Fusion Beads Reader Challenge: Blog Hop

Hello all! Welcome! Where do I begin with these? To say that I have been itching to reveal these designs is an understatement!

Right before Christmas Lorelei Eurto posted THIS blog post. I jumped at the chance to join and began shopping right away! The only component that I could not get was the lucite walnut leaf charms. I did find some on Etsy in a chocolate brown and ordered them....but, alas, I could NOT wait to start on my designs, so they never made it in the finale!

The RULES: "For this challenge, you may create whatever you'd like. A necklace, a bracelet, earrings, whatever! Feel free to add in as many components as you want, your own focal, beads from your stash, but just make sure to try to use these components in your final piece."

This picture was the first piece I made. The necklace started with the Green Girl Studios clasp as my focal. It was to be a clasp as well, but, I am sure you all know about "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray". No matter how well you plan something, always expect the unexpected! I added Ruby Fuschite and Picture Jasper gemstone ovals, tiny Bali Silver nugget spacers, and I used a silver Hill Tribes clasp bar to the side to finish it up. My all time favorite about the design? I am now in LOVE with drop seed beads!! They lay great!!

The bracelets came to me as I was drinking my morning coffee one Sunday, and skimming through a People Magazine my mom had left behind. There was a picture of Taylor Swift with an arm FULL of wooded bead bracelets...all layered upon each other! My brain screamed ELASTIC BRACELETS!!! And off I went! My coffee got cold :(
I am not a bead shopper at our local Wal-Mart. To be blunt....most are crap! Sorry Wal-Mart! Buuuut, I did find some great olive green suede cord and gunmetal findings, you know...just in case in could use them in my designs! I used the green suede and the leather cord Lorelei chose to tie the set of elastic bracelets together. I then made a single, drop seed bead, strand bracelet, with another GGS owl clasp to layer on top of the elastic set. Voila!
Lastly, we have the earrings. You know I am not much into making matching sets, but that Lorelei.....she picked some FANTASTIC beads! The earrings were inspired by Michelle Mach's Under the Midnight Sky earrings that were showcased in January's issue of Bead Trends.

The earrings are made using beads from the challenge, gunmetal findings, bali silver beadcaps, and a set of GGS small owl charms.

Thank you all for stopping in! Thank you SO much to Lorelei Eurto for hosting this fantastic challenge! Hop on over to the other challenge members' blogs to see their designs. I KNOW I will there reading, looking, drooling, oooing and ahhhing!

http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/
http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

http://beadingbymalindekoning.blogspot.com/
http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

http://thebeaddreamer.com/blog
http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://fryestyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.madmaggiedesigns.blogspot.com/ You are Here!!!
http://reginaswritings.blogspot.com/


http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/
http://jennibead.blogspot.com/
http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/
http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/


http://fireflymyst.blogspot.com/
http://www.awishandacloud.blogspot.com/
http://spiritrattles.blogspot.com/
http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/


http://songbeads.blogspot.com/
http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/
http://threeredbeads.blogspot.com/
http://christinec3.blogspot.com/