Bead Style Magazine 10th Anniversary Review

I was honored to be asked to review the 10th Anniversary issue of BeadStyle by new editor Naomi Fujimoto. Of course, I sent a LOT more review that got cut, but that is what you get when you are wordy! You can go to that link above to see the pretty pictures they added to the review and read about some of my favorite parts of the issue, but below I added the redacted bits so that you could get a bit more of my thoughts on some of the other features in the magazine that they didn't use.

When I first began my journey playing with beads in 2005 it was just a diversion, something to keep my hands occupied. Little did I know that it would transform into a way of life for me!

Even at this earliest stage, when I bought my first beads and wire and some of the cheapest tools imaginable, I knew that I needed some instructions to achieve the looks I wanted. Being short on cash, but long on can-do spirit, I decided that the next best thing to taking a class would be to teach myself. So off to the local bookstore I went.

I discovered BeadStyle and after buying one or two issues, I ordered my first subscription. I found BeadStyle to be just what I needed. The images were clear, the instructions were easy to follow, the tips were what every beginning beader needs to know and the vendors of the products in all the ads opened my eyes to the wide and wonderful world of beads. I think I devoured each advertiser just as much as I did the projects!

I recall very vividly that I marveled at those who were represented in the pages of BeadStyle. It was someone’s job to play with beads and write about them? That must be the best job in the world! (And how do I get a job like that? ;-) Little did I know at the time that many of the contributors were people just like me. And eventually, I got the nerve to submit some designs and have been blessed that a few have actually been published in those pages, an honor that I treasure.

Now with this 10^th anniversary issue, I can see that while much has changed in terms of style, materials and techniques, some things remain a constant. BeadStyle still shared bright and highly detailed photos, close up step-by-step instructions, great tips and techniques, and a huge assortment of the best and most varied bead suppliers you can find anywhere.

The header at the top of each project telling you clearly ‘What You’ll Learn’ is a great feature, for beginners or seasoned veterans. Sometimes I find that it isn’t always clear what skills you will need when you look at the picture of a piece. This allows the beginner to feel confident that they can master the skill, and tells the veteran what techniques will be used.

The one thing that has always set BeadStyle apart is the close up pictures of each step along the way. The fact that the instructions are right next to the full image of the piece is helpful if you are a visual learner like me.

Favorite Projects

Birthstone Projects

One feature that I have always read is the Birthstone Projects. I celebrate an August birthday, so I was thrilled to see a project using Peridot. It took me many years to appreciate the lovely crisp green tone of this stone. The design that BeadStyle shares with the cup chain wrapped with brightly hued ribbons on stacked bracelets is a fresh take on the layered bangle craze. I also found that the variation on expensive supplies for the September birthstone a great option. I think that it would be fun to come up with the birthstone projects each issue. Naomi does a great job.

Style Celebration

I love jewelry that works overtime, and the trio of colorful necklace that Kelsey Lawler made do just that. This idea could be created in so many different color options and beads, always looking fresh and exciting. You could make one to go with every outfit in your closet! I have always loved the pictures in BeadStyle that show a whole necklace (page 51) which diagram the different parts. For me as a visual learner, this is sometimes all the instruction that I need because it allows you to see exactly how it all comes together and points out interesting pieces along the way.

5 Fabulous Finishes

Leather in designs always intrigues me. I can’t tell you how much leather and fiber I have purchased over the years that sits unused because I just don’t have the slightest idea of what to do with it. More often than not, it is the finishing that stumps me. This article is filled with some great design tips that I will need to try. Hopefully, that pretty leather in my stash will start seeing the light of day with these techniques!

Happy 10^th Anniversary to BeadStyle! You continue to be a wealth of information for the new and established beader and I am excited to see where the next ten years will take you!

You are a WINNER!

Congratulations to the two random winners of my brand new Story Beads
'YOU are a child of GOD and with credentials like that you can DO ANYTHING'

Beth of EB Bead and Metal Works who said she would like to do this noble dream:

"I would love to do something more for our military veterans. I especially want to do something at my university for them - I would love to have a Veterans Culture Center as a place to gather for events or have the ROTC students to come over and meet with veterans and hear their stories. A place to collect all the stories of our veterans who are alums and share them with the next generation."

