AJE June 2014 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ Wood Fern

Goodbye June!!! The ending of another month means another AJE blog Component of the Month reveal, and so today is all about Linda Landig and the jewelry we made with her new ceramic lovelies. Often our hostess of the month makes several of the same component design—maybe in varying colors and slightly different shapes—so we were in for a real treat from Linda when she crafted a whole menagerie of stunning ceramic focals! It was oh-so hard to choose just one!

But I did finally, and here it is…

Love the rustic feel of this focal combined with the shiny clear glaze—it's color say summertime woods to me!

And here's what I was inspired to make…

After days of contemplation and trying so many ideas, I decided to go with mostly greens, only hinting at the rosy pink of Linda's focal—I wanted to continue with the woodsy rustic feel and let the focal really to stand out. The wispy feather-like shape of the leaf reminds me of the wild ferns growing here and so I've titled my necklace "Wood Fern".

I didn't want the beading of the necklace to distract from Linda's focal, so I came up with this design for a more elongated centerpiece with a large ring to give more "space" between the focal and the beaded strands.

This little pebble is one of many that I've collected from run-off creeks that trail through the woods surrounding my home. They only flow with plenty of rainfall and so most of the year they are dry and covered in leaves, but if you go out at just the right time you can catch them rushing with water. It's a gorgeous sight and it's a perfect time to gather up those lovely smooth pebbles! I found this particular one outside a cave after a big rainstorm had caused the cave to fill up with water and wash through the woods. I think it's some type of agate—I couldn't capture all the detail with my camera, but it actually has tiny lace-like patterns scattered over the surface.

Anyhoo… I'd been saving too many pebbles for I had no idea what, when suddenly it hit me that I should start using them in my jewelry! I don't have the setup to drill them yet, but wire-wrapping works perfectly! Between the pebble and Linda's focal, I tied a short piece of suede leather which I burned and painted.

From there I strung brass beads with soft pink czech glass and some kind of green gemstone—I have no idea for sure since I forgot to label the bag, but it might be unakite.

I added in some light golden aurora borealis chips for a touch of sparkle. I think the jagged shapes are nice with my rustic theme too.

And then two big chunky green gemstones paired up with a couple smaller ones to end the beaded section—again, I'm not sure what these green beads are either.

And finally I put it all together with a hand-dyed batik ribbon from Indonesia. It has a pretty floral design all over and I just love how the colors and pattern echo the dappled sunlight as it shines through the forest treetops. This ribbon came to me tied up on a little box of beads from Karen Totten (isn't nice when the outside of a box looks almost as pretty as what's inside!?) and I knew immediately that it was destined to become a part of my new necklace!

All in all, I'm so pleased with the way it came together—the pink really did throw me off for a bit, but it was a good challenge and now I have a new "keeper" necklace! These challenges really are filling up my jewelry box, but I just can't seem to be able to let go of them!

Thank you all for visiting my blog and thank you to Linda for a beautiful focal and fabulous challenge!

Be sure to check out what everyone else made…

Guest Artists

Ann Schroeder

Mischelle Andrade Fanucchi
Therese Frank

The AJE Team

Susan Kennedy

Diana Ptaszynski

Linda Landig

Lesley Watt

Melissa Meman

Caroline Dewison

Francesca Watson

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Rebekah Payne <— you are here!

Kristen Stevens

Sunshine in my day

If you're a jewelry artist then of course you know what joy those little handcrafted pieces of goodness lovingly made by artists near and far can bring. As one who makes her own beads too, I feel this is extra special, because while I may not fully understand the process that goes into these creations, I do understand the effort involved and I definitely feel a great connection with fellow bead makers—intricate detail or simplistic style, I treasure each one that falls into my hands. Creating is such happiness—and enjoying someone else's creation and making it into something just a little bit more by adding it to my own jewelry creations… well, it's the sunshine in my day!

Here are the most recent treasures which I'm so happy to now call my own…

Pretties from Lesley Watt. Lesley has a great sense of texture and color—it always results in gorgeous components!

This honey golden daisy on blue says summer to me—I think of the daisy-filled fields that surround my home every time I look at.

Sweet blue cubes—I'm loving the little bit of speckling in these!

Coffee, anyone?! Or maybe it's root-beer—either way I'm loving this rich brown. And yes, I could use a big cup of caffeine right about now.

Beautifully detailed bronze clay charms made with the impression of a real ammonite.

And a stunning rust and green ceramic ammonite "fossil" set.

Next, are these brand new creations by Linda Landig…

If you follow AJE blog then you already know of Linda's journey as a budding ceramic artist—I'm really so very thrilled to be the owner of some of her very first pieces!

Isn't this orange just yummy?!

And this mottled and rustic leaf charm is the June CoM challenge piece I chose. Linda surprised us with the option to each choose a unique piece—let me tell you, it was a hard choice! With all the variations, this is going to be such a fun reveal!

And lastly, but not at all least, are these new treasures… 

Especially made for me by Erin Prais-Hintz of Tesori Trovati, these two little handcrafted gems—one stamped and painted polymer, and the other painted sea glass—hold a very special place in my heart.

This short message says a lot to me and about me.

Isn't this a fun piece? Erin has challenged me by leaving it without a hole, but it's cheerful colors coupled with the rustic feel and arrow shape have started my creative gears turning…

So, a big thank you to each of you ladies for these new treasures of bright sunshine and artistry! Bundled up inside each of these miniature works of art are so many happy hours of creating!

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Looking for my Summer Flower Giveaway and Sale?

It all ends on June 28th! Go here.