Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures, frequently hosts blog hops and design events with
packets of beads she sells to participants.
I have participated in several of these and wish I could do more, but time
forces me to pick and choose! This
time, I joined Lisa’s glass pearl event!
There were a couple of color choices and I chose a pastel
green. Lisa sent several strands of pale
green in 2 sizes and also some creamy white strands!
There were many more! This is what's left after making 3 pieces of jewelry! |
My first thought was to make a multi-strand necklace, some
with green, some with white. I had made
some pearl and crystal necklaces for my niece's wedding last summer (some of you are bound to recall that)! I wanted
to be sure I didn’t just recreate those patterns, but tried something new, so I thought on it a bit longer.
I kept wishing I had some gray pearls too, but found some dark gray round matte Czech druk beads in my collection and they were a perfect
size to match the white pearls. My
first thought was to make one size of a necklace in gray, the other side in
white. Could I pull that off? Nope!
As with many of my best plans to create something symmetrical, I
wandered away from my plan, but kept the colors very dark and dramatic for this
piece. I didn’t want a classic
white-pearl look (though you’ll see one
of those later too)!
I ended up using the gray glass beads, the white glass
pearls Lisa sent, and adding black chain and findings. I think this one may be my favorite of the 3 pieces made. I admit though, I do struggle
with getting multi-strand necklaces to lay properly, and I’d say I dismantled
this piece around 8 times to get it to this state!
Two blue-gray lampwork beads with necklace chain by Lampwork by Amy. Blue-gray and metallic bead above pendant by Jennifer Jennings of BlueSeraphim. Gray flowered wreath by ____.* *I'm having difficulty retrieving the artist's name who made this. Help me please! It's a lovely piece and I know I'll recognize it when I hear it! Thanks! |
Next, I made a more classic white pearl design, stringing it
with Swarovski glass bicone crystals in shades of blue and pink. It reminds me of a white dress my mother once
made me. I couldn’t decide whether I
wanted the ribbons and buttons to be pink or blue, so she ended up putting two
rows of ribbon and alternating button colors.
I loved that dress and my sister loved it after I finished with it! So, in honor of that special dress, there
are both pink and blue crystals in alternating colors in this piece too! Likewise, I added 2 small heart charms to
the front.
One was a pink crystal heart, the other an artisan-made ceramic one (pale blue on one side, green and yellow on the other). Both were gifts with purchases and I liked their similar sizes but very different textures.
It started out to be a necklace, but I think I prefer it as a bracelet. It will work either way!
I have one more to show using the green pearls, but I'm saving it for next time. It will be my entry in the April Art Bead Scene challenge! I'll give you a "sneak peak" though so you can see the green pearls!
To see the other entries in Lisa Lodge's Pearl event, visit this FaceBook page! Lisa has published a photo from each participant! Talent abounds!
Thank you, Lisa, for hosting and thanks to you all for stopping by!
Sharyl
P.S. Happy Holidays!
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6 comments:
I love all your pieces!
They are all lovely, but my favorite is your multi-strand necklace!
Beautiful!! The first one is my favorite - it's such a cool design. But I do love the other one, too. And I am excited to see the third one when you reveal it - looks yummy already!
Shel, you do such beautiful things with pearls--I always admire your work!
Thanks to you all for commenting!
I felt like the 2nd one was not very "inspired" and not really my style. Not sure how it ended up like that! ha! But I was happy with the first one. The 3rd one is just sort of "fun." :-)
The first necklace is unique. I love it. I can't wait to see your reveal of the last one.
Sharyl - thanks for participating in the event! I like all your creations! I especially like the second one. It is so feminine and classy.
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