I think you absolutely should pursue that! I think that there needs to be more of connecting our youth to the sacrifices and selflessness that our military veterans embody. 

Dana of Wind Dancer Studios who has a beautiful vision involving children:

"Once upon a time I taught fourth grade art through the arts council. I taught all three of my children and all of their friends. My daughters dream is to open a store where she can also share her love of art with the local children. If I could do anything it would be to help her realize her dream, to share her passion with the kids."

We absolutely need to connect with kids and make it clear that they are creators and problem solvers and art does that wonderfully! I hope you can find a way to make that a reality.

Please email me ASAP with your color choice and metal (silver or copper) and shipping address and I will send this right out to you. I am ready to paint it just for you!

If you didn't win you have a second chance. I am also giving away one more on the Art Bead Scene blog and you can add your comment there. One winner will be chosen at random by the next editor and revealed on the Studio Saturday post on August 24th.

Remember... the three winners of the Story Bead and I will be having a little blog hop on Friday, September 20th to reveal how this message and bead inspires us! Hope you will come back to see what we do! Watch for this bead to pop up in the Etsy store this week.

You Are a Child of God

The day was Friday, August 11, 1988. My 20th birthday.

My dad, then the Vice President of Sales for a local book manufacturer, needed to get a sheaf of important documents to one of his sales representatives in Milwaukee. He offered to pay me to drive his cherry red Fiero halfway, about an hour and a half to just outside Fond du Lac to make the drop. What could be better than to get paid to drive a sportscar, blaring the radio on a hot summer day and getting paid to do it?

I pulled into the Hardee's parking lot a few minutes early. I had never really met this sales rep before, but I knew that not only did he work with my dad as the best sales man they had, but he also was a partner in a business they had taken over earlier that year. SPAN Publishing was formed from three friends who saw an opportunity.

A few minutes later a little red Miata roared into the gravel parking lot erupting in a cloud of dust. The door opened and out came Erv, cigarette dangling precariously from the big smile on his lips. He bounded up to me and greeted me like I was an old friend.

Erv was carrying a small box with an explosion of curly ribbon on top. Looking out over the top of his glasses, he handed it to me saying that he heard it was a special day for me. Inside was a mug from Hallmark.

This mug had the following quote on it

"Don't listen to those
who would give you reasons
why you can't succeed.
You're a child of God,
and with credentials like that,
you can do anything." 

~Linda Lee Elrod

Then with a wink, he a shared a bit of advice.

"Never let anyone make you work on your birthday!"

And as quickly as he roared into my life, Erv was gone in a flash of red tail lights, driving back the way he came.

Our first encounter was brief, but Erv came to be a wonderful part of my life over time.

I have spent the last 25 years taking to heart both of these pearls of wisdom.


Eventually, I came to work for SPAN Publishing, even though for years I worked here off and on since it was in my house (a whole different story!), a place I still work going on 17 years next month. I have tried to remain steadfast in not working on my birthday since receiving that gift 25 years ago. It hasn't always worked out that way, but when it does, it is a marvelous gift and it always brings Erv to my mind with a smile for this gift of wisdom.

As an owner of the company I work for, Erv was larger than life. His presence, while few and far between, was always met with enthusiasm. You just couldn't help but be charmed by Erv and his wacky stories and boundless energy. He had an ability to see potential in any situation. And he had undying love for his granddaughter Elise and his daughter April. They were clearly his greatest joy.

Every story that involves Erv was hysterical. Like the time when he set an upholstered chair on fire in a swanky Toronto restaurant while on a trade show trip with our staff. You should have seen his reaction when we had them add it as a line item to the bill...'One chair....$268'! There was the time when he nearly fell into a ravine while looking for his golf ball, cigarette hanging from his lips as he drove zig-zags over the course. Luckily, one our my colleagues jumped out and propped up the golf cart before he even realized how close he was to falling into the ditch. Or all the times when he would get stopped for speeding and he would pull out a copy of the public safety directory we publish as a 'gift' for the arresting officer. These stories are legend around our office and always make me smile.

