It’s reveal day for the Art Elements “sunflower” inspired design challenge. Sunflowers are a wonderful color palette for a summer design theme. Especially when you picture fields of sunflowers against a clear blue summer sky. Although sunflowers have been cultured to produce flowerheads in a wide range of colors, I went with the sunny yellow/maroon combination of the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus, for my palette. Continue reading
Category Archives: Blog Hops
Mixed Media Art and Jewelry Inspired by Tidepools
The theme for the May challenge from Art Elements’ blog team was ‘tidepools.” Tidepools are a marine micro-habitat full of inspiration for any artistic medium. They’re filled with textures and colors and movement. In fact, there’s so much inspiration in tidepools that I had an impossible time narrowing down what to focus on. Where to start: the colors, the textures, the critters? Continue reading
Water Horses and Primitive Ponies Jewelry in Polymer Clay
So many horses, so little time. The theme for this month’s Art Elements design challenge was “horses.” I had soooo many ideas for this theme. Wild horses, rocking horses, carousel horses, four horses of the apocalypse, night mares, sea horses, horsing around, hold your horses, gift horses, high horse, dark horse, winged horse, unicorns, and on and on. As usual, I had far more ideas than time. So I focused on just two of my ideas: wild horses and water horses. Continue reading
Tropical Paradise Earring Design Challenge
When I read that the theme for this month’s We’re All Ears earring design challenge was a tropical paradise, I wasn’t feeling very inspired initially. Our hostess was setting off on a Caribbean cruise, which would be one of my worst nightmares. I hate feeling hot and I get sunburned in less than thirty minutes even with sunscreen, so nothing about a tropical vacation could possibly be fun. But that doesn’t mean I can’t find some jewelry inspiration in the idea of a tropical paradise. Continue reading
Not Your Typical Nest Jewelry
The theme of the month for Art Elements’ March design challenge is “nests.” Even before I signed up to participate I knew I didn’t want to make a typical bird’s nest for my design. I’ve made wire-wrapped nests with bead “eggs” before, including as a component in a spring-themed necklace for a past Art Elements design challenge. They’re plenty of fun to make, but I wanted to try something new for this challenge. Continue reading
Black and White Earring Design Challenge
The theme for this month’s We’re All Ears earring design challenge is “black and white.” I made a batch of black and white components using silkscreening and polymer clay. I turned some of those components into earrings for this challenge. Mostly not in the way I had initially planned. Continue reading
Exploring the Watercolor Technique for Polymer Clay Beads
The assortment of beads and pendants I made using the watercolor technique.
I tried a new polymer clay technique this month: the torn paper or watercolor effect. I was inspired to make beads and focal components using this technique and the color palette for the February Art Bead Scene challenge. Continue reading
Chandelier Earrings Design Challenge
Some early examples of my chandelier earring designs. I was a little obsessed with Bali silver filigree stations and Swarovski crystal beads. So much sparkle.
The inspiration for this month’s We’re All Ears earring design challenge is chandeliers. As in, those light fixtures that hang from the ceiling. Chandelier is also a type of earring, along with drops, dangles, and studs. Before I show and tell you about the chandelier earrings I designed specifically for this challenge, let me share some of my earlier designs. Continue reading
Pantone’s Ultra Violet Inspired Earrings
The inspiration for the January We’re All Ears earring design challenge is Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2018: Ultra Violet. Pantone describes Ultra Violet as a “blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level.” I’m not sure my earring designs for this challenge are consciousness-altering, but I did feel extra creative working with this color. Continue reading
Something Fishy for Art Elements Ornament Challenge
When I saw that the Art Elements team chose ornaments as their theme for the winter design challenge, I signed up right away. I was already planning to make some, and having a deadline never hurts when you tend to procrastinate as I do. Continue reading