Brier Rose ~ January ABS Challenge

This is my first time participating in the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge. I've always enjoyed seeing how everyone translates the chosen art into something wearable. I just hadn't taken the time to try it myself. But when I saw William Morris on Art Bead Scene this month, I knew it was finally time for me to make something...

Trellis by William Morris, 1862

For this challenge, I decided to try to make something for myself. Something I would wear... on any day... with any outfit. And this is totally it! It started out as a bracelet (bracelets are my go-to jewelry and also one of my favorite things to make), but when I had more beads than would fit on a bracelet, I just kept on wrapping wire and turned it into a necklace.


The rose beads are my own polymer creation. I started by sculpting a single rose and then used it to make a few silicone molds. Then I cast several beads and painted them to match the colors of the palette. (I have more roses in the works now... look for them in my shop shortly! :-)



I used some black onyx and I dug through my bead stash and found some Russian serpentine that I've had practically forever. I'm glad I never used them before! They fit in so perfectly with the squares of the trellis in William Morris' wallpaper.


I finished it off with a simple suede cord tied in a knot -- it's long enough to easily slip over my head. I love a long necklace! And as a finishing touch I added tiny wire wraps to the ends of the suede.

Go here to see the other entries of the month: http://www.flickr.com/groups/artbeadscene/

...What will Art Bead Scene challenge us with next month? I can't wait to see!

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6 comments:

  1. What a beautiful necklace - and it fits the theme so well!

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  2. Fantastic necklace - love all the elements you incorporated, especially your flowers! I hope you had fun with your first challenge and I can't wait to see what you create for future ones!!!

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  3. I love your piece. I particularly love the rose beads and will be looking for them in your shop. I also like the way you wire wrapped the square beads - wasn't sure what they were. The fact that they mimic the trellis is a great detail. I need to get more familiar with wire wrapping beads. This is the first time I have seen your blog but I will be coming back!

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  4. What a fabulous necklace! I love all the elements you used. Awesome little roses!!! Enjoy wearing this.

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  5. I love your necklace it came together so well to represent the William Morris wallpaper inspiration for the ABS Monthly Challenge it is so pretty.
    Therese

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  6. You made a gorgeous necklace and perfect for the ABS Challenge ! <3<3<3

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