Bead in the New Year with Allegory Gallery – Final Wrap Up

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A Man Called Ove, Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, Anne's Glass Jewels, Ava Motherwell, Bead & Button, BuliBeads, Dakota Stones, Fredrik Backman, Gaea, Ginkgo et Coquelicot, Heather Powers, Humblebeads, Maggs Creations, William Jones

I made it through 31 days of prompts! Whoo-hoo! Allegory Gallery heard their customers say that they wanted to be more creative and take more time for self care in 2019. For many of us, creativity and self care overlap. So they came up with a calendar of daily prompts for January to help us all along. We could use it any way we chose. I chose to complete each prompt in order and post it on the day listed. That doesn’t mean I made one item a day; I definitely had to work ahead when I had time. But I’ve never felt the ease of making jewelry so clearly. It’s like these prompts helped me get out of my own way. On to the last five prompts!

Day 27 – Make a piece inspired by a book you’ve read

This necklace was inspired by A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Ove is a curmudgeon, always annoyed, hence this exasperated lampwork face bead by Maggs Creations. The mix of glass beads represents the chaos Ove feels in the changing world around him. I brought in the purple from the pendant with some amethyst. The beautiful copper claps is by Gaea.

Day 28 – Remake an old project into a new one

I still have a fair number of older pieces. If I haven’t taken them apart yet, it generally means I like the beads and maybe even the design, but it needs to be updated to fit my current style. I used two necklaces in this remake. 

I wanted it to be longer and a bit chunkier. I added the teal beads and pendant by Andrew Thornton. I love the teal with the chartreuse!

Day 29 – Use an Allegory Gallery wood pendant

This wood pendant is one Allegory Gallery made to honor Aretha Franklin. The lampwork lentil is by Anne’s Glass Jewels (given to me by Karin of Ginkgo et Coquelicot – thank you!) The yellow and orange smaller lampwork beads are from BuliBeads. I love this sort of mix of colorful beads. The smallest of the colorful beads are vintage German glass from Ava Motherwell. I was ridiculously happy to get those. I do love how this turned out.

Day 30 – Create a piece inspired by nature

When jewelry artists talk about what inspires them, nature is often mentioned. I love beads and jewelry inspired by nature, but I can’t say I’m particularly inspired by nature. My initial thought was to make something winter-inspired because it is very wintery here now, and I love white beads. But then I realized I didn’t have to actually make something inspired by the outdoors; I have plenty of nature-inspired beads. I have been hoarding this hibiscus flower bud pendant from Humblebeads for a while. I decided to keep it simple, inspired, in fact, by Heather Powers herself. Her inspired by nature designs are always wonderful. I added a couple spacers and a couple of her disc beads, some copper chain and a bird clasp. Done! This will be a great, light necklace on hot summer days.

Day 31 – Make a piece that’s big, bold and over the top!

I had splurged on this strand of rough labradorite slab beads from Dakota Stones a couple years ago at Bead & Button. I loved it and wanted to use it all together in a collar necklace – another project these prompts helped me complete. I added a small labradorite spacer between each slab so the collar would curve nicely, and added chain at the back so the length would be adjustable. I’m going to revisit this prompt. I want to make my first assemblage piece, but I knew I wouldn’t have time for that (or glue, but it’s on the way!)

As I keep saying, I’ve loved participating in this month-long challenge. Big thanks to Andrew Thornton and William Jones of Allegory Gallery for these fun and inspiring prompts. Follow them on Facebook, their blog, or instagram to learn about all the fun challenges they dream up!

Bead in the New Year with Allegory Gallery – Week 2 Wrap Up

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#beadinthenewyear, Allegory Gallery, Allegory Gallery Design Challenges, Andrew Thornton, Artisticaos, Cynthia Thornton, Enchanted Adornments, Erin Prais-Hintz, Heather Powers, Humblebeads, Miss Fickle Media, Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits, Sasha Crow, Staci Louise Smith, Terri DelSignore, William Jones

I am having so much fun and just bursting with creativity thanks to Bead in the New Year with Allegory Gallery. There are also some positive unintended consequences. I’m getting more things done. I tend to be tired and unmotivated after work. I often come home and plop on the couch not doing anything particularly productive. With #beadinthenewyear, I have projects to work on! I bead while watching TV, I bead while FaceTiming with my sister. I carry the necklaces all around my shadowy house looking for some light to take a decent picture, and since I’m up, I do the dishes in the sink. I feel so productive!

