"Summer Color Inspiration Challenge" Wrap-up & Prize Winners

Blog Hop Wrap-up:

This blog hop got its start in the most unusual way.   As you may recall, it didn't begin as a blog hop at all!  On July 13, I wrote a blog entry, showing you some photos I had taken of a bouquet.  They were "macro" shots, closeups of different parts of the bouquet, and I had photographed it in my light tent, as an experiment.

What started as a blog entry about the colors of the flowers, and how color was an inspiration for my jewelry-making, turned into a challenge to you.  I invited you to select your favorite color combinations from the photos and to contribute photos of jewelry made to match those colors.  I thought I would print on my blog--lucky to get a couple of participants.   

And you pleasantly surprised me by having enough sign up that we moved the format to a blog hop!   

I must tell you, that even though it was a small, impromptu, casual type of blog hop, I've seen some of the most impressive, colorful, and creative designs I could have hoped for!   Your designs sang and danced of summer color!   They made me want to skip and turn cart wheels!   (I said "want to!")   They delighted me in every way!   Thanks to all who participated, all who commented, all who joined us and hopped along!

Drawing:

I promised at the start that one of the participants would win a colorful prize from me.   As you know, I selected one of the more pastel photographs for my necklace design, (click here for reveal results) but I was also drawn to this color combination--about as much different in color shades as I could get!

#7:   fushia, violet

And so I designed this pair of earrings for the give-away:

These are raw brass filigree components I've patinated with dark violet and pink.
I used gunmetal wire and earwires. The glass accent beads
 are clear, hot pink, and dark violet.

Then, because I always seem to make long, long dangly earrings, I challenged myself again, to make a shorter pair.  I found this so much more difficult!   You might not guess it from looking at these, but I restacked these beads countless times trying different bead combinations, trying to keep them petite, the color and size balance right, match any one of the flower photos, and still come up with something wearable! 

Here is my end result:

#2:  lime green, yellow, pinkish-red

So simple ...and yet so challenging...for me.   :-)

(Lime lampwork spacer beads are from Serena's Beadery, aka "Taneres.")

So I promised we would have a drawing from among those who participated in this blog hop, and instead of having one winner, we'll have two!

The winner of the earrings to match photo #7 is:

 Kashmira Patel!

The winner of the earrings to match photo #2 is:

Lisa Lodge!

Final Bit of Gratitude:

I've mentioned the bouquet in the photographs that inspired us all several times but not where it came from.   I owe a final bit of gratitude for those flowers to one from among us.   One day towards the end of winter, when I had completely had it with blizzards and shoveling driveways and walkways day-after-day, a lovely bouquet arrived to cheer me.   I couldn't imagine who would send me flowers!   But the note told all...they were from my online, jewelry-designing, always supportive, fellow night-owl friend, Laren Dee Barton, of Laren Dee Designs!  Don't you just love people who do such kind things for no reason besides they know you could use some cheer right at that time?   So while I don't wish to embarrass her, I do wish to thank Laren, for her thoughtfulness on that day, and for inspiring this event!

And my thanks to ALL of you for participating!  ~Sharyl

P.S.  We've been talking a lot about colors.  Next time, we'll talk a little about numbers!  

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Final note for today--New shop opening:

Norbel Cylkowski Marolla has just opened a jewelry store on Etsy called "She Flies Again."  Her friend and colleague, Kashmira Patel, tells you about Norbel, this unique shop, the history behind the store name, and the "collective" they hope for in her latest blog post!

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