Reading through my past posts on my blog, I realized I've been remiss at posting the results of the blog challenge from Rings and Things!To recap, On March 24th, Rings and Things drew 15 lucky blog partner participants for their design challenge. These winners received a package of copper beads to craft their entries. Then, when the entries were completed, each participant submitted their photos to Rings and Things for judging.
My entry used the small fluted "seed" beads, the copper heishi, the awesome "Spool" beads that looked like vertebrae, and the oval brushed copper beads. I constructed flowers
with unakite top drilled nuggets from Magpie Gemstones, other unakite beads I picked up elsewhere, and some luscious olive green beads (I think they're dyed quartz, even though they look like new jade) that I picked up in a de-stash sale on Etsy. I added some nice heavy gauge copper, 14-16 gauge, and hand forged copper findings, and we were off tot he races! Here's the end result -- my submission to the contest.... and another photo as a close-up...
Creating the necklace for this challenge was an interesting journey for me. Once I received the beads, creative sparks started popping like Fourth of July fireworks, and narrowing down the ideas was a real chore! The submission necklace was more about the availability of materials and my opportunity to construct it than a conscious decision on the the best submission to win the contest. Already, though, the necklace has received quite a bit of interest and attention when I've worn it to the various events that I attend. That's the point of it all, anyway, for me. Not the attention, but the opportunity to flew my creative muscle in ways I might not have imagined before. Gemstone flowers are high on my list of creative projects, and I have about 5 of them currently in different stages of production, so hopefully the success of this one will be a catalyst to finish those projects and get them listed in my shop!
And now, for the winner of the competition -- the cutest creation of all of them .... Kym Hunter's felt ring... Congratulations!! Now, if you'd like to see ALL of the deisgns that were posted for the contest, you can do that. Just head over to the Rings & Things blog to take a look.
12 comments:
Laura, your gemstone flowers are definitely a success with me. I find this look really nicely balanced and not at all heavy, as gemstones can sometimes be... Well done!
--Dave at Rings & Things
Thank you, Dave! They're a creative tangent that I'm really glad I took! Stay tuned! I have blue lace agate, amethyst, goldstone, moonstone, crystal clear quartz, white jade, black onyx, and sodalite flowers in different stages of production!
Your necklace is unique and lovely!
I love your style of jewelry!
♥♥♥
Sue
milagros0114@gmail.com
Beautiful work...♥
Monika
Sounds like you are very busy...what a fun challenge. This is a beautiful post. Your photos are gorgeous!
Thank you, ladies! I appreciate your kind comments!
I'm looking forward to creating more gemstone flowers for my shop. We're approaching show season, and I want to be prepared!
beautiful!!!!!
A challenge seems like such a fun idea. I like how yours turned out:)
Thank you, Julia! Why don't you check us out in this challenge group -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/colorcombochallenge/ every week we choose a color palette, and then create items (in our own individual craft) that use the colors in the challenge. It's a LOT of fun, and it will push your creativity to new heights. I'm going to do a post on the blog about my experiences with it really soon (as soon as my challenge piece for THIS week is done!!
What a challenge -- Your necklace came out great!
Thank you so much!!!
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