I think you all know that autumn is my favourite season, and that my all time favourite holiday is Halloween. This year I haven't really been in the blogging or blog hop mood... I've done a couple challenges, but nothing compared to my usual, and this has carried straight through into my favourite season and holiday. Because I haven't been able to enjoy this time of year much so far, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for Diana's Halloween blog hop. Joining this hop accomplished three goals for me.
#1 - Get the creative juices flowing and participate.
#2 - Celebrate my favourite holiday.
#3 - Use some of my art beads!!
Yes, that's right.. one of the rules for this hop was that our pieces had to contain an art bead :) This meant I had to break open my hoard and actually *gasp* use some!
I had two pieces designed and started ages ago... but got stalled on the energy and will power to finish them. This turned out, despite my pre-planning, to be another last minute muse-fest :) Saturday night I finally set aside the pieces I'd been stuck on and pulled out a different art bead to feature.. and wham... my muse and I connected and we were off :) Since then I have managed to finish four pieces... including the two I'd stalled on :)
First up we have a fun piece made with a purple coated wire recycled from a pair of earphones ( yes, the kind you listen to music with ;) ). I knotted in some green catseye beads, and finished it with a piece of recycled silk. The focal is a fun polymer clay tentacle pendant made by Marlene Cupo of 'Amazing Designs'
Next I grabbed a different box, and pulled out anther artbead from a different artist. This one became a simple necklace of 8mm black agate & dalmation jasper rounds, combined with some antiqued copper spacers and bead caps. the smaller rounds towards the back are glass. The focal is a fabulous bat from Marsha Neal Studios
Once I had these two done, I went back to the two original pieces I'd been struggling to finish. I ended up changing the designs on both in order to convince my muse to lend a hand and get them finished.
Both designs changed a fair bit. What was originally going to be several strands twisted with the focal hanging beneath, and the silk around the neck... became this. Shell chips & czech glass, recycled silk, chain & of course, a skull key pendant from MarlasMud.
And lastly, a three tier, off center, hand-made beaded chain design shifted to a centered two tier design. This is a mix of handmade beaded chain with both blacked steel & raw copper, featuring czech glass in peach & aqua, with some magnesite spacers. The lampwork beads are from Gail of Oregon Handmade, and the skull focal of from MarlasMud :)
Sorry for the bad lighting ... last minute muses sessions result in poor lighting... It's a fact of life for those of us with a light tent.
I have a few other Halloween pieces on my table that don't contain artbeads that I might show you yet this week, along with another artbead featured piece or two. In the mean time, check out some of the other halloween creations from my fellow hoppers :)
Thank you for hosting a great hop, Diana :)
Hop List
~ ~ ~
Diana Ptaszynski http://www.
Staci Smith http://www.
Kathleen Breeding http://99bobotw.blogspot.com
Sue Kennedy http://www.suebeads.blogspot.
Dianne Miller http://www.artbydianne.
Lisa Liddy http://www.lisaliddy.
Toltec Jewels http://www.
Linda Landig http://www.LindasBeadBlog.com
Laura Medeiros http://Www.zoeowyn.blogspot.
Veralynne Malone http://www.veradesigns.
Lynn Jobber http://thecreativeklutz.
Michelle McCarthy http://www.fireflydesignstudi
Karen Totten http://www.starryroadstudio.
Jayne Capps https://mamasgottodoodle.
Jenny Davies-Reazor http://jdaviesreazor.com/blog
Joan Miller http://metalmudandsand.
Melissa Meman http://melissameman.
Melissa Trudinger http://www.beadrecipes.
Kari Asbury http://hippiechickdesign.
Inge von Roos http://www.ingetraud.
Andrea Glick http://zenithjade.blogspot.
Stephanie LaRosa http://Www.stringaholic.
Lola Surwillo http://www.beadlolabead.com
Jennifer Cameron http://glassaddictions.com/
Diane Hawkey http://dianehawkey.blogspot.
