Artbeads Fall Challenge

Okay, so I'm a little late on this one.  It's fall now, isn't it?  Hmmmm....that went quick!

So the challenge was to create a piece for fall using Pantone's color forecast.  The choices were so hard to make.  I, of course, settled on Chocolate Truffle...loaded with rich plums and accented with bright apple green, lush black and dusty charcoal.

These are the components I chose for my piece:

I envisioned a modernized charm necklace loaded with these rich plum tube lampswork beads.  Looks like candy, eh?  For the accents, I chose these rich copper Swarovski crystals......

these bright olivine and midnight black fire polish glass beads and some warm copper beads and bead caps to tie the charms in with the chain.

Now...the only problem I'm hitting is time!  I am hoping to find time to work on this piece over the weekend as preparing my shop for the holiday season has been keeping me pretty busy for, I don't know, say 10 hours a day :)

If all goes as planned, you will see the completed piece by next weekend!

My Creative Space...a day late

I have been working on my Artbeads.com Designing Partner piece and as you can tell from the colors will definitely reflect the "Summer" theme. The necklace will be asymmetrical in nature. Here I am working on one side of the necklace. I am absolutely loving working with the vintage beads that came with the mix. So retro!

I'm hoping to have the piece completed by the end of the weekend. Although time has not quite been on my side this week, it is a long weekend and the kids left for a 5 day out-of-town vacation a day early last night, so I am hoping to make up on some time while they are gone. Working when they are away helps keep my mind off the fact that they ARE gone. I miss them so much. They are just glad they got out of school a day early!

Speaking of New Beads.....Bead Soup

bead soup ingredients from Diana!

I'm in a Bead Soup Blog Party and my supplies came this week! Quick brief of the rules: You are paired with a party partner in which you swap stuff from your stash to include a focal, a clasp and some beads. When you receive your goodies from your partner, you create a piece by the deadline and the Blog Party begins!

My partner was the lovely Diana from Vintage Blue Studio. She is known for making gorgeous ceramic focals!

Here's a breakdown of what she sent me:

One of her gorgeous white stoneware pendants with a
watercolor glaze that she created herself :)
and a couple Swarovski crystals.....

....some Fancy-Shmancy vintage buttons
from a recent score of hers....

A fabulous and artsy clasp....just love it...

...and a bunch of super-cool stones including:
kyanite
prehnite
moonstone
apatite

I tried so hard to capture the transparent quality and shimmer
of the moonstone...
alas....unsuccessful :(

same with the mica-like vibrancy and iridescence here...

So...I'm thinking "Ocean Splendour" with the theme of this mix. I know...I could see ocean in a pile of dog p.....*ahem*....you get the picture. I love the ocean so much and live so far away from it. My solution? My coral reef saltwater tank in the family room!

On a side note, Paige will actually be getting clothes this weekend! I am finally at my normal size again and can't wait to dress her up! Don't worry, you get to see the pictures next week!

Anyway, it's too late to join the bead soup blog party at this time, but visit Lori Anderson's Pretty Things and keep up-to-date on her so you don't miss the next one!

My Creative Space

Another lovely stash from Artbeads.com! This time's design challenge? Summertime!
I simply can't wait for summertime and thank goodness, it is finally looming on us! I chose some glass pearls in emeralds and blues, Czech glass beads in green Picasso, a mix of blue glass Czech beads and a bunch of vintage white beads. Add to that a cool brass chain, several gold tone seashore charms and a toggle to match.

I have been playing with designs in my sketchbook for a couple days and haven't really decided which direction I will be taking this. I am tending more towards asymmetrical necklace. However, every time I try to plan a piece and do multiple sketches, it always takes on a life of it's own and becomes something not planned! Why do I bother sketching?!

For more creative spaces, go to kootoyoo's blog. Play along...it's fun!