5/4/13

Hats Off Challenge


I grew up in Louisville, where my parents and their circle of friends celebrated the Kentucky Derby each year with bigger and bigger parties. When it was my parents’ turn to host, my sister and I joined in the pre-party frenzy. Janet whipped up her legendary cream puffs and it usually fell to me to polish the dozen or so silver mint julep cups used only on this storied day.


Hats were always the crowning jewels of the event, both the ones the women wore (there was usually a contest for most creative), and the silk top hat that was passed from host to host and held the horses’ names each year. Guests had to cheer for the horse they drew, and won the pot if they held the winning name.
So, I just had to sign up for Bobbie Rafferty’s Hats Off Challenge, where our goal was to design a piece of jewelry inspired by one of the extravagant creations Bobbie curated for us. I chose this very interesting hat from the Sculptural category.



The day before Bobbie unveiled the designer hats from which we could choose, I picked up this vintage 1950’s focal at a local bead show. Can you see the face in the mahogany obsidian stone?



My design plays up the browns and corals in the hat and gives a nod to blue in the lampwork flower by Sue Kennedy.




My husband and I will be having our own Derby party this afternoon. (The mint julep cups are polished and waiting!) But not until I hop around to see what all the other Hats Off participants dreamed up for this challenge. And thanks so much to Bobbie Rafferty of Beadsong Jewelry for showing us you don’t have to go to Churchill Downs to enjoy Derby Day! Here's a link to all the participants' blogs:
Bobbie Rafferty www.beadsong.blogspot.com
Susan Nelson Bowie www.susanbowie.wordpress.com
 
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4/13/13

Bead Soup Blog Party - Second Reveal


As we embark on today’s Bead Soup Blog Party reveal, I’d like to start by thanking Lori Anderson, the visionary and organizer extraordinaire behind this fun and fabulous event...and my partner in this second reveal. If you haven't already, click over right now to her Pretty Things blog to see what Lori created from the Soup I sent her.
Here’s a reminder of the sumptuous Soup I received from Lori.

 
The Thai silver focal is embossed with elephants and my first design was inspired by the power and beauty of these animals, resplendent in their colorful trappings and ornate saddle cloths.


The pendant arrived complete with fringed tassel added by Lori and her note let me know the chain was from AD/Adornments.  Kathy Domokos still stocks the chain, so I was able to order some and separate the tiny metal drops to use as fringe on my brick-stitched bail.


Although I used only the focal and the pewter spacers in my first piece, my color palette comes from the rest of the soup ingredients - the intensely saturated blues and aqua blue-greens of the Kazuri beads;  a muted version of the orange-red from the handmade glass discs and the lighter purples in the amethyst. I wanted the necklace to have a tribal vibe, so I constructed two kumihimo ropes, using size 11 sterling, pewter and zinc metal beads, along with opaque gunmetal that closely matches the drops in Lori’s fringe, and wrapped the ropes tightly in peyote-stitched bands.


The rope ends are finished with Kazuri rounds and the pewter spacers from Lori’s soup, which proved to be the perfect embellishment for my handmade S-clasp. I wanted this necklace to be adjustable from 16 to 19 inches, and I was reserving the pewter clasp for my second piece.



The nearly matte finish of the deep amethyst discs is striking and brings out the luminosity of the Kazuri beads. For the bracelet, I scaled the kumihimo ropes down to one inch and used Japanese charlottes in pewter and silver to complement the silver tones in Lori’s clasp. The elephant charm is from Nina Designs.

Again, thanks to Lori for sending such fantastic materials to inspire me. I still have lots to play with after today's challenge. But wait… the fun has just begun. Click on this link to explore the designs of all the other participants in the Second Reveal.
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3/30/13

AJE Earring Challenge - Bursts of Spring

I have been literally watching the world outside my window transform into Spring  as I worked at my bead table this Easter week. I tried to capture some of those fresh bursts of color in my earring designs for Weeks 11 and 12 of the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge.


