Halcraft Pretty Palettes Challenge

My friend Erin invited me to take part in this month's Halcraft Pretty Palette's Challenge. She sent me a very sparkly, icy inspired collection of beads and told me to create whatever I'd like and I could add in other beads. The inspirations were macro photos of snowflakes from a Russian photographer. You must go visit the Halcraft blog to see there beauties. 

So I gathered my Humblebeads, took a quick trip to Michael's to round out my color palette with a few more earthy options and set to work. I was a little afraid of all that pastel bling from the challenge, but a great challenge pushes you out of your comfort zone and allows you to put your stamp on it, stretching in the process. 

First up is a linked bracelet with a Humblebeads Winter Branches House Beads. I paired together the the snowflake charm, faceted glass and rhinestone beads Erin sent with faceted teardrops and metallic hematite from the Halfcraft Bead Gallery collection. A few copper hematite and copper jump rings added in darker colors to match my focal bead. 

Snowflake charm earrings with faceted glass and crystals from Halcraft.

Erin had sent in a few rose quartz beads inspired by Pantone's color of the year. I wanted to create a piece of jewelry in the pink hues that felt a little like spring might be on the way! I pulled out my Skeleton Leaf pendant, a disk bead and a Wedgwood bead in green from my Humblebeads stash. I paired with up with these unusual shaped sunstone beads that I picked up from a local bead store. My Halcraft beads are tiny dangle accents in between each link. Hurry spring...hurry.

I pulled some of the rose quartz colors to create a coordinating pair of earrings using art beads from Green Girl Studios and Gardanne Beads. 

This was a fun piece, I can't remember the last time I made a charm bracelet. As you'll soon notice, snow owls and woodland inspirations became my underlying theme for the challenge. This bracelet captures it all with art beads from my collection and tiny accents from Halcraft. 

 Snow owl charm earrings with tiny rose quartz crystals and lampwork beads. 

I wanted to create a multi-strand bracelet that captured those wintry hues and pulled out my Winter Wonderland spacers. I paired them up with faceted teardrops from the Halcraft Bead Gallery collection, each one on dark annealed steel wire to darkened my color palette.

For the multi-strand connectors I pulled out some metal blanks, cut them and hammered them to create a birch bark texture. I love how these turned out and tied the bracelet together. A Green Girl Studios owl clasp finishes the design.

Owl charm earring with Humblebeads disks and Halfcraft faceted glass teardrops. 

I love a good challenge and Halfcraft certainly provides a lovely one from Erin each month. Please head over to Halcraft blog and see what Erin created, she's kinda amazing you know! Thank you Erin and Halcraft for the opportunity to showcase art beads for the Pretty Palettes Challenge.

May Halcraft Pretty Palette Challenge

I'm excited today to take part in Halcraft's Pretty Palette challenge hosted by the super talented Erin Prais-Hintz. Erin found this awesome Scandinavian print, those foxes and leaves really called to me! 

Erin sent me a package of beads she picked for this month's palette. I could use any of the beads and add in my own. So let's jump in and see what transpired!

My first creation I honed in on the the graphic leaves in the inspiration. I really loved the black petal beads from Halcraft, in fact I had a strand in my bead stash already. I paired them up with the gold matte Czech glass and just a splash of the red with the Czech glass coin beads.

Being Mrs. Art Bead Scene, I had to add in a few artisan beads. I grabbed this beautiful fiddlehead pendant from Kylie Parry and matched them up with my Humblebeads branch disk beads in copper.

For my next creation I was inspired by the print to create a bead just for the challenge. I created this tiny fox running in a birch forest. My Halcraft beads the jet petals, dyed bamboo coral sticks, the red Czech glass coins and the matte gold beads. 

My final design I played with an asymmetrical pattern with the petals, gold matte beads, the red Czech coin in a brighter hue. The focal is one of my new faux sgraffito style beads. The copper branch beads pulls in some of the reddish hues from the palette.

Stop on over to the Halcraft blog today to see what Erin and the other participants created. Thank you Erin for the inspiration!

Pantone Spring Colors

Before the holidays I mixed up these colors inspired by Pantone's Spring 2015 picks. I always find their palette inspiring. 

I finally made some time this week to make beads with these colors. 

For this collection I pulled the custard yellow, classic blue, strawberry ice, toasted almond, lucite green, glacier gray and tiny touches of tangerine. The looks so fresh and happy! 

My inspirations were lace patterns, butterfly wings, entwined vines and birds, lots and lots of birds. 

I find as soon as the world turns winter white and gray I am ravenous for color. Thankfully my bead table is quite the color feast!

So which spring hues are you digging?