Tree Wings Studio: component of the month challenge

Showing posts with label component of the month challenge. Show all posts

AJE February 2015 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ Winter Rose

It's reveal time! I can't believe just how long it's been since I've played along in the Art Jewelry Elements Component of the Month Challenges…it's so good to be back at it! Sorry I'm so late—I was still finishing my design late last night and… then had to wait on daylight and to get enough time to edit photos and write up my post today. Anyhoo… here I am at last!

For this month's challenge it was Melissa Meman's turn to be our hostess and component maker… she started by carving her own original design stamp and then shaped a beautiful assortment of components in copper clay. It's not often that I use copper in my designs, but a chance to try a brand new component is not something an art bead lover can pass up easily! I snatched up a pair of her stamped rectangle charms right away!

It was so hard to settle on one design idea… I went from my original plan to make earrings… to a bracelet… to finally a necklace! A necklace that is now one of my very favorites ever.

I love the dark lines of Melissa's design and the soft glow of the copper and really wanted to keep it the focal point of my design without any overly distracting colors or patterns, so I chose to go very neutral.

And I think I was maybe just a little inspired by all the snow that has fallen this winter—way too much if you ask me, but it's been lovely to look at! I've titled my necklace "Winter Rose". The palette reminds me of the melting snow, as the faded leaves of the forest floor start to peek through. It's beautiful out—colors of winter are so saturated with the wetness of the melting snow and it's one of the very best times to go walking… if you don't mind the cold!

I used Melissa's copper charms to frame one of my own hand-painted polymer roses—like little leaves on either side.

I chose some rectangular white agate to echo the shape of Melissa's charms. Almost all of these beads came from a recent bead swap with a wonderfully generous bead lover I met through Etsy. And what fun new beads I got!

She'd had the stash of beads for quite some time, so I'm not absolutely sure what they all are—czech glass for the rondelles and the creamy-white ones look like some kind of stone, maybe. Doesn't really matter to me—I just love how they all fit into my design so nicely!

My sister Bethanne was sorting the bead swap with me (I think she may have kept some for herself! ;-) and suggested I add a pop of color with the oxblood red faceted rounds. Yes! Of course—one of my very favorites! I also threw in a sprinkling of oxblood seed beads to match.

I realized with this necklace that I've actually never done a knotted necklace before! What?! Wow… I've always loved the look and so it was a lot of fun to finally give it a go. It gave the necklace the perfect drape—I had tried beading wire, but it was too stiff and didn't match the "flow" of the the linked section and made the whole necklace look very stiff and lopsided. Perhaps a different wire would have worked fine, but I didn't have any on hand—what better excuse to try something new! :-)

I didn't have enough of the same beads to go all the around the necklace and didn't want to add anything else to the design. So it took me practically forever to decide how to finish the back of the necklace, but in the end I went with the simplicity of hemp cord. I made beaded loops at the end of the beaded section and knotted the hemp cord to that—I like that it adds a bit more texture and rustic-ness to my design and that I can easily adjust the length.

And there you have it—my brand new favorite necklace! Thank you Melissa, for another most gorgeous and inspiring CoM! And thank you to all you readers for stopping by to visit!

Be sure to take a peek at what everyone else made…

Guests:
Michelle Mach
Patty Miller
Divya N

AJE Team:
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Susan Kennedy
Melissa Meman
Rebekah Payne
Lindsay Starr
Kristen Stevens
Lesley Watt

AJE August 2014 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ Crimson Raven

Another month has flown by… and it's time for another Component of the Month Reveal! These monthly challenges really are one of my most favorite things about being a member of the awesome AJE team. This month is extra special since it was my turn to host… and I'm just bursting with excitement at finally getting to see the brand new creations everyone has dreamed up with my hand painted leather feathers!

For myself I chose one of the long focal feathers in black, grey, crimson, and copper… and here's what I've made…

I love long necklaces!

And I love these colors! There's something so incredibly beautiful and special about seeing the flocks of birds flying in the richly colored sun-setting skies of autumn—when you can only see their silhouettes mingled with black tree branches against the smoky grey and crimson red—that's what these colors remind me of, and so I've titled my new necklace "Crimson Raven".

For the focal I used a large Russian lace agate donut and a smaller donut in carnelian and wrapped them together with hemp. And then with a little more hemp and a dot of glue, I tied the feather in place. Two gemstone rounds—like the setting sun and rising moon—yes, that seems fitting for an autumn themed necklace, I think…

On either side of the feather I strung czech glass ovals with spotted brass spacers and iris grey seed beads.

