple components, making pendants, and making a polymer clay cane. I had varying levels of success in each of those areas... I'm certainly not an expert in any of them, but hey--I have to start somewhere! :)

And instead of just dumping everything in one overwhelming blog entry, I have decided to break this reveal into three parts. (Added bonus: that also gives me time to finish up two of my not-quite-finished projects. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't quite ready for this reveal!)

So, first up: simple components!

Steampunk inspiration.

I actually made quite a few components... Mostly, they were faceted beads and free-formed charms for dangles. From these components, I made two pairs of earrings and one necklace--although I have enough left over to make plenty more!

This first pair of earrings was made using a blend of the polymer clay see above... and even some of the gears, too:

They are paired with brass, wood, and tiger-eye. If you look closely at the components, you can even see some gentle texturing... I attempted to use a rubber stamp I have to add a gear pattern. 

...Now, I did actually sand and smooth the edges of those polymer pieces, but I think I could have done a bit more. The close-up shots make them look a little rough. Ah well... As I said, I'm learning. :)

The second pair of earrings is very similar, construction-wise, to the ones above:

...except they were paired with silver and garnet. They also feature some faceted polymer beads I made from the same red-and-silver clay blend as the charms. 

Again, I tried to texture the charms with a stamp... but this time, I also coated the pieces in a few layers of varnish, which makes the pattern stand out a bit more. (I left the faceted beads matte, for contrast). Not perfect--but they still make me happy.

Now it's time for the necklace. This is actually one of the first pieces that I made when I started playing with the clay... It features a feather that I free-formed out of some leftover pink-and-copper clay bits, and a faceted swirl-bead to match:

Honestly, there are so many things I would change about this, if I were to do it again. After all, my finger-prints are still visible (thought I had cleaned them off, but apparently I hadn't). The design I carved in isn't very visible. The color combination isn't my favorite.

But, you know what?

I'm still happy with it. They crystals I picked match it really well. It hangs nicely when worn. And, honestly, it's a starting point. After all... If this is what I can do now, how exciting are the things to come! :)

And that brings this first reveal entry to a close.

...Tune in tomorrow for the second part of the reveal: making pendants!

(And now I have to go finish them... Ha! Wish me luck!)

Allegory Gallery - Queen of Hearts Reveal

You know, it has really been way too long since I've been able to participate in an Allegory Gallery kit challenge. Thankfully, today I can change that! 

And what a lovely kit I got to use!

Recently, the challenges Andrew Thornton has been putting together have been centered around fairy tales and stories. This one, as I'm sure you can tell, is no exception. It was inspired by the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... and what a lovely palette:

Not my photo!
This was the teaser picture from the kit listing.

Since this was a Mystery Challenge, the exact components were a surprise... and when the kit did arrive, I actually only took one picture of it before I started digging in and creating. Oops! So, below you can see an artistic glimpse of everything--the lovely handmade pendant, the seed beads, the bead blends--but not a detailed layout of everything that was included. Still, you get a pretty good idea of what goodies I got to play with! 

From those components, I made one necklace. (Disclaimer: I actually made one necklace and one pair of earrings to match it... but I can't seem to find the earrings. Again, oops! Still, that's all right, because I'm very happy with how the necklace turned out!)

Using the waxed linen, the seed beads, selections of the bead blends, and some pieces from my own stash, this is what I created:

...a red-and-purple tassel necklace!

A bit about the construction... it is hand-knotted on the linen, and uses many different styles of glass and acrylic beads. The only exception is the focal bead, which is a lovely light-weight wood. I used touches of gold and brass to tie into the regal-theme of the Queen of Hearts.

Also: I am so, so pleased with that tassel. 

It was actually my first attempt at making one out of seed beads (I made this before the necklace featured here)--and it worked! It's always such a thrill to make something new, and to have it work!

...Oh, and you may recognize the purple seed beads, which were actually from another Allegory Gallery kit. :)

So, there you go! That is what I made with the Queen of Hearts kit! I actually have a few other designs in mind for the rest of the beads (I haven't used that lovely handmade pendant, after all), but I haven't had the time to make them. Who knows? Maybe I'll get a chance to work on them soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by today to see what I made for this challenge! It's always a pleasure to work with beautiful components, and then get to share what I created. :)

Have a lovely day, everyone!

February's Pretty Palettes - Reveal!

This month's Pretty Palettes inspiration was the beach!

Not my picture! This was featured on the Halcraft blog.

...because it's February, and many of us are longing for sun-soaked summer days instead of grey-and-gloomy midwinter. (Although, to be fair, it has been unseasonably warm here in Cincinnati.)

When coming up with the particular palette to use, Molly Schaller used the above picture to generate this group of colors:

Not my picture! ...Again, this is from the Halcraft blog.

