AJE April Component of the Month Reveal

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AJE April Component of the Month, Art Jewelry Elements, Marsha Neal Studio, Ragged Robyn, Rebekah Payne, Tree Wings Studio

I have two reveals today!  If you are looking for the Amethyst Aether reveal, please click here.

The Art Jewelry Elements blog has a variety of very talented contributors.  Each month, one artist offers a component that the other contributors and three lucky winners get to use in a creation.  For April, the artist is Rebekah Payne of Tree Wings Studio.  I was actually the fourth winner this month.  Since an extra name fell out as she was choosing (mine!) she decided to include me.  Thanks, Rebekah!  Her component is a lovely little heart.  Although it is made from polymer clay, she has textured it to look like weathered wood.  Participants had a choice of brown or grey.  I chose grey.

Both sides are textured, and she carved the word “love” into the side.  I didn’t get a good picture of that and was anxious to get started working with it, so you can see more pictures here.

I get such joy from art beads.  When I got the heart and started considering how I wanted to use it, I was thinking about how I feel when I see a new art bead.  It can feel like fireworks.  This heart is small, but I still wanted it to be the focal of my piece.  I thought of a collection of tiny stoneware clay beads I have by Ragged Robyn she calls Poppets.  The variety of textures, colors and shapes make me think of that fireworks feeling, and because they are tiny they wouldn’t detract from the heart as the focal.

I used some grey vintage sequins as spacers and blue wire to string the beads. I wanted to keep the feel of the necklace soft and delicate, so I braided together three colors of hand painted silk cord from Marsha Neal Studio.

I love seeing Rebekah’s beautiful little heart front and center in this necklace. It makes me smile.  Thanks to Rebekah and Art Jewelry Elements for allowing me to participate this month.  It was great fun!

Please visit the links below to join the hop and see what other people have created with their heart.

Guests
Karin Grosset Grange
Carol Briody
Rebecca Anderson

Ann Schroeder – You are HERE!

AJE Team
Rebekah Payne
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Caroline Dewison
Susan Kennedy
Diana Ptaszynski
Kristen Stevens
Linda Landig
Melissa Meman

Niky Sayers

Lindsay Starr

AJE August Component Reveal

Tags

AJE, Art Jewelry Elements, Grubbi, leather feathers, Natalie McKenna, Rebekah Payne, Tree, WoolyWire

I have had such wonderful luck with the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month.  I was very fortunate to win one of Rebekah Payne‘s leather feathers to work with this month.  We were offered a single larger feather or a smaller mirrored earring pair.  I chose a gorgeous single feather.

The top photo is by Rebekah and shows the choice of single feathers.  I chose the one in the middle of that photo.  Below you can see the incredible detail. She cuts the feathers from suede, uses a wood burner to create a design and then hand paints them.

I went through so many ideas in my head, I think I’ll have to get more feathers. For this challenge, I decided to make a bracelet.  I tend to wear bracelets more often than necklaces.

I made the feather the focal of the bracelet and added some labradorite to bring out the grey tones.  The feather is rustic yet elegant.  I see the labradorite the same way – a gemstone in this rough faceted nugget cut.  I separated the larger beads with small random brown beads as a nod to the various browns in the feather and wrapped the connection with WoolyWire for texture and color.  I punched a hole at the end of the feather so I could add a clasp.  I have to admit that was hard for me.  I never want to alter components, but sometimes they need a hole or glue (in the case of cabs) for a connection.

To finish it off with a little movement, I added a ladybug charm I got in a destash from  Natalie McKenna of Grubbi. I love my feather bracelet.  Thank you so much AJE and Rebekah Payne!  Please click on the links below to see what contributors and other lucky guest winners made with their feathers.  It’s going to be fun!

Guest Artists

Karin Grosset Grange – http://ginkgoetcoquelicot.blogspot.com/

Ann Schroeder – https://beadlove.wordpress.com/ – You are HERE.

Claire Lockwood – http://www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com/

Toltec Jewels – http://www.jewelschoolfriends.com/

The AJE Team

Jen Cameron – http://www.glassaddictions.com/blog

Diana Ptaszynski – http://www.suburbangirlstudio.com/

Kristen Stevens – http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com/

Lesley Watt – http://www.thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com/

Jenny Davies-Reazor – http://www.jdaviesreazor.com/blog

Francesca Watson – http://francescawatson.com/

Linda Landig – http://www.lindasbeadblog.com/

Melissa Meman – http://melissameman.blogspot.com/

Sue Kennedy – http://www.suebeads.blogspot.com/

Rebekah Payne – http://www.treewingsstudio.com/

Caroline Dewison – http://blueberribeads.blogspot.co.uk/

AJE June Component Reveal

Tags

Art Jewelry Elements, Linda Landig

The Art Jewelry Elements blog is home to a very talented group of artists.  They have a Component of the Month challenge hop, and this month I was the lucky recipient of one of the beautiful components by Linda Landig.  A lovely little flower pendant:

I contemplated this pendant for a while and looked at different things I could use with it.  I considered some crackled brown dyed jade or various pink beads and stones to bring out that touch of pink in the middle.  I considered some rustic browns to bring out the rustic side.  But in the end I really found this pendant to be quite romantic in feeling.  I had some purplish keshi pearls I thought looked lovely with it and added to that romantic look.  But as I was putting the necklace together, I found that the rough nature of the pearls meant that they took up too much space near where the pendant hung.  I did not want to add what I considered a distracting element by having anything too large that would help the pendant hang further away from the strung pearls.

