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!

Alison Herrington

Shai's Ramblings

Holly Baldwin

Susan Kennedy

Tammy Bowman

Ann Schroeder

Andrew Thornton, Jo Pound, Donna Hoblit, Julie Tomes, Emma Tomes, Laurel Ross, and Lisa Mendum

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!