Friday, March 8, 2013

Sand and Sea

Growing up, we lived a bike ride away from East Point Lighthouse.  It's located on a little inlet off the Deleware Bay in Heislerville, NJ and is an amazing place to visit.
 
  
 The ocean has always been a special place for me to go...the smell of the salt in the air, the sound of the waves crashing along the beach...I love everything about it!
   
This blog hop has been put together by Lisa Lodge and there are about 20 of us participating.  Lisa sent each of us a beautiful selection of beads, either "Sand" (tans, creams, oranges and browns) or "Sea" (blues, greens and purples).
   
  As you can see, my selection of beads was inspired by the sea.  Isn't this an amazing selection to work with?!?
  
   
(I have to admit, there are a few beads I didn't use in this challenge because they just didn't work in the designs I created, but I have some ideas I've been doodling that will showcase them perfectly!)
  
 
I love long earrings! (I have long hair and small, delicate earrings tend to get lost in it all.)  I like creating earrings with a bit of sparkle and movement. 
 
This wasn't the original design, however.  I planned to make these earrings dangle with lots of these amazing triangle beads and some of the round blue and green beads.  But when I put these on to start the design, I was struck by their simple beauty.  So I left the design alone instead of trying to make it fit the image in my head.
  
  
Charm bracelets are a favorite of mine to create and I really love the sparkle of this one!  I originally started with a silver chain, but the clasp Lisa sent looked so much better with the gunmetal chain.  I used a combination of black head pins and dull silver head pins just because I didn't want it to become too dark.  
  
The smallest beads on the bracelet are my favorite of the whole bunch.  They are small triangle-shaped glass beads that have blue and green and yellow hues.  They are so small and I wanted to create a piece where they were an important part of the design, not just an accent to the larger beads.
   
 
  This necklace was actually the first piece I created.  I wanted to make a longer length necklace than I usually do (it ended up being 30 inches!)  
 
I love the milky round beads that were part of my "Sea."  They compliment the bright blues and greens of the other beads. 
  
  
This is my favorite creation of this challenge!  I wire wrapped alternating clear and blue beads for the main part of the necklace.  I added a silver toggle clasp that reminded me of the life preservers on boats and kept with the nautical theme. 
 
I love the front section of the necklace!  I took the long beads, the rest of those little triangle beads, some blue beads, two rondelles and a bunch of daisy spacers and strung them together.  I tried wrapping them into sections but just didn't like the look.   
  
 
Here is the list of the other people who are a part of this blog hop...I hope you are able to check out the amazing jewelry they created with their kits! 
     

Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life
Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs
Tanya Goodwin, A Work in Progress
Kathy Lindemer, Bay Moon Design
Toltec Jewels, Jewel School Friends
Sharyl McMillian-Nelson, Sharyl's Jewelry
Marla Gibson, Spice Box Designs
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Dot Lewallen, Speedie Beadie
Ema Kilroy, Ema K Designs
 
Jami Shipp, Celebrating Life
Monique Urquhart, A Half Baked Notion
Gloria Allen, Gloria Allen Designs
Cindy Anderson Wilson, It's My Sea of Dreams
Suzi Campbell, Suzi Campbell Creations
Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings
Annette Rivers, MamaOwl's Mess



25 comments:

  1. Your instincts about each piece seem just right to me! I love really long earrings too! I think what you made is so eye-catching and graceful! And we get a good view of those wonderful small beads on the bracelet by your design! The necklaces are lovely too!

    Finally, I have to point out what wonderful photography this is to tie it all together!

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    1. Thanks, Sharyl! I didn't really stray too far from my design "comfort zone" with these pieces, but I liked the challenge of having to work almost exclusively with what I had in front of me!

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  2. Cindy, I'm impressed at the variety of designs you came up with from a handful of beads. I envy your wire-wrapping skills, too! While each design is lovely, I just have to single out your bracelet, for the cleverness of alternating the lighter and darker metal as a play on the clasp highlights. It works and I am SO gonna try it!

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    1. Monique-I can't wait to see what you design with light/dark metals! Be sure to send me a picture!

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  3. All the pieces turned out beautifully, but I do especially like that wire-wrapped necklace with the green beads :-)

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  4. I love love love the first necklace you made... gorgeous.. I love ocean colors.. Great job.

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    1. Thank you, Micheladas! I've never been a huge fan of blue and green together, but I'm finding that the right shades together make all the difference in the world!

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    2. I love ALL of your designs! You really stretched out your soup and created several beautiful pieces! My favorite is the blue and green necklace and the nautical one with the mother of pearl spikes! GREAT JOB!

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    3. Thank you, Kimberly! This was a fun challenge for me

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  5. Cindy - All of your pieces are wonderful! So creative and beautiful. I especially love the last necklace. Your pictures are really nice also. Thanks for participating in the hop!

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    1. Thanks, Lisa! I've gotten several comments on my photos...I've been working on that aspect of the business this year. Thank you for having this fun hop!

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  6. The earrings are divine. I want them! And I really like how you integrated the long beads into the necklace design.

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    1. Thank you! I'm going to have to find more of those long beads...I think they're my new favorite shape!

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  7. Those are all gorgeous. I love the earrings especially. There's something fun about long dangly earrings. :)

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  8. Nicely done- you've done a wonderful job of letting the beads shine! Christie

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  9. What incredible pieces! I am in love with your last necklace. It just came together so well.

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  10. Thank you, Shaiha! That one is my favorite as well :)

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  11. a new blog? I love the design! and as always, I love your sea-inspired work :)

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    1. Hi, Cynthia! New blog, new shop name... It's been a fun few months!

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  12. Fabulous set of creations! I have to say my favourite is probably the blue and green necklace, it's so pretty!

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