Day 7 – Use your favorite gemstone in a new piece

When it comes to gemstones, I get the most swoony over ruby nuggets. I had a few left over from a strand that I’ve slowly been using in special pieces. When I saw this prompt, I planned to use them together at the front of a simple necklace – sort of like the raw diamonds in the Carrie Bradshaw character’s necklace in the last episode of the Sex and the City TV series. But as I designed, it got even better. I used a large tin capped pearl headpin by Sasha Crow that I’ve been hoarding. (Points to me for being brave.) I also love (as you know if you read this blog) chain by Miss Fickle Media, and I combined severas short sections for this necklace. Putting together a number of very special elements doesn’t always guarantee a special piece of jewelry but for me, in this case, it did. I love this. It would not exist if not for Allegory Gallery‘s challenge.

Day 8 – Use a stringing material that you don’t normally use

I use a variety of stringing materials, but nothing more often than waxed linen. So I decided that anything I use other than that counts. I think my second most used material is Soft Flex beading wire. I thought about looking at some different cording I have, but before that happened, I had a design with leather pretty much done with this gorgeous pendant and bead set by Terri DelSignore of Artisticaos. I often find that leather doesn’t lay like I want, the knots make beads lay weird, I don’t have the right size closure, etc. But this just seemed to come together. Maybe I start out prejudiced and it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. I used 1.5 mm leather with horn tubes and small wood spacers. I used knotting and more spacers to make an adjustable closure. It all lays well and doesn’t seem skimpy like leather sometimes can to me. I’m very pleased.

Day 9 – Produce a piece using gemstone chips

Some people don’t like to work with chip beads, but they can look incredibly rich for a small price since most of us can’t always buy strands of large, fancier cut gemstone beads. I don’t know what type of stone this is, but I really love how it looks with these three beautiful glass beads by Andrew Thornton. (Another thing I’ve been using judiciously; I still have some left!) I finished it with large link copper chain I had in just the right length and a copper clasp by Miss Fickle Media. I love the rustic look of this piece, like a treasure from an archeological dig.

Day 10 – Challenge yourself by using sari silk ribbon

When I got this faux tin mitten charm from Heather Powers of Humblebeads, she included matching sari silk. I had already been trying to figure a way to use them together when this prompt came up. I don’t like the way sari silk feels on the back of my neck, but when I try to use it in the front, it sometimes feels too light and floppy. I settled on a cute little bit tied on the top of this pendant made with the mitten and a clear bead that reminds me of ice and gives the necklace some weight. The strand is made of peanut beads and lovely manik manik glass in the perfect color.

Day 11 – Share the work of a jewelry artist you admire

There are many, many jewelry artists I admire. But I followed the prompt and chose one for this purpose: Erin Prais-Hintz. I encourage you to look around her blog. Here are links to a few favorites:

Lies They Told Me

The Challenge of Travel: Nepal

Challenge of Music

Day 12 – Make a project from a craft book. 

I made a project inspired by Cynthia Thornton‘s book Enchanted Adornments. I had a heart pendant with a similar look to the one in the project (mine by Andrew Thornton) and i used it along with a variety of chain and beads to make a pretty necklace. I’m happy; it came out more similar to the project n the book than I thought it would!

Day 13 – Get inspired by music! Make a piece based off a song.

I wanted a song that had some visuals for me, so I was kind of listening through my iTunes list and came upon Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. It’s about a broken-hearted guy healing from a relationship. I used a repaired heart pendant (in the kintsugi style) by Staci Louise Smith. There is a line in the song “you can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold” so I decided to use mixed metal chain. There is also a line, “You said ‘I love you like the stars above'”, and I used chain at the front with stardust beads, as well as a star charm near the clasp. This turned out so pretty! Another necklace that wouldn’t have come together like this without the prompt.

If you would like to see what others are making, you can visit the Allegory Gallery Design Challenges page.