I spied a ribbon on my beading table that was braided with some other fibers I hadn’t ended up using in another project.  The ribbon was the perfect colors.  So many of my creations are the result of that kind of happenstance of what is on my table at the time.  But it was meant to be because the colors are so spot-on! When I put the pendant on the ribbon, I loved how it looked.  It had almost a Victorian feeling of a cameo on a velvet ribbon.

But I thought I can’t just put this on a ribbon and a call it a day!  So I went back to the pearls and thought I’d combine the two.  I added some brown stone beads toward the tops of the pearl strand.  I also recently started experimenting more with wire, and used one of my own copper clasps.  When I wasn’t happy with how much the crimp covers hid, I added some small jump rings, a trick I saw Erin Prais-Hintz write about.

While it was difficult to narrow down which beads to use, and I’m sure I could have made a dozen beautiful pieces based on this lovely pendant, I’m quite pleased with how this necklace came out.  I have some more of Linda’s ceramic pieces, so I will definitely get the chance to make more.

Thank you so much to Linda and Art Jewelry Elements for allowing me to play along this month.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.  Please click on the links below to see what the other participants made with Linda’s beautiful garden-themed ceramic components.

Guests
Ann Schroeder – You are HERE
Mischelle Andrade Fanucchi

Therese Frank

AJE Members

Susan Kennedy

Diana Ptaszynski

Linda Landig

Lesley Watt
Melissa Meman

Caroline Dewison

Francesca Watson

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Rebekah Payne

Kristen Stevens

 

 

 

AJE June Reveal Postponed Until July 3rd

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Art Jewelry Elements, Linda Landig

The Art Jewelry Elements June Component of the Month reveal has been postponed until July 3rd.  Come back then and see what I created with this pendant by Linda Landig:

I Love Art Jewelry Elements!

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Art Jewelry Elements, Linda Landig

Art Jewelry Elements is a fabulous blog with multiple contributors.  I have learned so much since I started following this blog.  The artists post about their processes, share tutorials, and muse about all things jewelry, beads and other components.  Speaking of components, they have a regular Component of the Month giveaway and blog hop.  The contributors and several lucky winners get a component from one of the artists, make something with it and then participate in a blog hop to share their creations.

Linda Landig is the artist generously providing the June Component of the Month.  She has recently begun working in ceramics, and I’m really loving her work.  I already have a couple of her ceramic pieces, and then I was one of the fortunate people chosen for the hop this month.  I got my component in the mail today.  I was very excited to open it and see which one it was, and….

Ta-da!  I love this little nugget of goodness!  It is a gorgeous purpley-blue depending what light you are in.  The flower is a golden-orange color with a little pink in the middle and a beautiful rustic brown around the edges.  Look at all the color packed into one pendant!  Kind of like a real flower – you keep seeing more the longer you look at it.

I’m excited to get to my bead table and start working, but I have to let it swirl around in my head a few days before I will get the chance.  I wish jewelry designs would pop fully formed into my head like term papers used to in college when I let the research ferment in my brain for a week or two.  (I was fermenting, you understand, not procrastinating.)

I was reading a discussion recently where jewelry designers were talking about waking up from dreams with jewelry designs in their heads.  That never happens to me!  Luckily this beautiful pendant provides plenty of inspiration.  I love the colors and the rustic, glossy beauty of it.  I’m not a gardener by any means, but I think this flower looks like a pansy.  The colors definitely fit with that assessment.

Please come join me on June 30th for the reveal and see what I make with my lovely component and hop around to see what everyone else makes with theirs. It will be lots of fun.  Also, don’t miss out on the Art Jewelry Elements 1000 likes celebration.  To celebrate hitting 1000 likes on their Facebook page, they are having seven (count ’em, seven) giveaways starting on Monday, June 16th. Don’t miss it!  Subscribe to their blog and like their Facebook page to be sure you get to join in the fun.

New Jewelry

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Art Jewelry Elements, Gillian McMurray, Keirsten Giles, Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp, More Skye Jewels, namaste, palmbeachkarma, paper beads, roman glass, Skye Jewels, yoga jewelry

A little while ago, I got some great tile pendants from More Skye Jewels.  The artist, Marie-Noel Voyer-Cramp also creates beautiful jewelry.  Check out her store.  I started a necklace with one of the tiles almost right away, but then the project stalled.  I often have qualms about how to connect parts of a piece of jewelry.  The connections never satisfy me, and I also agree with Keirsten Giles‘ blog post confession over at Art Jewelry Elements that I enjoy thinking about making jewelry more than I actually enjoy making it.

