The Second Necklace Challenge Reveal!

Michaels Necklace Challenge #2

The Necklace Reveal makes me feel like a little kid on a playground.  I want to go play here, no wait, over there, now that way!  It’s a kind of giddy fun to hop from blog to blog and discover what everyone has created.

The rules of the game are explained in The Challenge.  Briefly, we all bought (or tried to buy) the same beads.  We had to use these beads, plus our own focal bead and clasp to create a necklace.  We could use 2 additional types of  beads of our choosing.

An Extra Challenge

I ran into an extra challenge because I couldn’t get all the beads we were supposed to work with.  I went back to Michaels 3 times and they never had the clear beads with the silver edges (my favorite beads of the whole selection).  They also didn’t have the faceted natural colored, oval mother of pearl beads.  I couldn’t find any good substitute for the clear beads, so I just left them out.  I substituted white (bleached) mother of pearl ovals for the unbleached ones.

 

My Design Process

The chunky black quartz was the biggest challenge to work with.  I pulled out my drawer of Art Glass and when my eyes lit on this fabulous  Black Sea Sand Dollar bead from Beads and Botanicals I knew it would be perfect with the black quartz.  The rest of the design process flowed easily from that point on.

I strung a quartz bead on a gunmetal headpin and sat the Black Sea Sand Dollar bead above it.   I attached the pendant to the gunmetal chain and wired some of the peacock colored pearls and some black Delica seed beads to a short length of the chain.  I like the grayish-purple of the pearls with the black of the pendant.

I framed the mother of pearl ovals with black and clear organic seed beads from Beads and Botanicals and then strung an alternating pattern of pearls and black Delicas.  I finished the necklace with a pretty vintage black German glass button and loop clasp.

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I encourage you to check out the other fabulous artists whose links are listed below.  You will marvel at how each person has come up with a totally individual creation, even though we’ve all been working with the same beads.  Have fun!

Please Visit These Wonderful Artists!

 
http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/2010/12/michaels-reader-challenge-blog-hop.html

http://blog.elysianstudiosart.com/

http://threeredbeads.blogspot.com/

http://starcitystory.blogspot.com/

http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

http://www.thistlefarmarts.blogspot.com/

http://therabbitmuse.blogspot.com/

https://lindalandig.wordpress.com/ (you are here)

http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/

http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/

http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/

http://deborahmpurdy.blogspot.com/

http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

http://pinkicejewels.blogspot.com/

http://craftyhope.blogspot.com/

http://gr8findings.wordpress.com/

http://tropicbeads.blogspot.com/

http://melissaruth.com/blog/

http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/

http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/