Can you believe we’re already wrapping up week 3 of this Allegory Gallery challenge, which means we are 3/4 through the first month of 2019? I am learning so much and having a great time. Let’s get to the prompts!
Day 14 – Break out the polymer clay and create something.
I have wanted to create with polymer clay for some time. I bought a few tools, tutorials and even some polymer clay years ago. As discussed previously on this blog, I am a chicken and a staller. So this prompt was gold for me! I found that clay, made a few preliminary things and baked them. Whoo-hoo! The beauty part of this is that I allowed myself to just focus on the bake. I didn’t have any expectations of making something even usable. The flat shapes I made too thin, and they were not stable. The bead shapes baked well. I’m ready to tackle my next bake.
Day 15 – Organize your crafting area.
Makers of all sorts know how difficult it can be to keep the creating area organized. You get in the zone, pull out this material and that, and at the end you move on to something else, leaving behind what is commonly called the craftermath. My two problem areas are the floor around my chair where I set boxes of beads I’ve looked through (and then trip over) and most importantly my beading surface. It’s so covered that I’m working on an inch strip at the front where things are constantly falling onto the floor. Silly. I didn’t get everything perfectly clean, but both of those areas are improved between the first and second photo. I even took time to clean up a bit after subsequent sessions.
Day 16 – WILD CARD! Ask a friend for a creative challenge.
I was beading and talking on FaceTime with my sister. I was looking ahead to what prompts were coming up and saw this one. So I asked her to give me a prompt, and she said make something food-related. Maybe she was just hungry! But it was a great prompt for me. I love food related beads and also beads that look like candy. I had a carrot pendant I had been planning to pair with some glass peppers (mostly because I thought it was a pepper until my sister pointed out the truth. So, what the heck, a stir fry veggie necklace!) I had thought I’d cluster some of the charms near the top of the pendant. It wasn’t working. The charms kept going behind the pendant, etc. So I finally re-designed it with peppers dotting this red chain. I love it even better than what I had in mind! This challenge is so good for moving me off of a design idea that isn’t working, but still making a piece.
Day 17 – Use the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year – Living Coral
On first look, this isn’t my color. However, Allegory Gallery had a design kit last year using this color, and I had a ball. I was so inspired. So I had a good attitude and knew just what beads to use. At a bead show, I had seen someone walking around with a strand of coral in their basket, and it just looked so pretty I bought one too. Totally not my usual sort of bead but here is the perfect use. I wanted to make it “me” so I separated each coral bead with a Christmas bead. I love the mix of colors, shapes and sizes of African Christmas beads.
Day 18 – Focus on metal as the main element in a new piece
This just got my mind swirling. So many possibilities! I had wanted to explore metal in a more in-depth way, but at this point I wasn’t working ahead, so I decided to save actually making my own metal components for another time. I was re-working design ideas with this gorgeous colored copper focal by Gaea. Everything I tried was too cloying. Finally I hit on the idea of these vintage crystals; they have the pastel colors I needed in the AB coating, blingy, but subtle in a way. I added a few green crystals and a sterling clasp by Miss Fickle Media.
I did read up about stamping on metal and tried that, to make me feel a little more like I tried something new. This was a prompt suggestion for Day 16 by Alison Adorns for anyone who needed it.
Day 19 – Be inspired by a piece of art to create a new design
My sister gifted me with a painting by Erin Smith. I love the colors, texture and imagery. This prompt was in my head as I saw this painting every day, and I thought I’d make something inspired by it with this Gaea pendant. I just need to add a clasp to the pink feldspar and Czech glass strands.
Day 20 – Utilize natural materials to create a new piece
I saw these abalone shell rectangles, and they were so pretty I wanted to somehow use them for this prompt. I ended up making a wrap bracelet with a vintage crystals, peanut beads and a few square beads of unknown materials for a pop of color.
It’s harder to keep up when I haven’t worked ahead. I was busy this weekend and just had time to keep up with each day’s prompt. Since it’s a holiday on Monday, I should be able to get a little ahead once again.
I love even the picture above of the kit. Such beautiful colors! The theme is lovely – Summer Solstice and Faerie folklore. Also, just from my own midwestern perspective, midsummer is a time when we can count on it being consistently warm and there is still time before the snow flies. OF COURSE, I forgot to take a picture of the kit, but I will point out what I used, so you can get an idea.