The last few years brought fewer and fewer visits from Erv. He battled some health conditions that come with age and some that were not so expected. That new reality brought the inevitable permanent parking of his beloved car. Of course, Erv found ways to sneak laps around the parking lot, much to his daughter's chagrine.

I found out last week that Erv had suffered a stroke and a nasty fall. It was pretty bad and it didn't look like he would make it more than a few days. There was no time to go and say our goodbyes before, but several of my colleagues traveled down to Milwaukee to share stories and wishes with the family at the visitation on Friday. I am very glad that I went. I got to tell the story of the birthday mug to his daughter and granddaughter almost exactly 25 years to the day that it happened. I think it brought them some comfort and they were not surprised by the gesture in the least.

A few things I learned from Erv...
...go after what you want in life and trust that all will fall into place.
...surround yourself by those that love you and love them back the best you can.
...see opportunities and potential in everything and seek to make meaningful connections.
...always leave a place better than you found it.
...be generous with your time, talent and treasures.
...laugh a little every day.

And while I only took a half day off on Monday for my birthday, it was to oversee the cleaning of all the carpets and mattresses in my house - a gift to me - so I hope that Erv would approve!

Happy Birthday from me to you!

As I have been thinking about Erv, his message for my life, and my beloved birthday mug (so surprised that I still had it after all these years!), I was inspired by the last line:

 'You are a child of God & with credentials like that you can do anything!'

I knew that I needed to make art with that sentiment. So I created a Story Bead tube with this message. Soon I will be offering these in my Etsy Shop, but as a belated birthday gift from me to you, I would like to give away two of them. 

[NOT the new beads, but you get the idea ;-)]

I am ready to put the finishing touches on them, right now they are 'naked' without any color [the beads above will just give you an idea of what they will look like]. I haven't painted them yet, so YOU get to choose the colors. [I think they look best in a wash of 2-3 tones. Your choice.] You can choose silver or copper for the metal.

But here is the twist... if you win, you have to agree to do a little blog reveal with me in a few weeks, I propose, Friday, September 20th. I want to see how this message and this bead inspire you!

So, who is with me?

Just leave a comment on this post answering the following: 

If you are a Child of God and you can do anything,
what is that anything that you would want to do?

Be sure that you have an email so that I can contact you if you win! 

I will reveal the two random winners on Monday, August 19th.

2nd Annual Challenge of Travel :: You Are Here

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel
until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
~ Lin Yutang

Last year, the inaugural Challenge of Travel took us all around this beautiful globe of ours, to little-known countries and well-loved ones, too. I learned so many fascinating things from all of those that chose to participate. I hope you enjoyed it, too. It was a marvelous journey!

This year, I decided that we should shake things up a bit. I thought that we should experience that which is in our own backyards, down the street, around the corner or across the way. For the 2nd Annual Challenge of Travel, we are going to have ourselves a staycation. 

stay·ca·tion

[stey-key-shuhn] 

noun

a vacation spent at home or near home, doing enjoyable activities or visiting local attractions.

When I was in a college writing course, I remember that one of the first assignments the professor had us do was to write an essay about something that makes our own hometown unique. I will admit that it was a hard exercise for a girl who was longing to bust free of the old hometown and experience the whole wide world. And while the professor thought that my writing style was too conversational and saccharine for his tastes, it did teach me something about appreciating what you've got. 

People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination,
the kind of people they ignore at home.

~ Dagobert D. Runes

Traveling to a different part of the world allows you to open up to learning about that area. Generally those who travel want to eat where the locals eat, experience the local culture, marvel at the local architecture and soak up all there is to learn about that place. But have you ever done that for your own area? It is easy to take for granted that we don't need to do that. We start living with blinders on and don't notice all that makes our hometown special.

The Challenge this year is to keep it close to home: your hometown that you live in now, or the one you grew up in; your home state or country; even the neighborhood you live in or the land you claim as your own. 

Your own neighborhood, city, county, state or country is a locale that is worthy of exploring. This exercise might even change the way you view where you call home to enhance your quality of living there. Time to celebrate where you come from, or where you are now. Join me, won't you?