Nevertheless, I finally finished the necklace.  In addition to the namaste pendant by More Skye Jewels, I added a paper bead by Gillian McMurray with a chakra symbol on it.  Hanging with the pendant is a handmade silver heart chakra symbol I got long ago from palmbeachkarma on ebay.  I put the whole thing together with wire wrapped glass pearls and voilà.  I’m pretty happy with it.

In addition, I bought some roman glass a while ago, but I’ve been nervous to use it.  It seems so fragile.  However, I’ve seen a variety of earrings made with it, and I thought that would be easier on it than a necklace or bracelet.  I made these earrings. I’m not sure about them.  They might benefit from a greater variety of bead sizes, like making the one bead above the roman glass a slightly smaller size so they don’t look so clumpy.  What do you think?

AJE December Component of the Month Reveal

Tags

Art Jewelry Elements, Gaea, Keith O'Connor, Miss Fickle Media, Rebekah Payne, Second Surf, Staci Smith, Sweet Olive Supplies, Tree Wrings Studio, Yuki Designs

If you have never visited the Art Jewelry Elements blog, you should do so immediately (but come back here after!)  There are multiple contributors writing “for jewelry designers using handmade and high quality components in their art jewelry” to quote from the blog.

Each month one of the contributors makes a component that is sent to the AJE team as well as several lucky winners chosen at random.  For December, Rebekah Payne of Tree Wings Studio was offering one of her speckle beads to each participant.  I was thrilled when my name was picked!  We were given a color choice, and I chose a lovely brown with white and orange dots.  Of course I got it and started trying designs right away and did not get a good picture of it alone, but here is a close up of it in action.

The original design I had in mind did not work out. But no worries because when you have a beautiful bead, you can use it so many ways.  I sketched a necklace and a bracelet and thought I would probably make the necklace. However, when I got to the beading table, as often happens, all that went out the window.  I still believe each sketch would have resulted in a nice piece of jewelry, but I was inspired by this ribbon.

The ribbon was tied on a package of beads I got from Staci Smith.  I get a thrill any time I can incorporate pieces of ribbon, extra beads or charms used in the packaging of something I have purchased.  The ribbon color was so perfect for Rebekah’s bead and the more bohemian feeling I am working towards in my jewelry making.  I spent a little time deciding which other beads I wanted to use with it and their exact placement.  I’m very happy with how the necklace came out.

Thank you so much to Art Jewelry Elements and Rebekah Payne for letting me join in the fun this month!  I always appreciate it when people list their art bead and other sources.  It has allowed me to find many wonderful artists and shops.  Here are the artists/sources for the other materials I used in addition to the speckle bead:

red aventurine nuggets: Sweet Olive Supplies
off white faceted ceramic bead: Gaea
orange raku bead: Keith O’Connor
faceted glass bead: Miss Fickle Media
copper clasp: Second Surf

Make sure to visit the other people who have done something wonderful with their speckle bead at the blogs below:

Guest Designers:

Stephanie – Confessions of a Bead Hoarder

Ann – Bead Love – You are here!

Karin – Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Melissa – Bead Recipes

AJE Team:

Karen – Starry Road Studio

Diana – Suburban Girl Studio

Kristen – My Bead Journey

Lesley – The Gossiping Goddess

Jenny – Jenny Davies-Reazor

Linda – Linda’s Bead Blog & Meanderings

Melissa – Melissa Meman… Art, Life, Love

Susan – Sue Beads

Rebekah – Tree Wings Studio

Caroline – BlueberriBeads

Earrings, Earrings, Earrings

Tags

Art Jewelry Elements, Contents Jewelry, CSA, Free Art Friday, Genea, Little Free Libraries, wing dings

Art Jewelry Elements issued an earring challenge at the beginning of this year.  People could join for the whole year, one quarter or somewhere in between to make and post earrings each week.  The idea was to help jumpstart creativity. 

I often have lots of ideas swirling in my head that never come to fruition.  I did not join the challenge (I could never keep up).  However, upon reading the post for this week, I was moved to make a pair of earrings. 

I had been working on making a pair of earrings using some of the lovely wing ding beads I got from Genea.  She makes all sorts of beautiful beads, but I find the whimsy of the wing dings particularly charming. 

I added a little bundle of multi-color teardrop beads, some silver daisy spacers and a pretty blue glass bead left over from another project.  I’m pleased with this pair.  They are for me!

I made another pair of earrings for Free Art Friday – Wisconsin.  Free Art Friday is a movement of artists who create art and leave it somewhere in public for someone to find and keep.  There are chapters in various states and countries.  I found out about it through the posts of participant Angela Gruenke of Contents Jewelry.  What a great concept.  I love public art, generosity, and (good) surprises.  It benefits the artists because it feels good to give, but they also get in a little advertising, although I realize that is not the main point.  I don’t sell anything, but I thought this would be fun.  I love free public stuff, like Little Free Libraries. 

Based on the title of this post, I should have a third pair of earrings, but no.  I got my first box of veggies from my CSA this week, so I have to get cooking.

Thanks for reading!