And next I made a grouping of art beads, mixing up the arrangement just a bit on either side to keep things interesting. I used three of my own hand-painted speckle beads, a few of my tribal birds from my latest bead batch (the white gulls are in my shop already and weather permitting I'll have the ravens listed on Monday. :-). I added in a couple red creek jasper rounds, some hematite faceted beads, and a pair of lovely rustic black ceramic rounds from Lesley Watt.

For some reason finishing the backs of necklaces often takes me longer than any other part and after first contemplating several more complicated options, I decided to keep it simple—I ended my beaded front section with seed bead loops and used micro suede lace tied with hemp to finish it off.

One last bit of hemp cord to tie it all together and there you have it!

Time to hop! Follow the links below to see what everyone else dreamed up with the leather feathers they chose. Thank you all so much for joining me in this challenge!

Guest Artists

The AJE Team

Rebekah Payne <— You are here!

Caroline Dewison

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

Rebekah Payne <— you are here!

Kristen Stevens

AJE May 2014 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ Sweet Flower Dreams

To me, it feels like May just began yesterday—but obviously not—since here we are at the end of it today! It's a happy day though, as it's been a wonderful month for me in many ways… and of course, one of those highlights is getting to see some new jewelry today created for the AJE CoM reveal!

Our hostess this month is Sue Kennedy of Sue Beads and she provided us with a choice of beautiful glass cabochons or sweet sets of chicklet beads (pictured above). I went for the beads and believe it or not, I chose the pink and red set! Shocking, I know. Having learned a lot about myself and pink in the Bead Soup Party, I felt ready for another pink challenge!

And so, here's what I made…

I knew immediately when I saw Sue's little chicklets that I wanted to make a bracelet and use them with one of my new sleepy bunnies (another excellent reason to go pink!).

The pink chicklet bead was the starting point for me—it's such a nice soft dusty pink and really set the mood for the whole bracelet. I wanted to keep with the feel and theme of softness, going a little shabby chic with a bit of vintage, and so I chose to go without any wire. You know how much I love to work with wire so that was a challenge in and of itself to find other ways to connect the bracelet together, but in the end I managed and I have to say I love the way it turned out! I've titled my new bracelet "Sweet Flower Dreams".

I used soft pink seed beads on hemp to make a button and loop clasp. From there I added two czech glass beads, knotting between each one.

The chicklets have a nice large hole and worked perfectly with some vintage lace, which I also knotted.

As you might already know, my mom has been making these lovely fabric covered bead cords (now available in my shop—I'm so very excited about that! :-) and so I snatched up another one for myself and tied it into my bracelet.

One of my biggest challenges of making this bracelet, was actually the red chicklet bead! I wanted so much to use all three beads in one design, but the brightness of the red nearly had me designing a second jewelry piece. Finally, with a little rearranging I decided to separate the chicklets, putting this one at the clasp—that kept the design softer around the bunny and then the pop of bright red seemed just right at the end of the fabric covered bead cord—or at lease it makes sense in my mind! I love a little element of surprise in my designs—the ones that (hopefully) make people wonder at why I did it that way—because, believe me, I scrutinize every single element of every design!

This is my third time working with Sue's beads (see what I made before here and here) and just as before, I'm so very happy with what they bring to my jewelry—if you've never had the joy of creating with Sue's beads you must go grab up a few for yourself in her shop here! Thank you all for stopping by to see my latest creation! And a big thank you to Sue for another fabulous challenge!

And of course, don't miss out on all the lovely new creations made with Sue's glass lovelies! Check them out here…

Guest Artists:

The AJE Team:

Rebekah Payne <—You are here!

Keirsten Giles

Kristen Stevens

AJE April 2014 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ A Countryside Spring

It's finally time to show off our buttons!

I adore ceramics and so of course I jumped at the chance to get my greedy beady hands on another lovely ceramic component, this time from Lesley Watt of Thea Jewellery and Thea Elements for AJE's April Component of the Month Challenge. She crafted a whole lot of buttons, each with its own unique design and luscious glaze and a bright shiny copper clasp… and then let us pick our favorite! I know, you're probably thinking I chose the orange ammonite, right? Nope.

I went for green this time…

Sheer loveliness in ceramic button form! Don't the colors of this button just sing Springtime?

I do love the greys of winter, but after awhile they get a tad dull even for me and I start hunting for those little peeking shoots of green.

And so, here's my Springtime creation…

I've titled it "A Countryside Spring".

And now, let me start at the beginning… Lesley's pretty spring-green button was finally in my hands and had a very brief visit with my other hoarded art beads and was now sitting front and center on my jewelry making table (I had actually cleaned it off from my last project—shocking, I know!). Next, I started my search for complementing beads…

First on my list was this pretty rose pendant—its delicately fine details are entirely hand drawn by my sister Bethanne. It's translucent, which gives it a beautiful glow when light shines through.

