Pine Ridge Treasures' Checkerboard Blog Hop reveal

Today is the reveal for Lisa Lodge's Pine Ridge Treasures' Checkerboard Blog Hop reveal.  Lisa prepared kits for us to purchase that fit the theme. 

 

She is always generous with the beads that she includes in her kits.  Here is a picture of the beads that I received: 

 

 

There were black crystal rondells, black oval, white bowtie-shaped, and red disk matte cultured sea glass, along with some red crystal briolettes.

 

I was able to to create several different necklaces and earrings.

 

First up is a pair of earrings using a couple of the crystal briolettes.  I made hoop earrings using some rose spacers.

 

 

 

 

Here is the start of an idea I had for one of the necklaces that I made using the crystal rondells and briolettes.  I used crystal facted seed beads as spacers. 

 

 

My camera is not co-operating with me this morning.  I do not have access to the pictures of the rest of the completed projects.  Hopefully this afternoon my computer and my camera will start talking to each other.  So look for another post from me then.

 

Be sure to stop by and see what the other participants have made.

Checkerboard Blog Hop Link List

Your hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  You are here!

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Kathleen Breeding, 99 Bottles of Beads on the Wall

Mischelle Fanucchi, Micheladas Musings

Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Margaret Pelech, Margaret Pelech's Blog

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Annette Rivers, Mama Owls Mess

Carol Briody, A Beads Life

Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Karin Grosset Grange (France), Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Katrina Scuderi Taylor, I Wanna Go Out

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to stop back by next week as I have another of Lisa's challenges to reveal.

 

Carolyn

Star Frost Special Challenge reveal

Today is the reveal of Andrew Thornton's Star Frost Special Challenge.  I apologize for the delay.  My computer decided it needed to update some programs and I wasn't able to wait until midnight so that it could happen.

Andrew always makes up the most inspiring bead kits for his challenges.

 

 

 

He selected a crisp, clean palette. The kit features snowy whites, cool silvers, icy blues, wintery grays, and crystalline clears. When thinking of the challenge, he tried to summon up the first weeks of winter, when all is transformed, as if by magic, into a winter wonderland.

Andrew adds a Mystery Component to each challenge. For the Star Frost Challenge, he created a polymer clay pendant using a combination of tinted pigments, Gilder's Paste, nail polish, and acrylic paint to create the finish on this pendant. He thought it was perfectly wintery to compliment the kit.

Above pictures and commentary are taken from Andrew's blog.  The following pictures are ones that I took.  Andrew's descriptions are so much more desciptive than mine.

I didn't get a picture of the full kit so I used Andrew's picture above.  Here is a picture of the beads that I managed to photograph.

 



I decided that I was going to be making a necklace using the string of white beads and the string of different colored blue beads.  The decision was on how to string them.  Do I use a blue and three white, a blue and three white beads or do I use a blue, three white, a blue, a white, a blue, a white, a blue and three whites?  Decisions, decisions.

I laid the mystery component on top to see how it would look.

So here's my final decision:

I used left over beads to make hoop earrings.  I made these rather full as just using enough beads to have blue ones on either side of the white and blue ones in the center didn't look right to me.

I used another set of beads to make a pair of earrings:

I still have few beads left to add to my stash or Andrew is going to have an after reveal reveal where you show what else you made or what you made but didn't get to post.  I believe this will be towards the end of February but I will let you know.

Be sure to stop by the other participants to see what they made.

Carolyn Lawson  (You are here)
Carole Carlson of Beadsophisticate
Shai Williams
Karin Grosset Grange of Ginkgo et Coquelicot
Ann Schroeder
Tammy Bowman of Inner Muse Jewelry
Alison Herrington
Kari Asbury of Hippie Chick Jewelry Design
Alice Peterson
On Andrew Thornton's blog:
Andrew Thornton, Cheryl Tucker, Mia Nutick, Joanne Goldberg, Lisa Mendum


Please be sure to stop back by on January 24, 2015, for the True Blue Challenge put on by Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures and then again on January 29, 2015, for the Desert Sand Challenge put on by Andrew.

Thank you for stopping by.

Star Frost Special Challenge reveal

Today is the day for Andrew Thornton's Winter Frost Special Challenge reveal. 

I was working on my post last night and the computer was not cooperating.  Then I found out I was the first on blog hop list.  accckkkk!!!!

Here is the necklace and earrings that I made.

I will be back tonight to fix my post.

Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal Blog Hop reveal - Part 2

Today is the reveal for Lisa Lodge's Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal Blog Hop reveal.

This will be a reveal sorta. It will have to be a reveal in two parts because I have before pictures (if I can get to them, camera is not being cooperative) but no after pictures. The finished pieces are over at my beading partners' house and I won't be able to get them until later today. I was just looking at my camera to see what pictures I have and only found the two before pictures I remembered to get before I completed the pieces that I made.

I just love the clay pieces that Sharyl McMillian-Nelson makes and sells in her three shops. Everytime she has a sale I manage to find a couple of more pieces to add to my collection.

I received three pieces clay pieces, one a large pendant and two smaller charms, made by Sharyl and some clear beads from Lisa's stash.

Part 2 - the actual pictures.  I was never able to get the before pictures off my camera.  Will have to do some tinkering I guess.
 