Spend some time in your hometown as a tourist would. Where would they go? Are the museums or quirky tourist attractions nearby? What restaurants would the locals suggest to them? Go on a nature tour to find out about the local flora and fauna. Or learn about the historical figures who called your area home.

Take a closer look at your surroundings. Go on a photo safari and snap pictures of interesting vistas, cool architectural details, and natural land formations that might set your area apart. Take wide shots and macro. Perhaps there is a color palette that will jump out at you or a detail that will be important to include.

Notice the people. Today I noted that the fountain in our downtown square was filled with the joyous peels of laughter from the little children that came to play in it. This is something I walk by each day, but I saw it through fresh eyes as if for the first time.

True, going on a vacation to an exotic locale can be quite exciting. But it can also be expensive, exhausting, and stressful. And it makes me appreciate even more the home that I have when I return. I think we often overlook those things that are right under our noses. I am just asking you to spend some time getting to know the treasures you have right in front of you, sharing some history and local flavor with us, and celebrating all that makes your hometown a great place to live. 

It's not necessary to go far and wide.
I mean, you can really find exciting and inspiring things
within your hometown.
~ Daryl Hannah

Ready to take the Challenge?

Hopefully, this will be a chance to get up out of your studio, or living room, and encourage you to explore what makes where you call home special. In this challenge you will be tasked with creating an accessory that captures the spirit of wherever you call home.

Whatever your inspiration... the climate, the landscape, the festivals and celebrations, the local traditions and institutions, the architecture of buildings or the natural landmarks... I challenge you to be inspired by the place you call home this month!

Who knows? Maybe you will discover a place that someone else will write about that will encourage you to visit there one day!

1::Go to the tab above that says 'take the challenge' and sign up. Participation is limited to the first 80 who sign up between August 1st-4th.

2::Plan a staycation. Be a tourist in your own town. Ask friends and family for recommendations on what makes your hometown unique. Investigate something that you have never done in your town before. Google your hometown. What did you find out?

2::Share the tourist attractions. Act like the convention and visitor's bureau for your location and get us excited about the area you live in. If you do a great job, we just might be on the next plane there, so get the guest room ready! ;-)

3::Mark your calendar: Blog Hop on Saturday, August 31st. Yes, you must have a blog to participate in a blog hop. ;-) You are encouraged to blog about your hometown, your inspiration, your creative process. Be sure to share with us what makes travel to your area unique. Think of this as an exercise in localism or nationalism. Please find a way to share something about this place on your blog. We would love to lean about where you live!

The most important thing, the only rule really, is to HAVE FUN!

Style That Sticks With You!

"Your mind is a magnet. You don't attract what you need or what you want; you attract who you are. And I love who I am!" ~ Carlos Santana 

I have been very, very, very busy this summer. In between dodging raindrops at youth baseball and softball tournaments every weekend through June and July, I have been working on a brand new venture for me.

I hinted at this on my Facebook page some weeks ago. Sorry to taunt you like that. But I wasn't ready to reveal it until I could work the kinks out.

Today, I am pleased to introduce you to Pop-a-Dot Jewelry. Style That Sticks With You.

No. I have not gone out of my mind. I have not abandoned the artisan jewelry that I love to create. This is not a substitute for my Simple Truths. This is a way for me to give back.

Pop-a-Dot Jewelry is exclusively for fundraising. I have already done one event with success and I am started on the next one with others in the works.

I have a new domain and blog at www.popadotjewelry.com. Please bookmark it so that you can see what cause I am supporting next in case you want to help as well.

I have a new email at dot@popadotjewelry.com. I would love to know what you think about this new venture and I welcome your suggestions!

Would you like to know more? Please visit this inaugural post on the Pop-a-Dot Jewelry site to read The History, see The Plan and get excited about The Future!

Showcase 500 Art Necklaces

Last summer I spotted a call for submissions for Lark Publishing's 500 Series. I had seen these books before, and truthfully I almost didn't submit. I mean, they cull the cream of the crop and I wasn't sure that I had anything that would pass the test. I am a completely self-taught artist so I sometimes suffer from the affliction of comparison. These would be necklaces that were created by artists. Would I be invited to hang with that crowd?