Kristi Harrison http://kristibasket-
Nicole Valentine Rimmer http://www.nvalentine.
Tanya Goodwin http://www.Pixiloo.blogspot.
Shai Williams http://shaihasramblings.
Sandra McGriff http://skyescreativechaos.
Sarajo Wentling http://www.sjdesignsjewelry.
Marie Covert http://thistledown-and-
Lisa Stukel http://www.
Laurie Vyselaar http://www.Lefthandjewelry.
Sherri Stokey http://www.knotjustmacrame.
Pam Traub http://www.klassyjoolz.
Lori Dorrington http://lorisglassworks.
Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.
Eleanor Burian-Mohr http://
Sally Russick http://thestudiosublime.com
Dawn M. Gallop http://www.
Christine Damm http://storiestheytell.
Great pieces - I think I want your stash :) Love them all, but I have to say the tentacles may be my favorite. Trippy!
ReplyDeleteisn't that just a fun focal! I knew as soon as I saw it in Marlene's shop that I had to get it... I had no clue what I was going to do with it, but I had to get it lol
Deletegirl- these are awesome! I can't decide which I like the best! I love them all!!!!!!
ReplyDeletety :) Not sure I'm in love with the two skull pieces, but I 'like' them.. so they may remain as is lol
DeleteFantastic job, for someone who waits til the last minute for her muse to kick in (LOL, none of us does that right?)!!! Thanks for using my version of an "oxygen starved octopus". <3
ReplyDeleteThat tentacle is fabulous :) And the colours are just awesome together :) Thanks for creating such a fun focal to snap me out of my procrastinating mode :D
DeleteLove that the design for the skull necklace is sweet and girly while the bat necklace is so strong. Great designs.
ReplyDeletety :)
DeleteYou made a lot of great jewelry! My favorite is the bat necklace. The stones complement the bat very well.
ReplyDeletety :) Yeah, that bat just needed something simply but not too understated... gemstone rounds to the rescue :D
DeleteThose are so much fun! I think the first one is my favorite as well -- definitely a halloweeny vibe, but subtle.
ReplyDeletety :)
DeleteI totally understand the muse struggles! Great job on all the pieces! Thanks for participating!
ReplyDeletethank you for hosting :) I had a great time and it got me into the spirit!
DeleteLove, love, LOVE how you combine elements. Brilliant!
ReplyDeletety :)
DeleteOh my what wonderful works of art, they are all beautiful! Thanks for sharing! Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeletety:)
DeleteWonderful pieces all!
ReplyDeletety :) I have some of your beads set aside with some art tiles from SkyeJewels, but I ran out of time on that piece. I'm hoping to dredge up some more muse power to make it either tonight or tomorrow morning before work :)
DeleteNice work on all your designs. I really like the skull key focal bed; I think I'll look-up MarlasMud. Thanks for sharing your bead source with us. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLori in Atlanta
ty :) Marla's shop is on etsy :)
DeleteGorgeous!!! I love your ceations!!
ReplyDeleteThose there all wonderful. I especially love the with the pendant by Marlas Mud
ReplyDeleteGosh once your muse kicked in she really went to town. You are really rocking the sari silk (that stuff still terrifies me). I especially like that last necklace thought the Call of Cthulhu
ReplyDeleteWhat fun designs!
ReplyDeleteWhen your muse returned, she certainly arrived with a flurry of ideas. Great designs!
ReplyDeleteOh I really like that double strand on the las necklace! Are they linked or hanging separately? Nice work - and so many pieces!
ReplyDeleteGreat designs!
ReplyDeleteWow, once your Muse got started, you and she were really on a roll! Great work-- especially the one with the silk ribbon. Happy Hallowe'en!!
ReplyDeleteI like all your work but I think my favorite is the skull on top of the bone pendant necklace. I love the colors on the first one, and well, all your work is great!
ReplyDelete