Skip to main content

January Art Elements Theme Challenge - Moon

Lindsay Starr chose moon as the theme for the AE Design Challenge this month! Great choice, Lindsay! I knew I had a pendant from Vincent and Nooma from Inviciti that I wanted to use, and I have some moon face polymer clay cabochons I had made a while ago, so I was all set!

First, I used the pendant to create a simple necklace. I haven't strung beads in a very long time, and being that I enjoy simple designs for myself, I set out to find the perfect red beads. I chose faceted red jade from Golden Age Beads.  I also spied some other beads I really want, but am basically on a buying freeze so....maybe another time! I separated the red jade beads with some cute titanium spacers I had picked up at a bead show a long time ago, and I highlighted the pendant with some gold alcohol ink to make the moon show up better!



The second piece I made was influenced by Game of Thrones. Late to the party as ever, I just started watching it. I'm on Season 3 Finale - I use it as a carrot to make myself walk on my treadmill for an hour. I am really taken by the wedding ceremony words George R.R. Martin wrote for Daenerys and Khal Drogo.

"As you are the Moon of his life, he shall be your Sun and Stars. Your love shall be as ever present as those two celestial bodies...even though they are sometimes hidden from one another's sight. Your love will be the guiding force that charts the course of your tomorrows, holds your world together in difficult times, and will make life itself shine bolder and brighter than we human beings have a right to dream of."

I was going to add some dangling stars to it, but since I'm not necessarily a dangly type person, I left it the way it is. They can always be added, anyways. Not sure what I'll do with it, I just enjoyed making it!


I'm also posting for Kathryn Smith, as she does not have a blog. I found her on Instagram and when I saw her post this piece, I told her it was perfect for our theme challenge. She used a connector from Inviciti for her bracelet! You can see her other creations by clicking on her name, it will take you to her Instagram!


As this is a blog hop, I hope you visit and see what everyone else has made for the moon theme! Thanks Lindsay for a great theme choice this month!


Guests:
Art Elements Crew:



Comments

Cat said…
How pretty! I love black, and I love the dark beauty of your beaded piece. Totally something I would wear.

That pendant is a lovely design and the red jade really makes it pop.
Kathryn's piece is beautiful as well. The post is a feast for the eyes.
Laney said…
I love your beaded pieces and I still treasure mine that you sent me ;) That pendant is a bit special and Kathryn's bracelet is gorgeous.
baymoondesign said…
I love that you used the same Inviciti pendant that I did. It is always fun to see how someone uses that same component. I love that piece. It is a major revelation to me that you applied ink. I have a pewter piece that I have been wondering how I could apply color. Now I know.

Your necklace looks stunning in red. Well done!
I love how you highlighted the moon with yellow to make it pop more - especially with the red jade beads.
I also love the beading around the moon pendant - I think it makes it stand out more.
I love what Kathryn did for the bracelet - that is so cool!
Oh my! I love your first necklace-the red faceted beads really makes a statement with that pendant. I love that you highlighted the moon on the pendant, it reallly stands out nicely. Your moon face beaded pendant is FABULOUS!! I love the black face witht the white higlights around the features. Your choice of beads and bling really make it pop!

And I forgot to mention Kathryn's bracelet. I love that connector and how she created the bracelet.
CraftyHope said…
Both of your pieces are just yummy! That red is great in the first piece. And, I love the gold touches you added to the pendant. Genius! As for your second, I have to admit that while it is great, I love it even more simply because it was GoT-inspired! I'm a big fan myself - read all the books, watched all the episodes, lamenting over the fact that in April the last season will begin. Sigh. Enjoy your first run-through of it!
And, I'm headed over to Kathryn's IG now to let her know that I like her bracelet! :) So kind of you to share her work here for her!
Those are some gorgeous red beads! And they look fab with that pendant, which I totally love and would be tempted to try to snag one for myself if I wasn't also on a spending freeze. The bead embroidery is perfection. I love it.