 

Bead in the New Year with Allegory Gallery – Week 1 Wrap Up

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#beadinthenewyear, Allegory Gallery, Allegory Gallery Design Challenges, Andrew Thornton, Heather Powers, Humblebeads, Maire Dodd, Miss Fickle Media, SJ Designs Jewelry, William Jones

As I said in my last post, Allegory Gallery has put together a calendar of prompts for each day in January to help people be more creative and take time for themselves, something they saw many people post about as goals in 2019. I’m going to try to do a weekly recap of what I’m making. I don’t know that I’ll get much else made this month (although I do have the start of idea for the SJ Designs Jewelry Honey Do List challenge for this month.)

Day 1 – Make a pair of earrings

I am having a really fun time participating in the challenges. It’s eye-opening and inspiring. I’ve found that I actually do have more time to bead than I’ve been taking. I like to bead first thing in the morning, so I save it for weekends. But I’ve now make some really great things on workdays. I think I’m more relaxed doing more beading.

Day 2 – Create a new bracelet

I’m also realizing that when I have a simple idea, I should just go ahead and do it! I’ve had the idea to use this beautiful chain and clasp as a bracelet since I got it from Miss Fickle Media. I finally did it. Charm is by Maire Dodd.

Day 3 – Put together a necklace

I’m using the prompts to also finish projects that have been floating around in my head for a while. This is a more recent one, but I hadn’t done it yet. Mary Redman and Walter Gross gifted me with some beads, and these large speckled vintage plastic beads really struck me as wonderful. I had an idea right away. The prompt gave me the push to put it together.

Day 4 – Make a matching jewelry set

Think outside the box and be ok with good enough. I initially thought of a jewelry set as necklace, earrings and bracelet. I don’t do that, so I thought maybe I’d skip this day. Then I realized a set could mean something else. I hadn’t worked ahead so besides having little time after work, I also had no light for the picture. I went simple with my stretch stacking bracelets and took the best picture I could. Done is done, and I’ve got some cute, casual bracelets.

Day 5 – Use an art bead

I rarely start making without an idea. For this, I just sort of looked at art beads in easy reach to see if an idea came to me. When I saw this faux tin focal from Humblebeads, I got out my turquoise colored beads and these chrysocholla looked perfect. I kept trying to design something, and it just looked flat. I worked at it, adding and taking away, and finally came up with something that I think really works. I think sometimes I give up too soon or hang onto a design idea too long. The timeline of the challenge forced me to move along.

Day 6 – Fashion a design using Czech glass

I had been meaning to make this project, one of Heather Powers’ Bead Table Wednesday tutorials, since I got the faux tin toggle from her. I saw the toggle when I picked out the focal from the last project, and knew this project called for Czech glass. I’m so glad I got this done and am thrilled with how it turned out! I love the colors.

Andrew Thornton has addressed some people’s concerns about staying on track or being “behind”. He reminded us it’s supposed to be fun above all, you can participate as much or little as you like and post any project on any day. However, it you want to challenge yourself to finish all prompts, figure out some time management strategies. I am working ahead, but I’m pretty slow and can only finish one or two projects on my best day. But that’s ok. I’m having a lot of fun, and that’s the point!

Thanks to Andrew and William Jones of Allegory Gallery for this wonderful idea. If you would like to check out what folks are making based on these prompts, visit the Allegory Gallery Design Challenges Facebook page. Scroll through the feed or visit the album to see them all!

Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Yearning

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge, Andrew Thornton, Christi Friesen, William Jones, Yearning

Today is the reveal for the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Yearning. The inspiration for the kit is a piece by artist Christi Friesen. The kit colors are beige, gold, red, pink, and green. I love the color mix – so fresh! I had my first necklace idea almost immediately based on the beige. Generally, I love bright colors. But there is a certain type of beige bead – vintage German and Czech glass –  that I just love. Opaque, often with etched designs or facets in a variety of shapes and sizes. The kit included some spacers in this color.

Originally, I thought it would be fun to make a long necklace. When it was finished, it was pretty but not quite right. I wrapped it in two when I put it down to think about it and saw it would be much better as a double strand necklace.I strung it on waxed linen from the kit and also used two sizes of opaque beige spacers, beige crystals, and gold spacers from the kit. I used several shapes of the beige glass beads from my stash. I also brought in some other colors from the kit with Czech glass from my stash – tiny beige/green spacers, and red/pink flowers, crystals and ice pearls. At the back of the necklace, I used some tiny versions of the ice pearls that were in the kit. I love how these colors pop against each other. 