Having just completed an exhibit at the Gallery Q for the Verse & Vision 2012 show in May, I knew exactly what to submit. The thing with the Lark publications, especially the 500 Series, is that you have to have professional photography to even be considered. Luckily, we have a fine photographer in our midst at Q who took glamour shots of all the art for the Verse & Vision show to be compiled in the exhibit book. My only decision was which of the three to submit.

{Winter Into Spring}

I ended up sending in the two that I felt best represented what an art necklace means to me. For a necklace to be considered an art necklace, I feel that it has to have a highly sculptural quality, something that might not be practical to wear, but also something that has a real story to tell. Unconventional materials, or standard materials used in a new and excited way, are what I would think would qualify. Given that these two necklaces were inspired by poems from Wisconsin poets, they certainly told a story, and they both used a wide array of materials, so I would consider them art worthy of any wall (or body). If you would like to read the original poems that inspired these, please check out my Challenge of Literature post from May 2012 for the full details from the Verse & Vision 2012 show. 

{Old Love}

I found out in February that both of my pieces were selected. What I didn't know was how many entries there were. Over 3,000! And from that pool of applicants, the curator - mixed media and metalsmithing jewelry professor from the University of Iowa, Chunghi Choo - culled it down to just 500. I found out that there are 475 artists from around the world in the book. So... that means that I am one of a select few that had more than one piece accepted! That fact makes me incredibly proud. I am truly honored to be counted among them.

I will say that I have poured over the pages in recent weeks and the book is really stunning. The small compact size packs quite a punch of art. This book is laid out very much like a gallery exhibit: each spread reminds me of a wall space were similar works of art are hung together, and sometimes the connections are surprising. The pieces range from high-end designer diamonds and gems incorporated into meticulously detailed settings to found object creations that look like experiments gone wild. And then there are the things in between. I am almost certain that a lot of these pieces were projects that students in University art programs likely created. I think that my mish-mosh sort of style worked to my advantage with a juror who is known for her mixed-media creations. Some of the pieces presented are completely wearable and some of it not so much. It is art, after all. And art is in the eye of the beholder. Or in this case the neck of the beholder. 

And although some of it is really out there and cutting edge - like a beheaded and armless baby doll as a pendant with a spout for peeing (I kid you not!), or a ring of cotton tampons puffed up and wound with gold thread (surprisingly intriguing shape!), or spoon fashioned into a cuff necklace with an acrylic sunny-side up egg dripping from it (truthfully, eggware is not for me) - other pieces are simply divine and make me do a double-take to see more. Their materials, colors, patterns and styles are fantastic and completely inspiring. The forms themselves make me want to see what I could do to interpret them to pay homage to the original.  I love the manipulation of the every day object to elevate it to a much more highly regarded work of art. I might not have the metalsmithing skills and studio necessary to make the pieces shown, but it certainly inspires me to see how I can incorporate some of the details in my own art jewelry for the future. A book like this helps me envision what is possible. And that sort of inspiration is a good thing. 

Here is a press release that I wrote about the honor that I am submitting to my local news outlets.  

500 Series
One of Lark Publishing's most distinctive and popular lines, this is the series lovers of fine craftmanship rave about. The 500 Series provides and overview of the best contemporary work in fields such as ceramics, woodworking, jewelry making, and more. 

Each book is juried by an expert, features informative introductory text, and showcases spectacular images of state-of-the art work. The first in the series, 500 Teapots, was published in 2002. Since then, over 35 books have followed, and new titles release each season. With an international roster of contributors that includes both established names and up-and-coming craftspeople, each volume spotlights the shared and divergent approaches taken by artists who are producing visionary work. 

Filled with lavish photographs, these gorgeous books inspire crafters and collectors, artists and afficionados - anyone who enjoys celebrating the creative spirit. They are like an art gallery for your coffee table, and provide a wealth of artful enjoyment.

 The newest entry in the stunningly crafted Showcase 500 series is called Showcase 500 Art Necklaces and features the most gorgeous art jewelry you have ever seen. Lovingly crafted by renowned jewelers and artists from around the world, these one-of-a-kind pieces display technical excellence, diverse forming techniques, and unceasing beauty. Made of materials that range from traditional metals and gemstones to nylon, fabric and found objects, these necklaces will leave crafters, jewelers, design fans and collectors awestruck. 

