Thursday, July 23, 2015

Lunar Eclipse Challenge...


This is our latest Design Kit Challenge: Lunar Eclipse!  If this is your first time learning about our challenges, they're a really fun way to play with your creativity by working with an array of pre-selected components.

To participate, you must purchase a Design Kit. This kit features a selection of premium Czech glass (both new and vintage), vintage acrylic, smoky quartz, waxed Irish linen, vintage glass, vintage seed beads, and a Luxury Bead Blend. 

The Luxury Bead Blend consists of Japanese Miyuki seed beads, Toho seed beads, Japanese Matsuno seed beads, vintage Czech seed beads, freshwater pearls, glass pearls, Czech glass (both old and new), smoky quartz, tiger's eye, stone, vintage sequins, German glass, electroplated hematite, Swarovski crystals, vintage Japanese glass, Javanese glass, and vintage lucite. 

But wait... there's more!  Each kit will come with a special handmade component that will remain a mystery until it arrives at your door! It may be more than one piece!

The mystery component(s) will be publicly revealed on Monday, September 28th, 2015! 

For the past few challenges, I've been looking to gemstones for as a starting off point.  Once I've thought about the stone, I go from there.  This kit was inspired by smoky quartz.  When I first saw the stone, I was in elementary school.  We had sort of a mock science center/museum set up in one of the multi-purpose rooms and in one of the displays, there was a hunk of smoky quartz erroneously labeled "moon rock".  (It could also have been that our budget for our makeshift museum didn't include the budget for an actual lunar specimen.  Though in hindsight, a handful of gravel probably would have been more convincing.)

Ever since then, I've there's been a mental bridge between smoky quartz and the moon.  Smoky quartz also has a silvery, gray tone that reminds me of the moon.  I started looking up images of the moon and came across a few of lunar eclipses.  The moon, bathed in the shadow of the earth takes on hints of umber, sienna, and warm browns that almost appear copper with the silver light of the moon coming through.  This provided the perfect autumn color palette.

Speaking of color palettes, this kit was strongly influenced by the Pantone Color Forecast for Fall 2015.  I pulled colors like Dried Herb, Desert Sage, and Stormy Weather.  I sprinkled in bits of Oak Buff and even a dash of Marsala.

With your kit, using as much or as little of it as you like, create a piece that showcases your creativity, individuality, and artistic expression!  Ideally you'll pull from the components in the kit and spotlight them, but feel free to use beads from your own stash to supplement the offered selection.  Whether you use a little or a lot of the kit, make sure you keep your project secret until the reveal date!

The Reveal Date for this challenge is: Thursday, October 15th, 2015! 

Post a picture on your blog or send one to me to post on your behalf (if you don't have a blog of your own).  The Lunar Eclipse  Challenge will end in a blog hop, sharing all the lovely things created with your kit with your fellow participants.

There are only 30 Design Kits available (with one set aside for me)! Once we receive your order, we will process your kit and send it out within seven Allegory Gallery business days. Hurry! Supplies are limited and are on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE basis! (Sorry, no exceptions!)

I also wanted to mention that all the Design Kits will be shipped with Priority mail. This can take anywhere from one business day to ten. For international orders, it may take longer! If you know that it take a long time to reach your destination (from Southwestern Pennsylvania) please place your orders early! I will do my best to get your kit out as early as possible, but unfortunately I can't be held responsible if it arrives late due to the postal service.

All sales of the Design Kits are final and there are no returns or exchanges.  Sorry!

With all that being said... we really hope you'll enjoy working with the kit and have a ball playing with it!  We can't wait to see what you make!

CLICK HERE to get your Design Kit!

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