Kathryn-great bracelet. I love that connector and I love that how you put it together. I will definitely take a look at your IG
Lindsay said…
So gorgeous Sue and Katherine! That dark moon cab is really striking! I'm really enjoying the pieces I'm seeing from Inviciti! I probably need to give the shop another look...
Unknown said…
Thank you everyone for all your lovely comments. It means the world to me. I admire all your work too. A special Thank you to Sue for inviting me. Big Beading 🤗 Hugs💗💗💗
Anita said…
Your gold highlighting was a nice touch, Sue! I'm absolutely in love with your beaded piece, however - it's one of those times the word 'harmony' pops up in my mind. And I love that it's inspired by GoT. :)
Kathryn - your bracelet is just beautiful, I love its composition!
Jenny said…
Well done both of you! It was great fun to see similar Invincti ( SP? ) components in diverse ways. Sue the red is wow! I love the beaded face - and love how you arrived there with GoT. Kathryn - cool bracelet - thanks for joining us!
Sarajo Wentling said…
I love the necklace you made... bold yet simple at the same time. That red is super yummy!
I love the red, larger beads you used on the first necklace. They really mesh beautifully with the color of the focal. Your beaded cab is stunning, love the black and blue mix. It could be a brooch, pendant, arm band (can't think of the word ....) and why not a leg-chain type adornment in the summer? Start a new trend :).. Alysen.
Oops, forgot to say to Kathryn that I love her style and will follow on social media.
Caroline said…
Gorgeous work ladies! Sue, that red is amazing, it's perfect with the pendant, the embroidery is fantastic and I love the cuff!
Sarah said…
Your pieces have a wonderful, mystical feel. I love the dark focals with the bright bursts of color. Well done.
Tammy Adams said…
I love the simplicity of the necklace you made for yourself. I didn't know you could color metal with inks like that. It's a very subtle enhancement that is perfect for the piece. The dark moon cab is fabulous. I have not watched an GoT. I bought the books before the series was adapted for TV and am determined to read them before watching. So far, I am on page zero of book one.

Katherine's work is lovely. I am glad you were able to add her to your post for us to see.
Divya N said…
I started watching GOT for my mom (and with her) so as to explain some scenes better and in the due course became a fan. GOT can do that to you and I can see its royal influence in your pieces. Your last piece reminds me of the last season's first episode. Kathryn's bracelet is charming as well.
Melissa said…
First of all, Kathryn, lovely bracelet!
And Sue, both your pieces are delightful. Love the inspiration for the beaded cab and the red beads go perfectly with the pendant.
bairozan said…
I'm loving both the necklace and the beaded focal - one is simple but with striking color contrast and the other is a statement piece. Kathryn's bracelet is beautiful and she has many other talents, too!
Niky Sayers said…
I love how you used the gold alcohol ink on the moon it makes the pendent a little more luxurious and the design of the necklace is beautiful as is your pendent!
Kathryn your bracelet is beautiful I love the little red beads, its a wonderful pop of colour and really finishes off the bracelet perfectly!
Rebecca Cameron said…
These are beautiful pieces, Sue and Kathryn!

Popular posts from this blog

Bead Soup Blog Party!

Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party! What is a Bead Soup Blog Party? Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following: ~ A focal ~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw) ~ Some coordinating spacers or beads Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not. You may recall my partner was Margot Potter ; click this link to see the blog post I wrote of what she sent me! Here's what I made! Dangly earrings! Come see what the rest of us made! 1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things 2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life 3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane 4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio 5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations 6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs 7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things 8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe 9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto 10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio 11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas 12.

Bead Soup Blog Party!

Today is the day of the big Bead Soup Blog Party reveal! Lori Anderson, the wonderful host of this event, reported that there are 362 participants this year! That's a lot of blogs to look at. I will try my best to get to each and every one, but it may take weeks! My partner was Laura Zeiner from Stick Lizard Designs . She has a lot of talent, that girl. If you recall in my previous post , she sent me these beads: And this is what I made: I love love love the focal she sent me. It's gorgeous! The lack of sun here in Pittsburgh does nothing for this rock! The colors and crystals are beautiful! I had no idea what to do with it, though, and I pondered for quite a while. I decided to make links with 18 gauge copper wire and think I did an ok job at it. I'm sure there are some better ways to do this, and I'd love to hear about them. I'm just really starting to get into the world of wire and so my skills aren't that great. In any event, I made some beady links

The Tacky Earring Blog Hop

Diana Ptaszynski had a great idea, instead of a Tacky Christmas Sweater blog hop, a Tacky Holiday Earring blog hop! I was on it.  I had ideas right away.  I had so many I had to control myself.  You can buy these for $15 each, too!  Here we go! I found these awesome wreaths in the miniature Christmas section in Michaels, and they go perfectly with silver and copper colored plastic beads! These trees were found in Michaels, on an end-cap - I assume they are scrapbook or card making supplies, but make fantastic earrings.  The holes were a little small and far down, so I had to make LARGE loops.  Paired these with cute little gold colored jingle bells! And, finally, the ones I had in my head the moment she announced the blog hop.  Dr. Seuss sparkly puff balls with ribbons.  The only thing that would have made these better for me is if I could have found the red ribbons I really wanted to pair these with - don't get me wrong, the silver is cool and all, but in my head they w