Pretty Palettes Challenge Reveal

Welcome to The Pretty Palettes Reveal,  If you have been around last week I posted how excited I am that Erin of Treasures Found and Halcraft USA asked me to play along this month.

Here is the palette again, From Design Seeds

These are the beads she choose,

I have to say I jumped in with both feet immediately.  Sometimes that works for me but other times it ends in a block.  These both happened to me this time.  I started out playing with these trying to keep in mind I wanted to use all the beads in one piece.  Some of my trys I will show you others I will not.

Here was my first thought.

I did not like the boxy look of this one, the green beads did not play well and frankly I REALLY wanted to use the 3 hole links.  So it was scrapped.

Then it hit me I may not be able to use all the beads in one piece and I was putting a bit too much pressure on myself.  With that out of the way this next piece literally flowed from my fingers.

I love the vintage look and feel of this and the color is perfection.  Honestly this only took me 2 evenings to finish so it worked up fast too.

Then the block came.  I really really wanted to use the green but everything I tried wasn't looking like I wanted it to.  I even thought I would make a link.

It just did not have it for me.  I set the green aside again and this happened.

Fun to put together but I did not like the way it felt on my wrist.  Then in the 11th hour almost literally it hit me.  I changed up the seed bead and Monday evening this came to me.

I am loving the look and feel of this necklace and as you are reading this I am working on finishing it.
I can not wait to wear it!  I feel bad this is not completed but as in my normal crazy life my sweet husband pinched his sciatica and I have been nurse maid since then.

Thank you so much Erin for challenge me this month I truly enjoyed playing!

Hugs,
KK

Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month Reveal - Lesley's turn

It is time for another reveal.  I am so excited to tell you all about my journey on this one.

Here is what Lesley of TheaElements gave us to choose from.

I have to tell you lately I have realized that I do so much better with surprises on a general basis.  I am so inspired when it arrives.  I have been trying to use my stash as much as possible and I have a gorgeous stash of artbeads to work with but it seems that it is much harder to pick a component and then start picking beads.  I cant seem to choose which component to start with.  One of the other reasons I have discovered I work better with surprises that are part of challenges is that I AM challenged to make what I have on hand work.  That is so much fun for me.

As per my usual I forgot to take a picture of the component before I began to work with it.  I have to get better at remembering to do that.

So I had a bit of extra fun and challenge with this one.  Those of you who read my blog know I love twin beads by Preciosa.  They just speak to me.  So I wanted to do something a bit different and try my hand at a pattern that I have been looking at and admiring for quite a while.

Jill of Jill Wiseman Designs put out a YouTube video of a Dutch Spiral.  I have loved the look of it for some time but just haven't gotten around to playing with it.  I loved her "sticky uppy bead" rule and this cinched it for me.

Because of the beauty of the ammonite I wanted to mimic the spiral so here is what I created!

It was a bit of a bugger for me to use the clasp as it was and not just use it as a button but I really love copper and purple together.  Let me know what you think and be sure to pop over and visit everyone else to see what they have done with theirs.

Guests
Johana Nunez
Leah Curtis
Perri Jackson

AJE TeamLesley Watt
Keirsten Giles
Caroline Dewison
Rebekah Payne
Jjenny Davies-Reazor
Jen Cameron
Diana Ptaszynski
Kristen Stevens
Francesca Watson
Melissa Meman
Linda Landig
Sue Kennedy

Hugs
KK

October AJE Component of the Month Reveal

I love this part of the month!  It is time to reveal what we all did with the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month.

This month it was Kristi's turn and boy she did some amazing ammonite components for us to play with.

I have truly coveted everything Kristi has made you should see my wish list so you know how excited I was to play with this one.

I knew what I wanted to do but of course the beads need to cooperate with me and at first it was not going well. I wanted to mimic the ammonite with twins but what I was trying didn't want to work and then all the sudden it happened.  

I have to tell you I am in love with this piece.  I love making links with seeds and using the twins gave me at least some of the pattern in Kristi's piece.  I actually finished this piece last night.  The clasp is from MiShel Designs who makes the coolest clasps.  AND  those jump rings were actually made by my daughter!

Hop around to see what everyone else has made!!!