I have had this vintage clasp for a long, long time. I’m thrilled that I found the perfect use for it. I feel like the clasp and the necklace have a 1950s vibe, and gold fits right in with the kit.

This challenge snuck up on me a bit, and I only got this one necklace done. I still had fun! Thanks William, Andrew and Allegory Gallery for another wonderful kit and challenge! Visit the Allegory Gallery Design Challenges Facebook page to see what other participants created.

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#Makeover Monday – Gummy Fish

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#makeovermonday, Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, William Jones

In my past, I often had good ideas that I wasn’t able to execute as well as I would have liked.  I didn’t have a lot of design knowledge, but mostly I didn’t know where to get the best beads (or even what they were.) There are pieces from that time that I don’t wear (and didn’t wear much then) but that I didn’t take apart because I really loved the idea of them. One such necklace is the gummy fish necklace. 

That is the necklace there on the right made many, many years ago – like maybe 15 or 20. I have no idea where I got the Czech glass fish; I didn’t even know the term Czech glass at that time. I’m not surprised I bought them; I like beads that look like candy. Also, I can see that I often loved just the strand of beads as it was, as I still do, and tried to change it as little as possible. Back in the day, that usually involved just separating things with seed beads. That can look a little skimpy, as with these larger fish beads. My designs are still often simple, which I like, but they are more balanced and pleasing.

When I got the chance to get these gorgeous vintage Czech glass light blue rondelles from Andrew Thornton of Allegory Gallery on his destash page, I jumped at it. I just love the shape and, like my previous set of blue rondelles, I loved that it was a long strand. I know I mention Andrew and William and their shop and the destash often, but I’m so thrilled with the variety and quality of beads I can get. When I saw these and thought what to do with them, my gummy fish necklace came to mind. I could finally make it something I would like to wear.  

It’s not really that different. It just has a bit more heft and a quality, finished look. It is true to the original concept – my lovely gummy fish swimming through a bead sea of blue water. I’m so thrilled with the makeover and can’t wait to wear it.

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Reveal – Kaleidoscope

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge, Andrew Thornton, David Christensen, Green Girl Studios, Kaleidoscope, Ragged Robyn, William Jones

Today is the reveal for the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Kaleidoscope edition.  This kit is gorgeous and rich with materials.  Here are the pictures.Here are some of the bigger beads in the kit, a couple tubes of seed beads, handmade beads, a gorgeous multi-color strand of chip beads and some colored floss.

Here is a close up of the pendant, handmade by Andrew.  Below is the luxury bead blend. 

I first wanted to use some of the handmade components, including the pendant Andrew made. I’m assuming he also made the two kaleidoscope looking polymer beads. I love all three of these beads. They are so rich in color and pattern. I used two together in my first necklace. 

For the pendant, in addition to those two polymer beads, I used a tiny ceramic bead in the same colorway by Ragged Robyn and the carved rose colored bead from the kit.

I have been collecting furnace glass (a.k.a. art glass, a.k.a cane glass) for a while to make a necklace, and I thought this could be the necklace to do it. Each piece of glass is like a little kaleidoscope. There were also a few pieces of furnace glass in the kit’s luxury bead blend.  

I’ve already decided to restring this!  I want to add seed beads in the rose color to make the piece more cohesive and give the space between the furnace glass beads a little more heft.  I just haven’t had time to do it yet.

Next I started a necklace using the green kaleidoscope-esque bead from the kit. This went through a variety of iterations. I had planned to include a tassel, but in the end I separated those ideas. In looking for more beads to use in the necklace, I came across a set of green hollow lampwork beads I got in a destash.  I’m sorry; I don’t know the artist. I combined those with the clear beads and some of the larger seed beads from the kit. I like how this picture shows the AB effect on some of the clear beads. Very kaleidsocope-y.  

