Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Jewelry Designs from Nature Challenge

A month or so ago, I was lucky enough to be chosen to an Art Bead Scene blog challenge.  The reveal date is today and I have my pretty necklace to share with you.  But first, a bit about this challenge and my inspiration.

The concept of the challenge was inspired by Heather Powers' awesome book Jewelry Designs from Nature and to celebrate now that it's out making its way into the big craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. .  (You can buy the book from one of my favorite stores - Ornamentea.)

I have spent literally HOURS thumbing through this book resulting in loads of inspiration for jewelry projects.  Heather uses some of her own amazing Humblebeads as well as lots of art beads from other artists.  It is a book that is right up my own alley.

10 winners were  sent a packet and had a few weeks to create a piece of jewelry inspired by their packets.  There will also be a voting for your favorite challenge piece during the blog hop with a giveaway of beads from the book!

The Challenge Packet Contents:

1. A few Humblebeads featured in the book
2. A nature-inspired poem
3. A photo for color and design inspiration

The packets will be themed and I could have gotten a garden, woodlands or sea set!  I ended up with a woodlands packet.  Whoo hoo!!!


It included a lovely photo, a woodlands-themed Humblebead pendant and a poem by Robert Frost.  Here's the poem:
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her earl leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Next to the crepuscular blue of twilight, the golden light of morning is my favorite (even though I don't see it very often - I'm NOT a morning person).

But, I am all to familiar to that fleeting sense of light that goes quickly from a soft glow to a the bright blue and orange of morning.  I DO see a lot of this harsher, but still invigorating light.  

My piece was meant to invoke the feeling of waking up at the crack of dawn and seeing nature unfold before my eyes.  The pale blues of the sky only serve to contrast with the golden light (and the golden buds on the tree branches in the picture.





I used a lot of czech glass, some vintage chain, a few lucite flowers and a patina butterfly that I created.  I love the way it turned out!  It's a piece that is much "prettier" than the pieces I've made lately.  

I'll have to come back tomorrow and add in a list of other blogs where artists are going to be showing off their creations.  Or you can visit the ABS blog and see if the links are up there.  Meanwhile, enjoy the fleeting bits of gold - because it cannot stay for very long.


Enjoy this blog hop.  I'm sure looking forward to it!

Lisa

Here are the participants!


  

18 comments:

  1. This is just gorgeous! I love everything about it from the sweet little butterfly to the yellow flowers...and of course the pendant is gorgeous too!! I think this piece is just spectacular!

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  2. wow! that is one GEEE-ORGEOUS piece. I LOVE it!!!

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  3. Beautiful! All the colors in the necklace compliment the pendant so nicely! Love the butterfly!

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  4. A beautiful piece! I love your patinated butterfly. What a fun challenge!

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  5. That is one of my all time favorite poems! I love it! The piece has that quiet tranquility of the fleeting gold of day and also the idea that nothing is permanent, the flowers, the fluttering butterfly. Beautiful! And that book is by far one of my favorites too! Enjoy the day. Erin

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  6. Absolutely stunning! Your creation is definitely not fleeting, a real keeper!

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  7. What a great piece! That knotted tassel is a nice detail.

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  8. Beautiful necklace, full of texture and flow. Well done.

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  9. Love all your delicate elements! The golden colors with the verdigris color is lovely! The rustic leather is a great touch, like twigs or branches. The patinaed butterfly is perfect. It does remind me of sunrise (or at least the few that I've seen, haha!)

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  10. I think you did a beautiful job of translating the poem into a necklace - you captured that fleeting feeling of those delicate things in nature. The necklace is a wonderful mix of textures and I agree, the tassel is the perfect touch.

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  11. Wow, this is truly a beautiful piece...organic but still dainty. One look pushes me to go looking for more of your work...

    ~ Shelley

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  12. Looks like sweet spring to me, very pretty indeed

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  13. Gorgeous piece - the flowers are so delicate against the rest of the piece... and the butterfly - I just fell in love with it, and with your necklace: goregous :)

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  14. Really beautiful and stylish for both working women as well as college going girls.As these days every girl wanna buy jewelry online

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  15. Beautiful piece. I like the combination of elements and colors. And I love how you nestled the focal on the filigree - perfect!

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  16. This is just amazing designs! Your creation is definitely stunning and adorable.Great work
    Babysieraden

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  17. Great collection amazing designs!These are very pricey. chanel watches

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