Guests 

 Kym Hunter Designs MiShel Designs
AJE Team Members
Jennifer Cameron Glass Addictions
Lesley Watt Gossiping Goddess
Kristen Stevens My Bead Journey
Caroline Dewison Blueberri Beads Jenny Davies-Reazor  Melissa Meman 
Rebekah Payne Tree Wing Studio Francesca Watson Kristi Bowman Design

Hugs

Kristen

Echo Creative Club - December Reveal

First I wish all of you the Happiest of Holidays.  I wish you all love and thank each one of you for your friendship.  And I hope this note finds you all well and loved!

 

So here is the last installment of the 2012 Echo Creative Club!

 

I have had a blast using all of Jeannie's beads and pendants and each one has challenged my creative process and also pulled me out of more than a couple slumps!  Thanks you so much Jeannie for not only the club but the friendship that has blossomed with it!

 

I am going to make this post real quick as this is Christmas Day and we all are going to be busy.  I had wanting one of these little birdies for so long.

 

I used yet another one of Jill Wiseman's patterns from her Beautiful Beaded Ropes book and although it looks pretty I have to tell you there were just a few times I wondered what she was thinking when she created it.  You need to set aside a lot of time to make this one but the results are spectacular in my opinion!  Thank you Jill for your creativity. 

 

So with that I give you.......

 

In a pear tree!

 

I will not be able to hop today but promise to get to it as soon as I can.  Check out what everyone else created and Merry Christmas!

 

Hugs and Blessings

Kristen

Edited for your enjoyment...Echo Creative Club and the Frantic Search!

****So I actually wrote this yesterday and scheduled it to post .......or so I thought.  Just before I went to school to volunteer I wondered why I had no comments yet so I checked.    Yeah I scheduled it for December 13th.  Note to self double check the calendar when scheduling!****

 

 Last month as most of you know I had a lot and I mean a lot of reveals! One of which you haven't seen if you are not on FB.  As I was putting my schedule for this month together I set my November and December beads from Jeannie aside to insure I pick one and get it photographed.  In a safe place right?  We all say that!  Why is it when we say that and put said thing in that said safe place that is precisely the said thing we lose?  I have been frantically searching all week to find it to no avail.  Oh no!!!  I can't lose these I love all my beads and to think one is lost and lonely is total torture!!!

Well now that you have all begun to have that sinking feeling and are thinking of what possible tragedy may have befallen them.....I did find them and you will see with this picture that my November bead is safe and will remain safely under my pillow from now til I decide what treasured part it will play in my next creation.

 

I have to also apologize to you all because I am not that much into me as of late so my blog has suffered.  I think I am finally out of the slump which is good because I have been getting tired of myself.  So I want to show you all that I revealed this month and a sneak peek of what I have for you on Thursday ( yes it still looks like this so I hope something comes to me)

 

Thursdays Reveal

 

 

What I revealed last month

 



Mis Matched Earring Hop



 

 Echo Creative Club - October

Art Jewelry Elements Component of the month

Suburban Girl Studio Design Team

Kalmbach Bead soup

Beadstalker Challenge

 

Hugs and Blessings

KK

 

PS Blogger will not let me post any links at this time!  If you need a link let me know in your comments!

AJE October Compnent Reveal!

Welcome to my first component of the month reveal for Art Jewelry Elements

So I am writing this post as the wind and rain of Sandy are starting to announce her presence.  I am actually getting a bit nervous so I have to make this post short and sweet.

I didn't think I will have something to share with you all this time around which would have made me feel terrible since this is the month that everyone is working with beads I made.  Yeah you know I couldn't not have something so I took a little time out of storm prep this morning after volunteering at school and forced my muse to work for me.  It actually worked. 

 

Here is what everyone had to work with.....

 

And here is what I created today. 

 

It actually matches one of the other 2 reveals I have going on this week IF Sandy lets me.  I used my own beaded beads and a leaf and then had some fun with twins and bezeling the pearls on each side of the leaf.  This has a lot of bling factor and is a bit heavy because of the firepolished beads but you know what I think I like it!  I didn't think forcing Rhiannon (my muse) to make my fingers work would create something I like but hey I could not not follow through with my own hop could I?

 

So head over to the Art Jewelry Elements blog to see who else is playing along!

 

Stay safe my friends!

Hugs and Blessings

KK