I love the chunky fabulousness of this necklace.  This piece seems the most kaleidoscope-y to me. I was actually looking through a kaleidoscope the other day, and what I saw wasn’t a bunch of different colors but a bunch of the same thing, each one slightly different, all clustered together.  That’s what I see in this necklace. I finished it with a Green Girl Studios swirl hook.

Lastly, I made a bracelet. As I had the furnace glass out, I used a large rainbow piece by David Christensen.  I added a clear plastic bicone bead from the kit, one strand of chip beads from the kit, a strand of various beads from the luxury blend and a strand of my own mauve seed beads with some of the kit large seed beads. 

I enjoyed this kit very much. This challenge is also a competition!  See what others have made by visiting the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Facebook page. Thank you Andrew and William!

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Mixed Materials Love

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Allegory Gallery, Allegory Gallery Design Challenges, Andrew Thornton, Art beads, The Bead Chest, William Jones

I get some of my best beads from artist Andrew Thornton – his destashes, the shop he owns with William Jones, Allegory Gallery, and the kits he puts together for Allegory Gallery Design Challenges.  Recently I got a strand of paper beads as a prize, and I love them.  I had multiple ideas for them right away.  (They have some similar beads in their etsy store right now.)

Andrew made the polymer faux Moroccan amber beads for a challenge kit. I took apart the necklace I originally made that didn’t do them justice, and I’ve been saving them for something special.  I got some cool, chunky wooden chain from a destash that I knew would find just the right project someday.

After auditioning different metal spacers, I decided to use some I just recently got at Bead & Button.  I added in an enamel Berber bicone bead from The Bead Chest and a large swivel clasp.  I really love how it turned out. It’s a fun mix of materials – paper, polymer clay, metal, wood. Some of these materials have been waiting for the perfect project and some new beads came in handy right away.  I’m already picturing what I will wear it with.

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Midsummer Edition

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge, Andrew Thornton, Gaea Handmade, Green Girl Studios, Midsummer Mystery Challenge, Trinket Foundry, William Jones

Today is the reveal for the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge – Midsummer edition.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.

First I used a strand of rock crystal quartz beads, purple seed beads, purple waxed linen, pink and purple crystals and a lucite flower from the kit.  I added a copper and resin art pendant and copper clasp from Gaea Handmade. I hope you agree I’ve achieved the funky and romantic look I was going for.

Next I made a bracelet. I was looking for something else and found this little length of plastic chain. I thought it would be great with some of the larger plastic beads from the kit.  I threw in a tin bead from Trinket Foundry and made dangles with kit beads. Cute and chunky.

I had another design in mind for the necklace with Andrew’s handmade component – multi-strand with smaller beads and some fiber. I was going to put one larger amethyst above the pendant. When I got out this strand of matte amethyst slabs, it was clear they were the necklace. I used a pretty Green Girl Studios clasp.

I branched out a little more than usual, pulling in more things from my stash. I had a great time! Please visit the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Facebook page to see what others have made.  Thanks to Andrew and William for another beautiful kit and fun challenge!

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Bead & Button Fun #1

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Allegory Gallery, Andrew Thornton, Bead & Button Show, Dakota Stones, MAKU Studio, Trinket Foundry, Vintaj, William Jones

I went to the Bead & Button Show on Friday for the first time in five years. I had such a good time!  I got to meet some online friends, which was very fun.  I bought lots of great stuff.  I’m already scheming my plots and plans for next year, but I know that is folly because I had a big plan for buying this year, and I didn’t really follow it.  But I’m super happy with everything I bought (and I only forgot to get one thing I meant to get!) and I did realize something that affected my shopping.

I generally cannot deal with a ton of strands. I can buy from a booth with lots of strands, like Dakota Stones. But a ton of strands all laid out on top of one another just makes it impossible for me to focus. Throw in a big 75% off sign that will force me to calculate a price in my head, and it turns a good deal into a deal breaker. So my plan to focus on gemstone strands crashed and burned. Speaking of Dakota stones, they had a new cut, called star cut, that I really liked. I thought about getting a few strands of this cut in some favorite stones. But then I saw a collar strand of rough cut labradorite beads. I’ve admired strands like this over the years in the Dakota Stones booth at various shows. I decided to treat myself to one great strand! It’s so beautiful.I also got a strand of pyrite nuggets. I always love these.