The juror is noted University of Iowa Professor of Jewelry & Metal Arts, Ms. Chunghi Choo. Ms. Choo narrowed the field of 3,000 submitted necklace designs down to the 500 in the book, represented by 475 different artists from around the world. 

Erin Prais-Hintz, artisan jewelry designer of Tesori Trovati Jewelry, submitted two of her designs that were featured in the May 2012 Verse & Vision exhibit at the Gallery Q in Stevens Point, Wisconsin: Winter Into Spring and Old Love. Both were selected by juror Chunghi Choo to be included in this presitgious publication. The necklaces were photographed by local photographer John Hartman, who received a byline credit for each entry. 

 The book Showcase 500 Art Necklaces can be purchased from Barnes & Noble or wherever books are sold. 

I don't know that I would have ever taken the chance to submit these if I didn't have the professional photos to share (thank you John Hartman!). But from now on, I am not going to let that stop me from trying! These pieces will remain in my private collection shown as sculpture in my studio (of course, I do wear Winter Into Spring as it is one of my favorites!) to remind me that sometimes it is great to create art just for the sake of art. Thank you for sharing in this bit of good news with me!

Brandi's Color Challenge

"All colors are the friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites." ~Marc Chagall
 
You all know that I cannot resist a good challenge. And if it has to do with color, well, then count me in!

Thank you to my friend, Miss Brandi Hussey, for selecting the unique palettes for us to be challenged by in honor of her brand new book, Understanding Color: Color Theory Made Easy. Read my review of this outstanding new reference. I know you will want one.

Brandi created six different color palettes each with six colors each for us to be inspired by and we could make whatever we wanted in the medium of our choice. I had grandiose plans to do all six palettes and even selected beads in my stash to go with each. But I only was able to complete four of them by staying up to the wee hours after baseball all night. On the other hand, now I have a few new kickstarts for when my Muse goes MIA again. Win-win!

I am going to try something new for me... a Buy It Now button for each. I have never really done that, so if you are interested in any of these, I will wrap them up and mail them out to you as a lovely little present. And if not, well, they will find homes someplace else.

So, let's get started, shall we?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This first palette is very soft and cool feeling, like those first fresh ferns that unfurl in the spring under the dappled sunshine in a deep woods. This is a green that I can live with and it plays so well with the neutral greeny-beige colors. I had the perfect bead from Golem Studio.

I am a hoarder of Golem beads (oh, who am I kidding... I hoard all beads!). I have had the pleasure of meeting Vlad and his wife Kremona and they are just the most lovely of people. I have a whole set of them and was going to do a necklace, but then I spied these sweet lucite leaves nearby left over from a project I did last month for the Lovely Knots challenge. Now I had my bright green in the middle and the soft beige tones. Thinking lucite I remembered these carved melon lucite beads and threw in one in a slightly more blue tone just for contrast. This bracelet features an antiqued silver magnetic flower clasp that echoes the shape on the Golem bead and measures 7 1/2". I call this 'Unfurling' since those leaves and the color remind me of those sweet ferns opening their fingers to the warmth of the sun.

'Unfurling' bracelet
$50.00 + 3.00 shipping

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now THIS palette, #2, is my kind of palette. I was fond of living in these saturated jewel tones in the 80s and 90s. I am not a big pink fan, but that bright fuschia color is my shade, and I can tolerate the other pinks as they are more of the back up singers to this high note. This palette just looks rich to me, with the royal purpley-blue and the soothing teal.

I went back to the book Bohemian Inspired Jewelry and found one of my favorite projects there by Erin Siegel called Sakura. I did a book review for that back in June 2012 if you want to see what I created from this fabulous book's inspiration. I don't have a lot of waxed Irish linen, but I did have this spool of variegated hemp cord that worked perfectly with all the colors of the palette. I found this pretty leaf in the deep magenta color from Humblebeads and a rustic turquoise ceramic bead from Diane Hawkey. I thought the pink would be hard, but as luck would have it, I had tiny faceted rose quartz and some larger faceted crystal rondelles. To get that deep blue-purple color, I dug out some blue goldstone faceted rounds. I love that stone with the little flecks that pick up the light and bounce it back. Whenever I work with fiber like this, I always underestimate what I will need. I went with the amounts in the Sakura instructions but I should have added like 15 more inches. It is a true 16" length, perfect for you girls with those nice thin necks ;-). On me it is a little too snug, as I prefer an 18-20" length. It closes with a vintage pressed glass button.