...which she then used to pick out beads. For my part, however, I decided to branch out a bit from those chosen beads--mostly because I had to order them from online, and some of them were sold out. That ended up being part of the fun, though! It's always fun adding my own twist to the challenge, after all. 

So! While the original beads focused on driftwood-browns and creams to represent the sand, I instead decided to use yellow to represent the sun (and because on my monitor, that second color on the right looked more yellow than beige). With that in mind, here are the beads that I picked out:

And with those beads--and some others from my stash--I ended up making three necklaces. While none of them turned out exactly like I had in mind, I still enjoyed this inspiration and wanted to share!


Necklace #1

The first necklace that I made underwent a couple different design overhauls. I kept changing out the focal, and then I kept adding and removing beads, but eventually I settled on this:

A green-blue-turquoise-yellow tassel necklace! 

Knotted on waxed linen, this necklace has a little bit of everything: ceramic, wood, Czech and regular glass, reconstituted stone, and even some shell. While the inspiration photo didn't really have any darker green in it, I couldn't help but add it. I think it helps balance out the yellow.

Now, I realize this necklace doesn't exactly stand out as beach-y... Something about it just doesn't quite match that image. Still, I like it--and I don't think it would look terribly out of place if worn while at the beach! :)

Necklace #2

For this second necklace, I decided to take out the green and instead add a little brown to the mix:

...Oh, look! It's another tassel necklace!

This necklace is also knotted on waxed linen--albeit thinner, and a different color. Like the previous necklace, there is a little bit of everything: Czech glass, wood, crystal, shell, and magnesite.

Again, it doesn't match the inspiration photo again. Again, it doesn't jump out as beach-y... And, again, I think it would look quite at home if worn while vacationing at the ocean. :)


Necklace #3

And now, for the last necklace that I made. This one doesn't have a tassel, nor is it knotted on waxed linen. Instead, I decided to use the darling little resin flowers I  purchased, and made this:

Czech glass, shell, glass, and ceramic all come together to make this tropical-feeling necklace and interchangeable earring set. 

...And of all the pieces that I made, this one definitely feels the most beach-y to me! I'm pretty sure it's the flowers.

So, there you go! That's what I made for this month's Pretty Palettes. Thanks so much for stopping by to see what I made... Be sure to swing by the Halcraft Blog to see everyone else's creations!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

We're All Ears: February Reveal

The inspiration for this month's We're All Ears challenge was patchwork.

...And I honestly love patchwork. I love the hodgepodge colors, I love the textures, I love how the pieces of fabric can be used to create either a recognizable image or a painterly impression. 

I've even tried my hand at patchwork before, to varying levels of success. (I made a patchwork skirt!... but that's a post for another day.) I've even tried my hand at making jewelry inspired by it (like this pair of hairsticks, and this pair of earrings).

Not my picture!
Textile by Kit Vincent, and featured as an inspiration on Earrings Everyday.

...Then why, oh why, did I find this challenge so difficult?

I guess it's probably because everything has been difficult this month. Oi. I honestly feel like I'm floundering a little. Still, I did manage to make two pairs of earrings for this challenge... Neither of them are quite exactly what I wanted to make, but at least I tried!

The first pair of earrings was inspired by the piece seen above, the textile by Kit Vincent... I loved the colors and the stripes, both of which I tried to emulate:

I found the darling little tassels on LimaBeads, and fell in love with them. The varying colors made me think of the different colored stripes seen in Kit Vincent's patchwork.

I decided to pair them with the Vintaj filigree--which, in and of themselves, remind me of more traditional quilt patterns. I added the little dyed magnesite rounds to tie the design together.

The inspiration for the second pair came after I did a little more image searching (thanks to the Pinterest page curated by Erin Prais-Hintz). On that Pinterest board, I came across this lovely pattern:

Not my picture!
Entitled Royal Patchwork,
Found via Pinterest, originally posted by Durin Eberhart.

...Which, in turn, inspired this pair of earrings:

They feature enameled metal beads, knotted on purple waxed linen and paired with goldtone findings. Again, the pattern on the beads reminded me a bit of more traditional quilts--and the lovely brocade patterns seen in the inspiration image. By using the waxed linen, I hoped to make them feel a bit more textured, and more reminiscent of the fibrous nature of patchwork.

And so, there you go! Those are the two pairs of earrings that I made for this challenge. I realize, writing this entry, that perhaps they are closer to the inspiration than I originally thought... Either way, I'm glad that I at least tried. And who knows? Maybe I'll come back to this inspiration in the future. :)

As always, thanks so much to Erin and those at Earrings Everyday for hosting this challenge... and thank you for stopping by! Feel free to swing by the host blog to see what everyone else has made.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!