Thursday, April 30, 2015

Amethyst Aether Special Challenge Reveal...

Today is the day for the Reveal for the Amethyst Aether Special Challenge!  So exciting!  CLICK HERE to take a look at what went into the kit and was sent out to all the participants.  This Steampunk-inspired kit blended shades of antique brass, striking copper, burnt gold, and pale purple.

And without further ado... here's the reveal:

These pieces were made by Jo Pound.  Here's what she had to say about them:  "I had great fun with the kit and it didn't hurt that my two favorite colors are purple and copper!  I am certain that is the reason this kit really spoke (actually screamed) to me!  There were so many beads that brought on so many ideas and I tried to use as many as I could, with only adding some copper seed beads and my sister-in-law's watch faces and tiny gears."

"I made the necklace using the "mystery" piece furnished by Andrew which provided the theme of Steampunk.  I have always wanted to try that style and these beads gave me the perfect opportunity.  Using the silk and suede for the neckband was something I had never done before.  I bead embroidered the handmade disc by Andrew and added some small gears on the edges, and then backed it with copper metallic leather."

Here is a detail shot of the cuff bracelet made by Jo Pound.  "I bead embroidered the bracelet using the two watch faces, small gears and copper seed beads that were my additions to the beads that came i the kit.  I think of Steampunk as the use of gears from watches and machinery which gives it an industrial look with lots of "stuff".  I also lined the bracelet with copper metallic leather."

This is a shot of the earrings Jo Pound made and a beauty shot of all the pieces together.  "I made the earrings with beads used in the necklace and bracelet.  I glued small gears on the face of the disc beads."

"I had great fun designing in my sleep and then trying to implement it all into some really fun jewelry!"

"Thanks to Andrew for providing the kits and also to my friend, Janice, who let me know immediately when the kits became available because she knew of my love of purple and copper!  My Facebook Biz Page is Jewelry by Jo Lane where you can see lots of my other pieces and collections."

These pieces were created by Donna Hoblit of VeraDonna Treasures.  Here's what she had to say about them:  "I put together this necklace using antique watch chains, water faces with a clasp by Earthenwood Studios.  This combines two of my past times: collecting antique jewelry, and making modern jewelry with a twist."
These pieces were also made by Donna.  Here's what she had to say about them: "This necklace is strung with my favorite new material... waxed linen!  It uses mixed metals and the pendant is made by Earthenwood Studio.  I enhanced the pendant with a vintage pocket watch case and rusty key."

This necklace was made by Julie Tomes.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "I loved the color combination in this challenge!  Because this was my first time participating, I wanted to keep things pretty simple.  I really didn't want to take the focus away from the pendant in my necklace, so I hung it from chain and embellished it with a few dangles and some ribbon."

 This bracelet was made by Julie.  Here's what she had to say:  "I had scraps of memory wire to use up for my bracelets.  I tried all purple for this one and I closed my eyes and randomly picked beads for the other."
This memory wire bracelet was also made by Julie.

Julie ended up turning this into a family affair and her daughter created these pieces.  Here's what Julie had to say about her daughter's creations:  "My daughter, Emma (she's 11) also loved the colors and the whole idea behind this challenge.  She just finished reading Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" and was in a Steampunk kind of mood.  I let her raid my bead stash and these are the things she made.  The necklace features a copper crowned skull coin from Andrew.  I got it from him a few years ago."

This bracelet was also made by Emma Tomes.  "The toggle is bronze and is from Green Girl Studios.  It goes with the theme perfectly!"

This necklace was made by Laurel Ross.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "I love the Hamilton Gold I used, because it gives the necklace an industrial feel of pipes or tubing.  The coated bronze wheels also add to the Steampunk vibe as do the patinas and the mixed metals.  Fun challenge!  Thanks as always, Andrew!"

These pieces were created by Lisa Mendum.  Here's what she had to say about them:  "Loved every bead as usual, but my ideas were all over the place.  I still had so much fun creating from Andrew's bead picks and looking at everyone's wonderful creations!"

These earrings were made by me!  I haven't had a lot of time lately, so I whipped up a few pairs of earrings.  They're pretty simple, but I love how dangly they are.

I also made this really simple bracelet.  I think it has a nice, eclectic look and really speaks to the diversity of the items in the kit.  One of the things that I love about Steampunk is that the feel can be conjured up without being so literal. So you can use metallics and pastels and still pull it off.