I am calling this 'Sweet Simplicity' for the way this makes me feel a little bit bohemian and free. Wouldn't this look great with a flowy white sundress and strappy sandals on the beach?

'Sweet Simplicity' necklace
$50.00 + 3.00 shipping
**SOLD**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I chose this palette because yellow scares me. No, really. I almost never use yellow so I wasn't even sure that I could find something that would match. But as luck would have it, I had the perfect bead that I bought some time ago from Honey Bijou. Unfortunately, Honey Bijou is no longer making beads for sale :-( which is too bad, because I really liked the way she worked with colors in her polymer clay beads and also these great 'doodle beads' she sold that she made using left over clay.

I bought a mix of caliente-colored Czech glass flowers from Fusion Beads and was able to pick out several of the shades to match. The yellow was harder to find, but I remembered I had a huge mixed bag of carved gemstone leaves from Fire Mountain Gems from awhile ago and there were some sort of gem that had that soft yellow color, not sure what it is. Adding to this is a fun fluted polymer clay and metal round in that deep fuschia from Jeannie Dukic, a polymer clay floral caned bead from Too Aquarius, and my own attempts at enamel in this soft lavender color bead.

Oh, and I used my new 1-Step Looper on these dangles. It works, but I did manage to crush a few of the glass beads I had to discard, and I still had to open them all up and secure them to the chain, so I am not sure about this tool yet. But if you have to make a lot of dangles it does make quick work. I just wish that the loop could be adjustable so that you could make it larger. Have you used one? What do you think about it?

I really love this one (and ultimately may decide to keep it for myself ;-) as it has such a sassy mix of hot colors and a sweet jangly sound. I am calling this "Hothouse Flowers" for the way this looks like a modern tropical corsage for your wrist. Measures 7 1/2" with brass findings and a floral toggle clasp.

'Hothouse Flowers' bracelet

$65.00 + 3.00 shipping

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This is the palette that grabbed my attention first. Of course, I liked all the greens and turquoise, but that salsa red really threw me. It is such a pure and saturated shade next to all the other more soft and muted ones that I knew that this would be a challenge. I had something completely different in mind for this, with a hoarded Jade Scott heart pendant and tiny red rondelles, but my Muse was having none of it. So I will have to come back to that idea later.

Then I spotted this discarded steel wire frame that I had made for another project and next to that was a polymer clay bird from Humblebeads. I have an entire bin of the Jangles beads from Michaels (I keep buying more every time I go in there). The tones were perfect and added that touch of whimsy that I love so much. I wired the birdie onto the bottom of the frame, making a nest. But it needed something else so I plucked out a wee Humblebeads toadstool and another Jangles dangle.

This is a long necklace, 32" + 3" dangle. I have been making many, many in this style as they are so easy to just slip on over a t-shirt or a sundress and they layer well with other necklaces. But the real the beauty of this design is that if you want it shorter, you can just take the silky gunmetal chain (this is my favorite chain from Rings & Things - I practically have the item code memorized I buy it so often!), double it over and pass the chain over the bird frame to wear it short with the beaded links off to one side. I love designs that can be worn more than one way!

I am calling this 'Swinging Around' as it looks like this birdie is kicking up her heels on an avian swingset.

'Swinging Around' necklace
$65.00 + 3.00 shipping

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Thank you, to Miss Brandi for throwing down such a great challenge that got me to raid my stash and come up with new ideas and new designs. Please hop on over to BrandiGirlBlog to see who else played along and what art they created using these six palettes.

UPDATE!Due to some computer glitches, Miss Brandi has extended the deadline for entering to MIDNIGHT TONIGHT! So... if you are at all interested... get creative and enter something! Prizes await!
ENTER your creative masterpiece on the form HERE!