A large sterling silver and  trio of tiny BeadforLife paper beads dangle from Victoria Swirl lampwork beads by SueBeads. Lavender waxed linen keeps these light and swingy!


Blue sky jasper rounds are encircled by sterling silver and vintage bronze wrapped hoops. Enamel head pins are by SueBeads. This is my take on a project from Kerry Bogert's fabulous Aspire to Wire eCourse.

I hope you're finding extra time to enjoy the beauty of Spring with family and friends this Easter week-end.




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3/17/13

AJE Earring Challenge - Wavy Discs


My earrings for Weeks 9 and 10 of Art Jewelry Elements’ Earring Challenge feature wavy discs, combining several different metallic tones from my growing collection.

Large sterling silver discs serve as a backdrop for a highly textured bronze disc and silver flower bead by Tamara Scott Designs. Freshwater pearls and round sterling earwires keep these simple and classic. Layered neutrals perfect for spring!
 
 
Plump blue-green lampwork beads by Kimberly Branch are bracketed by wavy discs in dark bronze and rose gold. A bit of copper chain, along with fancy copper head pins and earwires complete this design.

Click over to the Art Jewelry Elements blog, just the place to find lots of Spring color inspiration.
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3/3/13

AJE Earring Challenge - Plum Yummy


Who doesn’t look good in purple? I’ve chosen the shades on either side of violet for my Week 7 and 8 designs for the Art Jewelry Elements Earring Challenge.

 
Starting with the warmer hue, I’ve framed red-violet enamel discs by Elizabeth Gerod with large bronze hoops from Saki Silver. They’re topped by a small stack of ceramic, firepolish and bronze discs. Gold-filled earwires and jump rings are by me.
 

Perfect for these late-winter, early-spring days, my second design pairs blue-violet charms from THEAtoo with my own wire-wrapped beads (from a tutorial by Deryn Mentock.) The pewter posts echo the design on the charms and allow these earrings to sit close to the ear.

Great earring designs await, so click over to the AJE reveal post and Pinterest board for lots of inspiration.
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2/22/13

February Art Bead Scene Challenge


This month’s Art Bead Scene challenge, Tōshi Yoshida’s, Heijinja, 1941, offered so many design possibilities! Leafy trees, delicate blossoms, an intimate moment between a mother and child. I was especially drawn to the strong colors and the use of line in this woodblock print.

My design began with a sea glass triangle pendant in the print’s deepest red, which I received in a giveaway from Suzette Bentley of Ellie’s Bijoux. The sea glass is layered with a bronze spiral charm by THEAtoo. I cut three lengths of 16-gauge gold-filled wire, hammered and then wrapped them in columns of blackest-black, right-angle-weave to serve as a bridge to a second sea glass bead, a crystal donut bezelled in soft black and the print’s dominant, brighter red.


Once I had my focal, I wove a neckstrap, pairing the deep and cheery reds with matte and glossy grays. (The simple adaptation of herringbone stitch is a free pattern, the Strappy Strip, from Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour.) A base metal chain gives some additional weight and shine. And is there a better way to wrap up a design than with an elegant bronze toggle clasp by THEAtoo?
You’ll definitely want to click over to the Art Bead Scene Flickr page to see all the terrific designs submitted for this month’s challenge.
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2/17/13

AJE Earring Challenge – 3rd Reveal


My  Week 5 earrings reflect our recent visit to the California Wine Country. They start with SueBead’s fittingly named Wine Terrazzo lampwork beads. With their red wine hues and striking silver foil, they combine nicely with a tapered column of black gold-plated wavy discs in 8 and 6mm. Vintage glass and metal beads dangle from black silk cord. These earrings have a lively swing and a nice sparkle.


Week 6 is my version of a class project from Kerry Bogert’s Aspire to Wire eCourse. THEAtoo’s handmade bronze charms in the colors of autumn are the stars of these earrings. All other components are handmade by me.

Click over to the Art Jewelry Elements blog and enjoy the Week 5 and 6 designs of all the challenge participants.
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