I made a little wire-wrapped bail and hung the pendant on a strand of brass beads and picasso finished czech glass—like little rosebuds or petals.

Next on my list: a fabric covered bead cord—all hand-stitched by my mom (I know, I'm one lucky girl to have artistic friends and family! So inspiring!). My mom makes these unique beaded cords using vintage fabrics and beads. You know I love working with fiber, so of course, I had fun using this cord! The neutral colors and soft edges of this cord brings to my mind the velvety buds of pussy willows.

I used soft sea-green shell coins with teeny bone and ox-blood beads between. Ox-blood is my go-to color when I want a contrasting pop in a design.

And finally, I connected it all together with the star of the show—Lesley's button!

Actually, looking at this necklace, I realized that so little of the work was my own—I had only simply picked a few other beads, done a little wire-working and strung them together with some most gorgeous artisan components. That's the beauty of artisan components, don't you think—they become a lovely jewelry piece so effortlessly!

And that's all there is! I hope you enjoyed reading about my creative process and taking a little peek into the making of this necklace. And thank you to Lesley for a most fabulous challenge!

Be sure to check out what everyone else created with their buttons!

Guest Artists:

Johana Nunez

Leah Curtis

Perri Jackson

The AJE Team:

Lesley Watt
Keirsten Giles
Caroline Dewison
Rebekah Payne You are here!
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Jen Cameron
Diana Ptaszynski
Kristen Stevens
Francesca Watson
Melissa Meman
Linda Landig
Sue Kennedy

AJE March 2014 CoM Challenge Reveal ~ Wings of Gold

Can you believe how fast March has flown by? I sure can't! Here we are on the last day and I feel like it just began yesterday. How fitting for this month's AJE challenge component to be a gorgeous fluttering luna moth!

These glistening lovelies are each hand crafted by Caroline Dewison of Blueberribeads. Caroline shaped them in porcelain clay, hand carved all the details of their wings, and then glazed each one a stunning lustrous glaze.

Moths are a big favorite of mine, so I was very excited to play along in this month's challenge. I asked for one with two holes—one on either wing—and then Caroline surprised me with the color choice.

My moth is a bright and shiny gold. Although I love to work in warm tones, the gold was an immediate challenge for me—there are so many colors that can be combined beautifully with gold and yet, at the same time none of my choices looked quite right. And then there was the size—this moth is just shy of 3 inches long wing tip to wing tip. And so, in my usual fashion I thought about it, and thought about it… decided on a design weeks ago… finally started working on it late Saturday night… changed my mind completely Sunday afternoon…

And the sun set long before I finished… but it fell together so perfectly!

And here's what I created…

I titled it "Wings of Gold". I had originally intended to go with a spring hued palette with earthy browns, soft green, and white, but the gold of this moth kept whispering autumn to me… so instead of making it one of the first moths sighted in the new year, my moth became the last moth of autumn fluttering in the deepening sun-setting sky just before harvest-time turns to winter.

A beauty isn't it?

I'm good at making things much more complicated than need be—I spent quite a while searching for the right component to use to attach the moth to the beaded portion of my necklace. And when I couldn't find a chain that was perfect, I decided the only thing to do was make my own! I shaped each of these rings in 24 gauge bronze wire, stringing 2 oxblood magatama beads on each and then wire-wrapping around. They're connected together with tiny knotted strips of fabric. Tedious for sure, but I love wire-wrapping so I really enjoyed making this part.

For the beaded strand I used my own polymer rounds, czech glass, wood discs, and seed beads. I kept a pattern going with the seed beads—3 grey iris, 1 oxblood, 1 gold, 2 grey iris—it's the same all the way around. And then I randomly placed the polymer, glass, and wood beads. I wanted just enough pattern to create an interesting look, but not so that it would scream it. I wanted a rustic and boho feel that looked a little aged.

The fabric strips are actually from a tee shirt that I disliked… surprised, aren't you?! Pretty colors, but it had a fake paint spattered look to it and I never wore it… but I'm all for repurposing and making old unused things into something new. :-) In thin strips it looks like artfully dyed fabric and is the perfect touch! I added in the little wire-wrapped stations, scattering a few beads here and there, and then wrapped all the cords together with the beaded strand… and ta-da! a new necklace!

It was well after midnight at that point… which explains my late post today… I hope you enjoyed seeing my new creation! Thank you Caroline, for such a beautiful challenge piece!

Be sure to take a look at what everyone else created with their own lovely moth focals!

Guest Artist:

The AJE Team: