Endless Sky Challenge Reveal...

Today is a gold star day!  It's the reveal of the Endless Sky Challenge.  Before I share the lovely creations made for this challenge, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who participated and purchased a kit.  Even though these challenges are a lot of work for us, we continue to do them because people seem genuinely excited by them and we love to see what people make.  It makes it all worth it!  So, thank you for sharing your time, creative energies, and support!

The color palette of this challenge started with a strand of aquamarine. I love the stone.  It's got shimmering, cool tones of subtle blues.  It made me think of the sky and from there, I wanted to capture a wide breadth of sky-inspired tones... from the dark blue of angry storm clouds to the airy frosts of misty clouds.  

Each of the kits also included a Mystery Component!  It's a surprise piece made by me.  I forgot to reveal it this past month, so here it is!  It's sort of a faux cloisonné and is made out of polymer clay with resin in the recessed areas.  I touched it up with Glider's Paste and pigments to make it shimmer and stand out.  It reminded me of that scene in Girl with a Pearl Earring, when Vermeer asks Griet what colors the clouds are.  Sometimes the way the light shines through them, they seem to be gilt and outlined in gold.

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

Melissa Wynne made all these pieces.  Here's what she had to say about them:  "Here are my submissions for the Endless Sky Challenge.  I had such fun working with the package.  Thanks for reawakening my love of beading!  I especially liked the large clear quartz ovals.  They screamed, "SIMPLE EARRINGS!" to me.  So I made wire findings and that was that.  On the choker, I sewed the ribbon into a narrow strand and then wrapped it around a piece from one of my late Mother's necklaces.  I also made earrings to match.  The colors of the rocks in the necklace and bracelet reminded me of a trip to the ocean.  This challenge was so inspiring!"

Laurel Ross made this necklace.  Here's what she had to say about it:  "This was a fun palette for me because I loved the color combo so much.  I had recently scored the labradorite, which make up the long double strands of the piece.  It worked perfectly with the large quartz and glass components from the kit that I used to surround the focal.  My favorite tidbits are the flat-backed round aquamarine stone which I made the centerpiece and the Green Girl Studios sun rock to tie it all together."

Laurel Ross also sent a picture of this piece.  "I admit it, none of the components are from the kit at all, but it fit so perfectly with this challenge that I couldn't pass up sharing it.  I fell deeply in love with these faceted aquamarine rounds.  So in keeping with the color scheme, I made this piece to go along with the other.  Perfect pair with jeans or business suit!"

This multi-strand bracelet was made by me.  It's nice and chunky!  I used lots of different shapes, cuts, and grades of aquamarine with little brass round spacers and gold Czech glass.  I added pearls, to almost look like clouds and accentuate the sky them.  I used white bronze cones from Saki Silver to disguise the strand ends and I used a bird toggle from my family at Green Girl Studios.

But wait... that's not all!  Check out what these participants made for the Endless Sky Challenge!  Make sure to hop around and comment with wild abandon!  They did such a great job!

Dolores Raml
Marybeth Rich
Mona Arnott
Christina Hickman
Shaiha Williams
Kathy Lindemer
Ann Schroeder
Tammy Bowman
Alison Herrington
Jeanne Steck
Andrew Thornton, Melissa Wynne, and Laurel Ross

Up next is the Dreaming Tree Challenge!  I hope you'll swing by and see what everyone made for it!  The reveal date is scheduled for Thursday, August 13th.

The next kit goes on SALE TOMORROW!  The new kit is called, Warrior Stone.  I'm smitten with it!