29 March 2013

Resin Bubbles Blog Hop

"I am drinking the stars!"
~Dom Perignon on his first sip of bubbly Champagne

When I saw that Miss Lorelei was hosting a little Michaels beading blog hop I jumped at the chance. Never mind that it was the going to be during the most busy week for me. I just had to do it!


I have been on the Halcraft/Michaels beading design team since last May. Each month we are sent an assignment for a particular style or using a particular set of Bead Gallery beads that are usually not even in the stores yet. Back in June 2012, we were given the theme of Vintage and sent lots of metal sliders and pendants to use. That is the first time I saw these resin bubbles. Their holographic quality mesmerized me.

{Jewel of the Nile}
I created a necklace that used a few of them as connectors called 'Jewel of the Nile.' I just used the holes at each end to connect to the pearls and the blue color brought out the turquoise in this pretty pendant.

But in the spirit of Miss Lorelei's challenge, I knew that I wanted to challenge myself to create something new. So I decided to buy the purple and peach color combination.

Their shape is what vexes me. I love the irregularity of it, and in this colorway, there are two sliders with the peach and purple and one with the purple only, which appeals to my asymmetric soul. As I moved them around on my beading table, I thought they looked a bit like a honeycomb. I wanted them to look like they were floating there. The trick was getting them to attach to one another in a way that made use of the negative space but also held a shape.



I had to go slow and connect each one individually to the next using jump rings, turning them over as I did so. And with each one that I connected it led to a whole new dilemma about where to place the next. It was as if I selected a 1000 piece puzzle and all the pieces were shaped the same but fit together in many ways, with the picture the only way to tell if you got it right. The pieces only have holes on the ends, and they only face in one direction. So it is more challenging to construct than it looks.

I wish that it didn't flop around when I pick it up. but when it is on and lying flat it really does have a stunning presence. To keep it simple, I dug through my stash of silk cord from Marsha Neal Studio and knotted a total of seven strands, doubled for the back part. And then I figured out that I made it a little too long. Doh! The silk cord stretches from the weight of all those metal sliders. But I do like the effect.


I call this Sweet Sparkling Rosé as this reminds me of a bit of pink champagne! Maybe I should take that as a sign that Mimosas are in order for Sunday's festivities! ;-)

Thank you Miss Lorelei for proposing this creative challenge. It was frustrating and fun at the same time, as all great challenges should be. Please go over to her blog and see links to all the other participants in the hop.



20 comments:

Lori Anderson said...

Particularly love Jewel of the Nile!

Lori Anderson said...

Particularly love Jewel of the Nile!

Sandra said...

Love the colors of the first necklace (jewel of the nile) but the focal seems a tad bit too small for it?
The second necklace rocks, and I don't even like purples, heh. Totally envisioning this being worn by a bollywood actress in one of those wonderfully colorful Indian movies. <3

Lorelei Eurto said...

Wonderful!!! I love the pink and purple necklace and the way the bubbles seem to dance at the forefront of the necklace! I love that you pulled in some textiles, silk! Beautiful outcome!

Karen Firnberg said...

I'm loving seeing everyone's challenge pieces. I like both of your necklaces. Great work!

peacockfairy said...

Wow - what a puzzle indeed to connect all of those! LOVE IT! So many of us saw "statement necklaces" with these pretty sliders!

Unknown said...

Why yes, I know exactly what you mean about the challenge of putting them together! I have to admit, the main reason I was so excited for reveal day is to see what everyone else came up with! I do love both of them, you showcased the pieces beautifully. The silk cord looks stunning with it, and I giggled at you moving the puzzle pieces around...:)

steufel said...

Oh Erin, both pieces are gorgeous!

Shel said...

Love them both but this last one is my favorite and I'm not really a pink/purple kinda girl, but this one is fabulous; colors, design, mix of materials - it's beautiful!!

Tanya said...

I love the pearls with the teal and aqua sliders. It almost makes the sliders look like individual beads.

Your pink and purple focal ... wow! I love the presence. I cannot imagine how you got all of those sliders to connect. I bet it looks amazing on, even if it flops a bit. :)

LisaS said...

Wow! I love it ;)

bstreet studios said...

Amazed by the honeycomb structure of the purple necklace.

I am intrigued by the contrast of the pearls and the resin in the Nile necklace.

Thanks for sharing!

Lotus said...

I love the peachy purple Dunkin' Donut pallet, and I love what you've done with it. I would totally wear that! I like the Nile piece,too, but it is really hard to use a component as large as those four resin spheres anywhere but in the focal and get good balance among the pieces. You did a good job there.

A Polymer Penchant said...

I was totally thinking bollywood too! Very luxe. I swear I struggle with the length of every necklace I make, so totally hear you on the stretching, but oh the effect is so stunning

Irene Helms Designs said...

The colors in Jewel of the Nile are quite pretty. Love the colors!
Irene

Tara P. said...

Gorgeous! I love the Sweet Sparkling Rose the best, I think, although the first one is definitely my color palette! Just stunning! I wasn't able to participate, but I was really excited to see what everyone would make!

Anonymous said...

Love the weirdness of these things. That Sparkling Rose piece is my favorite The colors feel so happy!!!

Treasures by Louise said...

Erin - I love both of your versions, of course turquoise is my color of choice, and it's fantastic with the pearls. I also love the pink and purple silk cords with your honeycomb arrangement. Cheers!

Dawn Doucette said...

Erin, those are SO cool! I love seeing your imagination and creativity at work. What a fun bunch of beads to play with. Because I'm a girly girl and like things blingy, I'd have to say Sweet Sparkling Rose is calling my name! It looks simply delightful!

{Hugs!}
Dawn

Dawn Doucette said...

Erin, I love these beads. They look so light and fun! I particularly love Sweet Sparkling Rose because it's very girly and has that pop of color! ♥

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