I got some fabulous new things from a couple of favorite shops.  First, Allegory Gallery. I got to meet proprietors Andrew Thornton and William Jones in person! That was so nice after participating in their design challenges, reading club and destashes over the years.  They are just as nice in person as they are online!  I picked up some lovelies from the shop.

They had these great fiber cards each with four different kinds of fiber.  I love them!  I really wanted them all, but this is the one I picked.  I can’t wait to incorporate these fibers into my designs.  I’m hoping these fiber cards mights show up in the etsy shop. I also got multiple strands of these beautiful soft yellow vintage plastic beads.  I have a couple, and they are a favorite. I’d like to make a whole necklace featuring these. I love yellow. 

I also got a couple of Andrew’s pendants. I love the meaningful sayings he has been putting on pendants lately. Also, I never met an Andrew Thornton bronze pendant I didn’t love.  In addition, Andrew and William gifted me with this charming podling ornament. 

This magical creature was handmade by Andrew. It’s full of good vibes it will be spreading while hanging in my studio.

Andrew and William shared a booth with their family who own Green Girl Studios. I was hoping to be able to get a couple of their new designs, and I did.

The hands and house are new. Some of the new Green Girl beads are available in Allegory Gallery’s esty shop. If I could still wear earrings, I would totally make the hands into earrings. Even though I won’t use them that way, I bought two so I could have my bead and use it too.  I also bought this gorgeous bangle.  In fact, I was on a bit of a bangle binge.  Here is the stack that ended up on my wrist on the ride home.  LOVE!

In addition to the Green Girl bracelet, there are three glass bangles made from wine bottles from Trinket Foundry and a hand patinaed cuff from Vintaj. I had seen the Vintaj cuffs on their Facebook page just before the show and had fallen in love.

For a while I have wanted a bird from MAKU Studio.  I thought I would check out her supply at the show, and if one seemed right I would get it. This one spoke to me right away. And this little heart wanted to come home with me too.

I got some more things, but I will save those for another post.  I hope you enjoyed this show and tell.

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Allegory Galley Queen of Hearts Design Challenge Reveal

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Allegory Gallery Design Challenge, Andrew Thornton, Beady Girl Beads, Darn Good Beads of the Month, Joan Miller Porcelain, Queen of Hearts, William Jones

Yesterday was the reveal for the Allegory Gallery Queen of Hearts Mystery Challenge.  Andrew Thornton and William Jones of Allegory Gallery host these fun challenges. I completely forgot to post, but here I am now. Artist Andrew Thornton curates a kit based on a theme, and participants make things with the kit materials (another other things if they choose.)

Andrew also includes a handmade Mystery Component, although lately we’ve been having a lot of fun with mystery kits where everything is a mystery until we receive it! The handmade component this time is such gorgeous colors and design.

Around the same time I received the Queen of Hearts kit, I also received my first Darn Good Beads of the Month kit that was a tassel necklace.  I didn’t make it into a necklace thinking that the tassel colors would be great to go with the Queen of Heart kits, and I was right!

I love the romantic, bohemian look of this. I used a gorgeous multicolored faceted bead, some of the bright seed beads and the strand of pink nuggets and a couple of beads at the back. From my own stash, in addition to the tassel, I used a few amethyst nuggets, a couple of silver spacers and a gunmetal clasp that goes with the gunmetal chain that is part of the tassel.

Next I used the Mystery Component because it’s so pretty! I put two Beady Girl Beads above the pendant and strung it with some pretty faceted garnet (one of my favorite stones) and green tourmaline. There was a tiny star in the kit, and I used it as a dangle from the chain extender. I used two bright red kit beads at the back as a nod to the tiny red heart on the pendant’s crown.

I had these fantastic heart cubes from Joan Miller Porcelain. I used the purple waxed linen and beads from the kit to make a choker attached to a jump ring.  I attached some pink chain from My Elements to the bottom of the jump ring and added the Joan Miller beads. I used some red, pink and purple jump rings for a little interest under the cubes. This necklace is very fun!

Visit the Allegory Gallery Design Challenge Facebook page to see what others made!  Thanks to Andrew and William for sponsoring these fun challenges.