I used white pearls from my stash, the blue matte finish bows and hearts from my friend and beading partner, Evelyn, and clear beads that I got from Lisa to make a necklace.  I wanted to keep the piece light so I stayed away from any large sized beads.

I used the two small charms as earrings adding some pearls so that they coordinated but did not match the necklace perfectly.  Aren't the earrings with their snowflakes cute?  What do you think?

I am going to try for some better pictures and see what I can come up with.  I need to really show-off Sharyl's components.  So there might be a part 3 reveal in the next day or two.
 

Be sure to visit the other designers that worked with Sharyl's beautiful pieces and stop by our hostess' website for a giveaway. 
 

Your hostess:Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations you are here

Shaiha Williams,Shaiha's Ramblings

ToltecJewels, Jewel School Friends

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Carol Briody, A Beads Life

Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

LeAnne Loftus, First Impression Design

Leithleach Seodra, Alainn Jewelry

Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal blog Hop reveal

Today is the reveal for Lisa Lodge's Pine Ridge Treasures Clay and Metal Blog Hop reveal. 

This will be a reveal sorta.  It will have to be a reveal in two parts because I have before pictures (if I can get to them, camera is not being cooperative) but no after pictures.  The finished pieces are over at my beading partners' house and I won't be able to get them until later today.  I was just looking at my camera to see what pictures I have and only found the two before pictures I remembered to get before I completed the pieces that I made. 

 

I just love the clay pieces that Sharyl McMillian-Nelson makes and sells in her three shops.  Everytime she has a sale I manage to find a couple of more pieces to add to my collection.

 

I received three pieces clay pieces, one a large pendant and two smaller charms, made by Sharyl and some clear beads from Lisa's stash.

 

 

Please be sure to come back tonight to see what my finished pieces look like.  Also, be sure to visit the other designers that worked with Sharyl's beautiful pieces. 

Your hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  you are here

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Marybeth Rich, A Few Words from within the Pines

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Ann Schroeder, Bead Love

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Carol Briody, A Beads Life

Miranda Ackerley, MirandAck

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Susan Anderson, La Main Tresor

LeAnne Loftus, First Impression Design

Leithleach Seodra, Alainn Jewelry

Patriot Day Red, White, and Blue Blog Hop reveal

Today is the day for the reveal of Patriot Day red, white, and blue blog hop.  I made several pieces.  The easiest ones to make were the red, white, and blue seed bead ones.  These just kinda of flowed.  I made a memory wire bracelet using the beads in the red, white and blue pattern.

I then made some hoop earrings.

I struggled a little with the next piece.  I had purchased several of these red, white, and blue pendants a couple of years ago.  I never felt I had the right combination of beads and I am not sure that this picture shows it off well.  I put a bead cap on the pendant along with red and blue jade beads and the white seed beads,  I then strung the beads.  This is a fairly short necklace so I used a toggle clasp with an extender.

I then made two different earring pairs to go with this necklace.

Thank you for stopping by.  I have two blog hops next week, one on Thursday, September 18 and another on Saturday, September 20.  Please be sure to come back and see what I have made.

Carolyn

Blue Fantasy Blog Hop

Yea!!!! I finally was about to get my finished jewelry pictures inserted into my post.

Today is the reveal of Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist's Blue Fantasy Blog Hop.  As is usual, I purchased a bead kit from Lisa that had beautiful blue beads and brass findings.  The idea is to use the beads from the kit to make some Blue Fantasy pieces.  Pictured below are the beads that I received in the kit from Lisa.

Blue Fantasy kit beads

I used the aqua cultured sea glass beads first.  I used the light aqua bone shaped beads as the center piece of the necklace and added the round dark aqua sea glass along with the light aqua faceted rounds.  

I used brass-lined seed beads as spacers along with the teardrop shaped toggle clasp that came in the kit.

I used some of the left over rounds along with the small oval brass beads and the brass spiral beads from the kit and brass lined seed beads to make a memory wire bracelet.

I was also able to make two pairs of earrings from some of the leftover bone beads and the aqua rounds.  I added a pair of angel wings to some dark aqua rounds to make one of the pair of earrings.

I just realized that I did not take a separate picture of the earrings.  I will add these later.
I had to think about what I wanted to make with the dark blue crystals.  

I always think of crystals as being very elegant.  I thought about it for a couple of days and decided to add some pearls.  I had some white round pearls and some cream rounds and teardrops.  I tried the white pearls with the crystals and didn't like the result.  So I tried the cream pearls and with suggestions from my friend Evelyn, I decided on using the rounds with the teardrop in the center.  I used some crystal seed beads as spacers.

I made some hoop earrings with the pearls and crystals.

I had enough crystals left to make a matching bracelet.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the other designers to see what they did with their bead kits.

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Karen Grosset Grange, Ginkgo et Coquelicot

Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera

Jo-Ann Woolverton, It's a Beadiful Creation

Heather Richter, Desert Jewelry Designs

Carolyn Lawson, Carolyn's Creations  (You are here)

Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life

Gloria Allen, Wings and Beads

Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry

Terri Wlaschin, Dances in Fog

Lisa Prewitt Knappenberger, LiRaysa Designs

Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends

Raissa de Guzman, Abloro

Jill Bradley, Jilly Beads

 

Be sure to come back next Thursday, September 11 for the Patriot Day Blog Hop.