Dark Bloom Challenge Reveal...

Today is the Reveal for the Dark Bloom Challenge!  If you're not familiar with the challenges, I put together a Design Kit and offer them on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Challengers claim their kits and then I send them off around the world!  Each participant has about two months to create a piece and at the end of the challenge, we all share what we made!

It's a really fun way to challenge your creativity and it's always interesting to see what will spark someone's imagination and pique their creativity!  Sometimes there are common themes and then other times, things are wildly different!

This is a snapshot of the kit!  It included lots of goodies!  I added lots of Czech glass (both new and vintage), hex-cut Japanese seed beads, hematite, iron filigree, African glass, lampwork glass, waxed linen, vintage lucite, and a gunmetal toggle.  Plus, a Luxury Bead Blend!

Participants could use as much or as little of the kit as they liked!  They could also incorporate their own beads!

Here's a close-up of the bead blend! It's a random assortment of all kinds of pretty little beads in purples, charcoal, blacks, and grays with pops of fuchsia!  I used a blend of Czech glass, semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, different kinds of Japanese seed beads, and so much more!

The kits included something else too!  Each kit came with a Mystery Component!  This time around it was a polymer clay pendant by me!  I carved a mold of a stylized Ancient Roman flower pattern.

And without further ado... here is the REVEAL:

Crystal Lombardo Farrell made this necklace.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "I've had this pendant that Andrew made for a little while now.  I love it because it's both so beautiful and so bizarre.  I have tried a few different designs for it because it is clearly too special to just put on a chain, but none seemed to do it justice.  I added some beads from the kit along with some others I had, and tried to keep it asymmetrical but sill harmonious.  I intend to keep this one for myself and wear it, so I used smaller beads in the back so it wouldn't tangle in my hair."

Laurel Ross made this necklace.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "I saw a design on Pinterest with a similar concept and decided to take it to next level!  I used beads from the Dark Bloom kit and leftover beads from the Radiant Orchid kit to create beaded loops that I strung on a beaded base necklace.  It has a lot of fun movement!"

This necklace was made by Geri Colgrove.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "I call this piece Midnight Elegance.  I used most of the kit to create the wire-wrapped link chains, plus I made a fabricated metal and resin focal.  I dangled knotted waxed linen from the base of the focal."

This bracelet was made by Alison Herrington.  Here's what she said about it:  "This piece is made entirely of beads from the kit!  I used a knotted waxed linen technique from Lorelei Eurto to make this braided bracelet."

This bracelet was made by me.  I used a technique from "Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes: 24 Wearable Jewelry Projects in Multiple Stitches" book.  It's a spiral stitch that's embellished with peyote stitch.  It has a nice studded look, almost as if it were speckled with dewdrops.  I also used the polymer clay focal as a dangle and used the corrugated iron bead to visually beef up the point of connection from the toggle loop and the base of the bracelet.

But wait... that's not all!  Please swing by the blogs of the other participants from around the world!  Check out what they made for the Dark Bloom Challenge!

Hannah
Karin Grosset Grange
Carolyn Lawson
Holly Baldwin
Jeanne Steck
Ann Schroeder
Kari Asbury
Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Alison Herrington, Geri Colgrove, and Crystal Lombardo Farrell

The Festival Lights Challenge is up next!  The Reveal is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th.  Check back here to see all the lovely creations!

Also, tomorrow (Friday, August 15th) the Moon Garden Challenge kits will go on sale!  Swing by tomorrow and get ahold of your kit!  If you're interested in participating, the kits sell out super fast!!  So make sure to grab one while you still can!