But wait... there's more!  Check out what these participants made for the Amethyst Aether Special Challenge!


Up next is the Sweet Honey Challenge!  The reveal date was set for Thursday, May 14th... BUT... I'll be away and when I come back, we'll be jumping right into a big event!  So, I'm going to push it back a week.  The new reveal date is Thursday, May 21st!  Make a point of dropping by and checking out all the sweet creations!

5 comments:

Inner Muse Jewelry Design said...

Jo Pound: Absolutely stunning designs!! I love the richness of the bead embroidered bracelet design. The necklace is amazing on so many levels...the pendant looks like something from a grandfather clock and your embellishments pull the theme all together. Great job on pulling the coordinating earrings into the set. Bravo!!!

Donna: You captured the theme of Steampunk by adding your own special touches. All the watch components make the designs hum with Steampunk style! Awesome work!

Julie: So happy that you also included your daughter in the challenge. My 11-yo also participated. Great designs by a mother-daughter team!!

Emma: I love the toggle and watch gear as well as the bead selection for your bracelet. Lovely!

Laurel: I agree: the design elements all come together to convey the look of industrial chic! I love the multi-strand effect-bold but balanced.

Lisa: Beautiful necklace and earrings. The mix of soft tassels and fiber cord with the metal and glass components is so pretty!!

Andrew: I love the mix-n-match earrings sets with the bracelet. These are the kind of go-to jewelry items I like when I am rushed to get ready.

Eileen The Artful Crafter said...

Wow, you really got some gorgeous submissions this time, Andrew. The kit was clearly very inspiring.

Unknown said...

Wonderful creations from this very inspiring kit!

Jo's pieces are amazing. What fabulous bead work. I could look at them for days and still be discovering new things about them. I'm not surprised you design in your sleep because your creations are a dream!

Donna's creations are beautiful, clever and fun. Earthenwood Studio and your stash of watch chains and faces are perfect additions to the kit beads.

Julie's necklace is beautiful in its simplicity. You chose the perfect accent beads and ribbon to bring out the amethyst in Andrew's Mystery Component. I also love your memory wire bracelets (especially how you used ribbon). I thought about using memory wire! It's fun to see that you did.

Great additional pieces by Emma. She really knows how to raid a stash for the good stuff!

Laurel's necklace is great! I love how you used Hamilton Gold. It is perfect. Wish I'd thought of that!

Lisa's set is beautiful. My mind was bouncing around as well because the kit was so rich. I love the tassel earrings!

I also love Andrew's earrings. They have the perfect balance for a steampunk feel. I also love the eclectic bracelet and the beads you chose. I really love that large, twisty bead in the kit, but didn't use it...yet. I know the perfect idea will come along.

Thank you, Andrew, for another wonderful and inspiring kit and challenge!

Andrew Thornton said...

Jo: So visually rich! Like Ann, I could spend a lot of time examining these pieces and taking them all in! I love all the textures and am impressed with what you coaxed from the kit! So many really cool pieces! I think my favorite element is the beaded bezel around the pyrite! Very neat!

Donna: I think you've captured the spirit of Steampunk perfectly! They've got so many little gadgets and doodads and are spot on! They've got such a groovy collected look. Great job!

Julie: Sometimes simple is all you need! Your pieces are really elegant and clean. I think the way you handled the pendant in the necklace makes it look really expensive and lush! Nicely done!

Emma: Thanks for playing along with your mom! I hope you had fun! Your pieces you created are super nice and I'm proud of what you came up with! Keep it up!

Laurel: I love the layers in this necklace! There's so much texture! And I think you're right, the Hamilton Gold makes the piece! The best thing is that even though it has a steampunk vibe, it could be worn without costume-y.

Lisa: Such a diverse and rich offering of pieces! I love the boho vibe and how you've mixed the colors and textures and created something really cohesive and simply stunning!

Nice job everyone! Thank you so much for participating! I hope you all had fun working with the kit!

Anonymous said...

These are just so interesting. I love the different influences and inspirations everyone showed. Blogger, Wordpress, and my iPad do not always play nice together; it can be difficult for me to leave comments as I log in and out of different programs so they don't try to compete with one another. I made the effort because I want you each to know how wonder I think your work is and that I really enjoy these challenges Andrew provides.